Learn to make a cross-country route in caltopo. Navigate remote canyons, scramble on slickrock, hike in streams. Follow use trails and sleep on warm sand under the moon. Leave feeling confident enough with your new skills to plan a similar desert backpacking trip of your own. Two trips- one for women, trans and non-binary people and one open to everyone. An extremely good time!

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Read about my other guided trips here.

Read reviews from past participants of my trips here.

Dates:

Session one (for women, trans and non-binary people): October 2-7, 2026

Session two (open to everyone): October 9-14, 2026

8 spots available in each trip (If there are more than 5 people in each group, there will be a second guide)

Cost: $1,750 (paid all at once or via payment plan- $175/month with the remainder due before the start of the hike)

The application is here.

After you apply, I’ll email you within a few days with the link to register.

Itinerary:

In the months before the trip: I’ll have two one-hour zoom calls with each hiker, helping you put together your gear and food and answering your questions about the trip, and I’ll also teach you to make cross-country routes in caltopo, the app we’ll be using to navigate on trail.

The first evening of the trip: The trip starts at 6pm on day one. The group will meet in Escalante, Utah. We’ll go through all of our food and gear, making sure we feel good about everything.

The next morning: I’ll drive everyone to the trailhead. We’ll start hiking by 8 am. We’ll spend five days and four nights hiking, traveling cross-country (without a built trail) through sandy washes and beautiful slickrock canyons, around deep pools and across sagebrush plateaus, using caltopo to stay on our route. We’ll walk 8-10 miles a day. There will be water at camp every night, plus extra water sources during the day.

On the evening of day 6 (day 5 of backpacking) we’ll arrive at our ending trailhead, where our van will magically appear (a shuttle will have moved it while we were hiking). I’ll drive us back to Escalante, and the trip ends.

FAQ:

What’s special about these trips? the goal of my guided trips is always to help you feel more confident in planning your own trips of this style in the future; to this end, I include as much education as possible (in the zoom calls, in the evening before the trip, and while on the trip itself). Before the trip, I help hikers put together their own gear lists consisting of modern long-distance hiking equipment, so that everyone’s base weights (what you’re carrying besides food, water and fuel) is 15lbs or less, preventing injury and maximizing fun- this is backpacking in the style of long-distance hiking, so if you don’t already backpack in this way you’ll now be prepared for whatever trail, long or short, that you decide to tackle in the future. I also help you figure out your trail menu, and teach you to make routes in caltopo, so that you can use it on your own in the future. On the hike itself you’ll practice navigating cross-country, finding the best way forward through whatever canyon, stream or brush that we happen to find ourselves in. You’ll also practice scrambling on slickrock, pitching your shelter in deep sand, planning water carries in the desert, and so much more.

Is previous backpacking experience required? While some backpacking experience is helpful, I find that if you have any outdoors experience at all (skiing, camping, rafting, etc), you’ll be able to learn the skills needed for this trip- I’ve had people join who’ve never backpacked before, and they had a great time! This requires two things- we use the zoom calls to build your gear list and menu (this might require that you buy some new gear, which can be an added expense), and you train (see the next question). If you’re still not sure if you’re a good fit for this trip, email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com and we can talk about it!

How fit do I need to be to do this hike? Good hiking fitness is necessary. I ask that each hiker work up to walking/running/hiking at least 25 miles/week by the time of the trip. If you can do that, you’ll be golden. We can use the zoom calls to help you create a training plan for this, if you’d like!

I have backpacking gear, but it’s pretty heavy. Can I bring it? I ask that each hiker get their base weight (everything they’re carrying except food, water and fuel) down to 15lbs or less, to minimize risk of injury and maximize fun. This might require you to purchase some new gear (although I do have Superior Wilderness Designs packs to loan out, if you’d like to borrow a pack). We can use the zoom calls to put together a gear list tailored perfectly to you.

Where is there to stay in Escalante before and after the hike? Escalante has great camping- both developed campgrounds with showers and free dispersed camping on public lands- as well as several wonderful motels.

Where can I eat in Escalante? Escalante has a couple really good restaurants, with options for dietary restrictions. They also have a small grocery store with a surprising amount of options for dietary restrictions and preferences.

Can I leave things in Escalante while we’re hiking? You can leave things in our shuttle van while we’re hiking.

Do you provide gear for this trip? I have wonderful lightweight packs from Superior Wilderness Designs to loan out, but you will be responsible for acquiring the other lightweight gear you may need to get your base weight (everything you’re carrying except food, water and fuel) down to 15lbs or less. We can use our zoom calls to put together a gear list for you, if that’s helpful.

Should I tip the guide(s)? While I don’t expect tips (I’m the owner of the company), if there is a co-guide, tipping them is appreciated- 5-10% is typical.

How do I get to Escalante? You can fly into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City- from there it’s about a five hour drive to Escalante. I’ll connect everyone in the group before the trip starts, so that people can coordinate sharing a rental car if they’d like.

How many people will be in each group? There will be up to eight hikers in each group. If the group is five hikers or less, I’ll be the only guide. If the group has 6-8 hikers, I’ll have a co-guide.

What will the temperature be this time of year in the Escalante area? Nights can be cool, and days can be sunny and warm. Occasionally a storm will blow through. I’ll help you build your gear list so that you’re warm and comfortable on the trip in all possible conditions.

How far will we hike each day? 8-10 miles

What does a typical day on trail look like? I’ll wake everyone at 6:30 am, and we’ll start hiking by 8 am. We’ll take frequent breaks to rest, eat snacks, gather water and tape blisters if needed. We’ll take an hourlong lunch break. We’ll arrive in camp by 6pm.

What will the terrain be like? The hiking will be cross country, along sandy canyon bottoms and small creeks and across slickrock and sagebrush plateau.

What about water? We’ll camp at water each night, and there will be water during the day as well.

Do you offer a payment plan for those who can’t pay all at once? Yes! The payment plan is $175/month with the remainder due before the start of the trip.

Do you offer refunds? I do not offer full refunds, although if you cancel your payment plan you won’t owe me the remainder.

What airport do I fly into? Las Vegas or Salt Lake City

I don’t think I have the right gear for this hike, and I hate the food I eat on trail. I also feel overwhelmed by the idea of planning around water in the desert. No worries! We can use our zoom calls to put together a gear list that makes better sense for you, and troubleshoot your trail menu, as well as talking about how we’ll plan around water on our hike, and anything else you want to go over.

What will we use to navigate? The caltopo app

I’ve never used that app before. It rules! And don’t worry, we can practice using it in our zoom calls, and we’ll also have plenty of time to practice using it together.

Should I get travel insurance? I highly recommend it. If you get sick or injured at the last minute and can’t join the hike, travel insurance can help cover your expenses.

Gear you’ll need:

-I ask that everyone have a base weight (everything you’re carrying except food, water and fuel) of 15lbs or less, in order to prevent injury and maximize good times. If the gear you have right now is heavier than this, it may be necessary for you to buy or borrow other gear for this trip. I can walk you through all the gear options in our zoom calls, and help you find new gear choices that are a good fit for you.

-I ask that everyone carry a garmin inreach. You can rent one of these if you’d prefer not to buy.

-We’ll be using the caltopo app to navigate, and you’ll need the paid version so that you can use the maps on trail.

-I ask that everyone pack at least 3,000 calories a day of food. I can help you build your trail menu.

Dates:

Session one (for women, trans and non-binary people): October 2-7, 2026

Session two (open to everyone): October 9-14, 2026

8 spots available in each trip (If there are more than 5 people in a group, there will be a second guide)

Cost: $1,750 (paid all at once or via payment plan- $175/month with the remainder due before the start of the hike)

The application is here.

After you apply, I’ll email you within a few days with the link to register.

What’s included in this trip:

-A ride from Escalante to the trailhead and back to Escalante at the end

-Two hours of one-on-one zoom coaching with me in the months before the hike, where we can talk about your gear, desert hiking, your meals on trail, cross-country navigation or anything else that would be helpful for you

-A siccc loaner pack from Superior Wilderness Designs

-FUN

What’s not included in this trip:

-Your transportation to and from Escalante

-Your lodging and meals while in Escalante

-Your gear and meals while we’re hiking (although I can help you plan your gear list and/or your trail menu)

-Your tip for the co-guide, if there is one (5-10% is typical)

-A garmin inreach (I ask that everyone have one)

-The paid version of the caltopo app (you’ll need this for navigation)

Things we’ll talk about in our zoom calls:

• What gear to bring
• Pitching your shelter
• Choosing footwear
• Planning water carries in the desert
• How to make a route in caltopo
• How much food to bring and what sort of food (including meals for dietary restrictions)
• How to schedule your hiking day
• How to pack your pack
• Pooping, peeing and having your period while in the nature
• How to prevent and care for chafe and blisters
• Keeping your gear dry in the rain and preventing hypothermia
• Keeping cool in the desert and preventing heat exhaustion
• Campsite selection
• What clothing to bring
• So much more!

Here are a few reviews from previous participants of my Utah trips:

Penelope says: My Utah trip with Carrot was extraordinary! I am hiking the PCT in 2027 and this time in the desert was my first (and only) opportunity to experience the desert, before the PCT. Thanks to this trip, I now feel confident about starting those first 700 miles in the California desert. Everything about this trip was perfect. The pre-trip zoom calls with Carrot helped me feel confident with our mapping app and I was also able to spend that time learning about the specifics of a new ecosystem I’ve never hiked in before (the desert is very different from Arkansas). Thanks to these calls, I felt confident going into this trip that I was as prepared as I needed to be to have a great time. Carrot planned the absolute best trip I could have imagined. We saw a huge variety of the landscapes that Utah had to offer, which made every day of the trip truly unique. Every single person in our group commented, multiple times, at how amazed we all were that each day was so unique. The path we took had a great mix of difficulties, as well. Chill cruisy time in the desert, steep incline/declines, deep sand, walking through water literally the entire day, we saw it all! Our group was filled with incredible people with a wide variety of outdoor experiences; it truly felt like we were all able to learn from each other, the entire time. This group was also so special, as it’s so rare (if not unheard of) you get to spend time outdoors with exclusively women, trans, queer and/or non-binary people. Being able to be in that community was special, fulfilling and healing.

Cyn says: I feel so lucky to have been able to hike with Carrot and four other fabulous people in Southern Utah. My goal for this trip was to get more confident in the back country without my much more experienced partner and this trip helped me achieve that. Carrot provided many learning opportunities and encouraged us to be responsible for ourselves while also providing guidance and support when needed. The route was fantastic – it was a new landscape each day with different adventures and challenges. And the pre-trip planning made preparing for the trail feel manageable. Lastly, what a special experience to get to hike with a group of women and trans/non-binary folks. It was like a gender-affirming adult summer camp. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Mina says: Carrot’s trip was all I had hoped for and then some. We hiked over slickrock uplands and passes, through canyons and, yes, in the creeks, an adventure in itself. So much geology and interesting plants. A bit of scrambling on creek banks and up and down rocks. Just the right amount of challenge. Interesting problems to work out–how are we going to reach that water source down in the pothole? Get past that water slide in the creek? Thread a route to that pass around the impassable pouroffs? Through it all, Carrot radiated an infectious joy, making even admittedly hard work feel like a kind of play. And Carrot and all our participants were so kind and accepting of one another. Plus, everyone had great stories! Yes, you do want to sign up for the next Carrot Quinn Adventures trip!

Renai says: I had such a wonderful time on Carrot’s Utah trip. The route was incredibly beautiful, and felt challenging in all the right ways. Carrot does a fantastic job of making sure that everyone feels safe, prepared, and capable. Truly a 10/10 experience.

Kai says: I had a great time on the Utah trip! Carrot made everything from gear to food very approachable and had great tips and suggestions when I did have questions. Transportation from the airport, staying in the AirBNB, and having an itinerary made it non-stressful and allowed us to learn about navigation and also have time to enjoy ourselves. The vibes on the trail were so good and the hike was challenging but never pushed anyone beyond their limits – I always felt like we were very safe and where we were as a group was being taken into account to plan our mileage. I learned so much from the other hikers and Carrot and enjoyed the trip so much!

Jina says: Not only are Carrot’s hikes a great adventure but I also learn so much from her about gear, techniques, and navigating stresses in the wilderness. I don’t have the courage to do trips like this alone (yet!) so this gives me a great place to expand my horizons for future hikes.

Michelle says: This trip gave me a safe space to experiment with backpacking and get a feel for whether or not I want to take longer trips in the future. It was the perfect amount of time to test my body, my gear, and my mental fortitude in a supportive environment while the stakes didn’t feel super high.

If you have any questions about these trips at all, please email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com !

About me:

I’ve long-distance hiked eleven thousand miles, including the Pacific Crest Trail (twice, the Washington section four times), the Continental Divide Trail, the Hayduke Route, the Lowest to Highest Route (2.5 times), the Mogollon Rim Trail, the Kings Canyon High Basin Route, the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Arizona Trail, the Wind River High Route, as well as 40 days walking in the Brooks Range on routes I created myself. I lead guided backpacking trips in southern Arizona, southern Utah and Alaska’s Brooks Range. I have my Wilderness First Responder certification. I LOVE sharing my love of long-distance hiking with others.

These trips are now sold out.

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The best ridgewalking imaginable, in one of the most remote places on earth. Waterfalls, epic passes, tiny tundra flowers. Plus, learn to make cross-country routes in caltopo! Previously, I’ve offered guided trips in Gates of the Arctic National Park, in the central Brooks Range- for 2026 I’m adding trips further west in the Brooks Range, to a less visited area.

Why? Because it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, with the best tundra walking I’ve ever done. And also because the area is right next to the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A), an extremely wild and untrammeled 23-million acres of Iñupiat land that Trump just opened for oil and gas leasing. It’s easy to destroy a chunk of land if very few people know about that chunk of land or have a relationship to it; my hope is by taking hikers to this area I can help bring awareness to its awesomeness, and this will contribute to the pushback against development there. (You can see a video of the area we’ll be walking here.)

Please read this whole page before applying.

Reviews from past participants of my guided trips are here.

Info about my other 2026 guided trips is here.

Deets:

Two sessions, nine days each (seven days of hiking, one day in Anchorage before and after.)

June 13-21, 2026 SOLD OUT

June 23-July 1, 2026 SOLD OUT

Open to everyone. Each trip will have five hikers and me, the guide.

Cost: $4000 (paid all at once or via payment plan of $400 month, with the remainder due before the start of the trip).

