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Home »2021 »December

Month: December 2021

A locals’ walk

Posted onDecember 17, 2021April 3, 2022AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A rare weekend home with no camping, some day hikes, and getting ready for the holidays. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

2021 : The steady state

Posted onDecember 16, 2021December 16, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

The annual waxing of the poetic and looking at the past year. Or skip the prose and see the photos! Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

New gear we liked for 2021

Posted onDecember 14, 2021April 27, 2025AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

We did not buy or have a chance to try out much new gear or clothing this past year. Instead, we replaced worn-out items with a few exceptions. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsgear we liked, Joan West, shelters, Six Moon Designs, sleeping bag, sleeping pads

Happy Holidays – Desert Style!

Posted onDecember 9, 2021December 9, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Happy Holidays from the desert! Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsMoab, utah

A warm December camp

Posted onDecember 8, 2021December 8, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

We spent a night dispersed camped, hiked to a set of Pueblo towers, and then visited friends. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsAncestral Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients, Colorado

Gear pick of the year 2021 – A truck tailgate

Posted onDecember 7, 2021December 16, 2021AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A yearly tradition. My gear pick of the year for 2021? A truck tailgate! Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsgear pick of the year

Another Thanksgiving in the desert

Posted onDecember 6, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Joan and I spent Thanksgiving in the desert with our friend Mike. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

From the Web – Dec 1st, 2021

Posted onDecember 1, 2021December 1, 2021AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

All the that won’t see print. Because it is 2021 and who reads print newspapers? Read More …

CategoriesFrom The WebTagsfrom the web

Virtual tip jar

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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  • 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
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      • New England
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      • North Carolina
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    • New to the outdoors? Start here!
    • Getting Started
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    • Quick and Dirty Guides
    • Food
    • Gear
      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
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      • 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
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    • Who is Paul Mags?
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