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Canyons and Contemplation
Exploration and reflection on a backpacking trip in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness
Tent Fitting the Easy Way
If you are struggling to find a shelter that fits, you aren't alone. We provide some (mostly useful) advice in the context of a pop culture tour.
Exploration, An Act of Imagining
The horizon is our reminder that the way things are now is not the way things have to be. Exploring, even just backpacking into the hills at the edge of town, expands the known and opens us up to the possibility of more.
Going Home
The transitions from the simple discomfort of the trail to the chaotic comfort of life at home happen by degrees. What can I learn from the trail that will allow me to experience home life in a new way?
What is a Backpacking Trip Failure?
Some things actually suck. We can still learn from them.
“Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia to Zion Journey Through Every National Park” by Conor Knighton (Book Review)
Mark Wetherington reviews a book about national parks and uses it to examine his own relationship with iconic public lands.
I’m Breaking Up with the West
Andrew Marshall uses a trip around the Collegiate Peaks Loop in Colorado to ponder his future in the American West.
How Biking to Trailheads Can Enrich Backpacking
Mark Wetherington explores how trading auto for bicycle for home-to-trailhead transportation impacts the hiking and backpacking experience.
Dealing with Mental Lows on Trail
Maggie Slepian uses past experiences on trail to push through rough days on Colorado's challenging Collegiate West.
It’s Time to Talk About Campfires
Why do so many of us still feel compelled to have fires?
Unpacked: The Backpacking Tithe Project
Is backpacking your hobby or your habit? Examining the subtle difference can provide profound insights into how to spend your time.
Learning Curve: Unpacking Backpacking
In a year of back-and-forth hiking plans and a busy career in backpacking media, Maggie works on understanding what backpacking means to her.
The Overlook: Observing Transition Season
Ben Kilbourne uses the writing of Aldo Leopold to examine his interaction with nature.
Unpacked: Reservations Required
From first-come, first-served to limited lotteries and everywhere in between, permits are increasingly becoming a fact of life for backcountry adventures
Learning Curve: I Finally Had to Plan a Backpacking Trip With No Help
I'm a big planner at home, but not so much with backpacking. On my last OCT solo section, I actually had to do all of the planning myself.
Standards Watch: Mike Cecot-Scherer Talks Potty Trowels and More
Rex Sanders talks to Mike Cecot-Scherer about his innovative trowel design and more.
Springtime Solitude in Southern Utah
BPL author Mark Wetherington rambles through Capitol Reef National Park.
The Overlook: Good Gear Lets You Be Present
What's the perfect pack? One that stays off your mind.
The Backpacker’s Journey
Rex Sanders examines the arcs and stages that backpackers take as years and mileage start to add up.
Learning Curve: Risk Assessment
It takes a close call for Maggie Slepian to dial in her risk assessment skills.
