Reviewing “How to Survive Your First Trip In The Wild – Backpacking for Beginners” by Paul “PMags” Magnanti. 139 pages. 200 grams. PMags is a triple-crowner, trail guide, and writes prolifically about backpacking at PMags.com. I have the written review for his book below, but PMags and I also hopped on a zoom to talk…
Category: Hiker Talk
Bailing Out – Leave the Ego on the Trail
Friday night my girlfriend, Trouble, and I packed up camp at 2:00 am and left the forest behind. We hadn’t walked a single mile on trail. The weather was pristine. No bears chased us away. Instead, we left because I could not feel good about the safety of our car, and us as people who…
Why I Don’t Hike
I hike, but sometimes I don’t. When don’t I hike? TL;DR: When I don’t feel like it. I head out into the woods based on one simple inspiration: I want to. A lot of folks hike for fun, for health and exercise, to relax and connect with nature, or to push their limits. I do…
I hate HYOH – New Hiker Common Sense
Sorry for the click-bait. You really should hike your own hike. But, I do genuinely hate this phrase. I think “Hike Your Own Hike” has become little more than hiker YOLO. “Hey, wanna push through this fire closure? The fire’s ten miles away.” “Nah, I’m going to skip it and come back later.” “I’m going…
Stuff Sacks – More Common Sense
Don’t use them. That’s it. Okay, that’s not it…or this could have been a tweet. I feel like this should be common sense, but the hiking community is full of gearheads (including me. I have like 20 stuff sacks) who want to have every item to be prepared for every scenario. Unfortunately, many people confuse…
New Hiker Common Sense FAQ
New to backpacking or long-distance hiking? This is a bullet-point list addressing many of your questions. Again, this is only for folks new to hiking. Should I get my advice online? You’re already here, but get advice anywhere you can find it. Be wary of armchair hikers, though. Is that me? Well, there are hikers…
Why am I Upwards Bound?
I’m not really sure why I do it. It’s not about checking out the wildflowers and mushrooms. I’m not in love with the expansive views. I don’t have a long family history of hiking to reminisce on. I’m not really motivated by the things I hear the other hikers talk about. Actually, there are a…