Discussing my Favorite (and cheapest) Ultralight Camping Lantern Option.
Just a quick backpacking tips video to highlight a technique that I actually showed briefly in a video years back. I recently read a list of “camping hacks” that mentioned a DIY way to turn your camping headlamp into a lantern. They used a 1 gallon water jug to diffuse the light. Clever, and it probably works well, but it reminded me of my preferred method – simply using a headlamp and a balloon to create a lantern effect.
Surprisingly, I haven’t really seen or heard of hikers doing this very often. Perhaps it’s because it’s just too obvious, but I figured it was worth sharing.
Sara finally does a cabin trip! Oh, and her car gets stuck in the snow. So we drag all our stuff up the mountain instead of driving. 😉
I’m not sure if this exactly what Sara was picturing as her first trip to our hunting cabin, but nonetheless it made for some great memories. Join us for 3 days of wood stove stoking, PA game lands hiking, BBQ grilling, cabin chores, and just plain relaxing in the woods.
Creating a Backpacking Loop for my upcoming winter solo camping trip in Virginia’s Grayson Highlands.
For part three of this series, I’ll be going over my specific route selection for my solo backpacking loop, including trails used, potential parking / starting points, and expected camping areas for each night. The map I chose to purchase for this trip, based on viewer feedback, was National Geographic’s Map #318 for the Mount Rogers High Country Grayson Highlands State Park region of Virginia.
A good portion of this loop will utilizing the Appalachian Trail, within the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area, as well as several other connecting trails within the Lewis Fork Wilderness and Little Wilson Creek Wilderness areas.
I will be doing continued updates throughout the whole process of planning this winter hiking trip. All the way from location selection, specific route planning, packing, food choices, getting there, doing the actual trip, and whatever else may come up in between, so check back for updates!
Based on Viewer Feedback I’ve Chosen the Location for my Solo Winter Backpacking Trip!
For the second installment of this series, I’ll be talking about my final choice for the location of the upcoming backpacking trip that I’ve been planning. How did I make my decision on the final location for my winter camping trip? You told me!
A very big thanks is in order for all of the super helpful viewers and subscribers that shared their feedback on the previous trip planning video. Obviously, i had to narrow it down to just one area out of the hundred of backpacking routes that we shared, but I definitely learned a ton of useful info on areas for future trips as well.
For now though, I’m going to focus on the spot chosen for this trip. Which is, of course, – Oh, come on, you didn’t think I’d really ruin the surprise by typing it here, did you? 🙂
I plan to do continued updates throughout the whole process of planning this winter hiking trip. All the way from location selection, specific route planning, getting there, doing the actual trip, and whatever else may come up in between, so check back for updates!
Day 1 (20.5 miles)
Begin at Lakeview Tunnel at the end of the “Road to Nowhere”
Benton MacKaye Trail / Lakeshore Trail
Bear Creek Trail
Welch Ridge Trail
High Rocks Vista – Great views of Fontana Lake!
Cold Spring Gap Trail
Hazel Creek Trail
End at Backcountry Campsite 82
Day 2 (24.5 Miles)
Hazel Creek Trail
Lakeshore Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail
End at Backcountry Campsite 76
Day 3 (12 Miles)
Lake Shore Trail / Benton MacKaye Trail
End at Lakeview Drive (Road to Nowhere) Trailhead and the Car!
Osprey Hornet 46 Backpack
Hennessey Hammock – Expedition A-Sym
Sea to Summit Toaster – Fleece Sleeping Bag Liner (used as primary bag)
Klymit Inertia X-Frame Sleeping Pad
11 pounds Base Weight + extra filming gear and electronics that the average person probably won’t need. I was actually carrying closer to 13 lbs while filming. See the full Ultralight Gear List Video for a detailed look at the 11 pound system, plus tips for going sub-10-pounds if desired.
In this video, we’ll take a look at how to find custom Backpacking loop hikes… fast.
There are plenty of high tech route planning methods out there for hiking and backpacking, and trust me, I love them. But sometimes it’s nice to just keep things simple.
In preparation for an upcoming overnight trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I began tinkering with various methods to find an ideal 3 day, 2 night loop. Several futile afternoons later, I was less than successful in my pursuit of Tennessee adventure. But then I broke out the method seen in the video. Within a short amount of time I suddenly had a loop hike that I was excited about. Score 1 for low tech.
