Hiking The Continental Divide Trail

Hiking the Continental Divide Trail is, quite simply, amazing. While the Pacific Crest Trail is beautiful, the Continental Divide Trail is rugged, intense, and real in ways you wouldn't expect. Although I'm unlikely to thru-hike

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Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail during COVID

2020 was a rough year. After substantially planning around COVID risks, I decided thru-hiking the Colorado Trail could be done safely. Note: this hike took place before COVID vaccines were available and during a relatively

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The Pacific Crest Trail

In May 2018 I started hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. After a year of discussing the plan with my boss, I was finally approved for unpaid time off to jump on the PCT! I managed

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Hiking The Continental Divide Trail
Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail during COVID
The Pacific Crest Trail
The Tahoe Rim Trail
The Environmental Impact of Backpacking
Other Hiking and Backpacking

Not Just Hiking

Tools

I have created a variety of little backpacking planning tools to help me plan backpacking […]

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Backpacking Gear Reviews – What’s actually good?

As someone that backpacks around 1000 miles a year, I need to have gear that […]

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Cats!

Most of my conversations, that aren’t about climate policy, tend to be about my two […]

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Ultralight Backpacking

Welcome to yet another backpacking blog! This website was created by Peaches (Jeff Kessler), and is intended to help folks better learn about backpacking, and to aid them in planning their own trips. I enjoy thru-hiking and ultralight backpacking in the great outdoors. I also create fairly-technical tools (models) from time-to-time that can be used to better calculate thru-hiking costs, and can help tech-savvy backpackers plan trips.

I most recently finished hiking the Continental Divide Trail, and give it 5/5 stars! It’s an amazing trail, and genuinely worthy of the ‘National Scenic Trail’ title!

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I created a framework and model to help improve our understanding for how to backpack responsibly, while evaluating community and individual risks affiliated with spreading COVID.

This site will be used primarily to post general things about ultralight backpacking and thru-hiking. As I am a bit of a data geek, I’ll also be posting gear lists, trail commentary, reviews, and anything else relevant to the kinds of backpacking that I do. Updates will occur periodically.

When I’m not backpacking and hiking, I’m often thinking about climate change and energy policy. I co-produce a podcast called Watts Radio, which is currently on hiatus. I hope to produce some new content in the not-too-distant future!

Curious About Thru-Hiking?

Are you curious about thru-hiking, or hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)? Do you want to know more about ultralight backpacking? Are you considering going ultralight yourself? I encourage you to read my afterward to the PCT blog post as a great place to start. This is an email I sent out immediately after completing the PCT in August of 2018. Even after many more miles of hiking and backpacking, and far-too-many hours stuck in a cubicle, I still think it is a fair assessment of the PCT. If you’re thinking about the CDT, I strongly encourage you to read my afterward to the CDT post.

If you have questions, need an adventure buddy, or want to connect, then contact me through the usual means!

Keep on hiking! =)

<3 Peaches ()