Thursday, May 21, 2026

The first external frame rucksack

In 1887, Henry C. Merriam patented the first external frame rucksack. During the Civil War, Merriam was assigned command of the U.S. Colored Troops in Louisiana, and led them during the Siege of Port Hudson, as well as a strategically important attack on Confederate positions during the Battle of Fort Blakely in Alabama. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor for making his “most gallant assault” during the battle, which was the last major conflict of the war. Though he was a colonel in the U.S. Army when he received the patent, Merriam retired as a major general in 1901. His innovative pack was made with drab duck canvas, which was attached to a light steel frame. In addition to two shoulder straps, the pack featured several leather straps that allowed an infantryman to attach his bedroll and canteen to the frame, instead of having them rest on his chest and hips. The most important feature, however, were the two hardwood rods that extended from the sides of the pack to leather pockets on a half-belt, which rested across the lower back and hips. This system allowed the pack to elevate off the back and shoulders, and thus transfer the weight of the load onto the hips. Though he tried in vain to sell his invention to the U.S. Army, he was only able to sell a few thousand packs to the New York National Guard, and the French and Austrian armies. To his lifelong dismay, the pack never caught on as expected. Here’s a U.S. Infantry soldier demonstrating the Meriam Pack:
You can read about the evolution of backpacks – from “Otzi the Iceman’s” wooden frame rucksack to Greg Lowe’s internal frame pack - in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.


                *******************************************************************************

Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.


Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Colorado Experience: Building the Colorado Trail

Heads up! Rocky Mountain PBS will be airing "Building The Colorado Trail" tomorrow evening. I received this email from The Colorado Trail Foundation today:
Don't miss the Rocky Mountain PBS documentary "Building The Colorado Trail", tomorrow Thursday, May 21 at 7 pm!

The film is part of the Rocky Mountain PBS series, The Colorado Experience, and details the building and maintenance of The Colorado Trail. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the history of your favorite trail and see a few familiar faces.

Save The Date:
If you miss the Thursday premier, then save the date for July 16th in Golden, Colorado as we will be teaming up with The Colorado Mountain Club for a special live viewing. Look for more details soon about how to join us for a wonderful evening of fun and film.
Here's the trailer:





              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:



Posted by at No comments:

Random photos from New Mexico

Last week, Kathy and I returned from from our trip to New Mexico. Here are a few photos from the trip (all taken by Kathy).

In the spirit of the 100th anniversary of Route 66, we stopped at the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa:
The view from Atalaya Mountain north of Santa Fe:
A bone fragment from St. Francis Xavier (patron of the greatest university in America!), exhibited in The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe:
A mariachi band at the Del Charro Saloon in Santa Fe. Great music, and a great quesadilla!
The famous spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. Its existence and construction is a pretty amazing story:
The San Francisco de Asis church in Taos. This adobe mission was constructed between 1772 and 1816. Ansel Adams took several iconic photos of the church in 1929. If you ever get a chance to visit this wonderful site, be sure to stop for lunch at the Ranchos Plaza Grill. You won't regret it...
The Rio Grande Gorge bridge stands 650 feet above the river below, making it the fifth highest bridge in the United States. This is the original “Bridge to Nowhere.” During its construction in the 1960s, funding didn't exist to continue the road on the other side, thus leading to its nickname. There's a trail that extends south from the bridge for several miles if you wish to see this incredible geological feature up close. The gorge has the appearance of being a crack in the Earth's crust:
On our final day in the state, we intended to hike to Gold Hill near Wheeler Peak. Unfortunately, lingering snow pack conspired to thwart our plans. At roughly the 2.75-mile mark we began to encounter snow patches, which proceeded to get worse the higher we climbed. At roughly the four-mile mark, we finally threw in the towel. We thought we would rise above the treeline at some point, and thus out of the snow, but there was no end in sight. As we descended from our highpoint we snapped a few photos in a small meadow that looked towards Wheeler Peak and the Taos Ski area. Though the photo below seemingly indicates that massive amounts of snow were still around at this point, this view is of the north side of those mountains. We were climbing the south side of Gold Hill. The Taos Ski area webcam showed very little snow on Gold Hill the day before, but the trees at the mid elevations hid the lingering snow.




              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:



Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

More snow expected in Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park posted this on their social media today:
Yesterday's spring snowstorm brought more snow to high elevation areas of Rocky Mountain National Park. This morning, there was over a foot of new snow on the ground at Rainbow Curve and snow is still falling. More snow is in the extended forecast over the next several days.

We are grateful for the additional moisture brought by this spring snowstorm.

Based on current conditions, along with incoming weather and wind in the extended forecast for high elevation areas of RMNP, it is unknown when Trail Ridge Road will open to vehicles for through travel.

Trail Ridge Road is currently closed at Many Parks Curve on the east side of the park and at Colorado River Trailhead on the west side of the park. Keep an eye on the RMNP webpage and official social media accounts for updates.

Thank you to the RMNP Roads Crew for all their hard work to clear snow from park roads!




              ************************************************************************************

Check out our online trail guides:



Posted by at No comments:

Monday, May 18, 2026

How art inspired hiking

Though it may sound strange, or maybe even surprising, but art played an important role in the development of early American tourism and hiking. Specifically, it was a mid-nineteenth-century art movement known as the Hudson River School that celebrated the pastoral landscapes of our fledgling republic. The significance of the movement, whose artists were influenced by Romanticism and nationalism, was that it helped to usher in the acceptance and appreciation of the American landscape. It also encouraged Americans to visit the places depicted in their paintings. The founder of the movement, Thomas Cole, traveled to the Catskill Mountains for the first time in 1825. One of his first paintings, The Falls of the Kaaterskill, portrayed one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States, which in turn helped to make it one of America’s first tourist destinations.
Other notable artists from this genre include Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran, both of whom became famous for their paintings of the American West. In 1839, Cole painted A View of the Mountain Pass Called the Notch of the White Mountains (Crawford Notch), which by that point had already been established as America’s first hiking destination.
You can read about the crucial role the White Mountains of New Hampshire played in making hiking a national pastime in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.






Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)