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For cold weather backpacking, nothing hits the spot quite like a soup. The broth heats up a person from the inside and is welcoming. And if the dish is on the spicy side? Even a little more heat to warm those winter or even early spring nights. Here is a meal that is quick to make, fills the belly and has a bit of heat to keep a person warm during cool weather backpacking trips.

This recipe takes ramen noodles to the next level, and especially hits the spot on cold weather backpacking trips.
The dish uses the old standby of both poor college students and thrifty backpackers: Ramen noodles. But by adding some vegetables and discarding the flavor packet for a spice mixture made at home, the dish really is quite flavorful and is something to look forward to on backcountry adventures.
Curried Chicken Backpacking Ramen Ingredients
1 package ramen noodles 1 pouch chicken (7 oz) 2 tablespoons dehydrated coconut milk powder. This item is found at many health food stores or online. Nido powder also makes an acceptable substitute if not quite as flavorful as the coconut milk. 3 tablespoons of dehydrated vegetables Dehydrate your own -OR- Harmony House sells a variety of dehydrated veggies. I like the vegetable soup mix myself with carrots, onions, tomatoes, peas, celery, green bell peppers, green beans, and parsley. It is a wonderful mix useful for many different dishes. For the Curry Powder
Curry powder with dashes of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste preference. Want a milder taste? Use 1 tablespoon of the curry powder Use 1 ½ tablespoons for a moderately spicy taste Like some heat? Use 2 tablespoons and season liberally with more red pepper flakes!

OPTIONAL: 2-3 stalks of fresh green onions. Green onions pack well and add a delightful flavor for backcountry cuisine. At Home
Pre-measure the vegetables, milk powder, and curry mix. Place each ingredient in a separate sealable plastic bag. The chicken and ramen noodles are conveniently pre-packaged. If taking green onions, place in a sealable plastic bag as well.
In Camp
Bring two cups of water to a boil. Add ramen noodles. Discard flavor packet. When noodles are starting to become tender, add dehydrated vegetables. Stir. When the vegetables look to be mainly hydrated, add in curry powder and stir. Repeat step with milk powder. If desired, add chopped green onions. Simmer on low heat and stir. Cover pot Wait for five to seven minutes. Enjoy!
TIP: Make the dish with less water for more of a stew. Make the dish with more water to make it even soupier to have a large amount of broth to drink. Adjust the spices accordingly.
Editor's Note: This recipe by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 21 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.

In my book, a good trail meal needs to taste great and pack in needed calories and nutrition, without being overly complex or time consuming to make on the trail. With dinner frequently being fit in just as the light begins to fade and with tired legs, I often want to jump in the sleeping bag sooner rather than later, but still want a great meal. This one takes a little prep at home and just a little specialty shopping before the hike, but is still ready in minutes on your trip and tastes great.

This one takes a little time to prepare at home, but is fast to make out on the trail.
Ingredients (Feeds 2 or One Large Appetite)
4 oz. thin rice noodles (the Thai Kitchen brand for example) 2 small packets soy sauce 3 tsp sugar 1 to 1.5 tsp garlic powder ¼ to ½ tsp black pepper 2 tsp corn starch ½ cup freeze dried broccoli dash cayenne 1 package of Mountain House Chicken & Mashed Potatoes Dinner 1 tbsp olive oil or olive oil packets At Home
Combine all dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Pack soy sauce packets, olive oil, and the Mountain House dinner separately. Pack a spare quart Ziploc
In Camp
Open Mountain House dinner. Inside you will find the cubed chicken and a separate, sealed plastic bag containing the mashed potato mix. Set the sealed plastic bag of mashed potatoes aside to use with another meal on another night (either as a side dish or to thicken up another meal that’s compatible with herbed mashed potatoes). You can put the mashed potatoes bag (which will have some chicken dust on the outside) into the spare Ziploc. Add dry ingredients to the Mountain House pouch that now only contains cubed chicken. Add olive oil and 2 packets of soy sauce. Boil 1.75 cups of water and add to the pouch. Stir, seal the pouch, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again, seal pouch, and allow to sit for another 5 minutes. Stir again after 10 total minutes and eat.

