From the little town of Haugen, WI

Well, we've been on the trail for one week! If I had one word to describe this first week it would be generosity. Everyone we meet is super nice and loves hearing about Warrior Hike and our adventure! It's been great walking across this northern section of trail. After I finish this post (and some breakfast) we will head out of Haugen and complete our first 100 miles! It's amazing how fast it's gone.

Trail conditions are generally very good, with only a few sections flooded by beaver activity or plagued by poor signage. Ticks have been relentless and mosquitos are bad, but we just stop every few minutes to pluck the ticks away (usually 5 or 6 at a time).
Miles has had some blisters and a rolled ankle, but he hasn't complained once and blows me away with how he just keeps plowing down the trail. I've been feeling really good and I can feel my legs getting stronger every day. I conditioned quite a bit before starting the hike, but there's really not much that can train you for putting on 15-17 miles a day.
I'll try to keep updating this blog whenever I get time! Thanks for reading :)

IAT thru-hike: T-MINUS 0 DAYS

Well, the time has come for me to set off on my IAT thru-hike. I wish I could have gotten more blog posts up before this, but with finals (shudder), my wife's graduation from GRADUATE SCHOOL (did I mention she's amazing?), and all the prep work that had to be completed before the hike it has been very difficult to put as much time into this blog as I wanted. Never fear, though! I will be updating this blog (hopefully) throughout my hike and I also strongly encourage you to go to the Warrior Hike Facebook page and give it a "like" and "follow" if you want to see some seriously awesome pictures of my hike, as well as pictures of all the other veterans that Warrior Expeditions sponsors to accomplish amazing things.

You can follow along with the calendar on Warrior Expeditions to see where I'll be at each week HERE. You can also check out an interactive map of the Ice Age trail HERE.

My gear for my 2016 Ice Age National Scenic Trail thru-hike.

Here is a picture of my gear all laid out. My base weight (not including food and water, of course) is a little above 10 lbs. and that will be lightened a little more as the weather becomes warmer. It's May 14th here in the great state of Wisconsin and we had snow... yes snow... today and the low temperatures for the first few days of this thru-hike are slated to be in the mid/low 30s!

I think that gear lists are really important to share as they give others ideas about what they can pack and ways that they can lighten their load. BUT... I will not be posting a pre-hike gear list for two reasons: first, I have a serious lack of time in my life to do so, and second, I believe that gear lists that are published by thru-hikers are MUCH MORE VALUABLE if they are posted either mid-way or after the hike. This has given them enough time to test their gear and really choose what is necessary for them and inform others about what they may have started with that wasn't so necessary.

I'll post more as I have time (ha...haha). Thanks for reading!

A Trip To Grand Teton National Park (July 2015)

The Tetons on a cloudy, beautiful July day.

First I would like to say that if you are considering taking a trip to Grand Teton National Park... GO! It.. is... amazing. From the moment you enter Wyoming (if driving), there are non-stop views of wide open plains and rolling hills full of sagebrush. That is, until you hit the Rockies. The Tetons (no, not the "Grand Tetons". There can only be one...) stand in stark contrast to their surroundings. Rising sharply out of the ground, they hold some of the oldest rock in the Rocky Mountain range. Now, before I start to sound like a Wikipedia page (though you should really go check out the geologic history of GTNP), I'll get on to the important stuff: how to visit and some of the lessons learned during the trip. I'll be writing this from a perspective that you, the reader, understands that visiting the backcountry in any national park is a privilege and, as such, should be conducted with care. Know the "Leave No Trace" principles, know how to store food (bear canisters are available for free with backcountry permit!), know how to use compass and map, and know that you are physically capable of the trip you are planning.

A good view of Death Canyon Shelf and the Tetons in the distance.

