Gather 鈥檙ound children, and let me tell you about my best-ever high-altitude dump. I was climbing the Grand Teton with and we paused for dinner on the Lower Saddle. Mac n鈥� cheese has consequences, as do nervous bowels. So I grabbed my TP and headed for the ridge-top latrine, where I dropped trou, admired the view of Idaho to the west, and released my burden. Sweet relief! Soon my crap was out of sight and out of mind, if not out of nose.

Want to take a dump like I did? Forget it. The Park Service , citing the high cost of hauling out waste by helicopter. Ever since, hikers have been responsible for their own Tetonic piles of crap. Which they should be: Even when waste leaves your body, it鈥檚 still yours. (That who really can鈥檛 be expected to take care of his own turds, now can he?)

What鈥檚 a responsible hiker to do-do?

I called Jeffrey Marion to discuss this shitty situation. Marion teaches recreation ecology at Virginia Tech, and he , literally, on Leave No Trace. It turned out, to my surprise and bowel relief, that there is some good news where #1 and #2 are concerned.

鈥淚n the grand scheme of things, human waste isn鈥檛 a huge problem in the backcountry,鈥� says Marion. 鈥淚t can be a problem in localized areas that get a lot of use, like on Mt. Whitney. Also in extremely cold places, or dry places, or anywhere you can鈥檛 dig a cathole. Otherwise it isn鈥檛 usually a big deal, because it鈥檒l decompose within a year.鈥�

Not that he鈥檚 letting you off the fecal hook, entirely. Here鈥檚 everything Marion would like you to know about dropping your load responsibly in the woods.

Cat Holes Rule

Marion is a firm believer in digging our way out of the human waste problem. Just grab , hurry 200 feet away from your campsite or a trail, dig a 6- to 8-inch hole, do your business, and then backfill. That much you knew, right? According to Marion, about 80 percent of backcountry visitors comply with those guidelines. But the tricky bit comes with the toilet paper, which seems to erupt from catholes like tulips from warm soil in springtime.

鈥淲e find a lot of toilet paper around popular campsites,鈥� Marion notes, 鈥渆ither because people don鈥檛 care, or because toilet paper is the last thing into the hole, and it鈥檚 only covered by leaf litter.鈥� His trick: After you wipe, use a stick to push the TP to the bottom of the pile, then refill the hole. In the right climate, it鈥檒l all decompose in about a year.

Crap and Leak Creatively

When you emerge from your tent with elimination on your agenda, take a fresh look at the landscape. 鈥淧eople tend to spot the same big bush or a rock near the campsite and think, 鈥業鈥檒l go there,鈥欌�� says Marion. 鈥淚t leads to a concentration of waste that can smell bad and be dangerous.鈥�

All those #1s and #2s add up to big numbers, and attract flies. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how diseases are transmitted,鈥� says Marion. 鈥淭hey land on your waste and your dinner.鈥� The 200-foot-rule will probably force you out of the flies鈥� flight path. Better yet, plan on taking a nice crap break en route to your next destination, away from campsites and drinking water.

Urinalysis

Urine is in fact sterile, so spraying it around won鈥檛 harm the environment. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an aesthetic concern,鈥� says Mr. LNT, 鈥渘ot a health hazard.鈥� He advises aiming at (or squatting over) a rock, rather than peeing all over the underbrush, which large ungulates will mow down for the salts and nutrients you piss away.

Pack Out Menstrual Products, Period

Backpackers who menstruate can鈥檛 always plan their adventures around their cycles, so they have two choices: learn to use (and clean) a menstrual cup, or pack out used pads or tampons. Most menstrual hygiene products contain perfumes and plastic liners, which attract critters and resist decomposition. So you鈥檒l need to pack them out in a sealable baggie or water bottle (cover it with duct tape, if you don鈥檛 want to see red). Dropping crushed aspirin or a tea bag into the menses will cut the smell. Of course, users of The Pill can to put off their flow until they return to civilization.

Up High, and Down Low, It鈥檚 Gotta Go

In the desert, waste won鈥檛 decompose. In frigid temperatures and on rocky peaks, there鈥檚 no diggable soil, so no catholes. You鈥檒l have to

Which brings us back to the summits of the Grand Teton and Mt. Whitney. Marion misses their high-altitude johns.

