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Home » Archive for  Musings (Page 8)

Category: Musings

My views on life, the universe, and everything.

On this Winter Solstice

Posted onDecember 21, 2017April 22, 2018AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Let’s celebrate the first day of winter! Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagswinter

2017: The theme was “Transition”

Posted onDecember 20, 2017December 20, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A look over 2017. A year of transition. A year that started off with too much time being taken from me. And ended with me giving the gift of time to myself. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsbackpacking, hiking, time bank, work life balance, year in review

Accessibility,wildness,and politics 

Posted onDecember 11, 2017December 11, 2017AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

Does everything have to be accessible? Can’t some places remain wild? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsWildness

The Incredible Shrinking Monuments

Posted onDecember 7, 2017December 8, 2017AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

Some thoughts on the recent announcement about the proposed reduction of National Monuments. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsNational Monuments, Wildness

WASU : Bonus music edition

Posted onNovember 19, 2017May 13, 2021AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

One last post for my Utah walk. Songs stuck in my head while being out by myself. Call it a bonus post. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, Long Walks, MusingsTagsmusic, utah, wasu

National Park fee increase

Posted onOctober 27, 2017November 27, 2017AuthorPaul Mags21 Comments

Thoughts on the proposed NPS fee increases. Ad what it means for the wild and egalitarian nature of our parks. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsadvocacy, National Parks, Wildness

Turning the page

Posted onOctober 9, 2017October 9, 2017AuthorPaul Mags6 Comments

One chapter is ended. Time to start a new one. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagspartings, southern tier road trip, wasu

And now, a Triple Crown backpacking joke

Posted onOctober 2, 2017October 9, 2017AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A joke I posted online recently that people seem to enjoy. Succinctly sums up each of the “Big Three” trails. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagshumor, Triple

Ghost Trails

Posted onSeptember 19, 2017November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Find an old trail on a map or even stumble upon it? That’s a Ghost Trail. And it is an interesting way to walk a little bit of forgotten outdoor history. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, Trip PlanningTagsGhost Trails, off trail

NPS Campground privatization and other changes

Posted onSeptember 6, 2017July 19, 2019AuthorPaul Mags8 Comments

In the near future, most NPS campground will be privatized. And connected. Some thoughts on an ongoing trend. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsconnectivity, electronics, National Parks, Wildness

The ethics of off-trail hiking

Posted onSeptember 4, 2017September 25, 2019AuthorPaul Mags12 Comments

Is hiking off-trail ethical? And, assuming this type of hiking is ethical, what is the best way to preserve these ethics? Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsWilderness Ethics

New Fangled Ultralight Backpacking

Posted onAugust 2, 2017May 3, 2023AuthorPaul Mags46 Comments

This lightweight “backpacking fad” is not that new or a fad. Despite what some people may state. Read More …

CategoriesGear, MusingsTagsevolving, favorite, gear list, lightweight backpacking

Survival Coffee

Posted onJuly 26, 2017July 31, 2017AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

A socially acceptable chemical stimulant to increase my time bank funds when driving to a trailhead late at night. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscoffee, food

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: $40 Utility bucket?

Posted onJuly 14, 2017February 4, 2026AuthorPaul Mags24 Comments

A new one even for me: A $40 plastic utility bucket being praised by an outdoor gear blog? Cripe. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagsfavorite, humor, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

More musings on Whitman

Posted onJuly 12, 2017July 28, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Some later night woolgathering again on Whitman. The last for a while. 🙂 Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, MusingsTagspoetry, Whitman

Wonderful Wildflowers

Posted onJuly 11, 2017July 12, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The mountain landscapes are impressive. I still love me some wildflowers, though. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagswildflowers

The Colorado RV & Boat Show

Posted onJuly 10, 2017February 4, 2026AuthorPaul Mags14 Comments

A phenomenon that is becoming more common in Colorado. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, Trip PlanningTagscolorado-tip, crowds, traffic

How to do a fast hike

Posted onJuly 6, 2017July 9, 2017AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

How to do a fast hike? The real question is how to hike all day consistently. And then repeat. Here are some ideas. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, MusingsTagsendurance, fast, thru hiking

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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
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      • Colorado
      • New Mexico
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      • Water containers
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