Buddhist prayer wheels, Dolpo, Nepal.
When employing local people as porters, you have a responsibility if problems arise. You’re on a vacation, but they’re working. In the fall of 1995, a huge snowstorm swept areas of the Himalaya in Nepal, killing many people—locals and trekkers—and causing serious problems for trekking groups. Some of the stories that came out of this disaster are very disturbing, including tales of trekkers’ abandoning porters to die in the snow while they took helicopter flights back to Katmandu or refusing to let locals use tents and other equipment. Some of those involved were trekking companies. I suggest quizzing any company you’re thinking of traveling with about how they treat their porters and what provisions are made for them in emergencies. On the other hand, some trekkers went out of their way to assist porters and local people, and some companies treated porters and clients exactly the same, which is as it should be. I don’t want to imply that all trekkers behave badly.
GETTING THERE
Internal travel can be exciting. I’ve been petrified in a taxi on narrow winding mountain roads in the Spanish Pyrenees, bumped in a car over a potholed highway in Nepal, chugged down an iceberg-dotted fjord in a fishing boat in Greenland, and helicoptered just above glacier-filled valleys in the same country.
The most exhilarating, overwhelming, and downright terrifying journey I’ve ever made was in a small passenger plane in Nepal, from Nepalgunj in the lowlands to Juphal, high in the Himalaya. The little plane, packed to bursting with people and baggage, flew into a narrow mountain valley with dense conifer forests on each side, the treetops so close it seemed you could pluck cones through the windows. Our altitude was 17,000 feet, high enough to clear most mountain ranges, but here the peaks soared to 26,000 feet and more on each side, towering masses of rock and ice. I checked my watch, which indicated we should be landing in a few minutes. I looked down: below, a winding river slid through the dense forest; clearings or flat land were nowhere to be seen. Through the cockpit window I could see a spur of the mountainside cutting across the valley—we were flying straight at the top of it. Surely the pilot would climb, I thought. But no, on we went toward what seemed an inevitable crash. Finally we cleared the rocky edge of the spur, the wheels touched down, and we bumped to a halt on the sloping field that constituted Juphal airport. These are known as STOL airstrips—short takeoff and landing.
A traditional Sami hut, Sarek National Park, Arctic Lapland, Sweden.
Monte Viso from the Col de Chamoussiere, Queyras Alps, France.
In other places, internal travel can be the opposite, a time to relax in comfort. I especially love the train journey through Norway and Sweden to the Arctic, with the big, well-appointed trains drifting north through increasingly wild, snowy northern landscapes. At night there are comfortable beds to sleep in, and for breakfast coffee and donuts are served in the restaurant car.
Whether by car, coach, train, boat, or plane, getting there takes time. Rather than viewing it as a means to reach the mountains or trailhead, it’s better to treat it as an element of the adventure, as part of experiencing what a new country has to offer.
a final word
Finishing this edition, I’ve been surprised at how it’s grown and how much more I’ve had to say. As always, I hope you find my thoughts interesting and useful. I always welcome comments and suggestions.
As I write these last words, the summer sun is shining outside my window and the trees are green and bursting with life. Birds are singing, and a low hum of insects rises from the flower-filled meadows. Beyond the forest, brown hills fade into the sky. It’s time to leave the desk and the computer, shoulder my pack, and head out into nature.
As always, I’ll see you out there—in spirit, at least.
APPENDIX ONE
equipment checklist
This is a list of every item you might take on a backpacking trip. No one would ever carry everything listed below; I select items from this master list to create smaller, specific lists of what I need for each particular trip.
