Short trips | Marcus Hellberg

Pacheco Falls Loop in Henry Coe

By marcushellberg on 2019-05-112019-09-27

Henry Coe is one of the largest state parks in California Less than an hour from the South Bay Area, it’s a great place to get out in nature without having to drive too far. I often don’t run into more than one or two other hikers on a long weekend trip.

Fjällräven Classic USA 2018 trip report

By marcushellberg on 2019-06-062019-09-27

In December 2017, I was talking with a friend in Finland about hiking, and he mentioned that he had hiked something called the Fjällräven Classic in Sweden. He had a blast and recommended that I check out the USA edition of the event that would be held in Colorado in June 2018.

Sapphire and Emerald Lakes in the Trinity Alps

By marcushellberg on 2019-06-192019-09-27

The Trinity Alps are a spectacular wilderness area in Northern California, within driving distance from the SF Bay Area. They offer rugged alpine views with a lot less crowds than most places in the Sierra.

Video: Sapphire and Emerald Lakes in the Trinity Alps

By marcushellberg on 2019-06-212019-09-27

One thing I wanted to try out on my trip to the Trinity Alps was recording a trip video. You can find the route description and gear list in the previous blog post if you are interested.

TRT Section: Van Sickle to Echo Summit

By marcushellberg on 2019-07-152019-09-28

I’m preparing to hike the John Muir Trail in just two weeks, and this was my last chance to dial in my gear and get some trail miles in. With the big snow year that we’ve had in 2019, I wanted to pick a section with a bit of snow so I could also verify that my gear worked well in that.

Colorado adventure trip with Andrew Skurka [Trip report]

By marcushellberg on 2019-09-292019-09-29

For me, the best way to learn new skills is to work with experts. Most of my backpacking has been on established trails until now. I wanted to learn the skills needed to safely and confidently start planning my own off-trail adventures. Andrew Skurka is one of the backpackers who I’ve followed online for several years. I’ve learned a lot from his insightful articles and videos, so when I saw that he’s arranging guided trips, I knew I wanted to go on one.

Emigrant Wilderness backpacking loop

By marcushellberg on 2019-11-032019-11-03

Emigrant Wilderness is in Stanislaus National Forest, North of Yosemite. Like Yosemite, it has towering granite mountains and spectacular alpine lakes. But it’s much less crowded than its neighbor to the South, offering more solitude.