We focus on the challenges of elevation, distance, the unconquerable mountain peak - but weather can be an overlooked antagonist on backcountry trips.
Outdoors
Backpacking: Mt. Sterling, Pretty Hollow, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC
A 26-mile, 2 night loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Invasive Feral Hogs in the Smoky Mountains
A lot of my blog-posting derives from encountering something interesting that prompts me to go down a road of research and discovery. This is one of those posts. Last week, my son and I spent three days and two nights backpacking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (more on that soon, including video), and we…Read more Invasive Feral Hogs in the Smoky Mountains
NuCamp T@G Modifications – Galley Upgrades
After our kids got old enough to move out and go to college, my wife and I started adapting to an "empty nest" at home. The kids' departure left me with fewer excuses to go out camping and backpacking every month, but my wife made an offer. She said she'd be interested in spending more…Read more NuCamp T@G Modifications – Galley Upgrades
Paddling: Mattaponi River, VA
Several years ago, I started paddling sections of the Mattaponi River one of the two primary tributaries of the York River (the other being the Pamunkey), in eastern Virginia. It's a beautiful, narrow stream with low but steady current despite only a slight downhill gradient, and its rural watershed transports a paddler into what feels…Read more Paddling: Mattaponi River, VA
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
Name That Tune – Frog Edition!
It's early May here in Southern Maryland, and the neighborhood drainage and retention pond near my house is hopping! Literally! Walking by there the other night, I heard a cacophony - at least 4 different types of frogs, all calling out at the top of their lungs, attracting mates and racing against the coming summer…Read more Name That Tune – Frog Edition!
Dayhike: American Chestnut Land Trust – Oriole Trail
Last weekend I took the opportunity in the wake of a strong cold front to go check out a new (to me) local trail at the American Chestnut Land Trust, in Calvert County, MD. I had noticed on my GPS app that there was a trail there not already covered by my various path traces,…Read more Dayhike: American Chestnut Land Trust – Oriole Trail
Carnivorous Caterpillars, Living Lightning Rods, and Bluebirds
Some recent natural science stories that I find interesting: Caterpillars Scientists in Hawaii have discovered a very unique caterpillar with a very dangerous lifestyle. First of all, it's carnivorous - a trait that only 0.13% of all known butterfly/moth species share. Second, it gets its meals by living in spider webs, and scavenging the bits…Read more Carnivorous Caterpillars, Living Lightning Rods, and Bluebirds
Wildflowers In Not-So-Wild Places
It's late April, and that's a little too late for many wildflowers, and a little early for some others. Regardless, I took a little time today to wander and see what wildflowers I could find here in Maryland. Several of these are tiny, not-showy flowers, and unless you see them in a cluster they're not…Read more Wildflowers In Not-So-Wild Places
Dayhike: Paw Paw Tunnel, C&O Canal, MD
The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal was built in the late 1700's and through the early 1800's to connect the goods and citizens on the East Coast of a young United States to what was then the western frontier, beyond the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. The utility of the canal was overcome by railroads…Read more Dayhike: Paw Paw Tunnel, C&O Canal, MD
Spring Meteors – The Lyrids, Plus Morning Planets
I'm always a little hesitant to write about meteor showers, since you never know really how a particular event is going to shape up. Then again, since you never know, it's always worth an hour of my time to check things out. I still remember one December shower where the meteors were so thick and…Read more Spring Meteors – The Lyrids, Plus Morning Planets
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
Dayhike: Dragon’s Tooth, Appalachian Trail, Virginia
Dragon's Tooth is a narrow point of rock that rises above Catawba Valley, in southwest Virginia near Roanoke and Blacksburg. Together with nearby McAfee's Knob and Tinker Cliffs, it is part of the Triple Crown of scenic spots on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in southwest Virginia. If you've got the time to string together all…Read more Dayhike: Dragon’s Tooth, Appalachian Trail, Virginia
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
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 