Today I read post over at backpackinglight.com that linked to this article at Modern Hiker, PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS TO HIKING IN ANZA-BORREGO.
Please read the article and act quickly if you think the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) is overstepping its bounds, as comments will not be accepted after June 6, 2016. I have included my email to CDPR plus additional information to help you make an informed decision.
Continue reading Please Help Save Off-Trail Hiking in Anza Borrego
One of my favorite record albums for over 40 years has been “Every Picture Tells A Story” by Rod Steward.
Sometimes, after a trip, a few pictures will communicate more than words.
Okay, I’m really pissed off.
I have pontificated here many times about finding and keeping secret places secret. In that article I mentioned that one of the places I have hiked to many times and never, ever disclosed how to get there is Carey’s Castle in Joshua Tree National Park. In that post I chastised a unethical author who included directions to this site in a trail guide. That author is an asshole. And worse than this author is the prick who posted GPS tracks to Carey’s Castle. Most hikers don’t have the skill to locate Carey’s Castle on their own, which is why directions to the site should never have been published – ever!
On Monday of this week, Joshua Tree National Park closed the area containing Carey’s Castle and his abandoned mine.
In the last half of 2015 I didn’t post much here on PopUpBackpacker.com. Life was getting in the way of living – meaning work was interfering with my leisure time and backpacking and camping trips declined. However, I have corrected this deficiency in life. Let’s move on to the subject at hand.
Since you are reading this, you probably know what an Internet forum is, and I would venture to guess you have participated or presently participate on one. Forums or their ancient electronic relatives from the 1980’s and early 1990’s: bulletin boards, CompuServe, Delphi, or AOL were all precursors to what we now categorize as social media. All of this is leading to the question: Are Internet forums obsolete?
Continue reading Are Internet Forums Obsolete?
Food is overrated by our society. Just scan any TV listing guide and you will see a preponderance of cooking shows.
A while back an acquaintance of an acquaintance, who is a friend of a friend, sent me an email inquiring whether I could recommend a backpacking gear App or did I think a spreadsheet could possibly suffice. I occasionally get these kinds of requests, but more often people ask me to review their gear list and then want to debate any recommendations I might make. Worse than that, they send me a link to some online gear program that won’t run on my iPad, forcing me to open my computer to look at it. I’m too busy to jump through hoops like this to help someone out. What is the world coming to?
Rain begins to dissipate after dumping 1/2 inch on me in 30 minutes. The precipitation was a welcomed relief from nearly 100% humidity at 93 F temperature.
This is a book I shouldn’t have read. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
Continue reading Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart, the book
2022 Camping and the High Price of Gasoline
A Call To Action (protect our wild lands)
How to Avoid Slips & Falls when Hiking Downhill
How to Become (or not become) a Famous Backpacker
Backpacking/Camping Decision Tree
Backpacking, Camping and Marijuana
Backpacking Gear Is Getting Boring
New & Improved Backpacking Gear
My Favorite Backpacking Chairs
How to Maintain Your Backpacking Gear
When Should You Retire Backpacking Gear?
Make Your Own Backpacking Gear?
Backpacking Wallet — you’re kidding, right?
The Care and Feeding of Your Backpacker
Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Backpacker
Base Weight: Why It Is Important For The Backpacker
Best Backpacking Watch to Protect You From the Impending Climate Change Apocalypse
Book Review (Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart)
Book Review (Grandma Gatewood’s Walk)
Book Review (How to Survive Your First Trip in the Wild: Backpacking for Beginners)
Book Review (Rabid: The Pacific Crest Trail, ‘Cause Therapy Ain’t Working)
Book Review (Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail)
Book Review (A Walk in the Woods)
Book Review (The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide, 2nd Edition)
Not a Book Review (Walking Man: The Secret Life of Colin Fletcher)
Buy Your 2nd Camper the 1st Time
Campfires, Drought, and Camping
The Changing Landscape of Campgrounds
Camping and the Hot Dog Conundrum
Canisters, Ursacks and Bears, Oh My!
