Musings

Influential Gear?

Posted onAugust 15, 2022August 16, 2022AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

What backpacking gear has become influential in the past few decades? Some thoughts. Read More …

The simple pleasure of bike errands

Posted onJune 29, 2022July 1, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Now that we live near downtown, we find we rarely drive during the week. The addition of a bike trailer made this task feasible. Read More …

Times are a changin’ – Walking in time of weather extremes

Posted onJune 15, 2022August 24, 2022AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

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 June 2022. Read More …

Whaddabouda-ism

Posted onMarch 9, 2022March 14, 2022AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

If you try to prepare for every contingency you may find you end up ill-prepared for what you need to do. Read More …

An influential woman for March 8th

Posted onMarch 9, 2022March 9, 2022AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Sr. Helene, a no-nonsense nun, is a woman I think of on March 8th every year. Read More …

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 …

Happy Holidays – Desert Style!

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

Happy Holidays from the desert! Read More …

Bears Ears – The enemy is us

Posted onNovember 4, 2021November 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Thoughts on Bears Ears and what the re-instated protection may actually mean. Read More …

The last journey

Posted onJuly 30, 2021July 17, 2022AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

Polar explorers talk about the concept of last journeys. Maybe we are in the age of last, traditionally defined, other outdoor journeys as well? Read More …

Bear spray canister copy/pasta

Posted onJuly 23, 2021October 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags12 Comments

More people insist they need bear spray when venturing into black bear country because “it is better to have it and not need it.”—my boilerplate response. Read More …

Ending campfire romanticism

Posted onJune 21, 2021November 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags18 Comments

I’ve made a case that campfires belong in the past with other practices. And to make that change, we need to change the culture around campfires—some thoughts. Read More …

To NOT build a fire

Posted onJune 10, 2021November 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags17 Comments

Why backcountry campfires should no longer be a regular part of the backpacking experience. Updated with modified views. Read More …

The scourge of Rec DOT gov

Posted onApril 12, 2021April 12, 2022AuthorPaul Mags31 Comments

Recreation DOT gov gets managed by the multi-billion dollar DC beltway firm of Booz-Allen-Hamilton. And here’s why I think it’s awful. Read More …

Rock Images Gallery

Posted onMarch 4, 2021March 4, 2021AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

A collection of rock images from over the years spanning mainly Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. But also Nevada, the High Plains, and even near Banff. Read More …