stg-sectionhikercom-buttons.kinsta.cloud Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs

. . . well, let me confess, it’s me! At one time. Of course, I wasn’t organized enough then to think this far ahead, to pause at the trailhead and ponder What do I do when I have to go? Or you would have glimpsed only a streak, as I fled to my comfy couch—adjacent to the little room with …

In 2004 I met a couple thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and asked if they’d taken any practice hikes. The husband said; “We didn’t want to take any practice hikes before our attempt because we were afraid that we might not like hiking.” Though his response was delivered as a joke, there is a certain amount of romantically-warped logic to the …

The 100 Mile Wilderness is an unforgiving section of the Appalachian Trail, winding through the remote backcountry of northern Maine. Drawn to the physical and logistical challenge of it, I shouldered a sixty-pound pack then stepped into that sprawling forest with my dog Matika. I was gung-ho at first, but after pushing myself hard for eight days I began to …

When I was served with divorce papers in the ‘80s at the end of a 22-year marriage, I did what anyone would do—I signed up for a “highlight” camping and hiking trip with the Sierra Club that would take us to Alaska and Hawaii. The good news is that the trip lasted two weeks; the bad news is that it …