Can’t We Just Let Christopher McCandless Die?
Cactus To Clouds Trail: Please Help Save It
I Slept Cold on My Last Backpacking Trip & Here’s Why
Compass Faster with a Map Protractor, Part 1
Set Up Your Compass Faster with a Map Protractor, Part 2
Condiments, Ethics and Morality
Contemplating The Fastest Known Time
Cuben Fiber, Dyneema, and Economics
Cuben Tech Clothing: Unintended Consequences
The Death Of Ultralight Backpacking
The Digital Life: David vs. Goliath
The Digital Life: Gear Ambassadors
The Digital Life: Remote Controls
Dispatches from the Home Front
Does an Electric Tow Vehicle Make Sense?
Home Energy Upgrades — 12 month Stats
Environmentalism or Conservationism
Contemplating the Fastest Known Time
Finding And Keeping Secret Places Secret
Gays And The Boy Scouts Of America
Getting (and staying) In Hiking Shape
Who Should You Believe: Andrew Skurka or Gore-Tex?
Groupthink And Collaboration On The Trail
Hackers, Thieves, and Property Rights
Hike Where You Live. Live Where You Hike.
How Long are Your Willing to Drive?
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep in the Backcountry (and everywhere else)
How To Plan A Backpacking Trip
How I Save Time With Bloglovn’
How To Start A Forest Fire (Don’t Do What The So Called Backpacking Experts Do)
Hunting, Morality, and Gun Control
Is “Stink” from Sweating While Backpacking Bad?
It’s Time To Shit-can LW, UL, SUL and XUL Labels
It’s Time To Tack Action Against The BLM
Update on the BLM – Agua Caliente Land Swap
John Muir And Freedom From Restraint
Letter To The Backpacking Cottage Industry
Let’s Blame Our Parents And Grandparents For Today’s Problems
Lightweight Backpacking: The Way, The Truth, And The Life
Kickstarter (or brother can you spare a dime)
Managing Your Recreation Inventory
Managing Your Time With Amazon Prime
Set Up Your Compass Faster with a Map Protractor, Part 1
Set Up Your Compass Faster with a Map Protractor, Part 2
How to Orient Your Map Quickly With a Compass
The Inconsistencies of USGS Topo Maps
A Couple of Map Protractor Tips
My Wife Won’t Let Me Go Backpacking
“Old” (backpacker) Guys Rock!!
Out Of Eden: Best Blog On The Internet
Palm Springs Leaves Citizens ‘Holding the Bag’
Which Pencil For The John Muir Trail?
Pencil Solution For The John Muir Trail
Is the President the Moral Authority of America?
Please Help Save Off-Trail Hiking in Anza Borrego
Update on Off-Trail Hiking in Anza Borrego State Park
REI And The Demise Of Western Civilization
RV Fires: Some Safety Reminders
Solo Backpacking: Crazy and Dangerous
Stagnation Of backpackinglight.com
Technology Might Be Killing Wilderness
The Music of Backpacking And Other Musings
The Search For The Holy Grail: Waterproof Breathable Rain Gear
Trendsetting Curmudgeon: Oxymoron?
Trousers: A Gentleman’s Fitting Guide
Ultralight Backpacking and the Coming Financial Crisis
What We Can Learn From Our Children (technology)
What Should We Do With Our Federal Lands?
When Life Gets In The Way Of Living (Or Does It?)
Which Is Better: Backpacking Or Camping?
Wi-Fi is Coming to Your National Park
The Wine Connoisseur at the Campsite
Why Base Weight Is Important For The Backpacker
Why Walk (or hike, or backpack)?
A little over a year ago I wrote that we should shit-can backpacking base weight categories. I also presented the argument that total pack weight is the most important thing and base weight was unimportant.
Actually base weight is important, in fact it is very important.
Continue reading Why Base Weight Is Important For the Backpacker