When I say go wild, I mean get out where no one else goes. I’ll soon be heading out to the Snow Mountain Wilderness, which even at around 6,500 feet, feels like the Sierra and has views to the ocean on the west. It’s located north of California Highway 20 and is sandwiched between Interstate [...]
Backpacker Magazine emailed me a link this morning to its review of a “field tested” backpacking coffee. It’s instant! Ugggh! My choice is fresh ground Peet’s French Roast or Thanksgiving’s Mirembe Kawomera (Delicious Peace) coffee in a one-cup filter (lightweight and as good tasting as home). To read Backpacker’s review of the instant they are [...]
Award-winning outdoor writer Tom Stienstra, author of California Camping and California Hiking by Moon Press, knows the best places for ultralight backpacking. He described my favorite spot in a column published in the San Francisco Chronicle today: a loop in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, from Agnew Meadow to Shadow Lake to Garnet Lake. I agree [...]
On one hand, you can argue that if you forget to take something, you’ll be lighter on the trail. But you may also be sorry. I have a detailed backpacking list. Yet, sometimes you need to check and double check. On my recent trip to the John Muir Wilderness, I found that I had left [...]
One of my ultralight backpacking partners, Wild Bill, and I just completed a quickie and butt-kicking 16-mile hike in the popular Ansel Adams/John Muir Wilderness in the Eastern Sierra. I’ll do a trip report shortly, perhaps with video. But first I want to comment on an article in the latest issue of Backpacker Magazine with [...]
My wife, Gerry, asked me today when I had launched lightbackpacking.com. I couldn’t recall. A little research, however, revealed I made my first “welcome” post on June 17, 2006 — two years and one month ago. During that time, I’ve had more than 30,000 visitors who logged 80,000+ page views. This year, the site is [...]
I got a comment on my recent liquid bandaid post from the author of HikerHell.blogspot.com and went to his site to investigate. His site talks about mishaps and deaths involving hikers and backpackers with the idea of helping others avoid trail tragedies. Says Hiker Hell’s blogger:
As my friends and I stood and watched an unusual storm over the Pacific Ocean on June 20 — namely thunder and lightning on the California North Coast — we weren’t too concerned about it causing harm. Celebrating a friends birthday, we WERE amazed and surprised because it is so rare where we live. The [...]
A must in every ultralight backpack is some form of first aid. I usually take duct tape (you can use to make a liquid in a 1.5 ounce and 2 3/4 inch high bottle (heavy compared with Bandaids) that you brush on: NEW SKIN LIQUID BANDAGE BOTTLE. In less than a minute the New Skin [...]
I discovered a “green” spork (combination fork and knife) made of corn, totally biodegradable and about a half ounce. In our recent trip into the Granite Chief Wilderness, ultralight backpacking companion Wild Bill and I ate two breakfasts and two dinners with the corn sporks. They were sturdy and held up to heat and washing. [...]
