c/backpacking-routes

Shelled out $340 for a fancy ultralight tent, returned it after one night in the Smokies and grabbed a $90 used one instead

The expensive one pitched like a wet noodle in wind and the zipper snagged every time, but the beat-up old model on Facebook Marketplace held up through a thunderstorm near Newfound Gap, anyone else find that the budget gear with more miles on it just works better?

Switched from paper maps to GPS app after 12 years, my pace improved a lot

I used to carry folded paper maps on every trip, even the ones I printed at home. Last spring on the Appalachian Trail near Roanoke, I kept stopping every 20 minutes just to check where I was, and my group had to wait for me. A friend finally said, "Just try this app for one weekend, you can go back to paper if you hate it." After three days, I was covering about 3 extra miles per day because I stopped second-guessing the trail junctions. Now I keep a paper backup in my pack for safety, but I mainly navigate from my phone. Has anyone else made this kind of switch and noticed a real difference in their daily mileage?

My favorite trekking pole snapped on day 3 of the JMT last month

I was near Thousand Island Lake when my left pole just gave out. It was an older pair I'd had for maybe 4 years, but I never thought they'd break mid stride. I ended up using a thick branch the rest of the way to Reds Meadow where I could buy a replacement. Has anyone else had a piece of gear fail like that on a long trip? What brand held up for you after that kind of load?

Warning: the trail markers on the Pinhoti in Alabama shifted DRASTICALLY since last fall

I hiked Section 3 of the Pinhoti Trail near Cheaha State Park last October and then again two weeks ago, and the white blazes were completely different in three spots. Over just 7 months, someone or something moved the markers about half a mile off the original path, leading straight into a washout area. Has anyone else noticed reroutes or tampered markers on the Pinhoti this year?

Bought a $50 water filter for the PCT and it clogged on day 2 near Mount Whitney

I figured a budget Sawyer knockoff would save me cash on the Pacific Crest Trail, but after filtering from a silty creek just south of Lone Pine it was completely blocked. Had to use iodine tablets the rest of that stretch up to Crabtree Meadow, which tasted awful. Anybody else have a cheap filter fail on them mid-route?

Just realized my old route through the Smokies was way harder than it needed to be

I used to always take the AT up to Clingmans Dome from Newfound Gap, thinking it was the only way. Last month I tried the Fork Ridge Trail instead and it cut 3 miles off my day with way less elevation gain. The views were actually better too since you come out on the other side of the peak. Has anyone else found a hidden alternate route that totally beat the main one?

That monsoon hike in Sedona nearly got me killed because I ignored the flash flood warning.

I was 3 miles into Devil's Bridge when the sky went dark and I had to scramble up a cliff face to avoid a wall of water coming down the canyon has anyone else had a close call underestimating weather on a desert route just because the trail was rated easy?

Just found out the Pacific Crest Trail actually goes through my hometown...

I've been hiking sections of the PCT for about 3 years now and always thought it was this far-off trail way out in the mountains. Then last week I was messing around on Google Maps tracing a route I wanted to try this summer and zoomed way in. Turns out a 6-mile stretch of the official PCT goes right through a county park about 10 minutes from my house in Bend. I've been driving past that trailhead for years and had no idea it was part of the whole thing. Felt pretty dumb but also kinda stoked because now I can practice longer sections without a 2-hour drive. Has anyone else stumbled onto a hidden bit of a major route near where you live?

Got chased by a goat on the Lost Coast Trail last weekend

I was hiking the Sinkyone section near Needle Rock and this big goat just appeared, then started trotting after me for like a half mile. I had to climb up on a rock and wait it out for 15 minutes before it got bored. Has anyone else had random wildlife decide you're their enemy on a trail?

TIL I was reading topo maps wrong for my first 3 backpacking trips

So I hiked the Mount Whitney trail last summer and kept missing the turnoff for Trail Camp. I was using a map I printed from some random site, and I didn't realize the contour lines actually mean something beyond just elevation. I ended up going a mile past my campsite and had to backtrack in the dark. How do you guys actually read those lines without getting lost? Is there a trick I'm still missing?

Why does nobody talk about the false summits on the Longs Peak Keyhole Route?

I did the Keyhole Route last August and hit what I thought was the top three separate times. Each false summit cost me about 45 minutes of extra hiking and a lot of hope. Has anyone else been fooled by those fake peaks up there?

That old timer on the JMT who called me out for rushing

I was powering through the John Muir Trail near Thousand Island Lake in 2018, trying to hit 20 miles a day. An older guy sitting on a log with no gear but a tiny daypack just said 'Where you going in such a hurry?' I stopped and sat with him for 20 minutes. He told me he'd been hiking that same stretch every summer for 30 years and never saw the same thing twice. Has anyone else had a random stranger slow you down and make the trip better?

