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Home »Posts tagged  Wildness (Page 2)

Tag: Wildness

Uncertain Path: A search for the future of national parks

Posted onJanuary 31, 2017January 19, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Reviewing “Uncertain Path – A search for the future of national parks.” A timely read in this current political climate. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsbooks, climate, National Parks, Wildness

Urban wildness: A peaceful setting found

Posted onJanuary 23, 2017July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A bit of wildness found nearby. Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsColorado, hiking, Wildness

Alone Outdoors : One is the loneliest number?

Posted onJanuary 11, 2017January 12, 2017AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

Solitude on outdoor trips is not lonely or sad. Quite the opposite. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagssolitude, solo, Wildness

Backcountry Moratorium in Arches National Park

Posted onNovember 15, 2016January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags18 Comments

The backcountry is currently closed effectively in Arches National Park. And camping will soon be, too. At least for a little bit. Some thoughts. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsColorado Plateau, utah, Wildness

Wild places: Islands in the sea?

Posted onNovember 3, 2016January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Some thoughts on recent events that perhaps show how increasingly rare wild places will become in the coming years. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, favorite, Wildness

Mountain bikes in the wilderness

Posted onAugust 15, 2016December 20, 2017AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

Thoughts on mountain bikes in designated wilderness areas. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsmountain bikes, Wildness

In defense of car camping

Posted onJune 3, 2016January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

I’ve backpacked thousands of miles. But there are times when car camping is preferable. Here’s why I feel that way. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscamping, car camping, favorite, Wildness

Corporate sponsorship in the National Parks?

Posted onMay 17, 2016June 20, 2025AuthorPaul Mags11 Comments

The National Park Service is actively courting corporate sponsorship. Is that good? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, National Parks, Wildness

LWCF permanently reinstated

Posted onApril 22, 2016June 18, 2017AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was reinstated. A victory for the outdoors! Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, Land and Water Conservation Fund, LWCF, Wildness

Book Review: The End of Night by Paul Bogard

Posted onApril 8, 2016May 13, 2021AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

A look at “The End of Night” by Paul Bogard. The subtitle of the book says it all: Searching for Darkness in an age of artificial light. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and MediaTagsbooks, climate, light pollution, wild places, Wildness

Website of the week: Dark Site Finder

Posted onMarch 9, 2016December 29, 2016AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Looking for a place off the beaten path and with great night skies? Dark Site Finder is a great website for this purpose. Read More …

CategoriesTrip PlanningTagslight pollution, Website of the week, wild places, Wildness

The night sky, light pollution and wildness

Posted onMarch 3, 2016September 26, 2019AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Some thoughts on light pollution and how it affects our perception of wildness. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagslight pollution, wild places, Wildness

Giving back

Posted onJanuary 18, 2016December 29, 2016AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

More and more work is done by volunteer groups for protecting our wild lands. These groups need our help. Here’s some ways you can give this help. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, giving back, stewardship, trail work, volunteer, Wildness

Bread Crumbs – How much information is enough?

Posted onOctober 22, 2015January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

Striking a balance between giving information about a place and making the information too detailed is interesting. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsfavorite, guide books, Wilderness Ethics, Wildness

Sunset on the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Posted onOctober 1, 2015June 19, 2017AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has expired. The latest in an ongoing trend. But it is not too late. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, Land and Water Conservation Fund, LWCF, Wildness

Champagne Gate – Scott Jurek’s AT FKT

Posted onJuly 16, 2015July 30, 2021AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

Some thoughts on Scott Jurek’s recent FKT on the Appalachian Trail and the fall out from his champagne toast. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsFKT, Scott Jurek, Wildness

East to the Wildness

Posted onApril 22, 2015November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

To the east, on the The Great Plains, may just be where wildness is located. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscamping, High Plains, hiking, The Great Plains, Wildness

Backcountry mobile device etiquette

Posted onJanuary 14, 2015January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Thoughts on possible etiquette for mobile devices in the backcountry. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsbackcountry, connectivity, electronics, favorite, mobile devices, Wilderness Ethics, Wildness

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A Quick Guide to Moab

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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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