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Backpacking Light

Pack less. Be more.

You are here: Home / Archives for Places / Featured Routes

Featured Routes

Guides to wilderness routes suitable for a lightweight backpacking style that include some of the author's experience and perspective, a few equipment notes, along with route and planning logistics to consider.

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Planning Your First Backpacking Trip Out West

Jun 23, 2015 by David Chenault

Backpacking in the west can be physically challenging and logistically belittling to the uninitiated however don’t let that stop you! The rewards of this exploration are worth the hardship.

The California Crest: a northbound mental map

Jun 16, 2015 by Max Stoffregen

An author and composer writes a music suite based off his memories on the PCT.

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Six Packraft Loops in the Bob Marshall Wilderness

May 27, 2015 by David Chenault

The Bob Marshall Wilderness is home to some of the best wilderness packrafting in the lower 48 with options for novices and experts alike. Explore this beautiful country just remember to be mindful of our responsibility to care for this land.

The Timberline Trail

Jun 24, 2014 by David Pex

Similar to its cousin, the Wonderland Trail which circumnavigates Mt. Rainier, the Timberline Trail traces the shadow of Mt. Hood and makes for a spectacular journey.

Yosemite Adventures

Jun 10, 2014 by Matt Johanson

Yosemite is a wild place and has incredible wilderness opportunities for hikers, climbers, and skiers.

The Massanutten Ridges of Virginia

Apr 30, 2014 by Michael Martin

Just a stones throw form the DC metropolitan area, the Massanutten Trail offers outstanding views and challenges for new and experienced backpackers alike.

The 2012 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic

Aug 28, 2012 by David Chenault

Is this the longest, toughest, roughest or hardest? The beauty of it is that at the finish no one knew or cared. Every competitor was left with indelible experiences, challenges accepted and honestly won or lost. Each had started with a clean slate and had accomplished every step in the wilderness through their own efforts. -Adrian Crane, writing about the Classic in Ultrarunning (1986)

With a Capital C: My 2011 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic

Sep 6, 2011 by David Chenault

Race report, gear and food, and, for the really ambitious, pointers for entering a wilderness race.

7 Myths about the Continental Divide Trail

Apr 5, 2011 by Francis Tapon

At first glance, doing a round-trip (a yo-yo) on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) seems like a waste. Why not hike a different trail instead of hiking the same one two times? However, unlike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, the CDT is never the same trail twice.

Brutality, Beauty, and the Day I Could Have Died on the Continental Divide Trail

Mar 15, 2011 by Chris “Freefall” Sanderson

The CDT is off-the-charts gorgeous, a great challenge, and it is my favorite of the big three long-distance trails. However, as with the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails, the CDT is not without its tricky areas.

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