For the love of conifers “I love pine trees!” Niecie squeed in excitement on coming upon a dense thicket of evergreens during a hike in the Hickson Forest last Sunday. Niecie hugging the broad trunk
"Puffer" Jacket Understanding hiking jackets - What do you really need? Okay, I’ll admit it, outdoor apparel is confusing, especially when it comes to jackets. I came to this realization after my girlfriend Niecie asked me why I needed a
Adventure What I’m reading in 2018 - The Complete Idiots Guide to Backpacking and Hiking One of my many New Years resolutions was to get out and hike more and hike smarter, and in the spirit of this goal I picked up Jason Stevenson’s
Adventure Escaping the slump, a return to the trails To be honest, this year hasn’t turned out quite how I might have liked. Many of my trips, upgrades and personal goals have been put on hold for one
Adventure Eating up the miles — Day 2 on the road to The Big Easy We’re back on the road again today eating up the miles on the way south to The Big Easy. We’ve got just under 530 miles to go today
dogs Stalking serpents in Perrot State Park I shrieked “Sna-Aake!” my voice rising mid-cry as my brain processed what I was looking at; simultaneously, I made a comical two-step hop to the other side of the trail
deserts Why I hike - Hint: sometimes it's for tacos For some people, hiking is nothing more than a long walk in the woods, through the desert over or across the plains. I’m one of these people. Even before
Building stamina for the long walk The week is over and my body is sore, cut and bruised. A thick callus covers my right heal, proof of every step of the 12 miles of trails I’
Adventure Hiking White Tank Mountain Back in January, Niecie’s family flew us down to Pheonix to see her grandparents. They’d recently retired and purchased a winter home in the community near Surprise on
black friday Taking a hike on Black Friday Shopping This year’s Black Friday was different, but not because we decided to stay home. We’ve never taken part in Black Friday shopping and we weren’t about to
Adventure Thinking about camping out in the cold? Me too After a whirlwind Thanksgiving weekend with my family, Niecie and I were driving home to La Crosse when she asked about camping in the winter. Growing up, we did most
4wd Have Jeep - will travel Back in March, I bought my dream car, a True Blue Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I’d been drooling over this weird four-door convertible ever since I first saw one back
Adventure Dreams of adventure our plans for 2017 As winter sets in, I have plenty of time to make plans for next years adventures. Better plans mean better adventures, less time spent searching for a campsite at midnight,
Adventure A Backyard adventure with my crazy family in Frontenac This summer, Niecie and I got together with my sister Frannie and her husband Dustin for a weekend camping trip up the river in Frontenac State Park. This camping trip
Fall A walk in the woods I’ve always found it easier to think walking in the woods.It’s true, I always have. Much of my childhood was spend along rough cut hiking trails, searching
Adventure Into the west - Part 4: Moab, welcome to Jeep heaven “We’re going to Jeep heaven,” kept running through my mind as we departed from Devils Tower on the third day of our journey west. We were on our way
Aeropress Why the Aeropress is the best campsite coffee maker you can buy If you’re anything like me, you can’t get by without a cup of coffee in the morning. During the work week, it’s typically not a problem, I’
4x4 Camping on the Zumbro River an outstanding backyard adventure Places like Canyon Lands and Arches national park are beautiful places to explore, but often times you don’t have to go very far to have a great adventure. There
Badlands Into the west - Part 3: At the devil's feet From Mount Rushmore we drove West, crossing the boarder into Wyoming. I still can’t put my finger on it, but something was different about it. It was quite almost
Badlands Into the west - Part 2: The eyes of giants The bitter mid-May temperatures woke us long before the sun crept over the horizon on day two of our road trip out west. The night before, we’d pitched camp