PACKS
Backpack
Fanny pack
Day pack
FOOTWEAR AND WALKING AIDS
Boots
Trail shoes
Sandals
Footbeds
Wax (for cleaning and waterproofing boots)
Socks
Liner socks
Fleece socks
Insulated booties
Gaiters
Staff/trekking poles
Ice ax
Crampons
Snowshoes
Skis
Ski poles
Ski boots
Climbing skins
Ski wax
SHELTER
Tent with poles and stakes
Tarp
Bivouac bag
Groundsheet
Sleeping bag
Sleeping bag liner
Sleeping pad
Pillow
KITCHEN
Stove
Fuel
Fuel bottles
Pouring spout
Windscreen
Pan(s)
Mug
Plate/bowl
Spoon(s)
Pot grab
Baking accessory
Pot scrubber
Water containers
Thermos bottle
Insulating water bottle cover
Water purification tablets
Water filter
Matches/lighter/fire starter
Plastic bags
Bear bag and cord
Bear-resistant container
Food
CLOTHING
INNER LAYER
T-shirt
Shirt
Long underwear
Underpants
MIDLAYER
Synthetic shirt
Wool shirt
Cotton shirt
Wool sweater
Fleece top
Insulated top
Vapor-barrier suit
OUTER LAYER
Windproof top
Rain jacket
Rain pants
LEGWEAR
Shorts
Trail pants
Fleece pants
HEADGEAR
Sun hat
Watch cap
Balaclava
Neck gaiter
Fleece-lined cap
Bandanna
HANDS
Liner gloves
Thick wool/fleece mittens
Shell mittens
Insulated gloves/mittens
MISCELLANEOUS: ESSENTIAL
Flashlight/headlamp and spare bulb and battery
Candles
Candle lantern
Oil lantern
Butane-propane lantern
First-aid kit
Compass
Whistle
Map
Map case
Altimeter
Map measurer
Guidebook
GPS receiver
Repair kit:
Ripstop nylon patches
Duct tape
Needles and thread
Glue
Stove maintenance kit/pricker
Rubber bands
Waterproof matches
Wash kit
Sunglasses
Goggles
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Insect repellent
Mosquito coils
Head net
Pepper spray
Flares
Strobe light
Fishing tackle
Cord
Knife
Notebook, pen, and documents
Watch
Toilet trowel
Toilet paper
Rope
Plastic bags
MISCELLANEOUS: OPTIONAL
Binoculars
Photography equipment:
Cameras
Lenses
Flash
Spa
re batteries
Tripod
Minitripod/clamp
Filters
Cable release
Lens tissue
Film
Padded camera cases
Books
Cards
Games
Radio
Portable CD player/Ipod/MP3 player
Thermometer
APPENDIX TWO
further reading
This is a list of books I’ve found inspirational, helpful, or at least interesting. It’s by no means comprehensive, and some may be out of print. Check your library or used book stores and Web sites. Many are not backpacking books as such, but all of them are about, or relevant to, wilderness travel. I’ve also included my other books.
Obviously I hope this book will serve as a guide and inspiration for your wilderness hiking. But it’s only one person’s view. Many of the books that have influenced me and that I feel are the most useful and enlightening are gathered here.
Colin Fletcher’s classic The Complete Walker first appeared in 1968. The fourth edition, cowritten with Chip Rawlins, was published in 2002. Two authors mean that it’s almost two books with different approaches and opinions, sometimes contradictory, usually entertaining. Fletcher takes what might be called a standard approach to backpacking; Rawlins is much more on the lightweight side. The ultralight manual is Ray Jardine’s Beyond Backpacking, a provocative, entertaining, inspiring, and sometimes infuriating book. A much lighter and amusing though still informative read is Allen and Mike’s Really Cool Backpackin’ Book by Allen O’Bannon, which contains some excellent cartoon-style illustrations by Mike Clelland. Allen and Mike’s Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book: Traveling and Camping Skills for a Winter Environment is similarly entertaining about winter camping and ski touring.
Karen Berger is the author of a growing number of backpacking books, all worth consulting. If you’re interested in long-distance trails, her Hiking the Triple Crown is a great resource. Also useful for long-distance hiking and full of interesting statistics is Roland Mueser’s Long-Distance Hiking.
