Proven Timeline for Planning Your Next Section Hike -- 3 Weeks Out

Last week’s article introduced how a timeline could be used to ease the pain of planning a section hike.  It also describes the activities you should consider when a backpacking trip is three months away. 

Here, we review the activities you should pursue when your trip is 3 weeks away.

• Decide how you will travel to the trail. If you live near your selected trail, you may be able to find a friend who would take you to the trail.  If you choose to drive yourself, confirm you can park in an area where your vehicle will be safe while you are away.  If trailhead parking is in a park or recreation area, you may be able to contact a ranger station for advice on parking options.  Trail shuttle drivers help to take backpackers to some sections of some trails for a fee.  Online trail journals sometime identify trail shuttle drivers and contact information.  Of course, reaching some trails may require planes, trains, or buses.  You may need to weigh your travel alternatives as you review your choices options using various online reservation sites.
• Identify motels and hiker hostels along your section.  Unless your trip is limited to just a few days, you’ll want to find places where you can wash clothing, take a shower, and get out of the weather. 
• Decide where you may resupply.  Again, if your upcoming trip is limited to a few days, this should not concern you.  You could carry a few days of food in your pack.  One of my friends who backpacks carries a week’s worth of meals.  Finding resupply points may require searching for insights in online trail journals.  Also, if your trail segment passes through a town, you can locate a nearby post office.  Backpackers can mail boxes of supplies to U.S. Post Offices.
• Review your packing list.  It’s probably time to begin to review your list of equipment and consumables (e.g., food, stove fuel, first aid supplies).  What was forgotten on your last trip?  What should be added to the list?  Consider removing equipment that was not used on a similar trip.  Three weeks is plenty of time to replace what you might need for your upcoming trip.
• Decide how you will return from the trip. This activity is the same as planning for your travel to the trail.  Remember that if you plan to return on Sunday, some services may not be available, or may operate at reduce hours and routes.

Backyard Adventure is a weekly segment produced to explore places of interest to the local Winchester community. This episode features Bears Den, a hiker's hostel along the Apalachian Trail.

What is missing from the list above?  What other key activities do you perform three weeks prior to hitting the trail for a section hike?

Proven Timeline for Planning Your Next Section Hike

Planning for a backpacking trip can seem overwhelming, even to those who are experienced backpackers.  It’s not enough to find time away from family and work, there are other considerations. A hiker must identify gear, replace the last trip’s consumables, define trip logistics, and review a weather forecast.

These activities do not have to be performed all at once.  A section hike, a hike covering a section of a long-distance trail, is usually planned over several weeks or months.  A trip planner must use this time to his or her advantage. Some activities must be conducted before other activities.  There are some things you must do a few weeks before departure, and some that can wait until the night before.  Realizing this can help the planning of a section hike seem less daunting.

This article recommends activities to consider when your backpacking trip is to begin in 3 months.

3 months out

• Decide who will go on trip.  Will a small group hike, or will this be a solo backpacking trip?
• Decide how long the trip will be.
• Identify a trail of interest.
• Identify a section of trail.
• Confirm the selected section of the trail can be hiked during your selected time of year.  Understand the expected nighttime temperatures.  Will there be snow cover?  Will there be enough water available?  Will water crossings be too high?
• Estimate how far you can hike this trail, during this time of year.
• Begin to understand some of the physical demands required of this section of the trail.  How quickly is elevation gained and lost?  Are there long segments without water, requiring you to carry more water?
• Begin to prepare for the physical aspect on the trip.

I give advice on the Best Ways to Train for Hiking a Long Distance Trail! Music By: Thunder/Dreamer facebook.com/thunderdreamerband

Planning a trip can be crushing.  It might help to focus on one week at a time.  If your time horizon is longer than three months, you can start earlier.

Do you plan your backpacking trips according to a timeline?  If so, what does your timeline look like?  What are the key activities of your calendar?

