Category: Backpacking
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Paradox Unaweep by the numbers
Disclaimer: as an ambassador for Seek Outside I got this pack for free. A few months ago I was chatting with Seek Outside/Paradox Pack’s Kevin Timm about, among other things, becoming an ambassador and working with them on product development. Kevin mentioned that they were thinking about making a pack which would integrate the Paradox…
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The Heart of the Continent
Looking east and south from the summit of the Big Mountain ski hill. Glacier and the Bob are visible in the left half, the Mission Mountains at far distant center, and Whitefish Lake at far right. Today was an exceptional day to live here. Below freezing in the morning, bluebird and fairly warm all day,…
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Blame Major Powell
Four square miles may be considered as the minimum amount necessary for a pasturage farm, and a still greater amount is necesary for the larger part of the lands; that is, pasturage farms, to be of any practicable value, must be of at least 2560 acres, and in many districts they must be much larger.…
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No bears
This weekend I headed over the continental divide to the Sun River, to go bear hunting. Why? I’ve never shot a bear, never butchered a bear, and never eaten bear. Maybe once I have, I never will again. I have a number of hunting ambitions later this year, for which I need some training up,…
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The penultimate pack
Just like with beer or coffee, every one is the penultimate. I wanted to do a couple things with this one. First, experiment with 5.3 oz/yard hybrid cuben fiber. Second, fix the mistakes/things I didn’t like about this pack. To whit; a too-short torso length (you’d think I would know better), less than ideal shoulder…
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Hunting nausea
Lately, hunting has been a great way to feel sick to my stomach. First, I’ve been reading a lot about sheep hunting, as I plan to hunt bighorns in one of Montana’s unlimited districts late this summer. They’re the only places in North America where anyone can buy a tag in the spring, and go…
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A road back
For the first 10 days after getting home from the Grand Canyon I sat around and did nothing physical, except taking a few walks around town. Energy was low and everything was a bit sore, with knees and achilles being particularly creaky. There is no way to shortcut this process; when your body needs to…
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The bearable weight of backpack features
A backpack should be a sturdy bag to hold your stuff, with a suitable suspension system, and just enough straps and/or exterior accoutrements to not impede efficiency. Efficiency in the backcountry has more to do with knowledge and experience than equipment, which makes the question simple: how little exterior stuff on your pack can you…
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Bud Moore’s Land Ethic
“Given the knowledge we had, we did the best we could.” -Bud Moore A unique generation is in the process of dying. People born in the lower 48 around a century ago could have, in a few cases, grown up firmly in the 19th century; without electricity or running water, without a reasonable chance of…
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The Grand Eight: Day 7 and Epilogue
The first part of the last day was simple: climb up Scotty’s Hollow until the drainage gives way, then turn right and climb up a steep slope to the rim. The second part was less so: walking two miles of road to my car, driving as close to Brendan’s truck as possible in said car,…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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