The Brooks Range has no established trails or routes. This is intentional- to travel via foot or packraft in the Alaskan Arctic one must create one’s own route- both to ensure that the traveler is experienced enough and familiar enough with the terrain to stay safe, and for the sheer fun of it- there aren’t many places left in north America without established trails or routes, and so it’s cool to have a place where you still have to do the legwork yourself. Those who do create routes in the Alaskan Arctic are discouraged from sharing those routes online. After this trip, you should be confident enough with route-making in caltopo, as well as with the terrain of the Alaskan arctic, to plan a trip like this of your own in the future.

A note: I talk about “creating one’s own route” but no route exists in a vacuum; in North America, how to get from point A to point B is knowledge that has been held for generations by the indigenous people of any given area (the best ways over certain passes, which valleys are the least boggy for walking, etc) and so any information we gather about how to walk over the land is information that originated, at some point, from those people, even if we get it from non-native sources. For this reason, “creating one’s own route” is not about doing-it-yourself but rather about being in relationship- with the communities that know and live in an area, as well as with the area itself.

These trips will be more expensive than my Gates of the Arctic trips because for Gates of the Arctic we can fly on a daily commercial (inexpensive) flight from Fairbanks to the Iñupiat village of Anaktuvuk Pass, where our trip begins; for the western Brooks Range our starting point is much more remote so we’ll be chartering a push plane out of Kotzebue, an Iñupiat village on the west coast of Alaska. This costs about $1500/person (which will be included in the trip price) and you’ll also be responsible for booking your own flight from Anchorage to Kotzebue, which costs about $170 each way.

Before the trip starts we’ll meet in Anchorage and spend the night in a rental house that I’ll book for the group; that evening we’ll go over our food and gear, download our maps, test our inreaches and run any last minute errands. I’ll take everyone out for dinner that evening, and breakfast the next morning. We’ll fly to Kotzebue on day two and meet our bush pilot, who will shuttle us to the start. On the seventh day of hiking, our bush pilot will pick us up and bring us back to Kotzebue, where we’ll stay the night at a rental house. Everyone can shower, and we’ll visit one of the local restaurants for dinner. (Due to the limited options with rental houses in Kotzebue, there may not be enough beds for everyone/some of us may be sleeping on the floor on our sleeping pads.) The next morning we’ll fly back to Anchorage, and the trip will end. We’ll hike for seven days, so including the day beforehand in Anchorage and the day we fly back to Anchorage it’s a nine day trip.

In the months before the trip, just like with my Gates of the Arctic trips, I’ll spend two hours with each hiker in zoom; we’ll go over your food and gear to make sure you’re prepared, come up with a training plan if that’s helpful, and I’ll teach you to make cross-country routes in caltopo; I’ll share the parameters of our route (starting point, miles per day, etc), you’ll make a route, I’ll combine the routes of everyone in the group and from that we’ll choose our final route (with alternates for weather, etc)- and that is what we’ll hike.

While my previous trips have been for women, trans and non-binary people, these western Brooks Range trips are open to everyone. The trips will be maximum five hikers and me, the guide.   

Because we’ll be getting dropped off via bush plane, these trips will require some flexibility and ability to roll with changes; weather is unpredictable in the Arctic in summer, and in certain kinds of weather we may not be able to fly; for this reason I have backup permits to several other weather systems in Alaska (Gates of the Arctic National Park, Denali State Park and Chugach State Park), so if the weather in our intended destination is bad enough we may end up hiking somewhere else entirely. While this can be disappointing, we will end up somewhere insanely beautiful, and you will have an epic and challenging time.

Deets:

Two sessions, nine days each (seven days of hiking, one day in Anchorage before and after.)

June 13-21, 2026 SOLD OUT

June 23-July 1, 2026 SOLD OUT

Open to everyone. Each trip will have five hikers and me, the guide.

Cost: $4000 (paid all at once or via payment plan of $400 month, with the remainder due before the start of the trip).

Itinerary:

In the months before the trip: I’ll meet with each hiker on zoom; two one-hour one-on-one sessions and a final group call. We’ll go over your food, gear and training. I’ll teach you to make cross-country routes in caltopo, give you the parameters for our route (starting point, miles per day, etc) and you’ll make a route. I’ll combine everyone’s routes and in the final group call we’ll create the route (with alternates for weather) that we’ll hike!

Day one: We’ll meet in Anchorage by 2pm at our rental house. The house will have beds for everyone, although some rooms will be shared. I’ll take everyone out for dinner (with options for dietary restrictions) and we’ll go through all our gear and food, test our inreaches and download our maps, and run any last-minute errands.

Day two: In the morning I’ll take everyone out to breakfast (with options for dietary restrictions) and we’ll catch our flight to Kotzebue (this is a commercial flight that you’ll book in advance and is generally about $170 each way). In Kotzebue we’ll meet our bush pilot, who will fly us to our starting point. We’ll plan on hiking just a few miles on this day, to allow for late arrival.

Day three: We’ll start hiking at 8 am and hike 6-10 miles, depending on terrain, weather and group energy level. We’ll take plenty of breaks to snack, rest and practice navigation. We’ll adjust our route constantly (ridgewalking vs. staying low, for example). We’ll take a one-hour lunch break. Our elevation gain will be about 3,000 ft/day. We’ll reach camp by 7pm.

Days 4-7 will be the same as day 3.

Day eight (day seven of hiking): After just a few miles we’ll arrive at our pickup point, and our bush pilot will shuttle us back to Kotzebue. We’ll check in to our cozy rental house, where everyone can shower. (Due to the limited options with rental houses in Kotzebue, there may not be enough beds for everyone/some of us may be sleeping on the floor on our sleeping pads.) We’ll visit one of the local restaurants for dinner (everyone will pay for their own dinner).

Day nine: In the morning we’ll fly from Kotzebue back to Anchorage, and the trip will end.

What’s included in the trip:

• Two hours of one-on-one zoom calls with me in the months before the trip, where I’ll help you figure out your gear, food and training as well as teach you to make cross-country routes in caltopo
• A Superior Wilderness Designs pack to borrow, if you’d like
• A third call with the group where we decide on a final route
• Lodging in Anchorage the evening of day one, the night before we fly to Kotzebue
• Lodging in Kotzebue the evening of day eight, before we fly back to Anchorage
• A ride to any last-minute errands in town
• Dinner on day one and breakfast on day two
• Bearspray
• Our chartered bush flight from Kotzebue to our starting point in the western Brooks Range
• Our bush flight from our ending point back to Kotzebue

What’s not included in the trip:

• Your hiking gear (except for a loaner pack if you’d like), your hiking food
• Your flight to Anchorage and your flight from Anchorage to Kotzebue
• Your ride to and from the airport in Anchorage
• Your dinner the evening we arrive back in Kotzebue after finishing our hike
• Your paid subscription to caltopo
• Travel insurance

FAQ

Who are these trips for? While most of my past trips have been for women, trans and non-binary people, these trips are open to everyone. These trips are for people who either already have backpacking experience or who have other outdoors experience and are willing to build a gear list and menu for this trip. I do ask that all hikers have a base weight (everything you’re carrying except food, water and fuel) of 15lbs or less while still having everything they need to stay warm/dry/safe for the weather we might encounter. I also ask that you carry at least 3,000 calories of food/day and work up to walking/running/hiking 25 miles/week before the trip. I will help you with all of this in our zoom calls! And while I do have awesome backpacks from Superior Wilderness Designs to loan out, building your gear list might be an additional cost for you.

What is the terrain like? While the Alaskan arctic is generally lumpy and often boggy, I do my best to keep us above the bog, even if it means more elevation gain and fewer miles per day. I believe that an eight mile day on steep ridges, although cardiovascularly difficult, is much better than a fifteen mile slog through tussocks. Occasionally weather will force us lower into the sucking bog but we’ll mostly be on flat, crispy tundra; this area especially has an abundance of the stuff. We’ll be north of treeline so there will be no trees, and only occasional brush.

What weather can we expect? The Alaskan arctic in summer runs the gamut, from eighty degrees and 24/7 sunshine (with no shade to be had)! to freezing rain and winds strong enough to shred your shelter guylines, and even light snow. My policy is to watch the forecast closely as the trip approaches- the forecasts here are never accurate more than a few days out- some bad weather over the course of seven days is ok, but if the forecast is seven days of solid hypothermia rain (or worse), we’ll go to one of my alternate locations in Gates of the Arctic, Denali State Park or Chugach State Park (making the decision as a group based on the forecast in these alternate weather systems, as well as other factors). There are mind-blowingly excellent routes to hike in all these locations, and I prefer to go somewhere we can actually see the view (at least part of the time) than to fight hypothermia and stay low in the bog for seven days just to say we went to a certain spot.

What about bears? The bears in the Brooks Range are mostly grizzlies, and there are fewer of them than in other parts of Alaska, since there aren’t any salmon runs where we’ll be. Since we’re north of treeline and there isn’t much brush on our route, it won’t be hard to see them at a distance and give them a wide berth. The bears in the Brooks Range aren’t habituated to human food, and although they might not know what we are at first, once they smell us they tend to run away as if they’ve had the shock of a lifetime. We’ll each be carrying bearspray, which we’ll keep handy. If we do walk through brush we’ll make lots of noise. At night we’ll cook away from our tents and store our food in ursacks, also away from our tents. It’s uncommon for bears to be an issue in the Brooks Range.

What about water crossings? There won’t be any dangerous water crossings on our route. We’ll bring waterproof socks we can put on if we end up walking up the braids of a creek, to keep our feet warm (the water is super cold).

What about mosquitos? The mosquitoes may or may not be bad, depending on the day. We’ll bring mosquito headnets just in case.

Should I get trip insurance? Yes, I highly recommend it!

What special gear is required for this trip? Besides the general three-season backpacking gear of the sort you’d use for a high mountain environment where it can be cold and snow even in summer (but also very hot and sunny)(I’ll help you put this gear list together in our zoom calls!) for this trip you’ll bring:

• An inreach (or the newest iphone, which has satellite texting capability)
• Waterproof socks for the creek walking bits (this brand is inexpensive and is what I use)
• An ursack that can hold all your food
• A paid subscription to caltopo (this allows you to download maps for offline use)

I’ll provide bearspray. Although we can’t bring canister fuel on our flight from Anchorage, we can purchase it from the pilot in Kotzebue, so a canister stove is fine.

Do you offer a payment plan? Yes. If you’d rather not pay the full amount upfront, you can sign up for automatic payments of $400/month, with the remainder due before the start of the trip.

Do you offer refunds? I do not offer full refunds as it’s too difficult to fill spots at the last minute, but if you decide not to join at any point you can cancel your payment plan, and you won’t owe the remainder.

When will the zoom calls take place? Most of the zoom coaching, route planning and online group meetups will happen in March, April and May, and I’ll work with you to find times that work for your schedule.

What is the application process? The application is free. I’ll reach out to you within a few days of your application, and we can talk about the trip more- if the trip seems like a good fit for you, I’ll send you the link to register.

Can I read reviews from past participants of your guided trips? Yes! Those are here.

Feel free to email me with any questions at carrotquinn4@gmail.com !

About me: I’ve long-distance hiked eleven thousand miles, including the Pacific Crest Trail (twice, the Washington section four times), the Continental Divide Trail, the Hayduke Route, the Lowest to Highest Route (2.5 times), the Mogollon Rim Trail, the Kings Canyon High Basin Route, the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Arizona Trail, the Wind River High Route, as well as 50 days walking in the Brooks Range on routes I created myself. Through my guiding business I’ve led education-based backpacking trips in Arizona, Utah and Alaska. I have my Wilderness First Responder certification. I LOVE sharing my love of long-distance hiking with others.

These trips are now sold out. Click here to sign up to get alerts when I post new trips.

While most of my trips have been just for women, trans and non-binary people, these trips are now open to everyone.

Please read this whole page before applying.

You can read reviews from past participants of my guided trips here.

Info about my other 2026 guided trips is here.

These trips are for backpackers in good hiking shape who want to spend seven days backpacking in Alaska’s Brooks Range and also want to learn to create cross-country routes in caltopo. It’s going to be an epic time!

These trips will be in Gates of the Arctic National Park, which is in the central Brooks Range. It’s also one of the areas through which the proposed Ambler Road, a 211-mile private mining access road, would pass. Aside from a few small Iñupiaq villages, accessible only by air, this area has never in its history on earth been developed- and it’s hard to emphasize how special and rare that is. My hope is that hikers who come on one of these trips will join in the fight to defend the area and prevent the Ambler road, which, previously blocked, is currently being steamrolled by Trump. You can read more about the fight against the Ambler road here.

There are two sessions, with five spots available in each session. Each session is seven days of backpacking plus a day in Fairbanks beforehand. We’ll hike 6-10 miles each day.

Dates:

• July 2-9, 2026 SOLD OUT- Read about my other summer Brooks Range trips here, or email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist.
• July 12-19, 2026 SOLD OUT– Read about my other summer Brooks Range trips here, or email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist.

Cost: $2500- paid all at once or via payment plan of $250/month, with the remainder due before the start of the trip

What’s included in the trip: Lodging in Fairbanks the first night of the trip (everyone will have a bed but some rooms will be shared), dinner the first evening and breakfast the next morning (with options for everyone’s dietary restrictions). Rides to errands in Fairbanks. Two hours of one-on-one zoom coaching beforehand, where I teach you how to create a cross-country route on the caltopo website and help you work through aspects of the trip you may have questions about (gear, bears, weather etc), as well a final group meetup on zoom where we’ll plan our route together. Bearspray. A loaner pack from Superior Wilderness Designs, if you’d like.

What’s not included in the trip: Your flight from Fairbanks to the village in the Brooks Range where we’ll begin our hike (around $180 each way, and you’ll book these tickets yourself). Your flight to Fairbanks. Your rides to and from the airport. Your hiking gear and hiking food. Lodging in Fairbanks the evening we return.

The Brooks Range is a mountain range that runs 600 miles east-west across the Alaskan Arctic, from Canada to the Chukchi sea. It’s bisected by only one road, the Haul Road aka the Dalton Highway, that carries supplies north to oil drilling on the arctic ocean. The Brooks Range is one of the least developed places left on Earth. It is also the traditional home of Inupiat and Athabanscan peoples; these people still live there, have autonomy and practice their subsistence lifestyles, and some non-native people live in villages in the Brooks Range as well. The villages in the Brooks Range that are not on the Haul Road are only accessible by plane, boat, dogsled or snowmachine. The Brooks Range is also home to thousands of caribou, as well as grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, etc. Much of the Brooks Range is north of treeline; the mountains are rolling and green, the walking is along braided riverbeds or across boggy, squishy tundra. There are fewer bears in this part of Alaska than more southern parts of the state, and the relative lack of brush makes the bears easier to avoid. Summer is short and summer weather is random, even moreso now with climate change; it might be 80 degrees Fahrenheit one day, and snowing the next.