鈥淚n a high-use area, that鈥檚 really the way to go,鈥� he says. 鈥淎fter they removed the latrines on Mt. Whitney, rangers gave out toilet kits to hikers, but animals would get into the bags and they would leak and smell. People said 鈥業鈥檓 not packing that out,鈥� so we found them near the campsites.鈥�

With the zeal of a poop prophet, he extols the seven above-ground 鈥溾�� Vermont鈥檚 Green Mountain Club installed along the Long and Appalachian Trails in Vermont, and . Those loos are sweet-smelling because the waste decomposes aerobically, becoming fertilizer that maintenance crews can scatter in the woods. Just the way bears do it.

For high-use, high-altitude areas, latrines and helicopter evacuations of honey buckets are the way to go, says Marion. 鈥淚t鈥檚 expensive, but that can be built into the cost of wilderness permits.鈥�

And as my Grand memories tell me, paying for a scenic latrine is anything but money down the drain.

The post Confused About Pooping in the Woods? This LNT Expert Has Tips. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I visited Alaska last summer. Lucky me, right? Only, I was on the kind of massive tour boat that provides grand views of the backcountry, but frustratingly little time to do anything aside from just gawp at it. When my ship pulled into Skagway Harbor, I looked longingly at the high peaks and forests, and thought: 鈥淚 shall return.鈥�

But on an Alaska State Ferry, next time. It provides no-crowd, low-cost (once you reach Alaska, that is) access to some of the most remote, beautiful trailheads, beaches, streams, and lakes in the land. It suffers all the vagaries of local transit, with service interruptions and cancellations. But if you have the time and patience to go slow, there鈥檚 no better way to see Alaska.

My ship鈥擧olland America鈥檚 Nieuw Amsterdam鈥攈ad a population of 3,000, while Skagway is inhabited by only 1,100 people. We overwhelmed them. But after a few hours pawing the knickknacks in town, we were herded back on board, the captain blew our big horn, and we sailed away.听

鈥淔or a lot of Backpacker readers, that will be a great moment,鈥� says Jennie Flaming, an and voice of the podcast. 鈥淲hen the cruise ships leave, the locals take over, and you can learn what Alaska is all about.鈥澨�

Flaming is all about local flavor and color, and you can鈥檛 get more local or flavorful than the .听听

The Alaska State Ferry鈥攁s it is also known鈥攊s as different from the Nieuw Amsterdam as Campbell鈥檚 Soup is from vichyssoise. And that鈥檚 a good thing. It鈥檚 the ferry of the people, connecting 3,500 miles of rugged coastline, 30 rugged towns, and the rugged people who live in them. According to the AMHS website, it鈥檚 the only marine route recognized as National Scenic Byway and All-American Road.

Ready to hop aboard? Flaming, who loves the ferry system, advises a bit of caution.听

鈥淐ompared with a cruise ship, this is a Greyhound bus,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 transportation for people who don鈥檛 need a lot of amenities. There鈥檚 no cell service or wifi. It鈥檚 Backpacker, not Conde Nast Traveler.鈥澨�

Sounds perfect, if you ask me. Imagine a from Bellingham, Washington, to Juneau, Alaska鈥攁 great jumping off point for further ferry or foot exploration.听听

Long-haul Alaska ferries have a designated area where you can and while away your chug from here to there. You use a towel to dry your tent鈥檚 footprint, duct-tape it to the deck, and then toss all your gear inside so your tent doesn鈥檛 blow away in the 35-knot winds that will rake the boat when you鈥檙e underway. Long-haul ferries are equipped with showers, coin-op laundries, and鈥攐n the bigger ships鈥攃afeterias where you can buy a beer and salmon burger, and meet the locals.听

Here鈥檚 the guarantee: The views will be sublime, and you鈥檒l have plenty of time to admire them when the summer sun shines for eighteen hours. And that also means oceans of opportunity to download town and trail beta from your neighbors on the tent deck.听

But where will the ferry take you? It鈥檚 a big state, and the possibilities are nearly endless.听听

For Dayhikers

You don鈥檛 usually depend on the D.O.T. for trail intel, but then, Alaska is no ordinary place. Sam Dapcevich, an information officer for the State Ferry, has plenty of ideas where you should take your warmup hikes.听

If you don鈥檛 have time for the ferry ride from Bellingham, you might fly into Juneau, with its international airport and . It鈥檚 a good place to stock up on food and bear spray for your adventure, and it has good access to the ferry system when you鈥檙e ready for more.

