Trail Guides, Gear Reviews, and Backpacking Tips
“On Thursday, June 16, five members of the Camp Sherman Hasty Team responded to Carl Lake in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area to locate a lost Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hiker………Sterley (the hiker in question) told team members that her Read More …
Vermont’s Long Trail is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the United States. Completed in 1930, it winds its way through the rugged Green mountains from the MA – VT state line to the border with Canada. I hiked Read More …
The second & final stage of the Southwest Tasmania Traverse, was a six day stretch between Scotts Peak Dam and Farmhouse Creek via the rugged Arthur Range. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Arthurs are notorious for their exposed Read More …
This gear review is six years and 20,000 plus hiking miles (32,187 km) in the making. What can I tell you; I don’t like to rush these things. 😉 Since 2010, I’ve used a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir on all of my backcountry Read More …
On the third to last day of the Southwest Tasmania Traverse, I camped at a place called Goon Moor. It was there I met Viktor Posnov. Born in the Ukraine, Viktor’s family immigrated to the United States after the fall Read More …
I’ve always been drawn to remote corners. If it’s out in the wilderness and off the beaten track, chances are you’ve got my attention. Throw in some ecological diversity, lots of solitude and the promise of a pretty vista or Read More …
Irrespective of whether I’m carrying an inflatable or closed cell foam model, the one constant in my choice of sleeping pads over the years, has been that I always use mats that are no more than 3/4 length. There are Read More …
When: February 27 to March 14, 2016. First stage of the Southwest Tasmania Traverse. Terrain: A combination of rocky, gulch laden coastline, open beaches, buttongrass plains and extremely dense scrub. Weather: South West Tasmania is an area of high precipitation (it Read More …
The traverse of Southwest Tasmania consisted of two main stages – the west coast followed by the Arthurs Range. The summary below is from the first stage, a 17 day stretch from Cape Sorrell to Scotts Peak Dam. Note: For Read More …
Over the past twelve years, I’ve chosen to go stoveless on most of my three-season hiking trips. Here’s a quick summary of the hows, whys and wherefores behind that decision: Why? Time, convenience and weight. Whilst realizing it’s not a choice Read More …
The first time I saw a Donate button with a “Buy Me a Meal” tagline on a hiking blog, I immediately thought of that famous line from Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. You know the one I’m talking about. When Oliver Read More …
Snakes aren’t interested in biting hikers. Whether you’re walking down the trail, sleeping under the stars or taking a sneaky number two behind a not-quite-big-enough bush, snakes want to avoid a potential encounter just as much as you do. That Read More …
Tassie. Australia’s southern most state. The 26th largest island in the world. Home to the the country’s oldest brewery (Cascade – established 1832), Tasmanian Devils and Princess Mary of Denmark……….pretty much in that order of importance 😉 . Some 45% of Tasmania’s total area Read More …
Today I was planning to post a route map and overview notes from my recent traverse of Southwest Tasmania. It was to be the first in a series of articles on what was one of the toughest trips I have Read More …
I always opt for zip neck base layers over the non-zip variety. Why? In a word – versatility. In two words – temperature management. Over the course of a hiking day, weather conditions and exertion levels may vary considerably. A Read More …
While hiking just south of Agua Dulce on the Pacific Crest Trail, I met a fellow rambler who went by the name of ‘Big Sky’. We ended up walking and chatting together for about 40 minutes. Near the end of Read More …
Yesterday I came across a copy of Cows of Our Planet, one of Gary Larson’s legendary The Far Side comic collections. A wonderful celebration of all things bovine, it got me thinking about some of the memorable cow encounters I’ve had during Read More …
“A reflective umbrella will keep you significantly cooler than a non-reflective model when hiking in hot conditions. That’s the long-time consensus in the backpacking community. There’s only one problem………..it’s largely a myth.“ I bought my Montbell U.L. Trekking Umbrella in Read More …
Situated in the heart of Northern Territory’s Outback, the Larapinta Trail is one of Australia’s premier long distance hikes. Winding its way some 231 km along the incredible West MacDonnell ranges, it traverses ridges and plains, and passes through some of Read More …
Here are the five most viewed Hiking Life posts of 2015. When looking at the WordPress stats, I couldn’t help but notice that the most popular articles were a microcosm of my overall approach to blogging. A balance between humour, trip Read More …