The hiking world is full of lingo and jargon that can be confusing to even the most seasoned of trekkers. Take the term “NoBo thru hiker” for example. What does that even mean? A NoBo thru-hiker, or northbound thru-hiker, is someone who is completing a trek by moving from south to north. This is different …
Hiking is one of the greatest ways for a person to get in touch with nature while pushing their mind and body at the same time. There is a direct correlation between the hike’s difficulty and the amount of spiritual fulfillment attained upon completion of it. Some avid hikers will naturally desire to test their …
There’s truly nothing better than traipsing through the mountains on a long backpacking trip with a light pack in tow. However, ultralight gear that’s functional, durable, and compact is hard to find, especially when it comes to sleeping bags. Thankfully, long gone are the days where lightweight sleeping bags were few and far between. Up …
New backpackers are often surprised at how expensive backpacking can be. “Isn’t it just going for a walk in the woods?” Well, sort of. To backpack safely and comfortably, there are actually several pieces of gear which make all of the difference and their price points can really start to add up. Tents, sleeping bags, …
For many avid hikers, thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) is a life-long goal. Many spend countless days testing their mettle on trails far and wide before they set off on the journey of a lifetime from Georgia to Maine. But, can a beginner hike the AT, or is it just for experts? It is possible …
The term “flip flop” hiking is thrown around a lot in the thru-hiking community, especially on the Appalachian Trail. It can apply to any thru-hike that you do. And no, it does not mean that you hike the trail in your flip-flops, though, I’m sure someone has hiked the AT that way before. What is …
The 2,200 mile (3,500km) long Appalachian Trail is one of the crown jewels of the long-distance hiking world. The AT is home to some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in the Eastern United States, so it’s no wonder that thousands of hikers set their sights on the trail each year. Whether you’ve hiked …
In the world of long-distance hiking, most people set their sights on the Triple Crown: the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). These stalwarts of the thru-hiking world have long captured the imagination of backpackers around the world, however, many of us want more solitude, more remoteness, …
The Appalachian Trail twists and turns for 2,190 miles through 14 states from Georgia to Maine. And it has become so popular that 3 million people a year step foot on it, in some form or another. But just how dangerous is hiking the Appalachian Trail, and what are those potential dangers? In this article …
We’ve all been there. You buy your first backpack and all of the gear you can think of, load it up and head out onto the trail. About ten minutes in you sit down for a break, wondering how on earth people do this on a regular basis. The problem? You’ve packed your backpack all …