Tom Kotynski of Great Falls, Montana, retired newsman and active author of the Out There With Tom blog, dropped me a note asking for recommendations for hikes and climbs around Shaver and Huntington Lakes. I haven’t visited these lakes but…
Hiking
Least likable Bay Area trails
by tmangan • July 4, 2007 • 5 Comments
It struck me the other day that I sometimes feel compelled to ooze nothing but niceness about the local trails. Most are good to great, it’s true, but they can’t all be, and besides, a little bellyaching is good for…
Off topic: An Alaska adventure
by tmangan • July 3, 2007 • 2 Comments
Yeah, so, my vow of chastity to write only about Nor-Cal stuff has lasted about 47 minutes at last count. It’s all because an Oregon-based writer/climber/podcaster named Fitz Cahall sent me a link to his latest ‘cast, which describes one…
Montrail Continental Divide trail shoes
by tmangan • June 27, 2007 • 0 Comments
Ever since somebody suggested switching to trail runners from granite-bottomed hiking shoes, I’ve been all about the Montrails. The first pair I bought fit fine, wore like iron and never gave me blisters. (Granted, walking is relatively easy on trail…
Katadyn Hiker filter
by tmangan • June 26, 2007 • 3 Comments
I can’t remember the last time I wrote about a piece of gear, so here goes: Lightweight backpackers have a point when they complain about these heavy, ungainly filters. Using a bandana and chemical purification is the far lighter alternative,…
Laws of Boy Scout Summer Camp
by tmangan • June 25, 2007 • 3 Comments
Lone Star Scouter lists 21. Among the highlights: 2. The distance to a given camp site is constant as twilight approaches. 3. Any stone in a hiking boot will migrate to the point of maximum pressure. 5. Universally, all foods…
Freezerbag bargain bin
by tmangan • June 24, 2007 • 0 Comments
Sarah offers stuff on sale in a new page at her site.
Legendary British resolve in the wilds of Corsica
by tmangan • June 22, 2007 • 0 Comments
Travel writer Holden Frith of the Times Online of London has a scratchin’ good time on a five-day hike in Napoleon’s homeland. The path splits into a few alternative routes on day three, which means that some of the tracks…
Japan Alps profiled
by tmangan • June 22, 2007 • 0 Comments
Japan Times describes a hike to the high country: For most visitors, picnicking under the soft green larch trees beside the rushing waters of the Azusa River or having their photograph taken at the famed Kappa Bridge is about as…