Backpack The Trails

07/03/2022

☕️ Get your coffee ready… Michelle’s monthly segment is back, tomorrow morning at 9:15am CT.

You can listen live on or stream on thier website!

06/03/2022

What Happens When You Hit the SOS Button on Your GPS?

Read all about what to do when you don't know what to do!

“Sending Out an SOS” is a guest post by Blissful Hiker (Alison Young). ast season, I had a medical emergency and needed to press the SOS button on my Garmin to call for a backcountry rescue. Though I regularly carried a Garmin inReach Mini for its GPS tracking and two-way communication functions...

05/03/2022

We love that Friday kind of feeling. We hope you have a beautiful weekend and are gearing up for summer. Anyone else ready for t-shirt weather or is that just us?!

02/03/2022

Being prepared before our trips is a big priority at Backpack The Trails. We want to make sure you feel comfortable and confident when it comes to preparation beforehand.

Check out this amazing article about some survial tips in the Grand Canyon!

Bil Vandergraff, Grand Canyon’s most experienced search-and-rescue ranger, sits down to share some words to live by for survival in any terrain

26/02/2022

Ever wish you could fly to your next backpacking adventure? Our Isle Royale backpacking trip starts with some out of this world views to get you geared up for an epic adventure!

22/02/2022

Are you itching for summer? Same.

We have some amazing trips planned this summer for you to enjoy! Our first time going out in 2022 is our Lost Coast Trail Backpacking Trip. Hike where 4,000-foot mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. Northern California’s astounding Lost Coast Trail offers a rare coastal wilderness backpacking adventure along the most remote Western coastline in the Lower 48. The beautiful trail traverses King Range National Conservation Area and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Learn more by check out our website.

15/02/2022

Join us tomorrow morning at 8:40am CT for another installment of on ! Not local? Listen online, or use the app to catch the program!

17/01/2022

Thank goodness for SAR!!
Great tips - check the weather forecast before you head out, and NEVER be afraid to call for help when you find yourself in trouble on the trail. SAR teams exist for a reason. Everyone has made mistakes on the trail.

07/01/2022

Truth. 🥳 Bring on the New Year!

06/01/2022

New Years means it’s time to look forwards! You shared your favorite adventures from 2021… Now we want to hear what your goals are for 2022!!

What big adventure are you planning or looking forward to this year? Anyone have a big backpacking trip planned?

04/01/2022

😂 Hope you had a wonderful New Years!

How did you celebrate? Anyone get a First Hike in??

If Monday after a holiday had a face.

Happy New Year! Welcome back. Here’s a few tips to get back in the swing of things.

1. Hit snooze button three times instead of the usual four. Let’s not go crazy. Baby steps.

2. Remember where you work and what you do. (Just wait til you have to reset a password)

3. Put on pants. If working from home, meh, you do you.

4. Ask yourself if it’s a video call or an audio kinda day.

5. If there’s any doubt, go with audio.

6. Become one with the mute button.

Image: An owl with an “over it” expression captured at Mount Rainier National Park.

30/12/2021

Time to look back on the year... What adventure are you most proud of from 2021?

No adventure is too big or too small. Did you try a new sport? Hike a new trail? Run your first 5k or marathon? Tell us about it!

Michelle took a backpacking trip on the Lauvgavegur Trail in Iceland for her favorite adventure this year.

29/12/2021

Can we talk about learning to backpack for a sec?

For adults, it can be super intimidating to try a new sport. A lot of the folks you see on the trail grew up backpacking with their families, or learned when they were teenagers at summer camp.

Backpacking, in particular, takes a LOT of equipment and knowledge to do it safely. You need tents, stoves, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, water filters, and then a backpack that fits right to carry it all in. Not to mention maps, and navigation tools, lightweight food, and special clothing. And then you have to know the trails and where you can safely camp. That can be a high barrier for entry for a lot of folks.

Our Beginner Backpacking trips are designed for those who want to try backpacking without all those barriers, with a group of like-minded adults. Our trips are all-inclusive, so we supply ALL the food and backpacking gear. You'll learn skills that you will need to go backpacking on your own, like read a map, set up your own tent, cook your own food, and travel safely through the backcountry.

Best of all, our Beginner trips are FUN and social experiences. You'll swap stories and make friends over the campfire in the evening, and you'll support each other down the trail during the day. Some of our guests make friends on the trail that last for a lifetime!

