outdoors travel

With fresh air in the lungs and boots on your feet hike along...

Beaver Ponds
One of Yellowstone's shorter loop trails then wanders through both meadows and forest. Black bears and Wild Flowers usually dominate the flora and fauna of this part of the world.

Fairy Falls
197-foot Fairy Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone
The longest and most scenic route starts at the Fountain Flat Drive barricade.

Grebe Lake
A trail used mainly by fishermen and backpackers
the trail goes to Grebe Lake
which make up the headwaters of the Gibbon River system. Deer and moose are oftentimes spotted along the trail and at the Lake

Grizzly Lake
Starting out in a meadow
then climbing 250 feet up a ridge and traveling through burned forest
the route offers excellent views of Mount Holmes and the Gallatin Range.

Lost Lake
An easy trail
which starts behind Roosevelt Lodge (Tower Junction) then
goes into the forested hillside
coming to a fork
going westwards to the Lost Lake which is about quarter of a mile away.

Monument Geyser Basin
This is short but steep hike
where you can see the stunning view of Elk Park meadow and the wandering Gibbon River leading to Monument Geyser Basin
a small geyser basin.

Osprey Falls
Whether you start south of Bunsen Peak on the Bunsen Peak road or north of Bunsen Peak on the other end
you will be traveling about three miles along the road to reach the breathtaking Osprey Falls Trail

Specimen Ridge
This trail takes us to the lip of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at the one mile point
then to east reaching the top of 9614-feet Amethyst Mountain.

Storm Point
This trail offers a good view of Yellowstone Lake
off the beaten path.
Start from the Indian Pond parking area
then drops into the tree line until you reach Storm Point.

Yellowstone River
Starts at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area and rises up to the eastern lip of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are some spectacular views of the Canyon and River from this trail.

I wouldn't have thought a backpack with wheels would actually work for backpacking
but when I saw the web site for the "Wheelpacker"(TM)
I was impressed. You wear a frame that attaches you to a wheeled pack. It can even go over logs and rocks. It started me thinking about what other backpacking innovations are just waiting to be marketed. Here are a few of the things I came up with. Steal these ideas
please.

Inflatable Frame Backpack

With frame-less backpacks we often put folded sleeping pads in the pack for cushioning against our backs and some support for the load. Why not just have the part of the pack that rests against the user's back inflate. With the same technology used for lightweight self-inflating sleeping bag pads
it would only add about six ounces. The backpack could then double as a foot-bag/pad for sleeping.

Taking this idea further
I imagine a self-inflating backpack that folds out into a sleeping pad. The backpack "frame" would be the pad
in a "U" shape for some rigidity in the pack. Self-inflating sleeping bag pads are as light as 14 ounces now
and frame less packs 12 ounces
so the combination could probably be made to weigh just 20 ounces.

Wax Paper Food Bags

Put backpacking food in wax-paper packaging instead of plastic. The packages then double as emergency fire-starters
since wax paper will usually burn even when wet.

Pillow/Waterbag

When I need to carry more water I use the plastic bladders from boxed wine. They are light
strong
and I inflate the bag with air to use as a pillow too. To market a dual-purpose water container/pillow
it just needs a soft removable covering of some sort.

Jacket Backpack

Why not a frame-less backpack with a jacket that is a part of the pack? It can be folded out of the way
and the pack would have normal shoulder straps. When wearing the jacket
though
it would stabilize the pack
keep you warmer
and make it easy to push through heavy brush
because it wouldn't catch on things as easily. It is something like wearing a large jacket over a backpack
but with the weight-savings and stability that come from combining them. It could be called a "Jacket Pack-it."

Backpacking Game

Print a chess/checkers board on a jacket or backpack
and you have a carry-along game that weighs nothing extra. Great for spending hours in the tent waiting out the rain. If you don't carry the pieces
stones or pine cones could work as checkers.

Backpacking gear ideas and innovations keep popping into my head as I write this. Most are based on the idea of "dual purpose" items. They may work
some may not
but it is an entertaining dose of inspiration from a backpack with wheels.