Outdoor Writer & Consultant – Wilderness Guide – Custom Canoe Expeditions into the far north
Outdoor Writer & Consultant – Wilderness Guide – Custom Canoe Expeditions into the far north
Camping out has changed considerably since the good old days of pine bough beds, bonfires and fresh-cut trail shelters. Camps stoves have taken over where fires once ruled, and a deluge of new fabrics–nylon, polypropylene, fleece and Gore-Tex, have challenged traditional fibers. Packsacks, tents, hiking boots and raingear have all become lighter and more compact. […]
Above: San Juan River, Utah: Cliff Jacobson, Bell Yellowstone solo canoe Tumplines are magical, more so when going uphill as they hold the weight of the load tight against your back! Thousands of Voyageurs and Himalayan porters can’t be wrong! A not-so-funny thing happened this year. I turned 77. That’s seventy-seven! Which is really old! […]
IF IT RAINS HARD ENOUGH AND LONG ENOUGH, WATER WILL GET INTO YOUR TENT! FLOODED TENT: NOTE HOW THE INTERIOR GROUND-SHEET KEEPS WATER AWAY FROM YOU! Old ideas die hard, and when it comes to camping, the hardest to die is that you should place a plastic groundcloth UNDER the floor of your tent. This […]
Newcomers to camping are often put off by the all the things they “think they need” to have a good time. Frankly, you can get by with very little, if you are a skilled camper. Witness the tales of mountain men like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson who traveled desolate country for weeks at a […]
Eastern and midwestern waterways are generally clear and inviting. Not so in the far west. Desert rivers like the Colorado, Green and Missouri are brown-colored and too silty to drink. Visibility is measured in centimeters. The water, which looks like chocolate malt, has a murky, raspy taste. You won’t want to drink it even if […]
Quick! You’re going on a wilderness trip. What tool do you value most? If you said “a good sharp knife”, you’re in agreement with the experts. Most people use a mechanical device of some sort to sharpen their knives. This is fine as long as “moderately sharp” is good enough and you have space to […]