An Arizona Republic writer muses on what happens when the Grand Canyon goes completely silent. n the morning, the wind still blew, and the day unfolded with sound. The camp stove, the water boiling, footsteps on the slickrock, a rattlesnake…
Blogs
What is it with people?
by tmangan • June 21, 2006 • 0 Comments
Among the most annoying things about the Internet is the tendency it creates in people to say things online they would never say in real life. As far as I’m concerned, anything that would get me busted in the mouth…
In the news
Ryan Jordan’s Alaska adventure cut short
by tmangan • June 20, 2006 • 0 Comments
The BackpackingLight.com founder injured his foot and had to stop walking, but his two companions are continuing the Arctic1000 trek to the remotest point in the United States. There was a fair amount of consternation among commenters at Jordan’s blog…
Blogs
Simplehiker won’t thru-hike the At
by tmangan • June 20, 2006 • 1 Comment
Josh and his hiking partner decided against taking on the the entire Appalachian Trail in one bite: After a hot and buggy hike in Pictured Rocks we started thinking about the cost of our life energy along with what we…
Gear
Boot basics
by tmangan • June 19, 2006 • 1 Comment
St. Louis Post Dispatch has a how-to on buying hiking boots. “We start with the socks,” says Bono. “First thing we ask is how are your socked feet? Cold and clammy? Hot and sweaty?” After they set you up with…
Gear
Caution: more geer geekery
by tmangan • June 19, 2006 • 3 Comments
Last time I went backpacking, I poked around for an hour looking for a campsite that might have ground soft enough to get a good night’s sleep upon. Such places were available, but only by trudging throug hip-deep, tick-infested grass.…
Trails
Great Eastern Trail profile
by tmangan • June 19, 2006 • 1 Comment
Louisville Courier Journal profiles a new trail that could provide an alternative to the Appalachian Trail: Planners hope that eventually it could serve as a foundation of a 10,000-mile network of paths running from south Florida to Maine, from Virginia…
Backpacking
Re: Camping & backpacking on the wane
by tmangan • June 16, 2006 • 5 Comments
From a Sacramento Bee editorial: Overnight camping stays in the national parks have dropped more than 20 percent over the past decade. The outdoor industry finds long-distance backpacking is off by 25 percent since 1998. It might be tempting to…
Trails
Localhikes.com profile
by tmangan • June 16, 2006 • 0 Comments
The local paper in Simi Valley, CA, profiles Jim Zuber, the guy who started localhikes.com. The website currently has more than 2,000 nationwide hikes listed, of which 300 are in Southern California. “You can spend 10 years hiking in Southern…