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A thoughtful piece concerning the ever present tradeoff between the desire for freedom and adventure vs. LNT and associated rules as we consider what conduct is appropriate - thanks for it. Re: your approach to Boundary Peak, you may need to hike it again to get 'official' credit for it. 4K...

3 Carters "T" via 19 Mile Brook, Carter Dome Trail, Carter Moriah Trails 5/6/2016 3 Carters "T" via 19 Mile Brook, Carter Dome Trail, Carter Moriah Trails 5/6/2016 "T" route - to ridge via 19MB, CDT; from Zeta, south to Carter Dome and back; then N to Middle Carter and back. Trail Conditions...

IMO, the most powerful single reason to pay the extra money for InReach over SPOT (I'm currently a 2nd-gen SPOT user) is that acknowledgement. In an emergency (as opposed to periodic "I'm OK" messages) with just SPOT, I'd be pretty persistent with 'hitting the button' from a variety of...

Never heard of this, but according to the blurb, it's not new, having won an Outdoor award in 2014. GoreTex has always made this claim, and breathability, though improving in small increments over time, has always been drastically inferior to what's possible with non-waterproof gear. My guess...

I second Bill's comments that the Trailhead Steward Program is proving to be both very worthwhile as well as fun and fulfilling for the volunteers. Alex Corrections to the logistical info above . . . CORRECTED TRAINING/ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING DATE: May 21, 2016, 8:30am - 12:00pm CORRECTED...

I'd encourage all of us to think less about enforcement and what other people are doing/not doing, and focus more on what *we ourselves* can do, in the moment, to protect the trails we're traveling from damage. Alex

The Hillsounds have been my traction of choice in these conditions. They've been sharp enough to gain purchase on blue and black ice, to the extent that regular crampons add little extra value -- the longer spikes of the full crampons aren't needed, as there's no snow between the ice and the...

Two principles have kept me out of trouble to this point . . . (1) Ski with full caution until you're familiar with the route (which in the case of off-piste pretty much means, at least for me: ski with full caution) (2) Let winter hiking take over your life to displace most of the skiing . ...

Hi, your e-mail was indeed in my spam folder - thanks for suggesting that I check it. I'll reply there. In the meantime, just click the "Isolation 4/2" link to get full info on the trip . . . Alex

Hey, if you're a 'get it done sooner rather than later' [conditions permitting] kinda guy, in the very near future I coincidentally happen to be running two trips of possible interest - just click each one for details: Carters 3/28 Isolation 4/2 As of now, they both have space, though...

On the upper section of the Mt. Osceola Trail east of the East Osceola summit, we found a small black fleece glove on the side of the 'trail'. alexmtn ( alex at nedzel dot com )

Out-and-back hike from the Kanc over East Osceola to Osceola via the Greeley Ponds and Mt. Osceola Trails 3/14/2016 Trail Conditions: The route is a continuous blue ice flow over 99%+ of its length, from lot to summits. Some very shallow stretches of consolidated snow atop the ice flow help...

My group was at the col around 1pm on Saturday - very few parties out, and all appeared copacetic. The problem, if one, must have happened after that.

Had a 24-mile, 6-peak 'Hale to Gale' trip planned for the northern pemi. Rescheduled for Monday. Not enough of a safety margin.

The answer to your question is yes. For the time it takes to warm new water, *any* liquid water will do (32 degrees is plenty warm for the isobutane). Typically there'd be at least a few ounces in peoples' bottles, and/or a stream source. If your group has no liquid water at the ready, then...

I wouldn't go so far as to say you shouldn't try it just because it may be less efficient than what you're used to -- after all, if you want to do something, you've gotta start somewhere and gradually come up the learning curve to get the payoff. However, it also makes total sense to work up to...

For Washington via Jewell, your Hillsound/soft boot combo should cover all cases except copious snow, for which mountaineering snowshoes are most effective - or very high winds, in which front points help you hold your own on boilerplate while crawling. However, an ice ax (with associated...

Perhaps there are different generations of WhisperLite? I know that among at least some hikers, the stove has 'earned' the moniker 'WhisperLOUD'. I've always been in the upright isobutene camp, and can't remember with absolute certainty whose roars were how loud -- I do know that they've...

Ha! A week or so ago we covered that exact topic pretty thoroughly in the Baxter Cabin Checklist thread. The verdict is that if a Sawyer filter is wet, you need to protect it from freezing up. Sawyer isn't sure one way or the other, but are not willing to warrant that a wet filter element...

Ha! Indeed! I'm hoping for some improvement in time for a Bonds ski/hike that's on for the 20th! Thanks for the PM - see my reply. Alex