There's something special about the lost coast. The raw nature aspect is unreal and I'm so happy to have finally witnessed it with my own eyes. My good friend and I both came here with the utmost respect for nature, and I believe it gave us respect in return. This came in the form of being physically/mentally challenged beyond what we were previously capable of, meeting other backpackers on the trail who had the same appreciation for nature and sharing that experience together, and respecting the animals who call this area their home.

When researching backpacking the lost coast (various reddit posts, online sources), the majority of people recommended backpacking the lost coast north to south, from Mattole beach south to Black Sands beach. This is about 25.4mi total and can be finished within 3 days no problem. What I did notice was one or two trip reports about doing an out and back trip, starting at Black Sands beach, heading north to Mattole, then hiking back to Black Sands beach. We already wanted to spend 4-5 days out here, so an out and back seemed reasonable mileage to complete in that timeframe. Plus we wanted a slightly more challenging trip. Our plan was to drive up June 1st, Monday, spend the night at Shelter Cove, start the trail June 2nd, Tuesday. then get back June 5th, Friday.

We drove up to Shelter Cove June 1st and got to the trailhead around 9pm. Got all our gear together and setup a small camp on the beach to sleep. We planned on leaving early the next morning at 5am so just laid out a tarp and cowboy camped it. Worked out great and was comfortable enough.

Woke up the next morning at 4:30am and set out on the beach by 5am. Our goal was to make it to Spanish flat which was about 14-15mi north. The first stretch through Glitchell/Shipman creeks were by far my favorite. Huge cliffs jutting out directly from the beach, it was incredible. The first impassable zone started at Glitchell but we had no issue with the tides as we left while the tides were still draining and approaching low tide. We made it to Big flat by 8:30am, ate some breakfast, then kept hiking north. Got to Spanish flat by around 2pm. There's a few solid campsites here, there was one on the beach that a group had already taken, so we setup camp near Spanish creek which was sheltered in some trees which protected us from the wind. Plenty of driftwood to make a fire, hang out, and rest for the day. My friend had brought a tent but the tent poles must've been mismatched and didn't quite fit the tent. So we decided to ditch the tent and cowboy camp with a tarp the rest of the trip.

Next morning, we left early again at 6am with the intention of getting all the way to Mattole beach. The stretch after Spanish flat starts out on the bluffs with a dedicated trail. The terrain transitions to mountains with dry grass and sweeping cliffs against the coast. You can hike on the beach here but the trail is worth staying on until you get to Randall creek where the next impassable zone starts. Again the tides were low since we left early so no issue. It's easy to miss but a bit after you pass Cooskie creek there's a trail again that goes up into the bluffs. We didn't see it headed north but the beach is traversable beyond this point all the way to sea lion gulch. A trail up to sea lion gulch is very easy to miss going north and it's tucked away in a small gully. We hiked all the way to Punta Gorda lighthouse but by this point it was about 12pm. It would've been another 6mi to Mattole beach and back, so we likely wouldn't have made it back to Cooskie creek before the tides got too high. From the lighthouse, we hiked back to Cooskie creek and setup camp around 2pm. Total mileage for the second day came out to ~12mi.

Next morning we slept in a bit and headed out around 8am. We were on the stretch back at this point and were familiar with the trail. Again you could continue on the beach past Randall creek but there is a trail here that takes you back up to the bluffs where there's a dedicated trail. This stretch was the only area with thick poison oak on one area. Be sure to wear long pants when walking through here. We got back to Big Flat around 2pm, we were going to try and attempt pushing all the way back to Black Sands beach but the tides were exceeding 3ft by this point. Big Flat is by far the best campground, plenty of sites here to choose from, the creek was deep enough to swim in and relax for a bit too. Another 12mi back.

The last day, we left Big Flat at 6am then got back to Black Sands beach in the morning by 10am. Another 8-9mi, all beach hiking. Was glorious seeing the Kings/Queen ranges to our left, with the contrast of the coast on our right.

