Guest Author Essays

The Western Mountaineering Hooded Flash Jacket has been a constant favorite in my pack since 2010. It is a lightweight down jacket made for moderate temperatures where a high performance/low weight insulation layer is required. Western Mountaineering is a USA based company famed for its superb sleeping bags. As I …

My husband David and I climbed the 46 Adirondack High Peaks in winter from 1994 to 1997 and the 48 high peaks of the White Mountains in winter from 2000-2005. Adirondack challenges are different and more rigorous than those we experienced in the Whites, first, because twenty of the Adirondack …

Why Use a Hatchet It is an unavoidable fact that hatchets and axes are heavy tools. An average hatchet will have a 1.25lb head, which tends to make the whole hatchet close to 2lb. That type of weight must be justified by a significant use-value. Whether or not a hatchet …

Were there ever a line of MSR stoves that needed no introduction, it might just be the MSR XGK EX Liquid Fuel Stove.  When Larry Penberthy introduced his Model 9 stove, the first in the XGK line, he revolutionized stoves and ushered in the modern mountaineering/backpacking stove era. Specs at …

When you buy a tent or tarp made with silnylon, it’s best to seal the seams using Gear Aid Silnet Silicone Seam Sealer in order to make them waterproof in the rain. While many manufacturers offer this as an add-on service, but you can also do it yourself. Tents that are …

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? …

Start with two of the most photographed 14ers in the world (Colorado slang for peaks over 14,000 feet).  Then wrap a 28-mile, picturesque route around them.  Add enough elevation change (16,000 feet of combined up and down) to deter the masses that are anchored near the trailhead by the beauties …

The Kovea Hydra is a dual fuel backpacking stove (canister gas or white gasoline) from Kovea Co., Ltd. of Korea. Kovea refers to the Hydra as a “multifuel” stove; however, the Hydra only works on two fuels, so I’m going to refer to it as a dual fuel stove. In …

Located in the North Atlantic about halfway between Norway and Iceland, the Faroe Islands are like towering abraded emeralds jutting out of the sea. It may seem unexpected to compare a travel destination to a precious gem, but for the Faroe Islands it is fitting.

The Terrifying 25 is a popular list of difficult White Mountains Hiking Trails compiled by Trish Herr, the author of Up! A Mother and Daughter’s Peakbagging Adventure, for her young daughters Alex and Sage. They enjoy hiking through boulder caves, rocky scrambles, and traversing avalanche slides, which are well represented by …

I started telling people about my plans to walk four hundred-plus miles alone through the Alps—from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean—the way you tell people you’re going to drop out of school to join the circus or that you know it sounds crazy, but you might have been abducted by …

Single. Double. Triple. Bridge. Gathered end. Spreader bar. With all the different styles and designs of hammocks available, choosing the right one can be confusing, particularly if you’re intending that hammock for a specific purpose, such as a thru-hike on the AT. I’ve tested and seen just about every type …

Mountain guiding is a service industry, and a mountain guide is really no different from your taxi driver, your waitress, your hairstylist, or any other person or company catering to your wants and needs in the provision of a particular service. In the case of the mountain guide, their service …

For most hikers, the Pacific Crest Trail begins in a blazing desert without encountering a sure water source for just over twenty miles. The trend continues – for the first 700 miles there is little shade, temperatures often reach over 100 degrees and water is infrequent or several miles off …