Best Outdoor Blogs – Trip Reports
I love reading blogs that post multi-day backpacking or mountaineering trip reports. I feel like I can really get to know someone from a trip report; it’s a very pure form of storytelling and the thing that makes me come back to a blog time and again. They’re the perfect way to learn about a destination, how gear performs in different conditions, and how hikers address a variety of problems when planning or during a trip.
The blogs on my blogroll all post some great trip reports. Have a look at all of them, but here are a few posts that really stand out for me and I find myself reading again and again:
- Chris White’s The Crucible and the Rat, set in the mountains of Japan. All of Chris’ trip reports have sublime photos, this being no exception.
- Martin Rye’s 2007 TGO Challenge hike, a coast to coast across Scotland. Martin does a lot of solo hikes like me, and I can really relate to his perspective.
- Frank and Sue’s South Coast Track Hike in Tasmania. The South Coast Track is one of the world’s great hikes.
I’ve also been reading trips reports at other web sites the past few weeks that really stand out for me.
- Backpackingbongos has trips reports from the UK and Asia. I’ve been reading his series on a Scottish Coast to Coast from Evanton to Ullapool. Ullapool in the Western Highlands is one of my favorite personal destinations for hiking and Scottish folk music.
- Ed Huesers documents a trip he took with Chris Townsend to the Wind Rivers Range in the Tetons that illustrates the benefits of Igloo camping. Ed owns Grandshelters.com and is the inventor of the Icebox, a snow tool for building Igloos.
- Doodlecat.com has a great series of trip reports written by many different hikers on the TGO Challenge in Scotland that I’ve been pouring over the past month. This has been a good source of information for planning my route submission for next year’s event.
- C. Willet describes a 900 mile hike he did along the Pacific Northwest Trail in 2008 on the northern border between Canada and the US.
Ok – so those are the best trip reports that I’ve been reading in my free time lately. What are your favorite trip reports online? Remember, no self promotion here – this is your chance to share your favorites, in a comment below.
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Thanks for that – glad that you enjoyed the coast to coast posts. Ullapool is indeed a magical destination.
Suge’s PNT report is superb. It is detailed, scattered with excellent imagery and details his version of that “trail” wonderfully.
Your to very kind about my walk. I would say Mr Andy Howells TGO write ups are worthy reads and his Cairngorm mini break trip as well. All in all Andy writes a fine blog and it is one of my must visit sites. Highly recommended.
You’re right – Andy’s site is great. I was just browsing, but this will require some serious study. Welcome back from your big trip in the Cairngorms.
Sam – is the PNT trip report you’re referring to the one on Trail Journals?
Actually, I like your site for trip reports. If it wasn’t for your post on the 3 day Mountaineering course, I would have missed out on a awesome weekend.
Scott – I’m still thrilled that you took that class based on my writeup, and even drove 1000 miles to get there. Thanks for the positive reinforcement – many more trip reports to come.
One of the blogs I read is http://calipidder.com/wp/
The author, Rebecca is a self proclaimed backpacking addict. Her trip reports are well written and interesting.
Robin
Calipidder’s photos are also really good.