The Brooks Range has no established trails or routes. This is intentional- to travel via foot or packraft in the Alaskan Arctic one must create one’s own route- both to ensure that the traveler is experienced enough and familiar enough with the terrain to stay safe, and for the sheer fun of it- there aren’t many places left in north America without established trails or routes, and so it’s cool to have a place where you still have to do the legwork yourself. Those who do create routes in the Alaskan Arctic are discouraged from sharing those routes online. After this trip, you should be confident enough with route-making in caltopo, as well as with the terrain of the Alaskan arctic, to plan a trip like this of your own in the future.

The Brooks Range may be remote, but it’s also a fairly straightforward place to create a cross-country route, once you have some understanding of the terrain and also know how to create routes. In this course/backpacking trip combo, I’ll teach you how to create a route using caltopo, we’ll work together to create a seven day trip in the Brooks Range (that fits certain parameters), and then, we’ll hike it!

This trip is for backpackers in good hiking shape. Hiking fitness is very important for these trips, as the terrain makes for hard walking and there’s no easy way to bail. (If you currently run, walk or hike 25+ miles a week, you’re probably in good enough hiking shape to do this trip.)

A note: I keep talking about “creating one’s own route” but no route exists in a vacuum; in North America, how to get from point A to point B is knowledge that has been held for generations by the indigenous people of any given area (the best ways over certain passes, which valleys are the least boggy for walking, etc) and so any information we gather about how to walk over the land is information that originated, at some point, from those people, even if we get it from non-native sources. For this reason, “creating one’s own route” is not about doing-it-yourself but rather about being in relationship- with the communities that know and live in an area, as well as with the area itself.

(New for 2026 I’m also offering trips in the western Brooks Range- those trips are more expensive as we’ll be chartering a bush flight, but if you’re interested the deets are here.)

There are two sessions, with five spots available in each session. Each session is seven days of backpacking plus a day in Fairbanks on either end. We’ll hike 8-10 miles each day.

Dates:

• July 2-9, 2026 SOLD OUT- Read about my other summer Brooks Range trips here, or email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist.
• July 12-19, 2026 SOLD OUT– Read about my other summer Brooks Range trips here, or email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist.

Cost: $2500- paid all at once or via payment plan of $250/month, with the remainder due before the start of the trip

Itinerary:

In the months before the trip: I’ll meet with each hiker on zoom; two one-hour one-on-one sessions and a final group call. We’ll go over your food, gear and training. I’ll teach you to make cross-country routes in caltopo, give you the parameters for our route (starting point, miles per day, etc) and you’ll make a route. I’ll combine everyone’s routes and in the final group call we’ll create the route (with alternates for weather) that we’ll hike!

Day one: We’ll meet in Fairbanks by 2pm at our lodging. There will be beds for everyone, although some rooms will be shared. I’ll drive us around to our various errands (getting denatured alcohol for our alcohol stoves, last minute gear and food purchases, etc). Then I’ll take everyone out for dinner (with options for dietary restrictions) and we’ll go through all our gear and food, test our inreaches and download our maps.

Day two: In the morning I’ll take everyone out to breakfast (with options for dietary restrictions) and we’ll catch our flight to Iñupiat village of Anaktuvuk Pass (this is a commercial flight that you’ll book in advance and is generally about $180 each way). Anaktuvuk Pass is the starting point for our seven-day loop. We’ll hike just a few miles this day, because of the late start.

Day three: We’ll start hiking at 8 am and hike 6-10 miles, depending on terrain and group energy level. We’ll take plenty of breaks to snack, rest and practice navigation. We’ll adjust our route constantly (ridgewalking vs. staying low, for example) depending on weather and group energy level. We’ll take a one-hour lunch break. Our elevation gain will be about 3,000 ft/day. We’ll reach camp by 7pm.

Days 4-7 will be the same as day 3.

Day eight (day seven of hiking): After just a few miles we’ll arrive back at Anaktuvuk Pass, and catch our afternoon flight back to Fairbanks. The trip is now over, we’re exhausted and we’ve had so much fun. Yay!

FAQ

Who are these trips for? While most of my past trips have been for women, trans and non-binary people, these trips are open to everyone. These trips are for people who either already have backpacking experience or who have other outdoors experience and are willing to build a gear list and menu for this trip. I do ask that all hikers have a base weight (everything you’re carrying except food, water and fuel) of 15lbs or less while still having everything they need to stay warm/dry/safe for the weather we might encounter. I also ask that you carry at least 3,000 calories of food/day and work up to walking/running/hiking 25 miles/week before the trip. I will help you with all of this in our zoom calls! And while I do have awesome backpacks from Superior Wilderness Designs to loan out, building your gear list might be an additional cost for you.

Why are these trips cheaper than other guided trips in the Brooks Range? Because we don’t have to charter a bush plane! Since I take out small groups (five hikers and me, the guide), we fit on the daily commercial flight between Fairbanks and our starting point, Anaktuvuk Pass (which only seats nine people). This flight (which you’ll book yourself) costs about $180 each way. If we had a larger group (or if we were starting anywhere other than Anaktuvuk pass) we’d need to charter a bush plane, which would cost around $8,000 to shuttle us to the start and pick us up again at the end. (If you’re looking for the bush flight dropoff experience, I’m now offering trips in the western Brooks Range as well.)

What is the terrain like? We’ll be walking along braided gravel riverbeds and green, boggy tundra slopes, with the occasional scree-covered mountain pass. Sometimes there will be stretches of tussocks, which are like hairy basketballs on springs, but we’ll do our best to avoid them. Our feet will be wet all day every day. Slogging is the word that comes to mind when I think about walking in the Brooks.

What weather can we expect? The Alaskan arctic in summer runs the gamut, from eighty degrees and 24/7 sunshine (with no shade to be had)! to freezing rain and winds strong enough to shred your shelter guylines, and even light snow. My policy is to watch the forecast closely as the trip approaches- the forecasts here are never accurate more than a few days out- some bad weather over the course of seven days is ok, but if the forecast is seven days of solid hypothermia rain (or worse), we’ll go to one of my alternate locations in Denali State Park or Chugach State Park (making the decision as a group based on the forecast in these alternate weather systems, as well as other factors). There are mind-blowingly excellent routes to hike in these locations too, and I prefer to go somewhere we can actually see the view (at least part of the time) than to fight hypothermia and stay low in the bog for seven days just to say we went to a certain spot.

What about bears? The bears in the Brooks Range are mostly grizzlies, and there are fewer of them than in other parts of Alaska, since there aren’t any salmon runs where we’ll be. Since we’re north of treeline and there isn’t much brush on our route, it won’t be hard to see them at a distance and give them a wide berth. The bears in the Brooks Range aren’t habituated to human food, and although they might not know what we are at first, once they smell us they tend to run away as if they’ve had the shock of a lifetime. We’ll each be carrying bearspray, which we’ll keep handy. If we do walk through brush we’ll make lots of noise. At night we’ll cook away from our tents and store our food in ursacks, also away from our tents. It’s extremely rare for bears to be an issue in the Brooks Range.

What about water crossings? There won’t be any dangerous water crossings on our route. We’ll bring waterproof socks we can put on if we end up walking up the braids of a creek, to keep our feet warm (the water is super cold).

What about mosquitos? The mosquitoes may or may not be bad, depending on the day. We’ll bring mosquito headnets just in case.

Should I get trip insurance? Yes! I highly recommend it.

What special gear is required for this trip? Besides the general three-season backpacking gear of the sort you’d use for a high mountain environment where it can be cold and snow even in summer (but also very hot and sunny)(I’ll help you put this gear list together in our zoom calls!) for this trip you’ll bring:

• An inreach (or the newest iphone, which has satellite texting capability)
• Waterproof socks for the creek walking bits (This brand is inexpensive and is what I use)
• An ursack that can hold all your food
• A paid subscription to caltopo (the paid version allows you to download maps for offline use)
• An alcohol stove (since we can’t bring canister fuel on our flight)

I’ll provide bearspray.

Do you offer a payment plan? Yes. If you’d rather not pay the full amount upfront, you can sign up for automatic payments of $250/month, with the remainder due before the start of the trip.

Do you offer refunds? I do not offer full refunds as it’s too difficult to fill spots at the last minute, but if you decide not to join at any point you can cancel your payment plan, and you won’t owe the remainder.

When will the zoom calls take place? Most of the zoom coaching, route planning and online group meetups will happen in March, April and May, and I’ll work with you to find times that work for your schedule.

What is the application process? The application is free. I’ll reach out to you within a few days of your application, and we can talk about the trip more- if the trip seems like a good fit for you, I’ll send you the link to register.

Can I read reviews from past participants of your guided trips? Yes! Those are here.

Feel free to email me with any questions at carrotquinn4@gmail.com !

About me: I’ve long-distance hiked eleven thousand miles, including the Pacific Crest Trail (twice, the Washington section four times), the Continental Divide Trail, the Hayduke Route, the Lowest to Highest Route (2.5 times), the Mogollon Rim Trail, the Kings Canyon High Basin Route, the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Arizona Trail, the Wind River High Route, as well as 50 days walking in the Brooks Range on routes I created myself. Through my guiding business I’ve led education-based backpacking trips in Arizona, Utah and Alaska. I have my Wilderness First Responder certification. I LOVE sharing my love of long-distance hiking with others.

Registration for these trips is now closed. Click here to sign up to get alerts when I post new trips.

Navigate remote canyons and sleep on warm sand under the moon with a group of other women, trans and non-binary people. Learn to make cross-country routes in caltopo! The trip of dreams!

Are you a backpacker who wants to practice using caltopo for cross-country navigation (hiking off trail) in southern Utah, as well as get one-on-one coaching beforehand? I’m offering two six day trips (with five days of backpacking) in April of 2026. Read below for full details!

Read reviews from past participants of my trips here.

Dates:

Session one: April 11-17, 2026

Session two: April 18-24, 2026 (SOLD OUT)

5 spots available in each trip

Cost: $2,250 (paid all at once or via payment plan- $225/month with the remainder due before the start of the hike)

These trips are for women, trans and non-binary people.

Registration for these trips is now closed. Read about my other guided trips here.

After you apply, I’ll email you within a few days with the link to register.

Itinerary:

In the months before the trip: I’ll have two one-hour zoom calls with each hiker, helping you put together your gear and food and answering your questions about the trip, and I’ll also teach you to make cross-country routes in caltopo, the app we’ll be using to navigate on trail.

The first evening of the trip: The trip starts at 6pm on day one. The group will meet in Escalante, Utah at our motel, and go through all of our food and gear, making sure we feel good about everything. I’ll take everyone to dinner at a local restaurant.

The next morning: I’ll take us all out for breakfast and then drive everyone to the trailhead. We’ll start hiking by 8 am. We’ll spend five days and four nights hiking, traveling cross-country (without a built trail) through sandy washes and beautiful slickrock canyons and across sagebrush plateaus, using caltopo to stay on our route. We’ll walk 8-10 miles a day. There will be water at camp every night, plus extra water sources during the day.

On the evening of day 6 (day 5 of backpacking) we’ll arrive at our ending trailhead, where our van will magically appear (a shuttle will have moved it while we were hiking). I’ll take everyone out to dinner again and we’ll head to our motel. The trip ends that evening.

FAQ:

What’s special about these trips? the goal of my guided trips is always to help you feel more confident in planning your own trips of this style in the future; to this end, I include as much education as possible (in the zoom calls, in the evening before the trip, and while on the trip itself). Before the trip, I help hikers put together their own gear lists consisting of modern long-distance hiking equipment, so that everyone’s base weights (what you’re carrying besides food, water and fuel) is 15lbs or less, preventing injury and maximizing fun- this is backpacking in the style of long-distance hiking, so if you don’t already backpack in this way you’ll now be prepared for whatever trail, long or short, that you decide to tackle in the future. I also help you figure out your trail menu, and teach you to make routes in caltopo, so that you can use it on your own in the future.

Is previous backpacking experience required? A bit of backpacking experience of some sort is helpful, but if you have other outdoors experience I can help you fill in the gaps. Good running/walking/hiking fitness also counts for a lot. If you’re having doubts about your gear or the way you’ve backpacked in the past we can use the zoom calls to help set you up for success, as well as help you figure out a training plan to get your body ready for the trip if that is something that’s helpful as well. If you’re still not sure if you’re a good fit for this trip, email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com and we can talk about it!

Where will we stay the two nights we’re in Escalante? We’ll stay at a comfortable local motel- each person will have a private room.

Can I leave things in Escalante while we’re hiking? You can leave things in our shuttle van while we’re hiking.

Do you provide gear for this trip? I have wonderful lightweight packs from Superior Wilderness Designs to loan out, but you will be responsible for acquiring the other lightweight gear you may need to get your base weight (everything you’re carrying except food, water and fuel) down to 15lbs or less. We can use our zoom calls to put together a gear list for you, if that’s helpful.

How do I get to Escalante? You can fly into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City- from there it’s about a five hour drive to Escalante. I’ll connect everyone in the group before the trip starts, so that people can coordinate sharing a rental car if they’d like.

How many people will be in each group? There will be five hikers and me, the guide.

What will the temperature be this time of year in the Escalante area? Nights can be cool, and days can be sunny and warm. Occasionally a storm will blow through. I’ll help you build your gear list so that you’re warm and comfortable on the trip in all possible conditions.

How far will we hike each day? 8-10 miles

What does a typical day on trail look like? I’ll wake everyone at 6:30 am, and we’ll start hiking by 8 am. We’ll take frequent breaks to rest, eat snacks, gather water and tape blisters if needed. We’ll take an hourlong lunch break. We’ll arrive in camp by 6pm.

What will the terrain be like? The hiking will be cross country, along sandy canyon bottoms and small creeks and across slickrock and sagebrush plateau.

What about water? We’ll camp at water each night, and there will be water during the day as well.

Do you offer a payment plan for those who can’t pay all at once? Yes! The payment plan is $225/month with the remainder due before the start of the trip.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind in a few weeks? No full refunds, I’m sorry, although if you cancel your payment plan you won’t owe me the remainder.

