Episode 9: Crocker Mountains (P1)

In Episode 9, Jim (aka Country Club) and Roger (aka The Camel) talk about our recent hike along the Appalachian Trail near Stratton, Maine. This is the first of a two part series that recaps our October 2012 backpacking trip in New England. During our three day trip, we battled nasty weather and didn't see a ray of sunshine as we hiked over North & South Crocker Mountain. The steep, wet terrain and rocky descent to the Crocker Cirque Campsite had us averaging about a mile an hour - which … [Read more...]

Episode 6: 90’s Backpacking

In Episode 6, Kirk (aka SoulGlo) and John (aka Hawkeye) talk about their introduction to backpacking in the early 1990's. In the show, we discuss trips to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and hikes from Newfound Gap to Ice Water Springs Shelter, Charlie's Bunion, Peck's Corner Shelter, Mt. LeConte, n2backpacking.com/hikes/north-carolina and Kephart Shelter. Kirk's fear of bears is quickly diverted to fear off the aggressive Smoky Mountain shelter mouse and he offers some strategies for … [Read more...]

Episode 5: The Chattooga River Trail

In Episode 5, Ken (aka The Weasel) discusses his experiences on the Chattooga River Trail which is a nearly forty mile route that borders the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia and follows the banks of the Chattooga National Wild And Scenic River from Burrell's Ford to US 76. In the podcast, we discuss four separate sections of the trail, some historical points (including Ellicott Rock and Commissioner Rock), some scenic waterfalls (including Spoonauger Falls and Kings … [Read more...]

Episode 3: Ease In To Backpacking

In Episode 3, Steve (aka White Lightening) talks about how he migrated from camping in his youth, to hiking with kids in his 30's, and eventually wilderness backpacking as he reached his 40's. In this podcast, Steve talks about how he eased in to the sport with an initial trip to the Len Foote Hike Inn near Amicalola Falls State Park in North Georgia. From there, he explored the backcountry campsites along the Foothills Trail at Lake Jocassee, and eventually migrated to his first solo … [Read more...]

Episode 2: The Foothills Trail (Gorges Section)

In Episode 2, John (aka The Kidd) talks about the Gorges Section of the Foothills Trail in western North Carolina and northwestern South Carolina.  In this phone interview, The Kidd talks about our  2001  Foothills Trail hike (and the 10th anniversary of the trip) which took us through a 45 mile section of the 76 mile trail over the course of three days in the Spring of 2001. The Foothills Trail traverses the the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of … [Read more...]

Episode 1: The John Muir Trail

In Episode 1 (the inaugural episode) of the N2Backpacking podcast series, I speak with Glenn and Susan about their adventures on the John Muir Trail (JMT) in 2006.  The Helmet and Doughgirl talk about their preparations, planning, logistics, gear and favorite stops on the John Muir Trail which traverses a portion of the High Sierra in Northern California. The John Muir Trail  follows the Sierra Nevada mountain range for 210 miles … [Read more...]