Update: I DNF’d with rhabdo. Here’s a summary of why. On the morning of April 2nd 2021 I’ll begin my attempt at setting the first Unsupported Fastest Known Time (FKT) of the 343 mile Sheltowee Trace though Tennessee and Kentucky. I’ll be setting out from the Burnt Mill Bridge trailhead in Tennessee and hiking north […]
Author: James
Misadventures Packrafting the Big South Fork
April 2nd-4th, 2020 Getting done with a 96 hour week at the fire department, I was tired and discouraged. My wife is immunocompromised and has multiple co-morbidities for COVID-19, so I’m living in our basement. It’s nice, with a bed and bathroom and squat rack and X-Box. But I needed some time away to recharge. […]
REI Co-op Flash Folding Trekking Poles Review – Doomed by Bad Glue
The REI Co-op Flash Folding Trekking Poles are lightweight, z-style folding trekking poles with carbon fiber shafts, foam grips, adjustable straps, and non-interchangeable baskets. They are available in several fixed lengths, and weigh 14.1 oz (400 g) per pair at the 125 cm length. They collapse down quickly to a very short length and are relatively strong […]
First-Timers in Zion
A last minute anniversary trip to Zion/Las Vegas in January. We’ve never been to Zion before, and with the Weeping Rock/Hidden Canyon trail closed, there were two obvious hikes to do. Sam preferred not to be out over night, so we staged out of our hotel in Springdale. Out of season, the park was not […]
Scouting Red River Gorge
I’m planning a comprehensive packrafting and hiking route of Red River Gorge (KY) to be executed this May. I spent a few days scouting possibilities over the weekend. This was my second real scouting trip down there, but also my 15th, as I’ve been gaining memories and taking notes on my trips there for quite […]
when Speed equals Safety
For wilderness travel, many words have been written about the importance of bringing first aid supplies in case of emergency, or keeping your wits about you when something goes wrong. These things are obviously important. But I think the most overlooked backpacking “get out of jail card” is the ability to hike quickly. While it’s […]
DIY Wilderness Thigh Straps for Packrafting
I made a set of very lightweight, removable thigh straps for my Alpacka Yak, to allow for better edging and control in whitewater. These straps weigh 4.4 oz, including the glue used to attach them. 2.3 oz of that is removable for trips when they’re not needed. Adding a third attachment point would add under […]
Kind Of Our Own Island
Garden Key is a 16 acre island inside Dry Tortugas National Park, a few hours by ferry west from Key West. It is the home of Fort Jefferson, a huge unfinished Civil War era masonry structure waiting to be explored by the hundred or more tourists ferried there daily for a five hour stay on this idyllic Caribbean island. There are multiple […]
Shades, Sugar Creek, and Storms
When Sam asked if we could get away on a last minute packrafting trip over the 4th of July, we decided to pull out a route that I’ve had in my back pocket for a couple years. It’s nice that I’ve been doing this long enough to have route ideas just sitting around, waiting to […]
BMWO Gear Choices
I just finished my first Bob Marshall Wilderness Open, this year a 77 mile test of endurance across the Rockies in late May. You can read my account here. I finished with no lasting injuries, made few mistakes, and managed to surprise myself by moving faster than everyone except for Dan Durston, the almost perpetual […]