Trip Report: Red Mountain

I headed back to Red Mountain Trail #1330 to do some solo trail maintenance, managing to clear about 10 downed trees (including one leaner) and brushing most of the first fifth or so of the trail. I didn't quite make it to the first creek crossing but when the trail is as overgrown as it is I wasn't expecting to even get that far. It poured rain on and off for the whole five hours with temps in the low forties which gave me a great opportunity to test out my gear in the rain. Also due to the rain [...]

By |2019-11-22T23:18:59+00:00November 22nd, 2019|

How to Attach an Ice Axe to an Osprey Levity Backpack

One of the features that was omitted from the Levity was a dedicated ice axe attachment system. Fortunately creating your own is easy, you'll just need two things: About nine inches of cord (I use LiteOutdoors 1.8mm guyline)A Lightrek pack bungee attachment ($2.50, 4g) Ice axes are typically stored by pushing the shaft through a loop near the bottom rear of a pack until it catches on the head, flipping the shaft up vertically until it's near the top of the pack, and then cinching the shaft down against the pack so it's nice and snug. Since the Levity has [...]

By |2019-11-20T04:21:57+00:00November 20th, 2019|

November 2019 Loot!

I guess we're only halfway through but I'm pretty excited about this month's gear purchases so I thought I'd kick things off a bit early: Massdrop x Dan Durston X-Mid 1P Tent I love my Lunar Solo and used it exclusively for the entire 2019 season but the X-Mid's simpler setup (four stakes in a rectangle) and double-wall-ness (better condensation management and summer stargazing) were intriguing enough to me to overlook the fact that it requires two trekking poles. From experience I'll always carry at least one trekking pole in case of injury but custom carbon fiber tent poles are [...]

By |2020-01-04T03:16:43+00:00November 16th, 2019|

Review: Osprey Levity 60 Backpack

Short and stout wins the race After using an Osprey Exos 58 for over two years I upgraded to an Opsrey Levity 60 in Q1 of 2019. After using it for the entirety of the 2019 backpacking season I thought I'd share my impressions so far. This review will focus on the Levity but also contrast it with the Exos for those considering a similar upgrade. Stats Make: OspreyModel: Levity 60Model Year: 2019Volume: 60 litersCarrying Capacity: 10 - 25 poundsMeasured Weight: 873 grams (863 main body, 10 compression cord) in size mediumDate Purchased: 2019-03-10Price Paid: $270.00Usage: 13 trips (32 days [...]

By |2020-05-22T03:20:52+00:00November 12th, 2019|

Trip Report: Red Mountain

Red Mountain from the trailhead On Sunday the 3rd I took a break from working on the cabin to go check out one of the local trails. Red Mountain sits right at the north end of Lake Cle Elum in central Washington and from a distance it appeared to be both snow free and to offer some great 360-degree views of the surrounding area. It was only 34 degrees when I got out of the car at the trailhead but the WTA description said that trail was more or less straight up to the saddle below the peak so I [...]

By |2019-11-07T06:00:02+00:00November 7th, 2019|

October 2019 Loot!

Person B and I purchased a cabin near Lake Cle Elum (just east of Snoqualmie Pass and the Central Cascades and PCT in central Washington State) a couple months ago so I've been pretty heads-down with home improvement stuff. So, this month I'm not-so-proudly presenting the saddest Loot! post yet with only a single, lonely (but potentially very important) purchase: Salomon XA Pro 3D Wide After giving up on flimsy Altra trail runners due to their lack of cushion and uselessness off trail I've been rocking Oboz Sawtooth Low hiking shoes for the entire 2019 season and I've really enjoyed [...]

By |2019-11-07T03:05:43+00:00November 4th, 2019|
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