| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
A Glow in the Dark: Starting a Campfire
It's hard to beat a campfire after a long day on the trail. Here's how to enjoy the moment even when conditions are against you.
Water Purification Techniques
Associate editor Jason Stevenson and marketing coordinator Amy Clore offer a lesson in healthy drinking
Learn How to Hang a Bear Bag
...by watching our many mistakes. Assistant editor Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan plays guinea pig.
Learn to Patch a Sleeping Pad
Editor in Chief Jon Dorn teaches you how to fix a ripped sleeping pad in this skills video.
Trail Dust?
I recently went hiking in the Phoenix area. I feel like I ate about a ton of dust–a fine particle, like talc. (Silly me, I didn't think to pack a mask.) Is that "trail dust" bad for my lungs?
Hard on the Knees
I've tried different boots, inserts, socks, and lightening my load, but I still seem to get overuse pain in my knees very early in my hikes. What else can I do to minimize knee pain?
THE ADVENTUROUS LIFE
Food & Nutrition
Next Level: Prep a Fish for Dinner
Add fresh-caught trout to the menu with these 6 easy steps.
Better to the Last Drop
A hiker cannot live on water alone. Next time out, try these coffee, tea, and wine updgrades.Health & First Aid
The Cure: First Aid For Fido
Dogs can get hurt on the trail just like you. Here's how to treat 5 common problems.
Keep Your Feet Happy
Long-distance runner Russell Secker feels your foot pain–and he knows how to get rid of it.Survival
Backpacker Survival Poll
What do you pack? What's the most important skill? Let us know in this online poll, and we'll publish your answers in the October issue of Backpacker magazine.
Next Level: Survive an Emergency Rappel
Learn the Dülfersitz rappel and safely lower yourself off of a steep pitch with only a rope.Fitness
Climb Higher
With the right preparation–and a little help from a half-dozen friends, two exotic techno-gadgets, and one very sweaty hypoxic chamber–can a sea-level-dwelling rookie climb the highest peak in Colorado?
Train Smarter
Get trail-fit in six weeks with this simple exercise plan.Navigation
How to Choose a Campsite
A NOLS veteran offers tips on balancing comfort, safety, and Leave No Trace principles.
GPS 201: Using Advanced Navigational Tools
Don't be daunted by a thick owner's manual. Unlocking your unit's advanced navigational tools is easier than you think.General Skills
Start Smart: Shoot Low-Light Photos
Master dawn and dusk photographs with these pro tips.
iHike: Hiking in the Digital Age
A Complete Guide to the Digital Revolution–and How to Join It
Next Level: Prep a Fish for Dinner
Add fresh-caught trout to the menu with these 6 easy steps.
Better to the Last Drop
A hiker cannot live on water alone. Next time out, try these coffee, tea, and wine updgrades.
Trail Recipes: Rising Sun Cuisine; Sushi on the Go
4 Japanese meals adapted–and enhanced–for the trail
Slice and Dice: Build Your Own Cutting Board
Follow this reader tip to custom-build your own backcountry cutting board.
Eat Better
Want to hike farther, explore tougher terrain, and carry big loads without bonking? To achieve your biggest backcountry goals, you have to change how you eat.
Taste Test: Best of the Bars
What to grab when you need a boost
Free Food! Trailside Edible Plants
Wild parsnip, burdock, and wild carrot grow throughout North America. Learn when and where they're prime for picking.
Recipes for the Trail: Underground Cuisine
3 tasty, filling trailside finds that could save dinner–even your life.
Trail Food: 3 Edible Nuts
You're lost, hungry, and starting to shiver: Time to play squirrel.
Flavor In a Flash: Ultralight Spice Kit
Enhance bland backpacking food with an ultralight spice kit including everything from curry to soy sauce.
The Cure: First Aid For Fido
Dogs can get hurt on the trail just like you. Here's how to treat 5 common problems.