What airport do I fly into? Las Vegas or Salt Lake City

I don’t think I have the right gear for this hike, and I hate the food I eat on trail. I also feel overwhelmed by the idea of planning around water in the desert. No worries! We can use our zoom calls to put together a gear list that makes better sense for you, and troubleshoot your trail menu, as well as talking about how we’ll plan around water on our hike, and anything else you want to go over.

What will we use to navigate? The caltopo app

I’ve never used that app before. It rules! And don’t worry, we can practice using it in our zoom calls, and we’ll also have plenty of time to practice using it together.

Should I get travel insurance? Travel insurance is helpful in case of an emergency, and I highly recommend it.

Gear you’ll need:

-I ask that everyone have a base weight (everything you’re carrying except food, water and fuel) of 15lbs or less, in order to prevent injury and maximize good times. If the gear you have right now is heavier than this, it may be necessary for you to buy or borrow other gear for this trip. I can walk you through all the gear options in our zoom calls, and help you find new gear choices that are a good fit for you.

-I ask that everyone carry a garmin inreach. You can rent one of these if you’d prefer not to buy.

-We’ll be using the caltopo app to navigate, and you’ll need the paid version so that you can use the maps on trail.

-I ask that everyone pack at least 3,000 calories a day of food. I can help you build your trail menu.

Dates:

Session one: April 11-17, 2026

Session two: April 18-24, 2026 (SOLD OUT)

5 spots available in each trip

Cost: $2,250 (paid all at once or via payment plan- $225/month with the remainder due before the start of the hike)

Registration for these trips is now closed. Read about my other guided trips here.

I’ll get back to you within a few days of when you apply, and then I’ll send you the registration link.

What’s included in this trip:

-Lodging in Escalante at a local motel the night before we start our hike and the evening we return- each person will have a private room

-Dinner the first night, breakfast the next morning, dinner the last night after we return to town (with options for everyone’s dietary restrictions and preferences)

-A ride from the rental house to the trailhead and back to the rental house at the end

-Two hours of one-on-one zoom coaching with me in the months before the hike, where we can talk about your gear, desert hiking, your meals on trail, cross-country navigation or anything else that would be helpful for you

-A siccc loaner pack from Superior Wilderness Designs

-FUN

What’s not included in this trip:

-Your transportation to and from Escalante

-Your gear and meals while we’re hiking (although I can help you plan your gear list and/or your trail menu, if that’s something you’re interested in!)

-A garmin inreach (I ask that everyone have one)

-The paid version of the caltopo app (you’ll need this for navigation)

Things we can talk about in our zoom calls:

• What gear to bring
• Pitching your shelter
• Choosing footwear
• Planning water carries in the desert
• The basic functions of caltopo
• How much food to bring and what sort of food (including meals for dietary restrictions)
• How to schedule your hiking day
• How to pack your pack
• Pooping, peeing and having your period while in the nature
• How to prevent and care for chafe and blisters
• Keeping your gear dry in the rain and preventing hypothermia
• Keeping cool in the desert and preventing heat exhaustion
• Campsite selection
• What clothing to bring
• So much more!

Here are a few reviews from previous participants of my Utah trips:

Mina says: Carrot’s trip was all I had hoped for and then some. We hiked over slickrock uplands and passes, through canyons and, yes, in the creeks, an adventure in itself. So much geology and interesting plants. A bit of scrambling on creek banks and up and down rocks. Just the right amount of challenge. Interesting problems to work out–how are we going to reach that water source down in the pothole? Get past that water slide in the creek? Thread a route to that pass around the impassable pouroffs? Through it all, Carrot radiated an infectious joy, making even admittedly hard work feel like a kind of play. And Carrot and all our participants were so kind and accepting of one another. Plus, everyone had great stories! Yes, you do want to sign up for the next Carrot Quinn Adventures trip!

Renai says: I had such a wonderful time on Carrot’s Utah trip. The route was incredibly beautiful, and felt challenging in all the right ways. Carrot does a fantastic job of making sure that everyone feels safe, prepared, and capable. Truly a 10/10 experience.

Kai says: I had a great time on the Utah trip! Carrot made everything from gear to food very approachable and had great tips and suggestions when I did have questions. Transportation from the airport, staying in the AirBNB, and having an itinerary made it non-stressful and allowed us to learn about navigation and also have time to enjoy ourselves. The vibes on the trail were so good and the hike was challenging but never pushed anyone beyond their limits – I always felt like we were very safe and where we were as a group was being taken into account to plan our mileage. I learned so much from the other hikers and Carrot and enjoyed the trip so much!

Jina says: Not only are Carrot’s hikes a great adventure but I also learn so much from her about gear, techniques, and navigating stresses in the wilderness. I don’t have the courage to do trips like this alone (yet!) so this gives me a great place to expand my horizons for future hikes.

Michelle says: This trip gave me a safe space to experiment with backpacking and get a feel for whether or not I want to take longer trips in the future. It was the perfect amount of time to test my body, my gear, and my mental fortitude in a supportive environment while the stakes didn’t feel super high.

A few reviews from my February Arizona beginner trips:

Lyca says: Carrot was extremely chill and steady, and helped us stay calm when things went sideways. Unlike other wilderness skills classes I’ve been in, Carrot was engaged but open to our perspective, leaving us with the feeling that we had made choices together. Instead of feeling like everything was mediated for us by a guide, I walked away feeling very capable to hike, and plan for a hike. The time with other queer femmes was unlike any other space I’d been in, completely transformative and lovely, without being overbearing. Our course ruled and I would recommend it to anyone.

Mere says: If you suspect that you might love backpacking but the idea of figuring it all out feels overwhelming, do not sleep on this guided trip. Carrot was unfailingly supportive, reassuring, encouraging, and incredibly generous with her knowledge. I learned so much just from talking with her for that first hour, after spending years spinning my wheels trying to jump-start my backpacking life on my own. She broke all the daunting planning down into manageable pieces, answered any and all questions and concerns, and helped us with practicing tent set-up and pack packing (while we got to eat KK’s absolutely incredible food and hang out with Danny the sweetest pup) – and then we got to hike through the breathtaking desert landscape! I loved hiking with a small group like this and I felt really safe knowing that Carrot was watching out for us – helping us tend our feet blisters and keeping an eye out for heat exhaustion, helping us get our tent set-ups just right, and keeping up our morale when the going got tough. Parts were physically challenging but I loved it – there is nothing like watching the sun rise over the desert where you are with the only people for many miles, and there are moments like that from this trip I genuinely will cherish forever. I’m so glad I did it because now I feel much, much more confident in my abilities to go out and do a longer trail on my own. So if you are nursing a secret wish to learn how to get out there yourself – this is it!!

Diane says: So refreshing to learn about a technical endeavor without any chance of mansplaining. Carrot was a great resource for expertise when needed while never stripping away opportunities for us to figure out the little things on our own. I felt both safe and engagingly challenged. Plus she’s a great conversationalist which can make the miles fly.

Stephanie says: As a first-time backpacker and new-ish hiker, I thought it would be prudent to try out a group trip to learn before I ventured off by myself. This turned out to be a great adventure and opportunity to experience the Arizona desert with a group of folks who also hadn’t done it before. There was adequate opportunity to meet with Carrot in preparation for the trip. Hiking with a group of queer hikers felt like an inclusive and Safe way to try out something new. Although the desert and I will never be best friends, the night sky was breathtaking and worth the trip! I highly recommend one of Carrot’s trips!

Elisa says: I would highly recommend this trip for anyone interested in backpacking that feels overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to start in accessing entry level information to backpacking. The zoom calls before our trip covered gear, water, food planning and what backpacking app to use. I made reachable goals for conditioning my body before the trip so I felt strong and was less likely to get injured. I booked this trip without knowing anyone else and was a little nervous about that but I loved the tight, close community we formed and I feel like I have awesome lasting friendships with the other folks from my group.

I appreciate Carrot’s openness and calmness. On our trip one of our hikers ended up getting sick with norovirus on the first night backpacking. Carrot was warm and calm and made sure they felt cared for and that everyones needs were met. It ended up being a good lesson for what to do in an emergency on a backpacking trip. In all, I would recommend this trip and hope I can join other trips in the future!

K says: Carrot does a great job helping you prepare for the trip, and the food you eat at the rental house is fantastic! I was a bit nervous before the trip since it was my first time backpacking, but Carrot is a kind, nonjudgmental, and genuine person and guide, so I felt comfortable and supported throughout the trip. I’m glad I challenged myself to join this trip, and I gained friends and confidence in the process. I definitely recommend signing up for one of Carrot’s trips!

If you have any questions about these trips at all, please email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com !

About me:

I’ve long-distance hiked eleven thousand miles, including the Pacific Crest Trail (twice, the Washington section four times), the Continental Divide Trail, the Hayduke Route, the Lowest to Highest Route (2.5 times), the Mogollon Rim Trail, the Kings Canyon High Basin Route, the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Arizona Trail, the Wind River High Route, as well as 40 days walking in the Brooks Range on routes I created myself. I lead guided backpacking trips in southern Arizona, southern Utah and Alaska’s Brooks Range. I have my Wilderness First Responder certification. I LOVE sharing my love of long-distance hiking with others.

Below you can find reviews from past participants of my beginner guided trips in Arizona and my intermediate guided trips in Utah and Alaska. Full details about my guided trips are here.

Penelope says: My Utah trip with Carrot was extraordinary! I am hiking the PCT in 2027 and this time in the desert was my first (and only) opportunity to experience the desert, before the PCT. Thanks to this trip, I now feel confident about starting those first 700 miles in the California desert. Everything about this trip was perfect. The pre-trip zoom calls with Carrot helped me feel confident with our mapping app and I was also able to spend that time learning about the specifics of a new ecosystem I’ve never hiked in before (the desert is very different from Arkansas). Thanks to these calls, I felt confident going into this trip that I was as prepared as I needed to be to have a great time. Carrot planned the absolute best trip I could have imagined. We saw a huge variety of the landscapes that Utah had to offer, which made every day of the trip truly unique. Every single person in our group commented, multiple times, at how amazed we all were that each day was so unique. The path we took had a great mix of difficulties, as well. Chill cruisy time in the desert, steep incline/declines, deep sand, walking through water literally the entire day, we saw it all! Our group was filled with incredible people with a wide variety of outdoor experiences; it truly felt like we were all able to learn from each other, the entire time. This group was also so special, as it’s so rare (if not unheard of) you get to spend time outdoors with exclusively women, trans, queer and/or non-binary people. Being able to be in that community was special, fulfilling and healing.

Bonnie says: I had an incredible time on Carrot’s Utah trip! I came in with some long-distance backpacking experience, but I wanted to get more confident using CalTopo and planning cross-country routes to explore beyond the well-known trails. I left the trip with so much more knowledge and confidence in those skills. Carrot is kind, funny, and endlessly generous with her experience—always teaching in a supportive, never-judgmental way. The scenery was breathtaking and the group was wonderful, great vibes all around. I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to grow their backcountry skills and have an unforgettable adventure!

Kaiden says: I was nervous signing up for the trip as someone who had minimal backpacking experience and a lot to learn. The nerves quickly dissipated upon arrival. Carrot, KK, and all of the trip participants were so helpful, kind, and encouraging. I loved being surrounded by women, trans and non-binary people. The trip definitely pushed me physically! At the end, I felt so accomplished and empowered. A big motivator for going on the retreat was to prepare for the PCT— test my gear, test my limits, and hear firsthand experiences. I can confidently say that when I stepped on the PCT a month later, I was ready. I felt so grounded in myself and sure of my gear. It truly made all the difference! I am immensely grateful for the retreat!

Bridget says: Carrot’s trip was one of the best trips of my life. The Alaskan Arctic was absolutely beautiful in all directions at all times. Our group was so much fun to spend time with, and somehow it felt like the perfect balance between pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and learning new skills, while also being so lighthearted and chill. We lazily lunched on alpine passes, we dipped in every freezing water-hole we found, we conquered tough slopes and solved puzzles in our planned route, and we laughed the whole time. Would jump at the chance to do another trip like this again!

Louise says: I’m so glad I went on this hike with the group and with Carrot. It was my first time on a multi-day hiking trip and I felt warmly guided and supported all throughout. This part of Arizona is insanely beautiful and special, with views I’ve only seen in dreams before. Carrot was attentive, responsive, patient and caring all through our days on the trail together. They truly bring a special presence to the experience and are as inspiring as the landscape we were in. Our group of women hikers held a positive, mutually supportive and safe space for new hikers like myself. A month later I am still integrating the deep wisdom and beauty the land and elements imparted to me on this trip. I’m now confident in my abilities to keep myself safe and on-track on my own multi-day hiking and camping adventure.

Cyn says: I feel so lucky to have been able to hike with Carrot and four other fabulous people in Southern Utah. My goal for this trip was to get more confident in the back country without my much more experienced partner and this trip helped me achieve that. Carrot provided many learning opportunities and encouraged us to be responsible for ourselves while also providing guidance and support when needed. The route was fantastic – it was a new landscape each day with different adventures and challenges. And the pre-trip planning made preparing for the trail feel manageable. Lastly, what a special experience to get to hike with a group of women and trans/non-binary folks. It was like a gender-affirming adult summer camp. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Nina says: Backpacking in the desert with Carrot was chill and peaceful. She is a warm and inviting person to be around with her sweet demeanor. Carrot stays calm, cool, and collected when times in nature are not and still have fun in the process.

Christine says: I LOVED this trip. You can’t ask for a better guide than Carrot. I 10/10 recommend her to anyone who is interested in learning backpacking skills in a supportive and fun environment. I had only done one overnight trip before this one, but now feel ready to do much longer trips, and turn my dream of hiking the AZT into reality.

Hannah says: It didn’t surprise me that the group of people Carrot brought together were amazingly kind and warm people. As someone who already has backpacking experience, this trip still taught me new things, introduced me to a beautiful trail, allowed me to meet some wonderful people who I hope to hike with again and grow friendships with. It was a great opportunity to not only backpack somewhere beautiful, but also do it with some great folks!

Michelle says: This trip gave me a safe space to experiment with backpacking and get a feel for whether or not I want to take longer trips in the future. It was the perfect amount of time to test my body, my gear, and my mental fortitude in a supportive environment while the stakes didn’t feel super high.

