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Home »2017 (Page 7)

Year: 2017

Colorado Canyon Country

Posted onMarch 27, 2017June 4, 2019AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

Some time spent in the Black Ridge Canyon Wilderness outside of Grand Junction, Colorado. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsBlack Ridge Canyon Wilderness, Colorado, Colorado National Monument, Colorado Plateau

Website of the week: InciWeb

Posted onMarch 23, 2017January 19, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

InciWeb is a useful website for knowing how current wildfires may impact a planned trip. Read More …

CategoriesTrip PlanningTagsburn bans, climate, Website of the week, wildfires

Some weekend climbing

Posted onMarch 22, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A rare day of climbing for me. But anytime in the outdoors, and using unfamiliar skills, only enhances the overall skill set. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsclimbing, Colorado

Minimalist backpacking via Clint Eastwood

Posted onMarch 17, 2017April 24, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Going lightweight means going minimalist. Take some lessons from a Clint Eastwood movie. Take what you need. And then go. Read More …

CategoriesGear, MusingsTagslight gear, minimalism

The numbers game

Posted onMarch 15, 2017July 10, 2017AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Why adding up the mileage a person hiked is not a useful metric for gauging outdoor “expertise.” Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsmetrics, thru hiking

Twilight to Moonlight : On-call stroll

Posted onMarch 13, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Making the best use of time bank funds even when on call. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, Other Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, foothills, High Plains, time bank

Looking back: Thru-Hiker’s Handbook by Dan Bruce

Posted onMarch 10, 2017March 14, 2017AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

The guide to carry when hiking the Appalachian Trail throughout the 1990s and the first years of the 2000s by Dan “Wingfoot” Bruce. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsAppalachian Trail, books

Amble in Arizona – Part II – The Superstitions

Posted onMarch 8, 2017March 8, 2017AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

The second part of my Arizona vacation: A two-day trip, partially off-trail, in the Superstition Mountains outside of Phoenix. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsArizona, Phoenix, Superstitions

Amble in Arizona – Part 1 : The Grand Canyon

Posted onMarch 7, 2017May 25, 2017AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

Three days of backpacking in The Grand Canyon as the first part of my Arizona vacation. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsArizona, backpacking, Colorado Plateau, Grand Canyon, Pueblo

Off to the Big Ditch

Posted onMarch 1, 2017AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Backpacking in the Grand Canyon for a few days. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagsArizona, Colorado Plateau, Grand Canyon

Top Campsites – A Baker’s Dozen

Posted onFebruary 28, 2017November 25, 2023AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A look at thirteen of my favorite campsites from over the years. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, Other Outdoor JauntsTagsAncestral Pueblo, Appalachian Trail, camping, campsites, Colorado, Colorado Plateau, Colorado Trail, High Plains, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, utah, winter, Wyoming

Benedict Hut – Another ski weekend

Posted onFebruary 27, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A weekend of skiing, eating, some adult libations, and winter scenery while catching up with another friend. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, hut trip, ski, winter

TBT Book: Skiing Colorado’s Backcountry

Posted onFebruary 23, 2017November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

A book about a nearly forgotten form of skiing: Nordic Backcountry. No book this comprehensive about Nordic Backcountry has been written since for Colorado. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsbooks, colorado-tip, nordic, skiing, TBT, winter

Tao of Willie

Posted onFebruary 23, 2017February 23, 2017AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Some wise words from Willie Nelson. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagslife changes, willie nelson

Off-trail exploring at Brainard Lake

Posted onFebruary 21, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Turning what could have been a difficult day of skiing into a memorable jaunt. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, off trail, skiing, winter

Harry Gates Hut – Spring in February

Posted onFebruary 20, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A trip to Harry Gates Hut with spring-like conditions. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, hut trip, ski, winter

ALDHA West- Winter Backpacking

Posted onFebruary 16, 2017January 22, 2020AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

An intro article about winter backpacking I wrote for ALDHA West. Read More …

CategoriesPressTagsALDHA, winter

Hiking in the Panhandle – Palo Duro Canyon

Posted onFebruary 15, 2017February 15, 2017AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

Some hiking and camping in Palo Duro Canyon down in the Texas Panhandle. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsHigh Plains, Texas

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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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      • Appalachian Trail
      • Pacific Crest Trail
      • Colorado Trail
      • Continental Divide Trail
      • Ring The Peak Trail (Pike’s Peak)
      • Benton Mackaye Trail
      • Tahoe Rim Trail
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      • Collegiate Loop
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