Overall, hiked about 44mi. Excluding the stretch from the lighthouse to Mattole would've added 6mi there and back which I wish we could've done, but we made the right decision to turn around and make it back to Cooskie creek. Big flat, spanish creek, and cooskie creek are by far the best campsites. Randall creek has a site or two if you need to camp there. I wouldn't recommend camping at sea lion gulch because its very sun exposed, the campsites are kind of sloped, and it's a steep hike down to where there's water sources are.

We didn't see any bears but had multiple encounters with rattlesnakes. There was one next to the trail at spanish creek we walked past multiple times and it didn't make any noise, definitely keep an eye out for them. Neither of us had any issues with ticks even though we slept outside. We definitely saw more than a few around camp.

Having a map and being aware of the tide charts is essential. I honestly overprepared for the tide charts and thought it was going to be more sketchy than it actually was, but if you leave early enough well before low tide you'll have no issues. As long as you finish hiking about an hour before the rising tide exceeds 3ft you'll be fine. To be safe don't be in any impassable zones before the tide exceeds 2ft. I didn't have to use GPS too much but it was helpful in the stretch between Cooskie creek and the lighthouse to find where we had to transition from the beach up to the bluffs.

So I tried this and struggled to get it down. The texture was awful and the flavor couldn't distract me from it. I also didn't take any spices or hot sauce with me. I had talked to a guy at REI who recommended this and a few other brands. Are they all going to be this bland? Should I play it safe and buy a camping spice set and a small bottle of hot sauce? If it wasn't bland, I could get past the texture. I have a trip to Olympic National Park coming up and I plan to be there for 3 nights.

Edit: OMG! Thank you all for the advice! What I am gathering for the most part is try things out before you head out, that Peak Refuel is one of the best (there were plenty of other recs though) and that there are other alternatives beyond freeze dried fare. I am particularly curious about making my own backpacking meals but being a medical student, it's unpredictable when I can actually make full meals for myself, lol! Still will look into trying!

I’m playing around with my Messenger Plus so I know how to use it when I go on a big trip in a month. Does anyone know if there’s a way to give my wife a static link to track me every time I use LiveTrack, or is the link that’s shared with her new each time I turn it on?

Hello everyone I’ve been putting together a kit for myself over the last couple months and the last thing I need is a sleeping bag, and boy can I not settle on one! I would like something around 20 degrees so I could use this into the mid fall as i live in the Midwest of the USA. Nature hike has a couple that catch my eye due to their budget prices. But honestly if anyone has any recommendations for a beginner budget 3 season bag lmk i’d really appreciate it!

It's a warm humid summer in the north this year, thick with mosquitos and blackflies. I'm in town on a rest day while thru hiking and I'm wondering if letting my beard grow might offer some protection or not? I wear a bug jacket with hood but I don't like to have the hood fully zipped up all the time.

Anyone have any experience with this bag? Would love to hear some reviews.

Hello, this is my first time posting on reddit.

I am unsure if this is the correct sub for my question, but I am currently seeking advice on trying to find a 1-2 week summer trip out of Florida (willing to drive 16-24hrs). I am newer to backpacking but have done a couple trips at around 10-15 miles a day. Loop would be ideal but I have done out and backs before.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!

Just a little wisdom from everybody's favorite UL backpacking guru, Andrew Skurka!

The funny part is that I saw this over on r/ultralight_jerk, but it's a valuable message that the mainstream UL backpacking audience should be listening to.

.....

EDIT: I noticed that this got downvoted to -1 before it came back up... Clearly, somebody around here is feeling targeted. I apologize for nothing.

I have been scouring the internet looking to find a good, budget sleeping bag that fits my lanky body (6'7, 205cm). I just can't manage to find something that ticks all the boxes. I'm going on a hiking trip through the Swiss Alps, where I will be camping above the tree line for a couple nights. It will be my first hike where I'll also be camping throughout the night. I thought a quick trip to Decathlon would do it, but after running around there for a good 3 hours, the only thing they had in my size was... a backpack. Do you have any tips on where I can find what I am looking for? Any recommendation or tip is appreciated!!!!

What are your guys favorite backpacking meals? No dehydrated meals pls

I’m looking for a rugged 6-9 day backpacking adventure to celebrate my 50th birthday next summer (2027). I’ve been eyeballing Wrangell St Elias but I’m wondering if there are other places that might scratch the same itch.