Keep Your Feet Happy
Long-distance runner Russell Secker feels your foot pain–and he knows how to get rid of it.
How to Prevent Blisters
Sweaty feet, thick socks, and sturdy boots are a blister cauldron. Learn four easy ways to keep your feel clean, dry, and blister free.The Cure: Head Injuries
To tell the difference between a bad bump and a life-threatening blow, follow these crucial steps.Prime Your Pump
You can't hike with a bum ticker–follow these heart-healthy strategies to stay on the trail longer.Start Smart: Stay Clean and Healthy
4 strategies to feel and smell betterSurvive This: Sudden Illness on the Trail
Beware of dehydration when a sudden illness strikes.
Bug Off: Tips To Keep Away Insects
Tips to beat the most annoying backwoods bitersHypothermia 101
Don't be fooled: Hypothermia can happen in the summer or the winter. Learn how to prevent and treat a dropping core body temp.Snake Bite First-Aid
Learn the steps to take if you're bitten by a poisonous snake.
Backpacker Survival Poll
What do you pack? What's the most important skill? Let us know in this online poll, and we'll publish your answers in the October issue of Backpacker magazine.
Next Level: Survive an Emergency Rappel
Learn the Dülfersitz rappel and safely lower yourself off of a steep pitch with only a rope.
Survive This: Separated from your group
If you get lost from your hiking party, here's how to get found &mdash fast.
Survive This: Swarming Wasps
Forget all the rules about freezing or making yourself big. When faced with these angry beasts run for cover.
Survive This: A Plunge into Raging Whitewater
Learn how to battle your way out of a raging river with these tips.
How to Survive A Night Without Gear
When a day hike turns into an overnight, learn how to take care of yourself.
Phenomenon: Battle Quicksand With Quick Thinking
Quicksand isn't just in old Westerns, it's also a real backcountry hazard. Learn how to save your life when faced with the slippery stuff.Survive This: Caught in an Avalanche
When you're trekking into a backcountry bowl, avalanches are almost always a threat. Learn how to protect yourself when the worst happens.Survive This: Trapped by a Rock
When a scramble turns to a nightmare learn how to help yourself.Survive This: Lost in the Desert
When you're stuck in the desert unexpectedly conserve, conserve, conserve.
Climb Higher
With the right preparation–and a little help from a half-dozen friends, two exotic techno-gadgets, and one very sweaty hypoxic chamber–can a sea-level-dwelling rookie climb the highest peak in Colorado?
Train Smarter
Get trail-fit in six weeks with this simple exercise plan.
The Specialist: Plan Away Pounds
Shed useless pack weight, not luxuries
Tune Up: Protect Your Joints and Build Pivot Power
Get ready for spring with 3 joint-specific routines.
Skills Health: Make Time For Exercise
Full schedule? Here's how to work in working out.
Stretches for Hikers
Recover from high-mileage days with these before-and-after stretches.
Motivate With a Fitness Challenge
Whether it's a "Birthday Challenge" or a peak that needs climbing, choosing a specific fitness challenge will help you stay motivated to get out more.
Smash Your Fitness Barriers With Heart-Rate Training
Become a better hiker. Build speed, endurance, and strength all through heart-rate training.
Find a Hiking Partner
Keen on birds, peak bagging, or wildflowers? Here's how to join hikers who share your passions.Prime Your Pump
You can't hike with a bum ticker–follow these heart-healthy strategies to stay on the trail longer.
How to Choose a Campsite
A NOLS veteran offers tips on balancing comfort, safety, and Leave No Trace principles.
