Imagery Update

The June issue of Backpacker is out now, and I have a small photo featured in the "New Trips Near You" section, spotlighting the Dog Mountain trail. One of the more popular spring hikes on the Washington side of the Gorge, Dog Mountain offers one of the better wildflower displays, along a steep, 3-mile trail to the summit; with a nice 7-mile loop option. See the GPS track and more photos of this hike at Backpacker.com.

Its been a while since I've posted a photo update, and I have quite the backlog of images to get posted up to the site. In the recent months, I've been quite busy with additional projects, including writing several articles for the Washington Trails Assn.'s magazine, Washington Trails, as well as working on new GPS tracks for Backpacker.com, and a brand new assignment for Backpacker magazine. I've also been experimenting with a new HDR program - PhotoMatix Pro - to breathe new life into some of my images.

Here's a sampling of new imagery that I'm still working on...

• Maui, HI: hiking, whales, etc. (in progress)
• Crater Lake, OR: winter snowshoe
• Forest Park, OR: local trails
• Columbia Gorge, OR: Wauna & Mitchell Point hikes
• Siouxon Creek, WA: falls trail
• Falls Creek, WA: falls loop

Coming soon will be a selection of trails and images from the Central Oregon area, including Smith Rock, The Badlands, Tumalo Falls, and Dome rock. And as the snows clear and higher trails start drying out, look for images from trails in the Clackamas Foothills and the southern Mt. Hood area.

And JMT is coming...

Isn't that Slik!

As I wrap up my search for new gear for this summer's JMT trek, a new tripod had been on the list for a while. My current Manfrotto tripod was just too heavy and bulky for such an extended trip. I wanted something compact, lightweight, and reasonably affordable. A $600 carbon-fiber model (without head!) was just too far out of my budget. But recently my search has come to an end, as I have acquired the Slik Sprint Mini II tripod.

The Sprint Mini is not a full-size tripod, but not a tabletop model either. Fully opened, it reaches a 32" height (42" with column extended), with legs that can be positioned at three different angles. The mini ballhead (included) is capable of stably supporting up to 4.5 lbs. - more than enough for my D90 and 10mm wide angle. And best of all, the Sprint Mini weighs in at just 1.5 lbs. and closes down to just 14" - perfect for slipping into a water bottle pocket, or strapping to the back of my pack.

I've already used the Sprint Mini on several local dayhikes and have been extremely happy with its performance and support. I'm now looking forward to putting it to use in the High Sierra...

Available at Adorama.com

JMT 2010: Chow Time

There's alot of opinions about backpacking food among the outdoors community. It ranges from the completely-do-it-yourselfers on one end, measuring out their cous cous by the gram and dehydrating their own zuccini, to the grab-a-pouch-of-dehydrated-stroganoff-and-handfull-of-energy-bars-and-hit-the-road crowd. I probably fall somewhere in between. I like good food, but I don't believe that a hiking menu should should be too labor intensive. Or suck.

Early in my backpacking career, a trip into the Grand Canyon with a pre-packaged meal that turned out to be completely disgusting has since prompted me to try everything at home before getting stuck choking it down on the trail. Since then, I started balancing my backpacking menus with a combination of easy, homemade one-pot meals using instant rice, potato flakes, pouched meats, dehydrated veggies, etc., with a select few pre-packaged dehydrated meals (pre-tested) that were reasonably satisfying. This is, until I discovered Packit Gourmet. Their meals are incredible, and I can't stop raving about them, and recommending them to friends and fellow hikers.

It started with an Editor's Choice article in Backpacker about something called Austintacious Tortilla Soup. I love tortilla soup, and am always looking for the next best thing in backpacking food. I ordered several of their meals to give them a shot. Holy cow! Chicken and veggies that tastes like chicken and veggies, not chemically-flavored styrofoam! Flavors that are out of this world; and many of their ingredients are organic. They're not just your add-a-cup-of-hot-water-and-wait meals. They include extra touches to enliven the backcountry dining/flavor experience like concentrated broth packets, salsas, spices, crispy tortilla chips, or tasty cornbread toasties. I could eat their tortilla soup for all 30 days on the JMT this summer! But I'm not, when there's other dishes like Dottie's Chicken & Dumplings, Bangers & Mash (with real sausage sticks!), and Tuscan Beef Stew with Polenta that tastes like it was just ordered at an Italian bistro. Both their bean burritos and burger wraps are super easy - and super tasty! And their breakfast offerings - always the hardest meal for me to plan, and usually ends up being a granola bar - are just as awesome. The flavor-packed fruit smoothies are a great morning pick-me-up, and their Migas del Sol egg dish will have me breaking the stove out in the mornings. 

Any way about it, Packit Gourmet is at the top of their game when it comes to tasty, quality backpacking food options. For the do-it-yourselfers, they offer the same ingredients that make up their meals in small and large bulk packages to allow you to customize your own menu, or for the the seriously menu-challenged, complete menu packages. I now have the confidence that I will be dining well, with minimal hassle, on my big trip this summer, and future trips to come...