Month: December 2012
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New snow
We’re well on the way towards having a proper winter, but I can’t get excited about skiing yet. Until the snow in the valley fingers and forests is too deep for riding, I’ll be on my bike. Snow makes familiar trails new again. I snuck out of work this afternoon, hoping to fit a ride…
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Beyond bear spray
When writing with broad strokes, problematic human-bear encounters can be divided into three types. Daylight visual encounters, where human and bear see each other before impact. Daylight surprise encounters, which lack more than instantaneous forewarning; and night encounters which for these purposes will mean a bear swatting at or invading a tent with either curious…
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Buck PakLite sheath mod, and Megalight update
The Buck PakLite series are good knives at a great price. I bought my regular sized Skinner for 19 dollars, and it holds a pretty good edge for a pretty long time. It’s thick enough (4mm) that you can beat on it while splitting wood with no regrets, but still filets a fish or guts…
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The season of inverted water bottles
When it’s consistently below 25 F, hang your exterior water bottle (the one not wrapped in insulation in your pack) upside down; be it in a belt holster, your side pocket, or on a shoulder strap. This keeps the thermal mass down on the threads and helps them not freeze up. Even with this technique,…
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Cold December Lakes
McDonald, Tuesday. Bowman, Friday. Upper Quartz, Friday. Upper Quartz, this morning. Lower Quartz, this morning. Bowman, noon today.
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The ghost squirrels of Montana
I went squirrel hunting today, for the first time in many years. I did this for two reasons. First, I’m starting to get a bit bored with backpacking and the paradigm of knowledge associated with it. This is predictable. With most things in my life I either get interested/obsessed immediately or not, follow the learning…
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2012 Outdoor State of the Industry report and Holiday Gift Guide
Yesterday I discussed how 2012 has, in the cycling world, been the year of the fat bike. Below I’ll examine various other categories, in a non-definitive fashion, to highlight similarly industry-shifting developments. These are products which speak of a significant and promising trend, and which I know from personal experience or reliable reports to be…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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