-5 minute read-
looking to level-up your backcountry route-planning game? In the third and final part of my series on backcountry route planning, I’ll review some of my favorite tools for backcountry planning and navigation including Caltopo, Gaia GPS, and Avenza. Use this as a resource to select the tool that’s right for you and your adventures.
Read More-15 minute read-
In the second part of my series on backcountry route planning, we’ll learn how to work with Caltopo and Gaia GPS to take and record notes, and save your trip history for use in planning future trips and sharing with friends.
Ready to put down the guidebook and plan your own trip? Let’s go!
Read More-15 minute read-
Have you ever flipped through a guidebook and had a rising sense of tunnel vision? If you’re ready to pull the blinders off and open up your horizons, there’s a whole world of custom adventure waiting to be discovered. Over the next three weeks I’ll walk you through some tools and techniques to launch your own custom trip.
This week we’ll build a custom map in Caltopo and transfer our notes to the Gaia GPS app for use in the field.
Read More-8 minute read-
The ski-circumnavigation of Mount Hood offers some unique rewards for a tour so close to Portland. You get the challenge of working your way through varied terrain that requires a variety of skills, a big mountain feel, and a fairly long ski traverse. For Ryan and I, it was a fun opportunity to practice working and problem solving together, and spend a full day taking in our home mountain.
Read More-8 minute read-
Picture this. You’re two days in to the Ptarmigan traverse in the Washington’s North Cascades. The wind’s blasting you in the face and your fingers are freezing as you walk the ridge crest, peeking tentatively over the edge to scout your descent to the valley floor. It’s been a long day already and all you want is to setup the tent and fire up some dinner. Before you do that, you’ll have to work your way through the cliff-band lurking somewhere below. All you want is to be off this damn ridge, but picking the wrong couloir will mean a long boot-pack to the ridge only to start it all over again.
It doesn’t take many experiences like this to reinforce the value of carrying slope-angle maps with you into the backcountry.
Read More-5 minute read-
The light dimmed and the patch of snow visible through the yurt’s single window changed from white to blue. I rose from my seat by the fire, grabbed the door latch and wrenched it inward against the stick of the jam. A path led to the two smaller sleeping yurts and the pit toilet. My puffy nylon slippers swished over the firm snow as the path turned to ice in the late-evening cold. I stopped outside the ring of light thrown by the propane lanterns. I took a breath, peed against a tree, and turned to walk back to the raucous good-timing of the main yurt. I took a step and paused.
Read More
