I’ll also show my favorite backpacking snow shovel, as well as how I create some “dead man” anchors to secure my three season tent in the snow using regular plastic grocery bags, since aluminum spikes would simply slip out of place in the deep snow.
Tent shown is a Kelty Salida 2.
Location is the Big Branch Wilderness Area within Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.
3 Days of Fall Camping, Hiking and Backpacking in Dolly Sods, West Virginia.
For this adventure, we’ll be exploring a very unique area of West Virginia – the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. Being a high altitude plateau sitting at around 4,000 feet (the highest plateau east of the Mississippi river), the Sods offer a stark contrast to the surrounding West Virginian ecosystem. In fact, you may feel more like you’re in Canada than West Virginia.
Accompanied by my wife and our two close friends, this was a 3 day, 2 night backpacking adventure. Each day’s track data was recorded to individual GPX data files, available for download on the Trip Data Page for those interested.
Parking: Bear Rocks Trailhead at 39.06352, -79.30326
Trails Used in Order:
Day One (11.5 Miles):
Bear Rocks Trail 522
Raven Ridge Trail 521
Rocky Ridge Trail 524
Blackbird Knob Trail 553 (only for a very short segment)
Big Stone Coal Trail 513
Setup Camp a bit before Little Stone Coal Trail
Day 2 (9.5 Miles):
Dunkenbarger Trail 558
Little Stone Coal Trail 552
Red Creek Trail 514
(Out-n-back excursion on Breathed Mountain Trail 553)
Setup camp along Red Creek Trail between Breathed Mt and Blackbird Knob
Day 3 (6 Miles):
Red Creek Trail 514
Blackbird Knob Trail 511
Upper Red Creek Trail 509
Dobbin Grade Trail 526 – Prepare for mud and thigh-deep sinkholes!
Return to car via Bear Rocks Trail 522
Join me for 3 days of hiking, backpacking, and stealth camping in the White Mountains.
For this late Summer trip (August), I’ll be going for the full range of White Mountains backpacking and hiking experiences. From the seclusion of rugged wilderness areas, to the tourist laded summit of Mount Washington. Encompassing both the western and eastern sides of Rt 16, the goal is to complete a 3 day loop comprised of the Presidential Range, Tuckerman Ravine, Wildcat Range, and the Carter-Moriah Range before returning to the car.
The 11lb base weight system seen in that video is identical to my system for this trip with the exception of the following changes which increased the base weight by about 2.5 lbs:
I carried around 7lbs food and water (usually only 1 liter), so total pack weight was still around 20 lbs or so.
GPS Tracking Data for Entire Trip is Available for download on the Trip Data page.
**Tracks for each day end on the trail prior to picking a specific campsite. Recording is resumed on the beginning of each day, back on the trail from night before.
Parking: Imp Trail head 44°19’23.40″N 71°13’0.99″W
(**not starting on Imp trail, this will be the finish)
Trails Used (in order):
Day 1
Road Hike to Dolly Copp Campground
Begin on Daniel Webster-Scout Trail
Osgood Trail
Gulfside Trail (passing Madison Spring Hut on descent)
Mt Jefferson Loop Trail
Return to Gulfside Trail
Sphinx Trail
Stealth Camp towards bottom of Sphinx Trail in the Great Gulf Wilderness Daily Totals: 11.40 Miles, 6,008 feet elevation gain
Day2
Back up Sphinx Trail
Gulfside Trail
Trinity Heights Connector (to Mt Washington Summit)
Tuckerman Ravine Trail
Lions Head Trail
Alpine Garden Trail
Tuckerman Ravine Trail
Grab a drink at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and cross Rt 16 to
Lost Pond Trail
Wildcat Ridge Trail
Stealth Camp before getting to Carter Notch Hut Daily Totals: 13.80 Miles , 6,755 feet elevation gain
Day 3
Carter-Moriah Trail
Carter Dome Trail
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail Totals: 8.77 miles, 2,471 feet elevation gain
Trip Grand Totals: 34 Miles, 15,234 feet elevation gain.
Summit’s for this Trip in order:
Mt Madison, Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington, Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat Mountain, Carter Dome, Mt Hight
Planning for a hiking & backpacking trip to the White Mountains National Forest, in New Hampshire.
My plan is to do a 3 day, 2 night Summer loop hike somewhere in the White Mountain National Forest, hiking around 10 – 15 miles per day, depending on trail conditions and possible camping spots.
I’m looking for feedback and ideas if you’ve got ’em!
Day 1 (20.5 miles)
Begin at Lakeview Tunnel at the end of the “Road to Nowhere”
Benton MacKaye Trail / Lakeshore Trail
Bear Creek Trail
Welch Ridge Trail
High Rocks Vista – Great views of Fontana Lake!
Cold Spring Gap Trail
Hazel Creek Trail
End at Backcountry Campsite 82
Day 2 (24.5 Miles)
Hazel Creek Trail
Lakeshore Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail
End at Backcountry Campsite 76
Day 3 (12 Miles)
Lake Shore Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail
End at Lakeview Drive (Road to Nowhere) Trailhead and the Car!
Osprey Hornet 46 Backpack
Hennessey Hammock – Expedition A-Sym
Sea to Summit Toaster – Fleece Sleeping Bag Liner (used as primary bag)
Klymit Inertia X-Frame Sleeping Pad
11 pounds Base Weight + extra filming gear and electronics that the average person probably won’t need. I was actually carrying closer to 13 lbs while filming. See the full Ultralight Gear List Video for a detailed look at the 11 pound system, plus tips for going sub-10-pounds if desired.
Planning for an upcoming backpacking trip to Smoky Mountains National Park.
Nothing like hanging out in the backyard on a beautiful Spring day with a map, a camera, and a mission to find a good Spring Smoky Mountains Backpacking route.
My plan is to do a 3 day, 2 night loop hike somewhere in the Smokies, hiking around 10 – 15 miles per day, depending what kind of trails and camping spots I come up with.
This will be my first backpacking trip to the Smokies, so I’m looking for feedback and ideas if you’ve got ’em!
(21oz) replaced with 
. (3lbs)