Hiking Adventures

Want stories of hiking adventures, backpacking trips, and rafting down rivers? It is January as I write this, and maybe you're not hiking much. At least you can read about the adventures of others, and be inspired to plan your own future trips into the wilderness.

Jaguars Ripped My Flesh

Okay, I was once attacked by a house cat, and I can't write as well as Tim Cahill. I do, however, have some ultralight backpacking, hiking, and hard-to-classify adventures of my own to share. By the way, the cat really did lunge at my face, claw my chest, and bite through my finger. Oh, and that's me in the photo above, on a tied-together pile of logs, going down the Manistee River in Michigan.

My Tears Froze At 20,600 Feet

Well, they would have frozen, if I had hadn't stopped crying before getting that high. It was fifteen degrees below zero at the summit. Climbing Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador was one of the most difficult things I've done. With only ten pounds on my back, it qualifies as an ultralight backpacking/climbing adventure. The whole story is on the page,"Ultralight Mountain Hiking And Mountaineering."

Backpacking By Moonlight

I took the long way to Mount Whitney (2 people per day instead of 200). In five days and nights I never saw a cloud in the sky. I awoke in the middle of the night , every night, to hike by moonlight. This was my last hiking adventure with a heavy pack and hiking boots. I felt silly carrying a separate "summit pack" to take to the top, and soon after converted to ultralight backpacking. The story is on the page," California Hiking In The High Sierras."

Lightning At 14,000 Feet

My first hiking adventure with ultralight backpacking gear was in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. I had a light down bag, a tarp, and seven days of rain and snow. I managed to stay dry, hiked 110 miles. and bagged five "fourteeners" along the way. For the rest of the story, go to "Colorado Hiking; Ultralight Backpacking In The Wenimuche Wilderness."

Lightning On The River

When people looked up from their breakfast, out into the dark morning, they saw me in a flash of lightning. I was floating by on the river in an inner tube, with an umbrella, during a thunderstorm. What could I do, but wave at them? "Unpredictable" has to be in the definition of adventure. You can read this story on the page, "Dirtbagging".

Is That A Day Pack?

They were surprised to see an eleven pound backpack on the Appalachian Trail (this was many years ago). I was surprised to see six inches of snow on my tarp in May. This was a test for my down bag and running shoes too. To see how it turns out, go to "North Carolina Hiking The Ultralight Way."

What's That Noise In My Head?

The first time I climbed a mountain, I learned that we had to carry our poop back down with us in a little bag. I also learned that it can be painful to have less oxygen in the air. My friend decided against becoming a mountaineer around 11,000 feet, but I went on without him. You'll find the story on the page, "Climbing Mount Shasta."

Bicycling Down The River

Thirty miles on a six-dollar thrift-store bicycle, a mile pushing the bike through the woods, three hours hauling logs, and I was ready to raft down the river. Five hours floating, a mile pushing the bike through the woods, and I was ready to pedal the thirty miles home again. It was a long day. You can read about it on the page,"An Ultralight River Rafting Adventure."

More Hiking Adventures

Ultralight Hiking In Michigan: A mini hiking adventure to try out some new lightweight equipment and techniques in the woods and sand dunes along Lake Michigan.

Hiking In Southern Oregon: How to prepare for a rainy climate.

Ultralight Utah Hiking: Lightweight backpacking in a desert environment has it's own requirements and advantages.

I still have a few hiking adventures that I haven't written down. Like the one in the Yellowstone back country involving a May snowstorm and a grizzly bear. I also have a few adventures that I haven't experienced- yet! So be sure to check back for more in the future.

The Ultralight Backpacking Site | Hiking Adventures