America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
Hi Mike,
I am 63 and retired. I have done multiple bicycle tours up to 600 miles around Lake Ontario. Now this boy in and old man’s body wants to hike the Appalachian Trail in the spring of 2016, at 64. Your articles on light backpacking have been valuable in making smart equipment choices. I can use some of my bike gear but the MSR Hubba Hubba tent and MSR WhisperLite stove have to go. I have some questions for you about gear.
Lightweight Boots
Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR
$170, 2 lbs. (men’s US 9/Euro 43)
Sizes: US men’s 8-12, 13, 14, women’s 6-11
zamberlanusa.com
Having hiked and backpacked all over America and the world, I’m convinced few places test a pair of boots—especially lightweight boots—like New Hampshire’s White Mountains. So to put these new mid-cuts through the ringer, I wore them on a recent 25-mile, overnight hut trip from Crawford Notch to Franconia Notch in the Whites—including one of the most rugged sections of the Appalachian Trail. And the Crosser Plus impressed me as highly supportive and tough for its weight.
By Michael Lanza
I shine my headlamp on my watch as we start up the Daniel Webster Trail: 3:35 a.m. My head has that squeezed, hungover feeling from not enough sleep; the four hours we grabbed on the floor of Mark’s van after driving up here last night fell a few hours shy of rejuvenating. But we don’t have the luxury of a later start. We have a bus to catch this afternoon. And nine mountains stand between us and the bus stop.