For an initial leg stretcher, head for the Mt. Roberts trailhead at the end of Basin Road, a mile walk from downtown, and you won鈥檛 even need to rent a car.听

鈥淎 good short loop is the East Glacier Trail, 5 miles from the airport in Juneau,鈥� says Dapcevich. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about 3.5 miles and has beautiful vistas and forest scenery. There鈥檚 some history from mining in the area too.鈥澨�

Flaming recommends taking the tram from downtown Juneau to the top of Mt. Roberts, which has incredible views on a clear day. Then hike from the top of the tram to Gastineau Peak for the views and wildflowers, which bloom from June to August. Ready for more? Now hop the ferry for the six-hour scenic route from Juneau to Gustavus, the diminutive capital of

For Glacier Hounds and Kayak Trekkers

If you鈥檝e traveled the tourist circuit, your mental image of Alaska may be of enormous cruise ships and clueless flatlanders, and they are in fact like fleas on dogs near the ferry docks. But if you manage to escape those jumpoff points, you鈥檒l escape the crowds too.听

鈥淣inety-six percent of the people who visit Glacier Bay National Park are on a cruise ship,鈥� says Flaming. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic destination for independent travelers by ferry.鈥�

The Bartlett Cove campground is never full, according to Flaming, and the 4.5-mile Bartlett River Trail is one of her 鈥渕ust-dos.鈥� If you really want to experience Glacier Bay, join a guided kayak tour, or plan your own. You can rent sea kayaks or join a tour offered by , , or . If you want to get up close and personal with bergy bits and growlers (the bushel-basket-sized ice boulders that cascade off of glaciers), this is the place for you.听

For Angler-Hikers

Ditch the freeze-dried dinners and catch your own on a visit to Sitka. If you hop on a ferry in Juneau, you鈥檒l be there in a mere nine hours. Dapcevich notes that there are plenty of trails that lead out of town, and good trout fishing from the lakes that you鈥檒l find along them. In the summer, you can make like a brown bear and fish for salmon from the beaches. If you鈥檙e after altitude, he cites Gavan Hill and Harbor Mountains as a great 12-mile round trip up to the high peaks inland, with spectacular views of the Alexander Archipelago to the south. Camp at and use it as your jumping off point for exploring the , the nation鈥檚 largest.听

Flaming recommends these hikes in Sitka, for the non-anglers among you: First, check in with the , to learn about the extensive trail system they鈥檙e creating and for local intel. On a clear day, head 2 miles up to , with views of downtown Sitka and the pyramidal peak of Mt. Verstovia, a perilous scramble for sure-footed hikers. In the rain (likely), take the 4.5 miles to a no-doubt gushing waterfall.

For the Trip of a Lifetime

Flaming doesn鈥檛 hesitate: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Chilkoot Trail,鈥� she raves. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine too many more spectacular backpacking experiences.鈥� You鈥檒l catch a six-hour ferry north from Juneau to Skagway, and hitch a ride out to the trailhead near Dyea Campground. It鈥檚 a 33 mile hike to Lake Bennett, in Canada, gaining about 4,000 feet of elevation and moving through eight distinct climate zones.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 like a wilderness-gold rush museum,鈥� says Flaming. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a national historic park run by the U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada, so you鈥檒l find interpretive signs along the way, and a cast iron stove from the 1890s, abandoned by a gold miner.鈥澨�

, you can hop on the White Pass Yukon Railroad to return to Skagway. Not up for the five-day trip? You can book whistle-stops on the Yukon Railroad, and ride to a dayhike destination. The 6-mile will take you through hemlock forest, past Glacier Lake, all the way to the hanging blue ice of Denver Glacier. Book an overnight in the , and take turns playing conductor when you鈥檙e not soaking up the glacier views.听

More Ports, More Hikes

Headed elsewhere on the Alaska State ferry? Here are :听

Ketchikan: The 2-mile Rainbird Trail, through towering forests, or the 10-mile traverse between Carlana and Persevereance lakes, which climbs over Juno and Ward mountains.听

Haines: Take the 6-mile round trip to Battery Point for water views, or Mt. Riley, a 5-mile out-and-back with the big views you came to Alaska for.

