thru-hiking-topics

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 …

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 …

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 …

Alpine Pass Route

The Alpine Pass Route is a 340 kilometre (211 miles) hiking trail that spans the breadth of Switzerland. Starting in Sargans on the border with Liechtenstein, it passes up and over sixteen mountain passes before reaching its western terminus at Read More …

Sangre de Cristo Traverse Gear List

Click here for more details & images from the traverse of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Range. Salida to Blanca Peak. Approximately 120 miles in total. Mostly exposed, off-trail terrain. Elevation generally ranged between 10 and 14,000 ft. Throw in regular Read More …

Hitchhiking Tips for Long Distance Hikers

When thru or section hiking a long-distance trail, backpackers regularly hitch into and out of towns for purposes of resupply and R&R. While there is obviously no surefire formula to hitchhiking success, there are certain tips and techniques that can Read More …

Why Don’t You Stop and Smell the Roses?

“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 …

When “Hike Your Own Hike” Ceases to Apply

“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 …

Southwest Tasmania Traverse: Stage 2 – The Arthur Range

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 …

Tasmania’s West Coast – Gear List

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 …

Southwest Tasmania Traverse – Stage 1: The West Coast

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 …

Copper Canyon Traverse | Mexico, 2013

On the morning of December 12, 2013, Justin “Trauma” Lichter and I reached the ‘Cumbres de Sinforosa’, the finishing point for our 381 mile (613 km) traverse of Mexico´s Copper Canyon region. To the best of our knowledge, it was the first Read More …

Pacific Crest Trail Gear List (2012)

This is the gear list from my 2012 thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. It represented the tenth hike of the 12 Long Walks series. I began at the Mexican border on May 6 and finished on July 29. In Read More …

Cordillera Blanca Traverse (CBT) Gear List

I hiked the CBT in August/September, which is “dry” season in the Central Andes of South America. It is also winter,however, due to the fact that the Cordillera Blanca is situated so close to the equator, temperature fluctuations are relatively Read More …