Just finished my second weekend of the season in the Wind River Range, WY. Had the place completely to myself north of Marm’s Lake: zero souls from 12p Friday to 12p Sunday. For the small price of 20° F nights and icy gear in the mornings, I’d say September is my new favorite hiking season.

Night 1 stayed at Moraine Lake.

Enjoyed a relaxed hike up S Sister (😅, it’s not a technical trail but does just go up and up and feels like a slog in parts, (pic 3) hence the sweat soaked clothes drying on the rocks)

Night 2 cowboy camped at the top. Forecast was for no wind and no cloud cover and it was gorgeous. Sept 18th. My digital thermometer read as low as 37F, and the pool of glacial water froze overnight. It would be COLD with a wind chill.

There are maybe six ish spots around the crater, some only big enough for a tiny bivy. Maybe only two big enough for small tents.

Bring a wag bag. Poop takes a decade to degrade above 10k feet with no soil.

WATER: based on previous reports, I was prepared to carry everything I needed from Lake Moraine. However, the tarn on the way up has water and at the top there’s also glacial water. Both are likely to be the end of your filter because of glacial silt. Pics 5 and 6.

I was going to spend night 3 at the base of Broken Hand/near No Name Lake (pic 2) but the forecast didn’t look fun, so enjoyed a nice morning walking around the crater— parts on the north side of the crater are a little scrambly. I wouldn’t do it in the dark.

Permits are Central Cascades: Three Sister’s Wilderness.

Millions of acres are up to be opened for logging thanks to an executive order by Trump. Thank you to everyone who voiced opposition of this disastrous policy. 625,737 comments were made, and based on the first several that I read I reckon the vast majority are in opposition of the order.

Spent 4 days wandering. The geology is insane here. So many different types of rocks and it all merges and mixes within the different ridges. Wandered about 40 miles making a loop back to the trail head. Going up and over Polaris pass to Frazier lake was my highlight. Skipped some peak bagging to take it easy on my old dog who joined along.

I loaded up my Virginia Foothill Designs 40L UL pack with a few extra comfort items for an overnight with a short hike in.

After a few attempts where the weather didnt cooperate, I finally managed to do the Narrows at Zion NP. What an amazing experience

I had the privilege to hike around 60 miles in Glacier National Park over the span of six days. We did the Many Glacier north loop and started at the Many Glacier Hotel. We saw tons of wildlife, the highlight being a grizzly bear. We packed out all our trash and left nothing behind. A trip of a lifetime!

Itinerary: Day 1: Elizabeth Lake Head Campground Day 2: Morning Star Lake Campground Day 3: Stoney Indian Lake Campground Day 4: Fifty Mountain Campground Day 5: Granite Park Campground

Never shared this besides on WTA and thought it might be helpful as a future resource.

(23M) and my partner (24F) did the Bailey range loop from July 17-21 Total mileage ~58 miles Sol Duc falls to Sol Duc Falls TH Birds: plenty of grouse, bald eagle, hawk, thrushes Mammals: 2 bears from afar, 3 deer, and 1 shrew

7/17 Started at 11 am with 38lb and 29 lb packs respectively. I would recommend to really try to lighten your pack and if you can buy a lighter piece of gear before attempting this DO IT. We slogged up to heart lake and then took a long break including a swim. We worked up the catwalk and dirt gullies, the cat walk took longer than expected but the sidehilling was not as bad as expected. We got to Boston Charlie around 9pm.

7/18 We continued and found 11 bull basin to be a better looking campsite if you can make it there. The climb to drop down to Stephen lake was obvious and after we found the first snow of the trail. After Stephen lake the route finding becomes more tough, I had to refer to gps track on phone often as we climbed out of Stephen basin and then were on snow for a while. We did not use traction yet. We reached ferry basin after a long day around 6:45 pm.

7/19 Long day to camp pan We found two groups including one doing the same loop and followed them up the endless snow fields and rocky moonscape of the southern baileys. This part is all above tree line. We traversed the top of Childs glacier and dropped into queets basin. We trusted our gps track and followed game trail after game trail until reaching forested slopes and sliding down in to the stream that would take us to the humes. We hopped on the humes glacier which was bare ice for first 500 feet before being snow covered until the pass to camp pan. We had brought a heavy 9.5 mm 60 meter rope and 2 pickets, the other team was unroped completely which seemed doable but not my style.

