After my first trip last spring, I cut out the boxer brief liner of my favorite hiking shorts, which were designed for running and which I’d scored at Marshalls for $15(!) a few years earlier. The elasticized liner had lost its rebound, resulting in an imperfect fit and insufficient support. The shell was still in […]
“Better her than me,” I said multiple times during Thirst: 2600 miles to home, by Heather Anderson (“Anish”) about her record-setting thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013, which she completed in 60+ days at an astounding pace of over 43 miles per day. This glorified diary is an honest and accurate depiction of […]
Nine years ago I randomly met Caroline Van Hemert on a gravely beach along Alaska’s Lynn Canal, between Juneau and Haines. She approached as I was cooking dinner and soaking in a splendid sunny evening. It was kind of dreamy, I won’t lie — I was halfway into my Alaska-Yukon Expedition, and she was the […]
Thirty-three years ago my parents moved to 51 Donald Lewis Drive in Seekonk, Mass. — along with their three kids, ages 7, 5, and 2 — and on Monday put this classic Colonial on the market. With this post I’m not trying to help their sale, but simply mark a milestone as I occasionally do […]
California, Oregon, Nevada, and the Four Corners states have been drenched this winter, with snowpacks now about 150 percent of their normals. If you have scheduled backpacking trips in the High Sierra or southern Rockies in June or July, and to a lesser degree August, here is some reading for you: 1. Today on my […]
This winter I’ve been a guest on six podcasts, and will soon appear on two more. It wasn’t intentional — whether by coincidence or due to an increasing number of outdoor podcasts, I received an exceptional number of interview requests, and I always say yes. Most readers will probably be familiar enough with my own […]
Completing a gear list is one of the most important and most beneficial steps in preparing for a backpacking trip. A fully featured gear list can be used to: Pack virtually (and avoid a gear explosion in the guest room), Organize systems (e.g. clothing, shelter, kitchen), Calculate pack weight, Budget and track new purchases, Prepare […]
I had self-imposed a deadline of March 1 for publishing the Yosemite High Route Guide, knowing that backpackers are making their summertime plans (and in some cases have already made them). The Guide is not yet complete — it’s about 85 percent of the way there — but today I’m releasing it anyway so that […]
My business has become sufficiently large and reliable that I’d like some assistance in running it, especially the guided trip program. In its current one-man configuration, I’m too stretched by the workload and — more consequentially — too distracted by critical but routine tasks that are preventing me from working on higher-value projects. Ideally, I’d like to find one […]
Ron Bell, the founder and owner of Mountain Laurel Designs, one of the most innovative and influential ultralight backpacking gear companies, will be joining Alan Dixon, Joe McConaughy, and me as a special guest on the Backpacking Fundamentals course in West Virginia, May 10-12, 2019. Ron last joined us in 2012, and I’m excited to […]