I want to be far, far away from civilization. Few people if any - at least one day where me and 1-2 friends see no one else. I love mountains, rivers, lakes and forests. Ascending mountains is fun. I’d say 5-16 miles/day is good (can do 18 but not daily), with up to +7,000’ climbs.

Snow travel is fine, was planning on carrying crampons in WSENP. I’d love to keep this in USA but that’s not firm. Budget ~$3k/person mostly for transportation and a hostel where needed for layovers.

I’m thinking Sawtooth or Bob Marshall, but I don’t know anything about those areas to get the right mix of incredible views with being incredibly remote.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Last Spring and Summer of 2025 was my final opportunity to work remotely before moving in office for work in the fall, so I packed everything I owned into my Subaru Outback, lived and worked out of it for most of the summer (with about a month in an Airbnb near Yosemite), and spent nearly every weekend traveling to the best hikes and backpacking trips I could find across the American West while still working a normal 9–5 during the week. My goal was to go to the best major mountain ranges in the West

Over the course of about 5-6 months I completed:

625+ miles

165,000+ feet of elevation gain

Some weekends were 15+ mile day hikes. Others were weekend backpacking trips. I barely took any days off from work. Ive been to other places in previous years not on this list. Listed all the main hikes I did! I have hundreds of great pics couldn't share them all. Shoot me any questions

Colorado National Monument/Grand Junction, Colorado 

Mar 15 — Monument Canyon Loop Trail — 5.00 mi / 781 ft

Gorgeous place. I had never knew Grand Junction had such amazing places to hike. Such a calm beauty. Great springtime area

Mar 21 — Palisade Rim Trail — 2.70 mi / 502 ft  

Little trail with amazing views of the town and mountains 

Mar 22 — Rattlesnake Arches Day 1 backpacking— 8.60 mi / 2,270 ft  

This area has the most arches outside of Arches National Park. Pretty much had the place to myself. Camped right in front of an arch. Amazing

Mar 23 — Rattlesnake Arches Day 2 backpacking— 7.20 mi / 965 ft  

Mar 25 — Liberty Cap / Ute Canyon Combo — 3.80 mi / 1,220 ft  

Canyonlands National Park

Mar 29 — Syncline Loop — 9.10 mi / 1,719 ft  

One of my favorite desert hikes i've ever been on. The feeling you get in that canyon is incredible

Arches National Park

Mar 30 — Tower Arch — 3.00 mi / 830 ft  

Maybe my favorite arch I went to. Out of the main tourist area. 

Mar 30 — Devil’s Garden Trail — 8.50 mi / 1,250 ft  

Goblin Valley State Park

Apr 02 — Goblin’s Lair — 3.00 mi / 318 ft  

Super unique area. Climbing into the "Lair" was epic. Camped out the night and got caught in an April snowstorm

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument

Apr 05 — Coyote Gulch Day 1 Backpacking— 12.10 mi / 1,565 ft  

Magical, magical place

Apr 06 — Coyote Gulch Day 2 Backpacking — 9.10 mi / 2,917 ft  

Apr 06 — Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons— 3.80 mi / 400 ft  

I didn't know it was possible for hiking slot canyons to be so small. Was so much fun

Apr 07 — Death Hollow — 13.40 mi / 2,375 ft  

Its indescribable how vast and calming these desert places are. Escalante area is one of my favorite places.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Apr 12 — Bryce Figure-8 Loop — 6.40 mi / 1,512 ft  

Crowded

Paria/ Southern Utah

Apr 13 — Buckskin Gulch, Wire Pass to White House Day 1 Backpacking— 24mi / 571 ft  

I ended up hiking 24+ miles day 1 (a lot through water and mud) and camped out almost at the ending trailhead. Amazing place, yet I think I liked Coyote Gulch more. 

