Tag backpacking

Look! It’s the Wander Women, the Triple Crowners!

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

You can call ’em a bunch of old fogeys, if you dare. But when is the last time you hoisted a backpack onto your shoulders and walked nearly 8,000 miles, completing the Triple Crown of long-distance trekking? That’s what the Wander Women did, joining a growing group of people who view their older years as a time to get outside and find adventure.

Click on the underlined words above to read their stories.

(The journalist should have used ”Crest,” not ”Coast” for the PCT.)

Sue and I fall short of the Wander Women’s accomplishments, but, since we stopped working when I turned 60, we have walked more than 1,400 miles on six famed trails in seven countries, including our recent backpacking adventure on California’s John Muir Trail. But CNN didn’t write about us. Ah, well.

However, we have teamed up to write and illustrate two books about our adventures. You can pick up your copies on Amazon: Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows and Trippin’ Through My 60s: When Adventure Calls, the Trails of Europe Answer.

You Can Pack 17 JMT Topo Maps In a Side Pocket

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Along with a cup of coffee, the John Muir Trail: Topographic Map Guide helped us get our bearings each morning during our August 2021 trek. Our group used it to plan our day and agree on a meeting place near our planned campsites.

The thin, colorful, waterproof booklet packs 17 two-page maps in 4-by-9-inches, which makes it a perfect fit behind a water bottle in a backpack side pocket. We sometimes used a GPS app to verify our location, but when we wanted to find campsites, water sources, elevation, ranger stations, or which way to turn, this booklet proved invaluable. Of course, you will still want a GPS app to get updates on water sources, especially during a dry year like 2021.

If you are looking for bear storage containers, side trails, the name of a geographic feature, campfire information, or mileage between key points, your answer is just a quick reach away.

The maps are offered in digital downloads and there is an index of landmarks. Details about resupply, wilderness safety, and permits are also included, along with a 21-day itinerary.

We found Alan Castle’s John Muir Trail Cicerone guide to be a helpful accompaniment, with narrative packed full of valuable information.