Category Archives: Uncategorized

My Wife Dropped me at the Mexican Border – Yuma County Backpacking

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3 Days of Desert Camping and Backpacking in Yuma County Arizona.

For this backpacking trip, I headed even farther south to a remote corner of Arizona not too far from border with with Mexico in an area known as the Kofa Wilderness.

For sleep and shelter I brought an ultralight trekking pole tent, 3-season inflatable sleeping pad, and a 40 degree sleeping bag, as the forecasted temperature range for this December adventure would range fro highs in the eighties down to as low as the upper 30’s depending on wind conditions and where I chose to set up camp in the vast array of mountains and valleys found in this corner of the American Southwest.

My choices for camping food on this backpacking trip would be pretty simple – mostly because there are no reliable water sources in this desolate sampling of the Sonoran Desert. Since I would have to pack in and carry all of my own drinking water from the start, there was little reason to spend money and effort on traditional dehydrated backpacking meals.

Instead I chose to hit the local dollar store for some calorie dense, if not nutritionally diminished, food sources. The end result? 3 days worth of calories for under twenty bucks, and no water or stove required. …there will plenty of opportunities to eat salad back in civilization. If I manage to get back there…

Trailhead Used:
King Road Access, 1/4 mile north of Yuma Customs Checkpoint on AZ Rt 95

Trails Used, Day 1

  • Horse Tanks Jeep Trail
  • None

Trails Used, Day 2

  • None
  • Random animal trail (?)
  • None

Trails Used, Day 3

  • None
  • Kofa Horse Tanks
  • None
  • King Road

 

 

Camping in a Shutdown Wilderness

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3 Days of Backpacking and Camping in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.

For this spring backpacking adventure, we headed down to West Virginia’s Dolly Sods Wilderness are for some hiking, camping, good views and good times. Oh, and some seclusion – we got more of that than we bargained for on this one.

Dolly Sods is the highest plateau east of the Mississippi River, with a wide variety of terrain and ecology, covering over 17,000 acers. Despite this vastness, it’s still a pretty well known spot amongst east coast hikers. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, and a little stubborn determination to do a 3 mile road hike, this ended up being one of my most unique experiences in the Sods, as it was virtually void of other backpackers.

James and I both went with single person tent camping setups on this trip to give us more camping options in the windswept, treeless areas that cover much of the plateau. We also packed in a bunch of real food and a frying pan to try our hand at some fun camp cooking recipes.

Oh, and speaking of cooking – did I mention that this wasn’t just the emptiest I’ve every seen Dolly Sods, but it was also the driest? They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. In our case, we had plenty of lunch, but there certainly were no free water sources. We would have to work a bit for that….

Our goal for this trip was to really just wing a do a good mix of time at camp and some mileage as needed, of course. If you’re planning a hike of your own in Dolly Sods and would like some detailed info on the area, including GPS data, gear used and trail descriptions, check out this post, where I do a solo backpacking trip with a full loop of the plateau and hike the majority of it’s main trails.

Season: Spring 2023

No permit is required to camp in the Dolly Sods Wilderness, but there are rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping. You can find more information on the USFS Dolly Sods website here.

Trailhead Used: Bear Rocks Trailhead,  N39° 03.794′ W79° 18.197′
Public Rd 75, Davis, WV 26260

The Bear Rocks trailhead has room for many vehicles and is reached via a dirt / gravel road. The grade is not too aggressive and should be fine for most 2wd cars if driven carefully (I saw a couple when I was there). No parking fee or permit required. Loop begins behind the large info board.

Dolly Sods Printable Trail Map from the USFS

Camping in the Middle of Nowhere – Jeep Tank on Empty

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Cold weather backpacking and hammock camping in Central Pennsylvania’s Tiadaghton State Forest.

For this adventure, I decided to grab my tarp and hammock and hike into the woods with not much of a plan other than to do some random exploration, find a suitable basecamp, and maybe have a little fun with some campfire cooking. Instead of relying on dehydrated backpacking foods as I usually do, I packed in a bunch of “real” food and a frying pan with the intention of skipping the backpacking stove and cooking exclusively on a good ol’ open campfire.

