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I just want to add, for actual American-style backpacking, I think the best place for somebody who wants a managable challenge is the Sierra Nevada mountains in

I just want to add, for actual American-style backpacking, I think the best place for somebody who wants a managable challenge is the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, maybe a trip that would have you enter the mountains via Bishop or Kearsarge passes. Here are things that can make a backpacking trip easier or harder: * Grizzly Bears - Some great backpacking places - the Winds, Alaska - have grizzly bears which require more discipline about food. In the Sierra, there are bears but no history of them eating people. * Lightening - Not as likely to make you shit in your pants as the Rockies in Colorado or Wyoming. * Water - Some great backpacking places - the Grand Canyon - you MUST get from point A to point B that day because you need that water at point B, there's no water along the route. Water sources are plentiful in the Sierra * Where to camp - Some great backpacking places - the Grand Canyon, the Tetons - are tightly regulated by permit as to where you can camp each night, so you have to know your pace beforehand and then stick to the plan. The permit system in the Sierra is easier - you pretty much just say where you are entering and exiting * People - if you are a novice, it's good to have other people around, not too many and not too few. There will be more or less the right number of people around in the Sierra * Logistics - Getting to the trailheads from Bishop, CA, not so hard. * Reward - So beautiful. You have long distance views. You aren't just in the trees. * Lyme Disease, etc - Not so bad.

carabiner 6y ago
The Sierra really has the most challenging terrain of the entire trail, and is hard to get to from most major cities. Better would be to enter the trail near Mt. Baden-Powell / Wrightwood / Big Bear from Los Angeles. It also has a longer viable season than the Sierra. Other options are Mt. Hood (near Portland), and Stevens Pass (near Seattle).
- ghaff 6y ago
  Yeah, there are a ton of good backpacks in the Cascades generally. The Mountaineers books are probably the best source of info. The only downside is you're probably (mostly) not going to be doing summits because.the higher peaks are technical climbs. (Though there are some old volcanic cores and lower peaks.)
jointpdf 6y ago
+1 on the Sierra recommendation generally, but a couple things: - Bears: You still need to be disciplined about food/smellables. Bear canisters are required for most of the Sierra—not bringing one is a recipe for a fine or getting escorted out by a ranger. Also, other critters are a problem. I had a raccoon steal my unguarded shorts (they had a bag of weed in the pocket) while I was sleeping, and I had to walk back to town with no pants. - Logistics: Bishop/Kearsarge passes are quite remote and rugged, and then you’re on the PCT/JMT superhighway which is increasingly over-stressed by people. You can enter via Duck Pass or Red’s Meadow from Mammoth Lakes via public transit. The friendliest place for beginners would probably be further north in the Lake Tahoe region (e.g. Tahoe Rim Trail). Vermillion Valley Resort is a (rugged) ~1 hour drive from Fresno, and is one of the most classic congregation spots for PCT/JMT hikers and would make a great entry point. Angeles National Forest / the PCT would be a good choice for the LA area. - Lightning/weather: The weather doesn’t care if it intimidates you or not, so you need to be prepared for anything. I didn’t bring rain pants to the desert section of the PCT and got slammed by freezing rain and had to run to avoid hypothermia. Also, please don’t do something batshit insane like go over a pass in inclement weather (I see it all the time). Here’s a document on lightning safety: https://www.nols.edu/media/filer_public/fa/96/fa96d71d-df6b-487f-9e48-6b5a84de50b9/outdoor_lightning_risk_management-gookin.pdf https://www.nols.edu/media/filer_public/fa/96/fa96d71d-df6b-... - Leave no trace: The Sierra is heavily impacted, so please tread lightly! In particular, don’t camp <100ft of the trail or a body of water, use Bluetooth speakers, or leave toilet paper blooms (packing it out is recommended but has low compliance, so at least mash up the TP and waste with a stick and some water to make a soupy mixture—critters like to dig up the lightly used paper). Being a wilderness ninja is cool, so read more LNT guidelines here: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html
- ctrager 6y ago
  Regarding "Bishop/Kearsarge passes are quite remote and rugged". I'm not sure what this means, but obviously everybody has their own personal database of experiences. The town of Bishop would be your base, and you can get there with public transportation from the airport in Reno, NV. Good stores if you need to replace equipment. The roads to the trailheads are paved - a normal passenger car can handle the roads. Only about an hour from Bishop. There are commercial shuttles too. Even hitchhiking (I've done it, and I'm an ugly old man, and still had no trouble getting rides). The parking lots are already at high altitude, about 10,000 feet, so you only have to go another 2,000 to get over the passes. The actual trails are in good shape, good surfaces, not narrow, not scary. There are places to camp both before and after the highest point of the passes so you can hike at your own pace. If you wanted to camp at the trailhead the night before to get adjusted to the altitude, then go just, say, just 5 miles and 1200 feet your first day, you could do that, and the trails are beautiful the whole way.

