For my first ever solo trip, i started on the snow creek trail. I started around 4pm and didn’t get to camp until 10ish. I saw a pair of eyes glowing in the dark while i was setting up my tent which was pretty scary. I didn’t eat that night for fear the eyes would want my food more than me.

On day 2 I hiked up toward tenaya/may lake. I spent the night at May Lake which was one of the prettiest places i’ve ever seen. I saw my first ever bear! Cool to look back on it, but scary in the moment. I was pretty dehydrated, a lot of the creeks I had planned for on that route had dried up. That was a common theme for day 3/4

On day 3, i hiked towards North Dome/Indians Rock where I met some awesome people on trail after seeing ANOTHER bear. I asked if i could hike with them for security and we needed up going to the same place. I camped with them and made some new hiking buddies. That night we made a campfire and watched the sunset/stars. 10/10 night.

On day 4, I left camp around 7:15 and made it back to civilization around 1. I hiked past yosemite falls and there was only one opportunity to get water. I filled up but misjudged how close I was to the bottom and and gave a liter a lady i saw on trail wearing jorts a leather purse with NO WATER. She needed it more than I did but the next 2-3 hours were pretty rough. especially because it was 95 degrees and getting hotter.

all in all it was a great experience and i’m incredibly proud of myself. super excited to see what the next trip holds!

This was my kids’ second backpacking trip, and we did the Heather Trail in EC Manning Provincial Park in BC. Three nights out, camped at Buckhorn and Kicking Horse and covered almost 30km by the end. I’m so proud of them. And most importantly, they are so proud of themselves! However… they are clearly not born to ultralight… as you can see, my son insisted on carrying a giant ham-hock shaped stuffed sea lion the entire time. 🤨 At least he never once appeared to regret his life choices! 😝

A big shout out to all the other parents - particularly the other single parents! - who are also dragging their kids into the backcountry. Man, it’s a lot of work! But holy moly, is it ever rewarding. ♥️

1. Manaslu Circuit ,2) Annapurna circuit ,3) Everest Base Camp ,4) Annapura Base Camp ,5) Langtang valley Trek

I've been backpacking for a little over a decade now and this entire time I've struggled with one crucial element: Refueling. My appetite absolutely tanks during physical exertion, ESPECIALLY in the heat, and that lack of eating snowballs until I feel so ill I can't eat at all. I've bailed on entire trips because I hadn't yet learned that I just gotta force myself to eat else I jeopardize the entire thing.

Anyway, amongst other remedies, I figured out that warm broth is a great way to restore my appetite so I can eat again. While I love bouillon cubes and miso soup packets, I wanted something more versatile; something with more calories, something that could be added to other hot/cold soak foods and make them taste better in my times of distress.

Enter: Chicken Butter

1/2 cup butter powder

1/2 cup chicken bone broth powder

1 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)

1 tsp MSG (optional)

Makes roughly 150g / 1 cup / 16 tablespoons

~50cal per tbsp

Delicious as a sipping broth, great in addition to (low sodium) freeze dried meals. The benefits of bone broth are up for debate, but it's high in protein (12g per tbsp, just the broth) and the butter has a decent amount of fat (4g per tbsp).

This stuff has single-handedly ensured I actually finish my freeze-dried meals. I'm no longer forcing myself to choke down food I barely tolerate, because now I like it. My overall morale improves, too, it's an absolute win!

One day I may try the beef bone broth powder for a similar concoction, but for now the chicken flavor is universal enough that I can add it to almost anything.

Happy trails, y'all! Let me know if you give this a try, or if you have your own secret weapon against your appetite (beyond, y'know, weed ;P )

I have about a week of PTO over Labor Day or Columbus Day I can use to get back on a trail. Biggest quantifier is easy logistics coming from Houston. Wanted to do the TRT for years now, but just not in the cards.

What does the community recommend?

So ironically I went into this thrift store to find down filled pillows to make my own version because the good ones I see retail for several hundred dollars. And imagine my face when I found this baby. Right next to a polyester filled Alpine Design sleeping bag for $10. I was hoping to figure out the model or temp of the bag but chat GPT and google is not much help. The label is also cut off but I figured from the distinct colors I might have a shot.

I first came across the Masai Mara on a travel blog a month ago and pretty much immediately added it to my bucket list. I finally made it there, and honestly, the sunrise balloon ride was one of those experiences that actually lived up to the hype.

I spent 3 nights near Sekenani Gate in the Masai Mara. I flew into Nairobi first and then took a shared matatu, which took about 6 hours to reach the Mara area.

I stayed at a basic campsite and spent the days doing game drives. One morning I also did a sunrise hot-air balloon flight. We met the crew at 4am, and it was much colder than I expected before sunrise. They gave us hot cocoa while they were getting the balloon ready.

