Spring is full on—even here in the Rockies, the snow melting, wildflowers popping, bees buzzing—and it’s a gorgeous season to venture into the outback. Which means . . . hmmm . . . it’s also time to brush up on wilderness toilet skills. Maybe even engineer your first-ever backcountry squat? Let me begin by talking [...]
How to Teach Leave No Trace to Beginner Hikers
Also available on Slideshare in a slower format This evening I’ll be giving a lecture on Leave No Trace to the students in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s annual Spring Hiking Program, a 5 evening course that the Boston Chapter holds every year. It’s a great course if you’re new to hiking and want to learn [...]
Leave No Trace and Bushwhacking
What is the relationship between bushwhacking and Leave No Trace? Can you bushwhack in a manner that is consistent with Leave No Trace ethics or is all bushwhacking bad? What does bushwhacking have to do with ethics anyway? What are some best practices that one can adopt as a bushwhacker to minimize negative impacts and [...]
How to Kill a Bear
If you want to kill a bear, let it eat human food lying on the ground or easily accessible at your campsite. Bears that “steal” food, even if it’s left unattended and in the open, are shot and killed because they’re classified as “problem bears.” They’re blamed, even if hikers and campers fail to take the [...]
Uh-Oh! by Kathleen Meyer
. . . well, let me confess, it’s me! At one time. Of course, I wasn’t organized enough then to think this far ahead, to pause at the trailhead and ponder What do I do when I have to go? Or you would have glimpsed only a streak, as I fled to my comfy couch—adjacent [...]
Beginner Hiking Trip/Leave No Trace Workshop to Mount Pemigewasset
I led an Appalachian Mountain Club Beginner Hiking Trip and Leave No Trace Awareness Workshop on Mount Pemigewasset (also called ‘Indian Head’) in Franconia Notch on Saturday that was a lot of fun. We had great weather and clear views from the open ledges on the Mount Pemigewasset summit. This is a fairly short 3 [...]
Multi-Use Conflict and Trail Overuse in the Middlesex Fells
The Middlesex Fells is a 2,500 acre nature reserve just north of downtown Boston. Full of trees and rocky outcroppings, it provides a welcome respite to trail runners, hikers, dog walkers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers who want to get outside an play for a few hours. I hike in The Fells several times a week and [...]
Gear Discounts
Backcountry.com: The 4th of July Sale! Up to 40% Off. Ends July 5.
OMCgear.com: 20% off full price items at OMCgear.com. Coupon Code: TAKE20![]()
CleverHiker.com: 10% Off Lightweight Backpacking Tutorial Videos with Coupon Code: SectionHiker
Ruffwear.com: Shop Ruffwear WEB SPECIALS for Outdoor Dog Gear
Moosejaw.com: 10% off regularly-priced merchandise at Moosejaw
Golite.com: 50% Off at Golite on Backpacks, Tents, and Sleeping Bags. All the Time
Search Section Hiker
Categories
- Appalachian Trail (63)
- Backpacking Food (47)
- Backpacks (64)
- Bushwhacking (14)
- Clothing (104)
- Community Content (64)
- Destinations (118)
- Editorials (163)
- For Beginners (103)
- Gear Lists (22)
- Guest Posts (67)
- Health & Hygiene (69)
- Hydration (28)
- Leave No Trace (16)
- Natural History (37)
- Navigation (24)
- Outdoor Instruction (32)
- Peakbagging (96)
- Product Reviews (382)
- Raffles and Polls (95)
- Scotland (42)
- Shelters (91)
- Shoes (44)
- Sleeping Bags/Pads (50)
- Stoves & Cooking (41)
- Technique (104)
- The Long Trail (1)
- Trail Maintenance (7)
- Trip Reports (169)
- Winter Hiking (137)





Recent Comments