Trip Report: Devil’s Garden
I had a spare day to fill during my time in southern Utah so I decided I would get out and do some photography. My first stop was Devil's Garden Outstanding Natural Area, located 12 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, an unpaved BLM road just southeast of the town of Escalante. The area features a number of hoodoos (pillars), arches, and other interesting formations. I left my hotel room at 5AM and drove in the dark (on a sometimes-rocky, sometimes-sandy, always-bumpy "road" that I'd never been on before - exciting!) to ensure that I'd arrive just before dawn. The result was [...]
Trip Report: Escalante With Skurka Adventures
What better way to blow out the end of the season than backpacking with the man himself? I recently returned from a guided trip just outside the town of Escalante in southern Utah led by Andrew Skurka and Christy Rosander. Over the course of five days we explored the high desert, slickrock passes (slickrock being the sandstone equivalent of granite and not the least bit slick), and the massive slot canyon Death Hollow (quite possibly my favorite day of hiking ever). We also saw natural arches and bridges, native cave art and pottery shards, an assortment of waterfalls, incredible sunsets, [...]
Trip Report: Loowit Trail Redux
Three weeks after an unexpected injury sidelined me from my initial attempt I successfully completed the loop around Mount Saint Helens. The Loowit Trail is a 30-mile loop around Mount Saint Helens, an active volcano in southwestern Washington State which famously blew its top in 1980. The northern half of the trail crosses the "blast zone", a slowly-recovering volcanic wasteland where off-trail travel and overnight camping are prohibited. No permit is required and the trail is indirectly accessible via several "feeder" trails, with most hikers starting from either the Climber's Bivouac or June Lake trailheads on the south side of [...]
Checklist: Vehicle Preparedness Kit
Enjoying the great outdoors inevitably means hopping into a vehicle. In addition to running into trouble on the way to or from the trailhead (flat tires, dead batteries, etc.) you may also find yourself in trouble due to exceptional circumstances or just plain ol' poor planning (running out of food or water, soaked to the bone, etc.). Over the years I've built up a vehicle preparedness kit to help alleviate some of these issues. Here's what's in it: Digital Tire Gauge A flat tire is obvious, a leaky or under-inflated tire less so. The first step towards diagnosing a tire [...]
August 2020 Loot!
Sadly, gear purchases have slowed to a trickle lately. Here's what I'm testing out this month: Nitecore NB10000 10,000 mAh Power Bank Nitecore's recently introduced line of carbon fiber-ish power banks (there's a 5,000 mAh flavor as well) are incredibly light for how much power they pack. The NB10000's 3.85V nominal voltage nets 38,500 mWh whereas my old Charmast 10,400 mAh (with the usual 3.6V for lithium ion cells) yields a total of 36,144 mWh. Dividing by their respective weights of 150 and 200 grams, we end up with 257 and 181 mWh per gram, meaning that the Nitecore is [...]
Trip Report: Loowit Trail
An erosional canyon formed by the Muddy River The Loowit Trail is a 26-mile loop circumnavigating Mount Saint Helens, which famously erupted in 1980, in southwestern Washington State. It's been on my bucket list for the past few years and earlier this month I made my first attempt. Unfortunately it was also the first trip I've had to cut short in recent memory due to injury. The northern face of the mountain was destroyed in the eruption and the devastated area immediately north of it is known as the blast zone. Although slowly recovering, it is, for the most part, [...]
Gear Review: Oboz Sawtooth Low
The Oboz Sawtooth Low has been my hiking shoe of choice for the past two years. I picked them up from REI on the recommendation of Person B, who found their increased toe box width, availability of wide sizes, fancy insoles, and overall comfort to be just as captivating as I now do. In fact, the moment I slipped them on they felt more comfortable than any outdoor footwear I'd ever used before, something which still holds true to this day. Stats Make: ObozModel: Sawtooth Low (non-waterproof)Model Year: 2018Date Purchased: September 8th, 2018Price Paid: $110Measured Weight: 454g per shoe in [...]
Book Review: Ultimate Navigation Manual
The Ultimate Navigation Manual is the Bible of outdoor navigation. I'm not exactly a navigation wunderkind but I know my way around knowing my way around the outdoors: I was an assistant instructor for a navigation course during which I managed to accrue an error of only six feet after a one-mile straight-line navigation challenge through a forest thick with deadfall. Throughout the years I've picked up various navigation tidbits and techniques not just from taking or teaching classes but from trip companions, the musings of outdoor luminaries, and of course books on navigation. Little did I know that I [...]
Trip Report: Davis Peak
Oh My Goodness This trip was an astrophotography bonanza. Davis Peak sits just north of the intersection of the Cle Elum and Waptus Rivers, about a mile-and-a-half past where state highway 903 ends at the Salmon la Sac campground in central Washington. The 20%-grade trail switchbacks straight up the southern ridgeline for four miles before leveling out at the foundation of an old fire lookout. A short distance to the west lies a craggy central summit, past which progress can only be made by scrambling. I embarked on an overnight to take advantage of the new moon for astrophotography and [...]
Trip Report: Red Mountain
Mount Stuart from Red Mountain Third time's a charm. After two previous forays along Red Mountain Trail #1330 I finally managed to reach the ridge and then followed it north to the summit. Approach valley The trail ascends a southwestern valley with a steep southern wall, meaning that it receives minimal sun exposure. As a result, even in early July there are still large patches of snow out in the open and there were still 2 to 3 feet of snow on the ground above 5,400 feet in the final climb to the ridge. The trail itself went from almost [...]