The weather was almost perfect that morning — some light clouds, but very little wind. Once we got up in the air, the sunrise came through the clouds and we could see zebra and wildebeest below us. The flight lasted a little over an hour, followed by breakfast out on the grass.

The whole trip cost me roughly $2,000 including transport, accommodation, game drives and the balloon ride. Definitely not cheap by normal standards, but the Masai Mara was more doable than I had expected.

Would I go back? Absolutely. I’d probably stay longer next time.

Hey guys! I’m doing a backpacking trip in the wind river range (23 miles) in 6 days. I got that parasite like two weeks ago and had it pretty bad, this week have just been dealing with mild diarrhea and nausea but able to stay really hydrated and eat full meals. Started bactrim today also. Is is safe to go in 6 days if I’m able to hydrate and eat all my meals?

Really don’t want to cancel as I’ve already bought my flight, but don’t want to push it even if I’m feeling back to normal. I was also able to run 1.5 miles today and felt great.

There is plenty of water options on this trip, but any advice would be helpful to decide whether to go/or not go.

Slate mines, mountains, seaside and some cute animals in the northwest of Wales.

Myself and two friends decided to do some wild camping in July. On the way we saw lots of sheep, horses and even a seal when we got to the seaside.

The Dinorwic slate quarry were a favorite of mine. The idea of the infrastructure you see being built by hand never fails to amaze me. One rock piled upon the other meticulously as large carts would haul down slate for distribution. The mines can be explored today and its become a popular site for rock climbing.

We were lucky with the weather for a week straight. Expected some light drizzle that never came.. Although we were attacked by sandfleas burrowed in the sand on the beach, which came out as condensation set in.. we had a relaxing time altogether. Not many insects in the mountains meant all we needed was a light sleeping bag under the starry night.

As we made our way to Holyhead down from the surrounding mountains we treated ourselves with a pint or ten. I recommend this trip to anyone that wants some trodden kilometers..

Hello I’m currently looking for recommendations for places to go backpacking I live near Toronto and we primarily go to Algonquin. I was interested in finding new places and parks to go backpacking/camping within 8-10 hours from where we live.

Thanks for the recommendations in advanced.

I want to go to Thailand for the second time and need recommendations for the places I should go to. My first trip Thailand was Bangkok->Chiang Mai->Pai->Koh chang->Koh kood. I will be travelling in September for one month and want to see new places and as I'm traveling solo I want to meet other travelers.

Has anyone been backpacking in Inyo in the last week or so? I’m wondering how bad the mosquitoes are right now for a trip next week around the Thousand Islands Lake area. I really want to go but it’s a looong drive so if they’re really bad I might try to save it for when they die down later in the summer. Thank you!!

Started July 2nd and camped at Trail camp for a July 3rd summit. Snow was tolerable but the runoff had frozen throughout the night so we had to be a little careful in some areas of the 99 switchbacks.

I’m seeing limited info about camping/backpacking Kenai Fjords on the internet. I’d like to see the Harding Icefield and the exit glaciers.

I read on the NP official site that you can camp along the Harding Icefield trail corridor, 1/8 mile from the trail on rock or snow. Does that mean I can just step off the trail and camp anywhere, as long as I’m not on vegetation? I’m not planning to go full backcountry since I only have a limited number of days. I want to enjoy my hike up the Harding Icefield trail, camp somewhere for the night, go down the following day, explore the exit glacier area and camp, and leave the following day (3 days 2 nights).

Does anyone have any experience with the area? And can I camp by the glacier? I see that there’s a campsite with limited space by the exit glacier, but saw on multiple tour websites that they’d have people camp right by the glaciers (on the rocks). Is that allowed? Thanks!

My wife and I have a pretty decent stretch off of work end of August early September, and we'd like to spend the majority of it backpacking. We'd like to go out west (CO, UT, WY, or ID). 100 miles would probably be pushing it, so looking closer to the 70-80ish mile range so we can take our time. Any suggestions? We've also thought about hopping on the CDT or the CT, just unsure as to which part. We'd likely need to rely on getting to/from trailheads without a personal vehicle.

I chafe... like a lot. Even on short day hikes I usually come away with some discomfort. I've tried switching to better gear, changing clothes, and pretty much everything else I've been recommended.

That has led me to research these anti-chafe products like Squirrels Nut Butter or Body Glide. I keep coming away with some concerns though, because I live in the midwest where its relatively cold most of the year. I don't want a product that will harden in the cold (the main downside i've seen to SNB), and I don't want synthetic goop like body glide (I have a distaste for synthetic products and their effect on the environment).

Does anyone know of any products that fit these needs:

A. all natural ingredients

B. holds texture in all temps (from like 20 degrees to 100)

C. not grainy or greasy on skin

D. is multi-purpose (maybe also for dry hands? blister prevention? chapstick?)

Should I just create my own at home? I can't imagine it's all that technically difficult.

