Backpacking Remembrances

I used to say I take a hike three times -- planning it, taking it, and unpacking after it.  All three times elicited the joy of the outdoors.  Today I've discovered a fourth – looking back on those great times I had in the backcountry over the years.

            We're under two feet of new snow here for over a week.  Since both my wife and I are retired, and our larder is full, we can enjoy being hunkered down in our cabin in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, out here ten miles from town and a mile from a paved road.  We live in an enchanted forest of piñon pines and junipers.

            And yes, trudging knee deep in snow to take our dog for a walk is heavy going.  But I can't imagine anything I enjoy more than pushing on through the deep white.  The only sound is my boots crunching the snow.

            I am reminded of times I spent on trails while publishing Backpacker magazine.  Those were heady days. As founding editor of a magazine with a name like that I felt obligated to spend as much time as possible on the trails.  So my goal was at least a hundred days camped out on a trail, and more than that day hiking.

What a challenge, right?  But, as an avid lover of the outdoors, how could I not take advantage of owning such a magazine?  Wasn’t that a reason I launched it?

So, beginning with my next blog I am going to reminisce a bit about some of those delicious times I spent on the trail in winter.