c/backpacking-routes

Why does everyone rave about the JMT when the High Sierra Trail is way less crowded?

TIL the trail markers on the Long Trail in Vermont are way too easy to miss in October

Last week I hiked a 15 mile section near Killington and missed three turns because the blazes were covered by falling leaves. Spent an extra hour bushwhacking before I realized I was off course. Has anyone else had luck with a different way to spot those old paint blazes when the foliage gets thick?

Wasted $400 on a GPS that lied to me on the Appalachian Trail

I bought this fancy GPS unit last year thinking it would save me time on the AT section near Harpers Ferry. The thing kept telling me trails were 2 miles shorter than they really were, so I ran out of water twice in one week. It also froze up every time I hit a foggy patch, which is like all the time in the Smokies. I ended up using my phone's map app instead, which worked way better and cost nothing extra. Has anyone else had a GPS fail on them during a big trip? I want to know if it's just this brand or if I should skip GPS altogether.

Guy at the REI told me to skip the water filter on the JMT last year

He said I could just boil water from streams, so I did that for 3 days until my stove ran out of fuel and I had to chug some super sketchy creek water near Tuolumne. Has anyone else taken bad advice from a gear shop employee and regretted it halfway through a trip?

The water crossing I thought would take 10 minutes took 3 hours

I was hiking the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon last summer and hit a stream crossing around noon. Looked like a simple rock hop from the trail, maybe 15 feet wide. But the water was way higher than expected from snowmelt, and I spent an hour scouting up and down the bank for a safe spot. Then I had to take my boots off, cross in camp shoes, and dry my feet on the other side. By the time I got back on trail, I had lost almost the whole afternoon. Has anyone else had a simple creek crossing turn into a half-day ordeal?

Walked 8 miles on the Appalachian Trail before noticing my pack was sitting 3 inches too low on my hips

A guy in a shelter near Fontana Dam pointed it out to me after I complained about my shoulders hurting, and once I adjusted the hip belt everything shifted and it felt like I was carrying half the weight, has anyone else had a random stranger fix their entire trip with one tip?

Chatted with a thru-hiker at a diner in Moab who said she ditched her tent after week 2 and just used a tarp

She told me she saved almost 2 pounds off her base weight and never once missed having four walls, which made me rethink my whole setup for a weeklong loop I'm planning in the Wind River Range next month has anyone else made that switch and regretted it or found it worked better than expected?

Question about the Pacific Crest Trail through the Sierra Nevada section

I hiked the 50 mile stretch from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows last September and honestly think most people overhype the difficulty of the snow crossings, the actual tricky part was finding reliable water sources in the dry stretches, am I the only one who found that more stressful than the elevation gains?

Warning: Thought I knew the Appalachian Trail stats until I actually looked at the elevation profile

Turns out there's over 515,000 feet of total elevation gain across the whole thing, which is basically climbing Everest from sea level 17 times. Has anyone else been shocked by a trail stat that made them totally rethink their gear prep?

Just looked up the stats for the Colorado Trail and it blew my mind

I was planning a route for next summer and started reading the official page for the Colorado Trail. Turns out it has 567 miles of trail with a total elevation gain of 89,000 feet. That is basically climbing Mount Everest three times over the course of a month. I knew it was hilly but I didn't expect numbers that big. Has anyone here actually done the full 500 miles and how did your knees hold up?

Hill 12 on the Pacific Crest Trail changed my mind about daily mileage goals

I used to plan every day at 20 miles no matter what. Then on day 47 of my PCT section hike, I hit exactly 300 miles and was so focused on the number that I blew right past a perfect lake campsite. My friend stopped me and said "look back at the ridge you just climbed." That view made me realize I was missing everything by just chasing numbers. Now I plan around features and water sources instead of a forced mileage count. Does anyone else find that hitting big milestones just makes you want to rush the good parts?

That $60 water filter I skimped on nearly ruined a 3-day trip

Bought a cheap brand off Amazon for the Lost Coast Trail last summer, and it clogged up by day two. Had to ration water from a questionable stream and ended up with a bad stomach. Anyone else regret going budget on water treatment?

Got caught in a surprise hailstorm on the Sierra High Route last September

I was hiking the Sierra High Route near the Evolution Basin when clouds rolled in fast. Within 20 minutes, pea-sized hail started coming down hard and I had no cover for miles. My lightweight tent was no match for the wind and I ended up huddling under a rock overhang for 2 hours. That trip made me rethink my whole gear setup for exposed alpine routes. Now I always carry a small emergency bivy even on summer trips. Anyone else had weather totally change their plans on a high route?

