Although my mini-adventure to Northern Ontario went completely off the rails, from the moment I arrived at the wrong airport in Toronto to the message I received from Via Rail informing me that my train from White River to Sudbury, the main reason I went there in the first place, was cancelled for reasons they didn’t explain, I discovered something greater - the genuine northern kindness and hospitality from the many people I met on the trip. And then there was the landscape: raw, untouched, and breathtakingly beautiful. For anyone feeling overwhelmed by the heaviness of daily life or simply those who have lost faith in humanity, I recommend going far away from the big cities to explore the true north.

The Juan de Fuca Trail in British Columbia, my first solo backpacking, had truly a therapeutic effect on me. The connection with nature, campfire conversations with fellow hikers, and enduring physical challenges were exactly what I needed as I was going through many changes in my personal life. The numbers for this trail can't do them justice, but I’ll try anyway: 47 km over 4 days and 3 nights, a total elevation gain and loss of 1,800 m, 441 floors climbed, and 3,700 calories burned on average per day. The level of happiness: insane.

This is the second part of a story about my backpacking adventure to the Eastern Townships in late May 2023. In the previous article, I talked about some logistical challenges to travel without a car in Canada as well as my experience in the town of Sherbrooke. In this article, I'll cover the rest of my trip including the town of Magog, Mont-Orford National Park, and some places between them.

I’m continuing my experiments with car-free backpacking travel in North America to prove that not only is it possible, but it can actually be quite an enjoyable experience. Backpacking travel presents two key benefits over traditional car-centric travel: a focus on sustainability and a deeper connection to nature and local cultures. After all, if this form of travel has successfully thrived in numerous European, Asian, and Latin American countries, it is only logical to question why it would be any different in Canada and the United States. Right?

The COVID-19 pandemic made me realize that Ontario does not actually have too many backpacking opportunities close to big cities like Toronto or Ottawa. With the US-Canada borders closed, Adirondacks Mountains as well as other destinations in Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania are out of reach for most Canadians. So unless you're willing to get stuck behind a steering wheel for hours bound to Northern Ontario or Quebec, you're pretty much down to a few options. One of them is the 387 km / 240 mile Rideau Trail connecting Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario.

Hiking from hut to hut in the Presidential Range in central New Hampshire is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This area of the White Mountains is remarkable in many ways. Its scenery rivals that of national parks in Western North America and its treeless alpine tundra seems a world away from the hustle and bustle of the nearest big cities such as Boston or Montreal. Mount Washington, the tallest peak of the Presidential Range, is known to be the most dangerous small mountain in the world due to its strong winds and unpredictable weather. Come explore the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, and your memories will certainly last for the rest of your life.

Pennsylvania has its own Grand Canyon, located just south of the border with New York state in a beautiful and lush green Tioga National Forest. And even though the Grand Canyon in Arizona is way bigger, longer and deeper, the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is nonetheless spectacular and offers arguably the best views in the whole state. It's also located way off the beaten path, so you can pretty much have it to yourself.

A backpacking trip into Yukon's Kluane National Park Reserve has been the most adventurous, physically and mentally challenging yet rewarding trip I have ever done in my life so far. And here is why. I saw what I expected to see - the enormous glacier; what I didn't expect to see, but was hopeful I would - the Northern Lights; and what I kind of knew I could see, but was hopeful I would not - a huge male grizzly bear in the wild. Details about these and other things I've seen in Kluane National Park Reserve - in my article.

Adirondack Park located in Upstate New York offers one of the finest hiking experiences in North America. For those who live in nearby big cities - Boston, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Albany and Toronto - it's literally a backyard. Yet the Adirondack Mountains are the real challenge with steep and strenuous summits, active bears and fairly unpredictable weather.