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Home »2020 »January

Month: January 2020

Gear Review: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm MAX

Posted onJanuary 30, 2020April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A one year+ review of the NeoAir XTherm MAX (rectangular) for cold weather backpacking. The non-WingLock version can be bought at a discount as of 1/2020. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsgear review, sleeping bag, sleeping pads, winter

Hiking in the forgotten places

Posted onJanuary 27, 2020April 13, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

We hiked in a place often ignored for backpacking. And during winter we had it all to ourselves. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsAncestral Pueblo, Canyonlands National Park, Rock Images, utah, winter

Thoughts on hiking solo

Posted onJanuary 24, 2020April 26, 2025AuthorJoan17 Comments

Joan shares some thoughts on her solo hiking experience. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsJoan West, solo

#EPIC Mailbox hike

Posted onJanuary 23, 2020April 30, 2020AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

EVERYTHING IS EPIC! Including getting the mail… Read More …

CategoriesVideosTagshumor, utah, videos

Tiny Home in the Abajos

Posted onJanuary 22, 2020April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Our trip report to the Tiny Home in the Abajo Mountains. The end of the article has logistic info for the curious. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagshut trip, skiing, utah, winter

From the web – Jan 17th

Posted onJanuary 17, 2020January 17, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Feel like the Blueberry girl in Willy Wonka after too much Christmas Cheesecake? Well here are some outdoor articles to inspire a bit. And maybe get you outside… Read More …

CategoriesFrom The WebTagsfrom the web

Every week a vacation

Posted onJanuary 16, 2020April 13, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Enjoying a place where we can access the outdoors as much as we can. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsgift of time, utah, winter

Musings on backpacking consumerism

Posted onJanuary 10, 2020November 6, 2024AuthorPaul Mags24 Comments

Just some thoughts on gear and clothing as the outdoor equivalent of a fashion item. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsconsuermism, favorite

Holidays in Florida Pt 2 – In the Panhandle

Posted onJanuary 9, 2020January 13, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The second part of our Florida holiday journey up to and within the panhandle near Pensacola. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsAlabama, Civil War, Florida, Florida Panhandle

Holidays in Florida Pt 1 – A week with The Village People

Posted onJanuary 8, 2020January 8, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The first part of our Florida vacation spent mainly with my Mom based out of The Villages in Florida. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagscamping, Florida, Florida Trail, hiking, the villages

From the web – Jan 3rd

Posted onJanuary 3, 2020January 7, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Happy New Year! For you pedants out there, it is just another year. For the rest, some news items to bring in the decade… Read More …

CategoriesFrom The WebTagsfrom the web

Top gear of the decade

Posted onJanuary 1, 2020April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Items of gear and clothing that I used consistently over the decade. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsbudget gear, gear, gear list, montbell, Six Moon Designs, surplus, ULA

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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                                                                                                      

  • REI: Shop Deal of the Day at REI Garage!
  • REI: Outlet 50% off deals
  • REI: Official Coupons and Rebates page
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PMags Instagram

@ramblinghemlock and I went to some local(ish) mountains to avoid the fires and smoke in our usual places.
A hike to our local mountains did not go quite as planned. With an AQI of 176 in Moab due to the fires in our corner of the world, we sought refuge in the mountains.
"Effective today, June 30, 2026 at 12:00 PM, all Forest Service lands, roads, and trails within the Monticello Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest (San Juan County, Utah) are temporarily closed due to the Babylon Fire. "
"So far this year, 35,247 fires have burned more than 2.9 million acres nationwide. " -National Interagency Fire Center
The CDT forms the backbone of the continent. The Long Trail makes a classic East Coast walk. Brett Tucker's routes require some advanced skills. My DIY routes don't even have schwag.
A couple of days at the edge of the San Juans. Storms moving in had us trading backpacks for a car camping trip, but we still wandered to the edge of treeline. We also settled in with hot drinks while wearing puffies, a welcome contrast to the sweltering heat in Moab earlier in the week.

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Disclosure: This website may be compensated for linking to other sites or for sales of products to which I link. These sites include Amazon, REI, Moose Jaw, Gaia GPS, Six Moon Designs, Squak Mountain Co, and ULA Equipment. There is no additional fee for purchasing items through these links.

 

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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
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  • About PMags.com
    • Who is Paul Mags?
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