Trail Guides, Gear Reviews, and Backpacking Tips
When most people think of hiking to Machu Picchu, the first name that comes to mind is the Inca Trail. And justifiably so. For decades that classic trek was the sole focal point for anyone looking to arrive at the Read More …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
“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 …
“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 …
Stretching almost the entire length of the “Sunshine State”, the Florida Trail (FT) winds its way more than 1000 miles from Pensacola beach in the north to Big Cypress National Preserve in the south. Along the way it passes through Read More …
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 …
The Badlands of South Dakota is one of the jewels in America’s National Park System. It combines a fauna-abundant prairie land with a moonscape of other-worldly rock formations, to form one of the country’s most unique natural environments. Last month I hiked Read More …
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 …
On the afternoon of September 5, I completed an eight day traverse of Colorado’s Sangre De Cristo (i.e. “Blood of Christ”) mountains. My route began in the town of Salida and finished at the informal trailhead for Blanca Peak, just off Read More …
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 …
My theoretical introduction to the world of ultralight backpacking came in the late 1990s, in the form of Ray Jardine’s, The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker’s Handbook. [1] In 2003, I received my practical baptism courtesy of a gentleman by the name Read More …
The Southeastern Serpentine Trail (SST) is a 583 mile (938 km) trek through the southern part of the Appalachian mountains. It passes through four states and consists of a combination of the Foothills, Bartram and Benton Mackaye trails, along with the Smokies section of 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 …
“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 …