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
Philosophy
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
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?
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
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
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
Dark Skies
"The Lorax", by Dr. Seuss, is a cautionary tale of environmentalism, one in which all resources (truffula trees) are completely consumed to make consumer products ("You Need A Thneed!"). The landscape, devoid of trees, becomes a barren wasteland, no longer suitable for life. It's a classic tale, a metaphor for human excess and a call…Read more Dark Skies
Tearing Up Jack…
I really enjoy trail-riding on my mountain bike (an old Specialized Rock Hopper). At the same time, I hate what mountain bikes do to some of my favorite trails. It's a conundrum, forcing a little bit of self-examination and recognition of hypocrisy that I haven't figured out how to resolve. To be clear, I'm not…Read more Tearing Up Jack…
Monuments and Minutia
Humans love superlatives. The biggest, the oldest, the best, or in some cases, the only. It's not hard to understand why we flock to places that hold superlative treasures, why we protect unique examples of nature's beauty - deepest canyons, tallest trees, best views, most endangered animals. But is that enough? I recently came across…Read more Monuments and Minutia
Filters
There's a great segment in Douglas Adams's Mostly Harmless, the 5th book in the ever-increasingly misnamed Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy, about the limitations of human perception. In it, the latest version of the eponymous Guide is an intelligent cyborg-type creature resembling a bird, and it tries to explain the nature of reality by shining…Read more Filters
Respect
Things have been really busy over the past couple weeks. Work and kids' schedules have made it really hard to keep up with writing. I've had a couple good events, and another teaching opportunity, thankfully - it's just a matter of catching up. So while I know I'm running behind on my usual posting,…Read more Respect
Every Day is Earth Day
Tomorrow is Earth Day, April 22 - a day founded in the '70s, in the US, to draw attention to human excesses and neglect for the environment. It was a well-intentioned, generally appreciated idea, and is celebrated all over the world today. But as good as it is that we are reminded to take pause…Read more Every Day is Earth Day
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 