Deirdre D Rosenberg

The holidays are wonderful. They’re also a consistently stressful time for many people. That’s why we created this handy thru-hiker gift guide: so you can find the perfect present for the hiker in your life, even if you know nothing about hiking yourself.

I‘m no stranger to backpacking in extreme heat. I’ve spent my summer trekking across the mountains and valley floors of the Sonoran desert during the hottest months of the year (in what is shaping up to be the region’s hottest summer on record). My backpack thermometer hit 108 degrees every day in July, and June wasn’t much cooler. But I haven’t let that stop me from taking on My Sky Island Traverse. (No, not the Sky Island Traverse.

As I pour boiling water onto little flakes of dried coffee, the sun begins to shyly glimmer on the horizon as it makes its daily journey. Flycatchers have just begun to skim over the lake in front of me and a soft breeze ruffles the tips of subalpine grasses, sending tickles up my neck. The scent of wet flora is thick and pleasant. I’m planning to hike 15 miles today. Once the sun is up, I’ll start packing up camp. For now, I am living in sensation.