For equipment repair and maintenance Annie Getchell and Dave Getchell Jr.’s The Essential Outdoor Gear Manual is comprehensive. For people repair and maintenance, otherwise known as first aid, Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities, edited by James A. Wilkerson and now in its fifth edition, is one for the bookshelf, while Fred T. Darvill Jr.’s Mountaineering Medicine and Backcountry Medical Guide and Paul G. Gill Jr.’s Wilderness First Aid are light enough for the pack. Sanitation is a key health issue, and here Kathleen Meyer’s uncompromisingly titled How to Shit in theWoods is a key text. More general minimum impact information is contained in Bruce Hampton and David Cole’s Soft Paths and Annette McGivney’s Leave No Trace.
Bears are a particular concern for many hikers, and there are several books on this subject. I think the most useful and sensible is Dave Smith’s Backcountry Bear Basics. A more personal book about bears and about hiking and camping in their country is Doug Peacock’s Grizzly Years.
Except for the last one, the works above are basically instructional books. Many of them are inspirational as well, but this is not their main purpose. Hiking stories and adventures can inspire and also, by example, give much information about what it’s like to hike in a particular area or for months at a time. In my opinion there are two classic hiking books, both by Colin Fletcher: The Thousand-Mile Summer and The Man Who Walked Through Time. The first tells the story of the author’s hike the length of California, the second his hike the length of the Grand Canyon. The other great wilderness writer of the past thirty or so years is the late Edward Abbey. His books aren’t specifically about backpacking, though many feature hiking stories, such as the excellent “A Walk in the Desert Hills” in Beyond the Wall, but they are celebrations of wild places and nature and the freedom found there plus a call to defend them from exploitation. His classic work is Desert Solitaire, a series of essays based on the time he spent as a ranger in Arches National Park, but all his books are worth reading.
Going further back than Abbey and Fletcher, we come to John Muir, a prodigious hiker as well as a mountaineer, naturalist, and conservationist. There are many collections of his work available. Of the individual books, I recommend My First Summer in the Sierra and The Mountains of California. There are also many books about Muir and his wilderness philosophy: I think The Pathless Way by Michael P. Cohen is the best. A more general and pretty definitive study of the development of wilderness philosophy and conservation is Roderick Frazier Nash’s Wilderness and the American Mind.
Abbey, Edward. Abbey’s Road. New York: Plume, 1991.
———. Beyond the Wall: Essays from the Outside. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984.
———. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
———. Down the River. New York: Plume, 1991.
———. The Journey Home: Some Words in Defense of the American West. New York: Perennial Classics, 2000.
———. The Monkey Wrench Gang. New York: Perennial Classics, 2000.
Adkins, Jan, ed. The Ragged Mountain Portable Wilderness Anthology. Camden ME: Ragged Mountain Press, 1993.
Alden, Peter, et al. National Aubudon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States. New York: Knopf, 1999.
Annerino, John. Hiking the Grand Canyon.Rev.and expanded. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1993.
———. Running Wild: An Extraordinary Adventure of the Human Spirit. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1997.
Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker’s Companion. 11th ed. Harpers Ferry WV: Appalachian Trail Conference, 2004.
Appalachian Trail Guidebooks. Harpers Ferry WV: Appalachian Trail Conference.
Axcell, Claudia, Vikki Kinmont Kath, and Diana Cooke. Simple Foods for the Pack. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2004.
Berger, Karen. Advanced Backpacking: A Trailside Guide. New York: Norton, 1998.
———. Hiking the Triple Crown: How to Hike America’s Longest Trails: Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail. Seattle: Mountaineers, 2001.
Berger, Karen, and Daniel R. Smith. Along the Pacific Crest Trail. Englewood CO: Westcliffe, 1999.
———. The Pacific Crest Trail: A Hiker’s Companion. Woodstock VT: Countryman, 2000.
———. Where the Waters Divide: A 3,000-Mile Trek along America’s Continental Divide. Woodstock VT: Countryman, 1997.
