How to get ultralight?
Going ultralight with your gear is a Holy Grail of sorts for many new to backpacking. Here are some thoughts on achieving that goal. Read More …
Category: Musings
My views on life, the universe, and everything.
Ultralight Catechism: When a Toolkit Becomes Dogma
Ultralight works best as a toolkit, not a creed. A case for skills over spreadsheets and context over catechism. Read More …
Outdoors after 50
What you do regularly matters more than what you do spectacularly. Hiking after 50 isn’t about slowing down, it’s about living a life where movement is ordinary, not exceptional. Read More …
One step at a time, differently – Long Distance hiking vs. Thru-hiking
Not every long journey on foot is a thru-hike and not every long-distance hike needs to be one. Some musings on the difference. Read More …
WANE Bonus : A Post-Hike History Tour
A “bonus” entry from my New England Walk where I took in colonial, early US, and early 20th century era history. Read More …
Paralysis by Analysis
A look at paralysis by analysis that I think stops people from getting out in the wild places. Read More …
Not Gatekeeping – Guardrails
Some thoughts on maps, miles, and giving people the tools to see what they want to see. Read More …
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 …
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 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 …
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 …
First time on the Appalachian Trail
I am contemplating an extended walk in New England this Autumn. This post comes back to mind. If all goes well, I will be returning to what sparked my love of the outdoors nearly 40 years ago. Read More …
Another baker’s dozen – favorite campsites
Another “Baker’s Dozen” of favorite camping spots. A sequel of sorts to what I wrote in 2017. Rather than specific places it is areas we enjoy. Read More …
Two+ Year review – LightHeart Gear Fleece Hoodie
A longer term review of the LightHeart Gear micogrid fleece hoodie. Made in the USA, readily avialable, warm and fuzzy, but best for people who run cold or static use. Read More …
Ultra-light but not ultra-precise
Why I stopped counting ounces with my gear…at least precisely. Updated for 2025. Read More …
2024 in review
The 2015 version of a 1995 holiday newsletter (as I am too old/lazy to do a 2025 TikTok video) .
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Thoughts on seventeen days away
We just returend from seventeen days away in Texas going to Hueco Tanks, Big Bend National Park, and Davis Mountain State Park. Some initial thoughts. Read More …