In winter camping, you use up close to twice as many calories as you do in day-to-day indoor life.

Why camp in the winter? Because winter strips life down to a state of raw intensity.

Proper disposal of human waste is important to avoid pollution of water sources, avoid the negative implications of someone else finding it, minimize the possibility of spreading disease, and maximize the rate of decomposition.

The rules of bathing change once you leave civilization and enter the wilderness.

Winter campers face hazards that spring primarily from the cold temperatures in which they hike and camp.

Sitting around a campfire on a cold evening is, for many people, the ideal way to end a day in the wilderness.

Starting a fire in the rain can be a challenge, but it can be done with a little persistance.

Animals will do anything to get to your food or to get into a place that smells like food or human scents.

You're finally ready for bed, after hiking hard all day and cooking and cleaning up from dinner.

Planning for water is crucial in deserts, because neither natural nor man-made sources are 100% reliable: Springs can dry up.

Desert plants and animals eke out a precarious existence in dry climes. If you're going to hike in their habitat, here are a few things you can do to minimize your impact.

One way to deal with huge distances between water sources is to plan to dry-camp.

The two best methods for building a minimum-impact fire are in a self-contained unit such as a fire pan or on a mound.

One of the pleasures of backpacking is sleeping in a different place every night.

When backpacking, clothing both keeps you comfortable and keeps you safe from the wilderness perils of heat-related illness, dehydration, and hypothermia. When backpacking, clothing both keeps you comfortable and keeps you safe from the wilderness perils of heat-related illness, dehydration, and hypothermia.