I have been camping and hiking since my Boy Scout days, but life and family took me away from the trail for a long stretch. This series is the story of coming back to backpacking — the trips, the gear that earned its place in my pack, and the lessons the wilderness keeps re-teaching me.
New chapters go up whenever I get out into the backcountry again, or when something in my kit fundamentally changes. Start at Chapter 1 and follow along.
Returning to Backpacking: From Boy Scout Eagle to Trinity Alps Inspiration
I was standing in an REI somewhere around 2010, not really shopping for anything in particular, when I walked past a display of trail maps. One of them stopped me. The cover…
Read chapter →First Steps Back: An Overnight in California’s Ishi Wilderness
The map I'd brought home from REI sat on my desk for a while. Sapphire Lake stared back from the cover. Trinity Alps wasn't going to happen as a first trip back…
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