Skip to content
Menu

Primary Menu

  • 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
      • Joan’s articles
Header Toggle
Facebook Twitter Feed Pinterest YouTube Instagram Reddit
PMags.com
Facebook Twitter Feed Pinterest YouTube Instagram Reddit
Home » Archive for  Musings (Page 15)

Category: Musings

My views on life, the universe, and everything.

Vermont’s Long Trail – My most important long hike

Posted onDecember 16, 2014November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

Why Vermont’s Long Trail hikes were important for me. Read More …

CategoriesLong Walks, MusingsTagsLong Trail, long-walks, Vermont

Urban Stroll

Posted onDecember 8, 2014December 8, 2014AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Snow is not quite what I need it to be in the high country. I am getting over a cold. Time to take an urban stroll.

CategoriesMusingsTagsurban hiking

Why support the Continental Divide Trail Coalition?

Posted onDecember 4, 2014June 19, 2017AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

In this time of giving, helping to support the Continental Divide Trail Coalition is a worthy cause.

CategoriesMusingsTags#bravethecdt, cdt, CDTC, Continental Divide Trail

Website of the week: DAVE’S NORDIC BACKCOUNTRY SKIING PAGE

Posted onDecember 3, 2014January 1, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Another Website of the week: Dave’s Nordic Backcountry Skiing page

CategoriesMusingsTagsskiing, VBL, Website of the week, winter

Black Friday – Backcountry Style

Posted onNovember 25, 2014November 23, 2016AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Black Friday? Our Black Friday will be under a night sky in Utah. No deals on big screen TVs, but I am sure the ambiance will be nice.  

CategoriesMusingsTagsBlack Friday, camping, hiking, Thanksgiving, utah

Five day B&W photo challenge

Posted onNovember 14, 2014February 4, 2026AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A collection of photos from the five day B&W challenge. Black and white photography[1]  has always been something I loved. I am not a professional photographer by any means, but I do love photography to capture certain scenes in the Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsB&W, photography

Outdoor Quotes and Musings

Posted onNovember 7, 2014November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The following is a collection of outdoor quotes from a Yahoo group I helped to maintain: the Colorado Hiking and Outdoor Society “back in the day”.  The group is now on Meetup.   Most of the quotes were chosen by me. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagshiking, outdoors, quotes

Wilderness Ethics – Preserving the Spirit of Wildness

Posted onNovember 5, 2014November 4, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Looking at a minor classic in wilderness writing that may be more pertinent now than when it was written. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, MusingsTagsbooks, connectivity, Guy Waterman, Laura Waterman, Wilderness Ethics, Wildness

Lightweight backpacking – Evolution not revolution

Posted onNovember 4, 2014April 27, 2026AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Sometimes it is bemoaned how lightweight gear is not used more. But it is. The longer view just has to be taken. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsevolving, gear, lightweight backpacking

The gray days of November

Posted onNovember 3, 2014January 26, 2020AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

November is the real in-between time. Time for gear repair, maintenance and sorting. And reflecting on the time ahead.

CategoriesMusingsTagsgear maintenance, gear repair, November

Website of the week: The History of Gear Project

Posted onOctober 28, 2014June 19, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

With GoLite going off into history, here’s a look at other famous brands that while influential are  no longer around and/or different in form.

CategoriesGear, MusingsTagsgear companies, Website of the week

GoLite – Recent stumbles

Posted onOctober 21, 2014April 25, 2025AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

Some thoughts about the recent GoLite Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

CategoriesMusingsTagsbackpacking, chapter 11, gear, GoLite

Fall Hikes on the Continental Divide Trail

Posted onOctober 8, 2014November 17, 2023AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A little article I wrote to help promoted the CDTC on Gregory Mountain Product’s website.

CategoriesMusingsTagsContinental Divide Trail, Fall, hiking

This post will soon be worth $1500

Posted onSeptember 25, 2014October 9, 2019AuthorPaul Mags11 Comments

Some thoughts on the proposed photo permit fee from the USFS

CategoriesMusingsTagsphotos, USFS, WTF

CORSAR card confusion

Posted onSeptember 24, 2014November 19, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Despite what people write on forums, the CORSAR card is *not* insurance. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsColorado, colorado-tip, CORSAR, Search and Rescue

Two years celebrated in Taos

Posted onSeptember 23, 2014April 6, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Our two-year wedding anniversary celebrated in Taos, NM.

