Backpacker Magazine S Hiking And Backpacking With Kids

How to safely and successfully hike and backpack with kids, from infants to teenagers is all here in a durable, packable, full-color package. Former NOLS instructor and current mom Molly Absolon tells how to plan trips for kids, what to pack, games to play, kid-favorite food and snacks for the trail, and other tips and tricks to make a family hiking outing the best it can be.

Shows how to choose the right equipment for camping, setting up camp, navigating in the wilderness, handling a pack, and respecting the environment.

Backpacker Magazine’sThe Complete Guide to Backpacking combines and distills the most useful and relevant skills necessary for backpacking in one easy to use guide, from the most respected authority on backpacking— Backpacker magazine. From detailed descriptions of what to pack and how to pack it, to navigation and campsite cooking, to managing outdoor hazards and more, The Complete Guide to Backpacking is the definitive resource for Backpacking-related know-how.

Bakpacking Basics informs readers about choosing where to go; selecting the appropriate gear; properly packing their equipment; finding their way in the wilderness; and planning easy and tasty meals. This handy pocket-sized guide is 96 pages, includes two popouts, and incorporates color photos, charts, and illustrations as needed throughout the interior.

The backcountry is full of great stories, and we’re proud to bring you this collection of some of our favorites. From urban hiking in Los Angeles to a backpacker’s first taste of hunting, in every way, these stories exemplify the power of quality writing and the transformative experience of the outdoors. Table of Contents Higher Love Forty years after his own adolescent ascent of the Arctic’s Mt. Chamberlin, the author returns with his 13-year-old daughter. But on this father-child epic, glaciers and grizzlies may be the least of the hazards. By John Harlin Above It All When John Muir said that a “proper” wilderness experience requires at least two weeks of backpacking, he probably didn’t foresee two Speedo-clad brothers hiking around the Sierra Nevada’s 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail, occasionally hitching into town for burritos and beer. Still, we’re sure Muir would have approved of circling America’s largest alpine lake on foot. By Charles Bethea Utterly, Hopelessly, Truly Lost Not lawyer-approved: We blindfolded navigation novice Jim Thornton and dropped him by bushplane in the middle of Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Then it started snowing. By Jim Thornton Fish Story Imagine an Alaska paradise with trout bigger than your leg, bears and caribou traipsing by camp, and no people—except your good friends. This place exists. We have proof. We can’t tell you where it is, but we can tell you how to get there. By Jonathan Dorn America’s Worst Trail: A Love Story Got health insurance? You’ll need it for a hike on Vermont’s famously rugged Long Trail, according to our Green Mountains junkie, who reflects on what makes this 273-mile path the country’s most frustrating hike—and why he can’t stay away. By David Hiscoe Killer Hike When a lifelong backpacker decides to shoot a deer, will he lose touch with the wilderness he loves—or get closer to it? By Bruce Barcott Ranger Confidential What really happens when you land the best job in the outdoors? In this tell-all, a former national park ranger dishes on cleaning up after dead climbers, saving wimpy hikers, policing nudists, and witnessing wilderness miracles. By Andrea Lankford The Big Parade Two days. Forty-two miles. More than 10,000 feet of elevation gain. In Los Angeles? Here’s how one visionary (OK, a slightly obsessed backpacker) started a local-hikes revolution in the epicenter of urban sprawl. By Dan Koeppel My F*&^ing Family We like to think that a camping trip can bring anyone together—even three siblings harboring five decades’ worth of betrayals, resentments, and maybe one case of semi-accidental poisoning. Will a backpacking trip in the Rockies bring this family together—or tear them apart? By Steve Friedman High Note Lots of musicians perform charity concerts. Very few climb mountains and play on top. And only one—Mike Peters of The Alarm—has staged a fundraiser on Mt. Kilimanjaro’s 19,341-foot summit. The two-time cancer survivor is on a mission to fight the disease, and if he has to gasp for air between verses, so be it. Join Peters, plus friends from the Fixx, the Stray Cats, Gin Blossoms, and Squeeze, for the world’s highest show. By Nick Heil The Last Best Place Hikers have long sought hidden trails, secret valleys and lush, untouched mountain meadows. A young man discovered such a place deep in California’s Sierra 38 years ago. Eight years later, in 1983, he wrote about the place and submitted it to BACKPACKER. Then he disappeared. The story never ran, because we didn’t think it was true—until now. By Eddie Oglander

Veteran outdoor educator and former NOLS instructor Molly Absolon recounts a wide variety of outdoor survival stories pulled from dependable sources including Backpacker.com, outdoor magazines, and Absolon's own experiences as a NOLS instructor. On the heels of each story she analyzes the factors and decisions that created the survival situation, then summarizes outdoor survival tactics that could help you pull through a similar situation should you ever find yourself in the wilderness, desperately trying to survive!

Vanished Like many hikers, Aubrey Sacco walked into the Himalayas with the joyful excitement of a pilgrim entering the Promised Land. But she encountered a dark side of Nepal all trekkers should know about. Now her family can’t rest until they know how she disappeared. By Tracy Ross Thru-Hiking: When More is Better For long-haul hikers, time has a way of putting things into perspective. By Casey Lyons X Marks the Spot A hidden box of treasure. A cryptic poem from a wealthy Santa Fe art dealer. Four states’ worth of Rocky Mountain wilderness. Our reporter joins the hunt. By Brian Mockenhaupt The Kids Are Alright The only thing you’ll regret about taking the brood backpacking is not doing it sooner—and more often. By Dennis Lewon Hike Forever After four decades of backpacking and climbing in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, 75-year-old Joe Kelsey is living proof that, while time may stop for no one, it might just slow down for hikers. By Mark Jenkins Depth of Field: Canyoneering Little rain and stable weather make fall the ideal time to play in Utah’s slot canyons. By Steve Howe My Partner Ate My Socks Is goatpacking the ultimate ultralight solution or a surefire way to ruin a good hike? By Casey Lyons Mush! You don’t need to tackle the Iditarod to enjoy dogsledding, a fast and fun winter adventure. By Molly Loomis The Quest The only way to truly appreciate America’s vast wilderness? Hike it all. By Mark Jenkins Bella Vita A trek on Italy’s Alta Via 2 might just be the most romantic hike in the world. If you’re lucky. By Brendan Leonard The Other Himalaya Someday, the Manaslu Loop will be just as famous as the Annapurna Circuit. Better hike it now. By Dougald Macdonald Walk of Ages Past meets present on a trek to Petra, Jordan’s 2,300-year-old desert metropolis. By Rachel Zurer Fresh Tracks It’s prime time to visit Patagonia’s brand new park—before anyone else even knows it’s there. By Tomas Dinges A Ghost Among Us One woman’s journey to the brink of what’s possible on the Pacific Crest Trail. By Megan Michelson