Welcome to Backpack45 (Susan Alcorn's trail name), focused on long distance hiking and backpacking, Camino de Santiago, Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, Torres del Paine, Women's Adventure and Pilgrimage Trails in France. This site is maintained by Ralph Alcorn. For Susan's current adventures, visit her personal website susandalcorn.com

 Our purpose is to infect others with an enthusiasm for backpacking and long distance walking, and to give them some stories, links and references to make it easier. 

 Women in the 40 to 80+ age range are out doing our major trails - the Camino de Santiago, the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest trail and the Appalachian Trail, among others, competent and loving it, and we want to encourage more of them.

We have a particular love for the John Muir Trail (in the California Sierra Nevada, from Mt. Whitney and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park at one end to Yosemite National Park at the other end), the Pacific Crest Trail, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, hiking in France and backpacking in Patagonia's Torres del Paine so they get special attention.

Some backpacking books are classics, so we review them and give you a buy button. We also publish Walk, Hike, Saunter: Seasoned Women Share Tales and Trails, Healing Miles: Gifts from the Caminos Norte and Primitivo, We’re in the Mountains, Not over the Hill, Camino Chronicle and Patagonia Chronicle , all by Susan Alcorn, and hope to sell a few books. In these books find backpacking stories and tips from mature women, from bear stories in Yosemite National Park to segment hiking the Appalachian Trail. Check out the great covers - typical backpacking scenes.

We welcome candidates for our classic books or best of kind links to add to this site or Susan's monthly newsletter.  Please email "backpack45 at yahoo dot com" if you find some long distance walking trip personal stories - either books or websites - that you consider a must or good read/view.