The trail adopter’s manual for the Ozark Trail recommends the use of a hand weeder, which is a tool I’ve always called a sickle, though it really isn’t. It looks like this: It works well enough, once you get into the swing of it (pun intended), though there is definitely an upper limit to what…
Category: Hiking
Pruning Saw vs. Bow Saw for Trail Maintenance
When I first adopted a trail to maintain, I was given a manual that included a list of recommended tools to bring. Among the recommendations was a bow saw. I was expected to be able to cut branches up to six inches in diameter, and I would need a saw. I had had plenty of…
Spring Has Sprung
I picked up a pair of Salomon Quest Prime GTX hiking boots (in a color called “Swamp/Night Forest/Titanium”), and they are working out quite well. I’ve finished two hikes in them. Today, with good hiking socks, there was not even a hint of blisters. They provide much better support for my feet. They do fit…
Trail Report: Rockpile Mountain Wilderness
This was my second time backpacking at Rockpile Mountain Wilderness. Previously, I had simply hiked more or less straight to the peak of the eponymous mountain, camped there overnight, and then hiked out the next morning. This time, I had ambitious plans to explore the whole trail system. I was thwarted. For one thing, I…
Gun Sale!
I finished Elantris. The characters that seemed so unrealistic and two-dimensional became much more realistic and grew to have more depth than my initial impression at the beginning of the story. I’m glad I finished it, because I did quite enjoy it, though I would still say it’s not Brandon Sanderson’s best work. I also…
Rockpile Mountain
My overnight backpacking trip in the Rockpile Mountain Wilderness Area went well. I didn’t have any equipment problems, and I didn’t forget anything important. I did add a couple of items to my list for next time, but they aren’t serious (like handy-wipes). I didn’t forget to bring my hammock, but I was unable to…
Backpacking
As a kid, I grew up camping with my family. Car camping, we would call it now, in a tent. We camped mainly in our home state of Missouri, and farther north for relief from the heat, in Michigan and Wisconsin mostly. We were limited by how far we could drive, and our drives were…
Dead Electronics
I have driven the highway through Great Smoky Mountains National Park again. This last time, the trees on the mountains were frosted white, and there was a smoky cloud hanging over the mountains. This has reaffirmed my goal of backpacking this park, which I plan to do during the summer of 2019. That means this…
Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down
I briefly thought that hiking or biking every day to train for the hikes I’ll be making in August would be a good idea. And it is. However, my next hike was five days later. Nevertheless, I have been hiking more than I usually do, and already I can tell it’s making a difference. I…
May Updates
I succumbed to temptation and bought a smart watch. It is the Samsung Gear S3 frontier, which is really the first one that caught my eye. It’s gorgeous, full-featured, has good battery life, and integrates well with my phone. After discovering it, I researched many others, but ultimately I came back to this one. I…