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Having a friend join you as support for a few days during your hike can be a welcome break--and a char to reconnect with your life at home. But for [...]

Thru-hikers who cross long, dry stretches have always had to get creative to avoid dehydration, and a warming climate isn't helping. Learn the rules and etiquette of caching water. Do [...]

No one wants to sip from an algae and cow-manure-fouled puddle. But sometimes, you don't have a choice. Do you dream about hitting the trail for a long--really long-hike? In [...]

Just finding their way to their journey's starting point is a challenge that few new thru-hikers think about until they have to do it. But there are resources--and generous people--to [...]

An end-to-end trek of the AT takes a lot of time--but anyone with a free weekend or a few vacation days can experience the highlights. We asked longtime thruhiker Liz [...]

What are the best hikes on the PCT that you can do in a weekend? We asked triple crowner and Backpacker thru-hiking columnist Liz 'Snorkel Thomas. Thru-hiking the Pacific Crest [...]

Don't want to run out of cash midway through your dream thru-hike? You need to spend some time figuring out your finances up front. Do you dream about hitting the [...]

So you want to help thru-hikers? There are a lot of great ways to do it. Veteran hiker Liz 'Snorkel' Thomas talks you through them. Do you dream about hitting [...]

This year marks Backpacker's 50th anniversary. To celebrate, we asked four of our favorite writers to write a letter to the backpackers of the future--specifically, to 2073, when Backpacker will [...]

Your thru-hike is supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. So why is your mind wandering to literally anywhere else? Do you dream about hitting the trail for a [...]

Most thru-hikers are careful about LNT rules--but a few scofflaws can make us all look bad. Looking to tread a little lighter? Learn what to do (and what not to [...]

Do you dream about hitting the trail for a long--really long-hike? In Ask a Thru-Hiker, record-setting long-distance hiker Liz 'Snorkel' Thomas answers your burning questions about how to do it. [...]

Starting a 2,000-plus-mile journey can be daunting. Luckily, you have some help: Liz 'Snorkel' Thomas, a Triple Crowner, teacher, and FKT holder for the Appalachian Trail. This month, Liz is [...]

'SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, and you're to blame!' Summer brings with it many lovely noises--twittering birds, rippling creeks, breezes quaking through the canopy, humming bugs, and, if you're in griz [...]

THE FIRST THRU-HIKERS I ever met were sitting at the Tuolumne Meadows grill in Yosemite--and other guests were clearly trying to avoid them. The scraggly duo looked beat, reeked like [...]

The article offers tips on planning a hiking tour.

The article offers tips regarding pre-trip training or a long hiking to minimize initial soreness and the risk of injury and recommends to start a fitness program at least eight weeks before hiking which include the need to strengthen ankles, get pack ready; and pay attention to foot pain.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of long trail hiking in the Appalachian Trail.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including thru-hiking and thru-hikers in the U.S., the transformative power of the outdoors, and long trails.