The TRT had everything we could want from a hike in the Sierras. Deep forests with old growth trees, endless views of Lake Tahoe, and a beautiful well cared for trail. Plus, easy resupply with very friendly towns.  It was 170 + miles of blissful backpacking. Of, course, there are the mandatory challenges. On the TRT it is mostly finding water. This can managed by some planning.

Isle Royale is our only national park in Michigan. All the trails on the island are strictly for hiking. It was a pleasure to hammer out 100 miles across this park in 7 days. We started at the NE end of the island at Rock Harbor and hiked to Windigo at the SW end of the island. There we resupplied and headed back. Insects and now Wolves are the challenge in this remote wilderness

After 2 lottery losses we scored a walk-up permit to hike the Wonderland trail around Mt. Rainier. The guidebooks I've read did not embellish the beauty of this trail. The trails feels pristine. The national park service has does an amazing job with this trail. The campsites are excellent, high suspension bridges above the glacial rivers, and perfect trail that winds perfectly around the volcano.

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We introduced our kids to backpacking around our home in the U.P. of Michigan. Then branched out to other locations with more challenges. This page is about our first year of backpacking with our kids.

The second year of backpacking with our kids. This year we introduced many aspects of traditional backpacking. This included purchasing low volume backs and taking backpacking trips in the mountains and winter time.