Posts
Several podcasts and interviews have aired recently: Out & Back with Gaia GPS Listen now My favorite interviews are those that dive deep on a specific subject matter, because I can share more information and experience than I reasonably could in a blog post. In this episode, we mostly focused on navigation skills and equipment,…
Since I never played sports in high school or college and since I don’t enjoy conventional forms of working out, I’ve never really considered myself an athlete. Yet everything I do in the mountains is a form of athleticism and requires training, especially as my mountain goals have become more technical and challenging. The first…
Earlier this week Joe McConaughy (“Stringbean”) set a new unsupported FKT on 270-mile Long Trail, finishing it just under five days. Last night I sat down with Joe for a live interview on Zoom about his experience. We were joined by his wife Katie for additional perspective and by standout alumnus Hunter Hall for fielding…
Yesterday Joe McConaughy (“Stringbean”) set a new unsupported FKT for Vermont’s Long Trail in 4 days, 23 hours and 54 minutes, which equates to about 54 miles per day across constant roots, rocks, and muck. Join us tomorrow (Wednesday, June 17) at 8 PM EDT for “Story time with Stringbean,” during which we’ll rehash the…
Yosemite National Park began its phased reopening today. For the time being, only holders of wilderness and Half Dome permits are being allowed entry; visitation by the broader public sounds like it may start later next week. This official news green-lights our guided trips in the park scheduled for July and September. Honestly, it’s a…
When I sat down on Monday morning to map out blog and social content for the week, everything seemed unimportant. I know that hundreds of thousands of Americans were protesting the unnecessary death of another black man and systemic racism more broadly this weekend, but let me tell you about how much I love the…
While hiking alone on a trail, has a man ever slowed down a little when walking past you, and perhaps even brushed your shoulders ever so slightly, giving you that uneasy feeling and prompting you to look over your shoulder the rest of the way? Or how about a man on the trail who asks…
For the first time since 2013, this year I didn’t race and I won’t log at least 3,000 miles. Nagging injuries, lack of race entry luck, and a growing guiding program all played a role, as did an absence of desire — whatever I’d been running towards in my mid-30’s, I felt like I’d reached…
The satellite messaging market only has two players: SPOT and Garmin, with the latter getting most of the market share. For a product that’s now so ubiquitous and high-dollar (largely because of the subscription revenue), I’d like to see more brands competing and innovating in this space. Here’s a new one that’s worth consideration: the…
On my first backpacking trip, I used a rented backpack, a massively unwieldy sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad better suited for a guest room. My pack must have weighed over 50 pounds. In the years that followed, I have gained hands-on knowledge with almost every gear category, and I have bought and replaced a…