Justin Lichter - Ultralight Winter Travel: The Ultimate Guide to Lightweight Winter Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking

Justin Lichter, also known as Trauma, has hiked more than 40,000 miles and recently, along with Shawn, completed the first winter thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. He has hiked many of the major long trails in the United States and worldwide. He has written articles for Backpacker magazine, Trail Runner magazine, SectionHiker.com, and the Adventure Journal and has helped design products that have won Backpacker magazine Editors Choice Awards and Outside magazine Gear of the Year Awards. He is the author of Falcons Trail Tested and Ultralight Survival Kit. Justin lives in the heart of the Sierra Nevada in Truckee, California, and works as a ski patroller during winter.

Shawn Forry, also known as Pepper, completed the Triple Crown of hiking (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) by age 25. He has continued to refine the limitations of ultralight travel, having logged more than 25,000 miles of wilderness experience. Having guided dogsledding tours in the North Woods of Minnesota in temps below -45F, he also holds the unsupported speed record of the Colorado Trail, covering the 465 miles in just over ten days. In collaboration with Justin Lichter, Shawn has pioneered routes across the world, including the spine of the Himalayas and the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Together in 201415 they became the first individuals to traverse the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail during wintera trip the New York Times dubbed the most daring expedition since Lewis and Clark and leading to induction into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame. Shawn is the program director for Outward Bound California, having spent more than a decade inspiring youth in the pursuit of leadership and character development. Based in the Tahoe region, he enjoys Nordic and alpine skiing, alpine climbing, cycling, and the occasional crossword.

Heres a generic checklist to use as a guide for an overnight adventure if youre scrambling to pack up and get out the door. This can of course be catered to the season, destination, and type of tour/trip, but youll find it a useful reference tool for gathering your gear and making sure you dont forget anything.

CHAPTER 1