Thru hiking

Whether you’re planning for your first thru-hike or any thru-hike after, there are a few pieces of thru-hiking gear that you need to buy months in advance. It can be frustrating to plan farther ahead, but if you do, you’ll be happy when you start your thru-hike. After 17 thru-hikes, I’ve run the gambit of planning from nothing but getting off the couch to massive spreadsheets. I compiled this list for you, so you don’t get screwed before your hike. Read on to yourself a lot of frustration.

Advice for thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail from thru-hikers. CDT advice on gear, resupply, culture, hiking strategy, and quitting.

Thru hiking versus backpacking: both involve multi-day hiking and nights under the stars, but how do they compare in terms of logistics and culture? Thru hiking is a long-distance subset of backpacking and this fun overview explains what makes through hiking a unique activity in its own right. Maybe it'll inspire you to try your own thru hike!

By the time Pacific Crest Trail hikers reach Ashland, Oregon (where I live), they've walked either 1,706 miles, if they're heading north, or 844 miles southbound. Either way, they've spent a long time on the trail and have been forced, by necessity, to dial in their kit. To glean some gear tips, I went to the trailhead last week and chatted with a handful of the hikers.

Can't take 5-7 months to thru-hike the AT, PCT, or other mega-trails? Here are some more manageable thru-hikes that can be completed in under a month.

Considering a hike on New Zealand's long trail? This trail guide for Te Araroa will get you started on the right foot.

Learn how to pack, plan, and make friends on the three longest trails in the United States.

I remember asking my brother, a fellow thru-hiker, what gear to buy. His advice was “you have to experiment for yourself”. That was NOT the answer I wanted to hear.

Hi! In case you didn’t know I will be hiking the PCT summer of 2022 (just a few months from the time this post is published)! ← Insert terrified-excited scream here. Since I am treating this as more of an active online pre-trail journaling log (that’s my complicated way of saying, list of sh*t that […]

Fast flowing rivers are among the most dangerous hazards that hikers regularly negotiate in the backcountry. This post outlines the tactics and techniques to more safely cross swollen creeks and rivers.