Go farther and hurt less — pacing, footing, footwear, and trail smarts.
Hiking underpins almost every backcountry trip, and doing it well is what lets you go farther and enjoy it more. These guides cover the fundamentals: pacing and footing, footwear and clothing, fitting a pack and using trekking poles. They also take you onto harder ground: heat, snow and ice, scree and avalanche terrain, a first thru-hike, and hiking well past 50.
A tactical fleece hoodie and a technical backcountry fleece are built for different work. How they differ in weight, breathability, pockets and layering, where each one suits, and how to check a fleece before you buy.
How to recognize avalanche terrain and stay out of it: how slab avalanches work, the nine avalanche problems forecasters name, slope angle as the master variable, reading a public avalanche forecast, the danger scale, planning a route that avoids avalanche terrain, what to do if you are caught, and companion rescue in the ten minutes that matter.
What really changes when you hike past fifty, and what to do about it: your heart, medications, balance and falls, knees, heat and cold, recovery, carrying less, and insurance when you cross the border.
What really separates hiking boots, trail runners and approach shoes, where each one earns its place, and how to match them to your load, terrain and season. Plus fit, which matters more than category.
How to plan your first thru-hike: choosing a long trail in the US or Canada, direction, timing and permits, resupply, base weight and shoes, the injuries and illnesses that end hikes, and the mental game that decides who finishes.
Winter hiking is a separate skill, not summer hiking in a warmer jacket. How to read the snow surface, choose between traction and flotation, break trail without wrecking your group, and finish before dark.
Weight belongs on your hips, not your shoulders. How to measure your torso, choose a capacity, fit a loaded pack in the right order, and pack it in zones so the load sits where your body can carry it.
Trekking poles do far more than help you walk: knee-saving descents, balance on bad ground, safer river crossings – plus tent poles, tarp supports, splints, a stretcher, and a signal. Every use, and how to size and use them right.
Dressing for the bush is a system, not a single jacket. How to choose and layer clothing — base, mid, and shell — from fabrics that keep working when wet, and exactly what to wear in cold, rain, heat, wind, and bugs.
Heat changes the math of a hike. How to travel safely in hot country through timing, water discipline, clothing, and pacing, and how to spot trouble before it becomes an emergency.