It's the perfect way for adults to try out backpacking in a fun, supportive environment.

Check out all our 2022 beginner trips here: https://bit.ly/3JrbxTZ

2022 Dates: May 19-22 July 17-20 Aug 10-13 Sept 7-10 Trip Length: 4 Days/3 Nights Distance: 11-16 miles Includes: ALL major backpacking gear (tents, sleeping bags, stoves, cooking gear, trekking poles, backpacks, etc) 1st night’s lodging in Grand Marais, MN ALL food

23/12/2021

Did you leave your holiday shopping until the last minute? 🎁

🤫 We promise not to tell (because we are pretty sure that we have all done the same thing!) AND… We even have an easy out for you. We now have GIFT CARDS available.

That’s right… you can now gift your spouse, parents, sibling, or bestie an all-inclusive backpacking trip.

WHY is this an awesome Christmas gift?? Because they will have a few months of eager anticipation and preparation, an amazing trip full of memories that will last a lifetime, AND they will walk away with new skills and (hopefully) a passion for getting outside and hitting the trail with you!

So save your sanity tonight and give them a gift that will last a lifetime! 🏕

https://www.backpackthetrails.com/upcomingtrips/gift-card

Give the Gift of Backpacking! Gift cards are all digital and will be sent to the email address you enter at checkout. Purchasing this digital gift card creates a unique code. The gift card recipient can enter this code at checkout to subtract the gift card value from their order total. This gift

23/12/2021

Excellent winter hiking tips!

Hiking in winter requires a few additional safety considerations compared to hiking in the summer. Here are a few tips to ensure you have a fun and safe time on the trail...

1. Check snow conditions and weather before you leave the house.
2. Always tell someone your plan, including your estimated return time.
3. Don't rely on your cell phone since batteries die quickly in the cold
4. Bring a good map, compass, and/or GPS device for navigation since the trail might be covered in snow and difficult to follow
5. Stay hydrated and pack lots of layers to prevent hypothermia
6. Pack microspikes to improve traction on icy trails

Check out this post for more tips: https://bearfoottheory.com/winter-hiking-tips/

21/12/2021

This is a really great National Geographic program, that will definitely feed your wanderlust this winter.

There’s even a segment featuring UV light effects on flying squirrels in our neighbor, Wisconsin!!

Nature is pretty cool.

Have you watched this show yet?

The actor’s nature show, now streaming on Disney+, offers a welcome update to a familiar format

14/12/2021

Forget Holiday cookies - a Grand Canyon layer cake sounds amazing! 🙌

Crossing our fingers for no soggy bottoms or stodgy sponges, our rangers whipped up a variety of different cake layers to represent the diverse and colorful strata that make the canyon so magical for the We could even go as far to say that they really with this Grand Canyon Layer Cake. One lesson learned: don’t ever wing-it on a show-stopper!

Kaibab/Toroweap: light, fluffy Angel Food Cake (because, well, we didn’t want the whole thing to fall over…)
Coconino Sandstone: a strong, solid Pound Cake (mmmm, butter!)
Hermit Shale/Supai Group: Red Velvet Cake that disappointingly collapsed in the middle (*shakes fist at baking at high elevation*)
Redwall Limestone: Vanilla Cake with red sprinkles because that limestone is secretly tannish white!
Muav Limestone/Bright Angel Shale: Vanilla Cake with just the right amount of blue and green food dye for that perfect glauconitic look
Tapeats Sandstone: since many of our rangers refer to this layer as Ta-Pancakes, we couldn’t resist flipping over some Crepes
Vishnu Basement Rocks: Chocolate Marble Cheesecake (look closely to find those pink granite intrusions!)

Now it’s time for you to share your canyon-inspired creations with us! What culinary classics remind you of the canyon?


Image Description: 2 National Park Service Rangers are wearing kitchen aprons over their uniform coats. Between them, on a stone wall, is a cake they made of different ingredients to suggest the different colored and textured rock layers that form Grand Canyon. The canyon landscape is behind them. Photo Credit/NPS

13/12/2021

The “Professor of Adventure.” What a character! 🙌

Millican Dalton knew how to make an impression. When a correspondent from the Sunday Chronicle newspaper came calling in 1933, the self-styled “Professor of A

08/12/2021

Wanted to give a shout-out to this Grand Marais LEGEND, Harriet Quarles.