Seward: For dreamers and trail activists, consider the , which exists in bits and pieces on the 167-mile trip from Seward up to Eagle River, and then on to Denali National Park. all the way up to Fairbanks, for a total of 500 miles.听

Safety

This wouldn鈥檛 be an article about Outdoor Alaska without some timely warnings, and Flaming offers them. and stay vigilant for the big wildlife (bears, wolves, moose) and the tiny predators as well: mosquitos.听

You鈥檒l need another sort of protection on an Alaska trip, as well: Travel insurance.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 super important,鈥� she warns, 鈥渋f your ferry is canceled, or if you鈥檙e stuck somewhere you don鈥檛 want to be. It鈥檚 confusing, and the schedule is weird.鈥� Flaming shops the insurance marketplace before she boards a vessel for the unpredictable Great North.

Another must: 听

鈥淭est the rainfly on your tent in the shower before you go, buy waterproof footwear, and lay out for a new rain jacket and pants,鈥� says Flaming. 鈥淢entally prepare yourself for being a little damp, even on sunny days. The coast is a rainforest, so the woods will be soaking.鈥澨�

Hey, if you launch your adventure by ferry, you鈥檝e got to expect water, water, everywhere鈥攆lowing, falling, tidal, and frozen. But wet is wild, and Alaska鈥檚 hiking trails are as wild as they come.

The post Looking to Hike in Alaska? Try Embarking by Ferry. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I love my backpacking buds, but route-finding isn鈥檛 their forte. Nor mine. So in retrospect, it鈥檚 not surprising that the 鈥渢rail鈥� we thought we were skinning to Peter Eiseman Hut in the shadow of Colorado鈥檚 Gore Range was actually a set of random ski tracks leading to nowhere.

That鈥檚 how I found myself bushwhacking along a ridge at 10 p.m. on a February night, staring holes into the conifer forest for signs of light and life. Four hours past the point of exhaustion, I caught the scent of woodsmoke; the hut was ahead. We staggered into the fire-lit living room in a fog of fatigue, and I fell onto a couch, shivering. I was still wearing my Scarpa touring boots, too weary to pull them off.

A few minutes later, an Irish lilt called me out of my coma: 鈥淪ure but you鈥檇 like a wee cuppa?鈥� a Gaelic angel said, as she handed me . Her smile could have melted glaciers.听

Outdoor adventurers know the feeling well: A transition from hard boots to down booties, from cold wind to warm sleeping bag, from suffering to safety. The Danish have elevated it to a national obsession, in fact. They call it hygge, the Danish art of coziness and connection.听

You鈥檝e no doubt heard of the concept, put forward in endless hygge posts on Pinterest, and hygge appeals from the Danish tourism bureau. Fuzzy slippers. Firelight. Throw blankets. Steaming mugs. Purring kittens. Goose-down duvets. But hygge also applies to hardy outdoorspeople like you.听

So says Meik Wiking, CEO of the 鈥攎y new dream job鈥攊n Copenhagen, and author of The Little Book of Hygge. As Saint Francis of Assisi was to asceticism, Wiking is to cozy.听

鈥淗ygge is about enjoying the simple moments in life,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he ones that bring us feelings of gratitude, togetherness, pleasure. Hygge has often been associated with log fires, woolen blankets, and candles, however these should be seen more as mediators of hygge. Getting outdoors offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy those simple moments: the sounds of nature, the wind in our face, the view of the trees.鈥澨�

On my tortuous route to Eiseman I鈥檇 had enough of trees, their frozen sap creaking in subzero temperatures. (Or maybe I was hearing my own knee joints, hard to say.) But the hut was a temple of hygge: wood stove, warmth, friendship, and candles casting their magic. If all that cozy combustion doesn鈥檛 burn down the听 hut, it鈥檒l be warming cockles for centuries.听