Visit Trailiac's Improved Youtube Channel

The avalanche in the Yukon kept me there longer than planned.  We called off the backpacking expedition when we heard about the missing people.  We returned to the dogsleds and mushed to the scene to offer assistance.  All of those missing were found and are well.  Trailiac hasn’t published an article since last month because of our delay in the Great White North.  Well, I wish the reason for delayed articles was so noble.  To be frank, my focus on Trailiac during the past few weeks has been on refining the Trailiac Youtube channel.

Until recently, I viewed the Trailiac Youtube channel strictly as a hosting platform for videos on Trailiac.com.  The videos reside on the Trailiac's Youtube channel.  Trailiac’s videos page and videos within articles simply reference the Trailiac Youtube channel.  

A recent literature search and online discussions have convinced me that Trailiac’s Youtube channel could be much more.

Some stories are better told as movies than books.  I’ve tried reading The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.  The movie (1992 version) is easier to digest.  I believe the James Bond movies are more enjoyable to watch than Ian Fleming’s books are to read.  Some stories are simply better watched than read.

Some of the recent changes to the Trailiac Youtube channel include the following:

• Combined two Youtube channels (Trailiac, personal) that offer backpacking-related videos
• Added a description of the Trailiac Youtube channel
• Added social media links to Trailiac.com, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
• Uploaded new channel art
• Uploaded modified profile image
• Added custom thumbnail image to each video
• Clarified each video description
• Reviewed and added tags, where appropriate

Trailiac will still strive to create compelling prose, but Trailiac’s Youtube channel will no longer exist solely as a platform.  The Youtube channel will be treated as a different content option.  One is not preferred over the other.  Text and video are just different options.

Please visit the Trailiac Youtube channel and see if you like the improvements.  Subscriptions have soared by 300% (currently at 3 subscribers).

-- The Trailiac Editor

Tips to Simplify Backpacking and go out Tonight

Backpacking and camping don’t have to be a complex orchestration of gear and travel.  A campsite could be in your neighborhood.  A camping trip could be tonight.

We typically think of backpacking trips as involving the following activities:

• Jot down a gear list
• Visit a store for supplies
• Assemble the gear and supplies
• Pack the gear and supplies
• Repack so everything fits
• Drive to a park/trailhead parking lot
• Pay park entry fees, camping fees, or both

I tried to simplify my backpacking trip yesterday.  After the rain stopped at 4 p.m., I quickly identified the gear I would pack (5 minutes).  After dinner, I packed as quickly as I could (~15 minutes). 

Here is how I simplified my backpacking trip --

• Limit the time I allocateded to identify the gear list.  Freeze the list.  Here is the list I identified in my 5 minutes:
  • Backpack
  • Tent (tent, rain cover, stakes)
  • Sleeping bag
  • Air mattress
  • Ground cloth
  • Clothing for 43F -> 31F
  • Book & kindle
  • Water bottle
  • Flashlight, headlamp, solar light
• Pack only what’s on the list. Don’t overthink the gear list.
• Eat at home, or on the way.  This will eliminate the need for food, teeth brushing, cookware, stove, and fuel.

This advice is so simple it seems trite, but how many of us follow it?

I am always looking for ways to make time for more backpacking.  My 52StarryNights project is my attempt to camp roughly once a week this year.

 What ways have you found to simplify backpacking and camping?

Trailiac Narrows its Content Focus for 2018

Here is a summary of recent thoughts and decisions regarding the content that Trailiac will be offering this year.

Original articles and videos will comply with this decision.

Please share your comments.  Is this the right direction?  Is the scope too narrow?

Have You Become a Backpacking Snob?

Hike your own hike is the prime directive of hiking and backpacking.  Camp your own camp should be the prime directive of camping.

I’ve never heard the sentiment, but I wonder if some thru-hikers look down on section hikers.  Thru-hikers certainly have more standing than section hikers or day hikers.  It may be a coincidence that most of Grand Prize winners in the myATstory Contest 2017 were thru-hikers.  During a speech in March of 2017, Bill Bryson addressed the perceived deference to thru-hikers by declaring it’s perfectly acceptable to enjoy the Appalachian Trail without going on a thru-hike.  The public continues to admire thru-hikers.  Think about it, thru-hikers live outside 4 to 6 months during a year.  No one does that anymore.

