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Home » Archive for  PMags News

Category: PMags News

News of what is going in my life or this website.

Thoughts on two years with the National Park Service

Posted onFebruary 22, 2026February 22, 2026AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Thoughts on two years balancing my trade with my passion at the National Park Service, and on still processing the decision to leave. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagswork life balance

Off-Piste: Keeping an Aging Laptop Useful

Posted onFebruary 17, 2026February 19, 2026AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

And now some geek talk but explained plainly – Turning my circa 2019 laptop in a usable workstation going forward. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagselectronics

2025 in review

Posted onJanuary 7, 2026January 7, 2026AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The annual navel gazing I call the “Year in Review.” But, hey, there are pretty photos! Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

I went down to Austin…

Posted onMay 12, 2025May 12, 2025AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

I went to Austin, had some BBQ, and talked trail. Read More …

CategoriesPMags News, PressTagsBackpacker radio, podcast

2024 in review

Posted onJanuary 6, 2025January 6, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

The 2015 version of a 1995 holiday newsletter (as I am too old/lazy to do a 2025 TikTok video) .
Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

2023 in review

Posted onDecember 27, 2023January 1, 2024AuthorPaul Mags10 Comments

A look over 2023 with some photos and a few thoughts. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

Sunblesa looking for product testers

Posted onFebruary 26, 2023February 26, 2023AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Are you interested in looking over and reviewing a headlamp? Sunblesa is currently looking for testers. Read More …

CategoriesGear, PMags NewsTagsgear, gear review, lights

A look back at 2022

Posted onDecember 31, 2022January 30, 2026AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

A look at 2022. Some sentiment, some snark, and lots of photos. Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

Joan and I did a thing

Posted onMarch 15, 2022March 28, 2022AuthorPaul Mags14 Comments

…and we’ll be in a Moab for a while. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagsno place like home

2021 : The steady state

Posted onDecember 16, 2021December 16, 2021AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

The annual waxing of the poetic and looking at the past year. Or skip the prose and see the photos! Read More …

CategoriesMusings, PMags NewsTagsyear in review

The Trek – Backcountry Campfires : A relic of the past

Posted onJuly 12, 2021January 27, 2026AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The Trek published my thoughts on backcountry campfires. Happy to have a larger and different audience discuss this important issue. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagscampfires, climate, LNT

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

A virtual tip jar: My version of shareware

Posted onMarch 11, 2020March 11, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Borrowing an idea from well-known outdoor writer Chris Townsend, I am instituting a tip jar of sorts. If you like what you read, tip me a cup of coffee. Read More …

CategoriesPMags News

Guiding – Deep Desert Expeditions

Posted onMarch 8, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

A different Moab guiding gig in 2020 – Deep Desert Expeditions. Mike Coronella, the owner, is one of the co-creators of the Hayduke Trail. Read More …

CategoriesPMags NewsTagsguiding, hiking, Moab, utah

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

Another Contest: Backpacking for Beginners Giveaway

Posted onDecember 4, 2019December 4, 2019AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

I’ll be giving away two copies of this book. Tell me about a beginner backpacker in your life and why they might like this book. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, Getting Started, PMags NewsTagsbeginners, books

Giveaway Winners: Wanderlust USA by Cam Honan

Posted onDecember 2, 2019December 2, 2019AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The winners of the Wanderlust USA giveaway. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, PMags NewsTagsbooks, Cam Honan

Giveaway: Wanderlust USA by Cam Honan

Posted onNovember 20, 2019November 22, 2019AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

I’ll be giving away two copies of the latest book by Cam Honan: Wanderlust USA by Gestalten. Tell me your best outdoor volunteering story for 2019. Read More …

CategoriesBooks and Media, PMags NewsTagsbooks, Cam Honan

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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

Some local hiking this weekend. I scouted a route for a possible packrafting trip later this month, and on Sunday, @ramblinghemlock and I meandered through a canyon we’ve been curious about for a while.
I can’t imagine this landscape with a wall.
Two years inside the Park Service, trying to balance trade and calling. I left in fall 2025, and I’m still making sense of it - part grief, part gratitude, and part closure.
With a brief but noticeable bit of winter this past week, we opted not to travel the muddy, snowy roads into more remote areas. Instead, we tackled some home projects on Saturday and spent Sunday revisiting a place we hadn’t seen in a while. Red rock, canyon wrens, images, and late winter desert light accompanied the day.
@ramblinghemlock and I pivoted from an original trip after much-needed rain on Friday. On Saturday, we avoided muddy roads that would have derailed our original plan and spent two nights poking around a place we could reach only because of temporary, water-filled potholes and a handy Ziploc bag that made it possible. We also revisited sights we hadn’t seen in a while. Red rock, grand views, and old images marked the unofficial long weekend kickoff of spring around Moab.
@ramblinghemlock and I finally felt better and took a long-overdue trip into the backcountry. We slept outside and enjoyed the peace of the wild places. Canyon wrens filled the canyon with song during the day, and owl calls echoed off the walls at night. We returned to places we had not seen in a while and saw places new to us. The land endures.

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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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    • 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
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      • New England
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      • North Carolina
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    • New to the outdoors? Start here!
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    • Gear
      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
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      • 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
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  • About PMags.com
    • Who is Paul Mags?
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