Five Days in the Winds Pt. 1

Or Two Lowlanders Get A Lesson In Altitude Last September my hiking buddy Mule and I decided to finally do a bucket list hike.  Our first hike together was a thru-hike of the Foothills Trail, and we’d done several AT sections together as well…

Simple Mexican Beans and Rice

Uh, no, it won’t look quite THAT good!  But it’s still pretty tasty, and very simple to do with 2 pots. That picture is from a Mexican restaurant in Pinedale Wyoming, the night after a few days in the Winds last fall.  I swear…

Voormi Thermal II Baselayer Top

A VERY versatile piece of clothing for 3-season hiking If you haven’t heard of Voormi, you need to check this company out.  Voormi bills itself as “a high performance natural fiber based brand built around the remote and rugged lifestyle of the southern San…

Beef Tagine

A simple yet awesome dinner for the backcountry. It was the 3rd day in the Winds for Mule and yours truly, and we got our butts KICKED.  We may not be 20+mile/day hikers (especially me) but we’re two pretty tough hombres.  I mean, we…

Good To-Go Bibimbap

What to do with those extra meals I had left over from my last hike?  Well, they taste just as good at home as they do on the trail. A couple of nights ago I was hungry, nobody was home, and the pantry was…

Savage Gulf Gear Review

While it’s fresh on my mind, here’s my thoughts on my gear selections for my recent hike in Savage Gulf. For once, I nailed this one pretty well.  My main issues on this particular sojourn revolved around food and hydration, not gear selections.  My…

Good To-Go Indian Vegetable Korma

Good To-Go makes possibly the finest dehydrated backpacking meals available.  Their dishes trend toward ethnic flavors and spices, so on my recent Savage Gulf hike I made sure to bring along several of their meals that I had yet to try.  My favorite was…

Savage Gulf Pt. 2

The morning of Day 3 brought a light drizzle and slightly lower temperatures.  I appreciated the break from the heat, but the precipitation, on top of the already high humidity, had everything I owned feeling moist.  Even my Dyneema pack.  However, I was excited…

Savaged by Savage Gulf Pt. 1

Heat, humidity, mosquitos, rock scrambles….Savage Gulf threw everything it had at me.  So who prevailed? Tennessee’s Savage Gulf State Natural Area is part of South Cumberland State Park.  Located near the tiny towns of Altamont and Beersheba Springs, it has long been one of…

Penne with Vodka Sauce

A tasty pasta dish for the backcountry I made this dish for Mule and myself on our 2nd night in the Wind River Range last September.  We were at Island Lake, and the scenery made a great meal seem even better.  It’s a bit…