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 […]

A month or so ago we offered the first in this series of posts on Map Navigation.  That post addressed declination by providing some background information then presenting a video tutorial presented by Sierra Designs and Andrew Skurka.  They have now produced another video that discusses bearings and how to find a bearing in the field, […]

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 […]

There has been a lot of research on the importance of getting outdoors in a natural setting.  That research and the general feelings people have had on the subject for centuries has led to the creation of lots of parks and other opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.  We summed up those findings in our review […]

In response to statements in the Republican Party Platform,  the Outdoor Industry Association (representing the companies that make your outdoor gear) wrote a letter to Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee.  The association is concerned about the party’s inclination to dispose of the nation’s public lands.  Here is the letter in it’s entirety […]

This is the second article of two that address what I can discover about positions of the major party candidates that relate to outdoor recreation.  In this article, I’ll discuss  Hillary Clinton’s positions and the positions of the Democratic party. Hillary Clinton Campaign While Mr. Trump addresses seven topics and offers his positions on them. […]

This is the first article in a series of two that will address what I can discover about positions of the major party candidates that relate to outdoor recreation. First,  let’s see what Donald trump and the Republic Party offer. Donald Trump Campaign Mr. Trump’s campaign website offers his policy positions on seven topics, none […]