Backpacker – November-December 2020
English | 93 pages | pdf | 69.3 MB
Warm Up to Winter – Inside Backpacker Magazine November-December 2020 Issue
Backpacking is so many things. It’s a leisure pursuit, a way to connect with nature, an athletic feat, a means of forging bonds with your friends and
family, a problem-solving game, an escape, a subculture . . . Realistically, it’s something unique to every hiker. Because, above all, it’s a pull from within to get out there, and that’s
a very individual thing.
A backpacker’s attitude toward winter is personal, too. Do you embrace the fourth season? Change sports? Or do you hibernate during the dark months?
Here’s some advice I learned from one of my other favorite pulls—rock climbing. There’s a saying in climbing that reads almost like a zen koan: “The more you can climb, the more you can climb.” Unpacked a little, it means that as you get stronger and more experienced you can climb harder routes. And if you can climb harder routes, you have more routes at your disposal. With more routes at your disposal, well, the more you can climb.
The same idea is true for hiking. If you master winter and its heightened array of challenges and risk, you not only can hike across the entire calendar, but you can also explore higher in altitude and latitude during the summer months. The mechanics of winter camping in West Virginia’s Dolly Sods Wilderness (p. 36) really aren’t so different from those of camping on the flanks of Mt. Rainier during a July summit attempt or in the Rockies when a rogue fall storm drops unexpected feet of snow. The tricks you’ll learn to keep yourself warm and moving efficiently work in any cold environment.
In Backpacker Magazine November-December 2020 Issue, we want to widenbackpacking’s year-round potential with field-tested tips and dreamy destinations perfect for your first time stepping into the deep freeze. We also offer an expertly reviewed arsenal of the year’s best winter gear from puffy jackets to snowshoes, skis to avalanche probes, and everything in between. What’s more, our Editors’ Choice Awards (p. 42) showcase the year’s most innovative and vital new products.
If your first stab at winter camping wasn’t a raging success (hey, mine wasn’t either), go again. I bet you had some blisters and strife on your first summer trip, too, and clearly you’ve stuck with it. Once you get your snow legs, you’ll dream even bigger.
Also, because we’re realists, we know that snow camping may never be a thing for some of you. So we have some coldproof trip ideas and good fireside reads in this issue, too. Take the week-long paddle through Everglades National Park (p. 14) that rose to the top of our staff’s life list. Who wouldn’t want to canoe with dolphins to kick off 2021? And if you’ve got long-trail goals brewing, read our excerpt from Barney “Scout” Mann’s new book Journeys North (p. 76), which dives into the real, gritty truth about the insane challenge and searing pain of thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Regardless, don’t shelve your wilderness pursuits this winter. If you’re like me, you need them more than ever.
Finally, do me a favor. In last month’s of Backpacker Magazine issue, we outlined our shortcomings and new efforts surrounding our positions on climate change and social justice. The
heartfelt replies and good advice in Trail Chat (p. 10) deserve everyone’s attention. And keep your thoughts and ideas coming.
Write us at [email protected].
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