Erin says: Carrot is a superlative guide. Our group—mostly seasoned thru-hikers—was in awe of Carrot’s resourcefulness, technical skills, tenacity, and trip management magic under unlikely and challenging circumstances. It was an incredibly instructive expedition planning experience. More than that, hiking with Carrot was a joy. Rain or shine, talus or tussock, musk ox or no musk ox, Carrot brought together great people to enjoy what felt like backpacking at its best.

Jina says: I’ve always wanted to backpack but the idea of doing it alone was overwhelming to even think about. After enjoying Carrot’s writing and books for years, I knew I had to go hiking with them on their retreat. Carrot created an atmosphere that was lighthearted, challenging, and incredibly all kinds of type 1 fun.

Diane says: So refreshing to learn about a technical endeavor without any chance of mansplaining. Carrot was a great resource for expertise when needed while never stripping away opportunities for us to figure out the little things on our own. I felt both safe and engagingly challenged. Plus she’s a great conversationalist which can make the miles fly.

Stephanie says: Even now I vacillate in terms of how traumatized I felt by this trip , but I really really am so glad I did it! It was really hard and in a way that I did not expect. I thought the weather would be challenging, but also manageable given that it was spring. I am really disappointed that I had so many issues with my feet and blisters and the heat, but glad I had the experience. Mostly my regrets are just about my own ability to acclimate which is also not my fault and I wish I could’ve enjoyed the company of the group more but it just took everything I had to complete the trip. I do appreciate how much I learned about backpacking and I do feel confident if I wanted to do something again on my own, which was my primary goal.

Katie says: I’ve been dreaming of the Brooks Range for years, but the unknown felt too intimidating to plan safely on my own—even as an experienced backpacker. Carrot, an Alaskan, created an environment that was both safe and fun, where I felt supported yet always capable of making decisions within our group. Although the trip was guided, it never felt restrictive. While I knew the terrain would be challenging, and the weather unknown, I admittedly never expected to have SO much fun. We spent our days laughing and singing over mountain passes, making silly stories, and being fully present with ourselves and each other.

One of the things I appreciated most was that Carrot doesn’t provide gear rentals or food services. It meant that each of us had to come prepared and truly dialed in, which made the whole experience more intentional. She gave me the skills and confidence not only to route plan in a completely new place, but also to stay flexible—rearranging the route in ways that felt approachable for our skill level while still adventurous.

This trip was a dream come true. For any backpacker or grand adventurer, I cannot recommend booking with Carrot enough.

Mina says: Carrot’s trip was all I had hoped for and then some. We hiked over slickrock uplands and passes, through canyons and, yes, in the creeks, an adventure in itself. So much geology, interesting plants, rock art. A bit of scrambling on creek banks and up and down rocks. Just the right amount of challenge. Interesting problems to work out–how are we going to reach that water source down in the pothole? Get past that water slide in the creek? Thread a route to that pass around the impassable pouroffs? Through it all, Carrot radiated an infectious joy, making even admittedly hard work feel like a kind of play. And Carrot and all our participants were so kind and accepting of one another. Plus, everyone had great stories!

Elisa says: I would highly recommend this trip for anyone interested in backpacking that feels overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to start in accessing entry level information to backpacking. The zoom calls before our trip covered gear, water, food planning and what backpacking app to use. I made reachable goals for conditioning my body before the trip so I felt strong and was less likely to get injured. I booked this trip without knowing anyone else and was a little nervous about that but I loved the tight, close community we formed and I feel like I have awesome lasting friendships with the other folks from my group. I appreciate Carrot’s openness and calmness. On our trip one of our hikers ended up getting sick with norovirus on the first night backpacking. Carrot was warm and calm and made sure they felt cared for and that everyones needs were met. It ended up being a good lesson for what to do in an emergency on a backpacking trip. In all, I would recommend this trip and hope I can join other trips in the future!

K says: Carrot does a great job helping you prepare for the trip, and the food you eat at the rental house is fantastic! I was a bit nervous before the trip since it was my first time backpacking, but Carrot is a kind, nonjudgmental, and genuine person and guide, so I felt comfortable and supported throughout the trip. I’m glad I challenged myself to join this trip, and I gained friends and confidence in the process. I definitely recommend signing up for one of Carrot’s trips!

Mere says: If you suspect that you might love backpacking but the idea of figuring it all out feels overwhelming, do not sleep on this guided trip. Carrot was unfailingly supportive, reassuring, encouraging, and incredibly generous with her knowledge. I learned so much just from talking with her for that first hour, after spending years spinning my wheels trying to jump-start my backpacking life on my own. She broke all the daunting planning down into manageable pieces, answered any and all questions and concerns, and helped us with practicing tent set-up and pack packing (while we got to eat KK’s *absolutely incredible* food and hang out with Danny the sweetest pup) – and then we got to hike through the breathtaking desert landscape! I loved hiking with a small group like this and I felt really safe knowing that Carrot was watching out for us – helping us tend our feet blisters and keeping an eye out for heat exhaustion, helping us get our tent set-ups just right, and keeping up our morale when the going got tough. Parts were physically challenging but I loved it – there is nothing like watching the sun rise over the desert where you are with the only people for many miles, and there are moments like that from this trip I genuinely will cherish forever. I’m so glad I did it because now I feel much, much more confident in my abilities to go out and do a longer trail on my own. So if you are nursing a secret wish to learn how to get out there yourself – this is it!!

Jen says: If you are even remotely thinking about going on a hiking trip/retreat with Carrot, stop dithering and sign up already! I learned so much about hiking and gear and built up enough confidence about thru hiking that I’m now planning a long trail for next year. Carrot is just as funny, warm, and thoughtful as they seem online and in their books. The other participants were beautiful people and I had an amazing time. I would love to do another hike with Carrot.

Jina says: Not only are Carrot’s hikes a great adventure but I also learn so much from her about gear, techniques, and navigating stresses in the wilderness. I don’t have the courage to do trips like this alone (yet!) so this gives me a great place to expand my horizons for future hikes.

Lyca says: Carrot was extremely chill and steady, and helped us stay calm when things went sideways. Unlike other wilderness skills classes I’ve been in, Carrot was engaged but open to our perspective, leaving us with the feeling that we had made choices together. Instead of feeling like everything was mediated for us by a guide, I walked away feeling very capable to hike, and plan for a hike. The time with other queer femmes was unlike any other space I’d been in, completely transformative and lovely, without being overbearing. Our course ruled and I would recommend it to anyone.

Marcela says: If you are someone who has a little voice in their head / heart telling you to Go Outside, but you’re nervous you might not have the skills / gear / confidence to do so — sign up for this trip! Carrot provides the ideal learning environment where you feel guided and safe, but also encouraged to figure things out yourself and gain some independence. I left this trip with new friends, more confidence in my outdoor skills and an eagerness to thru-hike! Truly can’t recommend this experience enough.

Dianna says: If there is a part of you feeling called to go on this trip, I say do it! I love to day hike, but before this trip I had very little backpacking experience. Now I feel confident about backpacking and am already planning my next adventure. Between the zoom calls and the trip itself, I learned so much about gear and how to use it, asked a million questions about thru-hiking and literally had the time of my life. Carrot and KK are such rad, warm and thoughtful people who make the whole experience feel really amazing.

Haley says: I feel very prepared and sure of myself in the backcountry after this trip. Carrot is so kind and knowledgeable, accommodating and understanding of others. I felt the culture and spirit of the Arizona trail shine alongside the sun, being surrounded by positive souls and fresh air in the magical desert.

Renai says: Carrot is a wonderful and patient guide. I feel like this trip was thoughtfully planned out and there was support from Carrot months prior to getting to Arizona. It was helpful to have space to ask questions about hiking in the desert, gear and food. Once we got to Arizona, we had plenty of time to come together as a group, get to know each other, write together, eat together and go over gear/food for the hike. It was a magical trip and just what I needed. I was able to tap back into my creative self, walk miles in the dirt in both silence and conversation. I was inspired by others in our small group, I learned from Carrot, I had individual and group experiences that have stuck with me after returning home. I am so grateful Carrot has carved out space for womxn and queers to be in nature together.

Rebecca says: Carrot is a skilled leader and teacher. She is easy-going and always good-humored but she also knows her stuff! I enjoyed learning more about route finding from her in large part because she is so good at leading through suggestion, questioning, and answering questions when we made mistakes. The route was fantastic, just challenging enough to push me but not so much that I felt like I was not going to keep up. The varied scenery, off-trail route-finding, and a marvelous group of fellow hikers made for a week I’ll never forget.

Cayce says: This was truly a gem of an experience shared with incredible community that I will hold close forever. Carrot offered so much support before and during the trip and thoughtfully guided us throughout the experience without taking over in any way. I was never made to feel silly for any and all questions ranging from poop to hiking-related medical issues to on-trail meal triumphs and disasters – it was always a fun and incredibly supportive environment all around. Aside from the practical knowledge acquired in terms of gear and logistics, I gained the confidence to plan + complete long-distance hikes and developed friendship with a group of extremely special people in the process. Thank you Carrot!

Julie says: Signing up for a guided trip with Carrot is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I’ve dreamed of long-distance hiking for a long time, and yet there were certain skills I didn’t have that prevented me from taking that leap sooner. Carrot helped me to bridge that gap and feel confident in doing a solo hike. Everyone on the trip was so easy-going, kind, funny, cute, and cool — making the experience so fun and meaningful.

Emily says: I think other folks from my trip are going to be more eloquent in saying what an awesome experience it was to go on your Arizona trip, however, I’ll do my best! Being a bit of an extroverted introvert who experiences social anxiety, I was more nervous about how I would do with people than I was about physically hiking. From the start, folks and you, and KK, were so friendly, welcoming, accepting, and wholly themselves that I felt comfortable, too. Superior is a quirky and beautiful place in Eastern Arizona. MJ’s house felt like an oasis and being in close quarters to the other group members helped kickstart getting to know each other. I had a few doubts in my head about hiking 14 miles a day for 3 days, so I was thrilled with my pace, my physical stamina, and how I felt after the trip was done. It felt sufficiently challenging (that last climb, anyone?). We had a gorgeous time to hike. Coming from the East Coast where it was cold, wet, and dark, and hiking through the warm, dry, starting to bloom Sonoran desert made a huge difference in my mental health. I learned so much from you, Carrot, and from the other folx on the trip. I’m not talking about just hiking, I mean about life and moving through the wilderness as a female identifying person in 2024. I want to do more desert hikes now. I’m also feeling solid about my plans to hike back home in the White Mountains. I used to feel scared about hiking alone, but now I know that I can hike alone and hike safely. Thank you!

Kai says: I had a great time on the Utah trip! Carrot made everything from gear to food very approachable and had great tips and suggestions when I did have questions. The vibes on the trail were so good and the hike was challenging but never pushed anyone beyond their limits – I always felt like we were very safe and where we were as a group was being taken into account to plan our mileage. I learned so much from the other hikers and Carrot and enjoyed the trip so much!

Megan says: I had such a wonderful time on Carrot’s Utah trip. The route was incredibly beautiful, and felt challenging in all the right ways. Carrot does a fantastic job of making sure that everyone feels safe, prepared, and capable. Truly a 10/10 experience.

Max says: Carrot made us a trip of rare and amazing beauty! She put together a group of really beautiful souls and took us to a really special place at a perfect time of year. When I had a trail accident, she and others heroically took care of me, hiking out with me and then all the way back in again. I would recommend Carrot as a guide for anyone, but on this trip I saw she is especially good at leading hikers relatively new to hiking. Carrot is rare mix of kindness, skill and teaching ability. Even though I couldn’t complete the hike, I can truthfully say I had a fantastic experience in a majestic place with some exceptionally dope people.

Meghan says: Carrot’s intermediate guided trip was phenomenal in every way. The route was fun, challenging, scenic, and provided opportunities for side quests. The small group size made it feel personable and we had a great group dynamic. I’m very familiar with backpacking, but the off-route navigation was new to me. Carrot has a laid back style of guiding which makes you feel supported and encouraged, and she’s endlessly patient. I felt like it was totally a safe space to be myself and I had so much fun!

Amy says: When I decided in July 2023 that I wanted to do a thru-hike of Vermont’s Long Trail (272 miles), I knew I’d have to learn a lot of skills to be successful. I’d never been backpacking before in my life, and I’m not the type to just buy a bunch of equipment and show up at a southern terminus and start walking. Plus, if I did that, my family (and my psychiatrist) would have been really freaked out.

But how to learn? I picked up a lot from books, and from going out on my own for a night or two at a time. But thru-hiking is a whole different beast from a couple of days here and there. I looked into various training programs, but I don’t do great in formal training environments, and I didn’t really feel like spending more time with dudes telling me what to do. I didn’t want a wilderness leadership training program or an AMC this or an REI that.

Then I saw that Carrot was leading a women+ writing retreat/backpacking trip in Arizona in February, and that she advertised the trip as a way to learn to thru-hike from a woman who’d hiked 10s of thousands of miles. I signed up.

Carrot met with me over zoom twice before the trip, to help me choose equipment, plan my menu, and get ready in every way for the trip. I was a little scared, since I’m older than the average thru-hiker (late 40s), and because I’m kind of a scaredy cat. (okay, I have some issues with anxiety. Also, I’m afraid of heights.)

This is getting wordy! But —  I can’t say enough good things about my experience on the backpacking trip. Carrot was so helpful beforehand, the trip was so well-planned, the desert was breathtaking. The other women on the trip were amazing humans I’m so blessed to know now, and doing something so hard with such cool people surrounded by such nature — was really extraordinary. KK, our basecamp chef, made incredible food for us all before and after we were out in the desert. The house we stayed in was comfortable and welcoming. KK’s dog was silly and wonderful.

Before we went into the desert, we had a couple days at the house to get to know each other and try out our equipment. Carrot looked at everything each of us had and advised us what we could leave behind to save weight. She showed us how she liked to pack her own pack. She helped us learn to pitch our shelters. (I had a brand-new single wall trekking pole tent I’d bought on her advice, but it was winter in Boston so I hadn’t had much chance to test it out yet.). She checked out the food we’d brought. She helped us figure out how to use our satellite messengers and how to use the navigation app.