I’ve done a lot of car camping, some RV camping, and spent nights in the backyard.  I have little interest in any of these modes anymore.  I just cannot get excited about pitching my tent next to a stranger’s car.

Car camping trips are one of our favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors without sacrificing comfort. Columnist Bryan Rogala takes us through the essential gear you need for any trunk-based adventure.

If I can’t climb a mountain, or hike along a river carrying my backpack, I have little interest in camping. I hope I haven’t become a backpacking snob.  Backpacking to a remote site in the backcountry just seems to offer so much more.  I just want to tell car and RV campers, there is so much more to camping!

View sunrise on the Appalachian Trail, high above the James River (central Virginia)

A podcast offered by The Art of Manliness reminded me to camp my own camp.  I encourage you to listen to the History of Camping episode of the podcast.

Not all have the mobility and strength to backpack.  Campers do what they can.  Cub Scouts tend to go car camping because the boys are not ready for strenuous backpacking.  Older folks, with plenty of time and resources, may choose the comfort of RV camping.  I’m glad there are ways to enjoy the outdoors without the struggle of hauling all camping equipment on one’s back.  The many modes of camping, whether perceived as real camping or not, offer people of various means and abilities ways to enjoy the outdoors.

The next time I am hauling my backpack past an air-conditioned RV with a glowing t.v., I promise to celebrate the fact that the campers are doing what they can to enjoy the great outdoors.

3 Ways to Learn about Backpacking (Wagon Train)

In recent weeks, we’ve been presenting three approaches to learning how to backpack.  The three approaches are as follows:

• Explorer – go it alone and teach yourself
• Pioneer – find someone who knows more than you, and observe
• Wagon Train – tag along on an organized outing

This article introduces the Wagon Train approach.

There are valid reasons to learn from a backpacking trip organized by a commercial entity.  You may not be able to find a trusted friend who can lead you on your first backpacking trip.  Perhaps you have a backpacking friend, but he or she cannot teach you what you’d like to learn (e.g., land navigation over difficult terrain).  Maybe you are backpacking in a new or dangerous region, and you’d like to see what it is like with the comfort of a larger group. You might want an organization to take care of the hiking logistics (e.g., transportation, trip planning).

I used the wagon train approach to learn about backpacking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.  I participated on an autumn 3-day & 2-night backpacking trip offered by REI.  The group climbed a couple of mountains, saw a moose, and stayed in Lonesome Lake and Greenleaf huts.

Lonesome Lake, New Hampshire. Image by Jeff Edwards

My wagon train experience taught me that the White Mountains are steeper and higher than I expected.  The region seems dangerous – a ranger would not allow us to climb to the summit of Mount Lafayette because there was too much ice on that early October day.  I found the huts to be much larger than photos suggest.  After seeing the landscape, I came to understand why a backpacker could not just pitch a tent anywhere – the tent would be too exposed to the elements.

Several organizations offer organized backpacking events, the wagon train experience.

• Retail --
  • REI
  • Eastern Mountain Sports
  • L.L. Bean
• Outdoor advocates
  • Outward Bound
  • NOLS
• Trail Associations (e.g., Appalachian Mountain Club)
• Hiking clubs
  • Colorado Mountain Club
  • The Alpine Club of Canada
  • Backpackers Club (UK)
  • Wellington Tramping & Mountaineering Club

Be sure to ask a few questions before scheduling a trip:

• Where will the group traveling? Which trail(s)?
• How far will the group be backpacking?  How far each day?
• What is the athletic ability of the travelers like?  Fast or slow travel?
• What is the tone of the hike (e.g., casual, see many sites, slow-paced, educational)?

If you ask a few questions, you can decide whether a particular backpacking trip would be a good fit.

What has been your experience with the wagon train-type of backpacking?

3 Ways to Learn about Backpacking (the Explorer)

Some new to backpacking have asked how to start.  These backpacker novices may be starting from zero, or may be familiar with backpacking, but want to know about backpacking in a new region.

Some backpacking novices struggle with the following topics:

• equipment selection
• equipment use
• camping activities
• land navigation
• dangerous animals

All backpackers have a first backpacking trip.  While humans used to live closer to the land, it is now quite a transition to go from escalators and climate-controlled buildings to steep trails and thin tents.

