Month: July 2016
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Managing condensation: a shelter case study
The new Sierra Designs High Route tent, which manages condensation via interior air volume and venting, at the expense of vaguely compromised weatherproofing. Photo by Andrew Skurka. Condensation is a fact of life when camping in the backcountry. Under certain circumstances condensation will occur in any shelter. The art is in mitigating and avoiding condensation,…
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Seek Outside Unaweep Divide review
Disclaimer: no way around it, I’m biased as hell about this pack. Seek Outside gave it to me for free, and it is based in small part on feedback I gave on previous Seek Outside packs. Beyond that, I like the folks at Seek Outside a lot, and they’re always a pleasure to talk to. …
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Concerning broification
Broification: a trend in outdoor adventure sports/activities, which results in an increase in the perceived average level of mastery within a given pursuit, thus dissuading novices from pursuing any nascent interest. If you don’t already read Hansi Johnson’s Universal Klister I’d suggest you start, as it’s one of the most authentic outdoor blogs around. Mr.…
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Glacier is deep
I’ve got an important history with this place, going back into my childhood, so it was a particular pleasure to see the most remote corner with someone who had only been around a time or two. The secret is that on the western edges Glacier starts at 3500′, and while the corridor of sub-alpine possibility…
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Sneaking the Guardhouse
Andrew Skurka is a more meticulous navigator than I am. This isn’t saying much, as after identifying an area of interest and a plausible route through it postulating details bores me quickly. Thus I put off his amazement, and seeming discombobulation, at the depth and immediacy of the traverse around Thunderbird Peak and The Guardhouse…
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The worst best trail
No question, the Highline is the worst of the very best trails in Glacier. On the one hand it’s extraordinary scenic, cutting a bold traverse right along treeline through one of the steeper walls in the park. You almost always have complex, 5th class crags above you, and steep green slopes (and the road) below…
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2015 Alpacka Yukon Yak review
A year ago exactly I had a very good week; at the beginning of it I won a new raft at the Packraft Roundup, at the end of it Little Bear was born. After a year of intermittent use I’ve finally gotten a good enough grasp of the new boat to say something meaningful about…
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24 hours on the Middle Fork of the Flathead
530pm: It takes right around 90 minutes to drive from Whitefish to the Morrison Creek trailhead. Delays and shenanigans associated with buying a car had me rushing to leave and forgetting a bunch of food I hadn’t packed, but I won’t find that out for hours, and our new-to-us Xterra hums along paved curves and…
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The BD Hot Forge Hoody is awesome
I’m highlighting this medium-light down jacket both because it provides a great example of how to do such a thing well, and because persistent shoppers can still find it well under 200 dollars in certain sizes and colors, which is a bargain. Black Diamond declines to specific the amount of fill in the Hot Forge…
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Bear aware, maybe
Last week a Forest Service law enforcement officer, Flathead native, and longtime recreator in bear country was killed by a bear near West Glacier. According to rumor, and the local paper, the bear was probably a Grizzly, and the gentleman collided with the bear while going quite fast down a gentle, tightly forested descent on…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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