Until 2008 my method of preparing for backpacking trips was to assemble a checklist, place my gear, water, and fuel into the pack and weigh it. What it weighed, is what it weighed. There was nothing else to do because the gear was what I needed for the specific trip. After playing around with spreadsheets and base weights, I have come back full circle.
Just got back from southern Massachusetts where I had the opportunity to do some hiking in what, to me, is a foreign environment of sorts.
The law of the Great Welfare State of California states that a vehicle towing a trailer requires that
“when the trailer or its load affects the driver’s view to the rear, the law requires two rear view mirrors, one on each side of the towing vehicle, to give the driver an unobstructed view of the highway at least 200 feet behind.”
Our desert is warming up. Every day is now into triple digits and this weekend called for temperatures close to 110F, so it is time to focus our camping from the desert to mountains. Our first mountain camping trip of the season provided three nights of cool mountain air and rich starry nights.
“You are only as old as you think you are,” is a well known saying. I like it. Over the years I have pretty much continued with the hobbies and recreational activities I started as a kid. Yesterday something happened that caused me to think about the things I have done over the years.
Meade 5″ diameter 127NT/500 reflector telescope (left) and Celestron NexStar 8SE (right)
Getting ready for the Sierra camping season and I have completed upgrading my Celestron C8se telescope.
I am not a pencil user; my preference is a fountain pen. It has been decades since I regularly used a pencil. Even in math, chemistry, and physics classes taken in high school and college I used a fountain pen – probably because my teachers and professors didn’t like pens. But my dislike of the lowly pencil may have changed.
I don’t spend a lot of time reading blogs, backpacking or otherwise. But when I have a little bit of extra time there are a few I like to check. Mostly hikers in the UK, especially those who frequently hike in Scotland, where the weather is often terrible and they just deal with it.
I especially enjoy a handful of “old” hikers close to my age (over 60) who hike often and can do the same kind of hikes (mileage and terrain) comparable to people half or even a third of our age. Here is a list of the “old” guys, and I am sure there are a lot more out there. I have never met or corresponded with any of them, but their Internet persona and blog content makes for good reading.
Pictures from their websites (left to right, top to bottom): Nimblewill Nomad, Chris Townsend, Tom Jamrog, Bob Shaver.