Three approaches to learning how to backpack appear below.  I’ve tried each of them.  Once a backpacking trip’s goals are identified, selecting the proper approach becomes easier.  The three approaches are as follows:

• Explorer – go it alone and teach yourself
• Pioneer – find someone who knows more than you, and observe
• Wagon Train – tag along on an organized outing

This article introduces the Explorer approach.  Articles for the other approaches will follow.

Explorer – go it alone and teach yourself

Put yourself out there.  Test your grit.  Head to the backcountry alone, and don’t come back until you are finished.  Prepare for your first backpacking trip and then pull the trigger.

How to start:

• Identify the goals for your backpacking trip.  Do you simply want to spend the night in the backcountry, or is there something more specific you’d like to accomplish?
• Perform a literature search.  Select a trail.  Decide on the time of year for your trip.  Identify the necessary equipment.
• Make the first few backpacking trips simple. 
  • Don’t kill yourself with long distance marches
  • Plan to go in reasonable weather. See one backpacker's first trip in video below
  • Plan meals using simple campfire or stove recipes. 
  • Allow time for mistakes.  There will be uncooperative tents and meals that burn. Backpacking trips rarely go as planned – they are adventures. 
  • Build in some relaxation time
• Reflect on the experience once you return to civilization.  What worked?  What didn’t?  What will you change for your next backpacking trip?

Teaching yourself a new set of skills is a wonderful way to learn.  It’s all on you.  Make sure you tell someone your plans and schedule.  Remember, keep your trip simple.

What Explorer tips and ideas would you offer novice backpackers?

Subsequent articles will address Pioneer and Wagon Train approaches to learning how to backpack.

Do You Know About the Lesser-known Triple Crown of Hiking?

You know about America’s Hiking Triple Crown.  The Triple Crown of hiking is the completion of three of America’s long distance trails.  The trails included in the Triple Crown are the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.  Completing this Triple Crown requires a backpacker to hike approximately 7,900 miles.

Do you know about Virginia’s Triple Crown?  Virginia’s Triple Crown is a 17.5-mile section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in central Virginia, near Roanoke.  This trail section provides three spectacular views and fascinating rock features.  The Triple Crown offers some of the best views in the mid-Atlantic states. 

There are many ways to hike this section.  A hiker could start in the north and hike south, start in the south and hike north, start in the middle and hike both directions, or make it a loop by adding connecting trails.

When hiking south from the northern end, you might start in Daleville, VA.  Tinker Cliffs is 10.5 miles from Daleville.  Along the way, a hiker will enjoy views of Carvin Cove Reservoir and pass Lamberts Meadow Campsite and Lamberts Meadow Shelter.  Tinker Cliffs features a half mile of huge, 450M year old boulders.  The cliffs offer views of the Catawba Valley.

Tinker Cliffs on a gray day.  Image by Jeff Edwards

McAfee Knob is a 6 mile hike south of Tinker Cliffs.  McAfee Knob is supposed to be one of the most photographed spots on the AT.  The knob jets out of Catawba Mountain and offers a hiker a 200-degree view of the Catawba Valley and nearby peaks.

McAfee Knob. Image by Jeff Edwards

Continue south along the Appalachian Trail for 12 miles and you will reach Dragon’s Tooth. Dragon’s Tooth consists of huge sandstone boulders rising from a summit.  Reaching the summit requires a steep climb, and use of a built-in ladder.  The boulders are white and really do look like teeth.  There is an area to camp at the base of the teeth, er boulders.  Like Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob, Dragon’s Tooth offers spectacular views of the valley below and surrounding ridges.

Dragon's Tooth. Image by Jeff Edwards

Do you have 3 seasons to hike America’s Triple Crown? Give Virginia’s Triple Crown a try one weekend.  You’ll visit some of the greatest hiking spots in Virginia.

Have you hiked this section?  Have you seen the rock formations during sunrise or sunset?