Are your cockles, in fact, a bit chilly? Put these five Fs鈥攁ll portable forms of hygge鈥攊n your backpack, and you鈥檒l maintain a hygge-glow wherever you wander this winter.听

1. FNUG

That鈥檚 the Danish word for fluff or fuzz, and residents of that country need plenty of both to help them through the wet, chilly, dark period between September and salvation (May). But that doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檙e suffering; Denmark continually ranks among the happiest places on earth. Hygge gets them through, along with wrapping themselves in fnug. As Wiking puts it, 鈥淚n Denmark, we say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.鈥�

Kelvin Meeks, a senior material specialist with Marmot, advises that you to 鈥渢hink about snuggling in front of the fire鈥攖he classic hygge. Until the fire gets going, you need your cozy blanket. Once the fire鈥檚 roaring, you might be cozy in a tee-shirt.鈥� Planning for outdoor cozy isn鈥檛 that different. The trick is to stay flexible: cozy is the right amount of the right clothing for what you鈥檙e doing right now. And you can pack to prepare for that.

He proposes this mnemonic to max out your fnug factor:听 Dress in TRP on your TRiP.听

Transport鈥�: A synthetic, wool, or wool-blend shirt that鈥檚 soft, comfortable, and easy to move in, with quick-dry and wicking properties to move sweat away from your skin so it can evaporate. Cotton is the anti-fnug鈥攃lammy, clingy, cold.听

Regulate鈥擫ightweight fleece, stretch fleece, down, or synthetic insulated layering jackets have enough loft to hold body warmth, but they are breathable so you don鈥檛 overheat.听

P谤辞迟别肠迟鈥�Your shell keeps out rain and snow and wind. Breathability is also a benefit here. It should protect you without turning into a sweat terrarium.听

HYGGEAR: Kelvin Meeks gets his fnug on with . 鈥淚t鈥檚 light and warm for layering,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t also works alone on cool days at moderate activity or on freezing days for high aerobic output like snowshoeing or trail running.鈥澨�

2. FLASK

I left the trailhead below the Mount of the Holy Cross in full sunshine and optimism. It was late September, the aspens were aglow, and the sky was the limit. But this being Colorado, the weather turned once we hit about 8,000 feet. As the graupel doinked off my skull, I became sullen and silent, and my buddy Dave grew concerned. 鈥淧eter,鈥� he said, 鈥渓et鈥檚 stop and have some cocoa.鈥澨�

Moments later his Svea was roaring, the water boiling soon after. When I brought the warm mug to my lips, hypothermia turned to happiness. His kindness warmed me as much as the hot drink did鈥攁nother key lesson of cozy.听

In The Little Book of Hygge, Meik Wiking writes: 鈥�Hygge is about being kind to yourself鈥攇iving yourself a treat, and giving yourself, and each other, a break from the demands of healthy living. Something sinful is an integral component of the hygge ritual. Especially if we all share the same bowl.鈥�

HYGGEAR: Last winter I skied near Colorado鈥檚 Cameron Pass, where the Never Summer Range meets the Medicine Bow, for Backpacker. My favorite vessel from that trip: The Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Travel Mug, which can keep your hygge hot for up to seven hours. Add a nip of something sinful and share it with a friend for extra human warmth.听

3. FEEL

Hygge has heart. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word is derived from the old Icelandic 鈥渉ugga,鈥� which means to embrace or to soothe. If your down sweater is giving you a warm hug, you should hug it right back.听

As Wiking writes in The Little Book of Hygge, 鈥�Letting your fingers run 鈥� through the hairs of the skin of a reindeer is a distinctly different feeling from being in contact with something made from steel, glass, or plastic.鈥�

I haven鈥檛 petted a reindeer recently. But I instinctively know that touch is important, like when I walk through L.L.Bean obsessively running my hands across the fleece, the sweaters, the ski socks. Now I know: I鈥檓 feeling for hygge, and you probably are, too.