Harriet has personality for DAYS, and truly has seen it all after shuttling thousands of backpackers around Northern Minnesota. She knows the North Shore like the back of her hand and we love hearing her stories. We are so honored to know and work with her. Without Harriet Quarles Shuttle Service, many of our trips wouldn't be possible.

Thanks for being amazing Harriet!!

07/12/2021

☕️ Get your coffee ready… Michelle’s monthly segment is back, tomorrow morning at 9:20am CT.

You can listen live on or stream on thier website!

04/12/2021

Taking care of your feet on the trail means being proactive about stopping and treating them, BEFORE they turn into a mess of blisters.

That means break in your boots or trail shoes on shorter hikes before you are heading out on a big trip. But it also means you HAVE to stop on your hike to treat any hot spots and/or dry your feet out before blisters can start. So many people get into the "nose to the trail and go" mindset and end up not stopping to take care of their feet before it's too late!

This has a pretty great, comprehensive guide to blister prevention and care.

Being proactive while taking care of your feet inevitably leads to better, healthier, and less precarious adventures on trail.

02/12/2021

Wanna know what the Border Route Trail is like? This is a lovely glimpse of the western end of the trail!

A Guide to the Magnetic Rock Hiking Trail in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness.Music-Videography-Production by Kerry LaneCopyright2021 BaseCampNorth / Nor...

25/11/2021

So much to be for this year... Wonderful clients, fantastic friends, and many epic days on the trail.

Not everyone gets to do what they love most, but we are so grateful at Backpack the Trails that we DO. And we couldn't do it without you.

THANK YOU for a wonderful year, full of adventure and learning. We can't wait to get back out there in 2022!

What are YOU most thankful for this year??

24/11/2021

YES! 🎉 We made the list! Northern Minnesota was named one of National Geographic's "Best Places to Enjoy Nature" for 2022.

https://on.natgeo.com/3xfB9xC

We’re ready to explore again. Here are the best adventures for the year ahead.

22/11/2021

We had an epic interview with Fit For Trips about backpacking and hiking in Minnesota, along with some of our favorite backpacking tips.

Thanks to Marcus and Emily for the amazing post!

https://fitfortrips.com/hiking-and-backpacking-in-minnesota/

Guide to hiking and backpacking in Minnesota. Best state parks. Hiking near MN cities. Superior Hiking Trail, Border Route Trail, Kekekabic.

20/11/2021

Don’t forget, it’s Expo today at Midwest Mountaineering!

Michelle will be presenting twice today, about the Border Route Trail and Iceland. There are loads of free presentations all day long, and everything in the store is on sale!!

If you aren’t local, there will also be a handful of virtual presentations you can watch from home.

See you there!!

See the full schedule here:

https://outdooradventureexpo.com

Outdoor Adventure Expo - Midwest Mountaineering

18/11/2021

Don't miss out on an exploration of Iceland's backcountry, on the Laugavegur Trail, with Michelle at the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo in Minneapolis on Saturday!

Michelle has some amazing photos and insider trail intel that will tickle your wanderlust, and leave you itching to buy plane tickets for next summer.

We can't wait to see you there!



https://bit.ly/3wWXdg3

18/11/2021

Here’s a great reason to get outside tomorrow night! 🌕

Nature is amazing, so get out there and howl it up!

A partial lunar eclipse will take place on November 18/19. While it is designated as a “partial” eclipse, it will be extremely close to a total eclipse as 97% of the moon will be covere…

17/11/2021

Our chariot arrives! 🛩

There's only 2 ways to get to Isle Royale... by boat or plane. We prefer to take to the skies with Isle Royale Seaplanes for the amazing island views. It's always the coolest experience to fly in a float plane!!

We can't wait to head back to Isle Royale in 2022!

15/11/2021

Make sure you are also prepared by bringing the right sleeping bag for the conditions.

Synthetic fills do best in damp environments, while down is the most lightweight and packable.

Also, remember that a sleeping bag’s rating won’t necessarily keep you comfortable at that temperature. If it’s going to dip into the 20s, you may want to bring a 10° or even a 0° bag to stay comfortable.

When there’s nothing standing between you and subzero temps but your three-season bag, all is not lost. Use these tricks to sleep warmer while camping.