On the trip itself, Carrot continued her same low-key style of guiding. If she saw someone struggling with something, she’d ask if we wanted help rather than jumping in and showing us The Right Way. She’d make suggestions if we wanted them, but she was also cool stepping back and letting us figure something out for ourselves. She often gave advice in the form of “I like to do x“ or “I find that y works best for me; but other people do a or b”. She never made anyone feel silly or slow or dumb. She answered every question we asked her, including of course the ubiquitous poop-related ones. Okay, not every question — invariably my “are we there yet papa smurf?” questions were answered with some variant of ‘you tell me’ — a chill way to make sure we were all building our navigational and planning skills.

“How far to the next water source?” she’d ask, and we’d look on the app. “So how much water do you want to carry?”

I hiked at the back of the pack for the entire time, usually about 20 minutes to half an hour behind the rest of the group. I especially appreciated how Carrot kept an eye out for me but, as with the rest of her guiding, in as low-key a way as possible. She never made me feel that I wasn’t going fast enough or that I was a burden because I was at the back of the group. Every so often I’d turn a bend and find her chilling in the shade of a saguaro, or see her across a canyon and wave at her, so I felt safe knowing she was keeping track of me, but it never felt overbearing or infantalizing. She always reassured me that my pace was just fine and that she could see I was making good choices for myself.

I learned so many little things from Carrot over the course of that trip: about the early signs of heat exhaustion (the Umbles), about how to pitch a tent on rock or sand, about how to travel with a group but also hike alone, about what can distract the mind from scary heights, and how to pick a good tent site. I learned so much too from the other women on that trip — we learned from each other. One woman had a brand new Jetboil stove she wasn’t sure yet how to use — I was so proud that I had a Jetboil I DID already know how to use — so I could help her.

On the third day out, I developed a couple blisters and a couple more hot spots. Carrot pulled out her bag of tape and taped my feet, explaining what she was doing as she went along. SHE TAPED MY GROSS, DIRTY, BLISTERED FEET. I was so grateful. The feeling was very like my experience with birth doulas.

Actually, that’s what a backpacking trip with Carrot feels like: like traveling with a backpacking doula. A doula knows you can do the thing and she’s there to help you through it while making sure YOU know you can do the thing too.

At the end of the trip, Carrot said I was “durable and competent” and I knew she meant it, and I FELT THAT WAY TOO. I know my upcoming thru-hike will be a difficult journey and that I have a lot more to learn, but I also know that I’m about as prepared as someone relatively new to backpacking could be. I took “durable and competent” back to my family and friends and that’s helped so much with THEIR anxiety for me, too.

I know I wouldn’t have learned as much or had so much fun in a more formal training environment, or, frankly, in a group with men. Carrot combines professionalism, warmth, respect, a light touch, deep experience, humor, and great planning to lead what I’m sure must be the best newbie “learn to thru-hike” backpacking trips on the planet.

PS. KK’s cooking rules.

Registration for these trips is now closed.

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Six days of eating, learning, and hiking in the beautiful low-elevation Sonoran desert!

By popular demand, I’m hosting another series of guided beginner backpacking trips in Arizona in February of 2026. These trips are great for people with no or minimal outdoors experience, who want to build the confidence to plan and execute backpacking trips of their own, and/or prep for a long distance trail like the PCT. Scroll to the bottom of this page for reviews from past participants!

These trips, like all my guided trips, are for women, trans and non-binary people.

There will two sessions, with five spots each-

Session one: 4pm on Monday, February 16 to 11am on Saturday, February 21

Session two: 4pm on Monday, February 23 to 11am on Saturday, February 28

Cost: $2,500 if you register by October 1st, 2025. The fee can be paid all at once or via payment plan ($250/month with the remainder due before the start of the trip). $3,000 after October 1st, 2025.

Registration for these trips is now closed.

I’ll send you a link to register within a few days of receiving your application.

Do you want to hike a long trail in the future, like the PCT of AT (or just go backpacking in a similar style, with light gear and confidence in trip planning/food/pacing/weather etc) but you feel overwhelmed by the idea of learning on your own? Then come learn with me and a small group of women, trans and non-binary people in Southern Arizona! You and I will spend two hours together on zoom in the months leading up to the trip- I’ll help you figure out your gear, food and navigation, and answer whatever questions you might have- and then in February the group of six of us will meet up at the Phoenix airport, and I’ll drive us to our rental house- we’ll spend an evening and a full day practicing our skills (setting up our shelters, packing our packs, using the navigational app on our phones etc) and also discuss our hiking itinerary- where we’ll camp, how far we’ll hike each day (about twelve miles) and where we’ll find water. We’ll also eat incredible meals, prepared by our chef Kelly Kate Warren. The morning of the third day we’ll set out for three days of backpacking- we’ll hike far enough each day to put our gear and bodies to the test, in order to learn and troubleshoot and grow, but not so far that we stop having fun. Along the way I’ll be there to help with whatever comes up. At the end of the third day we’ll be picked up at a trailhead and shuttled back to our rental house, where an incredible dinner awaits us. The next morning we’ll have breakfast and say our goodbyes, having made new friends, had an incredible time, and gained a lot of confidence about backpacking, and I’ll drive everyone back to the airport.

Who is this retreat for? This retreat is for women, trans and non-binary people who want to learn about backpacking in the style of long-distance hiking, either in hopes of completing a long trail in the future or just to feel more confident on shorter trips. You don’t need to have any outdoors experience to join this trip! (Although you will need to have a certain amount of walking/hiking fitness by the time the trip rolls around- I can help you figure out a training plan, if you’d like. And you’ll need lightweight gear- I have wonderful packs from Superior Wilderness Designs to loan out, but you may need to borrow or purchase other lightweight gear.

Note: there will be a dog at the rental house (Kelly Kate’s wire-hair terrier). He is extremely friendly, just something to take into account if you’re allergic.

Things we’ll cover before the trip in our zoom calls, and also practice in Arizona:

• What gear to bring
• Pitching your single wall shelter
• Choosing footwear
• Planning water carries in the desert
• Navigation
• Caring for your feet
• How much food to bring and what sort of food (including meals for dietary restrictions)
• How to schedule your hiking day
• How to pack your pack
• Shitting outside
• How to prevent and care for blisters
• How to prevent and care for chafe
• Keeping your gear dry in the rain and preventing hypothermia
• Keeping cool in the desert and preventing heat exhaustion
• Campsite selection
• What clothing to bring

And so much more.

What’s included:

• Lodging. Lodging when we’re in town is in a rental house with a mix of rooms with single beds and rooms with more than one bed.
• A ride to and from the Phoenix airport and our rental house.
• All meals while we’re in town: dinner the night we arrive, three meals the next day, breakfast the morning we depart for hiking, dinner the night we return to our rental house and breakfast the following morning. Snacks, coffee and tea will always be available. Meals will be tailored to the group’s dietary restrictions. You are responsible for your hiking meals and snacks (and I can help you plan those).
• A shuttle to the starting trailhead plus a ride from the ending trailhead back to town.
• Two hours of one-on-one zoom coaching with me before the retreat.

You are responsible for:

• Your food for the three days we’re on trail
• Your airfare in and out of Phoenix
• Your gear. I ask that participants get their baseweight (everything they’re carrying except food, water and fuel) down to 15lbs or less, for injury prevention (we can build your gear list together)- I do have lightweight packs to loan out, but you might also need to buy or borrow some gear.
• A garmin inreach (each hiker is required to carry one of these)
• The paid version of the app we’ll use to navigate (it costs $20)

There will be two sessions:

Session one: 4pm on Monday, February 16 to 11am on Saturday, February 21

Session two: 4pm on Monday, February 23 to 11am on Saturday, February 28

There are five spots in each session.

Cost: $2,500 if you register by October 1st, 2025. The fee can be paid all at once or via payment plan ($250/month with the remainder due before the start of the trip). $3,000 after October 1st, 2025.

Registration for these trips is now closed.

Refund policy: I cannot offer refunds, unfortunately, although if you cancel I’ll stop payments on your payment plan and you won’t owe the remainder. To protect the full amount, I suggest purchasing trip insurance to cover the cost of your trip should you have to cancel due to illness or emergency.

Meet our chef:

Kelly Kate Warren has been working in the wilderness for 10 years, as a trail worker, ranger, fisheries technician, mule packer, guide, and backcountry cook. Her greatest love is backcountry cooking – she gets to throw a dinner party for hungry wilderness workers every night, and she loves the creative problem solving involved in feeding folks in the backcountry. People do not expect to eat pho or a rainbow beet salad in the wilderness, let alone vegan cheesecake or baklava or ravioli from scratch, and creating memorable meals is Kelly Kate’s favorite way to make the wilderness feel welcoming and comfortable. When she’s not cooking she’s writing, walking her dog, and exploring wild lands. I am SO EXCITED that Kelly Kate will be cooking for us when we’re in town, the meals she makes will definitely be one of the highlights of this trip!

FAQ:

I don’t have any outdoors experience at all, although I do walk a lot. Is this trip for me? This trip is perfect for you! The only prerequisite is a certain amount of walking fitness by the time February rolls around- I can help you with the rest!

Where is the closest airport to the rental house? Phoenix, Arizona.

I’m gluten intolerant and vegan. Will there be food for me? Yes! The incredible meals our chef prepares while we’re in town will have options for everyone’s dietary restrictions.

Do you offer refunds if I change my mind? I cannot offer refunds, unfortunately, although if you cancel I’ll stop payments on your payment plan and you won’t owe the remainder. To protect the full amount, I suggest purchasing trip insurance to cover the cost of your trip should you have to cancel due to illness or emergency.

Will Kelly Kate be cooking our meals while we’re backpacking too? Unfortunately, no. You are responsible for the three days of food you’ll need for the backpacking part of the trip. I can help you plan your meals during our zoom calls, if you’d like!

How will I get from the Phoenix airport to the retreat? I’ll pick you up from the airport!

What will the sleeping arrangements be? There will be a mix of rooms with single beds and rooms with more than one bed. As a group, you’ll decide who sleeps where.

How many people will be on this trip? There will be five people in each session, plus me and our chef.

When does the trip start and end? The trips starts at 4pm on the first day and ends at 11 am on the last day.

How much does this cost? $2500

How will we get to the trailhead, and back to the house once we’re finished? A shuttle.

How far will we hike each day? About twelve miles, with about two thousand feet of elevation gain each day.

What will our longest water carry be? Eleven miles. And we’ll camp at water each night.

I’m not sure what to bring on this trip. Don’t stress! We can go over that in our two hours of zoom calls.

I think I might lowkey hate my gear. This is a good opportunity for you to try out new gear, with support!

What weather can I expect on this trip? In February, the low elevation Sonoran desert can freeze at night and days can be hot; we’ll be prepared for temperatures from freezing to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and for bright sun as well as occasional rain.

I’m nervous about heat exhaustion/snakes/desert hiking in general. We’ll go over everything in our zoom calls to build your confidence and on the trip I’ll make sure you stay safe (and don’t get dehydrated or too hot!)

About me:

My name is Carrot Quinn. I’ve hiked eleven thousand miles, including from Mexico to Canada three times. I lead guided backpacking trips in Southern Arizona, Southern Utah and Alaska’s Brooks Range. I LOVE sharing my love of outdoors with other people. I also have my Wilderness First Responder certification.

Some testimonials from the participants of previous Arizona guided beginner backpacking trips:

Lyca says: Carrot was extremely chill and steady, and helped us stay calm when things went sideways. Unlike other wilderness skills classes I’ve been in, Carrot was engaged but open to our perspective, leaving us with the feeling that we had made choices together. Instead of feeling like everything was mediated for us by a guide, I walked away feeling very capable to hike, and plan for a hike. The time with other queer femmes was unlike any other space I’d been in, completely transformative and lovely, without being overbearing. Our course ruled and I would recommend it to anyone.

Mere says: If you suspect that you might love backpacking but the idea of figuring it all out feels overwhelming, do not sleep on this guided trip. Carrot was unfailingly supportive, reassuring, encouraging, and incredibly generous with her knowledge. I learned so much just from talking with her for that first hour, after spending years spinning my wheels trying to jump-start my backpacking life on my own. She broke all the daunting planning down into manageable pieces, answered any and all questions and concerns, and helped us with practicing tent set-up and pack packing (while we got to eat KK’s absolutely incredible food and hang out with Danny the sweetest pup) – and then we got to hike through the breathtaking desert landscape! I loved hiking with a small group like this and I felt really safe knowing that Carrot was watching out for us – helping us tend our feet blisters and keeping an eye out for heat exhaustion, helping us get our tent set-ups just right, and keeping up our morale when the going got tough. Parts were physically challenging but I loved it – there is nothing like watching the sun rise over the desert where you are with the only people for many miles, and there are moments like that from this trip I genuinely will cherish forever. I’m so glad I did it because now I feel much, much more confident in my abilities to go out and do a longer trail on my own. So if you are nursing a secret wish to learn how to get out there yourself – this is it!!

Diane says: So refreshing to learn about a technical endeavor without any chance of mansplaining. Carrot was a great resource for expertise when needed while never stripping away opportunities for us to figure out the little things on our own. I felt both safe and engagingly challenged. Plus she’s a great conversationalist which can make the miles fly.

Stephanie says: As a first-time backpacker and new-ish hiker, I thought it would be prudent to try out a group trip to learn before I ventured off by myself. This turned out to be a great adventure and opportunity to experience the Arizona desert with a group of folks who also hadn’t done it before. There was adequate opportunity to meet with Carrot in preparation for the trip. Hiking with a group of queer hikers felt like an inclusive and Safe way to try out something new. Although the desert and I will never be best friends, the night sky was breathtaking and worth the trip! I highly recommend one of Carrot’s trips!

Elisa says: I would highly recommend this trip for anyone interested in backpacking that feels overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to start in accessing entry level information to backpacking. The zoom calls before our trip covered gear, water, food planning and what backpacking app to use. I made reachable goals for conditioning my body before the trip so I felt strong and was less likely to get injured. I booked this trip without knowing anyone else and was a little nervous about that but I loved the tight, close community we formed and I feel like I have awesome lasting friendships with the other folks from my group.

I appreciate Carrot’s openness and calmness. On our trip one of our hikers ended up getting sick with norovirus on the first night backpacking. Carrot was warm and calm and made sure they felt cared for and that everyones needs were met. It ended up being a good lesson for what to do in an emergency on a backpacking trip. In all, I would recommend this trip and hope I can join other trips in the future!

K says: Carrot does a great job helping you prepare for the trip, and the food you eat at the rental house is fantastic! I was a bit nervous before the trip since it was my first time backpacking, but Carrot is a kind, nonjudgmental, and genuine person and guide, so I felt comfortable and supported throughout the trip. I’m glad I challenged myself to join this trip, and I gained friends and confidence in the process. I definitely recommend signing up for one of Carrot’s trips!

