One-night stay in the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness
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We try out some new gear, and once more I manage to break something … Trip write-up: three-minute read.
More >New Hammock Gear ‘Journey’ bad weather tarp
Seam sealing my new tarp – it’s time to start thinking about fall and winter camping. I’m prepping my new winter tarp.
More >Leave no trace – How NOT to camp in the Wilderness
Got your own land? Go for it, cut down trees, and make as much mess as you like. Public land? Leave no trace. Let’s not trash the wilderness. One-minute read.
More >Packed and Ready to go. I review my packing strategy (again).
I looked at this picture I took before I set off on a recent trip, and I realized there are a few things I can do to improve how I stow things. Two-minute read.
More >Gear Test – Sealskinz waterproof socks
Wet shoes, dry feet – Waterproof socks, and they worked. Now I have a footwear solution for snowy trails. It’s just a shame I didn’t get these before it snowed. One-minute read,
More >Snow Day Gear repairs
I’m usually pretty easy on my equipment, but recently I’ve got careless and damaged three items of my backpacking gear. Today I removed my temporary duct tape fixes and applied permanent repairs to my underquilt protector and rain skirt. One-minute read, 6 pictures
More >Embrace the dirt. Staying clean on the trail
Keeping clean while hiking or backpacking is an oxymoron in my book. Nature is all about dirt, and working up a sweat comes with the first steep hill you have to climb. The squeamish and easily frightened should probably stop reading at this point. Backpacking is perhaps not for you. Six-minute read
More >How much backpacking electronics is too much?
A quick run-down of what electronics and electrical items I take out with me when I’m backpacking, and how I carry and manage them. Eight-minute read
More >Roundup of my 2020 backpacking trips
With my final trip of 2020 over it’s time to sum up what I did and where I went.
More >Tales of stupidity – Camped overlooking ‘Twin Falls Hollow’
My trip had been dogged by a series of stupid mistakes. My last mistake could easily have been fatal, but as is usually the case when I do something stupid, I was lucky and got away with it. Until possibly one day I won’t. Five-minute read, 3 pictures
More >My 2020-2021 Winter Backpacking Gear
An in-detail run through all the gear I’m currently using to backpack and hammock camp in temperatures down to around 20°F
More >The unexpected problems of losing weight
On this trip I was trying out my new backpacking clothing options, and while I was checking how well my choices were working, I was slow to make changes when things weren’t. And that was a problem. Three-minute read
More >2020 – All Change! New gear: an ultralight backpack, some luxury items, and cooking kit changes
No, I’m not referring to COVID-19, though that has thrown a monkey wrench into my backpacking and hiking plans. I’m going to briefly talk about what I’ve been doing on the trails, plus some life and gear changes.
More >Trip Report – three days in Piney Creek Wilderness
Rain, thunder, a flooding lake, wading, and bushwhacking make for a different start to a weekend’s R&R. Piney Creek Wilderness. Trip write-up: Ten-minute read, 45 pictures
More >Two nights and a superb sunrise on the Bell Mountain Trail
Two nights and a superb sunrise on the Bell Mountain Trail – Many years ago I read about hammock camping on Bell Mountain and the beautiful dawn vistas to be had looking out over Shut-in Creek. Ever since I read that article I’ve wanted to camp there and watch the dawn. Trip write-up: 12-minute read. 38 pictures.
More >February 2020, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness
February 2020, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness – It was time for me to get out and clock up a few more miles. We first planned to visit Paddy Creek Wilderness in late December 2011, but with high winds in the forecast, we decided to go to Piney Creek instead. Somehow Paddy Creek Wilderness never featured in our plans after then. Now was a good time to put that right. Trip write-up: 24-minute read. 69 pictures
More >January 2020, Three Days At Devil’s Backbone Wilderness
January 2020, Three Days At Devil’s Backbone Wilderness – I visited old haunts and hiked the last of my un-trod trails in this wilderness. Trip write-up: 17-minute read. 48 pictures
More >Piney Creek Wilderness – January 2020
Piney Creek Wilderness – January 2020 – A three day, two night, relaxing stay by the lakeside in Piney Creek Wilderness. Trip write-up: 11-minute read. 54 pictures.
More >This can only mean one thing …
After a seven-month break, I’m finally back on the trail with my last hike of 2019. This is going to be a shake-down hike, with lots of new gear to check and test, plus I need to get back into the swing of hiking and camping.
More >Hercules Glades – Visiting the Bluffs, Exploring Long Creek, and a Visit to ER
Despite my best intentions, I’ve been too busy to get out on the trails since my last trip in March. This weekend I decided to fix that with three days hiking at Hercules Glades. My plan was to catch a sunset from the bluffs and do some exploring down Long Creek. Things didn’t quite end up how I’d planned though.
More >Backpacking/Hiking Water Filtering Setup
After many years of backpacking I’ve finally come up with a water filtering solution that I like. It’s only taken me eight years! We started off with the MRI Sweet Water. Oh how I hated pumping it. Then we had the Sawyer Mini, which was so frustratingly slow.
More >Trip Report – ‘Wet Feet Hike’
I was determined to get out on a couple of free days no matter what the weather was. The forecast was for rain and as it had been raining a lot the past few days I was expecting the trails to be wet.
More >Gaia GPS and Suumato Compass
My GPS broke when I was backpacking recently, and then I had a disastrous trip where at one point I lamented not having a decent compass. It was time to engage in one of my favorite non-hiking pastimes. Research and shopping.
More >Trip Report – Four Days, Three Nights, and Two Wildernesses
After my earlier ill-fated trip to Devil’s Backbone Wilderness I was eager to go back and complete the hike. I also wanted to get out and try to meet my goal of two nights and 20 miles backpacking per month. To do this my “Four days, three nights, and two wildernesses” trip was conceived.
More >Trip Report – When a Backpacking Trip Goes Wrong
There is no one quite as lost as the person who is mistakenly convinced that they know exactly where they are. There was a predicted break in the weather before this year’s polar vortex was due to descend again upon the Ozarks. The temps were going to be reasonable, and there would be sunshine. I decided to venture a bit further afield for three days solo backpacking at the Devil’s Backbone Wilderness, near Dora, Missouri. It ended up in a bit of a mess.
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