GTNP is possibly the most beautiful national park in the country. It's also, in my opinion, one of the easiest to visit. It's accessible and cheap, when done right. I went to the Tetons last year with two friends (Trevor and Zach). For our trip, we planned six days in the backcountry with two nights before the start of backpacking to get things in order (It's necessary. I'll cover this in just a bit...). Instead of obtaining our permits early through Recreation.gov, we decided to get walk-up permits, which are available the morning before you plan to start your backcountry trip (if you plan to start your trip Monday morning, the earliest you could get your walk-up permit is Sunday morning. First come, first served.), so get there a little before the visitor center opens (we went to the Craig Thomas Visitor Center) to get your backcountry permit. Be sure to have your itinerary planned out! If you have any questions, the staff inside the center are more than willing to help you. All of the camping zone maps and information can be obtained from the GTNP federal website. I will not be telling you what my itinerary was on this blog! Why?? Because go plan your own backcountry adventure and LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT that's why :)

Feel free to email me if you have specific questions about planning your own trip. I'd love to help!

Schoolroom Glacier and the tarn at the bottom, North Fork Cascade Canyon. Me (left) and Trevor (right).

Now, for your first two nights before you head out on your trip you could reserve a campsite near Jenny Lake or some other location, which will be inside the park, at the base of the mountains, have fairly stellar views, and will cost you a couple $$ for park entrance and camping fees. OR... you could stay in the adjacent Bridger-Teton National Forest for free, find your own campsite on Shadow Mountain, and have perfect views of the Tetons.

A fiery sunset viewed from Shadow Mountain.

This is what we did for our first two nights and it was honestly one of the highlights of our trip, as we saw the best sunset in the world on our first night. Being in the mountains is amazing in its own way, but there is also something special about camping outside the range, in full view of the peaks, soaking in the surroundings.

Our campsite on Shadow Mountain before the trip.

I could give you a list of the amount of elevation or miles we covered each day, GPS waypoints of our campsites, or any other information I obtained while researching for this trip, but I would rather YOU do the research and make it your own adventure. This post is not meant to be a step-by-step guide to visiting the Tetons. Rather, it's meant to inspire you to do it for yourself and cherish the reward of exploring the backcountry.

My campsite with the Grand in the background, North Fork Cascade Canyon.

I learned a ton while planning for this trip and it would not have been possible without key information from Michael Lanza's website The Big Outside, the national park website and maps found there, as well as a few other blogs I stumbled across.

Zach (left) and Trevor (right) crossing the Targhee National Forest boundary.

The information is out there to plan the best trip of your life in one of America's most pristine locations. Just get out and do it!

The three of us hitching back to our car at the end of the trip. What an adventure!

Welcome to my blog!

Hello and welcome to Rucksack to Backpack! This is a blog about my travels and life in general. After high school, I joined the US Army and learned a great deal about myself and the world around me. It was during my time in the Army that I learned to ruck march (usually loaded out with 60+ lbs.), but it wasn't until my deployment to Afghanistan that a buddy from California began to tell me about true backpacking. 

Afghanistan 2012

I listened to him tell me all about backpacking in the mountains of western Cali and I immediately knew it was something I wanted to do. I found a Backpacker magazine lying around at one of the bases I was at during my deployment and carried it with me for the rest of my time there, reading and re-reading the articles, staring at the lightweight gear, dreaming of planning my own backpacking trip. Fast forward to present day. I've been backpacking since the moment I got back to the states! 

The reason I named my blog Rucksack to Backpack was really for two reasons. First, I've transitioned from carrying a HEAVY rucksack to carrying an ultralight backpack (10 lbs. base weight). The second reason is to resemble a mental unloading that I've gone through since exiting the military. It has been necessary for me to rediscover myself since I got back from Afghanistan and got out of the Army. It was a great experience and one I wouldn't trade for the world, but my experiences have also been life changing. I continue to learn who I am every day and that is a big reason why I created Rucksack to Backpack. It is a great outlet to connect with others and bring people along for the journey!

Go check out their Facebook page!

I currently live in Wisconsin with my wife (Rachel) and my cat (Tipper). I attend college and I'm currently on track to graduate with a bachelor's in geography and a minor in biology. This summer I will be thru-hiking the Ice Age National Scenic Trail thanks to an amazing sponsorship through Warrior Expeditions, a non-profit organization that sponsors combat veterans who dream of accomplishing amazing thru-hikes, long paddle trips, and other expeditions. I feel truly blessed to be part of something so special and I look forward to my hike this summer! I hope you enjoy coming along for this journey and many more to come!