Thursday 16 June 2016

Wild camps on long distance walks

On Bald Mountain, Pasayten Wilderness, Cascade Mountains on the Pacific Northwest Trail

This is an edited, updated piece that first appeared in 2016. I've been thinking about wild camps again!

As my recent post of wild camping images from this year's TGO Challenge proved popular I thought some of you might like to see a selection of these wild camping pictures. They go back to well before digital photography came in so some of them are scans from slides, hence different colour casts. I did some of the scans myself with a fairly crude set-up using a macro lens and an old lightbox. I haven't come near to perfecting this yet!

I've given the names of the shelters in the pictures - someone always asks!

Anyway, here they are, in chronological order.

In the Cascade Mountains near the end of the Pacific Crest Trail. Wintergear Eyrie (still available as the Terra Nova Gemini). 1982

On the slopes of James Peak in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, Continental Divide Trail. Wintergear Voyager (now the Terra Nova Voyager). 1985

In Waterton Lakes National Park near the start of my length of the Canadian Rockies walk. Phoenix Phreeranger. 1988

In the Tombstone Mountains on my south-north walk through the Yukon Territory. Phoenix Phreeranger. 1990.





In the Jotunheimen Mountains on my length of Norway & Sweden walk. Hilleberg Nallo 2. 1992.

On the slopes of Stob Coire Easain on my Munros & Tops walk. Hilleberg Akto. 1996.

In the San Francisco Peaks on the Arizona Trail. Kathmandu Trekking Basha-Tent. 2000.
In the High Sierra on a 500-mile circular walk. GoLite Cave. 2004.


Below Mount Baker on the Pacific Northwest Trail. GoLite Shangri-La 1. 2010.

In the NW Highlands on the Scottish Watershed. Mountain Laurel Trailstar. 2013.


In the High Sierra on the Yosemite Valley to Death Valley walk. Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar. 2016.

In the French Alps on the GR5 from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean. 2018



3 comments:

  1. Those are some beautiful shots. Time well spent!

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  2. Wow! Wonderful shots Chris and a lifetime of rich memories. I can't help noticing that most of them are from North America where the "wild" in wild camping is raw and intense. Thanks for posting those photos.
    Dave Porter

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  3. Wonderful photos. I would love to see more photos/stories of the Great Divide Trail in Canada. Thanks!

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