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Evolution of the Tamarisk; prolegomena
It all started with this video, shot on location 9 years and 2 months ago up on Blue Mountain above Missoula, down on the middle Bitterroot, and most significantly, along the North Fork of the Flathead upstream of Kintla Creek. That trip, planned off the back of a job interview which changed my life, was…
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North Fork updates
The initial run of packraft straps has sold out! All orders yet to be shipped will be fulfilled and sent out today. I’ll be making more in early December; until then they’ll appear as out of stock in the store. The second run might even be a different color. Taking suggestions now. Not just for…
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Ammo questions
Most will recall that a bit ago Luke commented that “I think a TSX is just tougher then it really needs to be for a deer or even an elk broadside.” The translation here, for the non-hunters, is that while bullets may be lumps of metal, they are not merely lumps of metal. 300 years…
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The vexatious Airshed
Windshirts are complicated, because their job is a difficult one, and an important one. Patagonia’s Airshed, a pullover shirt made from the outer fabric of the Nano Air series, has been around for a few years. The lack of a hood, concerns over durability, and the expense put me off for a while, but Max’s…
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10 yards
Fortunately the bull died on a slope. So when it came time to turn it, I knew from two years ago to turn the head, stab the uppermost tines into the ground, grab the lower back leg, and pull hard. Rather than 20 minutes of near-impossible flailing against snagging willows, this time three tugs had…
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That time again
Yep. A few things worth noting for 2020: The Point Pleasant Campground is well named, but small and hard to find (closer to milepost 64 than 63). There is very little parking; I’m strongly encouraging folks to not plan on leaving cars there. There are also a handful of islands of private land in the…
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Shit that used to work: Black Diamond Zippo
As I mentioned back in the spring, I love a good used gear sale, and most of all, love unearthing a well used, even thrashed, classic backpack. These provide both design time capsules and occasionally profound insight into how packs hold up over truly extended use. That being said, I was beyond excited to find…
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Shit that works: MSR tent stakes
Back in July I seized on a weather window and probable lack of snow and did a big alpine traverse in the Bob. Early summer in the alpine, especially in the limestone reaches of the Bob that hold water in mysterious places, generally mean bugs. So when set my camp the first night, in a…
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Shit that works: Rab Pulse hoody
The newish variations of ~100 gram/meter poly baselayers might be my most loved innovation in gear out of the last five years. As someone whose larger challenge with thermoregulation almost always has to do with managing sweat, and rather rarely with outright heat generation (or more exactly, lack of it), the way these thin fabrics…
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Shit that works: the Rocketbox
Our Yakima Rocketbox turns 20 this year. Over that time, few other items have been as consistently useful when it comes to outdoor adventure. The US is set up for cars, with the overwhelming majority of prospective destinations not lending themselves to non-private motorized transportation. If in places like Alaska the wilderness can make hard…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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