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Home »2016 (Page 7)

Year: 2016

Fish on a bicycle – Useless gear concepts

Posted onApril 21, 2016February 4, 2026AuthorPaul Mags28 Comments

Some gear concepts boggle the mind for three-season backpacking. Why are they so popular? A very opinionated list. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsover engineered, useless gear

Discovery vs Safety – The Balance

Posted onApril 19, 2016June 28, 2023AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

How to plan, have a measure of safety but still have a sense of discovery when outdoors? Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsdiscovery, planning, safety

Springtime Snow

Posted onApril 18, 2016July 9, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A spring snow storm is a bridge between the seasons. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, local, spring snow

So long to The Trail Show

Posted onApril 15, 2016February 7, 2017AuthorPaul Mags18 Comments

It has been a fun three years of beer, trails and nonsense, but it is time for me to move on. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagspodcast, The Trail Show, time bank, work life balance

Stoves for camping

Posted onApril 13, 2016April 25, 2025AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Car camping, road tripping, doing trail work or even a trailhead bivy? Here’s an overview of stoves that may work. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagscamping, campstoves, car camping, gear review, quiver, stoves, the quiver

Book Review: The End of Night by Paul Bogard

Posted onApril 8, 2016May 13, 2021AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

A look at “The End of Night” by Paul Bogard. The subtitle of the book says it all: Searching for Darkness in an age of artificial light. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsbooks, climate, light pollution, wild places, Wildness

TBT Gear: Gossamer Gear Rukus

Posted onApril 7, 2016April 22, 2020AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

An odd pack that is “neither fish nor fowl”, but ends up being surprisingly useful. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsbackpacks, daypack, gear review, Gossamer Gear, packs, TBT Gear

Quick Tip: Burning end of cord

Posted onApril 5, 2016April 26, 2022AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

A frayed piece of utility cordage? Here’s a very simple way to help prevent it from fraying further. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagscord, DIY, gear maintenance, guylines, quick tip

New Mexico – Kiowa Grasslands

Posted onApril 4, 2016March 21, 2018AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

Seeking wildness and a remote experience in the High Plains of New Mexico. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagscamping, Canadian River Canyon, Capulin, High Plains, Kiowa National Grassland, Mills Canyon, New Mexico

My new sponsor – Goodwill Industries Intl

Posted onApril 1, 2016November 25, 2023AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

I am pleased to announce that I have received my first outdoor gear and clothing sponsor: Goodwill Industries International. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagsApril Fools, favorite, gear ambassador, humor, sponsorship

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

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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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      • 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
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      • Great Divide Trail (Canada)
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