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
Outdoors
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
Sunrise Solar Eclipse, March 29, 2025
About two weeks ago, I wrote about the upcoming total lunar eclipse (the Blood Worm Moon), and mentioned that eclipses tend to come in pairs. Well, the second half of that pairing is due this Saturday morning, March 29, when much of the North Atlantic, including northwestern Africa, western and northern Europe, and the northeastern…Read more Sunrise Solar Eclipse, March 29, 2025
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
Bighorn Sheep… Of The Gods?
Happy Vernal Equinox everybody, and welcome spring! Last week I had to spend a little bit of time in Colorado Springs, CO. I was there with someone who had never been to Colorado, and who really wanted to get out and into the mountains, but we had almost no time for anything fun. Best we…Read more Bighorn Sheep… Of The Gods?
Silence of Spring: A World Without Wings
Imagine, if you will, an empty meadow. Not just empty in the way humans tend to define it - without crops, buildings, commerce or a parking lot - but empty in the sense of being an ecological ghost town. No buzzing of insects, no chirping of birds. Grasses and wildflowers swaying in the wind, but…Read more Silence of Spring: A World Without Wings
Baking Bread In a Dutch Oven Is HARD!!
I make a lot of things in cast iron dutch ovens - main courses, desserts, breakfast, dinner - but I've never just baked bread in one. There's something special about the smell of fresh-baked bread, and in a campsite setting it's almost a luxury, a wonderful side to any dish and a perfect accompaniment to…Read more Baking Bread In a Dutch Oven Is HARD!!
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?
Mars Retrograde – Update
Just a quick reminder that today, Feb 24, marks the extent of Mars's western motion across the stars, and from here on out, it will be moving back in its correct, eastern direction. Mars on Feb 24, Western extent of Retrograde Motion (Stellarium) Note its position this week, in the center of Gemini, and keep…Read more Mars Retrograde – Update
Backpacking Haleakala, Maui: Overnight in a Volcano
February 9-10, 2025 -- Most people, when you mention Hawai'i, think of a lush tropical paradise and beautiful beaches. But these islands wouldn't be what they are without the volcanism that created them. On the "newer" islands in particular, Hawai'i has some significant volcanoes that reach above 10,000 feet elevation and create their own weather…Read more Backpacking Haleakala, Maui: Overnight in a Volcano
Peep S’Mores Fondue (Easter Canteen Cup)
I've been doing some creative things lately in camp cooking - but I've been negligent in posting. Most of my energy has been in matching the aggressive schedule of a bunch of YouTubers, and collaborations around "Canteen Cup" cooking. Truth be told, the canteen cup (the aluminum or stainless, kidney-shaped pot, about 2-1/2 cups in…Read more Peep S’Mores Fondue (Easter Canteen Cup)
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 