Mountain Biking in Arizona Christmas 2015

I just made a quick video from my recent mountain biking footage in Arizona over Christmas. This is my first attempt at this, so I expect o improve! I filmed this with my cell phone in a handlebar mount, so the video is very wiggly.

4 EDC Packs Head to Head Comparison Test

I have had the opportunity to spend from several months to several years with these packs and this is my attempt to share my experiences. Please excuse the terrible editing, my filming was not very good and the editing did not help much. Thanks for reading my blog!

Angel's Rest hike in the Columbia River Gorge,August 8, 2015Just below

We wanted to hike in the Gorge. We had hiked in back of several of the big Falls before, the most notable of which is the "10 falls" hike in back of Multnomah Falls, including Fairy Falls.

On the trail up

We chose Angel's Rest, hoping to see Bridal Veil Falls, and Coopey Falls from the top. We did not know that there were fantastic vistas, but very little of waterfalls visible!

The hike was very nice, the weather was warm but not too hot. It was a relentless uphill 2.37 mile hike. The forest was beautiful, if a bit dry.

At the top, at Angel's Rest, the views to the West and East along the Columbia River were stunning. The pictures here do not do it justice.

Just below Angel's Rest, east along the Columbia River 

Near Angel's rest, east along the Columbia River, a fire burning on the Washington side

Looking east from Angel's Rest

Looking west along the Columbia River. In the distance, in the middle, you can just see Portland City Center.

 It is a very pleasant hike, but we did suffer for a few days after! Our quads were overworked on the way down. 

Us, at lunch rest below Angel's Rest

Looking west through the trees

a Hobbit Hole! See the blue water bottle at the bottom?

backing out, the Hobbit Hole entrance

Oops, that's not a Hobbit!

We stopped off to lean over the Coopey River Falls and get some video of this small, pretty waterfall.

There were many pleasant people and dogglers on the trip. We missed Korik. The next Gorge hike will include as many waterfalls as possible!

Bushcraft Knife Test: Cold Steel vs. Mora vs. Black Cloud

These are the players:

Cold Steel Scout; Cold Steel Master Hunter; Mora Heavy Duty; Black Cloud Knives Shark.

I decided to conduct a test with my comments and impressions of four knives that I have used for the past 10-15 years, with the exception of the Mora, which I have used for only a short time.

There is little new in this video compared to many others on YouTube, except for the comparison between these four knives at the same time, performing similar tasks.

My ultimate verdict is that all four of these knives do a great job in the bushcraft arena. They are durable, comfortable and great quality. The Cold Steel Master Hunter is a great, lightweight knife that is very flexible in its roles. The Cold Steel Scout is a bit large and heavy for bushcraft. It is  a better survival knife, but I would not feel disappointed if it was the only the knife I had. The edge chipping is the real concern here, and I will be testing this out more. The Mora is a classic bushcraft knife, and it is easy to see why. I would feel pretty darn good if I had the combination of the Mora and the Bahco Laplander. That combination can take on just about any bushcraft or survival task. The Black Cloud Knives Shark is a great player here also. It has the best steel, an excellent handle, and holds an edge best while still being easy to sharpen. It is "Black Cloud Sharp"! Again, the BCK Shark and the Bahco Laplander are an ideal combination that I feel confident can handle every outdoors situation.

Steels:

Cold Steel Master Hunter: Carbon V

Cold Steel Scout: Carbon V

Mora Heavy Duty: Sandvik

Black Cloud Knives Shark: ATS-34 with special heat treatment.

Marmot Ether DriClime Jacket Review

This is a review of one of the classic best, all-time hall-of-fame outdoors jackets. The DriClime series has been one of the slimmest, lightest and highest warmth-to-weight-ratio jackets ever made. I have had an older model for more than 15 years and I am still using it. I have brought it on uncounted backpacking and hiking trips as well as an every-day in-town jacket. The Marmot DriClime series has withstood the test of time, durability and design.

The new Ether DriClime is no exception, I fully expect this to be part of every trip I take for the next 15 years.

Hennessey Hammock Ridge Line Modification

This video will show you the ridge line modification that allows the Hennessey Hammock to be used as a very comfortable chair, lounger and an open hammock for sleeping. The model used is the Backpacker Hyperlight. Please forgive the low volume in the beginning and sudden increase later, I am still working out my audio setup! Thanks!

A Dark Night at Frying Pan Lake

Oregon Grape is blooming

It was wet, misty, cool and mysterious. I started at the trail head to trail 492, headed toward Jackpot Meadows, then on to Frying Pan Lake. It was alternating misty and slightly drizzly. The trail had more than a few blowdowns that had not been cleared yet.

I have not identified this one yet

White Trillium was blooming on the way down to the Salmon River. From there, I made the looong climb of to Jackpot Meadows. There were some nice places to camp near the rushing, steep creek, but I decided to push on to my original destination, Frying Pan Lake.

I made it to the lake just near dusk, with enough time to set up camp and get water, then take a walk to the mist-shrouded lake. This is a very nice area near some logging activities. The lake has a large swamp area on the east side where I camped. It is full of Swamp Marigold, one of my favorite edibles from long ago in New England.

The lake was very misty and mysterious. I felt like the Loch Ness Monster was going to float by and tip its hat to me as it passed. I could just barely make out some island looking spots in the lake.

At camp, I made dinner and relaxed. I disconnected the center line of my Hennessey hammock and was very comfortable while I ate and the mist rolled in more heavily, accompanied by a steady light drizzle. It cooled down but did not get very cold. I reconnect the center line, and the Hennessey Hammock was as cozy as ever.

I slept well, woke up to hot chocolate and oatmeal, and packed. I wanted to leave a little early to have time to finish all the stuff I had left to do at home, and to prep the house for the return of my best friend Valerie from her four-week trip to Arizona to help out her mom.

The walk out was a bit long but very pleasant, 95% downhill. We will return!