My backpacking load-out for this trip was relatively lightweight and minimal, but I did spend a few extra pounds on some fun camping items like a hatchet, cooking gear, and some cold weather clothing to deal with the forecasted 20° temperatures at night.

In addition to the camp food, I’ll give you a full look at the items that I pack in on a typical colder weather backpacking trip as well as my go-to tarp and hammock camping setup.

While I didn’t really use an official trailhead for this trip, I did stumble upon Pennsylvania’s orange blazed Mid-State trail before going off trail to look for my campsite for the night. The nearest town was Waterville, PA, which does have a very nice general store and parking for anyone interested in doing a proper backpacking loop with Pine Creek as the center piece. It’s an awesome area for fishing, hiking and backpacking.

In my case, I ended up on the upper ridges of gorge instead of down along the creek where I usually go, but it did make for a memorable experience somewhere deep in the woods of Pennsylvania…

Off Grid Cabin Life | Winter Backpacking on our own Mountain

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Join me for some Winter Backpacking and Tent Camping right from our Off Grid Cabin in Tioga County Pennsylvania.

For this outdoor adventure, I decided to do something I had surprisingly never done before – A winter backpacking trip hiking some trails right on our own mountain in the Tioga State Forest near Pine Creek and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

We’ll do some campfire cooking, tent camping and outdoor fun on the trail. Afterwards, I’ll take you back for a tour of our cabin in the woods, which has no water or electrify (not from the traditional grid , at least) and a day and night of camp chores and relaxation.

We’ll check out the wood burning stove, our solar power system and some other fun stuff. This backpacking video is a bit different from what I normally do. It’s basically a combination backpacking and off-grid cabin life video. I hope you enjoy the adventure!

A Portable Mosquito Bug Zapper for Backpacking? – Enkeeo Mosquito Zapper Lantern Review

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A Review of the Enkeeo Mosquito Zapper Lantern for Backpacking and Camping.

For 15% off click here and enter the code UIF34MML at checkout (offer good until 10/18/17)

The Enkeeo Enkeeo 2-in-1 Mosquito Killer Camping Lantern Tent Light is both a standard backpacking / camping lantern with 3 levels of light output, as well as a mosquito zapper.  The bug zapper function uses several blue looking LEDs operating at 360nm to 400nm that specifically targets the attraction of mosquitoes (while mosquitoes are said to not be attracted to UV light (which has wavelengths of around 10nm – 400nm), these LEDs seem to emit light just at the edge between visible light and non visible UV Light. Once attracted, a wire mesh grid operating at 1000 volts completes task.

Features and Specs, As Per the Manufacturer

  • High Light (100% lighting) ≥ 180 Lumen, ≥ 6h
  • Normal Light (50% lighting) ≥ 90 Lumen, ≥ 12h
  • Low Light (20% lighting) ≥ 30 Lumen, ≥ 20h
  • Weight: 200g/ 0.44lb
  • Dimension: φ3.46″ x 5.08″
  • Zapper-Only Mode ≥ 15h
  • Voltage Input: 5.0±0.2V
  • Current Input: 900mA±100mA
  • Full Charge Time: 2~4 hours (depends on the input current)
  • Battery: 3.7V/ 2000mAh
  • Zapper Voltage: 1000V

Items Included in the Box

  • 1 x Mosquito Zapper Lantern
  • 1 x USB Cable
  • 1 x User Manual
  • 1 x Thank You Card

New Trip Video Thursday 10/1 at 8pm! …and Viewers Choice Results

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‘Canoe Camping in Virginia’ will be live at 8pm EDT on Thursday, October 1st!

Also, your votes on the video I do next are in, so tune in to find out whats coming up next!

I’m pretty excited about this camping video. It was a great trip, with great friends, and the video was a blast to make as well. I hope some of you enjoy it too 🙂