Bolivia, baby!
Over the next six weeks, Ryan Sylva and I will be hiking a series of trails and routes in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes. Read More …
Introducing “Quick and Dirty Hiking Guides”
On July 22, 2017, Paul “Mags” Magnanti and I became hiking guidebook authors (woohoo!). Specifically we released the first two books in the Quick and Dirty Hiking Guide series. They are titled, 12 Classic Hikes in Colorado and 12 Classic Read More …
Teton Range Traverse
In early October, 2016, Greg “Malto” Gressel and I completed a traverse of Wyoming’s spectacular Teton mountain range. Beginning at the Phillips Pass Trailhead (#3001) on HWY 22 just outside of Jackson Hole, we continued north from the Tetons into Read More …
Wind River High Route – Photo Journal
At the end of September last year, Greg “Malto” Gressel and I spent the best part of a week hiking in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The relatively late start date was due to an unavoidable work commitment. Well aware that Read More …
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter
There is no universal blueprint as to how you should backpack. We all have our own motivations, needs, and levels of experience. That said, one thing upon which everyone can agree is that hiking is substantially easier and more enjoyable, Read More …
Tips for Hiking in Cold and Wet Weather
A combination of driving rain, high winds, and temperatures just above freezing, represents some of the most challenging weather that a hiker can face. In these conditions, hypothermia and frostbite (if the thermometer subsequently drops below 0°C / 32°F) are Read More …
Hydration Tips for Hikers
“A giant thirst is a great joy when quenched in time.” – Edward Abbey, “Desert Solitaire” (1968). Not drinking enough water may well be the most common mistake made by hikers and backpackers. Whether you are walking in the heat or the Read More …
Triple Crown Gear List (2017)
Some four and a half years after finishing the 12 Long Walks – of which the Calendar Triple Crown constituted the last three hikes – the PCT, CDT, and AT continue to be the trails I am asked about the Read More …
Wilsons Promontory Southern Circuit
I left Australia in my early 20’s. I’m now in my mid-40’s. Over the years I’ve returned to my homeland on many occasions, and whenever I do I try to get in as much hiking as possible. One place I Read More …
Gear Review: Montbell Tachyon Anorak
Over the past seven years, the Montbell Tachyon Anorak wind shirt has been a mainstay of my backpacking kit. Indeed, rarely does a day in the backcountry go by when I don’t wear it at some time or another. Considering that Read More …
The Narrows Top-Down Route
Situated in Utah’s Zion National Park, The Narrows Top-Down route is one of the most spectacular short hikes in the United States. Stretching some 25 km (16 miles) from Chamberlain’s Ranch to Temple of Sinawava, it follows the course of the Virgin Read More …
The Thru-Hiker’s Gear List
An follow-up / expanded version of this article, The Thru Hikers Gear List Vol.2, appeared in April, 2018. It includes gear recommendations from nine more of the world’s most accomplished long distance hikers including Andrew Skurka, Justin “Trauma” Lichter, Heather Read More …
A Quick & Dirty Guide to Corsica’s GR20
The GR20 is a spectacular 180 km (112 mi) trail, that winds its way along the jagged spine of Corsica’s mountainous centre. Despite the rugged nature of much of the terrain, it is a hike that is within the capabilities Read More …
Tips for Hiking in Tick Country
Alongside mosquitos, ticks are at the top of the vector class when it comes to disease transmission. These little bloodsuckers can carry and transmit viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Indeed, when it comes to spending time out in the wilderness hikers Read More …
Review: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp
Over the past year I have used the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp in a wide range of environments. Testing grounds have included regular excursions into Mexico’s Sierra Madre, the traverse of Badlands National Park, and above treeline routes Read More …
Is Thru-Hiking Really 90 Percent Mental?
“Thru-hiking is 90 percent mental” is one of those statements that you regularly hear in the US long-distance hiking community. Indeed, it has been repeated so often in articles, online forums, and books that it seems to be accepted as Read More …
Trip Report: Montana’s Beartooth Mountains
“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” ~ Lewis Carroll, ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass’ This is a long overdue trip report from a hike I did in the Beartooth mountains last year. I’ve Read More …
The Thru-Hiker’s Diet
This is a revised, revamped and expanded version of an article I wrote in 2010. It includes a spreadsheet of food items I eat on trail, tips for maintaining weight, town stop strategies, and a basic overview of my eating Read More …
Bartram Trail Backpacking Guide
The Bartram Trail is a 116 mile (187 km) pathway through the Appalachian mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. It was voted by readers of Backpacker Magazine to be the No.1 U.S. long distance trail for solitude. Sure enough, when Read More …
Hiking and the Art of Sustainable Wealth
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” ~ Henry David Thoreau Going lighter in the wilderness is more about perspective than it is pack weight. It represents a Read More …