Trail Guides, Gear Reviews, and Backpacking Tips
The end of 2019 saw the release of Wanderlust USA, my third book with gestalten publications. In a nutshell, it’s a 320-page coffee table book that features 30 terrific hikes from around the United States. Among the eclectic collection are Read More …
Bears are the animals that everyone wants to see and doesn’t want to see. It is really just a question of timing and distance. Spot a grizzly bear on the other side of a raging river; fantastic. Walk around a Read More …
Every once in a while I receive emails about hammocks and thru-hiking. It is a subject about which I know very little. That being the case, I asked a hiking buddy of mine with extensive hammocking experience, to put together Read More …
“With disturbing frequency, backpackers die in the mountains during the first snows of the season. Avalanche danger, hypothermia and obliterated trails are a threat to your life. Snow has closed the PCT in Washington as early as mid-September. In a Read More …
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 …
“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 …
On December 29, 2012, I finished the longest journey of my hiking life. A 14,342 mi (23,081 km), almost eighteen-month odyssey called the 12 Long Walks. I had planned to end my trip at the Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus of Read More …
Last week I shared a photo on social media of three friends of mine on the Sierra High Route. What I didn’t mention is that two of the ladies pictured, namely Christy “Rockin” Rosander and Nancy “Why Not” Huber, are Read More …
“How far have you hiked today?” About thirty miles. “Seriously?” Yes. “Why don’t you stop and smell the roses?” I chuckle every time I hear this line. Do the people asking the question actually think about what they are saying? Do 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 …
“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 …
In 2012, the PCT represented the 10th of the 12 Long Walks series. It was the only one of the dozen hikes that I had previously done (2007). It was a trek that turned out to be a lot more Read More …
Glissading is fun, exciting & potentially hazardous to your health. Six points for hikers to remember in regards to glissading: 1. Never glissade if you are in any doubt as to the safety of a slope (e.g. crevasses, avalanche potential, Read More …
“A hungry stomach seldom scorns plain food.” ~ Horace (65 BC – 8 BC) Food tastes better in the outdoors. I guess it’s a combination of fresh air, beautiful surroundings and all that exercise you’re doing. It also represents the Read More …
With the popularity of the Triple Crown increasing, the amount of information on the internet regarding the three long distance trails is staggering. Some of it is good; some of it not so much. That being the case, how does one separate Read More …
“ Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Viewing wildlife is one of the primary reasons many of us head out into the wilderness. However, with hiking numbers increasing with each passing year, Read More …
You know the Pacific Crest Trail rock formation…………… You may have tried the Southern California beer……………. But apart from my Australian and New Zealand readers, I wonder how many of you have heard this classic tune by “Daddy Cool”???
I recently spent a fantastic few weeks in New Hampshire. In addition to the presentations for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), I had the opportunity to do some hiking with fellow Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) alumni Nancy “Why Not” Huber and Read More …
In late April each year the Pacific Crest Trail has a gathering of aspiring thru hikers, trail angels, lightweight backpacking gear vendors and former hikers. It is held at Lake Morena Country Park in southern California and is known by Read More …
I recently came across some short videos from the Oregon section of my PCT 2012 thru hike. I had almost forgotten how much snow there was on the stretch between Crater and Ollalie Lakes! Thanks to fellow thru hiker, Erin Read More …