Backpacking is simply a mountain outing comprising several consecutive days hiking. Of course, backpackers must be willing to carry their temporary homes on their backs. Modern gear, however, makes all the difference. Lightweight tents, adjustable, form-fitting packs offering exceptional back support, small and lightweight cooking stoves, waterproof-breathable fabrics and cozy down-filled sleeping bags all help make backpacking an activity enjoyed by most reasonably fit people.

Certified local guides will lead you on multi-day mountain trips designed to suit your experience and fitness if you’re new to backpacking. They’ll help you with basics like pitching your tent in a sudden, windy rainstorm, boiling water for your morning oatmeal and navigating mountain trails up and over high passes, through alpine meadows and along jewel-coloured lakeshores. Guides can also help with your map-reading, star-gazing and outdoor-lounging skills. Guides also help identify wildflowers, animal tracks, rock formations and snow-capped peaks shimmering on the distant horizon.

About the only thing they won’t do is carry your pack for you but they can offer advice about packing light and leaving behind such items as encyclopaedia-sized novels, beer cases and portable stereos. Backpacking trips can last from three days to several weeks with some in the Jasper area finishing in Miette Hot Springs’ soothing mineral waters. Some guided backpacking trips include meals, necessary backcountry camping equipment and required backcountry permits. Trails such as Kootenay’s Rockwall, Jasper’s Skyline, the Yoho Valley, Assiniboine or Egypt Lake areas are all Rockies highlights. For the backpacker’s ultimate treat, Jasper’s North Boundary and South Boundary trails each promise two weeks’ worth remote Rockies splendour, wildlife and only the rarest human encounters.