Returning to the Alpes and the Tour du Mont Blanc
I've been itching to return to the wild beauty of the European Alps and cross paths once again with an old companion: the epic Tour du Mont Blanc...
Hey, my name's Kyle: I'm a backpacker/programmer based in Chicago with my partner and our dog Dax.
I've been itching to return to the wild beauty of the European Alps and cross paths once again with an old companion: the epic Tour du Mont Blanc...
Touted as Europe's toughest trail, the legendary GR20 was the final beast on my thru-hiking bucket list — and I was ready for the challenge...
It was a dream etched into my imagination — to one day roam this ancient world, tracing history's footsteps through silent temples and sun-soaked pyramids...
The trail eased me in so effortlessly, it was almost easy to forget I was ascending one of the Rocky Mountains' true giants — their second-highest summit...
Trail ratings start at Class 1 — the so-called 'easy' climbs. Mt. Belford wears that badge, but even 'easy' in the Rockies still means business...
This trek didn't just test my limits — it soaked them. With rain nearly every day and my gear falling short, it easily became my least favorite of them all...
It's a rare gift when a single trail lets you tag multiple summits in just one day — and the Decalibron is one of those rare, high-altitude gems...
The climb was punishing — 6,000 feet of relentless elevation gain, and just when things couldn't get worse, our water ran dry. Every step after that felt.....
Kicking off above the treeline — a setting I never tire of—the trail led us into an expansive, bowl-shaped valley that felt like the calm before the climb...