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Gender, grading, and the mental game
My idea was to promote this new sport by challenging climbers to improve their technical skills to the point they were capable of “bouldering level” difficulty, but discourage the degeneration of bouldering itself into a numbers-chase. –John Gill, on his invention of the first rating system for bouldering The logical follow up to Gill’s statement…
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Trailstar v. Shangrila 2
Two justly popular ~two person (plus gear) floorless shelters. Two different sets of strengths and weaknesses. We had a Trailstar from October 2009 until last spring, when I sold it to fund the Shangrila 2 we have today. I miss the Trailstar, but do not regret the switch. Read on to see if you might…
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Learning to share
Since I really became reinterested in backpacking a few years ago, I’ve the majority of my trips solo. Convenience, ambition, agoraphobia; all reasons why this has been the case, but as my pleasure in long distance backcountry travel has grown so too has my desire to share at least some of the incredible things I’ve…
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Why i might be full of shit
or: Credibility and experience in blogging The Black Hole of White Canyon, January 1, 2007. Blogging has irrevocably changed the face of writing about outdoor adventure, in almost all respects for the better. The chief problem today, perhaps different from days previous in scale only, is how to allot proper credence amongst the sea of…
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Fire when you need it
Firemaking is a skill like any other. Mystique to the contrary. You’ll only really need it when conditions are most difficult, and when circumstances conspire so you forget what good technique you know. Ergo, the first second and third rules of firemaking are as mundane as they are essential: practice. I was an indifferent firemaker…
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Windows of opportunity
Multiday outdoor trips succeed via planning: picking a route that suits the conditions, bringing appropriate gear, having sufficiently assessed said gear prior, and being prepared (materially and mentally) for contingencies. It makes me sad to see so many trips crash and burn, or underperform spectacularly, because of rudimentary things left unthought. All last week I…
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Packrafting still rules
Evidence: Myself, I’m psyched to put my boat’s new ski holders to use this weekend.
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The very small and the very big
Aka: Craters 2012! Last year we did well, but our extensive wandering looking for the Bridge of Tears and the ensuing frustration which led us to cut the trip a day short left something wanting. Now I’m largely content, though that south to north traverse of the whole monument is still hanging out there. Because…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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