Bezruchka, Stephen. Trekking in Nepal: A Traveler’s Guide. 7th ed. Seattle: Mountaineers, 1997.
Birkett, Bill, ed. Classic Treks: The 30 Most Spectacular Hikes in the World. Boston: Little, Brown, 2000.
Briggs, David and Mark Wahlqvist. Food Facts: The Complete No-Fads-Plain-Facts Guide to Healthy Eating. Harmondsworth UK: Penguin, 1988.
Brower, David R., with Steve Chapple. Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run: A Call to Those Who Would Save the Earth. San Francisco: HarperCollins West, 1995.
Brown, Hamish M. Hamish’s Mountain Walk and Climbing the Corbetts: His Two Acclaimed Mountain-Walking Books on the Munros and the Corbetts. London: Baton Wicks, 1997.
Brown, Tom, Jr., with Brandt Morgan. Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival. New York: Berkley, 1983.
Bruce, Dan “Wingfoot”. The Thru-Hiker’s Handbook: #1 Guide for Long-Distance Hikes on the Appalachian Trail. Updated annually. Hot Springs NC: Center for Appalachian Trail Studies.
Cleare, John, ed. Trekking: Great Walks of the World. London: Unwin Hyman, 1988.
Cohen, Michael P. The Pathless Way: John Muir and American Wilderness. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984.
Colorado Trail Foundation. The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook. 6th ed. Golden CO: Colorado Mountain Club Press, 2002.
Continental Divide Trail Society. Guide to the Continental Divide Trail. 7 vols. Baltimore: Continental Divide Trail Society.
&
nbsp; Copeland, Kathy, and Craig Copeland. Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies: The Opinionated Hiking Guide. 5th ed. Canmore AB: hikingcamping.com, 2004.
———. Don’t Waste Your Time in the North Cascades: An Opinionated Hiking Guide to Help You Get the Most from This Magnificent Wilderness. Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 1996.
Cox, Steven M., and Kris Fulsaas, eds. Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. 7th ed. Seattle: Mountaineers, 2003.
Crane, Nicholas. Clear Waters Rising: A Mountain Walk Across Europe. New York: Penguin, 1997.
Cudahy, Michael. Wild Trails to Far Horizons.London: Unwin Hyman, 1989.
Daffern, Tony. Avalanche Safety for Skiers and Climbers. 2nd ed. Seattle: Mountaineers, 1992.
Daniell, Gene, and Steven D. Smith, eds. AMC White Mountain Guide: Hiking Trails in the White Mountain National Forest. 27th ed. Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 2003.
Darvill, Fred T., Jr. Mountaineering Medicine and Back-country Medical Guide. 14th ed. Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 1998.
Dempster, Andrew. The Munro Phenomenon. Edinburgh: Mainstream, 1995.
Dudley, Ellen. The Savvy Adventure Traveler: What to Know Before You Go. Camden ME: Ragged Mountain Press, 1999.
Fayhee, M. John. Along the Arizona Trail. Englewood CO: Westcliffe, 1998.
Ferguson, Michael. GPS Land Navigation: A Complete Guidebook for Backcountry Users of the NAVSTAR Satellite System. Boise: Glassford, 1997.
Ferguson, Sue, and E. R. LaChapelle. The ABCs of Avalanche Safety. 3rd ed. Seattle: Mountaineers, 2003.
Fleming, June. The Well-Fed Backpacker.3rd ed. New York: Vintage, 1986.
Fletcher, Colin. The Man Who Walked Through Time. New York: Vintage, 1989.
———. River: One Man’s Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea. New York: Knopf, 1997.
———. The Secret Worlds of Colin Fletcher. New York: Vintage, 1990.
———. The Thousand-Mile Summer. New York:Vintage, 1987.
Fletcher, Colin, and Chip Rawlins. The Complete Walker IV. 4th rev. ed. New York: Knopf, 2002.
Chris Townsend Page 59