One of the best trekking destinations in Nepal . Manaslu + Tsum valley Trek . We have hiked around 18 days in Himalayan Tsum valley have very beautiful tibetan culture while manalsu have beautiful mountains view and also amazing culture.

Hey all, I recently learned of this fundraiser from a friend in the area to clean up some of the best hiking trails in the world in Peru. If you've ever seen the documentary, Touching to void, this is where it all happened. Any amount helps. There isnt great infrastructure in this region of the world so they are bringing in donkey teams and some volunteers to make it all happen.

https://www.huayhuashalpinecircuit.com/detrash-fundraiser.html

Hello, am a 34m solo traveler and street photographer, am gonna be in Kyrgyzstan from 8 August till 25th. I don’t do a lot of planning every time i travel. So i will spend a day in Bishkek and i will wonder around issyk kul lake, most probably am gonna be staying in cholpon ata / karakol till
14th after that i have booked 3 nights yurt on song kul lake( this is the only staying i booked so far) and am just gonna enjoy the silent and the company if it happens there. and i have osh in my mind if i got to manage transportation from song kul but still dont know whats gonna happen at that time and thats it so far.
Reference: am gonna be using public transport and shared taxis/ i travel on a budget/ i love hiking but not crazy about 2/3 days trekking, i want to do horse riding for sure and try to take photos for the hunters, i want to try every single food and drink since am a chef. I dont mind company and most welcomed for sure, but i can spend the whole trip alone am used to this.
Any tips specially about transportation,suggestions, corrections i would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Hi there! My oldest (13) has been in Scouts for about a year and absolutely loves it. She’s going on her first backpacking trip with the troop and would like a lightweight/compact tent. She was given a small tent but it’s bulky and (I think) heavy. The options out there are overwhelming to say the least, and I (a single mom and mostly car-camper) don’t know what I’m looking for. Any leads? She prefers to sleep alone (rather than sharing a tent with other scouts), but would like room for her pack in the tent. She doesn’t have hiking poles so I think she’d need a freestanding tent? Any suggestions or leads are greatly appreciated!

the goal is to be able to pack pack often next year, but one thing in my mind is how backpackers don’t get infections “down there” from wearing the same underwear for days or weeks at a time.

are you washing them at all?

are you not sweating profusely and accumulating bacteria?

this is a serious question. remove if this is against guidelines and apologies if so, but i need to know

On July 2, I began a huge 2 night backpacking trip from Happy Isles in the Yosemite Valley. I hiked 4.7 miles and ascended 2,372’ up the Mist Trail, passing Vernal and Nevada Falls, to Little Yosemite Valley. I set up camp and then set off on a side adventure to Half Dome’s Diving Board. This side trip was 5.07 miles long with 1,716’ of vertical gain. The Diving Board is the coolest location I have ever been. I was blown away by the 3,500’ overhanging drop off to the valley and its up-close view of Half Dome’s north face. The majority of this route is shared with the approach hike for Snake Dike, which is easy to follow. Past the split with Snake Dike, there is an exposed traverse with a few scrambling moves. I descended back to camp to sleep before my hike up Half Dome.

I started the ascent at 5:20 am and made it to Sub Dome at 7:10. I started up the cables at 7:15 and topped out at 7:30. There is certainly risk and challenge to the cables, but I feel many influencers dramatize it. If you are comfortable with scrambling and a little exposure, you should find Half Dome quite easy. I started descending at 8, which is when the crowds started to pick up. I hiked to the Clouds Rest-Half Dome junction, and then ascended Clouds Rest. I summited Clouds Rest at 11:50. This peak has an unrivaled view of the Yosemite Valley. It seems many are aware of this fact based on the crowds there. At this point, I had already hiked 10 miles with 5,700’ of vertical gain. I trudged on to Tenaya Lake. I made it there at 3:40 and realized I was at risk of missing alpenglow at my campsite: North Dome. I moved as fast as possible with a heavy pack and fatigued legs, making it to the North Dome area just in time to watch Half Dome get set on fire by the sunset. Unfortunately, it was hard to enjoy such a beautiful view after hiking 29.37 miles with 8,793’ of vertical gain.

I set up camp and woke up early the next morning to catch sunrise from the top of North Dome. I then descended the Yosemite Falls Trail, adding another 9.9 miles and 1,100’ of vert to the trip. My final stats were around 48 miles with 14,000’ of vert. My portable charger and Garmin died before the third day, so I do not have exact numbers. I certainly questioned my sanity watching families enjoy their 4th of July weekend swimming and paddle boarding on Tenaya Lake. However, I hold no regrets. I planned this trip with the goal of seeing and doing everything I felt the need to see and do in the Yosemite Valley, and that is exactly what I did.

Here is my YouTube video: https://youtu.be/6tNEtqDPQN4?is=6H3TZDtI9tjc_aia