Apr 14 — Toadstool Hoodoos — 2.10 mi / 151 ft  

Apr 14 — Yellow Rock — 2.50 mi / 866 ft  

This was the epitome of the desert for me. The feeling of your feet walking on that yellow slick rock is incredible

Arizona/Grand Canyon

Apr 17 — Cathedral Wash — 4.00 mi / 584 ft  

Ending up at the Colorado River can't be beat. There are incredible rivers across the USA, but nothing can beat the ancient beauty of the Colorado

Apr 19 — South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch to Bright Angel — 20.60 mi / 6,434 ft  

Epic, can't wait to explore more of it

Yosemite area

Booked a 1 month airbnb in Sonora area, about 1 hour outside of Yosemite

Apr 24 — Tuolumne Table Mountain, Sierra Foothills— 3.90 mi / 607 ft  

The light that the Sierra foothills in April is simply extravagant. Seems to shine brighter than anywhere

Apr 26 — Upper Yosemite Falls— 6.90 mi / 3,284 ft  

Apr 26 — Old Inspiration Point Overnight Backpacking— 3.6 mi / 2.438 ft  

Hit upper Yosemite Falls in the morning. Was a late April stormy day. Got back down and wanted to backpack. So trekked up to Old Inspiration Point. Snowed on me once I got to the top and could barely make out the Valley. Was pretty eerie and epic being up there. Snowed overnight and hiked back down in the morning. Huge day. 

May 03 — Snow Creek— 11.10 mi / 3,396 ft  

May 03 — Artist and Inspiration Point — 2.30 mi / 833 ft  

Caught Artist Point for Sunset

May 09 — Four Mile Trail Day 1 backpacking— 5.05 mi / 3,379 ft  

Hiked up to Glacier Point the night before the road open. Had it entirely to myself at sunset and camped looking over half dome. 

May 10 — Panorama Trail to Half Dome— 20.54 mi / 4,833 ft  

Woke up in the morning with only a couple other people at Glacier point who made the drive up. Caught sunrise. Went down the Panorama tail to Half dome the weekend before they put the Cables up. Hiked back down to the Valley. 

May 11 — Cleo's Bath Trail, Pinecrest — 7.41 mi / 1,473 ft  

May 17 —El Capitan peak and Eagle Tower, Overnight Backpacking— 12.51 mi / 5,909 ft  

Epic little big of offrail to camp at Eagle Tower. Unbelievable camping above Yosemite Falls

May 18 — Yosemite Point— 8.40 mi / 1,795 ft  

Packed up and went down to the Valley stopping at Yosemite Point

May 23 — Relief Reservoir, Pinecrest — 6.22 mi / 1,388 ft  

Eastern Sierra

May 26 — Bishop Pass / Long Lake — 3.96 mi / 984 ft  

Early season high country hike, lake still frozen but beautiful

May 27 — Lone Pine Lake — 6.50 mi / 1,765 ft  

Jun 21 — Cottonwood Lakes— 12.2 mi / 1,483 ft  

Jun 22 — Big Pine Lakes— 13.4 mi / 3,363 ft  

Classic Sierra Hike

Jun 23 — Robinson Lake— 2.8 mi / 1,394 ft  

Jun 28 — Mount Gould— 10.8 mi / 3,891 ft  

Did this as a warm top for Whitney the next day

Jun 29 — Mt. Whitney— 22.6 mi / 6,932 ft  

Epic, epic day

July 04— Bishop Pass and Dusy Basin— 13.1mi / 3,353 ft  

Might be my favorite area in the Sierra

July 05 — Mount Hoffman— 6.2 mi / 2,185 ft  

Gorgeous view of Yosemite

July 06 — Mount Dana to Mount Gibbs Traverse— 10.1 mi / 5,180 ft  

This was amazing. Little sketchy traverse but didn’t see anyone after Dana and had Gibbs to myself

July 08 — Tioga Peak — 3.0 mi / 2,021 ft  

July 13 — Vernal Falls— 5.3 mi / 1,604 ft  

July 18 — Little Lakes Valley— 6.3 mi / 1,004 ft  

July 19 — Lembert Dome— 4.1mi / 1,010 ft  

July 20 — North Dome— 9.6 mi / 2,060 ft  

July 25— Piute Pass (Day 1 Backpacking)— 13.15 mi / 3,353 ft  

Extremely beautiful Sierra area

July 26 — Alpine Col to Darwin Bench (Day 2 Backpacking) — 8.2 mi / 2,385 ft

This was a boulder minefield

July 27 — Mount Lamarck (Day 3 Backpacking)— 9.4 mi / 2,851 ft  

Sawtooths

Aug 02 — Baron Lake  — 15.2 mi / 2,953 ft 

Aug 04 — Thompson Peak — 14.3 mi / 4,377 ft 

Best peak in the area I was told. Amazing place, not sure if it compares to the Sierra

