For better or worse, being a gear geek comes naturally to me. In fact, it’s not just a hobby, it’s part of my day job. So with all these observations swirling around inside my skull, I figured I should get them written down. I’ve previously done the odd gear report or review here and there, […]

The feral howl that shattered my deep slumber was very loud, and also very close. Definitely a coyote, and it was clearly a challenge call. No doubt everyone in camp – and every dog present – had heard it, unless they were remarkably deep sleepers. The howls didn’t last long though, and I soon rolled […]

Upon rolling into the Mountain Rendezvous 2014 event at Camp Tahquitz, we were greeted and checked in by Stuart. He reiterated some of the event information and gave us our welcome papers. which included a ticket for an event t-shirt and a raffle ticket. I looked forward to another cool American Adventurist Rendezvous t-shirt, and […]

Early on the second morning of our trip, we slowly stirred in our tent. I heard an occasional vehicle roll past out on the main trail, probably residents from the small cluster of homes just down the trail from us. The morning weather was cool but not cold, and it smelled of the wonderful, fresh […]