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Home » Archive for  Musings (Page 4)

Category: Musings

My views on life, the universe, and everything.

Happy Holidays – Desert Style!

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

Happy Holidays from the desert! Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsMoab, utah

Bears Ears – The enemy is us

Posted onNovember 4, 2021January 27, 2026AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

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

CategoriesMusingsTagsBears Ears, outdoor ethics, Wildness

Bear spray canister copy/pasta

Posted onJuly 23, 2021November 17, 2023AuthorPaul 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 …

CategoriesGear, Getting Started, MusingsTagsbears

Ending campfire romanticism

Posted onJune 21, 2021January 27, 2026AuthorPaul Mags21 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 …

CategoriesMusingsTagscampfires, climate, favorite, LNT, Wilderness Ethics

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 …

CategoriesMusingsTagscampfires, climate, favorite, LNT, Wilderness Ethics

The scourge of Rec DOT gov

Posted onApril 12, 2021January 27, 2026AuthorPaul Mags40 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 …

CategoriesMusingsTagspublic lands

Website of the week: Drought.gov

Posted onJanuary 19, 2021January 19, 2021AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A look at a fascinating, interesting, and ultimately sobering website. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, MusingsTagsclimate, Website of the week

Love letters from devoted readers

Posted onJanuary 6, 2021November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Feeling the love from the wonderful comments from over the years. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagshumor

2020: COVID, disappointment, and giving fewer f****

Posted onDecember 23, 2020October 12, 2021AuthorPaul Mags10 Comments

My year in review. A year I found disappointment but also much happiness. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

Thoughts on gatekeeping

Posted onNovember 19, 2020January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags20 Comments

What is gatekeeping? And is withholding specific location information a form of it? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsfavorite, gatekeeping, Wilderness Ethics

Gifts for yourself: A practical gift guide

Posted onNovember 9, 2020April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Here are some gift ideas that an outdoors person can get for themselves. And they can be used in all seasons and in the coming years ahead. Updated for 2020. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsgift guide, gift of time, gifts, holidays

Signs of the outdoors – Part 2

Posted onOctober 28, 2020October 28, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

More signs I found amusing over my years of wilderness travel. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagshumor, signs

Back to the 1920s – Thoughts on outdoor rec

Posted onOctober 22, 2020September 14, 2023AuthorPaul Mags15 Comments

Thoughts on the state of outdoor recreation in our modern times. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsfavorite, National Parks, time bank, Wildness

Signs of the Outdoors – Part 1

Posted onOctober 20, 2020October 28, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A collection of signs I found amusing from my (mainly) outdoor travels. Part 1. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagshumor, signs

The politics of blaze orange and COVID masks

Posted onOctober 8, 2020November 10, 2020AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

People on either side of the political divide are often more alike than different. They both eschew practicality and safety for political statements. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsCOVID, LNT, Wilderness Ethics

How to make staying local into a #epicadventure

Posted onSeptember 15, 2020October 8, 2020AuthorJoan2 Comments

Joan shares five tips on how to find joy in the local areas. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscovid 19, Joan West, keep it local, Wilderness Ethics

Green friendly, consumerism, and minimalism – Some thoughts

Posted onSeptember 14, 2020January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags11 Comments

Thinking (virtually) out loud about some ideas on the green-friendly movement, consumerism, and minimalism as it pertains to the outdoors. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsconsuerism, favorite, green friendly

An ode to the USPS

Posted onAugust 19, 2020August 22, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Why the US Postal System holds so much importance during my outdoor travels. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsmaildrops, postal service, USPS

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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 

One of Joan’s favorites!

The Squak Alpha Fleece 

                                                                    

– 15% off coupon = PMAGS-SQUAK                                                                                                      

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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.

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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.

 

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      • Appalachian Trail
      • Pacific Crest Trail
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      • Ring The Peak Trail (Pike’s Peak)
      • Benton Mackaye Trail
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