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Home » Archive for  Musings (Page 11)

Category: Musings

My views on life, the universe, and everything.

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

Amazon Prime – Perfect for the outdoors person

Posted onMay 16, 2016April 25, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Want to buy outdoor supplies and gear and not a lifestyle? Get an Amazon Prime account. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsAmazon, lifestyle, time bank

Change o’ plans

Posted onMay 13, 2016AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

We can plan. But Ma Nature often decides what we end up doing for a backpacking trip. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsNew Mexico, Pecos Wilderness, Pueblo, Taos

Sports Authority, EMS and the change in retail

Posted onMay 5, 2016November 25, 2023AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

The financial woes of two outdoor retail stores and thoughts on today’s outdoor commerce market. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscommerce, EMS, gear, retail

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

Discovery vs Safety – The Balance

Posted onApril 19, 2016June 28, 2023AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

How to plan, have a measure of safety but still have a sense of discovery when outdoors? Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsdiscovery, planning, safety

The Conundrum of Choices

Posted onMarch 24, 2016April 25, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Too many choices? Don’t worry too much about it. Just get out there. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsgear paralysis

Beyond the skills

Posted onMarch 23, 2016July 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

No matter who you are, or how much you know, there is always more to learn in the outdoors. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagslearning, outdoors, skills

Work is bad for your health

Posted onMarch 7, 2016February 7, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Work is bad for your health? In my case, working in an early 21st century office environment has actually been bad for my health. At least this past month. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagschange, illness, time, time bank, work life balance

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

Go Fund Yourself – A modest proposal

Posted onFebruary 26, 2016March 11, 2020AuthorPaul Mags10 Comments

Some thoughts on GoFundMe for vacations as opposed to charitable causes. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsbegging, charity, GoFundMe

How to generate “buzz”?

Posted onFebruary 19, 2016June 18, 2017AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

I received an email recently asking how to generate “buzz”. Here’s my curmudgeonly take on this concept. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscareer, outdoors, professional

Withdrawing from the time bank

Posted onFebruary 15, 2016February 15, 2016AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Having a cold means I have to withdraw precious vacation days from the time bank. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscold, time bank

Catholicism, the Sacred Mystery and Nature

Posted onFebruary 11, 2016January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Some ruminations during this Lenten season on how Catholicism may have affected my view of the outdoors. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsCatholicism, favorite, nature, Sacred Mystery, spiritual

The Revenant, fur trade and Colorado history

Posted onFebruary 5, 2016November 17, 2023AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

If you enjoyed the movie The Revenant, and live in Colorado, much of the fur trade history took place very close to where we live. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsColorado, colorado-tip, favorite, fur trade, history, The Revenant

Some strolls on winter evenings

Posted onFebruary 2, 2016February 4, 2016AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

On nights with freshly fallen snow, even the everyday walk is memorable. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsBoulder, Colorado, winter

Presentation gremlins : How to avoid them

Posted onJanuary 20, 2016December 29, 2016AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Volunteering to give an outdoor based presentation? Great! Here’s how to be prepared and avoid the gremlins that seem to crop up. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagselectronics, presentations, technology, volunteer

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

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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 

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Off the desert floor for a bit
Four days in the desert spring. Some backpacking, one night of camping, and one memorable trip.
Our original plan had to be modified due to the weather. Putting in long miles on a dirt road with thunderstorms rolling through would not have made for a good weekend.
A couple of days meandering near Moab.
Moody day in Moab
@ramblinghemlock and I spent one last day in Wisconsin. We visited Aztalan State Park, where ancestral mound builders established an outlier connected to Cahokia further downriver. A few hundred people lived here, shaping a piece of history I did not learn about until well into my 20s.

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  • Home
  • Ramblings
    • Musings
    • Books and Media
    • Videos
    • From The Web
    • Thru Hikes, Long Walks, or Routes
      • 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
      • A Walk Across Southern Utah
      • Great Divide Trail (Canada)
      • The Northern New Mexico Loop
      • Grand – Moab Route
      • SEUG Circuit
      • A Walk Across New England
    • Other Outdoor Jaunts
      • Utah
      • Colorado
      • New Mexico
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Nebraska
      • New England
      • Nevada
      • North Carolina
      • Oregon
      • South Dakota
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
    • Photos
    • PMags News
    • Press
  • Nuts and Bolts
    • New to the outdoors? Start here!
    • Getting Started
    • Quick Tips
    • Trip Planning
    • Quick and Dirty Guides
    • Food
    • Gear
      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
      • Gear Quivers
      • Gear Lists
      • Budget Gear
      • What I’m Wearing
      • Clothing and related
      • Footwear
      • Packs
      • Shelters and related
      • Sleeping bags, quilts, and pads
      • Stoves, cooking, and related
      • Tools
      • Water containers
    • Road trip and car camping – gear and techniques
    • Winter trip reports, gear overviews, tips, and techniques
  • Subscribe by email
  • Write Me
  • About PMags.com
    • Who is Paul Mags?
    • About Joan West
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