This meal is a bit of a non-fried take on a Thai pad see ew with thin noodles, just without the frying to keep things simple. The result is a meal that is simple, savory, and sweet with the freeze dried broccoli adding in a fresh-like element after a day of hiking. Overall, while there’s a bit more prep here than just adding water to an off-the-shelf freeze dried meal, and this is one of my favorite meals when I’m out on the trail.
Editor's Note: This recipe originally appeared in Issue 52 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.

Conquering each state’s high point could take a lifetime and, unfortunately, I didn’t start peak bagging soon enough to expect to claim all fifty. But I’ve acquired a small handful – that of my home state of Oklahoma (Black Mesa, 4,973 feet of elevation) and neighboring states Arkansas (Mount Magazine, 2,753 feet) and New Mexico (Wheeler Peak, 13,167 feet). Being right next door, Texas was a logical next step.

Texas being Texas, however, it’s a very long drive from central Oklahoma to Guadalupe Peak (8,751 feet), in the far southwest corner of the Lone Star State. Six hundred miles in fact. I needed some additional incentive to make the trip.
That came along when I was pondering training locations for a Grand Canyon backpacking trip. It turns out that Texas’ high point provides 3,000 feet of ascent over 4.2 miles, an incline that adequately mimics the elevation I would be doing in the Big Ditch, in reverse.
Guadalupe Peak rises from the southern end of the Guadalupe Mountains, surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert. Access is regulated by Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which protects the 86,000-acre hiker’s playground just south of the New Mexico state line. My trip was planned for late February, a popular time for recreation in South Texas, with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine.
The small campground near the Pine Springs trailhead for Guadalupe Peak had very limited availability by the time I inquired on behalf of my group of hiking friends, so we decided to find lodging in Carlsbad, New Mexico, 45 minutes away. Some members of my team were also training for the Grand Canyon, and others were there to summit Guadalupe just for fun.

“Fun” is definitely a subjective term. The more prepared you are for such an undertaking, the more likely it is to be an enjoyable experience. The opposite is also true. I certainly saw examples of both. The National Park Service (NPS) states the 8.4-mile round trip hike to Guadalupe’s summit takes from six to eight hours. It’s a number hard to fathom if you’re a flatlander accustomed to a steady 2 mph hiking pace and haven’t experienced a similarly steep ascent. In this case, six to eight hours is a reasonable estimate.
Hiking Guadalupe Peak
We arrived at the Guadalupe Peak Trailhead, 48 miles southwest of our hotel on the southern edge of Carlsbad, at 9 a.m. on a sunny, 50-degree day in late February. The parking lot was full, so we backtracked and parked at the visitor center, about half a mile away. Note to self: arrive earlier the next day. We planned to tackle two other trails the following day, but conquering Guadalupe was our first priority. Just four weeks out from my Grand Canyon trip, I was eager to get on the trail and test my mettle with my loaded backpack. Guadalupe is definitely a more challenging trail than anything in Oklahoma, although my home state’s Ouachita Mountains have some steep inclines…they’re just shorter.
The Guadalupe Peak trail’s elevation profile looks like a fairly constant grade, but the first mile is rumored to be the steepest and it did indeed feel that way. Once beyond that distance, the remainder of the ascent felt fairly moderate. The lower part of the trail lacks shade which, with cool temperatures, was not a problem. I could, however, imagine, how grueling it would be in the summer heat and what relief one would feel when the trail turns a sharp corner after about a mile and a half and enters a pine forest on the north slope of the mountain. But why would you hike this trail in the summer? (Being a cool weather hiker I often ask myself this question.)

