Review of the gear I use on my backpacking trips.
Above: The backpacking, hiking, camping, and boating equipment I have accumulated over nearly 50 years. To see what I use today continue reading…
Searching for Palm Trees
This weekend, with our balmy spring weather I decided to go searching for palm trees — or rather palm oases to be exact. And to be more precise, I already knew where they were, since I have hiked the area extensively over the years. I also explored a few side canyons I had not been in before.
The high temperatures were over 100F, which is okay as long as you have plenty of water. When visiting a palm oasis, plan on there being no water available unless you can verify water from a reliable source ahead of time. Palm Trees do not rely on surface water to survive and the water can be dozens of feet below the surface.
In the temperatures I encountered, most people need at least two gallons of water per day, so plan accordingly.
Anyway, it was a fun trip.
Balls and Sunshine Ripped-off on the CDT!!
Sunshine and Balls, a well known long distance hiking father and daughter team, had their water cache stolen yesterday. Apparently other hikers stole it. This is beyond comprehension. I hope the thieves read this. My message to you is that your are less than scum. What goes around comes around, and I hope you get yours in the end. You can read Balls’ post here.
Boston, Marathons & Terrorists
Boston
I am a runner. I don’t run competitively any more, but I run. I am a student of distance running. And because I am a runner, two days ago I decided to visit the site of the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Until I got there, I wasn’t sure why I was making this trip.
No comments here…
A friend of mine sent a note saying that John Abela over at HikeLighter.com had posted a nice note about my Trailstar article on his Facebook page, and there were some comments that it is unfortunate that I don’t allow comments on my website. I can’t verify these comments, since I don’t belong to Facebook. If this is the case, then thanks for the consideration and kind words.
There are few reasons I don’t allow comments on this site
- I would have to monitor and manage them
- I already have a job
- I don’t need more work in my life
- I am not trying to drive traffic to my site — I have nothing to sell
- The site is primarily for my children and a very small circle of friends and they have my email address and phone number
- The site might be useful for those who have similar interests