I met a couple of guys today doing trail maintenance to qualify for the Western States Endurance Run (aka WS100). This is a 100 mile wilderness trail run through the California mountains (Squaw Valley to Auburn) to be completed in 30 hours or less. The two guys I talked to are attempting to complete the…
I got my REI dividend today and used it to purchase a bear canister (I got the Counter Assault Bear Keg). After the coupon and the divend they still owed me a little bit of money, so I also ordered a semi-rectangular synthetic bag that can be unzipped and used as a comforter. I have…
It’s time again for me to send out the info for testing gear through BackpackGearTest.org. They’re always looking for new testers, and the new round of cool goodies is about to hit the streets! Right now I’m involved with several tests including: Montrail boots, Luna Sport food items, a really cool microfiber accessory (Mental Head Case),…
I should have put this up last week when I first heard about it, but it slipped my mind. Author Jeff Alt is coming to Green Township, Ohio tomorrow night, January 15, 2008. He will be covering his Appalachian Trail thru-hike and book “A Walk for Sunshine.” I attended his talk about his John Muir…
I’m sure by now most news hound hikers have heard about the death of Merideth Emerson, the 24-year-old hiker from Georgia. I wasn’t sure if I would—or for that matter, should—write something about the incident. On one hand, this is mostly a nuts-and-bolts kind of site, with some input from me on various topics. On…
As is normal for me, I’m a little late with the breaking news. I found an article about the passing of Frank Hall of Hall’s Dog Sleds fame. He made the dog sled I owned during high school/college. He was a talented craftsman and left a legacy in the world of sled dog sports. He…
I needed to get Beau a new jacket since the one I had for him was actually Lucy’s and didn’t fit him properly. I also have a hard time finding a commercial jacket that fits since he has a deep chest and skinny waist. I found this pattern for Greyhounds–also deep chested and skinny waisted. I used…
Today I found an article in The Torontoist about snowshoeing–much more popular there than here in Southeast Indiana where we’ve lost most of this year’s snow (40 degrees for Christmas, baby!). They linked here for the pattern about making your own wooden pack (swiss-army) snowshoes. Some of my readers may remember when I started UberPest.com…
If you are at all involved with trail construction or maintenance, please take a look at the USDA Recreational Trails Program publications. Even if your involvement with trails is only as a user, it’s interesting to see why things are built the way they are. It might even make you pay better attention to how…
Over the weekend I saw some folks with no-sew fleece blankets for their dog crates at shows. Knowing Beau likes fluffy things, I thought this would be a good way to pad his crate. The pad I describe here fits well in Beau’s crate and I think it’ll work as a travel bed for him as…