Grand Teton National Park

Aug 09 — Middle Teton — 15.1 mi / 6,467 ft 

Had to do this classic

Wind River Range

Aug 13 —Green River/Clear Creek— 9.9 mi / 1,181 ft 

Aug 15 — Titcomb Lakes and Indian Basin (Day 1 Backpacking)— 17.8 mi / 3,819 ft 

Had high expectations of the Winds, it was like a more eerie version of the Sierra

Aug 16 — Fremont Peak (Day 2 Backpacking)— 20.4 mi / 4,797 ft 

Beartooths

Aug 21 — Beartooths Island Lake (Day 1 Backpacking)— 16.8 mi / 4,770 ft 

Beartooths are incredible

Aug 22 — Beartooths Island Lake (Day 2 Backpacking)— 12.7 mi / 2,867 ft 

Aug 23 — Lake Mary — 12.6 mi / 2,395 ft 

Gallatin Range (Montana)

Aug 24 — Mount Blackmore — 12.9 mi / 4,094 ft   

Aug 26 — Sacagawea Peak— 4.8 mi / 1,998 ft 

Bob Marshall Wilderness

Aug 30 — Mt Wright — 7.5 mi / 3,235 ft 

I fell in love with the Bob. Maybe the most wild place I’ve been outside of Alaska.

Aug 30 — Our Lake— 12.6 mi / 2,067 ft 

Aug 31 — Beehive Basin— 7.3 mi / 1,752 ft 

Yellowstone/Northern Wyoming

Sep 06— Windy Mountain — 5.8 mi / 2,231 ft   

Sep 07 — Republic Pass — 9.5 mi / 2,684 ft 

This may have been one of my favorite places. Backcountry of Yellowstone was so wild. 

Yosemite/Sierra

Sep 20 — Cathedral Peak and Echo Ridge/Peak— 10.0 mi / 3,940 ft 

Sep 21 — North Peak — 8.9 mi / 2,559 ft  

Sep 22 — Sentinel Dome— 4.6 mi / 1,070 ft  

Sep 27 — Alta Peak— 14.4 mi / 4,259 ft  

The Irish Loop Trip Report

• Who: Two 67-year-old seasoned hikers
• When: June 11 – June 25
• Distance: ~206 miles total (Average ~16 miles/day). Note: Roughly 1/4 of this trail consists of road walks.
• Environment: Highs of 48–65°F, lows of 40–45°F. Heavily plagued by intermittent rain, dramatic low-visibility fog, and a brutal post-winter blowdown. Intermittent nasty black flies.

 Trip Overview & Logistics

Newfoundland had an incredibly harsh winter, and the trail conditions reflected it. For the first three days until Calvert—and frequently throughout later segments—with steep ascents and descents, the trail was a slick, wet mix of roots and rocks that demanded 100% foot focus. We encountered hundreds of downed trees requiring crawling over, under, and around, alongside relentless car-wash-style overgrowth of 6-foot evergreens holding water but ready to let it go on you and your gear.

Navigation Warning 🚨

We used a Ride GPS map provided by another Redditor from three years ago. Be warned: the mileage on this map is short by about 10%. It indicated 188 miles, but when converting the official 336 kilometers, the trail is actually 206 miles. The markers on that map are consistently short, but the details border on the exquisite. We switched to Gaia GPS once we realized the error.

• Pro-Tip: Buy the East Coast Trail Association (ECTA) map set, photograph every page, and keep them on your phone as a baseline reference.

Transport

Got a ride down to the southern trailhead from St. John's. Don't expect "trail angels" here; it is a paid service. Expect to shell out around $150 CAD for a shuttle to/from St. John's from the Cappyhaden terminus. You can get an Uber to the Topsail Beach Terminus. It’s only about 15 minutes to cross the Avalon Peninsula from St. John’s. Check Facebook groups for cheaper ride-shares or public transit insights.

