It is Christmas evening. Presents have been open and the turkey devoured. Family is sitting around chit-chatting. I am thinking about and preparing for my next hike.
Pretty common for bloggers to post their favorite gear of the year. What the heck, might as well put something together.
In August of 2001, just before his freshman year of high school, my son, Joe called me to share that he had just made the cross country team. Continue reading The Gift of the Magi Redux
Do you believe in luck? I don’t. But sometimes you have to wonder.
A couple days ago I posted about getting into, and staying, in hiking shape. Right after I posted that, I went rollerblading. Now I am not an expert skater by any stretch of the imagination. But I have been skating since I was a kid, both quad and inline skates. I have had my share of spills, but nothing serious — just minor scrapes and bruises.
Well that changed on Friday. Continue reading Good Luck. Bad Luck.
The best way to get and stay in shape is to hike often – preferably every day. However you may want to consider this alternative fun method. If you are easily swayed by your peers, seek approval from your friends, worried about what others think about you; then this is probably not for you.
But if you are your own person the…
Continue reading LET’S BLAME OUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS FOR TODAY’S PROBLEMS
One would (or should) be truly happy if they went through life without any regrets. To never feel remorse or sadness for any action they took, or not squandering any part of their life already lived — leaving only excitement for what the future will bring.
I had never owned a boat or watercraft (surfboards don’t count). I had never really thought about owning a boat. Maybe a canoe or kayak But a boat usually requires a motor, and a motor means work; or at least maintenance. Many of my friends have owned boats. And as one told me, “The second happiest day of your life is the day you bought your boat; the happiest is the day you sold it.” Seems that there is a lot of angst during the boat owing period.
What’s Up With That?
I must start by saying I usually hike alone. And by hiking alone, I mean going to places where I do not expect to see other people. That is a prime consideration for most of my trips. Now, I do not want to give the impression that by doing a lot of solo hiking I am especially brave or skilled. When you break it down, backpacking is just walking with your house on your back. Sure you need some skills, but it is not a big deal. Lots of people backpack. Mankind has been hiking since the dawn of time. It is nothing special – other than knowing when and how to avoid trouble.
