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Backpacking Light

Pack less. Be more.

You are here: Home / Archives for Places / Notes from the Field

Notes from the Field

Narratives that expand on the trip report format by including a discussion of pre-trip rationale for choices made, during-trip experiences (e.g., an annotated photo essay), a post-trip summary and analysis (including gear notes). More room for subjective author commentary and communication of personal experience than in the Expedition / Trip Report format.

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Wind River Backpacking: Sawmills, Tenkara, and Trout in the Popo Agie Wilderness

Aug 19, 2020 by Ryan Jordan

Wind River backpacking and tenkara fly fishing in the Sawmill Creek drainage and Upper Silas Canyon in Wyoming’s Popo Agie Wilderness.

backcountry fly fishing, fishing, island lake, popo agie wilderness, sawmill creek, silas creek, tenkara, thumb lake, upper silas lake, wind rivers, Wyoming

Traversing the Elusive Nahanni River by Canoe – Part 2: River of Dreams

Jul 7, 2020 by Emylene VanderVelden

A detailed account of our expedition down the Nahanni River by canoe.

Canada, nahanni national park reserve, nahanni river

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Traversing the Elusive Nahanni River by Canoe – Part 1: Before the Trip

Jul 7, 2020 by Emylene VanderVelden

Part 1 of a detailed account of our expedition down the Nahanni River by canoe, including our pre-trek preparation and training.

Canada, nahanni national park reserve, nahanni river

Out of the Mojave and Into the Twilight Zone: Hiking the Desert Trail

Jun 12, 2020 by Drew Smith

A narrative of my spring hike on the Desert Trail, and what it was like to re-enter American society at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

covid-19, desert trail, gaia, joshua tree national park, mojave, seek outside, Tarptent

Packing Light with 95 lbs: 40 Days Without Resupply in Far-Eastern Russia

Apr 28, 2020 by Tully Henke

This is a story about a 40-day backpacking trip in the Far East (Russia) where I started with a pack that weighed 95 lb (43 kg).

philosophy, russia

Great Smoky Mountains Backpacking Loop (Sinks-Little Tennessee River Trip Report)

Jan 14, 2020 by Victoria Griffin

Trip report: A 6-day, 76-mile backpacking loop in Great Smoky Mountains NP from the Sinks to the Little Tennessee River and back.

great smoky mountains national park, gsmnp, little tennessee river, sinks

Lightweight Backpacking Gear for Mountain Travel (Case Study)

Aug 31, 2019 by Ryan Jordan

In this video, I walk through my gear during a 9-day summer trek in the high mountains of the western US. This was a trip with friends and family – 3 other adults and four children ages 7-11. We moved camps every day but one, and spent 70% of our miles off-trail, with camps up to about 11,600 feet. Scroll down for gear notes and trip photos!

aqua mira, backcountry fly fishing, Darn Tough, dcf, dyneema composite fabrics, fire maple, Hydrapak, hyperlite mountain gear, Katabatic Gear, katadyn, liteaf, locus gear, McHale Backpacks, msr, Nemo, Patagonia, platypus, scarpa, Smartwool, Snow Peak, suluk46, tenkara

Field Notes: The Fryatt Valley Hike

Aug 20, 2019 by Emylene VanderVelden

My Fryatt Valley Hike trip report – photos, gear notes, planning and prep.

Alberta, Banff, Canada, Fryatt valley, Sydney vallance hut

Field Notes: Wet, Snowy, Cold – Spring Backpacking with my Son in Wyoming with Lightweight Gear

May 26, 2019 by Ryan Jordan

Unseasonably cold May temperatures and a winter storm warning were too much to pass up, so we set out for an overnighter in SE Wyoming.

arc'teryx, cascade designs, enlightened equipment, Katabatic Gear, McHale Backpacks, msr, Patagonia, Smartwool, Tarptent, Therm-a-Rest, Wyoming

Field Notes: Retreat from a Spring Alpine Storm

Apr 12, 2019 by Ryan Jordan

On the leading edge of the last bomb cyclone storm cycle that hit the Rockies and Midwest this spring (April 2019), I was hoping to get in a quick 24-hour trip up in the high country of Wyoming’s Snowy Range.

black diamond, hyperlite mountain gear, Patagonia, rei, shelters, suluk46, winter backpacking

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