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Home »View all posts by  Paul Mags (Page 16)

Author: Paul Mags

December on the Plateau

Posted onDecember 9, 2022December 9, 2022AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Another weekend spent seeing what we see in our spot in the High Desert. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

Gear pick of the year 2022 – Our bike kit

Posted onDecember 8, 2022April 27, 2025AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The gear pick of the year for 2022? Our biking system – save gas, gets exercise, is good for the environment, and is often quicker and less stressful. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsbiking, gear pick of the year

Five year review – Silk weight surplus bottoms

Posted onDecember 5, 2022February 24, 2026AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

At $20 a pair, 4.75 oz, made with Polartec, the surplus thermals make an excellent bang for the buck for active use in cool weather. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsbudget gear, clothing, gear review, shirts, surplus, thermals

A swell time over Thanksgiving

Posted onDecember 1, 2022AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Thanksgiving spent with a friend in the high desert with many images and stark beauty. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

New gear we liked for 2022

Posted onNovember 30, 2022January 27, 2026AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

A look over the pieces of gear and clothing that served us well in 2022. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsbiking, budget gear, gear we liked, Joan West, lightheart gear, Six Moon Designs, surplus

Into the canyon

Posted onNovember 23, 2022AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Joan and I continue to savor the early winter season of Utah’s canyon country. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

November Light

Posted onNovember 16, 2022AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Our first below-freezing night backpacking trip of the season. And a reminder of why we love this time of the year in Utah. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

A winter camp

Posted onNovember 10, 2022April 13, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

It’s the time of the year when we meander and savor the canyon country during winter. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

Sun protection techniques

Posted onNovember 8, 2022April 27, 2025AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Some of the gear, clothing, and techniques we use for sun protection when hiking and backpacking. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting StartedTagssun protection

A ritual of the American pasttime of baseball. From the "Made in China

Sunday night rituals

Posted onNovember 6, 2022November 6, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Our Sunday evening ritual means repeating a pattern week in and week out. But one we enjoy. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsgift of time

Searching for Julien

Posted onNovember 3, 2022November 3, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A local hike and I took it easy while being a little under the weather. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsjulien, utah

Long live the watch

Posted onOctober 29, 2022October 29, 2022AuthorPaul Mags13 Comments

My 15+ yr old Timex Indiglo finally went kaput. The watch is dead; long live the watch. Here are some reasons why I still have and use an analog watch in 2022. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagswatches

An ancient canyon

Posted onOctober 26, 2022October 26, 2022AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A bit of camping, hiking, and meandering in an obscure canyon not far from the Utah border. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado

Packrafting – the gear

Posted onOctober 23, 2022April 27, 2025AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The gear we use for our backpacking-focused packrafting trips. Read More …

CategoriesGearTagspackrafting

Embracing the mud on the Green

Posted onOctober 19, 2022October 19, 2022AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Some Type II fun, spirited discussion at times, muddy and wet conditions, and rewarding. Or a weekend packrafting. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagspackrafting, utah

October on the Green

Posted onOctober 13, 2022October 23, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A hike and a float not far from where I’m typing. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagspackrafting, utah

Red Rock & Golden Leaves

Posted onOctober 6, 2022October 6, 2022AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Fall colors up high and the red rock desert below. An excellent autumn weekend in Moab. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsutah

Fall splendor in the Abajos

Posted onOctober 4, 2022September 21, 2023AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Enjoying the first part of fall in the Abajo Mountains. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsabajo mountains, utah

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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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Some local hiking this weekend. I scouted a route for a possible packrafting trip later this month, and on Sunday, @ramblinghemlock and I meandered through a canyon we’ve been curious about for a while.
I can’t imagine this landscape with a wall.
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.

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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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      • 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
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      • Great Divide Trail (Canada)
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      • Water containers
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