Category: Backpacking
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Patagonia Nano Air Light Hoody: the fleece killer
Back when I reviewed outdoor gear professionally, which is to say I regularly got stuff for free and was paid for writing about it, and is not to say that ever amounted to a sustainable living, trips like this were as rare as they were lusted after. Outings where conditions were so bad, so consistently…
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All 4
I was tired enough that looking elsewhere lacked appeal, and sleeping atop elk scat must be good luck so I suspended tarp corners from branches and rocks, rolled out my stamp of Ridgerest, and laid down. Even at 6500′ it was far too warm to be in a sleeping bag, and after I eventually fell…
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Understanding the Sperry fire
I must confess, now with some guilt, that I was excited when I heard about the Sprague Fire. Anyone who has hiked the trail from Crystal Ford up to Sperry, the Snyder Ridge trail, or especially been anywhere off trail in that neighborhood will understand how profoundly old that forest is. Or rather, was. Fire…
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National Parks; the future is now
I’ve written extensively about US National Parks here; about how they’re the best candidate for helping US culture mature beyond late capitalism, and about how they have failed to keep up with 21st century modes of visitation and as a result are increasingly failing to fulfill the mission given to them 101 years ago. In…
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Fizan Compact trekking poles
Danny Milks from Massdrop contacted me a few months ago about a new version of Fizan’s compact trekking pole they were producing, and he ended up sending me a pair to use with no strings attached. With one major flaw I’ve found them to be excellent summer poles, and a good discussion point for what…
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The best packs of the last five years
On several occasions and in several places I’ve written that one only needs three packs: a daypack, a 40ish liter light framed pack (for light backpacking and heavy day things), and a big load hauler. At no time in the last five years have there been fewer than 10 packs in our household, even if…
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The 10 mpd club
One of the most significant moments in parenting, for us 21st century types for whom proliferation of the species is both an abstraction and a choice, is mourning the trappings of your pre-kid life as they are filed and filtered away, never to be seen again. With an infant around your life will become totally…
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The best, the worst, and the unsung backcountry sites of Glacier NP
Glens Head, a mere B grade site. If you want to backpack in Glacier National Park you must pay, both in dollars ($7 per person, per night adds up) and in logistical effort. The park generally and the backcountry in particular has gotten noticeably more crowded in the past 8 years in which we’ve been…
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Birthdays
Two years ago Little Bear was born on M’s birthday. Today we’re celebrating that fulfilling and challenging time, and looking forward to a few quiet days in a little corner of civilization and then the backcountry. See everyone on the other side.
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The Crown-Welcome Loop
When it comes to consistently spectacular routes, with no filler miles whatsoever, this is the best route I’ve done in the Bob. Bar none. The limestone cliffs and reefs are truly special, from the way Welcome Pass is tucked into a surprising break to the walls behind the Green Fork meadows devolving into stacked pinnacles…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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