The 51st annual Kegger Backpack — June 2026 — was an outstanding success. Over 30 people attended. The 51st has come and gone.
Which means the committee has turned its attention to the 52nd. The annual scheduling debate has already begun.
This annual event happens because people like to drink cold beer on a hot day in the mountains — and because getting a first backpacking trip done early in the year leaves more time for more backpacking. Simple enough. And yet the scheduling question has consumed more debate, more emails, more campfire argument, and more nuanced thinking than almost any other topic in 50 years of Kegger history.
Factors under active consideration every year
- How soon will the road open?
- When does the river get stocked with fish?
- School schedules
- Work schedules and deadlines
- Family vacations
- Menstrual cycles
- Whether the trailhead is open
- Teresa's birthday
- Father's Day
- The moon phase (well-lit rivers are better)
- Incoming storm systems
- Fish stocking schedule
- The mosquito situation
- Temperature (how hot is "hot enough"?)
- Scout camp opening weekend
- At least three alternate-site incidents, historically
One of the biggest concerns is avoiding a date too late in June — that's when the mosquitoes are worst. Some years the bugs are so thick you must wear a loose long-sleeve shirt to keep them off. But with the bugs comes the heat, and how important is it to be in the nineties when you jump into the freezing cold river? Very important.
The key decider, as always, is the person who buys the kegs.
The dialogue on timing — a classic exchange
"Timing is critical," she said. "The arrangement of the planets. The arrangement of each person around us. June is a time of transition, changes, re-alignments, re-adjustments, re-fulfillments and especially recreations."
"NO!" he pleaded. "Don't mess with a good thing. The 4th of June has nearly no moon. It's too early. Let us convene instead on June 18th. We will be blind by the darkness on the 4th. Wait for the light. Are we to blunder all summer because of impatience? Can we not wait for longer, warmer days? You always wanted to hurry things up. Do you want to hurry life up? You race to finish it! What then?"
As her eyes looked into his soul she smiled and said only that she wanted the summer to start two weeks earlier, to last two weeks longer. "Justin, get back under the blanket and watch the sun come up with me."
After a long pause he crawled in next to her, but the question of when the 52nd Kegger Backpack should be held kept intriguing him in a warm and tantalizing way.
The moon in June 2027
For the record — and in the spirit of due diligence on the moon-phase question — here is the June 2027 lunar calendar. The full moon falls on June 19th (Saturday). The new moon is June 4th. A Kegger on June 11–13 catches the moon at First Quarter — good light, not blinding, perfect for a Friday-through-Sunday. June 18–20 brackets the Full Moon — maximum light, brilliant river nights, but potentially more people in the backcountry. Both windows have merit. The debate continues.
