Never leave home without these 5 backpacking items

-by Martyn Howe, author of Tales from the Big Trails

Over the years, my kit list has evolved from my early days of carrying almost everything I could need, to a honed collection of lightweight items, often with multiple uses. I spend the most on the big four: tent, sleeping bag, backpack and boots – balancing durability, weight and cost, but these five items will always be with me on a long backpacking trip:  

Continue reading Never leave home without these 5 backpacking items

Mount St. Helens

It was my second attempt to see Mount St Helens. First time, more than a decade ago, the weather was so bad that we only managed to reach the first visitor centre located at Silver Lake, 30 miles from the mountain itself. There we were told that there was no point of going any further as due to dense fog and heavy rain the visibility was near zero and even from the furthest viewpoint up the road you couldn’t see the mountain.

Continue reading Mount St. Helens