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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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Two years inside the Park Service, trying to balance trade and calling. I left in fall 2025, and I’m still making sense of it - part grief, part gratitude, and part closure.
With a brief but noticeable bit of winter this past week, we opted not to travel the muddy, snowy roads into more remote areas. Instead, we tackled some home projects on Saturday and spent Sunday revisiting a place we hadn’t seen in a while. Red rock, canyon wrens, images, and late winter desert light accompanied the day.
@ramblinghemlock and I pivoted from an original trip after much-needed rain on Friday. On Saturday, we avoided muddy roads that would have derailed our original plan and spent two nights poking around a place we could reach only because of temporary, water-filled potholes and a handy Ziploc bag that made it possible. We also revisited sights we hadn’t seen in a while. Red rock, grand views, and old images marked the unofficial long weekend kickoff of spring around Moab.
@ramblinghemlock and I finally felt better and took a long-overdue trip into the backcountry. We slept outside and enjoyed the peace of the wild places. Canyon wrens filled the canyon with song during the day, and owl calls echoed off the walls at night. We returned to places we had not seen in a while and saw places new to us. The land endures.
@ramblinghemlock and I are recovering from the flu, so we decided to keep things local this weekend.
Small, good things.

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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
      • Joan’s articles

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