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Home » Archive for  Musings (Page 7)

Category: Musings

My views on life, the universe, and everything.

A hike in the museum

Posted onNovember 15, 2018January 2, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Try to not to make “museum displays” as those displays can destroy the archeological record. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsAncestral Pueblo, Colorado Plateau, utah, utah-tip

Mise en Place and the outdoors

Posted onNovember 7, 2018January 3, 2021AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

“Everything in its place.” That culinary phrase, when applied to outdoor pursuits, helps maximize time in the outdoors and makes it more enjoyable. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscar camping, favorite, food, organization, time bank

Industry Terms, Outdoor Gear, and Marketing Buzz

Posted onOctober 16, 2018April 26, 2025AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

Some musings on how industry terms for outdoor gear become marketing buzz. And how people use buzzwords to purchase gear without thinking what the terms mean. Read More …

CategoriesGear, MusingsTagsindustry, outdoor gear

Yogi Berra – Outdoor Philosopher

Posted onSeptember 12, 2018September 13, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Yogi Berra may be a baseball Hall of Famer. But his Zen-like koans are perhaps his most lasting legacy. And many of these observations apply to the outdoors. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsphilosophy, quotes, Yogi Berra

Pumpkin Beer is the Delaware of craft beer

Posted onSeptember 11, 2018February 8, 2019AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A few thoughts on Pumpkin Beer as I settle in my new home. ‘Tis the Season. With apologies to the fine people of Delaware. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsbeer, food, pumpkin

One year ago today

Posted onSeptember 5, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

One year ago today, my life became much different. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsgift of time

On my 1000th post

Posted onAugust 29, 2018August 29, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Damn. I wrote my 1000th post at some point in Canada. Some quick thoughts on this dubious milestone. 🙂 Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsblog, website

The Great Divide Trail Pt1 – On to Jasper

Posted onJuly 24, 2018August 25, 2018AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

The first part of my Great Divide Trail thru-hike from Robson to Jasper. Read More …

CategoriesLong Walks, MusingsTagscanada, Great Divide Trail

End of the Road (Trip) – Some Thoughts

Posted onJuly 10, 2018June 25, 2020AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

The road trip portion of my sabbatical has come to an end. Here are some random thoughts about being on the road since late November 2017. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, Other Outdoor JauntsTagscar camping, east coast gallivant, gift of time, Kia Sorento, southern tier road trip

The Appalachian Trail: The People’s Trail

Posted onJune 18, 2018June 18, 2018AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

The Appalachian Trail is not wilderness nor is it isolated. But it is a trail gives many people a sense of the wild and a sense of nature. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsAppalachian Trail

Golden Age of the outdoors?

Posted onApril 24, 2018April 24, 2018AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Accessibility is relatively easy. Information is painless to acquire. Are we in a Golden Age of the outdoors? And how long will this Golden Age last? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsWildness

Signs of the times

Posted onApril 12, 2018April 12, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Two signs of our current state of connectivity. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsconnectivity, electronics, Wildness

Decline in Hunting : Impact on outdoor places?

Posted onMarch 22, 2018October 31, 2018AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A fascinating NPR piece discussed the number of hunters declining. What does trend mean for non-hunters and anglers? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsactivism, hunting, Wildness

Onward!

Posted onMarch 12, 2018March 12, 2018AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Another good amount of time spent in town. But I am glad to be back on the road! Read More …

CategoriesMusings

Twenty years ago today

Posted onFebruary 28, 2018February 28, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A watershed moment for me on this day: I started my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsAppalachian Trail

Bay Area Exploring

Posted onFebruary 11, 2018February 19, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Some time spent in the Bay Area. San Francisco is the perfect city for simply meandering and seeing what nooks and crannies await! Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsBay Area, California, San Francisco, southern tier road trip

Random observations from the road

Posted onJanuary 25, 2018October 15, 2019AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Some musings, ideas, and mildly useful tips from two months of traveling Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscar camping, southern tier road trip

Social Media ethics

Posted onDecember 29, 2017December 29, 2017AuthorPaul Mags14 Comments

An article I recently wrote for TrailGroove Magazine about the ethics of social media. “Obscurity, not secrecy” Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PressTagssocial media, TrailGroove, Wilderness Ethics, 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 

One of Joan’s favorites!

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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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  • Ramblings
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    • 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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      • Footwear
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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
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