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
Camping
Long Overdue – A Camping Weekend on the Chesapeake
A gentle breeze blows through the tall pines that line the edges of the cliff. Waves lap against the cliff several hundred feet below, as the Chesapeake Bay slowly carves into land which once formed the bed of an inland sea, and still releases Miocene fossils onto the beach below. Canada geese erupt with a…Read more Long Overdue – A Camping Weekend on the Chesapeake
First Day of Spring, 2021
Happy to start to see some glimpses of normal human interaction again. These guys sure were happy to see each other. A great (but cold!) two nights out camping.
Hiking Signal Knob, Massanutten Mountain, VA
Enjoy historic views on this this 10.4-mile loop as a dayhike or a leisurely overnight on the prominent north end of the Massanutten Mountain ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Massanutten is a fifty-mile long ridge that stands alone in the center of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Because of its length, Massanutten forms a significant…Read more Hiking Signal Knob, Massanutten Mountain, VA
Sleeping Warm in Winter: Four Ways Nature is Out To Get You
Beating the cold is a lot easier if you understand the enemy...
Wild Oak from Little Bald Knob, VA
The first clear view on Virginia's Wild Oak Trail comes after about 8 miles and 4,000 feet of climbing. The trailhead is in the notch left of center, directly under the sun, and the trail wraps around these mountains from left to right, climbing up and over three mountains in the process. Get Out There!…Read more Wild Oak from Little Bald Knob, VA
Backpacking the Wild Oak Trail, VA
It had been a long time since I'd climbed a hill this steep, this high, for this long. My legs reminded me of this inescapable fact with every step I took. As long as I kept my head up and focused on the yellow and red trees, it didn't matter. My outdoor adventures had been…Read more Backpacking the Wild Oak Trail, VA
COVID Camp
Times are strange. Even though a lot of what I like to do is, by its nature, remote - backpacking, canoeing/kayaking, sailing, etc - all these activities became extremely popular as soon as we started getting guidance not to congregate. The bars closed down and the trailheads clogged up. Add to that the challenges of…Read more COVID Camp
Outdoor Ethics on the Appalachian Trail
Every year as March rolls around, thousands of people set out to fulfill a bucket-list item and complete the Appalachian Trail. Best wishes to those who are setting out now, and in the next couple weeks, as the Class of 2020! Thru-hikers admonish each other to "hike your own hike" - a reminder that there…Read more Outdoor Ethics on the Appalachian Trail
Gettysburg Dawn
After dense fog and rain for most of the trip, our final morning at Gettysburg dawned clear, cold, and beautiful. Get Out There http://www.flying-squirrel.org
Gettysburg Camp
Not a wilderness shot - but the site of my most recent campsite. On the grounds of a US Civil War, Confederate field hospital in Gettysburg, PA. (We camped to the right of the barn, just out of frame). Confederate doctors treated officers in the house, enlisted in the barn, completing about 1,500 amputations and…Read more Gettysburg Camp
Campfires Make Everything Better
We had a pretty dreary weekend. Fortunately, we made the right call, with young, poorly equipped boys, to skip Friday night - that would have meant setting up and camping in a Nor'Easter. An inch and a half of rain, 30 mph wind, and 40 deg. Not a good first experience. Even with the decision to…Read more Campfires Make Everything Better
Boundaries
You can't have a true adventure without a little bit of risk. It's the exploration of something new and getting out of your comfort zone that builds memories! Don't turn back because something is a challenge - just understand and make sure you can accept the consequences of failure (like getting everything wet during a…Read more Boundaries
Pond Run (or… What Happened to Those New Backpackers)
It started off a little ominously. The morning was dreary, with a foggy overcast that threatened rain. We had assembled a team of 6 new backpackers, one with a few trips under his belt, and three experienced leaders, including myself. One of the crew lost a split ring off a cotter pin on his older…Read more Pond Run (or… What Happened to Those New Backpackers)
