Dressed in Dirt

Icebreaker Challenge Results

January 26, 2010 Gear

The month of wearing my Icebreaker Chakra top is up. I estimate that this shirt has been worn for numerous bike rides, 4 snowshoe trips, 3 hikes, 5 frisbee games, and four weight lifting sessions. It has also has also survived being completely covered in mud, and being driven over when I accidentally dropped it [...]

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The view from Angel’s Rest

January 25, 2010 Photography

Portland finally got a couple of sunny days and the trails where mobbed with everyone trying to get outside, and I was no exception. I hiked with some friends to the top of Angel’s Rest in the Columbia River Gorge. This is a short 4 mile round trip hike with an amazing view at the [...]

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Coast, Mountain, Twinkie

January 10, 2010 Photography

Timeline:

Friday
8:00 pm- Decide to drive to the coast
9:00 pm- Talk roommates into the idea
10:00 pm- Get in the car

12:30 am- Arrive at Nehalem Bay outside Manzanita, OR

(Sleep in the back of my Subaru)

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Icebreaker update: penguin slides

January 7, 2010 Gear

A quick update on my Icebreaker challenge. On New Year’s Day, I played an ultimate frisbee game and my Chakra top got a little muddy. Actually, that’s a bit of an understatement. We did penguin slides, which is where you run down a field, jump, and slide on your stomach through the mud with your [...]

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Icebreaker Challenge

December 30, 2009 Gear

As I’ve written about before, much of my backpacking gear has taken on a noticeable funk. I don’t think it’s a failing on the part of the fabric, after being worn almost every day for two months (and washed infrequently), just about anything would smell. However, I received a gift this year that may make [...]

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Christmas at Trillium Lake

December 26, 2009 Photography

My Christmas was lovely and I hope yours was too. We spent part of the day hiking around Trillium Lake, which is a pretty easy trail that leads to an amazing view of Mt. Hood. Snowshoes would have been helpful, but weren’t neccessary because the ground was so well packed. Here are some pictures.

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Vehicular Crisis

December 17, 2009 Tales from the Trail

I’ve been having a wrestling match with myself about whether or not to get a car. I live in a city that is very bike friendly, and I’m glad that I can reduce my environmental impact by not driving. If something is too far away for a bike ride, Portland has a great public transportation [...]

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Gear Review: Esbit Stove

December 14, 2009 Gear

Now it may seem strange that with all the high tech cooking options out there, I would review my 10$ Esbit pocket stove. I’m writing this because I firmly believe that backpacking does not have to be expensive. There are all kinds of fun gadgets out there, but if you are short on cash and [...]

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How to use an emergency blanket

December 12, 2009 How to's

Patricia wraps up in an emergency blanket

There comes a point in most of my backpacking trips where I think, “Who’s stupid idea was it to going into the woods anyways?” For my friend Patricia, that point hit pretty early.
“I’m freezing!” she proclaimed. “Our water bottles are turning to ice and I can’t feel my toes. What are we doing out here?”
I [...]

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Reader Question #13: Men

December 11, 2009 Reader Q & A

Eliza V. from Burlington, VT
Question:
You have recently been organizing a lot of all-women events. Have you joined a convent or are you now unable to relate to members of the opposite sex?
Answer:
Yes. Wait, no, to both options.
Actually, some of my best friends are male, and every week we watch another bad Patrick Swayze movie together. [...]

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Trying out some new recipes for backpacking trips

December 10, 2009 How to's

Despite my affinity for mac ‘n cheese, I am now determined to healthier meals and more variety when I backpack. To that end, I have been experimenting with recipes from a great website called Trail Cooking.This site is really helpful because they have a built in calculator so that you can adjust your ingredient measurements [...]

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