How to Stay Hydrated on the Trail Nothing affects your pack weight more than your choices of food and how much water you need to carry. Today I’ll cover the topic of H2O. Water management is critical One pint of water weighs one pound. Depending on your peak water carrying capacity, the difference between having every water…
What You Need for an Appalachian Trail Hike – Part 2
Training for a Long Distance Hike After my lectures and during my book signings, I am often asked, “How do you train for a hike?” It’s a really good question. Most folks (including me) don’t want to spend our time away from the mountains walking around town with a full pack on. And even if we did, it…
A Day on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
There are eleven National Scenic Trails. I’ve been lucky enough to have spent a lot of time on three of them — the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and New England Trail (in order). Yesterday I had the chance to start exploring a fourth one, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The IAT is the only National…
Being optimistic — and staying that way — could save your life.
To say I’m a hiking fanatic may be underestimating my enthusiasm. I’ve often wondered as I’ve hiked along, exactly what it is that keeps powering me up and over hills and exploring new territories. I always sensed that optimism played a part. I am optimistic by nature. I thought that a positive outlook was something I was…
How I lost 5 lbs. in 30 Seconds
Sometimes old habits die hard. Case in point: my choice of backpack. Over the years, I’ve carried more than thirty different packs into the wilderness. Day packs, weekend packs and beasts built for multi-day and even multi week trips. For the past ten years, I used the same pack for trips that lasted 5 to 20 days….
The First Hike
It’s been an excruciating few weeks here in Maine. And I only have myself to blame. I fall for it every year. You’d think that coming up on six decades of going through this would make me older and wiser. But so far, I’m just older. The problem is, of course, the promise of spring. First, the…
How to Section Hike the Appalachian Trail
It took me 28 years to hike the Appalachian Trail, a feat I accomplished with my great friend, Wayne Cyr and wrote a book about. This cutting the hike into pieces is also known as “section hiking.” Last year, while touring the country doing book signings, I was struck by the “eureka moment” often evoked by the…
Revisiting the Secret Worlds of Colin Fletcher
I was in my early 20s, preparing for a six-month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail when I picked up a hardcover version of one of the most influential books of my life, The New Complete Walker, by Colin Fletcher. I had already read his books The Thousand Mile Summer and The Man Who Walked Through Time,…
Ditching the Bucket List
I traded in my bucket list for an ever evolving “I’d like to do” list. I found that this approach suits me best. Besides, I can’t carry that many buckets. It wasn’t always that way. In my 20s and 30s, I had peak bagging lists. I climbed the highest 50 mountains in Maine in a year, traversed…
7 Gifts for Hikers Under $30
Have a hiker on your holiday list? Here are seven gifts sure to bring lasting joy — each under $30! 1. Gaiters If they already use gaiters, they can probably use a new pair, because the trail is tough on them. If they don’t use gaiters already, they’ll thank you! Not just for winter, gaiters keep sticks, stones…