Amy says– When I decided in July 2023 that I wanted to do a thru-hike of Vermont’s Long Trail (272 miles), I knew I’d have to learn a lot of skills to be successful. I’d never been backpacking before in my life, and I’m not the type to just buy a bunch of equipment and show up at a southern terminus and start walking. Plus, if I did that, my family (and my psychiatrist) would have been really freaked out.

But how to learn? I picked up a lot from books, and from going out on my own for a night or two at a time. But thru-hiking is a whole different beast from a couple of days here and there. I looked into various training programs, but I don’t do great in formal training environments, and I didn’t really feel like spending more time with dudes telling me what to do. I didn’t want a wilderness leadership training program or an AMC this or an REI that.

Then I saw that Carrot was leading a women+ writing retreat/backpacking trip in Arizona in February, and that she advertised the trip as a way to learn to thru-hike from a woman who’d hiked 10s of thousands of miles. I signed up.

Carrot met with me over zoom twice before the trip, to help me choose equipment, plan my menu, and get ready in every way for the trip. I was a little scared, since I’m older than the average thru-hiker (late 40s), and because I’m kind of a scaredy cat. (okay, I have some issues with anxiety. Also, I’m afraid of heights.)

This is getting wordy! But —  I can’t say enough good things about my experience on the backpacking trip. Carrot was so helpful beforehand, the trip was so well-planned, the desert was breathtaking. The other women on the trip were amazing humans I’m so blessed to know now, and doing something so hard with such cool people surrounded by such nature — was really extraordinary. KK, our basecamp chef, made incredible food for us all before and after we were out in the desert. The house we stayed in was comfortable and welcoming. KK’s dog was silly and wonderful.

Before we went into the desert, we had a couple days at the house to get to know each other and try out our equipment. Carrot looked at everything each of us had and advised us what we could leave behind to save weight. She showed us how she liked to pack her own pack. She helped us learn to pitch our shelters. (I had a brand-new single wall trekking pole tent I’d bought on her advice, but it was winter in Boston so I hadn’t had much chance to test it out yet.). She checked out the food we’d brought. She helped us figure out how to use our satellite messengers and how to use the navigation app.

On the trip itself, Carrot continued her same low-key style of guiding. If she saw someone struggling with something, she’d ask if we wanted help rather than jumping in and showing us The Right Way. She’d make suggestions if we wanted them, but she was also cool stepping back and letting us figure something out for ourselves. She often gave advice in the form of “I like to do x“ or “I find that y works best for me; but other people do a or b”. She never made anyone feel silly or slow or dumb. She answered every question we asked her, including of course the ubiquitous poop-related ones. Okay, not every question — invariably my “are we there yet papa smurf?” questions were answered with some variant of ‘you tell me’ — a chill way to make sure we were all building our navigational and planning skills.

“How far to the next water source?” she’d ask, and we’d look on the app. “So how much water do you want to carry?”

I hiked at the back of the pack for the entire time, usually about 20 minutes to half an hour behind the rest of the group. I especially appreciated how Carrot kept an eye out for me but, as with the rest of her guiding, in as low-key a way as possible. She never made me feel that I wasn’t going fast enough or that I was a burden because I was at the back of the group. Every so often I’d turn a bend and find her chilling in the shade of a saguaro, or see her across a canyon and wave at her, so I felt safe knowing she was keeping track of me, but it never felt overbearing or infantalizing. She always reassured me that my pace was just fine and that she could see I was making good choices for myself.

I learned so many little things from Carrot over the course of that trip: about the early signs of heat exhaustion (the Umbles), about how to pitch a tent on rock or sand, about how to travel with a group but also hike alone, about what can distract the mind from scary heights, and how to pick a good tent site. I learned so much too from the other women on that trip — we learned from each other. One woman had a brand new Jetboil stove she wasn’t sure yet how to use — I was so proud that I had a Jetboil I DID already know how to use — so I could help her.

On the third day out, I developed a couple blisters and a couple more hot spots. Carrot pulled out her bag of tape and taped my feet, explaining what she was doing as she went along. SHE TAPED MY GROSS, DIRTY, BLISTERED FEET. I was so grateful. The feeling was very like my experience with birth doulas.

Actually, that’s what a backpacking trip with Carrot feels like: like traveling with a backpacking doula. A doula knows you can do the thing and she’s there to help you through it while making sure YOU know you can do the thing too.

At the end of the trip, Carrot said I was “durable and competent” and I knew she meant it, and I FELT THAT WAY TOO. I know my upcoming thru-hike will be a difficult journey and that I have a lot more to learn, but I also know that I’m about as prepared as someone relatively new to backpacking could be. I took “durable and competent” back to my family and friends and that’s helped so much with THEIR anxiety for me, too.

I know I wouldn’t have learned as much or had so much fun in a more formal training environment, or, frankly, in a group with men. Carrot combines professionalism, warmth, respect, a light touch, deep experience, humor, and great planning to lead what I’m sure must be the best newbie “learn to thru-hike” backpacking trips on the planet.

PS. KK’s cooking rules.

Cayce says- This was truly a gem of an experience shared with incredible community that I will hold close forever. Carrot offered so much support before and during the trip and thoughtfully guided us throughout the experience without taking over in any way. I was never made to feel silly for any and all questions ranging from poop to hiking-related medical issues to on-trail meal triumphs and disasters – it was always a fun and incredibly supportive environment all around. Aside from the practical knowledge acquired in terms of gear and logistics, I gained the confidence to plan + complete long-distance hikes and developed friendship with a group of extremely special people in the process. Thank you Carrot!

Megan says- Carrot is a wonderful and patient guide. I feel like this trip was thoughtfully planned out and there was support from Carrot months prior to getting to Arizona. It was helpful to have space to ask questions about hiking in the desert, gear and food. Once we got to Arizona, we had plenty of time to come together as a group, get to know each other, write together, eat together and go over gear/food for the hike. It was a magical trip and just what I needed. I was able to tap back into my creative self, walk miles in the dirt in both silence and conversation. I was inspired by others in our small group, I learned from Carrot, I had individual and group experiences that have stuck with me after returning home. I am so grateful Carrot has carved out space for womxn and queers to be in nature together.

Haley says- I feel very prepared and sure of myself in the backcountry after this trip. Carrot is so kind and knowledgeable, accommodating and understanding of others. I felt the culture and spirit of the Arizona trail shine alongside the sun, being surrounded by positive souls and fresh air in the magical desert.

Dianna says- If there is a part of you feeling called to go on this trip, I say do it! I love to day hike, but before this trip I had very little backpacking experience. Now I feel confident about backpacking and am already planning my next adventure. Between the zoom calls and the trip itself, I learned so much about gear and how to use it, asked a million questions about thru-hiking and literally had the time of my life. Carrot and KK are such rad, warm and thoughtful people who make the whole experience feel really amazing.

Marcela says- If you are someone who has a little voice in their head / heart telling you to Go Outside, but you’re nervous you might not have the skills / gear / confidence to do so — sign up for this trip! Carrot provides the ideal learning environment where you feel guided and safe, but also encouraged to figure things out yourself and gain some independence. I left this trip with new friends, more confidence in my outdoor skills and an eagerness to thru-hike! Truly can’t recommend this experience enough.

Julie says- Signing up for a guided trip with Carrot is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I’ve dreamed of long-distance hiking for a long time, and yet there were certain skills I didn’t have that prevented me from taking that leap sooner. Carrot helped me to bridge that gap and feel confident in doing a solo hike. Everyone on the trip was so easy-going, kind, funny, cute, and cool — making the experience so fun and meaningful.

You can also email me with any questions at carrotquinn4@gmail.com. I hope to see you in the desert!

On Amazon, here– paperback and ebook editions are available, audiobook will be available at some point. If you pre-ordered via the kickstarter you’ll get your ebooks via email this week, paper books will arrive by the end of January.

When I first started writing BETS four years ago, all I cared about was the plot. I was new to fiction and having a lot of fun creating a compelling plot! A near-future collapsing city, a young person on a stolen bicycle with a small dog riding across the arid, abandoned western United States, looking for friends. Where will she find water? What happens when she runs out of food or gets injured? What if her love interests prove to be nefarious? Two years and several drafts in the plot was good, but the story felt anemic- it was missing something, and I couldn’t figure out what. Then I read that, when writing fiction, plot is great and all but the most important thing for us to figure out, as writers, is what our characters want. Our characters’ hopes and dreams and fears are what make a story real, and everything else springs from that- that’s what drives the story forward. Not the plot.

I’d never sat down and tried to figure out what my characters actually wanted- why was Bets willing to risk death to ride her bike into the great unknown? Why was her love interest Georgia so avoidant- what parts of herself was she afraid of sharing with the world? What did Jane, Bets’ mother, have to gain from organizing such a massive prison break? I did some visioning (thinking really hard about it on dog walks) until I had my answers and then everything fell into place, like a line of dominoes- I not only knew what parts of the story I needed to change to make it work but I knew what the plot twist would be and I started crying on my dog walk when I put that final piece together because it was the kind of plot twist I would want to read in a book, the kind that punches you right in the heart and I’d never written a plot twist before and it felt so amazing and lowkey magical to just make one from scratch, to be able to contribute to the literary world in that way.

To be honest, I think the first half of the book is kind of cringe but it’s OK, I did my best and as I keep writing fiction I’ll get better. The second half of the book though- the second half is perfect. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever written. I still cry when I re-read it. And if one half of the book is gonna be superior it makes the most sense to have it be the second half, amirite?

What I always aim for, when writing books, is to provide escape for my reader- so I hope that BETS, if nothing else, gives you that. I hope it lifts you out of your world for a little while and drops you into Bets’- you’re looking for water in the sonoran desert, wearing a faded flower-print dress crusted with salt- your hair is tangled and your skin is chafed, you and the dog finished your last bit of millet gruel this morning, and you’re down to half a liter of water- you’re worried but then you feel the air change and you know that water is close, that you’ll find it in this rocky wash after all, that this most basic need will be met and that at least for a little while, everything will be right again. The day will cool into night and the stars will come on and you’ll sleep, the dog like a hot water bottle in your sleeping bag, and you’ll dream of your mother who you know is somewhere out here in this empty desert too, under this very same moon.

BETS is only available on Amazon for now- I know Amazon is evil! They are also currently the only publisher/distributor giving independent authors a fair cut of sales- they actually pay independent authors really well. It’s probably part of their world-domination strategy- undercut other publishers, who have been giving authors a very bad deal for a long time now, as a way to continue to undermine them, until the slow collapse of the biggest dinosaur publishers is complete and Amazon controls the book market completely- at which point they will probably stop offering authors such a fair deal. But for now, if you actually want to get paid fairly for your books, distributing them through Amazon is unfortunately the best way to go. So here we are! (Also, if you do read the book, please leave me a review on amazon- the more reviews a book has, the more visible it is in amazon’s algorithms.)

Two more things! There are just a few spots left in my February beginner backpacking guided trips, and I’ve discounted them heavily- they’re $500 off! Deets are here. And I’ve opened applications for my summer 2025 Brooks Range guided trips in Alaska– these are going to be amazing, and I’ve made a few changes to this years’ trips. Deets and the application are here.

More soon,

Carrot

For the last four years I’ve been working on a route in the Chugach (pronounced chew-gash) mountains outside Anchorage, Alaska. Here it is at last, for public consumption- maybe you want to hike it?! (All photos are from the route.)

The Chugach Crowberry Traverse

Pioneer Ridge Trailhead to Bird Ridge Trailhead/Knik River to Turnagain Arm, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

77 Miles

29,925 feet of elevation gain

388 feet of elevation change per mile

The map for this route is here.

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Endless alpine tundra! Trails built by sheep! Ridgewalking for miles! The floor is berries! No packraft required. Very little bushwhacking. Close to Anchorage (a major airport). What could be better?

If you like steep climbs, wide open landscapes, apex predators and the smell of Labrador tea, if vert and tundra naps are the things that make your life worth living, the Chugach Crowberry Traverse might be for you!

I made this route using a combination of trip reports I found online, old maps, the advice of friends who know the area, the slope angle shading layer of caltopo, the public tracks layer on gaia, and my own exploration on foot. I’ve hiked all parts of the route at least twice (and some parts four times). This route is on Dena’ina land. They are the original holders of all of this knowledge; which passes go, the best valleys for walking, etc.

I like hiking this route southbound, so that’s the way the miles on the map are set up. You can hike it the other way if you want, I don’t see any reason why not.

Best time of year to hike: July. Possibly as early as mid June, if enough of the snow on the ridges is gone, and possibly August if you can get a clear weather window (August is a fall month in Alaska, unfortunately, so that’s when the Cold Rains of Autumn often begin- I would not do this hike if the forecast calls for rain every day, it’s cold on the ridges when it’s raining [aka hypothermia edgeplay] and also visibility is important for navigation). As far as waiting for the snow to recede in June, you can use the Sentinal Weekly satellite layer on caltopo to check current snow levels (it’s updated weekly).

What temperature range can I expect in these mountains in summer? Nights can freeze, during the day it’s usually at least partly cloudy and no hotter than 65 degrees, occasionally it gets up to 70 (that’s considered a heat wave). If it rains during the day the temperature can plummet to 40 degrees.

What’s the walking like? Above treeline (like 2,000 feet?) the walking is generally very good, if also very steep. It’s a mix of scree, crispy tundra, and softer tundra (lowbush blueberries, crowberries, etc.) To get above treeline the route uses built trails and use trails, so you don’t have to flail through jungle gyms of alder.

The best walking on the whole route is reindeer lichen! When you’re climbing a slope and you see a patch of this whitish lichen- go towards it! It’s so crispy and wonderful. It looks like this:

Daily mileage: I’m an exactly average long-distance hiker- I’ve completed every long-distance hike I’ve ever done at the average pace (the PCT in 5 months, which is the average time it takes to do that hike, the CDT in 5 months, the Hayduke in 2 months, the AZT in 6 weeks, etc). 10 miles a day is the most I can do on the Crowberry Traverse without feeling like my achilles is going to snap. The Chugach mountains are steep– for example, the first nine miles of this route (headed south) has 7,400 feet of elevation gain! That being said, if you’ve hiked any of the long trails I have but at a faster pace (or if you’re an ultra runner), you might enjoy doing more miles than me each day. If you’ve hiked the trails I have but at a slower pace, you might enjoy fewer miles.