carabiner 6y ago

The Sierra really has the most challenging terrain of the entire trail, and is hard to get to from most major cities. Better would be to enter the trail near Mt. Baden-Powell / Wrightwood / Big Bear from Los Angeles. It also has a longer viable season than the Sierra. Other options are Mt. Hood (near Portland), and Stevens Pass (near Seattle).

ghaff 6y ago
Yeah, there are a ton of good backpacks in the Cascades generally. The Mountaineers books are probably the best source of info. The only downside is you're probably (mostly) not going to be doing summits because.the higher peaks are technical climbs. (Though there are some old volcanic cores and lower peaks.)

jointpdf 6y ago

+1 on the Sierra recommendation generally, but a couple things: - Bears: You still need to be disciplined about food/smellables. Bear canisters are required for most of the Sierra—not bringing one is a recipe for a fine or getting escorted out by a ranger. Also, other critters are a problem. I had a raccoon steal my unguarded shorts (they had a bag of weed in the pocket) while I was sleeping, and I had to walk back to town with no pants. - Logistics: Bishop/Kearsarge passes are quite remote and rugged, and then you’re on the PCT/JMT superhighway which is increasingly over-stressed by people. You can enter via Duck Pass or Red’s Meadow from Mammoth Lakes via public transit. The friendliest place for beginners would probably be further north in the Lake Tahoe region (e.g. Tahoe Rim Trail). Vermillion Valley Resort is a (rugged) ~1 hour drive from Fresno, and is one of the most classic congregation spots for PCT/JMT hikers and would make a great entry point. Angeles National Forest / the PCT would be a good choice for the LA area. - Lightning/weather: The weather doesn’t care if it intimidates you or not, so you need to be prepared for anything. I didn’t bring rain pants to the desert section of the PCT and got slammed by freezing rain and had to run to avoid hypothermia. Also, please don’t do something batshit insane like go over a pass in inclement weather (I see it all the time). Here’s a document on lightning safety: https://www.nols.edu/media/filer_public/fa/96/fa96d71d-df6b-487f-9e48-6b5a84de50b9/outdoor_lightning_risk_management-gookin.pdf https://www.nols.edu/media/filer_public/fa/96/fa96d71d-df6b-... - Leave no trace: The Sierra is heavily impacted, so please tread lightly! In particular, don’t camp <100ft of the trail or a body of water, use Bluetooth speakers, or leave toilet paper blooms (packing it out is recommended but has low compliance, so at least mash up the TP and waste with a stick and some water to make a soupy mixture—critters like to dig up the lightly used paper). Being a wilderness ninja is cool, so read more LNT guidelines here: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html

ctrager 6y ago
Regarding "Bishop/Kearsarge passes are quite remote and rugged". I'm not sure what this means, but obviously everybody has their own personal database of experiences. The town of Bishop would be your base, and you can get there with public transportation from the airport in Reno, NV. Good stores if you need to replace equipment. The roads to the trailheads are paved - a normal passenger car can handle the roads. Only about an hour from Bishop. There are commercial shuttles too. Even hitchhiking (I've done it, and I'm an ugly old man, and still had no trouble getting rides). The parking lots are already at high altitude, about 10,000 feet, so you only have to go another 2,000 to get over the passes. The actual trails are in good shape, good surfaces, not narrow, not scary. There are places to camp both before and after the highest point of the passes so you can hike at your own pace. If you wanted to camp at the trailhead the night before to get adjusted to the altitude, then go just, say, just 5 miles and 1200 feet your first day, you could do that, and the trails are beautiful the whole way.