Explore the beauty of Yosemite National Park with our professional backpacking guides.
John Hance liked to tell stories. Big stories. His favorite was that he dug the Grand Canyon himself and piled up the rocks and dirt out by Flagstaff. He was too modest to name the mountains after himself so they call them the San Francisco Peaks today. Hance came to the Grand Canyon…
Admit it. As much as you love backpacking there are those days when you wish you could just end a long day of hiking at a great campsite that’s already set up and you can just kick back and relax. That is the attraction of the basecamp experience – a scenic campsite outfitted with…
The new year is always a time for putting together lists. With so many diverse and wondrous trails in the United States there will never be a consensus of the “best” hikes but there are some that do tend to show up on every list. We consider the following to be the Best Hikes of…
We stuffed the turkey and then proceeded to stuff ourselves. Now with another month of holiday treats and sweets ahead, I think we will all be needing a bit of shaping up before 2016’s big hiking adventures. Perhaps you have planned your own backpacking excursion or maybe you have signed up for a guided hiking…
Once upon a time they were simply goals. Then the popular media got a hold of them and they became “books to read before you die.” And Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson dropped them into a “bucket list” of things to experience before they shuffled off this rocky planet. Bucket lists filled with goals…
This time of year, it is New England that gets all the attention from travel planners for its famous fall foliage. That’s OK. Here in the Southwest, where we enjoy amazing colors and light all year round, we can begrudge the Easterners their one month in the spotlight. But fall in the southwest is a…
Exploring Havasu Falls in Arizona’s Grand Canyon. Amazing blue-green waterfalls pour over massive limestone cliffs and hydrate this lush canyon oasis. Hike through winding desert canyons, towering layers of red rock, a remote village inhabited by the Havasupai and camp along the banks of beautiful Havasu Creek. A few of our guests share their experiences…
By any reckoning the three greatest inventions of mankind are fire, the wheel and duct tape – not necessarily in that order. Duct tape when backpacking will certainly be the most versatile tool you drop into your backpack. Let’s explore some of its uses. 1. First-Aid. A piece of duct tape can do duty as…
Feel your toes wiggle. That is when you know you have discovered the hiking boot for you. A comfortable hiking shoe should feel snug and supportive around the heel but up front there should be room for your toes to stretch out a bit. When shopping for hiking boots go prepared with the socks…
Planning a backpacking vacation to escape the ‘real world’ for a few days? Sounds like a fantastic idea! Getting away from it all and losing yourself in the wilderness (not literally, of course) is a fabulous way to reenergize, reduce stress, and get some well-deserved exercise. You can simplify your life and disappear for a while with just the…
