Archive | June, 2012

Trail Mix Volume XII

Anton Krupicka. Ultra-Runner, two time winner of the Leadville 100, fellow CU graduate and keeper of all things Riding The Wind. There’s a whole laundry list of other accomplishments, but for now, he can add another feather to that cap by joining the wonderful folks who have contributed to the Cold Splinters Trail Mix series. Small feather.

So yes, this week’s music comes from Mr. Krupicka out in Colorado, home to Mt. Elbert, whose summit view is featured in the image above. Download the mix and then watch this short video of Anton made by New Balance. Tracklist is after the jump.

Download: Trail Mix Volume XII

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June 29, 2012 | Trail Mix | Continue Reading | Comments { 4 }

Country Dreamer

This can be a music blog too, right?

MP3: Paul McCartney & Wings – Country Dreamer

June 28, 2012 | Long Hairs | Continue Reading | Comments { 1 }

Poler and Foster

Foster Huntington of The Burning House (whose book, which features a Cold Splinters section, comes out soon) teamed up with the almighty Poler for a surfing trip down to Nicaragua. The pictures are wonderful and you can see more here.

Benji, who I was lucky enough to have a beer with while in Portland a few weeks back, and the Poler team have just released a whole mess of new “stuff,” so head on over to Poler’s website to check it all out.

June 28, 2012 | Clothing/Gear | Continue Reading | Comments { 0 }

The Gothics

Busy day today. Above is The Gothics, located in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Enjoy the sunshine.

MP3: Lower Dens – I Get Nervous

June 27, 2012 | Long Hairs | Continue Reading | Comments { 2 }

Big Sur


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Henry Miller’s Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch is a damn good summer read. Even if you’re far away from the California coast, up late reading in a tent somewhere in New Hampshire, Texas or Minnesota, it’s hard not to enjoy. Have at it.

June 26, 2012 | Music/Movies/Books | Continue Reading | Comments { 2 }

The First 70

The First 70:

Last May California announced plans to close one quarter of their 278 parks, a devastating move that is intended to save the state a mere $22 million per year. The closure list includes thousands of acres of park land, recreation areas, wildlife reserves, and 50% of the state’s historic parks. By July 2012 Californians will be bereft of 70 magnificent natural parks. The media has done little to disclose the ongoing closures or emphasize their impact.

Not wanting to miss the chance to see these places before they were gone forever, we decided to make our way across California in a converted airport shuttle bus, shooting as many parks and people as possible. Individuals we met along the way were concerned about the closing of their local parks, but no one had a collective firsthand experience of the overall picture. As we connected dots on a map, a pattern emerged. No one knew exactly what the conditions of closure would be, nor could they see how the state would ultimately benefit.

(Hat Tip: Geoff Holstad)

June 25, 2012 | Long Hairs, Politics | Continue Reading | Comments { 2 }

Burt’s Bees x NPS x Maine

Outside has a great article about Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of Burt’s Bees, and her quest to turn 74,000 beautiful acres of Maine into a new National Park. Politics involved? Of course.

If you’re living out east, you’ll want to read this.

MP3: Michael Martin Murphy – Rainbow (Wo)Man

June 25, 2012 | Politics | Continue Reading | Comments { 0 }

Have A Good Weekend

After getting home late last night, I was greeted by an enormous brown package carefully leaning against the metal gate of my apartment. I brought it inside, grabbed the ol’ box cutters and ripped it open to find this painting by Obi Kaufmann. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever received, and a few weeks back, after spending an afternoon with Obi watching three California Condors whizzing by my head in the mountains of Big Sur, it couldn’t be more fitting. Thank you, Obi. Thank you, thank you.

No Trail Mix today, but check back next week for something special. CS and friends are off to the Hudson Valley in a few hours for a little camping and some well-deserved swimming. We’re hoping and wishing and praying for that hour-long rainstorm tonight that the weather fairies are predicting. COOL IT DOWN.

See you soon. And for goodness sake, HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.

MP3: QOTSA – How To Handle A Rope (A Lesson In The Lariat)

June 22, 2012 | Have A Good Weekend | Continue Reading | Comments { 3 }

The Campster

If you didn’t know by now, Cold Splinters has a column on New York Times‘ blog, The Moment, called “The Campster.” The newest article went up yesterday and it details some of the best “outdoorsy websites” on the Internet. Cause clearly these guys couldn’t have gone camping without dial up modems, right?

Read it here. We’re real proud of this one.

June 21, 2012 | The Campster | Continue Reading | Comments { 0 }

Portland, Oregon

A couple weeks back, I went out to Portland, OR to see the folks from Danner (a client of Cold Splinters). I was lucky enough to be able to invite Well Spent, Wend, Best Made, Secret Forts and The Gear Junkie along for the ride, and we all had one hell of a time touring the factory (above is a photo of a 20D last!), seeing the Recrafting process and getting out on some hiking adventures in and around Hood River.

Everyone else was way more responsible and took lots of photos throughout the trip, so for a much better recap than I could ever do, head here, here, here and here.

June 20, 2012 | Clothing/Gear | Continue Reading | Comments { 1 }