View from Dog Mtn

March 1, 2010 Photography
Rainbow on view from Dog Mtn

This is the view from Dog Mountain, a beautiful and moderately difficult hike near Stevenson, Washington. I’ve heard that the wild flowers are amazing in the Spring, so I’ll have to make a return trip.
As for the photo, I’m not really sure how it turned out the way it did, but I’m pleased with the [...]

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Addy’s guide on how to survive making your own Coke can alcohol stove

February 25, 2010 How to's
Making your own Coke can stove

Step one: Go to the store and buy a six pack of root beer and a gallon of ice cream. That way, if you get really irritated while you’re making your stove you can have a root beer float. You’ll also have extra cans available in case you make a mistake and need to start again.

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Some tips on planning for a thru-hike

February 11, 2010 Gear
Geological marker on top of Mt. Katahdin

A lot of people skimp their first aid kits, but your mother and I both think that is really dangerous.

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Icebreaker Challenge Results

January 26, 2010 Gear
Mikey tests out my shirt

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
Thumbnail image for The view from Angel’s Rest

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
Addy and Aubrey dancing

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
Addy covered in mud

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
Icebreaker Chakra top

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
Mt Hood

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
Thumbnail image for Gear Review: Esbit Stove

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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Ice, ice, baby

December 8, 2009 Favorites
Frozen grass at Umpqua Hot Springs

I recently camped out with some friends at Umpqua Hot Springs. Here are some pictures from our hike in.

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Umpqua Hot Springs

December 7, 2009 Photography
Umpqua Hot Springs
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The only downside to hiking with friends

December 4, 2009 Tales from the Trail

“Wow. It must be really great to have hiking poles when you ford a stream,” Amy said to me as she rock hopped across the water.
“Yeah,” I replied. “The only thing is that sometimes…”
This is the point where I land butt first in a stream. I’m not kidding. Falling has almost become almost cliche in [...]

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Reunited and it feels so good

November 30, 2009 Tales from the Trail

So we took a little time apart, and it’s been hard. We had been inseparable and it had just gotten to be too much. We needed space to do different things for a while. But now, finally, it’s time. Mac ‘n Cheese and I are back together again.
True, I have complained about it in the [...]

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