ajtestbed It was nearly 11 p.m. last Friday night, and I was getting bug-eyed driving south on I-15 through western Utah, aiming for the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park. Bug-eyed and tired, but it was a sleepy tired, not a physical tired, as the most physical things I’d done all day were lift a … Read more
Corn tortillas have always been a go-to for outdoor adventures. You can slather them up with peanut butter and jelly at lunch, and you can make a quesadilla at dinner. But to really up your outdoor cooking game, consider frying them in strips; it’s basically like having fresh tortilla chips in the backcountry. You could … Read more
Fifty years ago, Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire was published to decent reviews but little fanfare. “Another book dropped down the bottomless well. Into oblivion,” wrote a disheartened Abbey in his journal February 6, 1968. Yet it has remained in print for a half-century and created a devoted following. After President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary … Read more
1. Half Lapping It’s one thing to break trail up the side of a big beautiful bowl and look back to see multiple groups coming up behind you. It is a totally different story, however, to see people making it halfway up the climb, ripping their skins and snagging first half-tracks. Totally lame. Remedy: Public … Read more
Where Washington’s Highway 12 crests at 4,500 feet, a small ski area rises 2,000 feet from the side of the two-lane road. Its name—White Pass—derives from the pass on which it sits, where the Pacific Crest Trail rambles through tall fir trees and sweeping views of Mt. Rainier’s rugged southeastern flanks abound. The terrain is … Read more
Michael stood about halfway across the creek, cold muddy water lapping at mid-thigh. Once the water had gotten to his knees, the decision was made not to attempt a crossing, but still, I sat there with hands on the wheel, engine idling, running through the options and possible outcomes one more time. Even with lifted … Read more
When I stopped standing in school for the national anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, no one noticed. Not only was I not famous, I wasn’t even popular. But it was already clear to me — almost 50 years ago — that I was primarily a citizen of a planet, not of a nation, especially not … Read more
“What exactly do you plan on doing with that Leatherman?” my girlfriend Anna asked me as we lie awake in our lean-to. Deep within the Adirondack Park in Upstate New York, a black bear was thrashing through the river, no more than a stone’s throw away from us. It was dark, and our food canister … Read more
Pasta is a go-to camp meal for a lot of people, but since it’s such a common dish, it’s easy to get into a rut. Really, though, there’s no reason that you should be destined for boring pasta dishes, and one of my favorite ways to improve them is to make a nut-based “parmesan.” Obviously, … Read more
Artist and writer William Morris once said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I whispered these words to myself one warm May morning as I hauled boxes of my belongings into my uncle’s basement. He had generously offered to store 95 percent of … Read more