Backcountry adventure and cuisine for aspiring hiker trash
Dirty Girls
Essential gear We’re talking gaiters here, not naughty women. I caught on to using these a few years ago after yet another hiking trip in which I was plagued with debris in my shoes. I already knew that Dirty Girls had a cult following,…
Nashville Cutaway- Update
Notes on this sweet pack’s first foray into the backcountry For additional details about this pack, check out my “first look” review HERE. To put it bluntly, this pack was a revelation on my Pictured Rocks hike. My base weight and total pack weight…
Gear Review- Lakeshore Trail
What worked and what didn’t. Spoiler- it was pretty dialed in for once. Part of what made my recent hike through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was A) how light my pack was, and B) how efficiently I chose and used the items in the…
Pictured Rocks Gear List
My reasonable ultralight gear for 5 1/2 days in the north woods Almost everything I’m carrying on next week’s hike of the Pictured Rocks segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail is in the title photo. Everything except 2 SmartWater bottles, food, phone…
FiveStar’s Updated Kitchen
Some changes, depending upon the style of cooking for a particular trip I’ve taken a few trips since my last post about MY kitchen, and I’ve made some minor changes. The title picture shows pretty much everything that I bring on a COOKING hike,…
Slingfin SplitWing UL Tarp
Possibly MY ultimate tarp If you read this blog, you know that I love my HMG Echo II tarp. I almost always bring it as my backup shelter on AT section hikes, and I’ve played with it some on other hikes where bug pressure…
Nashville Cutaway- First Look
An ultralight frameless pack with pockets galore My journey down the UL rabbit hole had brought me to the point where I kept looking at the weight of my pack for shorter (2-5 day) trips trying to find a way to cut yet more…
Happy Birthday To Me
Present time! This past Monday was my 56th birthday. My youngest son now refers to me as a geezer. The battle to stay adequately fit and mobile isn’t getting any easier. My hips seem to be fossilized every morning when I wake up. But…
Nunatak Arc 30
First Impressions My search for the perfect AT shoulder season/alpine summer quilt may have ended with my recent purchase of a Nunatak Arc 30 ultralight quilt. Ordered on March 22nd, delivered yesterday, total wait time of around 7 weeks. Nunatak had outstanding communication with…
Equinox Ultralite Travel Bag
My ditty bag of choice Hikers have different systems for carrying their “sundry” items. Such items include medications, first aid supplies, dental care, repair materials, water purification tablets, fire-starting material and more. What these items have in common is that they are small and…
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