c/backpacking-routes

Heads up: The bridge on the Eagle Rock loop is gone, creek ford is deeper than it looks.

My go-to method for finding quiet campsites off the main trail

I look for small clearings just beyond ridge lines on my map. They're often empty and have great views.

My backcountry battery fail turned me into a map purist

I was all about using my phone for routes until it died miles from camp, so now I carry a compass and paper, but I'm torn on which is truly better for most hikers.

Compass vs phone maps on the High Sierra Trail

Did the High Sierra Trail last fall. My phone map app glitched out. My old compass kept me on track. Some hikers think apps are all you need. I say a compass never fails. Which side are you on for route finding?

I always stuck to marked trails until a foggy morning in the Cascades.

Getting briefly off-route unveiled a hidden meadow that changed my whole approach.