Since 1980 thousands of people have taken up the opportunity to backpack from Scotland’s west coast to the east as part of this annual event – each of them following their own carefully crafted route.
Many of those Challengers come back time and time again, drawn by the potential for both wilderness and camaraderie. The 2018 event takes place 11th – 26th May. Read more here …
Christian Thomas, aka Buddy Backpacker, finished the Continental Divide Trail on September 18, becoming the youngest person to complete all three of the nation’s longest hiking trails
The Maah Daah Hey trail system is comprised of nine trail units of varying size and difficulty. From north to south, they are the Long X (5.8 miles), Summit (3.8 miles), Overlook (0.3 miles), Maah Daah Hey (144 miles), Bennett (3.2 miles), Cottonwood (6.9 miles), Ice Cave (1.5 miles), Buffalo Gap (18.9 miles) and Wolf (8.8 miles). …
… David Kallin, husband, father, and outdoor adventurer describes his family’s extraordinary adventure trekking the 2,185-mile Appalachian trail. In his talk, David describes the challenges and tremendous rewards of watching his young children (ages 8 and 9) navigate the arduous five-month long hike from Georgia to Maine. …
1. Early on, the kids needed help with everything but by the end they had grown and matured.
2. At the beginning, sometimes the tough climbs were too much for their young legs, so their parents would take their packs. But by the end, they were carrying all their own gear – clothes, sleeping gear and even their shelter.
3. Everyone faced challenging conditions – cold rain then sleet then snow then hail. There were freezing nights. At first, it was the adults who would get up early to set up a fire to warm up the socks and shoes so they could get them back on their feet. By the end, their daughter was wringing out her own wet socks the night before, stuffing them into her own pockets. The kids had truly become self-sufficient.
I hope you have been as inspired by David’s story as I have.
In 1994 I hiked to Petra. A broke Aussie backpacker and myself managed to follow sheep trails into the the valley and make our way to the ancient city on our own. We weren’t caught until the very end. 🙂
Though segments of the 400-mile trail have existed for decades, the official “Jordan Trail” was announced earlier this year …
It’s the most epic, most ambitious trail in the region, stretching from Umm Quais in the north, passed 52 villages (including well-known Wadi Rum and Petra), before terminating at the Red Sea in the south. The 40-day hike was inspired by Petra’s architects, the Nabataeans, who used the route primarily for the spice trade. It follows King’s Highway (a trade route mentioned in the Bible), plus ancient Roman roads. …
The 55-mile stretch that connects Wadi Rum to Petra is among the most popular. …
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