Meet the Author

Lost in the mountains and sandwiched for warmth between three friends in a two-person tent, Jaeger thought to himself, “I need better gear.” His tent leaked. His rain jacket was rubber. And his pack weighed 60 pounds. But no longer! Since that fateful trip, Jaeger has overhauled his entire kit, and now considers himself to be a gear snob, an ultralight backpacker, and an ultra heavy snacker. He is on a decade-long quest to hike every trail in a guidebook to backpacking Washington State, and invented his own system for rating scenic views.