A PART OF PEOPLE’S ADVENTURES SINCE 1892 editor’s note BY DENNIS LEWON Summer Starts Here DonÕt let prime hiking season slip by. Take advantage of <strong>the</strong> coming months with pointers from this issue. When last summer ended, I made a vow: <strong>hike</strong> more next summer. Family obligations, deadlines, chores—<strong>the</strong> normal stuff— had chipped into my trail time. I still got out, of course, so as <strong>the</strong> months went by I didn’t think much about a missed weekend here or <strong>the</strong>re. But in <strong>the</strong> fall, with <strong>the</strong> days getting shorter and winter wea<strong>the</strong>r looming, I found myself looking back at <strong>the</strong> calendar with a twinge of regret. Where had <strong>the</strong> best of <strong>the</strong> hiking season gone? That won’t happen to me again this year. I’m starting my summer planning now, with this issue. Here’s how you can, too. Celebrate National Trails Day. Kick off <strong>the</strong> season right: Put some sweat equity into <strong>the</strong> trails you use. But I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Trail work, using shovels and picks and handsaws and McLeods, is hard. Cutting brush is hard. Moving rocks is hard. Digging drainage channels is hard. I know because twice a year, my staff and I help build and maintain trails in Heil Valley Ranch, a local Boulder mountain park. But you know what’s even harder? Hiking with no trails at all. So volunteer for a work crew, join a trail event, or just go for a <strong>hike</strong> on National Trails Day on June 7. For more ideas see page 22 and go to americanhiking.org/national-trails-day. Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier when I was 8 years old. I can still picture <strong>the</strong> arm-size trout that slipped a hook in Yellowstone and <strong>the</strong> marmot that made off with a loaded daypack in Glacier. Want a truly memorable summer adventure? Pack three years’ worth of trips into one. We’ve crafted nine surefire itineraries, for <strong>hike</strong>rs in every part of <strong>the</strong> country, in “Wonders of Our World” (page 58). Hike with someone older—and someone younger. That’s <strong>the</strong> advice from Joe Kelsey, 75, who still backpacks and climbs in Wyoming’s Wind River Range (“Hike Forever,” page 74). You’ll learn what’s possible from those older than you and what’s current (or going to be) from those younger, says Kelsey, himself a role model on how to make <strong>the</strong> most of <strong>the</strong> season. I’ve already got this one covered, with plans to <strong>hike</strong> Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with my mom and my kids. But this summer, that’s just for starters. What’s on your list? Doing my share at Boulder’s Heil Valley Ranch CLASSIC TRAIL Lightweight. Convenient. Powerful. Trusted and timeless design. www.primuscamping.com Visit more than one national park. I’m sure I went on numerous summer vacations as a kid. But <strong>the</strong>re’s only one that really sticks out: <strong>the</strong> road trip to New Look! Welcome to a brand new BACKPACKER. We’ve revamped our trips, skills, survival, and gear sections—starting on page 10—to deliver essential hiking and camping information married to a design that will inspire. We’ve also added a new department, #trailchat (page 8), where we showcase reader views and news. And learn more about hiking to our cover shot in Uncovered (page 96). Let us know what you think of <strong>the</strong>se changes at letters@backpacker.com. iPad Extras Get our iPad edition for bonus content. Watch a video of Out Alive survivors (page 43) describing <strong>the</strong>ir epic escape. Explore Wyoming’s Wind River Range with trail picks from guidebook author Joe Kelsey. See a gallery of gorgeous shots from Tomas Kašpar, our Photo School expert (page 40). + More! PHOTO BY ANDREW BYDLON 06 06.2014
FULL-FEATURED YOUTH PACK WANDER 70L & 50L ADJUSTABLE VersaFit suspension allows torso adjustability so <strong>the</strong> pack can “grow” with <strong>the</strong> child FULL-FEATURED Comfortable, durable and lightweight for extended trips RAIN COVER Integrated, custom-fit rain cover included in a dedicated, quick-access storage pocket Boone Speed Find out more at GregoryPacks.com
Change language