鈥淭he human body doesn鈥檛 know when it is 鈥榗omfortable,鈥欌�� says Ray Davis, comfort and durability research associate for W. L. Gore & Associates. 鈥淭hat is a learned trait. You have trained your brain to associate . So when you are shopping for gear, eliminate potential non-thermal factors of discomfort before you proceed to checkout.鈥澨�

He鈥檚 talking about fit, functionality, stiffness, weight鈥攅ven the noise a zipper makes, or the swishing sound of arm friction when you walk. (You can鈥檛 unhear some things!) According to Davis, these psychological factors add as much to comfort as the loft of the insulation.听

For maximum hygge, you must actually visit the outfitter, rather than just clicking through your gear list online.听 鈥淧ick up the garment, feel it, wear it, stretch, and move around in it for a few moments in the store,鈥� Davis advises, nerding out on cozy. 鈥淎ssess your ergonomic and sensorial comfort.鈥�

HYGGEAR: Backpacker gear testers assessed their ergonomic and sensorial comfort in various puffies, while preparing for the winter of 2022-23. Their hyggeligt (adjectival form of hygge) pick: 鈥� Mythic Ultra removes the usual trade-off between warmth and packability. Thanks to a generous amount of 900-fill down in offset box-wall baffles, as well as a heat-reflective aluminum scrim (think gauze, but with the ability to bounce body heat back at you), the Mythic Ultra was warm enough to be one tester鈥檚 go-to ice climbing belay jacket in the , even on zero-degree days.鈥� If I was single, I鈥檇 marry that jacket.

4. FEET听

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.听

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.听

For want of a horse the rider was lost.听

For want of a rider the battle was lost.听

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.听

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Swap in 鈥渟ock鈥� for 鈥渘ail,鈥� 鈥渇oot鈥� for 鈥渟hoe,鈥� and 鈥渉ygge鈥� for 鈥渉orse,鈥� and you get the picture: , the backpacking battle is lost.听听

Owen Rachampbell is a product line manager for Darn Tough鈥攁 kind of in-house expert on all things cozy. Not surprisingly, he sees hygge as a sock thing: 鈥淵our feet are not going to be happy if you are wearing a crappy pair of socks.鈥�

Rachampbell thinks everything from the shins down is a system, and merino wool makes it run optimally. His logic: 鈥淪heep have been hiking and running in wool for 10,000 years. Synthetic fibers cannot beat this track record.鈥澨�

Darn Tough engineers comfort with soft, wicking, and anti-stink merino wool up top, merino 鈥渢erry loops鈥� to cushion the foodbed, and spandex to keep from rubbing you raw. Rachampbell alternated two pairs of Darn Tough while through-hiking the AT, and he claims his dogs never barked. in your boots. Socks can wander, stretch, bunch, and slouch. Buy a pair that will hug your feet, not hurt them.

A further tip from Wiking, to warm you from your soul to your extremities: Associate gear purchases with a happy event. Go sock shopping when you schedule that much-anticipated snowshoe adventure with friends, or just before you take the correct trail into Eiseman hut. Elevated emotion + elevated gear = hyggemotion, which is the best kind of warmth.

HYGGEAR: Rachampbell cites a notoriously cold-footed woman (know anybody like that?) for his sock recommendation: 鈥淢y wife swears by our for chillier nights on the trail or even at home.鈥� We also love pairs from Smartwool, Kora, and Swiftwick. Just remember: Try before you buy.

5. FIRE

Much of the mountain west will enforce fire bans next summer, so the classic hygge . But there are other ways to kindle warmth without it.听

鈥淚n its more contemporary usage,鈥� Wiking writes, 鈥溾�榟ygge鈥� emerges in nineteenth-century Danish literature as part of a more integrated sense of community and belonging, especially following the Prussian-Danish wars in 1848 and 1864.鈥� I have no idea what those dastardly Prussians were up to back then, but the point is clear: There鈥檚 real warmth in camaraderie, so you can produce it even if your matches are wet.听

Wiking identifies the ten key factors for hygge as atmosphere, presence, pleasure, equality, gratitude, harmony, comfort, truce, togetherness, and shelter. Alpenglow can supply that, as can your attitude when it鈥檚 time to filter water for dinner. And what my hiking buddies lack in map skills, they make up for in lightweight guitars and singing. Friendship has been the best part of backpacking for me, and it鈥檚 at the core of the Danish art of cozy.听

