Dan Goes Hiking's video: Yellow River State Forest - Iowa s BEST Backpacking Loop

Well this trip was a mixed bag.... My wife and I spent two days backpacking Yellow River State Forest, a beautiful section of eastern Iowa just over the Mississippi with over 25 miles of hiking trails. We started on the Forester Trail next to the park's headquarters, and hiked clockwise around the main backpacking loop. The terrain was a mix of single and double track trails and the occasional gravel road. We originally thought of staying at Heffern's Hill Camp but ended up hiking a bit further to Brown's Hollow Camp. But as gorgeous as it was, I experienced my first run-in with severe dehydration, eventually earning me a brief stint in the hospital upon arriving back home (I'm fine now). It was late June so the weather was hot and humid, and although I thought I had been drinking enough water, the constant sweating must have thrown my electrolytes out of whack. I didn't address this in the video, but you'll probably notice me feeling more and more run down as the trip drags on. Nevertheless it was still a fun time, and I'm looking forward to heading back to Yellow River State Forest in the future to check out the other trails. GEAR MENTIONED IN VIDEO: - Warbonnet Blackbird: https://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/product/blackbird/ - Tarptent ProTrail: https://www.tarptent.com/product/protrail/ - Enlightened Equipment Revolt underquilt: https://enlightenedequipment.com/revolt-custom/ GEAR I USE AND RECOMMEND - Garmin InReach Mini satellite messenger: https://amzn.to/2Y9kbOz - Helinox Chair Zero: https://amzn.to/2vL3kFA - Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape tent/poncho: https://amzn.to/2UQQ78b - Outdoor Research Helium II rain jacket: https://amzn.to/2GM5xFM - Exped AirMat HL sleeping pad: https://amzn.to/2Lb6Ovr - Nitecore NU25 headlamp: https://amzn.to/2LfvG5v - Columbia Silver Ridge Lite hiking shirt: https://amzn.to/2UPPETP - Darn Tough Socks: https://amzn.to/2N5lU44 - Opsak odor proof food bag: https://amzn.to/2GWnnHD - Leatherman Squirt PS4 multitool: https://amzn.to/2XX1TA4 - Deuce of Spades trowel: https://amzn.to/2DTnLo9 - Suunto A-10 compass: https://amzn.to/2VD3rS6 - Therm-a-Rest Compressible pillow: https://amzn.to/2WfBn4r - Sawyer Squeeze water filter: https://amzn.to/2Lb8sgB - CNOC Outdoors Vecto water container: https://amzn.to/2GPPBCz - Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net (w/ Insect Shield): https://amzn.to/2YcTCaF - AcuRite Digital thermometer: https://amzn.to/37pOPZW - Outdoor Research Sparkplug Gaiters: https://amzn.to/2Y4H9sW - Anker Powercore II external battery: https://amzn.to/2vGTFzO - Saramonic SmartMic microphone: https://amzn.to/2VRpyEC - BOYA BY-M1 lavalier microphone: https://amzn.to/2VNvu19 **At no cost to you, click the Amazon links above, buy your stuff, and Amazon will contribute a small portion of the sale to my channel. Win-Win! Thanks, all!** Filmed on a Google Pixel 2 with Edutige EIM-001 external mic ---------------------------------------------------- Welcome to my random musings on all things backpacking. If you haven't already guessed, my name is Dan. I was bit by the backpacking bug in 2014 and since then haven't gone one day without thinking about my next adventure. I'm from Chicago, a great city but...not so much known for its bountiful backpacking opportunities. Nevertheless, I haven't let that stop me from enjoying the outdoors. Hope my videos leave you with one or two takeaways, or even better, inspire you to head out on the trail. Thanks for watching! Have fun out there! - Dan