In the summer of 2007, John Isley, of  Hendersonville, NC and Jason Butler, originally of Pearisburg, VA set out on a road trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons.  These two hikers had been backpacking together since 1997 and had spent many miles together on the trail.  On the third day at the Death Canyon Campsite in The Grand Teton National Forest, the hikers arrived early.  While resting and watching the sun set over the snowy peaks, they had an idea: What if we made a board game out of a map?  They quickly began formulating the game using rocks as dice, the Teton map as the game board and cut up a mileage map and old love notes from John’s wife for the cards.  Thus, the game was born.  That first game ended with Isley dying after a moose attack in the wild.  After many revisions, the official game was made.  The Great Smoky Mountains Edition and The Appalachian Trail Edition draw upon the hikers’ Southern Appalachian heritage and their love for the Blue Ridge Mountains. Created with the unique events of the backcountry in mind, Backcountry will be fun for a couple of hikers or a whole family!