Exploring some old trails, Irish Wilderness, April 2025
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A trip exploring a couple of old trails, looking for water sources, and seeking another campsite overlooking the Eleven Point River.
More >Berryman Trail, Missouri, Revisited, March 2024
I experienced some health issues during my last hike on the Berryman Trail, and the same issue canceled my next planned trip there. Finally, it’s time to hike the trail again.
More >Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness, February 2025
My first plan for four days hiking the Berryman Trail was dashed. I decided to spend three days on the Big Piney Trail at Paddy Creek Wilderness instead. It was a good hike, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
More >Winter hiking shoes — Is it a stupid idea if it worked?
I don’t have any footwear suitable for bad weather, so four years ago I bought some waterproof socks. I tried them out in the snow after the recent winter storm.
More >Hercules Glades in the snow, January 2025
I’ve never been backpacking or camping in true winter conditions with snow on the ground. A forecast winter storm in Southwest Missouri on January 9 and 10 was just what was needed to let me get some time out when the trail conditions would be a bit more challenging.
More >Four days hiking the Berryman Trail, Missouri, December 2024
This was my last backpacking trip of 2024. I got nowhere near my goal of hiking 240 miles in 2024, but spending four days hiking the twenty-seven-mile Berryman Trail near Potosi, Missouri, got me a bit closer. However, the trip didn’t start quite as smoothly as I anticipated.
More >Four days hiking the Whites Creek Trail, Irish Wilderness. December 2024
There was a break in the weather and even some rain in the forecast. I went to Irish Wilderness and hiked the Whites Creek Trail counterclockwise, taking a leisurely four days to do so.
More >Getting outside my comfort zone, Paddy Creek Wilderness, December 2024
I’ve not spent much time on the trails this year, so I decided to get outside my comfort zone and put in some miles with the daytime temperatures below freezing.
More >2024 January – June Backpacking Round-up
The year started well with two trips out in January, followed by another four trips by the end of April, including a three-day outing to the Mark Twain National Forest to watch the total solar eclipse. Read on for links to all the trip write-ups, plus notes on my gear changes.
More >2023 Backpacking Round-up
A quick roundup of the backpacking trips I managed to fit into 2023. And, of course, some pictures.
More >My 2023 backpacking cooking kit
A look through my 2023 Backpacking cooking kit, which I’ve been using for the past three years. 2 pictures
More >Video: Hiking to the Trailhead via Long Creek. Hercules Glades Wilderness, March 2023
Video. Part way through a recent Hercules Glades five-and-a-half-mile hike back to the trailhead, I decided to make a rough video of the remainder of my hike for my family in the UK. I’ve never done this before and may not bother again, but here are the final three-and-a-half hours of my hike, compressed into 14 minutes.
More >2022 Backpacking Round-up
A quick roundup of the few backpacking trips we managed to fit into 2022. And, of course, some pictures.
More >2021 Backpacking Round-up
A quick roundup of our 2021 backpacking trips and a rundown on our gear changes. And, of course, some pictures.
More >One-night stay in the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness
We try out some new gear, and once more I manage to break something … Trip write-up: three-minute read.
More >New Hammock Gear ‘Journey’ bad weather tarp
Seam sealing my new tarp – it’s time to start thinking about fall and winter camping. I’m prepping my new winter tarp.
More >Leave no trace – How NOT to camp in the Wilderness
Got your own land? Go for it, cut down trees, and make as much mess as you like. Public land? Leave no trace. Let’s not trash the wilderness. One-minute read.
More >Packed and Ready to go. I review my packing strategy (again).
I looked at this picture I took before I set off on a recent trip, and I realized there are a few things I can do to improve how I stow things. Two-minute read.
More >Gear Test – Sealskinz waterproof socks
Wet shoes, dry feet – Waterproof socks, and they worked. Now I have a footwear solution for snowy trails. It’s just a shame I didn’t get these before it snowed. One-minute read,
More >Snow Day Gear repairs
I’m usually pretty easy on my equipment, but recently I’ve got careless and damaged three items of my backpacking gear. Today I removed my temporary duct tape fixes and applied permanent repairs to my underquilt protector and rain skirt. One-minute read, 6 pictures
More >Embrace the dirt. Staying clean while backpacking
Keeping clean while hiking or backpacking is an oxymoron in my book. Nature is all about dirt, and working up a sweat comes with the first steep hill you have to climb. The squeamish and easily frightened should probably stop reading at this point. Backpacking is perhaps not for you. Six-minute read
More >How much backpacking electronics is too much?
A quick run-down of what electronics and electrical items I take out with me when I’m backpacking, and how I carry and manage them. Eight-minute read
More >Roundup of my 2020 backpacking trips
With my final trip of 2020 over it’s time to sum up what I did and where I went.
More >Tales of stupidity – Camped overlooking ‘Twin Falls Hollow’
My trip had been dogged by a series of stupid mistakes. My last mistake could easily have been fatal, but as is usually the case when I do something stupid, I was lucky and got away with it. Until possibly one day I won’t. Five-minute read, 3 pictures
More >My 2020-2021 Winter Backpacking Gear
An in-detail run through all the gear I’m currently using to backpack and hammock camp in temperatures down to around 20°F
More >