A small archive,
kept honest.

Hi — I'm Christian Leitner. Friends call me Leiti. I grew up loving the outdoors and somewhere along the way collected a circle of friends who, when I send a group text saying "three days, lake at 9,000 ft, bring a puffy", mostly say yes.

This site exists because every trip we take, the same questions come up: what's the route, what should I pack, what are we eating? I got tired of answering them in a different group chat each time, so this is the long version, written down.

What you'll find here

A growing list of trips I've actually done — Sierra Nevada, Northern California, and the Cascades. Each one has the route, a map, a gear checklist you can interact with on your phone, and a food plan that has fed real hungry backpackers without complaints.

The gear list is a 3-season Sierra setup. It's the starting point for almost any trip on this site. Tweak it for your own body and your own conditions — and please, never trust a stranger's checklist over your own judgment.

Who it's for

You. Specifically: friends, friends of friends, and anyone who ends up here looking for an honest, opinionated take on a route they're considering. It's not comprehensive. It's not REI. It's what we did, with what we packed, and what worked.

The mountains don't care how light your pack is. But your knees on day three do.

A note on safety

Every trip on this site involves wilderness travel. Conditions change. Snow lingers. Bears exist. Filters break. Carry the ten essentials, get the right permits, leave a plan with someone, and turn around when something feels wrong. None of the words here replace your own judgment.

Reach out

If you spot something wrong — a closed trailhead, a permit rule that changed, a gear weight that's miles off — I'd love to hear it. The site is hand-built and quietly maintained.