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.
  1. Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia and Jasper National Park, Alberta (2011)
  2. Pacific Ocean to Hoh Rain Forest Trail to overlook of Blue Glacier, Olympic NP, Washington (1995)
  3. Ice Lakes Trail and Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, Wyoming (2000)
  4. Grand Tetons NP, Wyoming (1985)
  5. Big Horn Crags & Sawtooth Range, Idaho (2010)
  6. Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (2013)
  7. Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, Alaska (2015)
  8. Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia; Banff National Park, Alberta; Wells Grey Provincial Park, British Columbia; Glacier National Park, Montana (2016)
  9. Banff Park, Alberta (1984)
  10. Northern Cascades, Washington (2012)
  11. Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana (2014)
  12. Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon (2009)
  13. Ansel Adams Wilderness, John Muir Wilderness and Yosemite Park, California (2008)