The first snow has fallen. Temperatures are dropping. For many people, this time of year comes with a low-key sense of dread. You bundle yourself into thick layers, dig out the ice scraper and shovel,...
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Itching to start backpacking in the mountains at higher elevations? May trips are perfectly doable—you just need to have realistic expectations about the potential conditions. Learn more in the following post…or learn even more on…
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On Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m., I’ll be giving a slide show and presentation at REI in Reading, Mass., to highlight favorite trips and photos from my guidebook AMC’s Best Backpacking Trips in New…
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Your feet are your most important piece of hiking equipment. Keep them happy and you will be even more so. Displease them and you will suffer their bruised and blistered malice. Their fate rests in…
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Blisters are almost always caused by friction on your feet, which usually occurs when your foot slips around inside your footwear. This is particularly common in the heel. Do you know how to prevent this?…
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When I’m out on a long backcountry adventure, I aim to consume around 3,000 calories per day. This means that if my food averages 100 calories per ounce, I’m toting roughly 2 pounds (30 ounces)…
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To be bear-proof, food must be suspended at least 10 feet off the ground and 8 feet from the trunk. To accomplish this: Carry 50-100 feet of thin cord. Look for a load-bearing branch 20-25…
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The Appalachian Trail travels through the Northeast for 1,166 miles, from Harpers Ferry, W. Va., to the summit of Katahdin, in Maine. Along the way, it journeys through profound natural diversity, pauses at mind-bending views,…
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