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Home »2017 (Page 3)

Year: 2017

Top Three Brands for Outdoor Gear and Clothing

Posted onSeptember 18, 2017September 7, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

My three most used brands for outdoor gear and clothing. Based on a BPL discussion. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsbudget gear, Six Moon Designs, surplus, ULA

Collegiate Loop 2017: How the Walk Went

Posted onSeptember 15, 2017May 5, 2021AuthorPaul Mags29 Comments

Some highlights, planning information, photos, and logistic info for The Colorado Trail’s 165 mile Collegiate Loop. Read More …

CategoriesLong Walks, Trip PlanningTagscollegiate loop, Colorado Trail, colorado-tip

A Wednesday night send off

Posted onSeptember 7, 2017September 14, 2017AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A last Wednesday Reset as my friends celebrated my unemployment with a quick camping trip. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagscamping, Colorado, Wednesday Reset

NPS Campground privatization and other changes

Posted onSeptember 6, 2017July 19, 2019AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

In the near future, most NPS campground will be privatized. And connected. Some thoughts on an ongoing trend. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsconnectivity, electronics, National Parks, Wildness

Review: Where the Water Goes

Posted onSeptember 5, 2017January 19, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Where The Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River by David Owen is a book that is a bit of Cadillac Desert crossed with Ian Frazier’s Great Plains. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsbooks, climate, history, water rights

The ethics of off-trail hiking

Posted onSeptember 4, 2017September 25, 2019AuthorPaul Mags12 Comments

Is hiking off-trail ethical? And, assuming this type of hiking is ethical, what is the best way to preserve these ethics? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsWilderness Ethics

Collegiate Loop 2017

Posted onSeptember 1, 2017May 5, 2021AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

The plan for the Colorado Trail Collegiate Loop in September 2017. Read More …

CategoriesLong WalksTagscollegiate loop, Colorado Trail

Using the gift – Where I am at

Posted onAugust 31, 2017July 9, 2018AuthorPaul Mags20 Comments

The loose plans for the next few months starting in September 2017. Read this post if you emailed and wondering why I have not written back in a few days. 🙂 Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagscollegiate loop, east coast gallivant, gift of time, southern tier road trip, wasu

Wednesday Reset 2017

Posted onAugust 30, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A mid-week hike has been a much-needed salve over the hectic months. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, Wednesday Reset

Twenty-Four Hours in Vasquez Wilderness

Posted onAugust 29, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A twenty-four backpacking trip in the Vasquez Wilderness with some friends. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, S24O

Giving myself the gift of time

Posted onAugust 25, 2017August 25, 2017AuthorPaul Mags19 Comments

I handed in my notice this week. I am giving myself the best gift outdoors person can have: The Gift of Time. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagsgift of time, time bank

TBT Gear : REI Hoodoo 3

Posted onAugust 24, 2017April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A very large, no longer made “ultralight backpacking shelter” that I would never take backpacking. But works well for base camp. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagscar camping, gear review, shelters, TBT Gear

Panhandle Eclipse

Posted onAugust 23, 2017February 1, 2018AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Some hiking, camping, and eclipse viewing in the Nebraska Panhandle. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsEclipse, High Plains, Nebraska

An overview: Grand Obsession

Posted onAugust 15, 2017October 6, 2020AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

An overview of Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of Grand Canyon. A book about an iconic Grand Canyon legend. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsArizona, books, Grand Canyon, hiking

Lightweight Backpacking: REI Style

Posted onAugust 10, 2017April 27, 2025AuthorPaul Mags26 Comments

Going lightweight (sub-20lbs) with typical gear and clothing from REI. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting StartedTagsgear list, REI

A visitor from back East

Posted onAugust 9, 2017November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A friend of mine from Rhode Island paid a visit. We did manage to get in some outdoor time in some lesser known areas in Colorado. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsbison, Colorado, High Plains, national wildlife refuge

Quick and Dirty Hiking Guides: Devils Thumb sampler

Posted onAugust 4, 2017February 4, 2026AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A sample hike from the Quick and Dirty Hiking Guides: 12 Classic Hikes in Colorado. This sample hike for downloading details the Devil’s Thumb Loop. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, Quick and Dirty GuidesTagsCam Honan, Devils Thumb, Indian Peaks Wilderness

New Fangled Ultralight Backpacking

Posted onAugust 2, 2017May 3, 2023AuthorPaul Mags46 Comments

This lightweight “backpacking fad” is not that new or a fad. Despite what some people may state. Read More …

CategoriesGear, MusingsTagsevolving, favorite, gear list, lightweight backpacking

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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.

Women’s | Men’s | Children’s   

The Squak Camp Dress 

One of Joan’s favorites!

The Squak Alpha Fleece 

                                                                    

– 15% off coupon = PMAGS-SQUAK                                                                                                      

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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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    • 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
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