(Almost) California's First Long Trail The Tahoe-Yosemite Trail (hereafter, “TYT”) is California’s first long trail. Or it would have been, had it ever been officially completed. Long before the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) absorbed / replaced much of the TYT, the 180-mile route connected several national forest wilderness areas and parks stretching from Meeks Bay … Continue reading Rediscovering the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail
Yes, You Need a Permit to Backpack in Yosemite Yosemite is an incredible place to backpack - and with over 750 miles of trail, you won't see many of its beautiful features without spending a night or two in the wilderness. Doing so, however, is not as easy as throwing on a pack and walking … Continue reading How to Get a Wilderness Permit to Backpack in Yosemite (2023)
In conjunction with my Go Bag Video, here is a list to help you plan what packs to use and gear to bring as you create your EDC / Emergency bag system. Note that this is a additive modular system. It is assumed that items from the one bag will be added to items in … Continue reading Go Bag Gear List
To All the Packs I've Loved Before… OK, I must admit to owning a large number of backpacks over the years. But I have VERY good excuses for . . . nearly . . . all of them. Some were necessary for the greater good. Some (most, actually) were packs I only bought to try … Continue reading My Backpacks (1995-2021)
Doing gear reviews is often said to be the "bread and butter" of hiking YouTube channels. As a hiking YouTube viewer myself with over two years and 200 videos worth of creator experience under my belt, I can confirm that this is a basic truism. The top videos on most hiking channels are rarely trip … Continue reading In Defense of Reviewing Free Gear
Awesome Father's Day present! More than an artistic map, it includes hiking trails and elevation information! Get it here or here!
Planning for a short day hike or an overnight backpacking trip can be daunting and even seasoned packers can make mistakes. That's why most have developed a checklist to make sure they do it right. Gear apps like Lighterpack and GearGrams have checklists for this very reason. Here's my checklist to help get you started … Continue reading Hiking / Backpacking Checklist
Backcountry Pilgrim is primarily video-based, and I don't really need to keep posting them here since viewers can subscribe to the channel itself. And click the Subscribe Bell for video notifications! But please follow this blog for written content (or in case YouTube kicks me off!) 🙂
Click for Video 2020 has . . . not been the best year. However, you all have been good to me and Backcountry Pilgrim has seen some tremendous growth, several firsts, and is showing no signs of slowing down in 2021. Thank you all so much for watching, and I'll see you next year!
Click for Video I took my girlie up to Knight's Ferry, CA to hike, swim, and explore / climb the ruins. Along the way we participated once again in the #GallonBagChallenge.
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