Some part of me wanted to hike all 28 miles of the Ohlone Wilderness Trail in the worst way, which I can safely say includes: Hiking in rain and pea-soup fog for the five miles of the trail I’d never…
Backpacking
Links and comments about backpacking, camping and long distance hiking at Two-Heel Drive
22 pounds fully loaded
by tmangan • April 13, 2007 • 6 Comments
That’s my pack weight for this weekend’s overnighter on the Ohlone Trail. I’m going along on one of Steve Sergeant’s Sierra Club “fast and light” outings. We’re starting out at the Livermore end of the trail, hiking about 11 miles…
How about that birch
by tmangan • April 12, 2007 • 1 Comment
Didn’t take long for my scan of AktoMan’s links to turn up something nifty. A blogger who calls himself American Bushman notes the many uses of birch bark: Birch is an especially handy tree as it can be used for…
Seasons of the AT
by tmangan • April 10, 2007 • 0 Comments
Leonard Adkins on the changing terrain, and changing weather, of the Appalachian Trail: We started in the morning beside the Pigeon River at an elevation of 1,400 feet above sea level. Rising on the pathway that was sometimes going uphill…
For Bay Area backpackers
by tmangan • April 2, 2007 • 1 Comment
Steve Sergeant sent me a note the other day that the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club is planning its season kick-off meeting from 7 to 8:30pm April 9 at Sports Basement, 1177 Kern Ave, Sunnyvale. The meeting includes…
Plastics are your friend
by tmangan • March 16, 2007 • 0 Comments
So says Sarah at Freezer Bag Cooking, who notes the many safety-related questions she receives about people wondering if cooking food in a Ziploc bag will give them cancer. Also: Freezer bags are made of 100% polyethylene. Most bags are…
Free State Hiker update
by tmangan • March 8, 2007 • 0 Comments
Ken Berry, the first Class o’ 2006 Appalachian Trail northbound thru-hiker to reach Mt. Katahdin, got it in his head that he so loved the trail that he’d sell his home in Maryland and buy one near the AT, also…
Recent Trail Journals highlights
by tmangan • March 6, 2007 • 1 Comment
Sharon Allen, beside herself with anticipation, points to bearcan’t.org, perhaps the most elaborate Pacific Crest Trail journal ever created. 30-30, a 2004 AT veteran, starts his 2007 PCT journal as such: Hi, my name is Scott & I am a…
Habitual Hiker profiled
by tmangan • February 27, 2007 • 0 Comments
Leonard M. Adkins is about to begin his fifth thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. The Charleston, W.Va., Daily Mail has a nice profile. It’s his wife’s fourth time, and his dog’s second. He made it 900 miles on the first…