CategoriesMusingsTagsAncestral Pueblo, camping, Great Sand Dunes National Park, hiking, New Mexico, Taos

Vocation vs Avocation

Posted onSeptember 10, 2014February 7, 2017AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A vocation vs an avocation…and trying to do both.

CategoriesMusingsTagsavocation, vocation, work life balance

FKTs, records and other shenanigans

Posted onAugust 20, 2014May 30, 2017AuthorPaul Mags10 Comments

Interest, attempts and coverage of record-breaking on America’s long trails is increasing. Here’s my own nickel’s thoughts on why… Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsFKT, hiking, long trails, records

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Virtual tip jar

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                                                                                                      

  • REI: Shop Deal of the Day at REI Garage!
  • REI: Outlet 50% off deals
  • REI: Official Coupons and Rebates page
  • REI: Used Gear Store

PMags Instagram

Between the fires, a brief monsoon season, the AQI, and life in general, we didn't make it to our summer retreat in the San Juans as much as we'd hoped. But this "weekend," Joan and I finally made it back to our favorite mountains in Colorado.
Joan and I hosted some friends this past week. We gave them the classic tour, starting with an early morning visit to the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park. While Joan attended a meeting, I played tour guide a bit for other parts of the park. That afternoon, we headed to the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park to take in the sweeping views across the Colorado Plateau. Today? We escaped to our local mountains, looking down at the desert floor far below.
Not a good year for backpacking in the Abajos or the San Juans, but our local mountains still offer some good opportunities for camping and hiking. And only an hour away. With @ramblinghemlock
The once and future Bears Ears.
@ramblinghemlock and I went to some local(ish) mountains to avoid the fires and smoke in our usual places.
A hike to our local mountains did not go quite as planned. With an AQI of 176 in Moab due to the fires in our corner of the world, we sought refuge in the mountains.

PMags Popular Posts

  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Latest
  • Today Week Month All
  • The Colorado Trail “End to End” Guide The Colorado Trail “End to End" Guide
  • Backpacking Loops – Mags Favorites Backpacking Loops – Mags Favorites
  • The Frugal Backpacker – The $300 Gear Challenge The Frugal Backpacker - The $300 Gear Challenge
  • PCT trail marker A Quick and Dirty Guide to The Pacific Crest Trail
  • A Quick and Dirty CDT Guide A Quick and Dirty CDT Guide
  • Stove Comparison – Real World Use Stove Comparison – Real World Use
  • Talus vs. Scree – What is the difference? Talus vs. Scree - What is the difference?
  • Ground Cloths : A quick overview Ground Cloths : A quick overview
  • Build a gear sled the dirt bagger way Build a gear sled the dirt bagger way
  • From GIS Sleepings Pads - A grounded view
  • Gear tip – Zenni eyeware glass case Gear tip – Zenni eyeware glass case
  • Gear Review – Generic $10 canister stove Gear Review – Generic $10 canister stove
  • Hiking Rhode Island’s North-South Trail: A Practical Guide Hiking Rhode Island’s North-South Trail: A Practical Guide
  • Quick Tip – Mark and update your OTC drugs yearly! Quick Tip – Mark and update your OTC drugs yearly!
  • Gear Review – Squak Alpha Fleece Beanie Gear Review – Squak Alpha Fleece Beanie
  • Backpacking in the San Juans Backpacking in the San Juans
  • Showing Off Our Backyard Showing Off Our Backyard
  • More thoughts on the once and future Bears Ears More thoughts on the once and future Bears Ears
  • Back to our local mountains Back to our local mountains
  • Local-ish Local-ish
  • Today Week Month All
  • Sorry. No data yet.
Ajax spinner

Archives

Recent Comments

  • Paul Mags on Hiking Rhode Island’s North-South Trail: A Practical Guide
  • Kate Mason on Hiking Rhode Island’s North-South Trail: A Practical Guide
  • Paul Mags on Backpacking in the San Juans
  • Just Dan on Backpacking in the San Juans
  • Paul Mags on Hiking Rhode Island’s North-South Trail: A Practical Guide

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.

 

© 2026 - PMags.com - All Rights Reserved -Privacy Policy
Scroll Up
  • 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
      • Joan’s articles

Subscribe to PMags.com

  • Receive an email notification of new posts direct to your inbox once a week.
  • Old school text email digest
  • It is easy!

ClickHereButton

×
Loading Comments...