In part 2, I bushwhacked and scrambled to the top of The Chinese Wall. I then got myself into a situation that wasn't quite a survival situation, but could have been with 1-2 more bad decisions. Later, I encountered a backpacker that was having a medical emergency. I called for help using my Garmin In Reach, and he was rescued by helicopter the next morning. Route maps are at the end of the post. PART TWO: THE WALL​ In my pre-trip research, I’d read one trip report from... Read more ..read more

Hello! I hope 2020 is off to a good start for everyone! I just got done with two overnight backpacking trips, one a bit more in depth than the other. This one was near Grand Coulee Washington in the sage brush area of central washington. The area is north of Steamboat Rock and known as Barker Canyon. Really good early season leg stretcher. Hit a high of 59 degrees and a low of 20. I got some new gear to combat the cold and it passed the test with flying colors... Read more ..read more

Below is part one of a 3 part report on my solo backpacking trip last summer in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. WHAT ABOUT THE BOB? On December 26th, 2022 my son Jackson was born. My wife and I adopted him as a newborn. From the very beginning we were eager to introduce him to the outdoors. Initially I hoped that we could do a 4 week family road trip to Wyoming the following summer. However, that plan ultimately seemed too ambitious, so we downsized the trip to 2 weeks of car camping... Read more ..read more

***Another "I'm new here/catch-up post" from 2016 (posted here Oct. 2017): This was my first real foray into the stunning Wind River Range in Wyoming. The week before this trip I had packed out to Island Lake in a day from Elkhart Park but had to turn back the very next morning because my hiking partner got altitude sickness, so I cancelled my trip scheduled the following week to the Beartooth Range in Montana where I had planned to climb Granite Peak out there in order to allow me to...​ Read more ..read more

A few pics from a excellent trip, Travserse from North to South, about 15 years ago ..read more

What's it like up there now?​ The Yosemite snow rangers have posted another report from Tuolumne Meadows. Snow conditions continue to evolve, and another storm this weekend could have an impact, but there is no question that spring is coming: https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/update-for-april-10-2024.htm The snow level at the top of Snow Creek above Yosemite Valley is now at 7,000 feet ..read more

Hey all, I've been striking out on a few of the permitted routes around BC and Alberta and I wanted to ask if there is some good zones to take a look in the Jasper/Banff/Central CA Rockies that do not require permits. I love taking trips into the Winds but wanted to get out a little further from the greater SLC-area. The goal for the trip would be 3-4 days, probably up to 10-20 miles per day. I've found a few routes of interest but its hard to gauge what is worth the 15 hour drive up... Read more ..read more

Last year a friend and I did two nights in San Rafael Swell and did the Salt Wash hike (~8 miles ground trip). We are going back in May for another 3-day 2 night trip and looking for something a little longer (10-15 mile loop) where we could hike all the way in on a Friday, move to a new site Saturday, hike out and head home on Sunday. We’re really trying to stay close to water as well to minimize the weight of carrying it all. I don’t know the area at all besides where we went last year... Read more ..read more

Check out my backpacking/packrafting trip of the Dark Canyon Wilderness area, from April 2019. We start at the Sundance trailhead, dropping into Dark Canyon, where we make a counter-clockwise loop through the area including floating the Colorado River on day 5 and 6 of the trip. I had a blast making this video, and the trip was phenomenal ..read more

Mirror Plateau via Pelican Valley and Pelican Creek I should start out by saying this route was inspired by a Scatman Trip Report. Thanks to Scatman and Backcountry Post. I had a great Yellowstone Lottery spot last year and had planned a Lamar River Loop from Pelican Valley going onto the Mirror Plateau from the North and exiting to the south along Pelican Creek and then out to Joseph Coat Springs and returning to the Pelican TH. However, I was fortunate to be selected for a remote hawk... Read more ..read more