Author: DaveC
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Twelve
Twelve years ago that morning we had been in a hotel in Vegas, me flipping through the Yellow Pages and calling wedding chapels at 9 in the morning. Twelve years later we were in a tent under the ponderosas back from the rim near Bryce Canyon, sun coming up slowly on a cold and clear…
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The 610 pack, diaper version
I’ve made this pack, or one to fulfill the same role, 6 or 8 times now. Most for my own use, a few for friends. It continually evolves. The most recent version got axed because the back panel taper got too funky and resulted in a subtle narrowing pinch point in the middle of the…
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The 2016 BD Alpine Start Hoody
As I’ve mentioned here and elsewhere, the Black Diamond Alpine Start hoody is one of the better pieces of outdoor clothing one can buy. The original version had a fabric which was as perfect as current technology allows; mine has stood up impressively well to lots of use in the past 20 months. The only…
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Just another deer hunt
It was damn cold at 0530 when DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing” woke me from the depths of my sleeping bag. Well into the second verse, which illustrated why I’ve never been able to use the alarm on my watch. Little Bear sighed his squeaky baby sigh, bundled in his sleeping bag in between us. Worried that…
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The Virgin at 120
Mostly, packing for our first big trip with the kid was simple. His fragile infant state prohibited anything technical or involved, so the gear end of things consisted of simple backpacking stuff. The week before last was warm in Montana and by our standards hot down on the Colorado Plateau. Hiking with Little Bear in…
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Little brown lines, summer 2004
Sorting through quadrangle maps turned up one with notes from many years ago, and I realized that for a variety of reasons I’d never written anything about one outstanding trip from the last months we lived in Moab, publicly or privately. As I have written many times, modesty ought to be the rule for claims…
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Fuzzy longevity
Yesterday I finally retired* my Rab Xenon (*cut up for parts and usable scraps of material). I received this jacket in early 2012 for a BackpackingLight project, and for the better part of two years it got the snot beat out of it. Starting last spring it stayed in the closet more often than not…
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The next big pack
There were a few persistent flaws or sources of discontent with this pack, which eventually had to be remedied. Ergo the monster below, and yet another doorway/Bob map photo. It’s been tested in a very basic manner on a dayhike, but backpacking with Little Bear in Utah next week will be it’s first real trip.…
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The five-foot tarp
A five foot wide tarp is a dead useful thing to have around, for emergency use, hiding from the weather to cook or glass (above), or for a primary solo shelter which will force one to use good site selection and pitching techniques. It’s also an excellent and relatively cheap and easy MYOG (make ya…
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Roasted venison BBQ
An easy and versatile recipe which works well with larger roasts which might be a bit on the tough side. In this case, the whole bone-out front shoulder from an old mule deer doe: tons of flavor, but not particularly tender when cooked rare. First thing you’ll need is the venison marinating in the rub,…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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