While the bells are still jingling in my head, I might as well gloat over the hiking-related stuff I got for Christmas. Melissa gave me the National Audubon Society Field Guide to California. It’s got the most common flora/fauna you’ll…

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Next time out, try this high-tech pogo stick. Allegedly its users can get up to five feet of air on each bounce. I know, sounds like quadriplegia waiting to happen. Reviews at amazon.com and just for fun, somebody doing a…

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The staff of BackpackingLight.com have posted their favorite gear items of 2005. It’s nice to have some reviews — short and sweet — that aren’t behind the subscription wall.

If you’re thinking of getting one of those nifty GPS receivers (and what hiker hasn’t been tempted?), there’s a thread at alt.rec.hiking on buying suggestions.

Yesterday it happened again: I got caught in the rain, put on my trusty Marmot Precip rain jacket, and proceeded to get so sweaty that the inner layer of my coat got almost as wet as the exterior (which actually…

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Simplehiker notes a great deal on a Garmin GPS (though, as we all know, taking a GPS along sorta takes some of the simplicity out of the hike; but it’s still a cool toy). OutdoorsScotland compares a couple kinds of…

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Simplehiker has a raft of gift ideas. (As a member of the editing profession I must warn you that Simplehiker is a bit lax in the spelling department now and again, but the tips are swell).

About.com has a rudimentary guide to hiking boots. I’m posting this mostly for the Googlers who are just getting into hiking. You know what they say: every hike begins with the first step — in the door of your favorite…

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Here’s a primer at Summit Journal. Ever wonder why you’re still moist despite having shelled out extra money for Gore-Tex “breathable waterproof” stuff? It’s in there too. I’ve become extremely jaded about all these high-tech fabrics. Last weekend, when I…

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