I monetized my love of backpacking. To understand what it cost me, I had to give up a hiking trip.
Making a living writing about hiking sounds like a backpacker’s dream. But Maggie Slepian writes that it’s impossible to bring money into your favorite pastime without changing the way you experience it. Ooh Ahh Point of the Grand Canyon on the Arizona Trail (Photo: Benjamin Klinger/iStock via Getty) Updated June 26, 2026 12:09 pm Dawn