Hike of the Day: Mount Falcon near Denver, CO

Explore a parkland once proposed as the summer grounds for a second presidential White House.

Link three trails on this super-scenic 5.8-mile out-and-back located 19 miles southwest of the Denver skyline. You'll pass redrock monoliths, giant rockslabs, and a crumbling cornerstone marking the proposed site of a summer White House for Woodrow Wilson (never completed). Also enjoy big views of the Mile High City and, to the west, snowy Rocky Mountain peaks.  See turn-by-turn trail directions and more at www.backpacker.com/hikes/40401. Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 20, 2009 in: Destinations, Hike of the Day, Maps
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Oregon Wolf Pack On Video

Wildlife biologists capture footage of the largest wolf pack in Oregon since extirpation

Go ahead and add Oregon to the list of states with established wolves: Wildlife biologists have captured video footage of the largest confirmed wolf pack in the state—10 in all, with as many as six puppies. Roaming wolves have been returning to the state since the late 90s, but this den established by a 4-year-old, Idaho-born alpha female B-300 seems to indicate that they've chosen this section of Forest Service land in the Wallowa Mountains as their home range.

The video taken by the Imnaha Wildlife Management Unit near Joseph, Ore., clearly shows gray and black wolves moving upslope in a canyon against thick, fresh snow: Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 20, 2009 in: Nature and Wildlife, News and Events
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Help Rename Skurka's Alaskan Hiking Adventure!

Uber-hiker Andrew Skurka plans a 4,500-mile Alaskan wilderness route for 2010, but he needs you to rename it.

Wilderness adventurer, extreme hiker, and former BACKPACKER Person of the Year Andrew Skurka has his next adventure all lined up: The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop (GAYL) is a 4,500-mile trek that'll lead him through the Alaska Range, Wrangell's, Lost Coast, Coast Range, Yukon River, Richardson Mountains, and the Brooks Range. All the while, he'll race against the storied hardships, limited chances for food caches, and quick onset of winter that only the Last Frontier can offer.

There's only one problem. Even Skurka knows "The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop" is a pretty un-sexy name, so he's reaching out to you to help rename this next big adventure. Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 20, 2009 in: News and Events
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Lunchbox's Disaster Round-Up, 11-20

The beloved star of our in-book feature "The Predicament," Lunchbox the Cadaver Sniffing Dog, brings you a round-up of this week's outdoor predicaments, disasters, and near-misses

Lunchbox here: I've just finished a roll in a pile of Colorado's week-old snow—part of my preparation to get winterized for the coldest season's rescues.

Let's take a look at this week's outdoor predicaments and see if we can't glean some wisdom fromt hsi week's wilderness triumphs and tragedies: Read Full Story...

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Friday, November 20, 2009 in: Lunchbox Disaster Roundup, Survival
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Trail Chef: Bacon Cookies! 'Nuff said.

No, seriously: This meaty confection packs major punch on grueling days.

Bacon, like fine wines and espresso, inspires a special fervor in people. For them, it's not just any old food item, but a greasy, crispy platform to higher consciousness. Bacon bits in your rice or precooked strips on the camp stove—I get it. Hey, I like my bacon-and-eggs-in-a-bag as much as the next girl. But bacon cookies? I was skeptical. But web producer Katie Herrell proved the doubters wrong on a freezing hut trip last winter. These uber-hearty snacks (really, more like explorer-era hardtack than cookies) were actually kind of tasty—and they were loaded with the energy-giving calories you need for cold-weather exertion. Try 'em; I'll bet you'll be surprised, too. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Hunter Fatally Shoots Hiker

A hunter mistook a Virgina college student for a deer and fired, killing her and injuring a companion

Hunting season and fall hiking season overlap, and unfortunately that can lead to deadly accidents: A hunter in Virginia shot and killed a college student trekking through the woods after mistaking her for a deer. Senior Jessica Goode was collecting frogs for a biology class on county-owned wilderness property near Ferrum College when she was shot through the chest. The bullet ricocheted and struck her classmate in the hand; he's currently recuperating in the hospital.
Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: News and Events
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Fall/Winter Gear Guide '09 Online!

Check out our enhanced and interactive Fall/Winter Gear Guide '09

Some lucky subscribers and newsstand buyers got a supplemental copy of BACKPACKER's Fall/Winter Gear Guide for 2009. Inside, we review hundreds of boots, bags, jackets, snowshoes, skis, and more to get you set up for the winter sport of your choice.

Now, everyone can access the Fall/Winter Gear Guide in a special interactive edition.

We also feature scads of camping tips, including how to: Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009 in: News and Events
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Hike of the Day: Closed Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park

Descend this slot canyon from Big Bend's scenic River Road toward the Mexican border and the raging Rio Grande.

Drop from the scorched Chihuahuan Desert into Closed Canyon on this short 1.4-mile dayhike in the western horn of Texas. Then scramble or wade around deep pools to views of the Rio Grande, the Mexico Border, and an optional rappel. See more trail details provided by map scout Melissa Gaskill at backpacker.com/hikes/479976. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: Destinations, Hike of the Day, Maps
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Return of the Prairie Grizzly?

Montana's grizzly populations steadily move east to former plains habitat

When most people picture a hulking grizzly, they envision him roaring in a remote mountain canyon, stalking salmon beside an Alaskan river cutting through tundra and willows, or possibly answering questions around the BACKPACKER office. The probably don't envision him (or her) tromping about in the wide open plains of Middle America.

But historically, prairies formed much of the grizzly's former range (Lewis and Clark ran into a few), and it looks like they're trying to go back. This season, both scientists and ranchers have spotted and tracked "unprecedented" numbers of grizzlies moving east into the plains, more than 100 miles from their recent range in the Montana Rockies.
Read Full Story...

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Thursday, November 19, 2009 in: News and Events, Nature and Wildlife
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Gear Test: GoLite Sarek Travel Hoody

GoLite's new Adventure Travel series blends urban form and trail function

A great hoody is like a great pet: You'll never forget the ones you've loved and lost, but you'll always be on the lookout for another to fall in love with. (If you rely on hoodies as much as I do, you might turn into the apparel version of a cat lady, hoarding hoodies and insisting that you "wear them all" when your friends try to stage an intervention).

I think I've found man's best friend in the GoLite Sarek Travel Hoody. As part of their new Spring 2010 "Adventure Travel" series of clothes, the Sarek strives to meld GoLite's notorious ultralight outdoor clothing philosophy with urban- and style-friendly designs fit for use both in town and on the trail. Ideally, the Sarek should be able to handle the style demands of hanging out in a Barcelona bar as easily as the technical demands of a dayhike into the Pyrenees. In a perfect world, you shouldn't even have to change clothes. Read Full Story...

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009 in: Gear, Gear Test
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