I'm kind of a slob. I don't have a complete disregard for order and cleanliness, but my life - both at home and work - does tend to accumulate a bit of clutter. It's a symptom of trying to have too many hobbies or too many things going on at the same time. Ideas and…Read more Better Camping Through Hyper-Organization
Skills
A Tale Of Two Hunters
Reflecting on hunting as a wildlife management tool - Two different experiences with hunting white-tailed deer.
Navigating Unpredictable Weather on Hiking Trips
We focus on the challenges of elevation, distance, the unconquerable mountain peak - but weather can be an overlooked antagonist on backcountry trips.
Technology In The Backcountry
For many of us - certainly myself - getting out into the backcountry is an escape from the modern, connected world we live in. As a matter of fact, when I first started writing this blog in 2016, back before the first of several society-shaking events that have occurred since then, my goal was ostensibly…Read more Technology In The Backcountry
Gear Shaming Is Gate Keeping
Not too long ago I went into the shop to get a new backpack. Some of the inner stays on my older pack had broken while on a long trip, and while I was able to lash things together long enough to complete the trip, it was time for something new. The purchase went fine…Read more Gear Shaming Is Gate Keeping
Bird Language
Do you talk to the birds around your home? I would imagine probably not - the physical structure of the human larynx is not well suited to the trills and warbles that most songbirds can create with their dual syrinx setup. But even if we can't talk directly to them, most of us certainly appreciate…Read more Bird Language
The Routine Magic of Flight
I realize that my observations here are from the perspective of someone who has the privilege (and sometimes obligation) to spend a lot of time in airplanes... But I find modern commercial air travel to be disorienting. I'm not talking about the frustrating dance we do with buying tickets, picking seats, getting to and from…Read more The Routine Magic of Flight
Orienteering Basics
If you enjoy hiking (particularly bushwhacking), are good with a topographical map and have a sense of how to correlate terrain features to it, I want to try to encourage you to try competitive orienteering. It's great fun, and excuse to get out and run through the woods with minimal technology - just a map,…Read more Orienteering Basics
What Type of Outdoor User Are You?
As I've delved more and more into the broader online community, I've been confronted with a bit of a crisis of identity. Like a teenager moving to a new town, I am unmistakably a part of the student body at my new school, and I'm pretty good at getting along with most everybody, but the…Read more What Type of Outdoor User Are You?
Risk Mitigation for Outdoor Adventure
Back in 2019, I had the opportunity to combine a work trip with an extra night out backpacking somewhere in the Front Range between Denver and Colorado Springs. A little research led me to the Pike National Forest, Lost Creek Wilderness area, and the Goose Creek Trailhead. Cutting to the finale, it turned out to…Read more Risk Mitigation for Outdoor Adventure
Outdoor Adventure: Celebrate the Small Stuff
This probably won't come as much of a surprise to most of you - I am not a badass outdoorsman. I think I'm pretty mediocre - a middle-aged dad, a weekend warrior. Enthusiastic, maybe, but I'm not out there doing Fastest-Known-Times, first ascents of remote Himalayan peaks, or the like. I sort of think the…Read more Outdoor Adventure: Celebrate the Small Stuff
New Mexico or Bust
We're almost ready. After numerous small trips (of escalating difficulty and complexity), skills work, planning sessions, gear shakedowns, shakedowns, and more shakedowns, we're on the homestretch. Within 72 hours, we'll all be headed for Colorado, and then New Mexico, for a two-week expedition. The training has paid off. We've managed to get a bunch of…Read more New Mexico or Bust
Teamwork on the Trail
The great thing about backpacking is that it's an individual sport. The only things to overcome are your own physical and mental limitations. The rewards include immersion in wilderness, a sense of accomplishment like no other, and satisfaction that comes from knowledge and confidence in one's self. Except... for all the focus on self-reliance and…Read more Teamwork on the Trail
To Build A Fire
One of the most often-repeated lessons I have with students learning how to build fire is: It takes patience. Too many times, we just want to pile up fuel and strike a match, and it never works that way. Fire is often compared to a living thing, and like so many things in life, it…Read more To Build A Fire
Sleeping Warm in Winter: Four Ways Nature is Out To Get You
Beating the cold is a lot easier if you understand the enemy...
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 