Three miles from the trailhead, the terrain flattens out a bit to an area with high grass and a spur to a backpacker campground. A temporary community of hikers had formed along the trail, leapfrogging each other as one group would stop for a rest and be passed by another, only to pass that group just up the trail. Carrying my big backpack, I was often asked if I were camping up there. “No,” I would say, “I’m training for a backpacking trip.” Where to? “The Grand Canyon.” This often evolved into a friendly conversation, which helped to pass the time.
Beyond the campground spur, as we approached the summit, the trail became narrower and more exposed. We crossed a wooden foot bridge built on the edge of a cliff over a deep fissure. Soon, I was looking up at the summit, thinking, “We still have that far to go?”
As we approached the top, the trail became more and more rocky and the backside of the El Capitan formation came into view. The south-facing limestone cliff is one thousand feet high, and a striking sight when approaching the park on Highway 180.
Reaching the summit involved a bit of scrambling, and crossing one or two areas which felt quite exposed but were not difficult to negotiate. We joined a small crowd at the top, taking time for lunch and a rest, and I donned my down jacket as, not surprisingly, it was cooler up there. It wasn’t terribly windy, although winds at the summit are reported to reach 80 mph at times.

And, while I expected a summit marker, I was surprised to see a metal obelisk, placed there in 1958 by American Airlines to honor the centennial of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoaches, which passed through the Guadalupe Mountains in the late 1850s on their way from St. Louis to San Francisco.
After enjoying the panoramic view of the salt flats to the west, the Chihuahuan Desert to the south and east, and the forested top of El Capitan, it was a quick and easy hike down.
Hiking the Guadalupe Mountains: Pinery Station
Near the Pine Springs Visitor Center is the ruin of Pinery Station, one of about 200 relay stations along the 2,800-mile Butterfield Overland Mail Route. All that remains are stone walls now propped up by timbers. Named for nearby pine forests, Pinery Station was the highest station on the Butterfield Route, at 5,534 feet of elevation, and one of the most isolated. There’s a 3/4-mile trail from the visitor center to the ruins. It can also be accessed from a parking lot along Highway 180, just outside the park entrance.

Waterman L. Ormsby, the only through passenger on the first westbound Butterfield stage, wrote of this location, “In the bright moonlight, we could see the Guadalupe Mountains, sixty miles distant on the other side of the river, standing out in bold relief against the clear sky, like the walls of some ancient fortress covered with towers and embattlements.”
At Pinery Station he wrote, “it seems as if nature had saved all her ruggedness to pile it up in this form of the Guadalupe Peak.”
Hiking the Devil’s Hall Trail
Our second day of hiking began with the trail to Devil’s Hall, which leaves from the same trailhead as the path up Guadalupe Peak. Having learned our lesson, we arrived earlier and were able to capture parking spots at the trailhead. We were again blessed with good weather, although the day started off a bit overcast. The trail is 3.8 miles round trip and starts out unremarkably on a gradually increasing slope, flat compared to the previous day but still about 650 feet of elevation change. The Devil’s Hall trail is rated as strenuous because after the first mile it enters a wash filled with huge boulders and loose rock, requiring cautious footing and careful attention. Unless, that is, you are a small child, several of whom we saw blithely clambering through this section without a thought, provoking great anxiety in their parents.

At the end of the trail, we approached a “hallway” of high stone walls, but to reach it first had to climb up a steep, stair-like rock formation called “The Hiker’s Staircase” and edge around a water-filled tinaja. The effort was unquestionably worthwhile. Devil’s Hall is a spectacular 200-foot long narrows with walls 100 feet high and only fifteen feet apart. Very slotcanyon-esque. As we headed back, we were startled to see a small child tumble, really almost slide, down the “staircase,” out of the reach of anyone who could stop him. He emerged unhurt, thank God. Not surprisingly, he was one of the children we saw provoking parental anxiety earlier in the hike.
This hike took about three hours and was really the highlight of the trip for me, a slot canyon fan. We ate lunch at the picnic tables outside the visitor center, then prepared for our afternoon hike into McKittrick Canyon.
A Day Hike in McKittrick Canyon
The McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center and trailhead is about 4 1/2 miles northeast of the Pine Springs Visitor Center on Highway 180 and another 4 1/2 miles back northwest on McKittrick Road. As we left the highway, we noticed a sign saying the gate at the exit would close at 4:30 p.m. We would have to be very conscious of our time on this 6.8-mile hike to the Grotto and Hunter Cabin to ensure we didn’t get locked in.
Fortunately, this is a flat and easy trail, much of it graveled and on an old roadbed. Although it involves about 800 feet of elevation change, the grade is so gradual as to be barely noticeable. The trail crosses dry washes a couple of times and one wash which had clear water flowing over stark white rock, reflecting the mountains aglow in the lowering sun on our late afternoon return. A prime attraction along the trail is the Pratt Cabin, built by Wallace Pratt. A petroleum geologist, Pratt bought land in McKittrick Canyon in the 1920s and later donated it to the NPS. His land and that of others eventually purchased by the park service were combined to form Guadalupe Mountains National Park in 1972.

