There are so many reasons to love backpacking—having days, rather than hours, to be fully immersed in nature; seeing amazing wildlife that can’t be found closer to civilization; and spending the night under the stars, just to name a few. There’s just one drawback: having to carry enough stuff to sustain yourself in the wilderness …
Things are Looking Up! We’re four weeks into summer, and we’re seeing some steady improvement in trail conditions across most of the state. While it seems like this season is taking a loooooooonnnnnggg time for the trail to melt out, we need to remember that this is actually normal for Oregon. We got spoiled the …
GEAR SHOP // REVIEW On Trail with Sierra Designs’ New Flex Capacitor 40–60L Overall, I really enjoyed hiking with the Flex Capacitor, and it’s one I look forward to putting many more PCT miles on. It was almost a year ago that I got my first look at Sierra Designs’ new ultralight backpack, the Flex Capacitor. …
TRAIL NEWS YES, There Are Rattlesnakes in OR Oregon’s warm, summer weather brings lots of things for Pacific Crest Trail hikers: long, sunny days, refreshing mountain streams, sprawling wildflower meadows, gobs of tasty berries and, in some regions, rattlesnakes. While they’re not especially prolific here in Oregon, hikers should be watchful for these stealthy creatures …
Slow and Steady With summer now in full swing, the warm and sunny weather continues to improve conditions on the PCT in Oregon. This has opened up much of the far southern portion of the state, as well as most of the low- to mid-elevation regions thru the remaining areas. Hikers are happily reporting that summer wildflowers …
Prepackaged meals can be real hit-or-miss. After all, there’s not much worse than having to choke down a nasty pouch of unappetizing slop after a long day on trail. Actually, there is: having to pack out a heavy, uneaten pouch of unappetizing slop. That’s why it’s always good to taste-test your meal selections at home …