Episode 9: Crocker Mountains (P1)

August 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Trails, How To Hike & Backpack, Humor, Long Distance Backpacking, Management, National Forest, Podcasts, Storms, Weather

Episode 8: Father Figure

June 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In Episode 8, I speak with my father about how he introduced me to the outdoors and how he served up a steady dose of hiking, camping, and fishing before I reached elementary school.  We talk about the early years, of catching my first fish, of car camping in Ohio, and about the Appalachian Trail - where he joined me for a few days in June during  my 1994 thru-hike. Weeks later, my father returned to the A.T.  but this time with a family friend while I continued making my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appalachian Trail, Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Trails, Long Distance Backpacking, Podcasts

Letting Rebel Go: Saying Goodbye To Man’s Best Friend

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I miss my dog – not that I don’t have a new one, but I can’t forget my old one. It was 18 months ago, when Rebel sat outside the door watching me pack for a hike to The Perch in North Georgia. He died within ten days of that trip, and I vividly recall (and photographed) him sitting by my shop door – barking as if to join me. Arthritis kept him from the trail in his later years, but he never gave up hope that I might take him along. I have a new dog now, and he too has taken to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Articles, Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Your Dog Tagged With: , , ,

Episode 7: Global Backpacker

April 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In Episode 7, Phillip (aka the World Wide Wanderer) talks about growing up with his family on military bases around the world and his post-college travels around the globe. The interview offers insight in to places like Nepal's Annapurna Circuit, Peru's Machu Pichu, Greece's Samaria Gorge, and Egypt's Mount Sinai (the pilgrimage site of St. Catherine Monastery). In the podcast, Phillip talks about his front country and backcountry experiences, some memorable moments on the trail, and the most … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Trails, Gear, How To Hike & Backpack, Humor, Podcasts, Wildlife

The Most Influential Backpackers Of All Time

March 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Has it ever been debated on who are the most influential hikers of all time (Top 5)? With the creation of the A.T. Museum, I know there was discussion about the most influential Appalachian Trail backpackers of all time (ie. Earl Shaffer), but what about in general? I'd argue that Earl Shaffer makes that cut for pioneering the first "official" thru-hike, but what about someone like "Flyin' Brian" Robinson who became the first hiker to conquer hiking's Triple Crown in a calendar year? He … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Articles, Backpacking Discussions

Episode 6: 90’s Backpacking

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Trails, Humor, National Forest, National Parks, Podcasts, State Forest, Wildlife

GPS units v’s Smartphone apps

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I have used both stand-alone GPS units and Smartphone apps on the trail and have yet to resolve which is better. For short day hikes - the Smartphone apps win hands down for convenience and their instant access to trail databases from companies like the North Face. But in the backcountry? I tend to agree with this assessment by Backpacker Magazine gear editor, Kristin Hostetter: In a nutshell, here are the pros of using a smartphone with a navigation app: great for local hikes, daily activity … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Articles, Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Tips, Gear, Maps

Episode 5: The Chattooga River Trail

December 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Tips, Backpacking Trails, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Your Dog, Long Distance Backpacking, National Forest, National Parks, Podcasts, With Dogs

Episode 4: The Chilkoot Trail

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In Episode 4, Roger (aka The Camel) speaks about The Chilkoot Trail which is a 33 mile route that starts in Dyea, Alaska (near Skagway) and ends at Lake Bennett, British Columbia. The Chilkoot Trail is a walk back in time. It follows the trail that the stampeders used to reach the Yukon River and float their provisions to the gold fields of the Klondike over a hundred years ago. Many artifacts from the 1890’s still litter the trail and there is great diversity along the way including … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Tips, Backpacking Trails, How To Hike & Backpack, Humor, Long Distance Backpacking, National Parks, Podcasts, Storms, Weather, Winter Backpacking, Winter Hiking

Episode 3: Ease In To Backpacking

August 10, 2011 By 2 Comments

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...]

Filed Under: Backpacking Discussions, Backpacking Trails, Backpacking With Kids, Backpacking With Your Dog, Camping With Kids, Camping With Your Dog, Hiking With Kids, Humor, Long Distance Backpacking, National Forest, National Parks, Podcasts, State Parks, With Dogs, With Kids
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