Wiking defines the hygge hiker as 鈥�one who is intentional about how they enjoy the now and make the best of it.鈥� Or to put it proverbially: It鈥檚 better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

HYGGEAR: 鈥淣o recipe for hygge is complete without candles,鈥� says Wiking. 鈥淲hen Danes are asked what they most associate with hygge 鈥� 85 percent will mention candles.鈥� The is designed to operate safely in a tent, and can even help to heat it. All that, and the glow is blissful鈥攖he very essence of hygge.听

Be cozy out there.听

Peter Moore, the former interim editor of听Backpacker, is a contributing cartoonist to the , and he posts other fun/weird/adventurous stuff at .

The post Want to Make Your Next Hike Cozy AF? Embrace the Art of Hygge. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Everybody loves thinking of their favorite peaks in superlatives: the best views, the most challenging course, the least amount of tourists, the list goes on. But, which summit challenge is really the best: New England鈥檚 4,000-footers or Colorado鈥檚 fourteeners? There are plenty of opportunities to argue this out: Colorado boasts 54 of the peaks and New Hampshire alone has 48 famed 4,000-footers. It doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e a or a , the answer isn鈥檛 as simple as you鈥檇 think. Two of our Backpacker editors duke it out.

It鈥檚 the Thin Air

I hiked all of New Hampshire鈥檚 4,000-footers as a kid, but now that I am an adult, I have put away childish things. After climbing just ten Colorado fourteeners, I know that East is least, and West is best鈥擨 write that with all due affection for the pipsqueak peaks that cower in the shadow of Mt. Washington鈥檚 6,288-foot summit, including Mts. Tom (4,051 feet), Willey (4,285), and Field (4,340). Even if you combined those three dwarves (Sleepy, Dopey, and Pointless), they wouldn鈥檛 add up to a named peak in the Rockies. And they shrink in comparison with 鈥擠emocrat (14,148 feet), Cameron (14,238), Lincoln (14,286), and Bross (14,172)鈥攚here I danced above timberline for eight hours of uninterrupted sunshine and bliss. Longs Peak (14,255 feet), the capstone of fourteener fun, required me to plunge through the treacherous Keyhole, tightrope along the Narrows, and heave myself up the near-vertical Homestretch. The elevation gain alone (5,100 feet) beat out New Hampshire鈥檚 lilliputian Mt. Lincoln (5,089), the seventh-highest peak in New Hampshire. On Longs, the thrills, like the views, are endless. A hiker鈥檚 reward for summiting Mt. Washington? Parking lots crammed with Auto Road traffic, flat landers in Bermuda shorts looking for the toilet, and a reeking cog railroad that spouts black soot. George鈥檚 heirs should sue to have his name removed. To the Yankee whiners who complain about how crowded Fourteener summits are, I respond: They鈥檙e popular because they鈥檙e worth it. 鈥擯eter Moore

Praise For Small Peaks

Until I moved to Colorado to work for Backpacker, I had no idea how easy folks in the West have it. And before you launch into your defense of the Rockies, full of scary buzzwords like 鈥渁cclimatization鈥� and 鈥済lissade鈥� and 鈥渃lass 4,鈥� let me spare you the breath: You don鈥檛 know truly difficult hiking until you struggle up 1,500 vertical feet of straight-up-the-hill trail鈥攖he East doesn鈥檛 really 鈥渄o鈥� switchbacks鈥攕triated with logs, roots, and boulders, with a grabby layer of mud and slick dirt underneath. And views? Forget about 鈥檈m. That鈥檚 the experience of hiking a ; with few exceptions, there are none of the Rockies鈥� high-alpine trails or nonstop views. But here鈥檚 the thing: If you only climb fourteeners, you鈥檒l never know the thrill of breaking through the canopy at the top of a , having finally reached the summit. You鈥檒l be hard-pressed to replicate the feeling of flying down that same switchbacks-be-damned trail on the descent. And you won鈥檛 gain the same humbling perspective: It鈥檚 obvious that a Fourteener can kick your ass, but underestimate 4000-footer at your own peril. And isn鈥檛 that how we should view ourselves as well? All hikers are more than they seem, and we all harbor the ability to astound. 鈥擡li Bernstein

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