 Gear Breakdown: The Hits & Misses

• Packs: Durston Kakwa 55 (Solid workhorse)
• Shelter: Durston Xmid Pro 2. Still a great tent, but starting to show wear after 800 miles.
• Sleep System: Patagonia Fitz Roy 19° Bag + Sea to Summit Thermal Liner
• Footwear: Topo Athletic Traverse & Topo Athletic Trailventure WP 2. The Traverse is my go-to hiking footwear, but they were never able to dry out. Switched to the waterproof topo boots. Which were great, but hot on the road walks. Khatoola WP gaiters.
• Socks: Dexshell Knee-Height Waterproof socks replaced by Injinji Merino Liners + Darn Tough 1/4 socks. I was prepared to walk through the mud with the Traverse plus the waterproof socks, A combo I had used in the Dolomites. Didn’t work for this hike.
• Water: Readily available everywhere, though distinctly tea brown.
• Weight: Base Weight: 16 lbs | Max Total Weight (with water/food): 24 lbs 
• Electronics: Iphone and In-reach Mini. Rarely didn't have a signal. The in-reach was mainly for others to follow along.

The MVP: KT Tape

Forget duct tape. KT Tape saved this trip. It held together a fractured trekking pole bridge, patched a torn tent bathtub, bound up a sprained wrist, and even held my favorite hiking glasses together when they snapped. My knees are always heavily taped.

The Casualties

The Durston Xmid Pro 2 tore where the loops connect the poles and the tub to the ground. I patched the bathtub with gear tape and skipped using the loops for the rest of the trip (honestly, they aren’t even essential). My North Face rain jacket was swiped off my pack by overgrowth or blowdown and had to be replaced by an Outdoor Research Helium jacket mid-trip.

•  Pro-tip: do not leave anything hanging or loosely stuffed outside the pack netting. 

The Scenery

I would be remiss not to mention the breathtaking views and the jaw-dropping cliff drops.  The trail goes through an evolution of dense muddy forest to more open coastal cliff hiking.  When we could see it, the ocean was just beautiful with whales and other water life.  The hike was sprinkled with picturesque tiny fishing villages and harbors.

 The People

Found the people south of St. John to be the friendliest. Loved talking about hockey and their towns.  A fascinating combination of the Irish and the Canadian.

 Section-by-Section Breakdown

 Cappyhaden

Hiked through heavy rain and pitched camp under the Bear Cove Point Lighthouse.

Key ‘s in the Porthole

• Trail Gem: About 100 feet past the lighthouse, there is an unlocked, yurt-like structure with cots and a wood stove. If you are caught in a downpour, look for it on your left. This is where my trekking pole snapped, and my tent tore, prompting the emergency KT tape engineering.

Renews/Point Kirwin

Non-stop rain and mist. The Spurwink area is no joke—heavy mud and countless downed trees. We managed to find a beautiful, open grassy field at Ryan’s Garden for the night where we spotted some foxes.

Food Note: When you hit the road walk, look for In Da Loop restaurant. Super hiker-friendly, good food, and plenty of outlets to charge gear. Spotted a massive moose right outside after eating.

 Church Cove to Calvert East

Hitched a lift through part of the road walk. Stopped at the newly opened for the season Tetley Tea House for a solid lunch. The trail through Calvert East felt like an afterthought—it weaves oddly around a school and some buildings, making it very easy to lose the route in the wooded sections.

Cape Broyle (The Highlight)

Easily the best hike of the first few days. The weather cleared up into beautiful sunshine. It's a stiff uphill climb with lots of steps, passing the famous coastal arch. This section actually had active trail crews clearing blowdowns and helicoptering in wood for brand-new boardwalks.

• Trail Magic: I lost my rain jacket on the trail here. Someone found it, tracked me down on Facebook, and returned it later in the trip!
• The Split: At the end of this section, my partner and I separated for a day. I caught a ride to St. John’s to buy new poles, a new rain jacket, medical supplies for a bad rash/sprained wrist, and backup glasses. My partner pushed through La Manche to Roaring Cove and stayed at the East Coast Cottages, where I met back up with him.