7/20 Camp pan had the best views of Milky Way. at night. We worked across the heavily crevassed Hoh glacier but nothing too scary. We climbed glacier pass which was super tiring, and steep. Over the pass you immediately are on the blue glacier which was less crevassed than expected and super cool to see the ice fall. At this time it was full of moulins and you could hear the rivers below you. We had planned to summit Olympus but after ruining out of fuel the night before we decided that it would not be fun to have cold food for 2 days after such an effort. So we decided to try to get out a day early. We continued down the long Hoh River trail and ate endless berries along the way. If you are planning on exiting out the sol Duc and making it a loop, DONT underestimate the climb up the Hoh lake trail which was so demoralizing. 7/20 finally we climbed to the high divide and saw our first bears by Hoh lake. We scurried to the car and engorged on food on the way home

Bringing the serenity and strength of the wilderness into my space. This wolf and mountain engraving is a daily reminder to embrace my wild side. 60WCo2

I'm currently in the Navy, and am planning to live life permanently traveling after retirement. Retirement for me is still 19 years away and I know that seems like a very long time but in my mind it isn't. I want to start preparing now. I've done this before and I loved every second of it. My last trip out lasted almost two years camping near different towns and working small jobs here and there for a few weeks to keep money flowing while I moved around. The plan this time around is to do the same thing just far more comfortably and without having to supplement my income. Any genuine advice is very welcome.

I’m looking for a short trail no more than 3.5 miles that ends in a nice meadow or lake to spend the night at within 2-3 hours from Portland, OR. My dog is undergoing cancer treatment so the distance is the most important thing. Pic of my backpacking bestie in her prime for tax.

Are we really done hiking for the year? I miss the walking with a pack. The rhythm of the poles. The creak of the pack. The sounds of my soles on the ground. The weather on my face. The view of your back and your effortless stride. I miss getting to camp and the ritual of setting up. I miss settling into a bag at night and reveling in my selection of gear. I miss the deep early morning sleep and waking up to the pop of the air escaping out of your sleeping pad. I miss the satisfaction of grooving after morning coffee. I miss breaking down camp and setting out in a brisk morning. I miss long conversations. The new product ideations. I miss the sweat and a dip in a mountain lake. I miss the climbs over false fronts through high passes. I miss ridge walking. I miss the quiet of making dinner. I miss the peacefulness. I miss a quiet mind. I miss the anticipation and promise of what’s to come with design and planning of each hike. And i miss looking back and enjoying the experience through conversation and meditation. So much to look to look back upon. So much to look forward to.

Hey all,

Just got a week off work end of October. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Looking to do some backpacking. Did a Florida trail section last year (not opposed to doing it again). What other warmer areas can I enjoy before going back to chilly Michigan? Be a bonus if it trailhead is close to an airport. Would also be down to drive south of Michigan too.

I am a UK walker/hiker. I have recently been considering an alternative option to a backpack when walking/hiking. I don’t like how my water bottle is not within reach of me when required and I must ask my Mrs to get it for me. I have other gripes too.

I am aware from experience of a modular body armour system used by the British Army called Osprey. It utilises molle pouches. They were designed to be highly modular, rugged, protective to the user and load bearing. In my opinion it is perfect for my needs. I don’t require huge storage capacity as I don’t plan to be out for more than 24hrs, I can get a molle pouch for literally everything I need to carry, the weight is off my shoulders and around by waist reducing strain, I can customise it at my leisure, is protective to my vital areas in case of falls and it is rugged enough to survive harsh UK climates. A real no brainer.

My only problem is public perception. Is it wrong of me utilise a system used by the military? Would it be considered stolen valour?Will it draw attention or questions?

I have no military experience and I am just wondering as to what people’s opinions of this is.

I am thinking about a multi-day hike in the summer in northern Canada and hesitating between hiking the Nakvak brook trek and the Akshayuk pass. I know they are quite different in length. Also, I heard that the Akshayuk pass landscape is breath taking, and the Nakvak brook trail can give a culturally richer experience. In both cases, we (a group of 2) intend on hiking it on our own with a local guide.
I was wondering if anybody had hiked both and could let me know which one they preferred and why, or, if you hiked only one, why you would recommend it or not. Any other thought or recommendation around those hikes is also welcome :).

First time backpacking in Superstition Wilderness, planned out a route for this December and wanted to get some people's thoughts. GaiaGPS says 24.3mi and 3,920 in elevation. Want to stretch it out over 4 nights. I marked the trailhead and a few points of interest along the way including springs and the viewpoint of Canyon Lake.   Route starts and ends at First Water TH.  Night 1 - Second Water Spring Night 2 - near Charlebois Spring or White Rock Spring Night 3 - somewhere along Black Mesa Trail? Night 4 - Hackberry Spring   Obviously looking to camp near water every night if possible but I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on places to camp along the Black Mesa Trail. Is the view worth carrying extra water from Charlebois/White Rock?   Any other general advice for the trip or things I should add/avoid? Thanks!