Posts by Andrew Skurka
Recommended listening: Roman Dial and The Backpacking Podcast
Two podcasts from the past week that may be worth your time: Buzz Burrell interviews Roman Dial For this week’s installment of the FKT Podcast, Buzz interviewed Roman, which makes for a lot of legend in one episode. Roman is probably the best storyteller that I know, due to both storytelling skills and Alaska-themed content.…
High routes and the rare Sierra Nevada red fox
The Sierra Nevada red fox (SNRF) is a subspecies of red fox that has become genetically isolated since the retreat of the last ice age and is one of the rarest mammalian carnivores in North America. High routes in the High Sierra — notably the Sierra High Route, Kings Canyon High Basin Route, and Yosemite…
Trip planning research: My go-to resources
A six-week hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, starting at the US-Mexico border on June 6, 2006, sounded hot and dry to me. But fifteen years ago I had no experience with southern California or deserts generally, so I didn’t know how to properly prepare my gear, supplies and skills. What clothing, sleeping bag, and…
Last call for planning course starting Feb 22
On Friday we will be shutting down registration for Session 1 of our 9-week online planning course, which starts Monday, February 22. If you miss this opportunity, consider Session 2 or Session 3, which start March 15 and April 12, respectively. If the timing of these latter sessions works better for you, you can still…
Trip Planner Template: Stay organized & track details
In preparing for a backpacking trip, especially outings that are beyond the normal weekend getaway in a familiar place, I rely on a handful of tools that collectively help me to be more efficient and thorough in my planning efforts. Previously I’ve posted about two of the most important: Backpacking gear list, and Environmental and…
Online course: Learn to (better) plan a backpacking trip
Eleven months ago the world was turned upside-down by Covid. For years I’d wanted to offer an online course, and last spring was an ideal opportunity — the expansive stay-at-home orders kept most people inside and also put a freeze on my guided trip program. Over a few weeks, Joe McConaughy (who was freshly unemployed)…
Tutorial: Plan a backpacking trip in these 7 steps
Preparations for my earliest backpacking trips were clumsy, and I made every mistake possible. I recall carrying way too much stuff for an overnight in Yosemite, shivering all night in a too-light sleeping bag in Tennessee, stomaching an unpalatable couscous dinner in the Adirondacks, struggling to find topographic maps of eastern Montana, quitting a trip…
Podcasts: FKT, Live Free or Die, Long Way Radio
Last week I was interviewed for two different podcasts, and they’re both now available. Fastest Known Time Legend and host Buzz Burrell invited Mary Cochenour and me on to answer listener questions about how to recharge GPS devices mid-trip, when to (not) use trekking poles, and how to best protect yourself from the sun. Fastest…
Online tutorial: Learn technical packrafting skills
The American Packrafting Association is hosting an online class next week with Mark Oates, who is based in Tasmania (which has world-class packrafting) and teaches whitewater courses all over the world. The class is pitched to “packrafters looking to step up their technical paddling skills.” That sounds more advanced than a basic “how to packraft”…
Update on 2021 trip availability
Demand for the 2021 trips has remained very strong through the open application period, and I’m expecting that every single trip will be full by the end of this week. If you’re hoping to join us, apply immediately — or apply later when you can fully commit, and hope for a cancellation. I’m currently sorting…