Navigation: Most of this route is cross-country. You’ll be above treeline much of the time, though, in the alpine tundra where views are endless and navigating is a simple joy. As long as you download the route to your caltopo app as well as the background maps (I’ll tell you how to do this at the bottom of this page) and have a way to keep your phone charged, you shouldn’t have a problem. (I do not recommend using the Gaia app for this hike. The slope-angle shading layer in the Caltopo app is really useful should you need to bail off a ridge due to weather- while the Gaia app does have a slope-angle shading layer of sorts, it’s subpar and not actually usable, in my opinion.) You can also print paper maps (instructions at the bottom). You can screenshot these notes to have them as well.

Resupply: There are two potential resupply spots on this route-

• Eklutna Lake, at mile 18. There’s a campground with bearboxes, water and pit toilets. You could have someone drive in a resupply and meet you. There is no cell reception.
• Eagle River Nature Center, at mile 39.5. Another spot a friend could meet you with a resupply. There are picnic tables, water and pit toilets, and there is a designated camping area (with space for tons of tents) with bearboxes just a little ways up the Crow Pass Trail. The campground must be reserved in advance online. There’s no cell reception at Eagle River Nature Center.

Bailing: both these resupply spots are good places to get a ride back to town, if you need to. There’s a good amount of traffic and you could hitch. I also added side trails that you can use to bail if needed.

Water: all of the blue lines on the base map have water, except for when they’re close to the ridges- the ridges are completely dry, with the occasional snowpatch. I’ve made waypoints for two snowpatches that are (usually) there on Pioneer ridge, in the first 12 miles. If these are gone, you might have to leave this ridge to find water (the lower blue lines, in the drainages, will have it).

Exposure: There’s nowhere on this route where you could easily fall to your death, but there are many places where you could break a leg if you don’t step carefully. Several of the passes are steep, loose scree and rock, and there are many sheep trails that contour along high, steep slopes. If you like cross-country routes with some exposure like the Sierra High Route, the Kings Canyon High Basin Route, the Wind River High Route or the Hayduke, then you’ll feel comfortable on this route. If that level of exposure ruins the fun for you, then you might not like this route.

Bushwhacking: I did a damn good job of keeping the alders to a minimum on this route (pats self on back). There is brush on occasion, but nothing soul-crushing- the last bit of the descent down to Peter’s creek around mile 27 is brushy forest and a bit slow but not overly demoralizing. The Crow Pass trail some miles after leaving Eagle River Nature Center is reliably brushy and overgrown- while there is a built trail that you can feel with your feet, you’ll be walking through head-high grass and nettles- but there’s not much to be done about that. The north fork of the Ship Creek Valley (which starts at mile 60) has potential for bad brush if you don’t stay high on the south side, but if you do it’s chill.

Reception: most of the ridges have cell reception. None of the drainages do.

Water crossings: Even at normal levels, it’s important to know safe river crossing techniques to cross Peter’s Creek (mile 29.3) and the Eagle River (just before mile 51). Thunderbird creek at mile 21.5 can sometimes also be a bit high. This is the best crossing technique– everyone faces upstream in a line with the tallest person in front. The front person leans forwards on their poles and the person behind them holds their pack and leans forward onto them, pushing them forward onto the weight of their poles. The person in back places their feet behind the front person’s feet, and steps with them, always keeping their feet behind theirs. This way, the force of the back person’s lean stabilizes the front person on their poles, and the wake of the front person’s legs breaks the force of the river for the back person. The front person calls out each time they take a step, so that the back person can stay in their wake and step with them. The video does a good job of emphasizing the lean, and you can see what a deep river this group is able to cross with this technique. If you don’t already know this technique, please practice before you go. I’ve marked a good spot to cross Peter’s Creek on the map, where there are two braids in the river. If the Eagle River is too high when you get to it, you can camp and cross in the morning when it’s lower. There are usually lots of people on that trail (the Crow Pass trail) to tell you how the crossing is, and they should know at Eagle River Nature Center (mile 39.5) as well. In early season, both rivers may be too high to cross. If so, you can bail on the Peter’s Creek trail (marked on the map) or on the road to the Eagle River Nature Center.

Bears: There are many grizzlies in the Chugach Mountains, as well as black bears. Grizzlies are not dangerous at a distance when you’re above treeline- you can give them a wide berth, and they’ll almost always run away once they realize that you’re human. Luckily, much of this route is above treeline, but there are times when it’s in the trees or in brush. If you surprise a grizzly at close range, they can think you’re challenging them to a fight, and can charge you. The black bears can be dangerous in close quarters if they have cubs with them. When you’re in the trees or brush on this route it’s important to make lots of noise and keep your bearspray super handy. The question I ask myself is- “could I access my bearspray is one second?” I keep mine in a holder on the hipbelt of my pack (when I’m running I hold it in my hand). If a grizzly comes towards you, hold your ground and talk to it loudly. Usually the bear is just trying to figure out what you are, and will turn and run once it smells you (this has happened to me a couple times). If a grizzly attacks you, curl up like a shrimp and play dead. If a black bear attacks you, fight back. For food protection I carry an ursack, and at night I put it away from my tent. Although bears are a real danger, the number of attacks in this area vs. the number of people recreating is super low, meaning that it’s highly statistically unlikely you’ll be attacked (you probably will see a bear at a distance though. Or five or six…)

Falling Water Valley Access: Falling Water Valley (mile 33)(adjacent to Ram Valley, which you may have already heard of if you live in this area) is commonly accessed from the neighborhood to the south. The people in that neighborhood decided they didn’t like the traffic of people hiking to these valleys, and they declared the access trail, which is an easement through private land, to be closed. This is currently a hotly contested issue which will hopefully be resolved soon. The CCT accesses Falling Water Valley from the north, from Peter’s Creek. That being said, you still have to walk out of Falling Water Valley via the currently contested easement trail, to continue on the route south. If you’re just walking out, and not parking your vehicle in that neighborhood, it might be a non-issue- I’m not sure. I recommend doing your own research ahead of your hike, because the details are changing all the time.

How to use the map: There’s a line for the main route and several lines for alternate exit/entrance routes. To see an elevation profile, click the line and then click “profile”. Along the way, there are waypoints with extra info- click on these waypoints to read the info. For background layers, I use either the “scanned topos” (USGS topos) or “mapbuilder topo” layers in caltopo. I recommend downloading both of these background layers onto the app for your hike, because they both have good information. I also use the slope angle shading layer- this is clutch for finding passes, climbs and descents that go, if you plan to leave the route at all. With slope angle shading, the different colors denote the angle of the slope. In general, white and yellow are chill for walking (not necessarily flat, but not steep enough to be sketchy), orange is more steep, red should be avoided unless you know for sure that it goes, and purple should be avoided always. While you’re on the route it’s fun to compare what you see/what you’re walking on to the colors on slope angle shading- this will help you get a feel for how the colors correspond to your actual experience of walking.

How to download the map to the caltopo app on your phone, for navigation while in airplane mode:

(I do not recommend using the Gaia app for this hike. The slope-angle shading layer in the Caltopo app is really useful should you need to bail off a ridge due to weather- while the Gaia app does have a slope-angle shading layer of sorts, it’s subpar and not actually usable, in my opinion.)

-You’ll need to download the caltopo app to your phone, buy the paid version, create a caltopo account and log into the app on your phone.

-Open the page you’re reading right now on your phone’s internet browser, and tap this link: https://caltopo.com/m/12GR .

-If you’re logged in to your caltopo app, the link should open the map on your caltopo app. If the map doesn’t open in your caltopo app, make sure you’ve completed the first step.

-Once you have the map open in the caltopo app, click the hamburger in the upper left-hand corner:

-Select “download layers”

-The app will place yellow boxes where it thinks you need coverage. If parts of the route are outside the yellow boxes, tap those quadrants to create a yellow box, and un-select yellow boxes for areas that you don’t need. Click the “download” icon in the upper right corner.

-Select MapBuilder Topo and Scanned Topos (so you have both, although just one is fine if you’re trying to save space), select “high” resolution, scroll down and click “download”.

-Once your maps have finished downloading, you can put your phone in airplane mode and zoom in to make sure the finer details of the maps are there. You can switch between “scanned topos” and “mapbuilder topo” by tapping the layers icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

You can also print maps of this route from caltopo on desktop. Open the map on your computer browser- https://caltopo.com/m/12GR

-Use the menu on the right to choose the background layers you want for your printed maps. For this route, I would choose “scanned topos”, shaded relief at 30%, and slope angle shading. When you’re ready, click the little printer icon (circled in red)

-This will open the map in a separate window, and give you this red box. Use the dot in the middle of the box to move it, and the corners to make it smaller or larger. Drag the box over a small section of the start of the route, and then use “add page” (circled in red) to add another red box, and place that over another small section of the route. You can also switch between portrait and landscape orientation.

-Keep adding boxes until all the route is covered. Now your map looks like this (you probably need more boxes, covering smaller areas, than this to have good detail on your map, but this is just an example):

-When you’re satisfied with your boxes, click “generate PDF” on the lower left side of the screen, and caltopo will produce a beautiful PDF for you to download and print:

If you have any questions about this hike you can email me at carrotquinn4@gmail.com . If you do the hike and want to send me beta, please do! And have fun out there in the crowberry!!

Dear reader- I have not posted on this blog in a bloggy way in a long time. That’s because I’ve been writing weekly for my newsletter here– you should definitely subscribe if you don’t want to miss any of those. My newsletters have been about my life in Alaska, the daily wonders and horrors of embodiment, the speculative fiction novel I’ve been working on for the past three years, and my guided backpacking trips. I started a backpacking guiding business! I have an LLC, general liability insurance, commercial permits, a bookkeeper, and I got my Wilderness First Responder certification. I didn’t mean to start a business, I just needed another job and then next thing I knew (after months of research and paperwork), here I was- and it’s been so awesome so far! I take women, trans and non-binary people backpacking, both on beginner trips where I help you build your gear list and menu with the goal of preparing you to thru-hike a long trail on your own in the future, and more advanced trips where I teach you how to make routes in caltopo, we make a route together in the Alaskan Arctic, and then we hike it!

My February beginner trips were fantastic– here are a few reviews from participants:

Cayce says- This was truly a gem of an experience shared with incredible community that I will hold close forever. Carrot offered so much support before and during the trip and thoughtfully guided us throughout the experience without taking over in any way. I was never made to feel silly for any and all questions ranging from poop to hiking-related medical issues to on-trail meal triumphs and disasters – it was always a fun and incredibly supportive environment all around. Aside from the practical knowledge acquired in terms of gear and logistics, I gained the confidence to plan + complete long-distance hikes and developed friendship with a group of extremely special people in the process. Thank you Carrot!

Megan says- Carrot is a wonderful and patient guide. I feel like this trip was thoughtfully planned out and there was support from Carrot months prior to getting to Arizona. It was helpful to have space to ask questions about hiking in the desert, gear and food. Once we got to Arizona, we had plenty of time to come together as a group, get to know each other, write together, eat together and go over gear/food for the hike. It was a magical trip and just what I needed. I was able to tap back into my creative self, walk miles in the dirt in both silence and conversation. I was inspired by others in our small group, I learned from Carrot, I had individual and group experiences that have stuck with me after returning home. I am so grateful Carrot has carved out space for womxn and queers to be in nature together.

Haley says- I feel very prepared and sure of myself in the backcountry after this trip. Carrot is so kind and knowledgeable, accommodating and understanding of others. I felt the culture and spirit of the Arizona trail shine alongside the sun, being surrounded by positive souls and fresh air in the magical desert.

Dianna says- If there is a part of you feeling called to go on this trip, I say do it! I love to day hike, but before this trip I had very little backpacking experience. Now I feel confident about backpacking and am already planning my next adventure. Between the zoom calls and the trip itself, I learned so much about gear and how to use it, asked a million questions about thru-hiking and literally had the time of my life. Carrot and KK are such rad, warm and thoughtful people who make the whole experience feel really amazing.

Marcela says- If you are someone who has a little voice in their head / heart telling you to Go Outside, but you’re nervous you might not have the skills / gear / confidence to do so — sign up for this trip! Carrot provides the ideal learning environment where you feel guided and safe, but also encouraged to figure things out yourself and gain some independence. I left this trip with new friends, more confidence in my outdoor skills and an eagerness to thru-hike! Truly can’t recommend this experience enough.

Julie says- Signing up for a guided trip with Carrot is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I’ve dreamed of long-distance hiking for a long time, and yet there were certain skills I didn’t have that prevented me from taking that leap sooner. Carrot helped me to bridge that gap and feel confident in doing a solo hike. Everyone on the trip was so easy-going, kind, funny, cute, and cool — making the experience so fun and meaningful.

One of the biggest feedbacks I got from participants is that I had undersold Kelly Kate’s cooking (KK prepares all our meals for the two days we spend at the rental house, going through our gear and doing preparation activities together, before the backpacking part of the trip). So I am here to tell you today- KK’s cooking is phenomenal. For example, one of our breakfasts was a fluffy Japanese omelette, a lunch was banh mi sandwiches, and our dinner was ribs with spinach and artichoke mac & cheese, with sticky toffee pudding and icecream for dessert. And the truly incredible thing was that KK made these meals while taking everyone’s dietary restrictions into account- imagine these meals but with vegan, gluten-free and nightshade-free options- and not sub-par options but really, really good versions of everything! KK’s cooking was like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from, and is probably the best I’ll eat all year.

I’ll be offering these beginner trips again next year, and registration will open in a few months- so subscribe to my newsletter if you want those updates!

And if you’re looking for something more advanced, there are still a few spots in my summer 2024 Brooks Range Trips- I’ll teach you how to make a route in caltopo, we’ll make a route together in the Arctic and then we’ll hike it! It’s going to a phenomenal time. Details and the application are here.

And that brings us to updates on my other current project, which is the speculative fiction novel I’ve been working on for the last three years. You can read the first chapter here, and you can listen to a chapter from the middle here. The book is five drafts worth of done, I’m just still tweaking and editing parts of it, and looking for a publisher. If you’re a publisher and want it please reach out.

That’s all for now, check out my newsletter if you want a lot more yammerings!

-Carrot

I wrote about how I make money writing

I wrote about transitioning out of living seasonally

I wrote about living in a place that is really two places

I wrote about a packraft moose hunt

I recorded everything I ate and did and thought for a week

Ok bye!

-Carrot