nature

I've been on a quest for the perfect sleeping bag and tent.

Like any product or service, I had to consider qualities in different areas and decide what's most important to me. I could buy the lightest one person tent out there, which would cost over $400. If I'm willing to buy one that weighs just under a pound more I could spend as little as $90. Would I be comfortable every night in that $90 tent? Not really.

After a few hours of research I decided I liked a particular tent, as shaving extra weight tends to cause the price to skyrocket. Then I picked a sleeping bag on a new set of criteria. Done.

In the end, I stayed away from the latest and greatest ultralight gear while finding some fantastic items. I go camping a handful of times each year, with just once or twice being times when weight matters.

At the end of all this, I realize this is who I am and this is not what the world is.Read more

How did you take the title of this post?

On one had you could take it as "Get ready, because it's time to get better." It's as if some force is demanding things improve.

Another way is "To improve, you must prepare first."

This is about both.

Three years ago I hiked into the Adirondack wilderness for the first time with my best friend and three others. Aside from my boots I owned cheap gear and had little clue how to backpack. Camping is one thing, backpacking is a whole different game. The rest of the group was in a similar predicament, except for my best friend. My pack was falling apart, I had too much gear, and we trekked in less than three miles before setting up camp.

The Adirondacks told me what I needed to know: if I was coming back, I needed to get better.

Each year since I've had an easier time in the woods and enjoyed the trip more. As I made plans for this year's trip I realized what had happened: I was spending more time every year preparing.Read more

Trying to hike 11 miles in one day over mountains is a great way to learn about how and when to rest.

For most of us Americans, rest is an option and not a luxury. Think about that for a moment.

Until I began descending the south rock slide after hiking over the middle and south peaks, I felt great. My knees were strong, my legs showed little sign of fatigue from the miles, and other than some blisters I had tended to before they developed into something nasty I was feeling great. I had enough food in me and I had enough water to get me all the way back.

Then I had to face the fact that I was going down a mountain, not up it or across it. Down.

I’m much better at hiking up them.Read more

I reached the summit of Mount Tripyramid’s north peak to find three experienced hikers sitting down after climbing a different route up the mountain. Unbeknownst to me they were the three wise men of my journey, whose insights would shape a lot of my reflection later on in the day.

At first I thought the best thing I could do is ask questions about hiking and the White Mountains.Read more

There have been a lot of terms thrown around about the US economy in the past year which we’ve all heard numerous times. Foreclosure, and recession, and bailout, and bank failure, and stimulus package are among them. If you’ve been following the economic news, even lightly, I’m sure you have an opinion on what the government should do and who should be saved and who should be left to crumble and be picked at. Personally, I see an easy way of doing it: follow nature’s lead. Ask, how would nature sort this out?Read more