Tried going stoveless on the JMT last summer and actually loved it

I figured I'd get sick of cold food after day 3, but packing tortillas, cheese, and tuna packets saved me like half a pound of gear weight. Anyone else ditch the cook kit and just go cold soak or no-cook?

Map my dad used on the Appalachian Trail in 1985 vs. the GPS on my phone

I was cleaning out his old gear and found a hand-drawn map with distances scratched in pencil, took me a second to realize that thing got him through 2,000 miles. Where do you even find paper maps like that anymore?

Met an old timer on the Appalachian Trail near Damascus back in 2019

He walked right up to me while I was digging through my pack for a map and just said "you're overpacking kid, I can see it from here." Told me he carried the same 35 liter pack for 40 years and offered to help me cut my gear in half, has anyone else gotten advice like that from a complete stranger on a trail?

Found a hidden trail marker system in the Poudre Canyon last weekend

Someone carved tiny arrows into the bark of pine trees every quarter mile along the Comanche Peak route, way different from the standard blue blazes I'm used to seeing out east, has anyone else run into trail markings like that in Colorado's backcountry?

Fell for a "steal" on a used backpack at a gear swap - lost $80

I went to a gear swap near Portland last month and saw a Gregory pack that looked barely used for only $80. The guy swore it was water-resistant and had all the straps intact. I got it home, loaded it up for a weekend trip, and the hip belt buckle snapped on the first mile. Turns out the plastic was all dried out and brittle from sitting in a hot garage. Has anyone else gotten burned buying used gear from those swap meets?

Talked to a guy on the PCT who made me question my whole gear list

I was doing a quick section hike near Crater Lake last month and ran into this guy who had been on the trail for like 6 weeks straight. He had this beat up old backpack and a tarp instead of a tent, and I thought he was just some ultra light nut. But he looked me dead in the eye and said "you're carrying too much stuff you'll never use" and pointed at my camp chair and three pairs of socks. I got defensive at first but then I realized I hadn't sat in that chair once in 3 days. It hit different because he wasn't being a jerk about it, he just said it like a fact. Now I'm sitting here at home looking at my gear pile and wondering how much of it is actually worth the weight. Has anyone else had a stranger on trail completely change how you pack?

Last summer on the JMT was way different than my first trip back in 2009

I hit the John Muir Trail again this August and man it felt like a whole new world. Used to be you'd just grab a paper map and your compass and figure it out as you went. Now every other hiker has a GPS watch or a satellite messenger strapped to their pack. The trail itself looked the same near Thousand Island Lake but the vibe around camping spots is way more crowded than I remember. Anyone else feel like the culture has shifted hard in the last decade?

The night I tried the PCT near Crater Lake and got chased by a confused deer at 3 AM

One year ago I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail near Crater Lake and this deer kept following me for 2 miles thinking I had food, and now I always stash my snacks in a bear can before hitting the trail, has anyone else dealt with a persistent animal on a route?

PSA: stop relying on AllTrails for route planning in the Sierra

I used to just download the top rated route and go, but after getting stuck on a sketchy Class 3 scramble near Bishop Pass last summer I switched to Caltopo for every trip. Why do people keep acting like user reviews replace checking elevation profiles and satellite imagery?

Went back to a trail in Vermont I hiked 10 years ago and barely recognized it

Last month I did the Stratton Mountain loop again after not being on it since 2014. The trails were all rerouted in two sections because of erosion and blowdowns from some big storms around 2018. I kept hitting spots where the old path was just overgrown or washed out, and the new trail markers led me on a totally different route up the southern slope. Ended up adding almost 2 miles to my day because I kept second-guessing myself off the old mental map. Has anyone else had a familiar trail shift that much in a decade?

Debate: Is it better to stick to well-known trails or bushwhack your own route?

On my last trip in the White Mountains I spent 3 hours trying to find a campsite off the AT because I didn't want to deal with the crowds. But the bushwhacking was brutal and I eventually gave up and hiked back to a marked site. So which side do you lean toward: sticking to established trails for reliability or carving your own path for solitude? Has anyone else run into a situation where that choice took way longer than planned?

The old trail through Grizzly Creek in Colorado got rerouted 8 years ago and now it just feels like a boring gravel path

Used to be this rough, rooty single track that tested your ankles and made you feel like you earned the view of the valley, but after the forest service widened it for horse traffic and put down all that crusher fines, half the fun just vanished and has anyone else noticed how these reroutes always take the wildness out of a good hike?