GPS 201: Using Advanced Navigational Tools
Don't be daunted by a thick owner's manual. Unlocking your unit's advanced navigational tools is easier than you think.Reading Topo Maps: Understanding Map Symbols and Colors
Dotted, dashed, and curvy. Red, blue, and brown. All these colors and styles criss-cross a topo map. Learn what they mean.Learn How to Stay On Course
By understanding your terrain, knowing your pace, and reading the map regularly you can stay on course wherever you are.Understanding Your Compass
If you don't know what triangulation is, read this article.Reading Topo Maps: Understanding Contour Lines
Topo maps just look like a children's drawing if you don't know what contour lines are.How to Protect Your Map From the Elements
While you're cozy in your waterproof jacket, your map has to face the rain, or snow, or mud, alone. Learn how to protect this precious piece of paper.How to Align Your Compass
Learn how to orient your map with a few basic compass skillsGPS Basics
What's GPS, how does it work, and will it help you?Offshore GPS: How to Navigate in the Water
New tools for water navigation: Strap one to your thwart, and you'll never paddle in circles again.
Start Smart: Shoot Low-Light Photos
Master dawn and dusk photographs with these pro tips.
A Glow in the Dark: Starting a Campfire
It's hard to beat a campfire after a long day on the trail. Here's how to enjoy the moment even when conditions are against you.
iHike: Hiking in the Digital Age
A Complete Guide to the Digital Revolution–and How to Join It
Share It: All the World's a (Cyber) Stage
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room--or around the world.
The Specialist: Heat Doctor
Stay cool with expert tips for boiler days.
Trip Doctor: Making Junior's First Backpacking Trip a Success
Any suggestions for making my 5-year-old's first backpacking trip a success?
Document It: Field School
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.
Plan It: New Tools, New Rules
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.
Organize Your Gear Essentials
Does your pack's lid pocket resemble a junk drawer? To help you eliminate the mess–and find stuff fast when you need it–we created lightweight, custom systems to store and organize two vital stockpiles: gear repair tools and emergency provisions.
Reader Tips: Big Burn
Need to start a fire fast? Try a flammable cupcake.
Tools & Experts
Gear Chick
Pose your burning gear question to Kristin Hostetter and she'll drop some knowledge on how to fix, mend, improve, and more.
Read the Latest
Backpacking 101
Trip-planning tips, gear lists, safety advice, and other essential wisdom every hiker ought to know.
Get Started
Peak Fitness Blog
Our fitness pro riffs on the latest trends and challenges of staying fit everyday.
Read the Latest
Medicine Man
Our wilderness medicine guru talks first-aid, health, and emergency management.
Get Schooled
Survival Blog
Go deep into the backcountry with Rocky Mountain Editor Steve Howe and get an unfiltered dose of all things survival.
Are you tough enough?
Gear Checklists
Make sure you remember everything for your next outdoor adventure by use the same checklists that Backpacker editors have used for years.
Get Packing
My Profile
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Most recent threads
Trailhead Register
Beetles destroying Colorado forests
Posted On: Jul 24, 2008
Submitted By: hikingurl
Submitted By: hikingurl
The Political Arena
The Bank Committee's New Chairman
Posted On: Jul 24, 2008
Submitted By: High_Sierra_Fan
Submitted By: High_Sierra_Fan
MASTER YOUR OUTDOOR EXPERTISE WITH OUR TIPS
Water Purification Techniques
Associate editor Jason Stevenson and marketing coordinator Amy Clore offer a lesson in healthy drinking
Learn How to Hang a Bear Bag
...by watching our many mistakes. Assistant editor Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan plays guinea pig.
Learn to Patch a Sleeping Pad
Editor in Chief Jon Dorn teaches you how to fix a ripped sleeping pad in this skills video.
Find the Outdoor Equipment You Need
TIP 15: Paper Not Plastic
Place fresh produce in your pack in air–permeable brown paper bags–never plastic.
Get Fit for Any Hike
No gyms, no weights–and, with our
easy-to-follow plan–no bonking on the trail.
Backpacker's Ultimate Fix-It Guide
Learn how to make your gear last forever with our guide to the 55 most
common repairs and maintenance musts.
Sleeping Bag Center
Our guide to sleeping bags fit for all occasions and sleep tips guaranteed
to give you a good night's rest. 
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