There are a lot of survival tools that are designed to be about the size of a credit card.  The idea is that they are small enough that you can always have one with you when an emergency happens.  The Chief Scout got me two that I’ll review here.  One is a ToolLogic Credit Card Companion and […]

The Trans Canada Trail is a patchwork of interconnecting segments that not only crosses Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but also reaches to the Arctic Ocean.  The southerly portion of the trail crosses Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, with a detour through Prince Edward Island, then tracks along Canada’s southern border as far as Manitoba.  From […]

  A great way to explore is day hiking.  An even better way is to set up a base camp and day hike in all directions over several days.  Camping trailers make outstanding base camps, as opposed to those big RV’s, because you can park the trailer and get deeper into the woods with your […]

Kickstarter is an interesting website. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a place where proponents of a project can describe their project, set a financial goal and solicit funds in an attempt to reach their goal.  If they reach the goal, everyone that has pledged contributes and the proponents proceed with their project.  Sometimes projects […]

Games for Change has developed a game for your iPhone or iPad that is designed to get you and your friends to  volunteer in national parks. “Save the Park” is available for free via the app store.  It was created through a $250,000 grant from American Express.  If nothing else,  you should download the app and try it out […]

There are a lot of state parks in the U.S. and every one of them offers some great excuses to get out and explore.  If you are new to an area it can sometimes be difficult to find nearby state parks and what they offer.  If your goal is to explore the U.S. the many […]

Outdoor gear can get expensive.  If you are looking for less expensive options, you might try Gear Trade, our newest affiliate.  If you have some gear you no longer need,  Gear Trade also provides a way for you to sell it to someone that will appreciate it. How Gear Trade Works Getting Started The first step […]

In the spring of 2014, the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) acquired a crowdsourcing network called iNaturalist.  iNaturalist.org is a social network and mobile application for sharing biodiversity observations.  The idea is to connect people to nature through technology. From its launch in 2008 until CAS took over, the app had been accessed by more than 1.4 million […]

When you are standing atop a mountain,  you probably know the name of the peak you are on, but what about all those other peaks around you?  Maps can come in handy here.  It’s just a matter of unfolding the map,  orienting it toward north,  finding your position on the map and noticing which peaks […]

Natalie Pastor is an outdoor enthusiast, blogger and an adventurer.  She says: Although I have never met Pastor in person, our paths have crossed at the same places in different times.  Baraboo, Lake Wisconsin and Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin; Polebridge, Glacier National Park and the Flathead River in Montana and perhaps other places she hasn’t written […]