Why Everyone Should Backpack Solo

Adventure, introspection, and a lot of time in your head.

The train ride offered views to truly majestic views of pristine Alaskan landscape. I wondered what would have been like to stop midway along the rail and just start hiking those wild mountains.

I used to live in Portland, Oregon. I camped and traveled around the Pacific Northwest for three years and a half. Its mountain ranges, the Pacific Coast Ranges (officially the Pacific Mountain System) and the Cascades are carpeted by boundless forests. I know a few of the lakes and rivers, but there are…