Spending Time Above Treeline? This is the Gear You’ll Need to Enjoy the Alpine.

These products will keep you protected and prepared on high-alpine treks.

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One summer past, I was hiking the undulating crest of Montana's Gallatin range, peaks and valleys unspooling on all sides as far as I could see. I hadn't seen another hiker the entire time, and I was also entirely out of water. My partner stopped and peered at a map on his phone. "I sure hope that dark spot is an actual lake," he muttered.

We were in the middle of a 45-mile ridge hike; in hindsight, we should have known that water sources would be scarce. This wasn't hindsight thought, and I was really thirsty. A few miles later we dropped over the side of a hill, and there was a small, somewhat festering pond in a shallow basin. It would be our only water until the next day. From that point on, I was more careful about mapping water sources beforehand and always carried a collapsible bottle for extra water-carrying capacity on high-elevation trails.

Continue reading Maggie Slepian's complete article and her list of best gear here.