Category: Backpacking
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Wisdom from Norton Pearl
The Belly River ranger station, with Chief Mountain in the upper left. It is the only park facility which is both staffed full time (in summer) and not accessible by motor vehicle. Norton Pearl was one of the original backcountry rangers in Glacier National Park, though back then (the park was established in 1910) there…
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A small pack manifesto
Small packs (20 to 35 liters) are the most used, for those of us who choose to pursue a career in civilization. Tiny (sub 20 liter) packs are handy and can even last for multiple days in the summer, but a small pack works for technical day trips in all seasons, multidays in milder conditions,…
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Red Rab-off
We outdorks all have our pet gear obsessions. I like to think that mine (packs, shoes, windshirts) are especially practical. Windshirts are important because it’s windy a lot around here, and because I put out a lot of heat and thus try to avoid wearing a waterproof-breathable jacket at almost all costs. Weatherproofing and breathability…
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The 6 10 project
My A-list project for the summer: hiking all six of the 10k+ foot peaks in Glacier in one elegant, self-supported traverse. I opened the can on this a few weeks ago, so I might as well put it on the net. Public exposure will keep me from being lazy in the next 6 months. The…
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Julbo Sniper: a goggle for us
The fat bike summit last month provided a mass case study in how neither goggles nor sunglasses work well for aerobic activities in especially snowy conditions. It was close to freezing, snowing hard, and there was only modest wind. Goggles fogged due to exertion, as did sunglasses, but squinting into the face of the blizzard…
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Musings on tech nordic
First; define your terms. Here, and just about everywhere else I’ve written about ski gear, I’m talking about multi-day rugged nordic touring. Distance oriented travel in unbroken, mixed terrain. Like what is featured here, in my still all-time favorite ski video. Conditions and preferences will dictate skis; anywhere with overflow and/or significant wind exposure you’ll…
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Satisfaction
We may not have any direct evidence of Fishers in the park yet, but a camera Nate and I set up last month did net a cool find. Here’s me testing that site. One of the more enjoyable aspects of this years Fisher project, even more than the wolverine work last winter, has been going…
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Six frozen chickens for enlightenment
Almost two full weeks ago now, I rolled out of town in the middle of yet another crystal afternoon, grabbed supplies in West Glacier, and headed over the Continental Divide at cruising speed. Destination, the St. Mary valley. A headwind out of Browning threatened to kill momentum, but 107.5 KBWG spins some ridiculous dancehall mashups…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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