The Fine Art of Quitting Your Thru-Hike
Most people who start a long trail won’t finish it. But when you’ve built your identity around perseverance, what does it mean to throw in the towel?
Essays
In Defense of the Instagram-Famous Hike
Backpackers often turn their noses up at the Havasu Falls and Horseshoe Bends of the world. But that’s elitist, and it ignores one important fact besides: these places are gorgeous.
Latest in Essays
I Was in Denial About My PTSD. On the Pacific Crest Trail, I Learned How to Heal
When the memories of combat refused to fade, a former army medic found healing in thru-hiking.
It’s Time to Face It: There’s Privilege in Thru-Hiking
Hiking a long trail is a challenge no matter who you are. But not everyone is equally able to make the compromises it requires.
A Thru-Hike Won’t Fix Your Life
At a crossroads in her personal life, writer Maggie Slepian decided to go on a thru-hike. But as it turns out, your problems will follow you no matter how many hundreds of miles you go.
How Long Covid Changed My Relationship With the Outdoors
After Covid's long-term side effects left her unable to chase the physical adventures she had treasured before, Dani Mortell found herself negotiating a new outdoor experience.
Ask a Thru-Hiker: What Do GAME, MEGA, NoBo, and SoBo Mean?
Like many other subcultures, long-distance hiking has its own language.
Stop Trampling Plants to Get Photos
Hikers need to stop trampling trailside flora in pursuit of “the shot.”
How Could a Trail Fit for a Toddler Be the Site of a Deadly Disaster?
A fatal avalanche near Hoosier Pass, Colorado is a reminder that dangerous slides can occur on gentle terrain
Come, Child: I Shall Teach You the Ways of the Ultralighter
Like a seed pushing through the hard spring soil in search of the sun, so too must you push through adversity to the glorious ultralight of backpacking.
Why Postholing Is the Only Real Winter Adventure
Sure, snowshoes make hiking in snow easy. But are you the kind of person who takes the easy way out? Yeah, that's what we thought.
Reservation Systems Could Save the National Parks Experience. Here’s Why.
Overcrowding is destroying our parks. Timed entry systems can save them.
I’ve Hiked the Same Mountain Every Month for 15 Years. Here’s What I’ve Learned.
Through bad weather, injuries, and access issues, I've climbed the same mountain every month for a decade and a half. I hope to do it for as long as I can.
Through Love and Heartbreak, My Favorite Trail Was Always There
Through two breakups, career changes, and more, the Beaten Path has been a welcome constant—and a yardstick for just how much everything else has shifted.
Why Intergenerational Friendships Thrive on the Trail
Take a long hike, and you’ll find yourself falling in with people decades older and younger than you. There’s good reason for that.
I Set FKTs on Long Trails Across the US. Was I Missing the Point?
A writer with a few FKTs under her belt ponders whether or not speed enhances or detracts from the experience.
Ask a Thru-Hiker: I Just Finished My Thru-Hike. What Now?
Finishing a 2,000-mile hike is tough. But for many thru-hikers, coming back to the “real world” afterward is even tougher.
The 10 Pieces of Gear Every Backpacker Should Carry, At Least According to Our Coffee-Snob Friend Craig
The Ten Essentials could save your life on a hike. Craig calls coffee his “lifesaver,” and honestly, it was funnier the first time.
Preview: The Toxic Masculinity of Tactical Survival Gear
In the wilderness, it isn't cheap, paracord-wrapped hatchets and trenching tools that we need to survive. It's each other.
The Toxic Masculinity of Tactical Survival Gear
In the wilderness, it isn't cheap, paracord-wrapped hatchets and trenching tools that we need to survive. It's each other.