Two questions I am always asked about my thru-hikes are "How many miles per day did you hike?" and "What did you eat?". My Colorado Trail thru-hike was short enough where I was able to keep track of this information. The information should prove to be informative, amusing and scary.
With thru-hiking season starting in a few months, (and planning in full swing), thought I'd republish this article. It is something I wrote for 1999 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers. The thoughts can apply to any long journey, however.
Though I like this photo, I'll be the first to admit it looks like something out of a bad cover for Backpacker Magazine: Being the sarcastic twerp I am, I gave the photo this caption: I can see the titles on the cover: DON'T GET LOST..TIPS FROM EXPERTS! TOP TEN SECRET PLACES THAT WE'LL RUIN! [...]
One of my first backpacking trips was with my good buddy Tim. We did "The Presies", culminating with the summiting of Mt. Washington. We did the usual posing at the summit, bought some over-priced and not-so-good cafeteria food that tasted DELICIOUS at the time and received the usual "Did you walk up this mountain ?!?!?" [...]
The Boulder Grand Slam is a route that takes in the ridge line of the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks system. On this hike, we start at the Sanitas trailhead and proceed to Sanitas, Anemone, Red Rocks, Flagstaff, Green, Bear and South Boulder peak. A total of ~18 miles and 8500' elev gain. Looking [...]
An article on how to enjoy and prepare for car camping. This article has an emphasis on car camping with a healthy dose of outdoor activity during the day. A gear and equipment list for camping is included.
Replacing the factory insoles with something new is a trick many experienced backpackers know about. But not everyone does. Here's why it should be done.
Outdoor clothing can be expensive. When a brand of clothing is that is inexpensive, functional and durable it is rare and wonderful find. And for me, the brand of clothing that fits that criteria is the Champion C9 brand found at Target.
Wilderness First Aid is a basic certification for the assessing, treating and stabilizing of a person's injuries in the backcountry. But how does the (sometimes) gear and equipment focused backcountry medicine co-exist with a more minimalist view? Here is my own take.
A primer I wrote for people who are on the beginners backpacking trip that I organize.