Melissa took up traditional backpacking about 13 years ago in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington State. She was instantly addicted, and a few years later she started thinking about a through hike. On one training hike, she discovered that shaving 5 lbs off of her base weight allowed her to comfortably double her daily hiking distance. A natural perfectionist, she worked on whittling down this weight to the current 6 lbs.

In 2006, Melissa gave up her career and possessions and hiked the PCT (She is quite modest but we here at GG want you to know she once completed a 52 mile day. Wow!).  Like many who experience a long distance hike, she continues to find herself on long trails such as the CDT, JMT, AZT, CT, WT, and TRT.

She gently encourages her friends to go lighter through better hike planning, knowledge of the dual-purposes of items, and by replacing heavier gear items. She lives a minimalistic lifestyle at home, and loves how that philosophy translates perfectly to ultralight backpacking. And, she rarely has a shortage of potential hiking partners, as she is writing a gourmet backcountry cookbook.

Home:  Bend, OR

Age:  33

Favorite Training Ground:  Pasayten Wilderness, WA

Favorite Gossamer Gear Products:  Either the Miniposa or the spectra line

Current Plans: Considering a thru-hike of the Bibblemun Track in Australia