Author: Daleen Cowgar
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It’s time to upgrade your backpacking meals
There’s only so many times you can mix ramen, instant mashed potatoes, and tuna before it gets old. (Ask me how many times I’ve gagged at the thought of instant mashed potatoes since coming home from the AT.) Trying to get the calories, nutrients (what are those?), and easy cooking for those backpacking meals can…
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Wearing the Cotopaxi Losdos Zip-off Pants for 1700 miles straight
When I decided to thru-hike the Continental Divide Trail and walk 3,000 miles through the heart of America’s wilderness, I wanted to look good doing it. Which, perhaps, is not the main focus for a thru hike. I should have been looking more at durability, weight, functionality, price, and honestly, anything else besides style. After…
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Sparks goes home
“I almost passed out two miles ago,” I said, walking into camp. Catch-up was ahead of me and was already setting up his tent. I dropped my poles next to a tree and gasped in pain as I clumsily dropped my backpack to the ground. There was a cold drizzle and my raincoat was closed…
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Reaching the halfway mark
“Do we just send it?” Catch-up asked. Just the day before, we’d been at this pit toilet shivering from the rain. Today, the sun was shining through broken clouds, and though the wind had a cold tinge to it, it was much warmer than before. Currently, it was 1 p.m., but only 20 miles from…
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The Great Basin of Wyoming
My ride out of Lander dropped me off on the side of the highway, next to a barbed wire gate, and wished me good luck. Behind me, the truck with Solemate and Catch-up also stopped and they pulled out their gear. “Welcome to the Basin,” Catch-up said. I knew what to expect: blistering heat, long…
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Wandering through the Wind River Reservation
“How were the Winds?” I asked a NOBO hiker before we entered Yellowstone. There were a couple of alts coming up there–Knapsack Col and the Cirque of the Towers–and I wanted to know if they were worth the extra mileage and elevation. “Like church,” he said, excitement lighting up his face. “It’s the most beautiful…
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Hiking the CDT through Yellowstone National Park
“Exploding water, exploding water, exploding water,” I chanted in beat to my footsteps. We were entering Yellowstone National Park, and I couldn’t hide my childish glee. A year ago, after hiking the Teton Crest Trail, we had an opportunity to spend two days driving through Yellowstone. I was just in the beginning stages of dreaming…
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Walking the border
“How did you catch us?” Sarah’s eyes shone teasingly from inside her tent. Ever since Augusta, she and Oracle had been half a day ahead of me and I hadn’t been able to catch up any closer than reaching town as they were leaving. But now here I was, the sun setting behind me just…
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Reaching Anaconda
Helena was a welcome break. I spent the night in a hostel only a mile from the outfitters. There, I got new shoes and new socks, which is always a wonderful day for a thru hiker. The day I headed out was a Sunday, and so I visited a local church before leaving. There, a…
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On Wilderness
I’m sitting on a ridgeline after a hard climb, catching my breath. There’s a bee, pollen clumped up on his legs, landing on me to gather salt. The wind is steady and I’m learning to tune it out. I look out over the valley I just climbed out of, following the winding trail with my…