Review: The Best Short Hike in the Winds (9 Miles!)
Reading Time: 8 minutesNo hike in the Winds is this so easy for such a payoff. As such, it’s great to take kids to. It does require some acceptance off off-trail navigation, but nothing serious.
Review: 22-Mile Hike to Ouzel Falls, Chateau Lake, and Brewster Lake, Gros Ventre Range
Reading Time: 19 minutesWhy are there so many falls named Ouzel? Who was this famous Ouzel? Well you won’t get those answers here, but I did hike to see Ouzel Falls (Gros Ventre version) with my 8 year-old daughter, and we explored Chateau Lake (a first for me) and Brewster Lake, too.
Review: 34-Mile Hike to Yukon Peak from Green River Lakes Trailhead
Reading Time: 31 minutesIs this the best way to access Iceberg Lake? I don’t know, but it’s the best way to visit Elbow Lake No 2, and who doesn’t want to do that?
Review: 16 Miles Hiking Little Sandy Lake from Block and Tackle Hill
Reading Time: 14 minutesLittle Sandy is such a terrible lure. You know you won’t love it, but dangit, you need something easy, so there you find yourself, disappointed all over again.
Review: 46 Miles Hiking St. Lawrence Trailhead to Twin, Raft, Mova, Polaris, Moraine, Darren, Sonnicant, and Many More Lakes
Reading Time: 64 minutesThis hike took me to all the lakes around Sonnicant that I hadn’t been to yet, but the report is shameful. You’ll see.
Review: Grand Targhee Sioux Lodge Loft, Plus a Story
Reading Time: 11 minutesIs it worth staying in a Sioux Lodge Loft room at Grand Targhee? Well, that depends…
5 Hiking Items I Wish I Would Have Purchased Sooner
Reading Time: 5 minutesThings I wish I’d discovered sooner. There is no affiliate marketing, kickbacks, etc., involved with any of these links—just my opinions. If you’re interested, search around for a slick deal!
Gear Review: Topo MTN Racer 3 Shoe (vs Altra Olympus 5)
Reading Time: 5 minutesTopo’s MTN Racer 3 is cheaper than the competition, feels better, has far better durability, and literally outclasses the Altra Olympus in every metric. It’s the perfect hiking shoe for me.
Gear Review: Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-80L or: Why I Ditched My Osprey Atmos AG
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-80L has replaced my Osprey Atmos AG 65 as my preferred pack. It shaves off a significant amount of weight while retaining comfort under heavy loads, finding an excellent position between ultra-light and ultra-rigged packs, and the price simply can’t be beaten. Although it has fewer bells and whistles, I haven’t minded that even a tiny bit.
Gear Review: Creepers Socks or: How I Learned to Stop Foot Pain and Love Hiking Again
Reading Time: 6 minutesCreepers socks have been updated for 2024 and are now more resilient. They have become an indispensable part of my hiking kit and eliminated all of my foot problems.
Review: 58 Beautiful Miles Hiking Halls Lake, Heebeecheeche Lake, and More
Reading Time: 30 minutesI had heard that Halls Lake was not worth the effort to see, but I found that to be a pack o’ lies!
Review: 7.5-Mile Day Hike to Ramshead Lake and Lake of the Crags in Gorgeous Tetons
Reading Time: 8 minutesThis is a great day hike in the Tetons that can be accomplished quickly. It’s best done in the fall when the crowds, the heat, and the bugs are all gone.
Review: Hiking 62 Stunning Miles on the Washakie, South Fork, and Baptiste Loop
Reading Time: 58 minutesThis is perhaps my new favorite hike, despite a very sad event taking place. Really, just look at the crappy pics I took and realize they do as much justice as Caligula.
Review: 42 Scorching Miles Hiking Marten Lake and Squaretop Mountain
Reading Time: 45 minutesA portion of this hike is utterly worth it. A large section I have no interest in seeing again. All of it is better than a minute spent watching Jimmy Fallon.
Kühl Review: Comparing Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr Pants
Reading Time: 6 minutesA glorious post in which I rank Kühl Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr pants in order of how much I like them when hiking.
Gear Review: Altra Olympus 5, The Perfect Disappointment
Reading Time: 9 minutesAltra’s Olympus 5 is an absolute treasure in reducing damage foot pain and damage, but it’s let down by an insane lack of durability.
Backpacking Gear Review: Creepers Merino Wool Toe Socks
Reading Time: 7 minutesCreepers socks are now my go-to sock for long-distance backpacking, as they have resolved all my foot- and toe-pain issues.
Review: Easy as Cake, 20 Miles Hiking Atlantic Canyon and Windy Lake
Reading Time: 17 minutesThis area of the Winds is underrated. My 1/2 pregnant wife, my 8 year-old daughter, and the rest of us enjoyed this hike, but we found out a way to do it far more efficiently at the end.
Backpacking Gear Review: WillowAce “THE ALPACA SOCKS”
Reading Time: 9 minutesI love the WillowAce socks and am glad that I gave them a go. For under $60, I’ve made myself, my wife, and my mom quite happy.
Review: 25 Miles Hiking the Six Lakes in the Gros Ventre So You Don’t Have To
Reading Time: 29 minutesI hiked the Six Lakes in Wyoming’s Gros Ventre Range. I don’t really have enemies, so I don’t have anyone to recommend it to.
Review: Hiking or Neature Walking (1 Mile) to Pelham Lake, WY
Reading Time: 5 minutesPelham Lake can be accessed by an incredibly short neature walk. It doesn’t seem to really have crowds. We enjoyed it for what it was.
Gear Review: PERFECT Kühl Transcendr Pants
Reading Time: 7 minutesIntroduction Why did I get some Kühl Transcendr pants and bother to post a review of such length? If you’ve read my hiking reviews (a massive ask, to be fair, and potentially a violation of the Geneva Convention if prisoners of war were made to do it), you know that I’m very particular about my pants. I’ve long struggled to find a really, truly good pair of hiking pants. One…
Gear Review: A Skiing Essential—KÜHL TEAM 1/4 ZIP (Merino Sweater)
Reading Time: 8 minutesMy go-to midlayer for skiing.
Gear Review: The Joys of Being Soggy—Black Diamond Approach Down Vest
Reading Time: 6 minutesMy wife bought me a Black Diamond Approach Down Vest and I figured that I’d review it. I’ve been using the vest for about 7 months now; this season we skied many hundreds of miles. I’ve used the vest for both nordic and downhill skiing and have worn it regularly to work, so I think that I can now comment honestly on it.
Site Update: Gear Reviews and Ski Reviews
Reading Time: 3 minutesStarting today, I’m going to be investing time into reviewing products (like those pictured below) which have significantly impacted my enjoyment of the outdoors. If you have any ideas about items that might improve my life, please feel free to let me know.