Rocky Mountain High - September 2015

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

Every now and then the stars align and you get to do something awesome.  Such was the case for me this past summer.  And in my case, the stars that aligned were my work schedule, my home & kid schedule, and the work and home schedules of 4 of my friends.  And the something awesome was a trip to Colorado to climb mountains and drink beer.

Trip Planning 101

Most of my trips happen on short notice and go to places that I know like the back of my hand.  Planning for those trips takes minutes, not hours or days.  Who's in?  Who's going to drive?  What time should we leave?  I toss some gear in a bag and off we go. 



Not so with the bigger trips.  These are the trips that happen only every few years and go someplace great.  For me, the planning of these trips is an outlet for the anticipation and excitement that's building, and a chance to re-think gear and methods that are normally just "my way of doing it."  I thought I'd share what goes through my head during this planning process.

17 Things I Keep In My First Aid Kit

I recently re-packed my first aid kit that I take backpacking, and I thought I would share what I carry in mine.  This is not necessarily meant to be an educational post, since what you will carry in your first aid kit should be fairly personal and customized for the duration of your trips, the places you go, and the kinds of ailments you might reasonably have to treat in the field.  It should also reflect your know-how.  A shaman might need less or different things than me, because I don't know how to forage for special medicinal herbs.