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Lightly Burdened Pilgrims: Trip Report and Photo Essay
My wife and I retraced the steps of Martin Luther on the 500th anniversary of his famous pilgrimage to Rome... it wasn't quite the thru-hike I had anticipated, but it had a satisfaction all its own.
Trip Report: 2010 Teton Crest Expedition
Our seasoned crew decided early on a mostly off-trail trip on a high route through the Teton Range. With no navigational resources but map and compass, we planned to formulate our route day by day as we progressed north to south through mountains.
Hiking Through Hyperbole: A Walk in the Clouds
With nearly constant cloud cover and a few mornings waking up to a thick layer of snow on the ground, the focus of the last days on the trail went from staying dry to just staying warm.
Hiking Through Hyperbole: Blisters and Fire
Blisters, hiking solo, and lightning-started fires marked the stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail from northern California through Oregon.
Hiking Through Hyperbole Part 2: The Snowy Sierra
The desert portion done, fear (and trail gossip) centered on snow in the Sierra, with six major passes above 11,000 feet.
Hiking Through Hyperbole: The Vortex of Fear
Tackling the Pacific Crest Trail is a big job, made harder by a stream of scary stories filtering down from other hikers.
Valley Hopping in the Cordillera Huayhuash – Global Test Photo Essay
Hopscotch over lakes, skip the main trail, and discover the jewels of Peru.
SUL with My Kid Brother
Planning a 2-day, 20-mile trip with my 11-year-old brother meant going SUL, as he wasn't going to tolerate being babied with a lesser load.
Philmont Redux: A Returning Scouter’s Report
Nearly 40 years after his first visit, Tom brought his son's Troop to experience the magic of Philmont - and the magic of lighter packs!
Fear and Loneliness on the Ozark Highlands Trail
The Ozark Highlands Trail winds through the Boston Mountains of northern Arkansas for approximately 165 continuous miles. Planning to yo-yo it for my first thru-hike, I had to come to terms with adjusted expectations.
Hiking The Diablo Trail: A Conservation Success Story
In 1993, Save Mount Diablo, a charity that works to acquire and preserve land on and around the San Francisco Bay Area’s Mount Diablo, proposed a multi-use recreation trail to showcase the region’s cooperation efforts to preserve area land. In 2007, they produced the first map highlighting the thirty-mile trail.
MYOG Goes to the Mountains
To test his latest creation, a sub-5-ounce pack, Jamie filled it with the rest of his MYOG kit and took to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Rapids, Wolves, and Winter
With amazingly light loads that included skis, packrafts, dry suits, winter camping gear, and a week’s worth of food, we set out to visit the Frank Church Wilderness in winter to prove a point.
Skiing the John Muir Trail
When the snow resembles cement and you're making one mile per hour or less at times, what would YOU do?
Experiential Learning in the Heart of Utah
A high school class laughs their way through five days in the Escalante National Recreation Area.
Return to the Fight! Lightweight Rematch in the High Annapurnas
After a knee injury put me on the ropes, I got back into the ring with a long, slow hike over many miles, hoping that the Himalayan trail would not be an impossible opponent.
Crater Lake Snowshoe Video Essay
Join some of the Backpacking Light crew for their three-day circumnavigation of Crater Lake. In January. On snowshoes!
Sierra Prime: Off Trail in California’s High Country
The greatest rewards come when you choose to get off the beaten path and build a personalized hike that mixes challenge and fun at whatever level works for you.
Seven Days on the Katy
I went looking for a long-distance hike in the midwest and found the 225-mile Katy Trail. No time like the present to try out my first thru-hike!
Backyard Wilderness: The New England Trail
600 miles of trail and it's not the Long Trail or the AT! Sure, it's got some rough spots, but it's a nice taste of something different when you want to cover some mileage in the northeastern U.S.
