About Long-DistanceBackpacking.com

About This Site

I hope that this site will provide navigation for people who are planning a trip or simply want to learn more about long-distance backpacking. In my research, I have found many sites that contain valuable information on the topic but are diluted. May this site save the hiker time and stress in one of the more difficult stages of a long-distance hike – the planning stage.

I’ve run this site (along with the Facebook page) for three months and it seems like it is slowly becoming a respected digest/forum/resource among the many long-distance backpacking (hiking, trekking, tramping, bushwalking) references in the world. I want it to.

Tools

In college I was introduced to life with high-speed Internet and began to appreciate the tools it provided. Now “web 2.0” tools make it even easier to share information. I use:

Blog – used to catalog videos, articles, pictures, and other bits of information as I come across them or produce them.

Podcast – When I release audio files in posts, they are automatically streamed to “podcatchers” (e.g. iTunes, Zune, Juice, Winamp) and can easily be loaded to an offline mobile device and listened to anywhere.

Facebook– Because of its popularity and ease of use, I have created a Facebook page for this site. On the Facebook page I “micro-blog” or provide shorter bits of news and information more frequently. All of the blog entries post to the Facebook page and other people add bits of news and information as well. By creating a Facebook account and becoming a fan of the page you automatically get all of my updates on your Facebook home page. To go to the Facebook page, click here. If you don’t want to sign up for Facebook, you can easily read all micro-blog updates in a window I’ve placed in the sidebar of this site. –>

Twitter– I have also created a Twitter page for this site. Any information that posts to the Facebook page automatically posts to the Twitter page. Twitter is a social networking site where people and organizations share short bits of information. To access the Twitter page, click here.

Definition of Long-Distance Backpacking

This site presumes that a long-distance hike is at least 100 miles (161 km) long and includes carrying overnight gear and resupplying (replenishing supplies within the trip). I am aware that this is not always the case for a long-distance hiker and aim to temper the site’s subject matter accordingly.

About Me

I am Aaron “Squirrel Meat” Richardson of Arcata, CA, USA, and I am passionate about long-distance foot travel.

Why I know more about long-distance backpacking than the average Joe:

I am an Eagle Scout (BSA) and was raised in a troop that backpacked regularly and taught low impact skills.
I have over 3,000 miles of long-distance backpacking experience including the completion of a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and 700 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.
I have a relationship with and have worked in one of the best long-distance backpacking oufitters in the world - Mount Rogers Outfitters on the Appalachian Trail in Damascus, VA.
I helped host over 500 section and thru-hikers as a worker at Sunnybank Inn & Retreat (Elmer’s hostel) on the Appalachian Trail in Hot Springs, NC.
Click here to see more about my experience with mountains and trails.

Why long-distance backpacking?

I am passionate about long-distance backpacking because it: increases physical strength, agility, and balance; is mentally refreshing; allows time for self-focus; strengthens intuition; requires little investment and yields high return.

Why the name “Squirrel Meat”?

I was given that name as a trail handle on the Appalachian Trail. Trail handles or “trail names” are a part of the culture of many long-distance trails. To read about how I got the name, click here.