29th
Jun
This week I’ve decided to write about a different kind of outdoor activity: building fences. When Amy and I bought our house, we knew beforehand that all three fences and our deck would soon need replacing. Well, three and a half years later, and we are finally fixing fences that are literally falling down, and […]
22nd
Jun
One of the early enhancements we made to our Cricket was a cell signal booster. We went on 26 trips in the first year of our Cricket. That’s every other weekend plus a few longer trips (4–16 days), and we continued going out throughout the cold winter months, so having a good cell signal allowed […]
15th
Jun
When I taught backpacking to University students, the majority of the content came down to decision-making. How we go about making decisions in the backcountry can be the difference between a safe experience and a harrowing one. Values Decisions in the backcountry balance risk and reward. Underlying that balance are the values we hold. So […]
8th
Jun
Update and WARNING: The solar setup described below has become problematic for several reasons: The panel that goes over the aluminum strip down the center of the roof interferes with the maintenance and weather sealing of that strip. The panels butting against the strip, while not preventing maintenance, do make it more complicated. Due to […]
1st
Jun
I made my first attempt to summit Rainier in 2006 and made it to our 11,000-foot base camp. However, my conditioning was lacking, and hearing stories of groups coming back down after 15-hour summit attempts, I realized I could not continue with my team. Since then, Rainier has always been in the back of my mind, […]