Order your copy of Adventure Ready, signed by author Katie Gerber.

About the book:

Want to prepare your mind and body for your next trip into the backcountry?

Adventure Ready: A Hiker's Guide to Planning, Training, and Resiliency is a comprehensive handbook for anyone preparing to spend weeks, or months, on a long distance trail.

In this guidebook, co-author Heather Anderson and I share our wisdom from more than 50,000 miles of backpacking experience between the two of us. Heather is a record-setting backpacker and former personal trainer who spent years training aspiring hikers for long treks. Since 2017, I've been coaching outdoor enthusiasts to prepare their health and nutrition for optimal performance in the backcountry. 

In Adventure Ready, we combine our expertise to share tips, anecdotes, checklists, and exercises designed to maximize your enjoyment of your hike whether you're a beginner who's aspiring to complete your first long trail or a seasoned thru hiker who wants to improve your preparation, health, and overall experience on your next long walk.

With Adventure Ready, you'll learn how to:

• Create an itinerary that works for you
• Select clothing and gear for your target season and destination
• Craft a training plan to hone your strength and endurance
• Create a nutritious trail menu that will keep you healthy on trail
• Stay safe in the backcountry
• Prepare psychologically for life on trail
• Smoothly reintegrate to life back home after your hike

In addition to providing our take on the traditional topics of trip planning, safety, navigation, and gear, we dive deep into the lesser explored areas of trail nutrition, physical training, and mental preparation.

"A long-distance hike--or any situation that puts you under pressure--will unearth dormant attributes and highlight both your strengths and weaknesses. Preparing your mind for a long backpacking trip before you step foot on trail goes a long way toward overcoming obstacles and achieving success with your backpacking goals. This mental preparation involves setting realistic expectations, having a rock-solid sense of purpose, and practicing specific techniques that prepare you to overcome psychological hurdles."

Excerpted from Adventure Ready page 159

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1—PLANNING YOUR BACKPACKING TRIP: AN OVERVIEW

• Defining Trip Parameters
• Researching Likely Conditions
• Creating Your Itinerary
• Selecting Your Gear
• Planning Your Food Resupply Strategy
• Safety in the Backcountry
• Preparing Yourself Physically and Mentally
• The Final Check

CHAPTER 2—GEAR SELECTION

• Route Conditions
• Weather
• Resupply and Water Access Frequency
• Evaluating, Choosing, and Testing Gear
• Primary Gear
• Tips for Lightweight Backcountry Travel

CHAPTER 3—BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY

• Weather-Related Risks
• Snow and Water
• Physical Preparedness and Injury
• Human Interactions
• Animal Interactions
• Risk Factors Associated with Solo Backcountry Travel

CHAPTER 4—NAVIGATION & ROUTE PREPAREDNESS

• Navigational Tools
• The Beta Packet

CHAPTER 5—CREATING A RESILIENT BODY

• How Resilient Health Impacts Your Backpacking Trip
• Optimizing Your Gut Health
• Prioritizing Sleep
• Minimizing Stress
• Spending More Time Outside
• Supplements and Herbs for On-Trail and Post-Trail Use

CHAPTER 6—PERFORMANCE NUTRITION & BACKCOUNTRY MEAL PLANNING

• Pre-Trail Nutrition
• On-Trail Nutrition

CHAPTER 7—PHYSICAL PREPARATION

• Features of a Well-Rounded Training Program
• Building and Maintaining Your Training Plan

CHAPTER 8— MENTAL & EMOTIONAL PREPARATION

• Strong Mind, Strong Body
• Techniques to Prepare Mentally

CHAPTER 9—REINTEGRATION

• Common Mental Challenges of Reintegration
• Common Physical Challenges of Reintegration
• Strategies for Reintegration
• Worksheets & Checklists
• Additional Resources
• Selected Sources

Prefer to learn online with an interactive curriculum? Learn more.

Our courses are designed to help you feel as confident and comfortable walking onto the trail as you are walking into your own living room.

Choose from:

• Adventure Ready Physical Preparation Course
• Performance Nutrition and Meal Planning for Backpackers Course
• Stay Safe in the Backcountry Course
• Become a Better Navigator Course

For more information on my backpacking & health coaching, visit katiegerber.com.

***IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION: I cannot accept international orders. Please order here.