
Getting Ready Every backpacking trip starts long before the first step on the trail, especially ones that include really cool spots. Permits need to be secured, campsites reserved, gear checked and probably still questioned as soon as you get a mile up the trail. I know I’ll spend a bit of time staring at maps,…

After a long, stressful season at work, I felt the extreme need to get out of the city and disappear into the outdoors for a few days. It was still a little early in the season for the high mountains, so I decided to head north toward the Arizona-Utah border and finally try to check…