Read about my complete John Muir Trail experience, including prep, gear, logistics, and post-hike impressions. I’m a lightweight backpacker, meaning I make a point to minimize my pack weight. As part of that effort, I streamlined my food supply plan. … Continued
Read about my complete John Muir Trail experience, including prep, gear, logistics, and post-hike impressions. I caught the Tuolumne Meadows (TM) Hiker Bus ($26) in front of Half Dome Village at 8:00 am. The 3-hour ride out of the valley … Continued
Read about my complete John Muir Trail experience, including prep, gear, logistics, and post-hike impressions. I’m calling this Day 0 because it wasn’t technically part of my John Muir Trail (JMT) thru-hike. As I’ve already explained, my permit had me … Continued
I’ve hiked just about all of Panthertown Valley in both directions. It’s a beautiful area that mostly features easy to moderate hiking. There are a few strenuous sections of trail, but they’re avoided with this loop except for the short … Continued
As I’ve said before, I’m more of a hiker than a camper. Even though hikers camp and campers hike, the best part of backpacking for me is the walking. I don’t blog most of my backpacking trips because I start … Continued
Clingmans Dome is the largest mountain in Tennessee and the high point of the Appalachian Trail. I recently had a couple of days free between some work trips. Since I rarely get the exercise I need on work trips, and … Continued
I’ve been wanting to get in some big miles while the weather is unseasonably warm and sunny. I had plans in Asheville on Friday night, so I figured I’d just drive to a campsite afterward. That way I could hit … Continued
I’ve been meaning to visit the Cataloochee Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) for years. I tried to spend a weekend there in the fall of 2016, but wildfires resulted in temporary road and park closures. I’m not … Continued
The Coosa Backcountry Trail in Vogel State Park in northeast Georgia features a 12.9-mile loop. The park stresses that this shouldn’t be treated as a day-hike, but I disagree with that. The elevation is moderate-to-strenuous for seasoned hikers, but I … Continued
The Foothills Trail is a footpath between Oconee State Park and Table Rock State Park in upstate South Carolina. The white-blazed trail is 77 miles long and features everything from old logging roads to ridge walks to winding contours to … Continued