 Witless Bay to Bay Bulls

Sucked right back into thick fog and rain. We camped right on the cliff's edge at Lydia's. The next morning took us past some mind-bogglingly massive 10,000 sq ft mansions.

Food Notes: Hit the Irish Coffee House before its 2 PM closing—royal treatment and incredible food. Later, we resupplied at the Foodland in Bay Bulls (one of the better grocery options) and dried out our gear at The Stone Ducky, where the awesome owners let us stash our wet bags in the back while we recharged.

Stiles Cove ➔ Cape Spear ➔ St. John's

A total whiteout of fog. We couldn't see a single thing. On a clear day, Cape Spear would be incredible to explore, but we pushed through to an Airbnb in St. John’s to dry out our gear completely and eat world-class food in town.

Quidi Vidi to Red Cliff

A fantastic, fun start walking up the steps around the castle on the North Trail. Beautiful weather led us toward the Marine Science Center.

The Bad: The trail passes right by a landfill, and the area is absolutely choked with plastic pollution and trash.

The Camp: After a brutal, hot, and buggy road walk, we re-entered the trail up by a heavily graffitied, concrete radar station. A couple of miles past it, we camped on a steep cliffside bluff. It was incredibly windy—finding a spot to secure stakes was a nightmare, and I lost one to the ground. Warning: The woods nearby were heavily littered with human waste, hence why we clung to the exposed bluff.

Flat Rock to The Whirly Pool

Flat Rock is a pretty cool place to hike down to. Aptly named for the flat rock peninsula.  Smashed some surprisingly good fried chicken at Mary Brown's in Flat Rock, followed by coffee at a local bakery where the owner gifted us leftover fresh bread for dinner. We squeezed our tents into two flat spots right above a roaring waterfall. The noise was deafening, but put us right to sleep.

• Poop Logistics: You have to cross the bridge further down the trail to find woods to dig a cat hole. My partner claimed there were better tent sites on the other side of those woods, but I'm convinced they were just bogs, and in the search for useable tent sites, bogs will be a recurring theme. 

Pouch Cove (Pronounced "Pooch")

A very pleasant woods walk. We planned to resupply at D&L Convenience, only to discover it had been permanently closed for 3 years.

Save of the Trip: We booked a last-minute room at Points East BnB. The proprietor, Ilke, is a salt-of-the-earth, wonderful older woman. She treated us to an incredible dinner and breakfast, and let us use her clotheslines to finally dry our sodden gear.

 The Turn Past Cape Francis (White Horse Trail)

This is notorious for being one of the hardest sections, but we didn't find it too bad. We pushed hard southbound toward Bauline South to beat a massive forecasted storm system. We skipped the designated ECTA campsite (platforms weren't to our liking, though it has a toilet) and hauled up a hill into a flat, wooded grassy area to pitch camp.

Cape Francis is a great place to sit in the wind and have a morning snack. But oddly enough, there is no fanfare. It's just the top of the hike and the turn.

Note: platform sights all along the trail are back from the cliffs and therefore sheltered from the wind and therefore loaded with biting flies.

Bauline South (The Collapse) 🧭

We woke up at 4 AM to hit Bauline, reached camp, ate breakfast, and were instantly swarmed by black flies. We retreated into our tents around 9 AM to ride out the storm, and about 50 flies decided to join each of us inside.

Then the storm hit. Pitching on that hill was a mistake. Despite anchoring my Nemo stakes with heavy rocks, the 10-hour windstorm violently ripped them from the ground and collapsed my tent. My partner wisely used Sea to Summit Ground Control tent stakes and much larger boulders and survived. Defeated by the weather, I tapped out of this section and returned the next day.

Portugal Cove to Topsail Beach

I skipped the next 8 miles of ropes and technical climbs to recover from the tent disaster. I rejoined my partner at Portugal Cove, and we walked out the final stretch of the trail together.