The stone cabin was built in 1931-1932 of limestone blocks quarried nearby. It is currently used as an interpretive site and is not open to the public but, looking through the windows to the interior, it’s tempting to think of it as an interesting place to overnight. For us, it was a very brief stop but pleasant nonetheless. And here one begins to really appreciate the beauty of the canyon. Even in winter, the Texas madrone trees with their distinctive red bark and berries, and the faded leaves of maples, added color to the landscape. I kept thinking, “In the fall, this must be spectacular.” Indeed, it’s rumored to be quite a sight when the foliage colors reach their peak.
Beyond the cabin, the trail narrows and follows a stream, dry when we were there. Our turnaround point was marked by a small cave and rock tables in a shaded alcove near a spring. This is the Grotto. A short distance farther is Hunter Cabin, a structure once used as a hunting retreat and part of a 1920s ranching operation. The trail continues steeply up to a backcountry campsite and eventually connects with other trails, but this was the end of the line for us. Because of its length the NPS ranks the trail to the Grotto and Hunter Cabin as “moderate” but it was for us otherwise easy. We completed it in three hours’ time and escaped before 4:30.

The Guadalupe Mountains turned out to be much more than just another place to check off a state high point. Two days of hiking barely scratched the surface of all this remote and beautiful region has to offer.
Guadalupe Mountains Hiking: Need to Know
Information
Guadalupe Mountains National Park offers a substantial network of trails and backcountry camping. It is also adjacent to the Lincoln National Forest and near Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Ample lodging and dining are available in Carlsbad, New Mexico. For authentic Mexican food, I recommend El Jimador, 509 S. Canal Street in Carlsbad.
Best Time to Go
Mild winter days offer comfortable hiking and you can expect temperate weather in spring and fall. Colorful foliage also makes autumn a good time to go. The heat makes summer less desirable for hiking.
Getting There
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in far west Texas, 110 miles east of El Paso, Texas and 56 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico or 62 miles north of Van Horn, Texas on Highway 54. The closest large commercial airline service is El Paso, Texas.
Books and Maps
Available guidebooks include Best Easy Day Hikes Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks by Stewart M. Green, and Hiking Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountain National Parks by Bill Schneider. For a map see National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map 203, Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 53 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.

For those of you who live in areas where you can camp year-round – or those of you intrepid enough to dig snow caves and hunker down, this squash soup makes a rich seasonal meal that’s spicy enough to heat you from the inside. The topping of crispy lamb with cumin and sunflower seeds adds a taste sensation bold as a winter camper.
Soup “bark” is dehydrated pureed soup. The liquid is poured on solid trays then dehydrated until crisp (see dehydrating your own backpacking meals). It often tastes good as a cracker or chip, too. Package in a zip-style baggie and rehydrate in hot water.

Remember: Save a bowl with lamb crisps for your dinner! Add a sprig of cilantro.
At Home
Ingredients (2 servings)
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 shallots, minced 4 cups vegetable broth 2 cups diced winter squash (such as pumpkin, butternut, or acorn) 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups collard greens, thinly sliced and cut in half I chopped small red chili pepper 4 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon red pepper chili oil (to taste) black pepper and chilipowder to taste 1/2 lb organic lamb steak, sliced very thin 3 tablespoons whole cumin seed 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds chili powder to taste 1 cup apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons coconut oil 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari Instructions
In a soup pot, heat 1 olive oil, shallots, garlic, and squash on medium high. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add broth, soy sauce, and chili oil. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the collard greens, chopped chili, cover, and continue to simmer until all ingredients are soft. Puree the soup. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Pour puree onto solid dehydrator trays and dehydrate until it becomes crispy. Break “bark” into pieces and package in a zip-style baggie. Label.
Freeze the lamb steaks until they are slightly firm. With a sharp knife cut very thin 1/8” x 1” x 1” pieces.
Toast cumin, sunflower seeds, chili in a frying pan with 1 tbs. soy sauce.
In a shallow dish combine apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and 2 tbs. soy sauce. Grind ½ the toasted cumin, sunflower, chili mixture together (I use a coffee grinder) then add to the marinade. Add the lamb slices and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Discard the marinade, place the lamb on a cookie tray and cook in a pre-heated 325-degree oven for five minutes.

