Archive | October, 2009
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
by Mark Cahill
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore sits just west of Traverse City along the Lake Michigan shoreline. There are two islands that lie offshore that form the legend of the dunes. The Chippewa Indians told the story:
“Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but eventually the cubs tried and lagged behind. Mother bear reached the shore and climbed to the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. Too tired to continue, the cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit Manitou created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the faithful mother bear”.
When there be sure to head straight west to where the dunes start to turn and lookout out over the Lake. It’s a perfect place to throw your arm out trying to get a stone to land in the water: It’s impossible, trust me. After you’ve soaked up the view, be sure to trek down the steep sandy slope and stand at the thin strip of rock between the dune and the water. Then take a dip in Lake Michigan (might be a little cold now) and hunt for some Petoskey stones.
Watch: Bob Seger System – Lucifer
Arc’Teryx Gamma MX Hoody
The weather in New York has been a little cold and rainy, and although those conditions might be a tad premature for the Arc’Teryx Gamma MX Hoody, I haven’t had a chance to wear it since it came in July, so as soon as the temperature dropped I put it to use around town. The coat fits perfectly (gusseted underarms that eliminate bulk) and the hood is meant to go over a helmet, so you’ll have plenty of protection if you’re using it to walk the streets of Brooklyn. The Gamma MX Hoody also has very tight cuffs on the sleeves, a feature of Arc’Teryx coats that I’ve always liked. So far it’s kept me warm and dry, and at only 1.5 lbs, it’ll be getting a lot of use this season. Check out what Backcountry users have to say about it.
Louis L’amour Continued..
“One of the myths I always like to get away from is the idea that a gunfighter or a group of gunfighters can come in and terrorize a western town. It just couldn’t happen. Because, you see, just about everybody in that town grew up using a gun.”*
Camp Robber Jay
Gray Jays readily capitalize on novel food sources, including food sources introduced by humans living on or passing through their territories. To the frustration of trappers using baits to catch fur-bearing animals or early travelers trying to protect their winter food supplies, and to the delight of modern campers, many individual Gray Jays quickly learn that we can be an excellent source of food, even coming to the hand for bread, raisins, or cheese. Such familiarity has inspired a long list of colloquial names for the Gray Jay. In addition to the once official ‘Canada Jay,’ there are, meat-bird, camp robber, venison-hawk, moose-bird, gorby and, most notable of all, ‘whiskeyjack’. This a corruption of an aboriginal name, variously written as wiskedjak, whiskachon, wisakadjak, and many other variants, of a mischievous prankster prominent in Algonquian mythology.
Merrell Wilderness Boot
• 3mm Waterproof Full Grain Leather
• Leather Bellows Tongue
• Tesivel™ 3-Bar Knit Lining Treated with Aegis™ Antimicrobial Technology
• Italian Hardware
• Dual Density Footbed
• Microporous Rubber/Rubber Midsole
• 5mm Leather/TPR Insole
• Norwegian Welt Construction
• Crampon-Compatible (Strap-on Only)
• Vibram® Roccia Block™ Sole/Trek Rubber
• Men’s Weight: 3 lbs. 8 ozs.
• Women’s Weight: 3 lbs. 3 ozs.
That is one fine looking hiking boot.
Delaware’s First National Park
Stop holding your breath, Delaware—the First State could finally get a national park. As the only state without a National Park Service unit within its borders (even puny Rhode Island has Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor), the state’s congressional delegation hopes to introduce legislation today establishing a new national park.
But before you get excited about discovering a previously unheralded Mid-Atlantic mountain range or stretch of desolate beach, calm down: it’s a history-themed park (collective sigh). The park would be based out of New Castle and have several satellite locations devoted to both European settlement and Delaware’s place as the first state to ratify the Constitution.
Boring.
Louis L’Amour
I was at thrift store yesterday where I bought a 25 cent copy of Louis L’Amour’s The Ferguson Rifle, a story about a guy on horseback moving out west from Boston after his wife and son burned in a fire. I imagine that’s what most of them are about in one way or another, but it’s a damn good read on the subway. Guns, prairie grass, “injuns”, cowboy coffee, camping under the stars and fearing for you life every second you’re awake and asleep. Frightening.
Y’all read Louis L’Amour books?
Hiker Hell
You’d like to think you could never get lost while hiking. And chances are you probably won’t if you’re prepared with a compass and a map. People do get lost in the woods though and Hiker Hell documents those mishaps for our reading enjoyment. From spiritual quests in North Dakota to illegal hiking in China, it’s a great resource to learn from other people’s mistakes.
Read: How To Use A Compass
Vintage Backpacker
I’ve posted about this before, but getting lost in the BACKPACKERs from the 70s and 80s on Google Books could not be more fun. The advertisements alone are worth your time. Go try it. Then read the newest BACKPACKER cause that’s just as good of a time.
