For 8 years, I've been a loyal reader of Backpacker Magazine. I have kept every issue and sometimes reread their stories, reliving some of the most exciting and captivating adventures and lighting the way for my own adventures. My passion for extreme adventure and exploration stemmed from reading about these trips and experiences. Like all those years before, 2013 was a year to expand the horizons of exploration into the wilderness. Here were my favorites from this year:
Best of Backpacker Magazine 2013
January - What Kind of Hiker are You? The Wildlife Lover? The Mileage Master? The Limit Pusher? The Multisport Maniac? Family Traveler? Peakbagger? I don't think I'm any one of these exactly, but I know I have a desire to be all of these. The passion that these ideologies portray is the dedication and conviction that we should all hope to have for something in our lives.
May - All Quiet on the Western Front A survival story unlike any other. War has produced some of the most extreme psychological effects and it's very difficult to cope with the tragedies of wartime. For one veteran, a thru-hike of the PCT might hold the key to putting to rest the unsettling experiences in Iraq. As someone who wants to thru-hike the PCT someday for enlightenment or self discovery, can understand the pull life on the trail can have. This is a wonderfully deep and emotional journey both for the author and his friend, but for us, the reader.
June - Grand Traverses Get high and stay high. Epic trails that get you up on the ridge and keeps you there. Views that never end. This amazing collaboration of treks makes you want to get out into the mountains and have an adventure. These were a few of my favorites: the Roan Highlands section of the Appalachian Trail, the Sawtooth Ridge through the North Cascades, the Great Northern Traverse through backcountry trails of Glacier National Park, California's High Sierra Route, the Teton Crest Trail, and the Great Presidential Traverse through the White Mountains.
June - Nirvana Now! How would you fair on a four-day backpacking trip interlaced with the practice of yoga on a mountaintop? I don't know about you, but that sounds incredible! The author is skeptical and while he may not have been one hundred percent on board, his aching back sure felt good at the end of the trip. There may not be scientific research or a team of experts backing the claim; but I believe hiking and yoga were twins separated at birth, finally reunited. And it's about time. Ever since I started practicing yoga, I'm able to hike farther, hike stronger, and feel more rejuvenated after a trip then ever before.
August - Hidden Montana Think you've seen the wilds of Glacier and Yellowstone? Well, time to throw away your guidebooks. Some of the best trips are off the beaten path. This article highlights the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, the Mission Mountains, the Sawtooth Range, Snowshoe Peak, and a thru-hike of the Northern Cabinet Mountains. Sounds like a lifetime worth of adventures in one amazing wilderness expanse.
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