Home » Archives for March 2009

Esbit Stove

by Stephen Regenold March 31, 2009

Invented in 1936, and applied toward the heating of water and food for millions of campers and backpackers since, the Esbit solid fuel tablet is a compact and quick alternative heat source to white gas and cartridge-based camp stoves. The tablets — based on a chemical compound called hexamethylenetetramine — ignite at the touch of [...]

A Real Pisser

by BRO Staff March 31, 2009

I was hiking in the Raven Cliffs Wilderness a couple years back with my girlfriend Deana and two friends. There was a sweet smell in the air characteristic of the north Georgia mountains in late summer after a rain shower—some perfect combination of the damp earth, old wildness, and the fragrance of native flora like [...]

In Defense of Section Hiking

by BRO Admin March 31, 2009

  What, you mean you can’t quit your job and spend six months hiking the Appalachian Trail from end to end? You’re not alone. Most people can’t upend their lives for a really, really long backpacking trip. Instead, they attack the A.T. in sections, knocking off precious miles year after year until they become official [...]

Sahara, by Foot

by Graham Averill March 31, 2009

NC runner competes in famous Sahara multi-day run

Bob Peoples: Trail Magician

by BRO Admin March 31, 2009

He’s 65, wears hearing aids, hails from Boston originally, did his time in the military, and now devotes his life to taking care of the Appalachian Trail and the people who hike it. Bob Peoples, owner of Kincora Hikers’ Hostel in Hampton, Tennessee, is one person that every thru-hiker should shake hands with. What’s it [...]

Training for the A.T.

by BRO Admin March 31, 2009

Only half of those who start the 2,175-mile A.T. trek make it to Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., and only half of those reach Katahdin. Most never even make it out of Georgia. Randy Motz and his wife, Georgia Harris, spent five years preparing themselves physically, mentally, and financially for their 2006 thru-hike. They trained, tested gear, [...]