Pay to Play on Public Lands
A piece inspired by a recent article in the Florida Phoenix about a private corporation now controlling access to public lands. Read More …
Month: July 2025
Whitman – Almost a decade later
More thoughts about Whitman almost a decade later since I took my solo Walk Across Southern Utah. Read More …
A recharge in the San Juans
Two nights of a mental recharge. Read More …
A Tale of Three Mugs
A review? A philosophical look at gear? Navel gazing? Or recognizing I seem to run on caffeine, sarcasm, and stubbornness most days? Read More …
Celebrating the wild places
We celebrate not the trail, but the wild places it passes through. – Ray Jardine, PACIFIC CREST TRAIL HIKER’S HANDBOOK, 1996 Read More …
The La Sals, Molas Pass, and fires
Joan is off to Denver on the CT but we did an acclimation hike in our local mountains first. Read More …
Times are a changin’ – Walking in time of weather extremes
Call it climate change, weather events, cycles, or bad juju. But there are more fires, swings in snow levels, droughts, closures, etc. Some thoughts. Updated July 2025 Read More …
Map, Compass, GPS: Not Either/Or, But All of the Above
A collection of my Reddit posts. cleaned up and expanded, with thoughts on how maps, compasses, and GPS all work together in the field. It’s not about which tool is “better,” but how they complement each other. Read More …
Gear Review: UCO Utility Spork 3-in-1 Combo Spoon-Fork-Knife
The UCO Utility Spork 3-in-1 Combo Spoon-Fork-Knife from is a modest item that Joan and I use all the time since 2019. Read More …
Local fun over the 4th
A relaxing 4th in the mountains and on the river. Read More …
Gear Review – Gossamer Gear Loris 25 daypack
A look at the Gossamer Gear Loris 25 daypack that’s a worthy successor to the Type II utility packs we we wore out. Read More …
Paul Mags’ Gear List (Solo Backpacking, three-season)
My gear list for solo, three-season hiking in Colorado or similar. I also added some gear I may swap in depending on the trip type. Updated. Read More …