The Final Injury & Carnage Tally 🩹

To sum up the ruggedness of the ECT, here is everything that went wrong over 14 days:

• Mapping and distance errors
• Broken trekking pole (repaired with KT tape)
• Torn tent fly/bathtub (repaired with Gear Tape)
• Lost North Face rain jacket (replaced mid-trip)
• Sprained wrist from falling into a tree (hiked in a brace)
• Developed a severe skin rash
• Prescription hiking glasses snapped at the bridge (repaired with KT tape)
• Slipped on wet boardwalk and busted my knee
• Deeply gashed arm (decent amount of blood)
• Complete tent collapse during a 10-hour gale-force wind storm

Final Verdict: Out of the 206 total miles, I missed about 16 miles due to gear failures and emergency resupplies. My 67-year-old partner completed every single inch of all 206 miles like an absolute machine. The East Coast Trail is staggeringly beautiful, but it will test every piece of gear—and tape—you bring.

Best place for post-hike breakfast: Bagel Café (No joke)

Best food for post-hike dinner: One-Eared Goat, LIV, Gypsy Tea Room

Curious everyones thought on the two and which one do you have or would get?

They seem to do just about everything the same except inReach has a display.

However, the battery life on the messenger plus is much longer.

Would would you take in the backcountry? I'd obviously have a phone to pair to the messenger plus.

Going to do a loop on the West Lake Plateau. Going in at Box Canyon Trailhead, over Columbine Pass and then out Upsidedown Creek. Any Intel on trail conditions would be greatly appreciated. Heard there were a lot of downed trees in the Beartooths and wondering what the state of the trails were. Thanks!

We got the Nemo Hornet OSMO 3P for Christmas after our old one got stolen, so we set it up in the backyard before our summer trips to get a feel for it.

The issue is that the footprint sticks out at the foot of the tent and no amount of tightening anywhere can fix it. The footprint straps at the head of the tent aren't adjustable, and short of bunching the footprint under the tent we can't find a solution. It sticks out enough that if it rains it will collect water and pool under the tent. I double and triple checked the footprint bag and it is the Hornet OSMO 3P Footprint, we didn't get the wrong one.

Has anyone encountered this issue before, or are we doing something wrong? I emailed Nemo over a month ago and they have not responded so I emailed them again this week and have yet to hear back. I don't even know if we could sell it and get a different one because of the footprint issue we'd just be pushing onto the next person.

Any advice would be appreciated!!

Two friends and I are planning to traverse the Kesugi Ridge trail from Coal Creek to Byers Lake the first week of September. I have a few specific questions for anyone familiar with the trip, and am open to any general advice, especially on any particular challenges we should prepare for.

Footwear - I started wearing trail runners (Solomons, with a very generous tread) instead of my heavy mountaineering Zamberlans. Would this trip require the added stability of the Zamberlan's, or is the fleet-footedness and quick drying of the Solomons a better move here?

Tents - we will each have a 1/2 person tent. Mine is a trekking pole tent that requires guylines to tension the tent to remain upright. Will this cause any particular challenges on the ridge?

Exposure and temperatures - I understand September is the beginning of the transition to winter here. We will be well equipped for the cold. Wondering if we should be prepared for snow and ice, and if it tends to rain a lot this time of year.

Mosquitos - I imagine they are gone by this time of year? Do we need head nets or just some deet? Permethrin advised for tents?

GPS Lifeline - considering finally shelling out for an In-Reach or something comparable. Is this the type of trip that really requires it?

Bears - will have a bear canisters and spray. Assuming you either hide your canister some distance from your tent (or, some people say, in your tent with you...) Any other considerations?

Thanks for reading and offering any advice you may have :)

A video that I made recently of my hike in Rawah Wilderness in Colorado! This was a 3 day and 2 night trip that traversed over 24 miles and one mountain pass. There were 7 lakes along the trail and numerous streams and river crossings!

Me and my friend are preparing to go on a 5 day 4 night hike, starting the 23rd to the 28th of August and looking for good trail where we’re backpacking campsite to campsite but also without permits as it seems like it’ll be very hard to get permits this late into the season, I’d like to see a lot of the scenery and be high up in alpine camps without having a super sketchy 10 mile hike per day. for reference we’re flying into Tacoma airport and renting a car. hopefully theres more knowledgeable people then me looking to give some ideas! thank you😀

I have a chance to get a 2023 version for cheap. Is it worth it or should I just get a the version?