Duane's Backpacking Page
Backpacking in the wilderness has been a lifelong passion for me. I've made it a
goal to go on a wilderness trek to someplace new at least once a year and I've been
pretty good at sticking to that goal. I use an old-school
external-frame pack and, at this point, it's completely covered with patches from my many
different destinations.
It's not that I love sleeping on rocks or eating freeze-dried food or
spending time in the company of scads of voracious mosquitos.
Those are simply some of the "costs of doing business."
For me
being out in the wild, even for just a few days, keeps me grounded and
appreciative of my place in Nature. In the words of Edward Abbey, "the love of
wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also
an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us,
the only paradise we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need, if only
we had the eyes to see."
Most Recent Backpacking Trip
In August 2016, I joined a couple of friends for a two-week backpacking and hiking vacation in
British Columbia, Alberta and Montana. We spent most of our time backpacking in Mount Robson
Provincial Park (British Columbia) but we also enjoyed several great day-hikes in Wells Grey
Provincial Park (British Columbia), Banff National Park (Alberta), and Glacier National Park
(Montana). We experienced many beautiful trails along the way and saw so many scenic waterfalls,
glaciers, alpine lakes, mountain views, and fantastic animals. All in all, it was an amazing trip.
You can see an album of my favorite photos from the trip by clicking
here.
Here are thumbnails for a few of my favorites (click on each thumbnail to
see the larger image).
TRIPS IN THE PLANNING STAGE:
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado
All-Time Favorite Backpacking/Hiking Trips (with links to a sample of trip pictures)
I rank order these hikes and must note for the gentle reader
that the rankings reflect the quality of my own personal experience on that particular
hike. That experience was influenced by many things including the weather, the terrain, the
quality of the trails, the people I met along the way, and my own mental and physical states.
-
Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia and Jasper National Park, Alberta (2011)
- Pacific Ocean to Hoh Rain Forest Trail to overlook of Blue Glacier,
Olympic NP, Washington (1995)
-
Ice Lakes Trail and Cirque of the Towers,
Wind River Range, Wyoming (2000)
- Grand Tetons NP, Wyoming (1985)
- Big Horn Crags & Sawtooth Range, Idaho (2010)
- Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (2013)
- Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, Alaska (2015)
- Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia; Banff National Park, Alberta; Wells Grey Provincial Park, British Columbia; Glacier National Park, Montana (2016)
- Banff Park, Alberta (1984)
-
Northern Cascades, Washington (2012)
-
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana (2014)
- Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon (2009)
-
Ansel Adams Wilderness, John Muir Wilderness
and Yosemite Park, California (2008)
- Honorable Mention:
- Southwestern backcountry of Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
(1997)
- Glacier NP, Montana (1996);
- Canyonlands NP and Arches NP, Utah (1998, with Keelan);
- Pemigewassett
Wilderness and Appalachian Trail in White Mountains, New Hampshire (1999);
- Rocky Mountain NP and Rocky Mountain National Forest, Colorado (1970's);
- San Juan Islands, British Columbia (1984);
- Harriman State Park
and the Appalachian Trail in New York (2001);
-
Cranberry Wilderness
in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia (2002)
[In 2010 I submitted this photo to a Wilderness Society photo contest. It was a runner-up in
the contest and was selected to be on one of their note cards for that year. The Wilderness
Society also used the photo in one of their
press releases.];
- Shenandoah NP and the Appalachian Trail, Virginia (2004);
-
Irish Wilderness in the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri (2005, with Keelan);
-
Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area in Michigan (2006).
-
Loyalsock Trail and other trails in Pennsylvania (2008).
-
The Worst
-
Appalachian Trail in the Green Mountains National Forest,
Vermont (2006).