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Home »2016 »March

Month: March 2016

The first step: How to start backpacking

Posted onMarch 31, 2016August 16, 2023AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

The first steps for backpacking may be intimidating. Here’s how to get out there, learn and have fun. Read More …

CategoriesGetting StartedTagsbackpacking, favorite, first steps, planning

Trail Groove Issue 27 – Gear Maintenance

Posted onMarch 30, 2016May 31, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Trail Groove Issue 27 featuring an article I wrote about gear maintenance with some other excellent articles including one on The Colorado Trail. Read More …

CategoriesPressTagsbackpacking, food, gear maintenance, hiking, repair, Trail Groove

Quick Tip: Ammo boxes for caching

Posted onMarch 29, 2016November 6, 2024AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Caching food or other supplies for off-the-beaten trips or even convenience? Surplus ammo boxes are an inexpensive and easy way cache these supplies. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagsbackpacking, budget gear, food cache, gear review, quick tip

Beaver Res loop – The last ski tour?

Posted onMarch 28, 2016March 28, 2016AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A (possible) last ski tour for this season. All weather dependent, of course. 🙂 Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, nordic, skiing

The Conundrum of Choices

Posted onMarch 24, 2016April 25, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Too many choices? Don’t worry too much about it. Just get out there. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsgear paralysis

Beyond the skills

Posted onMarch 23, 2016July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

No matter who you are, or how much you know, there is always more to learn in the outdoors. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagslearning, outdoors, skills

Quick Tip: Pull tab guyline tensioner

Posted onMarch 22, 2016April 25, 2025AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Make a guyline tensioner out of pull tab from a can. Light, cheap and easy to use. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting Started, Quick TipsTagsbackpacking, budget gear, camping, DIY, guylines, quick tip, shelters, tarp

Last Day of Winter – First Day of Spring

Posted onMarch 21, 2016July 26, 2019AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Some much needed outdoor time: Two very different backcountry ski days that spanned the seasons. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, nordic, skiing, tele

Naviagation for the long trails: An overview

Posted onMarch 14, 2016February 19, 2018AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

The Power Point presentation about navigation for the long trails. Covers basics that should be known. May be viewed online; no additional software needed. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Trip PlanningTagslong hikes, navigation, presentation

Website of the week: Dark Site Finder

Posted onMarch 9, 2016December 29, 2016AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Looking for a place off the beaten path and with great night skies? Dark Site Finder is a great website for this purpose. Read More …

CategoriesTrip PlanningTagslight pollution, Website of the week, wild places, Wildness

Work is bad for your health

Posted onMarch 7, 2016February 7, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Work is bad for your health? In my case, working in an early 21st century office environment has actually been bad for my health. At least this past month. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagschange, illness, time, time bank, work life balance

The night sky, light pollution and wildness

Posted onMarch 3, 2016September 26, 2019AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Some thoughts on light pollution and how it affects our perception of wildness. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagslight pollution, wild places, Wildness

An outdoor library: Books to own

Posted onMarch 1, 2016January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

Some suggested books for the outdoors person that are a wonderful addition to any personal library. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, Getting StartedTagsbooks, favorite, library, outdoors

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A Quick Guide to Moab

The Squak – A readily available, $60, active-focused grid fleece hoodie from a Utah-based company. Read the review.

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Flash flood warnings made @ramblinghemlock and me reevaluate our weekend packrafting plans. The rain arrived yesterday, and today brought partly cloudy skies.
@ramblinghemlock and I had some company in town this weekend, along with some very muddy roads. A quick trip to a place just off the pavement proved perfect for our needs. Plenty of water-filled potholes, great views from the canyon rim, and a memorable sunset.
Snow in our local mountains yesterday and today. And, of course, flooding in the desert. Much-needed precip, but the wet, heavy New England-style snow caused quite a few blowdowns. Gonna be interesting...
"The mayor of Willcox in southern Arizona is optimistic that Chiricahua National Monument will soon be the country’s 64th National Park.
A few days on the Colorado Plateau. We saw new sites, revisited old favorites, and enjoyed a solo hike while @ramblinghemlock took a class at the nearby @crow_canyon
Bearing witness in a changed, post-fire landscape. Fire and flood shape the environment; some history passes away, while other traces remain untouched. The land eventually recovers: Some of it recently, some of it long after my lifetime.

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  • Home
  • Ramblings
    • Musings
    • Books and Media
    • Videos
    • From The Web
    • Thru Hikes, Long Walks, or Routes
      • My Alphabet Soup summary
      • Vermont’s Long Trail
      • Appalachian Trail
      • Pacific Crest Trail
      • Colorado Trail
      • Continental Divide Trail
      • Ring The Peak Trail (Pike’s Peak)
      • Benton Mackaye Trail
      • Tahoe Rim Trail
      • Uinta Highline Trail
      • Collegiate Loop
      • A Walk Across Southern Utah
      • Great Divide Trail (Canada)
      • The Northern New Mexico Loop
      • Grand – Moab Route
      • SEUG Circuit
      • A Walk Across New England
    • Other Outdoor Jaunts
      • Utah
      • Colorado
      • New Mexico
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Nebraska
      • New England
      • Nevada
      • North Carolina
      • Oregon
      • South Dakota
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
    • Photos
    • PMags News
    • Press
  • Nuts and Bolts
    • New to the outdoors? Start here!
    • Getting Started
    • Quick Tips
    • Trip Planning
    • Quick and Dirty Guides
    • Food
    • Gear
      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
      • Gear Quivers
      • Gear Lists
      • Budget Gear
      • What I’m Wearing
      • Clothing and related
      • Footwear
      • Packs
      • Shelters and related
      • Sleeping bags, quilts, and pads
      • Stoves, cooking, and related
      • Tools
      • Water containers
    • Road trip and car camping – gear and techniques
    • Winter trip reports, gear overviews, tips, and techniques
  • Subscribe by email
  • Write Me
  • About PMags.com
    • Who is Paul Mags?
    • About Joan West
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