Hiking Guides
Detailed trip write-ups, stunning photography, thoughtful itineraries, and how-to guides for some of my best hiking and backpacking adventures.
Helpful Hiking Resources
Day Hiking Checklist
Ultralight Backpacking Gear List
How to Meal Plan for Backpacking
Complete Hiking & Backpacking Resources Guide
Columbine Lake Trail: Superb Hiking Near Silverton, Colorado
Columbine Lake Trail in San Juan National Forest My step-for-step route I arrived at Silverton’s Columbine Lake Trailhead on an ominously overcast afternoon with dull thunder rumbling overhead and cold rain sprinkling down. I started the high-elevation hike against my better judgment, unsure of what the weather would bring. But the dark clouds […]
Herman Gulch Trail: Incredible CDT Day Hiking Near Denver
Herman Gulch Trail in Arapaho National Forest The Herman Gulch Trail is undoubtedly one of the best day hikes near Denver. With its trailhead situated just an hour’s drive from the heart of Colorado’s bustling capital, this Arapaho National Forest hiking gem is as beautiful as it is easy to reach. Over its […]
Booth Falls Trail to Booth Lake: Vail Day Hiking at its Finest
Booth Falls Trail to Booth Lake Hike I’d been eyeing Vail’s Booth Falls Trail to Booth Lake day hike for a couple of years, and on a perfect Colorado July day, I finally pulled the trigger. The ensuing adventure was a breathtaking and ass-kicking journey through the Gore Mountain Range’s more rugged and raw […]
Chicago Lakes Trail: Colorado’s Stunning Mt. Evans Wilderness
Chicago Lakes Trail in Mount Evans Wilderness The Chicago Lakes Trail exemplifies everything I love in a Colorado day hike, even if its high-elevation ascents had me pouring sweat and gasping for air. I guess it’s hard to complain about such challenges when the trail I was hiking lead to a crystal clear glacial […]
4th of July Trail: Nederland’s Gem (Arapaho Pass + Lake Dorothy)
4th of July Trail Hike to Arapaho Pass and Lake Dorothy The 4th of July Trail is just a short drive from my hometown, yet I’d never experienced its staggering beauty until my recent hike exploring its wide-open spaces. Hiking the trail’s breathtaking Arapaho Pass to the pristine Lake Dorothy blew my mind at […]
Bukhansan National Park: Hiking Dobongsan’s Jaunbong Peak
Jaunbong Peak Hike in Bukhansan National Park I was bored and stir-crazy, itching for something new. The cramped and hectic streets of Seoul were starting to get under my skin. I needed a break from South Korea’s booming capital of 10 million people. It was time for a nature fix. A scenic hike up […]
Backpacking Food: Meal Plan Tips & Ideas for Your 2023 Hikes
Past attempts at organizing my backpacking food and creating meal plans were always a bit reckless for me. My old approach usually involved jamming a hodgepodge assemblage of hiking food into my over-stuffed bag and hoping for the best. Ensuing days on the trail were spent hiking around dull and nutritionless food, falling short […]
Torres del Paine ‘O’ Circuit: Patagonia’s Top Trek (2023 Guide)
Torres del Paine’s ‘O’ Circuit Trek I’d heard rave reviews about the stunning beauty of Torres del Paine’s ‘O’ Circuit, but I wasn’t prepared for it to take me to a transcendent new world. Towering granite spires, sprawling glaciers, breathtaking mountain passes, intense and ever-changing weather — I experienced it all on every step […]
Backpacking the Atacama: The Eerie Ghost Town of San Bartolo
San Bartolo Hiking & Camping Overview Sunblock and sweat run into my eyes as I trudge through a harsh, unearthly landscape. Ahead, the trail is fading away and a blast furnace sun beats down. A whisper of self-doubt reminds me that I’m completely alone in the middle of the driest desert in the world. […]
Huemul Circuit Guide (Map, Route, Gear, Camping & Weather)
Huemul Circuit Hike Overview Profound Patagonian winds tear into my tent as I begin to realize that sleep is a fleeting possibility. Rest, however, is of little concern. Because I will soon be watching the sunrise over a pastel-blue bay of untainted water. The mountains at my back will burn orange as calving glaciers […]