Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington is a Staff Writer at Backpacking Light. He began backpacking in 2007 while a student at the University of Kentucky and obsessively explored the trails and landforms of the Southeast before moving to Montana in 2014. Since arriving in Big Sky Country, he has spent as much time as possible exploring the wilderness areas and other public lands of Montana, Washington, and Idaho via feet, bikes, and skis. Seeking “the next best place to wake up”—from alpine lakes, to hot springs, to abandoned fire lookouts—serves as his main inspiration for backpacking. He is the co-author of "Backpacking Washington, 3rd Edition" published by Wilderness Press in 2020. His writing has also appeared in Backpacker Magazine, Backpacking Light, and TrailGroove Magazine. Mark has worked in outdoor retail, libraries, and as a visitor services information assistant for the US Forest Service in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. He has been lucky enough to find a career working in public libraries and lives in Hamilton, Montana just a few miles away from trailheads to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.