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Home » Archive for  Musings (Page 5)

Category: Musings

My views on life, the universe, and everything.

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

RIP Kia Sorento, 2005 – 2020

Posted onJune 25, 2020June 25, 2020AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The Kia Sorento died this past Sunday. Long live the Kia Sorento. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsKia Sorento

How did I get Joan into backpacking ???

Posted onJune 8, 2020June 10, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Another “Tales from the trail” as I answer the odd question of how I convinced Joan to backpack. 😉 Read More …

CategoriesMusings, VideosTagsvideos

The Onion, 2014

Posted onJune 4, 2020June 4, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A classic of sorts written six years ago. Read More …

CategoriesMusings

Thoughts on the Seventh Principle of Leave No Trace

Posted onMay 22, 2020January 3, 2021AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

Some thoughts about the Seventh Principle of Leave No Trace: “Be Considerate of Other Visitors.” Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscommunity, favorite, LNT, Wilderness Ethics

Outdoor pursuits and the greater community

Posted onMay 1, 2020April 27, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The priority of self vs. the community in outdoor pursuits. And when thinking of the community, you help yourself in the long run. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscovid19, favorite, giving back

Outdoor Gear and Disaster Preparedness

Posted onMarch 24, 2020November 25, 2023AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

The recent flood in Boulder had me thinking: Being an outdoors person works well for disaster preparedness.
Read More …

CategoriesGear, MusingsTags72 hours, car camping, gear, outdoors, preparedness, time bank

Why you should stay local for outdoors

Posted onMarch 16, 2020October 8, 2020AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

Hey folks, please don’t go to small tourist towns for outdoor recreation. It is irresponsible. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscovid 19, economics, tourism, Wilderness Ethics

Outdoor participation down – Some thoughts

Posted onFebruary 7, 2020December 12, 2020AuthorPaul Mags10 Comments

Less than half of all Americans recreate outdoors, with only one-third recreation ten days or more a year, including day-use activities — some thoughts. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsfree time, time bank

Thoughts on hiking solo

Posted onJanuary 24, 2020April 26, 2025AuthorJoan17 Comments

Joan shares some thoughts on her solo hiking experience. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsJoan West, solo

Musings on backpacking consumerism

Posted onJanuary 10, 2020November 6, 2024AuthorPaul Mags24 Comments

Just some thoughts on gear and clothing as the outdoor equivalent of a fashion item. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsconsuermism, favorite

A Decade of Hiking

Posted onDecember 31, 2019November 25, 2023AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

I am looking over ten years of outdoor activities that defined a part of my outdoor experience. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, Other Outdoor Jaunts

Looking back at 2019

Posted onDecember 26, 2019January 1, 2020AuthorPaul Mags

2019 proved to be an excellent year in continuing to make Moab my home. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

LNT, cyber-shaming, and slacktivism: Public Lands Hate You

Posted onDecember 12, 2019October 8, 2020AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

Musings on a popular Instagram account, the recent Outside Magazine article about it, and thoughts around click-button activism. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, social media, Wilderness Ethics, Wildness

Wilderness First Responder course – Overall impressions

Posted onNovember 15, 2019April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Some thoughts and impressions on my experience of taking the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course through NOLS. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsWFA, WFR, wilderness first aid

Website of the Week – TrailGroove Magazine Premium

Posted onSeptember 24, 2019March 8, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

I’ve looked at TrailGroove Magazine before. Here are some benefits of getting a premium subscription. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, MusingsTagsWebsite of the week

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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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PMags Instagram

@ramblinghemlock and I had some company in town this weekend, along with some very muddy roads. A quick trip to a place just off the pavement proved perfect for our needs. Plenty of water-filled potholes, great views from the canyon rim, and a memorable sunset.
Snow in our local mountains yesterday and today. And, of course, flooding in the desert. Much-needed precip, but the wet, heavy New England-style snow caused quite a few blowdowns. Gonna be interesting...
"The mayor of Willcox in southern Arizona is optimistic that Chiricahua National Monument will soon be the country’s 64th National Park.
A few days on the Colorado Plateau. We saw new sites, revisited old favorites, and enjoyed a solo hike while @ramblinghemlock took a class at the nearby @crow_canyon
Bearing witness in a changed, post-fire landscape. Fire and flood shape the environment; some history passes away, while other traces remain untouched. The land eventually recovers: Some of it recently, some of it long after my lifetime.
On a rare group trip, we heard rain overnight and woke to this raging torrent. After the Babylon Fire, flooding was inevitable. The water carried a lot of ash.

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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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  • 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
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      • New England
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      • North Carolina
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      • Clothing and related
      • Footwear
      • Packs
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      • Sleeping bags, quilts, and pads
      • Stoves, cooking, and related
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      • Water containers
    • Road trip and car camping – gear and techniques
    • Winter trip reports, gear overviews, tips, and techniques
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