As I write this,  yellow leaves are beginning to mix with the green in the box elder trees , the tops of the cottonwoods are starting to fade to yellow and the European snowball viburnum is showing hints of red. Those are sure signs that the seasons are changing and it will soon be time to enjoy the full pallet […]

National Public Lands Day is September 24, 2016.  That day is the largest single-day volunteer opportunity in the U.S.  Local parks, state parks, National Parks, beaches and all kinds of public lands managers will be hosting volunteers to work on specific projects for that day. If you have a public lands project that needs volunteers […]

There is a Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer for every state in the U.S. and they cost around $20 each.  These are outstanding tools for developing plans for your adventures.  They include a series of topographic maps mostly 1:150,000 (2.4 miles per inch), although scales vary, with 300 foot contours. They are not as topographically detailed as […]

According to a press release provided by Karel Sabbe, he has completed the entire Pacific Crest Trail  in 52 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes.  This beats the record set by Joe Mcconaughey in 2014 by almost a day.  Here is what Sabbe had to say:   While we are not into high speed wilderness […]

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail covers 740 miles of rivers, streams, lakes and portages (53 miles) across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec.  For the most part it follows routes used by Native Americans from Old Forge, New York to Fort Kent, Maine.  Completing the entire trail is a major challenge, but there are […]

I’ve highlighted some of the crazy things idiotic tourists do in my past writings.  Like loading a baby bison into the back of a car, backing up to a bison to take a selfie, painting strange pictures on the rocks at National Parks or whatever. Most of us wouldn’t think to do any of these things […]

One thing you will find among the serious explorers of the world is an ardent interest in identifying the things they come across in their adventures.  Among foragers,  identification of things they might ingest becomes of critical importance.  Whether you are an explorer, a forager or just someone with an interest in mushrooms,  you will […]

The mission of the non-profit U.S. National Whitewater Center is to build stronger communities by: Promoting healthy and active lifestyles Developing environmental stewardship Encouraging family and civic interaction The National Whitewater Center has a unique way of doing that.  It is located on 1,100 acres near Charlotte, North Carolina adjacent to the Catawba River and […]

  When I think of rooftop camping,  I think of these great tents that set up on top of your vehicle.  They get one off the ground and offer quick setup, a flat floor,  a comfortable mattress and heavy duty construction.  Because you are off the ground, you are farther from the little critters that can […]

We’ve mentioned conflicts between people and wildlife in these past posts: Animal Safety Lessons Learned from Death by Grizzly Bear Liability for Injuries Caused by Animals If the People Were Bears and the Bears Were People Yet,  done safely, watching wildlife can be a terrific reason to get out and explore.  In fact a program called […]