Learn to navigate and travel off-trail! Join me in August in the White Mountains on an intimate 2-day trip.

Ron Babington navigating off-trail through a refreshingly open forest in Pisgah National Forest, NC, which usually features very limited visability and very thick vegetation (e.g. mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets).

Update, 7:15pm MT. The two remaining spots on this trip have been filled. If you were interested in this trip, please contact me anyway so that I can notify you when my 2013 guiding schedule is finalized. Also note that I may soon offer a similar trip in Rocky Mountain National Park, in addition to the 3-day trip already scheduled there.


Are you bored of hiking on trails, but not confident enough in your navigation skills to wander off them? Do you aspire to reach trail-less summits, navigate through trail-less landscapes, and/or leave the crowds behind?

I may have a trip that’s perfect for you.

I’m looking for 1-2 additional backpackers to join me on a navigation-centric 2-day/1-night custom guided trip in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, scheduled for Monday-Tuesday, August 27-28. Group size is limited to three, or four including me; I already have one registration.

Ideally, you should be an intermediate-level backpacker and capable of hiking about 15 miles per day when on-trail. The instruction will not focus on basic skills like  how to pack a backpack, purify water, or use  trekking poles. (To learn those skills, in addition to some navigation skills, consider taking an intro-level 3-day/2-night Ultimate Hiking Course.)

Instead, on this trip will focus very heavily on navigation; specifically, how to:

  • Read topographical maps (e.g. terrain features, map scales, color shading, distances, etc.)
  • Use a compass
  • Use an altimeter watch
  • Orient a map
  • Follow a bearing
  • Follow a contour
  • Plan water sources and campsites
  • Find game trails
  • Avoid thick brush
  • Minimize elevation gain and loss

Before the trip, we will converse via email to prepare our gear and food, and to arrange logistics. You will have the option to use any demo gear I have, which include backpacks, shelters, and cooksets. Finally, you will receive about $100 worth of product and will be entitled to product discounts from Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear, ULA, and Six Moon Designs, and others. In other words, you’re getting the full treatment experienced by those who take my scheduled 3-day or 7-day trips.

The cost of this trip is $500 per person. If you register as a group of two, there is a $50 discount. This cost is higher than my other trips but necessary due to the small group size.

If you are interested in this trip, please contact me, or simply register for the trip.

Posted in on June 21, 2012
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1 Comment

  1. Andrew Skurka on June 22, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    The final two spots on this trip have been filled. If you were interested in it, please contact me anyway so that I can notify you when my 2013 guiding schedule is finalized — I will probably be offering several trips like it.

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