News / backcountry

This last weekend was an amazing trip and my first non-local escape ion a little while, we headed up to the Alabama Hills Just outside of Lone Pine Ca and positioned at the foot of the eastern sierras and Mt Whitney.

Mini Backpacking trips have become one of my favorite ways of getting out and enjoying a little nature with out totally impacting my schedule.

Today we are talking about the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and their Lands Pass.

Portable power becomes more and more important in the outdoors as we love to bring our gadgets with us. Some times we might need purpose built but sometimes we can improvise or find solutions that where not designed for the outdoors. This week we have a special guest post from our friend Gregory Parker about the Milwaukee M18 Power Bank:

Getting creative with your trails and hikes, this shelter in place and social distancing thing has got me thinking we need to be more creative with how we enjoy the outdoors and about getting back to the idea of exploring.

Mt Gower Open Space Preserve is located southeast of Ramona at the end of Gunn Stage Rd back in the Ramona Country Estates. I think it is one of the better kept secrets for those who want to enjoy a challenging hike with amazing views

If you have taken one of my fire backcountry skills classes you have heard me rant about the need for packing a stove, we you will hear it again. Making a fire takes time and effort two things that can be critical to a trip.

Winter is a wonderful time of year in San Diego where you can jump in the ocean in the morning and be hiking in the snow in the afternoon, but that also presents some unique issues as well.

Coming back from 4XFAR (read about that here) we were driving through Anza Borrego Desert State Park (California’s larges state park) and figure instead of wasting the gas and a two-hour trip we would break it up and get a camp in.