I just did a video on ultralight backpacking camp shoes — shoes that make steam crossings easier, give you more comfort around the campfire. A email from Backpacker Magazine highlights the new Teva Illums, $50 flip flops (a lot of money) with a light built in. Backpacker says they are “made with the outdoor enthusiast [...]
My hiking shoes are waterproof Keen “tennis” shoes. But after walking across too many streams barefoot on sharp rocks — and an achilles injury from new boots — I decided to carry a second pair of shoes. Extra shoes, of course, means extra weight. This video shoes three alternatives. I encourage you to share other [...]
I’ve completed many point-to-point backpacks but have come to prefer trips where we set up a basecamp, then day hike each day in different directions. But where do you find an ultralight day pack when every ounce counts. Check out the Kiva Tote. Be light. Be safe. Be one with the Pack.
If you’ve read my blog, you know that I love to find little stuff — call them quality of life items — that don’t cost much, don’t weigh much and yet can add a lot of comfort.My latest find are rubber finger protectors for cuts, burns, scrapes. They look like condoms for your finger and [...]
Yesterday afternoon on a flight from Atlanta to San Francisco, I flew over Mammoth Ski Resort and the John Muir/Ansel Adams Wilderness area. It was incredibly beautiful, but I can attest to the fact that no one will be getting onto these trails early this year. The entire Sierra is covered in thick snow — [...]
Backpacking companion Wild Bill and I thought a November backpack would reward us with total solitude. Instead, we were greeted by 15 college students and a four hunters at the trailhead next to Highway 20 near Clearlake, California. We let them go ahead, then headed toward our overnight destination seven miles ahead in Wilson Valley. [...]
I happen to live in a rural area of Northern California where a 10-minute drive and 20-minute walk will take me to a 40-foot waterfall among redwoods and ferns. This setting is as beautiful as you will find in the most remote wilderness areas. A great trek can merely be a walk in the near [...]
Our Cache Creek Wilderness backpack got rained out. So, he stayed close to home (five miles) and did a six-mile hike from the pygmy forest at California’s Van Damme State to the ocean. The route took us through through a misty, drizzling canyon of ferns and redwoods. An amazing hike as you can see from [...]
Your favorite music to help you sleep or to give you inspiration during an uphill slog can be a welcome backpacking companion. As long as it doesn’t add a lot of weight.The new iPod Shuffle 3rd Generation weighs all of .38 ounces — that’s right, just a tad over one-third of 1 ounce. Holds 1,000 [...]
 Although Northern California rain is off about 40%+ this year, there has been just enough to keep snow on the mountains. What better time than to try a close-to-home (3 hours) in a low altitude destination. The “Three Bs” (Bruce, Bill and Bob) are taking our first 2009 backpack in Cache Creek Wilderness, off Highway [...]
