This epic adventure along California’s rugged shoreline is worth it! At a Glance 25 miles • 4 days • Mattole Beach to Shelter Cove • August Permit required through recreation.gov. Bear canister mandatory. Three sections impassable at high tide. Full trip details and logistics at the end of this post. Is the Lost Coast Right for You? I spent the better part of four days backpacking the Lost Coast Trail with my daughter. It was full of surprises. It is definitely more challengi

Outside my Big 3, which are the basics of a tent, backpack, sleeping system (bag & pad), my next heaviest collection of gear is my medical stuff—fridge, solar panel, and back-up battery. When I told my hiking buddies last summer that I was bringing my fridge for medication they all say they assumed it would look like a fridge and couldn't imagine how I would carry it, lugging a big box up the hills in the backcountry. See the fridge? It looks like a metal water bottle bottle