Practicing Light Backpacking in the Backyard

The world is a weird place (and probably not the safest to explore) right now. We hope you’re tucked in and doing OK. Staying healthy. And staying home. But if you are (and if you’re like us around the office at Menasha Ridge Press), you’re...

Read More

Pack Weight Revisited

"Carry as little as possible but choose that little with care."~ Earl Schafer Carrying 14 lbs. with food and water I have an obsession with pack weight. I got it early in my backpacking days while carrying a base-weight that must have been in the 45-pound range....

Read More

Things to Do with Dad on Father’s Day

We love dads, and we love going on adventures with them! Here are some ideas on how to spend some time in the great outdoors with Pops. Go cycling in Pennsylvania Remember the first time your dad helped you balance on your bike without training wheels? Relive...

Read More
Best of the Appalachian Trail: Overnight Hikes

Best Winter Camping on the Appalachian Trail

If you camp on the Appalachian Trail during peak season, you'll be in good (read: crowded) company. You'll cuddle with strangers in shelters in Tennessee, have next door neighbors inches from your tent, and eat like kings and queens with the starry-eyed starters at Springer...

Read More

How to Prepare for Multi-Day Backpacking Trips

[caption id="attachment_5318" align="alignright" width="292"] Taking a short break with a light pack[/caption] A reader emailed several good questions while preparing for a backpacking trip on the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas. I enjoy responding to these type of inquiries and decided to write this post.  Many trip failures...

Read More
Ouachita Trail, Five-Star Trails: The Ozarks, Jim Warnock

Hiking the Remainder of the Ouachita Trail

Bob and I walked the first 160 miles of the Ouachita (Wash’-i-taw) Trail before and after Christmas, so only the last 63 miles stood between us and completing our thru-hike. Several things occurred to keep us from getting back out there, but May 2-6 was...

Read More
Nimblewill Nomad, Jennifer Pharr Davis, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Menasha Ridge Press

Life Lessons From Jennifer Pharr Davis

Over the past week and a half, Jennifer Pharr Davis has been thru hiking the Alabama Pinhoti Trail. She ventured south from her home in North Carolina to bring attention to what she's coined as "The Goldilocks Trail" (because everything about it is perfect) (duh,...

Read More