Dehydrate the lamb until it is very crispy, like chips. Package the lamb crisps and the remaining toasted cumin, sunflower seed, chili mix in a zip-style baggie. Label.
Squash & Lamb Backpacking Soup: In Camp
Rehydrate the squash soup bark with 3 cups of water. Heat and serve with a generous sprinkling of lamb-cumin crisps on top. Add a sprig of dandelion greens or wild onion for color!

This goes well with a cranberry chutney. Find out how to make chutney roll-ups and other ultra nutritious and delicious backpacking meals in Backpackers' Ultra Food.
Editor's Note: This recipe originally appeared in Issue 12 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.

The Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rockies is the stuff dreams are made of. Remote grand mountainous wilderness, picturesque scenery, a level of solitude that’s rare to find these days, and that hint of anticipation and suspense that comes with hiking through grizzly country. There is definitely an intimidation factor that comes with hiking in the lesser traveled Canadian Rockies, but the secret is out, and the GDT is gradually becoming one of the most destined thru-hikes in the world.

The Great Divide Trail extends from the northern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail about 700 miles north into Canada.
Thru-hiking the Great Divide Trail
The southern terminus for the GDT, at Waterton Lakes National Park, is also the northern terminus for the Continental Divide Trail (from Mexico to Canada in the US), and the eastern terminus for the Pacific Northwest Trail (from Montana to the Pacific Ocean). Northbound from Waterton Lakes, the GDT extends about 700 miles along the border that separates British Columbia and Alberta. Along the way, passing through many forest reserves and wilderness areas, 5 National Parks (including Banff and Jasper), and 7 Provincial Parks.
Given the information presented thus far, it’s hard to believe the GDT isn’t more traveled. That’s because there is a price to be paid to earn those rewards that the GDT can bring. There are a few main factors that impact the GDT and keep the crowds down. First of all, the GDT does not run near large cities or communities. There are nicely spread out resupply stops along the trail to send resupply boxes, but overall, the trail is relatively remote. I really enjoyed this aspect of the GDT, but it also impacts the quantity of resources and ability to maintain the trail.

Brushy Trail along the David Thompson Heritage Trail
Unlike the US, which has the National Trails Act, Canada does not have the degree of funding and laws that help to preserve and promote long trails. Given these challenges, the Great Divide Trail Association (GDTA), which is a fully voluntary association, has made great strides in the recent years in clearing and maintaining some of the most neglected sections. The GDT is not fully blazed nor maintained, and it never will be. The GDT is intended to have those undefined areas where you can freely roam cross-country through an alpine meadow or over mountain passes. That explorer aspect is the essence of the GDT that sets it apart from other long distance trails. There are many sections with clear trail, but there are just as many that are overgrown, contain downed trees, missing bridges, or marshy meadows. Combine this with the fact that some form of cold precipitation is likely many days, and you have a recipe for discomfort.

Fire damaged trail along Colonel Creek, Mount Robson Provincial Park
This is definitely not a trail for the pampered, but it is for those who enjoy the aspect of a more rustic experience with added challenges that promote solitude and independence. The weather is definitely the x-factor for the GDT. I'm not going to lie, there is rain, sleet, hail, and snow possible everyday on the GDT. There is no way to avoid it. For me and my hiking partner, the rain would usually be a light rain sometime overnight. We were thankful for that, and that it wasn't raining as much when we hiked. However, the rain did make all the thick brush along the trail wet, and the car wash effect took place on very cold mornings. Some days, we would be drenched with soaking wet shoes sometimes just minutes into the early morning hiking. Having dry shoes the second half of the hike was an anomaly. There is no avoiding it and trail runners or a lighter boot are your best bet if you ever want them to dry out.

