Day hikes don’t always go as planned and it pays to equip yourself with extra survival and emergency gear whenever you take a hike in a National Park, State Park, or National Forest. Help can take a surprisingly long time to arrive the minute you leave a trailhead or paved …

Sugarloaf Mountain is a 52-with-a-view peak in the Nash Stream Forest, a conservation area in Northern New Hampshire, about 10 miles north of Mt Cabot and the northernmost border of the White Mountain National Forest. The Nash Stream Forest is considerably less developed than the White Mountains to the south, …

Expedition Foods is a UK-based freeze-dried camping meal manufacturer that makes really good 1000 calorie and 800 calorie meals. You can buy their meals in the USA from Racing the Planet, an organization that runs extreme ultramarathon events in deserts around the world. Not only are they packed with calories, …

If something bad happens to you on a hike and you’re alone or with a friend, would you be able to self-rescue, or would you need to contact search and rescue and request help? That is a question I ask myself whenever I go hiking. It dictates the routes I …

Trekking poles provide many benefits to hikers and backpackers from added stability and balance on rough trails to less wear and tear on knees and hips, especially when hiking downhill. The most popular trekking poles used by hikers and backpacks are adjustable in length, with a clamp-style lever lock adjustment …

North Tripyramid is a 4000 footer located in Waterville Valley, NH, in the southern half of the White Mountain National Forest. While there are a number of different trails you can follow to climb it, the most challenging one is via the Mt Tripyramid Trail, which climbs an avalanche slide …

Knorr’s Rice Sides are a favorite backpacking food for thru-hikers, section hikers, and weekend warriors because they include all of the nutritional food groups important to backpackers: salt, carbohydrates, and easy. If you add a little protein like a can of tuna fish or chicken, sausage, or pepperoni slices, they …

When it comes to gear list weight reduction for lightweight and ultralight backpacking, the biggest gains come from lightening the big three, including your backpack, tent, and your sleep system which includes a sleeping pad and sleeping bag or quilt. These are almost always the heaviest items that you have …

The Ice Gulch Trail is located in Randolph, NH across from the high peaks of the Northern Presidential Range. It’s a narrow ravine filled with giant boulders that is strenuous and challenging to hike and scramble through. The AMC White Mountain Guide (p 564, 30th edition) describes it as follows: …

A lot of backpacking gear companies are making masks these days, but I like the Mystery Ranch Street Mask the best because it has a head strap like a surgical mask and not just ear loops, so you get a tighter, more secure fit. One end of the head strap …

Most ultralight backpacking tents are made with one of the following coated fabrics: siliconized nylon, siliconized polyester, and dyneema composite fabrics, also called, silnylon, silpoly, and DCF respectively. Some ultralight tents are also made with nylon or polyester that’s coated on one side with silicone and the other with polyurethane …

Ben’s Invisinet XTRA Head Net with Insect Shield is a black colored head net that’s pretreated with Insect Shield to keep insects from biting your head and neck. While you can slather DEET or Picaridin on your head, face, and neck, I’ve found I get much better insect protection by …

Backpacking tarps are a great camping option if you want to reduce your backpacking gear weight while experiencing a deeper connection to the outdoors by sleeping under a shelter without walls. Backpacking tarps come in two basic flavors: shaped/catenary cut tarps that have curved sides to reduce weight and flapping …

Peaked Hill Pond is a lovely destination in the Southern White Mountains and an easy day hike for kids and harried parents. The trail to the pond is a short 1.6 miles in length and easy to follow. Fishing is also an attractive option, by float, or with waders. It’s …