Video Tour Lets You Know What to Expect of AT Shelters

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy states there are more than 250 trail shelters along the Appalachian Trail.  These trail shelters allow backpackers and hikers to get in out of the weather.  The distances between the shelters vary, but the average distance between shelters is 8 miles.

Many AT hikers enjoy staying in trail shelters.  Many avoid them if possible.  I tend to be in the latter group.  I will stay in a shelter if it’s raining or rain is predicted.  Pitching or packing a tent in the pouring rain can be a miserable undertaking.  If it is to be a pleasant evening, I’ll find a flat spot for my tent at the end of the day.  The possibility of roving rodents or snoring humans places me in the shelter-as-a-last resort group.  Rain drove me into shelters four evenings in row during my April section hike.

Are you in the shelter camp or the avoid shelter camp?  Under what conditions would you sleep in an AT shelter?

Considering a Long Hike? Watch a Typical Day for a Thru-hiker (video)

Many of us have asked, could I be a thru-hiker?  Could I hike most days, all day long, from spring to fall?  Would I have the physical endurance to climb endless mountains? Would I have the mental toughness to go on even when my heart tells me to stop?

The only true way to answer these questions is to attempt a thru-hike. 

Planning an epic hike begins with the collection of trail information.  There is plenty of advice out there.  Joe Brewer, a triple crown hiker, provides some insight into what a typical day of thru-hiking looks like.

Joe Brewer completed his hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2012, the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014, and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in 2015.  His video below shows his final full day on the CDT.  We can see the typical beginning of a thru-hiker’s day, the difficulty of finding some sections of the trail, a windy lunchbreak, the big sky of the afternoon’s hike, and dinner at the end of the day.

Follow me from dusk to dawn and experience a full day of hiking on the CDT! Subscribe and follow me on social media for more updates like this. Or, support me on Patreon and get access to even more content! Website: www.BackcountryBanter.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JoeBrewer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backcountrybanter/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BackBanter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backcountrybanter/

All long distance trails are different. A hike changes each day.  Yet, many of the day’s activities remain the same.  A hiker must eat, filter water, take breaks, and set up camp.

If you enjoyed watching Joe’s video, you’ll find more videos on the Joe Brewer Youtube channel.  Joe’s blog, Backcountry Banter, provides more information and insights about backpacking long distance trails.

What online resources have you found to be useful when planning your long distance hike?

Follow Trailiac to Ease Backpacking Trip Planning

One afternoon I found myself sitting in my cube staring at my computer monitor.  My back was stiff and my eyes were sore.  I was 28-years old and I felt mentally and physically weary, every single day.

My life had to change -- I was too young to feel this old.  People are not designed to sit and stare at screens all day. 

My quest to conquer the Appalachian Trail followed. 

Trailiac is a resource to help you to plan your own, life-changing outdoor adventures.  Trailiac is a hiker-supported initiative that is collecting the world’s information about long distance hiking trails. 

It is difficult to plan hiking trips on unfamiliar trails.  Sure, if you are headed out for an overnighter, you can probably figure out when to go, where to park, and how to pack.  What about if you have a long weekend, or a whole week/month to walk a trail?  Detailed planning is required or you may learn about hunger, cold, and trail hazards while walking the trail. 

Information about long distance hiking trails is scattered among numerous resources.  Planning trips to new places sometimes requires a hiker to jump from website to website. Some websites even encourage a hiker to pick up the phone and call a number.  Is that the best we can do?

Trailiac is an ever-evolving online resource that presents what we know about long distance hiking trails on each of the continents.  Long distance is defined as those hiking trails 400 miles or more in length.  Admittedly, 400 miles is an arbitrary distance, but a distance had to be chosen.  There are many beautiful trails less than 400 miles long, and one day we may bring those into the fold.  For the moment, we are working with the 400-mile or longer distance.

On each of the long distance hiking trail pages, you’ll see what information must still be collected.  We invite you to participate by contributing what you can regarding a trail.  We are always interested in your photographs.  We plan to keep sharing simple, so you can easily contribute to Trailiac by sending your material to editor@Trailiac.com.

Trailiac is for all those who work behind a desk and wonder, there must be more to life. 

There is.