Talking to a PCT thru-hiker last week messed with my route plans

Thought the switchback hype was overblown until I tried the Knobstone Trail

I always figured people were just romanticizing Indiana when they talked about the Knobstone Trail. Three weeks ago I finally drove down there with a buddy to do a 4 day, 30 mile section. I was dead wrong. The constant up and down is no joke, we gained over 4,000 feet of elevation over two days and my knees felt it. But the ridge views through the fall colors were unreal, especially around mile 12 near the Deam Lake overlook. What changed my mind was how well the single track was maintained, no blown down trees blocking the path like I've seen on other Midwest trails. Has anyone else done the full 58 miles in one push?

Dropped $200 on a GPS watch and it almost got me lost in the Smokies

I bought a fancy Garmin Fenix thinking it would save my butt on unfamiliar trails. Took it on the Alum Cave Trail last weekend and the thing kept losing signal under the canopy. Meanwhile my buddy was using a $40 compass and paper map we bought at the ranger station. He navigated us back to camp while my watch was still trying to find a satellite. Has anyone else had a high tech gadget fail them at the worst time?

Day 4 of that rainstorm on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia was the worst of my life

My boots filled up with water after mile 2 and I spent the next 10 hours sloshing through mud while my map dissolved in my pocket. Has anyone else ever had a stretch of trail where absolutely everything went wrong at once?

Swapped my ultralight tent for a hammock setup on the Pacific Crest Trail last month

I've been a tent guy for years. Carried my Big Agnes on every trip. But after 3 days in the Sierra Nevada section near Yosemite, my buddy convinced me to try his hammock for one night. I thought they were just for lounging around camp. Honestly, the first night was rough. Kept waking up with a cold back because I had no underquilt. But day two I borrowed his insulated pad and some guyline tricks he learned from a hiker named Dave. That second night was the best sleep I've had on trail in forever. No rocks poking through, no condensation on the fly. Now I'm shopping for my own setup. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it or stuck with it for good?

Can we talk about the difference in trail quality between the Appalachian Trail in Georgia versus the White Mountains in New Hampshire?

After hiking 30 miles in Georgia last spring and then 20 miles in the Whites this fall, I noticed the terrain went from smooth packed dirt to relentless rock scrambles, mostly because of how much more erosion and granite they have up north, has anyone else found the climbing way harder in New Hampshire?

Tried a new water filter on the Pacific Crest Trail and it clogged in 2 days flat

I swapped my usual Sawyer Squeeze for a Katadyn BeFree on a 5 day stretch near Crater Lake last spring. Figured the faster flow would be worth it, but by day 2 the filter was so clogged from silt I could barely get a liter out in 5 minutes. Tried backflushing it like my Sawyer, but that basically did nothing for the BeFree. Guess I learned the hard way that those hollow fiber filters just can't handle murky water. Anyone else had a filter fail in a specific kind of condition like that?

Switched to a frameless pack after 10 years of carrying 50 pounds

I got really tired of my old pack digging into my hips on long days. A guy at the PCT trailhead near Kennedy Meadows told me to try cutting the frame out of a lighter pack. So I bought a 35 liter pack from a gear shop in Bishop for $80 and removed the aluminum stays. It forces me to carry under 25 pounds total. Has anyone else moved to a frameless setup and noticed a big difference on 5 day trips?

Never thought I'd skip the guidebook until I got lost in Moab last week

I always followed maps to the letter, but after taking a wrong turn in Arches and finding a hidden slot canyon with no crowds, I realized winging it can actually be better. Has anyone else had a random detour turn into the best part of a trip?

Showerthought: Why does EVERYONE on here recommend the same 3 trails in the Sierras?

I get it, the John Muir Trail is AMAZING and the Rae Lakes Loop is a classic, but not EVERY backpacker wants a 10 day permit fight. I spent last summer doing a random 4 day loop near Emigrant Wilderness that I barely found on AllTrails, and it was way less crowded. My buddy swears by his route up near the Trinity Alps and says the same thing. Why do people here keep acting like there's no good backpacking outside of Yosemite and Sequoia? Anyone else find a hidden gem that totally flew under the radar?

Near disaster on the Eagle Creek Trail last month

I was hiking the Eagle Creek Trail in Oregon near the Punch Bowl Falls area around 2 PM when a rockslide came down about 50 yards ahead of me. A guy named Dave from Portland told me the trail had been rerouted after the 2017 fire, but I still almost got caught in some loose scree. Nobody up ahead warned me it was unstable after the afternoon heat. Has anyone else run into sudden trail damage on that route?

Took a shortcut through a logging road in Oregon and it added 4 hours to my hike

The map showed it as a dotted line so I figured it was fine, but the road was completely overgrown and I had to backtrack twice. Has anyone else gotten burned by relying on old Forest Service maps for off-grid routes?

Camped on the ridge vs the valley floor in Glacier last month

I had to pick between camping exposed on a ridge with killer views or down in a valley with more shelter from the wind. I went with the valley and woke up to a bear sniffing my tent at 4am, barely got any sleep. Would you trade comfort for safety or just deal with the wind on the ridge?