For years I've struggled with pillows in the backcountry. Back when clothes were bulkier, I'd carefully fold and stack clothes, strapping them together before slipping them into a sleeping bag stuff sack. Serious stuff. As clothes became less bulky I had to search for an alternative or my neck...
Years ago, when iPods were just showing up in the wilderness, there was lots of conversations about if they were appropriate. Needless to say, with the proliferation of electronics in the backcountry (and the accompanying solar chargers,) that question has mostly been answered. I've always felt...
Einstein came up with E=mc2. I came up with Less Weight = More Fun. It's my legacy. While perhaps not as significant as what Einstein came up with, mine is clearly more fun. There are lots of articles out there about how to cut the weight in your pack, but targeting those of you that are getting...
I vote this the most incredible video short I've ever seen. It's the complete package. These guys spent a LOT of time out there in the backcountry setting up for the shots. Give them some love.
On our way up the storm harried Pichot Pass. You can see elements of the Tidd Family as tiny dots just to the left of the middle of the photo. I recently spent nine days on the Muir Trail, entering in at Purple Lake and exiting out over Kearsarge Pass. I was surprised by how few people I met...
Two words. Crystal Light. Occasionally we buy one of those tubes of Crystal Light that contain those little tubs that makes a pitcher of the stuff. I'm super partial to the Strawberry Orange Banana, but that's not important right now. It's all about the container. Remove the label and you...
A long time ago I had it in my mind that energy bars were the answer to all my backpacking problems relating to snacks. I'm one of those "let's start walking and not really sit down until we get there" kinda guys. So energy bars seemed the perfect solution. They fit in my pockets, easy to eat...
Before I put my legs away for the winter, I wanted to get in a quick overnight with lots of miles in between. Fortune smiled down on me and my wife's scheduled fishing trip allowed her to drop me off near the north end of Lassen Park and pick me up the next day, 26 miles later, at the southern end....
Sabrina Basin wasn't on my bucket list, but I went anyway. I went there because I didn't think I was in very good shape, I thought it was going to be easy, I could relax and get some fishing in, and I'd never been there before. It was nice, but it wasn't awe inspiring. There I was at 11,000' at...
Pete Adams is lead designer (and manufacturer, and chief bottle washer) of Whatever Kite Factory USA. Last Summer I commissioned him to design me the world's lightest backpacking kite -- a real one with a frame and not a mere paraglider. He designed a couple of prototypes and I selected the...
