About the Author

Who I am … and who I’m not

My name is Brian and I’m just a guy who loves to hike and backpack whenever I get the chance. I won’t claim to be an elite backpacker, at least not in any way other than my enthusiasm. I haven’t been all over the world and backpacked in all seven continents, nor have I hiked the Appalachian Trail.

Fortunately, having not done these things doesn’t make my experience or knowledge useless. In fact, my experience is very relative to the average hiking enthusiast who may dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail sometime in their future, as I do, or even just the backpacking weekend warrior. Some of my experience may even prove of value to more veteran backpackers.

I gained my trail legs hiking in the Appalachian and Uwharrie Mountains of North Carolina. I have also spent time hiking in Ohio and the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. I consider the Uwharries my stomping ground as they are the most easily accessible mountains for me.

I am also a member of the Uwharrie Trailblazers, a group of volunteers who work on trails within the Uwharrie National Forest in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Our goal is to preserve, protect, and promote the trails within this amazing forest so more people can enjoy their splendor, now and in the future.

As I mentioned previously, I dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in the near future. Beyond that, my plans are wide open. Perhaps a thru-hike of the PCT and CDT are in the cards, but for now my mind is set on the AT.

And that is the ultimate driver of RidgeTrekker.com, as I am physically and mentally preparing for a future AT thru-hike, and I’m sharing what I learn during the process with you. I can’t promise that every piece of advice I give will work for you, or that it is even the most accurate information, but I will always continue to expand my knowledge and share it with others who are interested in learning from my successes … and my failures.

About RidgeTrekker.com

RidgeTrekker.com will have great tips and advice to enhance your hiking, camping, and backpacking experience. Of course, everyone is different and certainly no tip or trick will work for everyone.

Reviews of gear on RidgeTrekker.com are all reviews of items I have used. While that limits the number items I review, I feel having a real review of something I have actually used is much more beneficial to you than me reading what others have said about products, and just relaying that information to you.

I do make gear recommendations, however. RidgeTrekker Recommendations are based on my research and are listed in the order of which I would choose to buy. I can’t possibly own every piece of gear, but if I feel confident about buying something, I won’t hesitate to let you know that I believe a product to be a worth-while investment.

Regarding long-distance hikes; since I am primarily focused on for the Appalachian Trail, I will be featuring a lot of content regarding the AT. Any information I think is worthy of telling you about, I will post an article with as much information I can gather on the subject. I’m sure I will be posting content about the other long-distance trails of the U.S. in the future.

Until then, I hope you enjoy the content on RidgeTrekker.com. I will be working diligently to write more and more articles with new or revised tips, trip information, and updates on gear as the hiking market is ever-changing with new and/or improved products coming out every year.

I hope to begin a newsletter in the coming months, but until then, if you like RidgeTrekker.com, please feel free to add the site to your favorites and check back regularly. Also, sharing RidgeTrekker.com with your friends is very much appreciated! Just click one of the sharing buttons on the end of every posts or at the bottom of every page.

Thank you for visiting RidgeTrekker.com

If you wish to contact me with comments, questions, or concerns, please visit my contact page.