Descending Cataract Pass, Jasper National Park
The good news is that we were fortunate to have avoided foul weather where it mattered. What really makes the GDT amazing are the high route options. We considered the high routes to be the first option and threaded the needle many times just barely making the clear weather window. Sometimes, other hikers just a few days from us, were not as fortunate. Due to weather conditions, they were forced to stay low on the GDT where there was more overgrowth and soggy terrain. This is why the x-factor of the weather can strongly impact a GDT experience. Generally, the hiking window for the GDT is July-early September, but there really is no guarantee of ideal weather.

There is just something indescribable about the GDT that puts it on a whole other level. It’s a trail that makes you feel small in the best way possible. There is something about all the ingredients that come together to create a very rewarding and adventurous experience if all the chips fall correctly. That experience is only magnified when you’ve pushed through the cold rivers, fallen trees, washed out trail, and bushwhacked through ice cold wet brush to get to those vistas. Rolling the dice and crossing fingers that skies will clear and clouds will part just when you need it. Both thanking and cursing that dense forest that can feel claustrophobic one moment and then be a safe haven from storms the next. That rush of exhilaration and unfathomable wonder as you hike on a trail-less ridgeline with the Canadian Rockies endlessly stretching in every direction.
Final Thoughts on the Great Divide Trail
I intentionally avoided specifics on the hike itself, because each day was so unique and varied. Anyone interested in a detailed daily journal of the hike, can visit my website noted at the end of the article. One important note I would like to make however, is that many GDT thru-hikers end their hike at Mt. Robson Provincial Park, mainly for logistical reasons. The final stretch of the GDT that continues north from Mt. Robson for another ~100mi to end at Kakwa Lake is incredibly remote and traveled by few. It’s a long carry for most and logistically a more challenging exit, but rewarding, especially if weather is going to be clear. The high route alternates in that final leg to Kakwa Lake are incredibly grand and rewarding. As I said before, the stuff dreams are made of.

In talking with some of the veteran long distance hikers who have experienced a wide variety of long trails, there are many that agree with me that the Great Divide Trail just may be THE best trail we’ll ever hike. There is something bittersweet about that realization...but the great thing is that I can return (like many GDT thru-hikers seem to do) and I know it will be a uniquely new and inspiring experience each time.
Great Divide Trail (GDT): Need to Know
Information
Check out www.greatdividetrail.com for more information on the Great Divide Trail and previous hiker journals. Given that the GDT goes through 5 National Parks and 7 Provincial Parks, permits and reservations would be needed. The Great Divide Trail Association provides more detail on this on their website with a list of all the campsites and which ones require permits. The main ones most thru hikers would need to pay attention to are Banff, Jasper, and Kootenay National Parks and Robson Provincial Park.
Getting There
Since the GDT goes through so many National and Provincial Parks, there are many places to jump on and do sections of the trail. Hikers looking to start at the southern terminus at Waterton Lakes National Park can fly into Calgary and rent a car or use the Airport Shuttle Express service. Driving to Waterton Lakes National Park is also doable and there are possibly resources through the park for leaving a vehicle for the length of the hike if needed.
Best Time to Go
The Canadian Rockies are often blanketed in snow, so the window of time to go would be July through mid-September with mid-July through mid-August being the most ideal in typical years.
Maps & Books
The guidebook for the GDT is Hiking Canada’s Great Divide Trail by Dustin Lynx. There have been some improvements made since the publication of the guidebook and those can also be found on the GDTA website. The maps for the GDT cannot yet be purchased as one complete unit. It’s a bit of a piecing together from various sources like National Geographic, Gem Trek Maps and map sets made by previous hikers.
Erin “Wired” Saver is a long distance backpacking blogger that has hiked over 10,000 miles since 2011 including hiking’s Triple Crown (Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Appalachian Trail).
Editor's Note: This article by Erin "Wired" Saver originally appeared in Issue 28 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.