The Creak of Boots

MOUNTAIN CAPS

2012-01-19T09:21:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite pieces of outdoor clothing is the venerable mountain cap.  Typically characterized by a weather-resistant shell, light insulation, brim and ear flaps.  I personally own three -- Lowe Alpine's Mountain Cap (I also bought one for my son) and two vintage caps by Wilderness Experience and Because It's There.  I suggest trying one out if you haven't already.  Finding one that fits your needs/style should be easy since most outdoor clothing companies produce a version of the mountain cap.  Here's a handful to check out:

AQ2 Mountain Cap by Berghaus (Berghaus carries a couple different models.)
Mountain Cap by Lowe Alpine (Can be had for cheap.)
Featherlite Mountain Cap by Montane (2.1oz and primaloft insulation...nice.)
Mountain Cap by Rab (eVent shell, enough said.)
Highpoint Cap by Outdoor Research (Great company, bomber gear, sweet guarantee.)
Alpine II Cap by Haglofs (lightweight, well-made.)

WINDOWS TO THE WILD

2012-01-14T13:25:00.000-05:00

Follow outdoorsman and host Willem Lange as he visits New England's wild places on New Hampshire Public Television's award winning series Windows to the Wild. Check out their collection of photos from each episode on Flickr; or better yet, stream 41 full episodes online. Giddy up.

THE MUNROS

2012-01-06T11:20:00.000-05:00

This past summer, James Urquhart set out on foot to climb all 283 Munros (A Munro is a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000').  In late October he had already bagged 173 peaks before the snow set in.  He will resume his journey in the spring.  James is well on his way to becoming a 'compleater' and earning his Munroist brooch.  Although this trip isn't about the brooch, it's about the experience.  Watch the following trailer for his upcoming documentary.

AMC LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

2012-01-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

Photo by Dian Jordan

The AMC Library and Archives have been collecting books, maps, films, photos, journals, summit registers and more since 1876, the club's founding year. Today the library has over 3,000 titles, 10,000 photos and is one of the White Mountain rare book collections in the world. The library and archives is open to the public and is located at the AMC headquarters in Boston on 5 Joy Street -- Look for the green flag. If you can't make it to Boston you can access their online library catalog. The AMC also offers prints for personal use and digital files licensed for publication, read more about policies and pricing here. Happy hunting.

FRED BECKEY'S 100 FAVORITE NORTH AMERICAN CLIMBS

2011-12-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

Beckey still climbing in his 80's. Photo by Juan Maderita.

Patagonia Books just published Fred Beckey's 100 Favorite North American Climbs. As with most things Patagonia does, it looks gorgeous. If you don't know who Fred Beckey is, do yourself a favor and read up. The book is filled with hand-drawn climbing topos, photos, and 40 additional climbs of note, all printed on 100% recycled paper.

SNO-SHU CHAIR

2011-11-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I purchased a Sno-Shu chair by Native Designs (aka Reginald Lee) based out of Westport Island, Maine.  I am a real sucker for traditional snowshoes and thus, I love snowshoe furniture.  My favorite part about the Sno-Shu chair is that it folds up for easy storage and transport.

If you feel like going with traditional rawhide lacing have a look at Iverson's furniture.  Twice as expensive but more involved design-wise.  I definitely see an Iverson log holder in my future.  Another option would be to scour eBay and tag sales for a renowned Tubbs Sno Shu chair -- which is most likely the inspiration for the name of Native Designs' chair.  Check out the following drool-worthy photos (lifted from eBay) of a Tubbs folding Sno Shu chair.

TRICKS OF THE TRAIL

2011-11-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING DAY

2011-11-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

For me Thanksgiving equates to road races. Unfortunately, I had to sit out this year due to a nagging knee injury (I need to stay healthy for winter pursuits). Hopefully everyone who raced Thursday morning had great times, beat their personal best, got high and most importantly had fun.

THE CREAK OF BOOTS TRADING POST

2011-11-23T23:48:00.002-05:00

Check out The Creak of Boots Trading Post where I have some traditional outdoor gear for sale (and some modern gear). With the holidays quickly approaching you may find just the right gift. Let me know if you have any questions.

JOHN COFFER

2011-11-21T12:50:00.000-05:00

The following is a short film about John Coffer living simply on 50 acres of land outside of Dundee, NY. Mr. Coffer spends his days tending to his farm and pursuing his hobby of tin-type photography. This is part of a series of short films titled This Must Be The Place, which is produced by Lost & Found Films.

COFFER from thismustbetheplace on Vimeo.

OLD MAN OF THE LAKE

2011-11-17T00:16:00.000-05:00

The Old Man of the Lake is a 30' hemlock tree stump floating vertically in Crater Lake. Joseph S. Diller first discovered the stump in 1896 making it over a century old. An article which appeared in the 1938 volume of Nature Notes from Crater Lake documented that the Old Man rides the winds and currents to travel the lake's entire surface area and can cover almost four miles in a single day. Read more about the Old Man here.

CRATER LAKE UNDER THE STARS

2011-11-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

That sure is some gorgeous time-lapse photography. Check out more work by Ben Canales at The Star Trail and Vimeo.

VIEWS AND BREWS

2011-11-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

Photo by Mike Leavenworth

Dawn Hamilton, Tom Rankin and some hiking friends were sitting around drinking beer right after a hike in the Catskills. Dawn said, "Hey, there should be a Patch for going to all the Brewpubs in New York State, and doing a hike somewhere nearby!" Thus, Views and Brews was born. Chapters can be found in the following states: New York, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Maine, Delaware, Quebec and Pennsylvania. I will be working towards that CT patch this winter. If your state doesn't have a chapter contact Tom and Dawn.

ENCOUNTERING SPACE: THE FIRE LOOKOUTS OF MONTANA

2011-10-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

"Working deep in the back country of Montana’s rugged Rocky Mountains,  Pittsburgh-based photographer Tom Persinger photographed three men who  spend their summers perched high atop peaks keeping watch over some of  our nation’s most pristine places miles from the nearest road or modern  convenience. Day and night they scan the horizon for curly gray wisps of  smoke rising from the forest below: a tell tale sign of fire."

Read more about the project and check out some of Tom's beautiful photographs by visiting his site.  And make sure you watch his short video interviewing the 3 lookouts.

I found out about this project after I got home from my 8 day trip to Glacier National Park back in August.  During my second day in the park I hiked to the Swiftcurrent Lookout at the summit of Swiftcurrent Mountain.  The following photo shows me standing in front of the fire lookout and Alex Hassan is standing on the steps behind me -- small world.  Hands down, this was my favorite spot in the park.

PENN'S EASYTRIM

2011-10-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

How did Dick Proenneke cut his hair out in the wild?  With a Penn's patent "Easytrim" of course. 

July 7th. An odds-and-ends day. 

I put out a good-sized laundry to flutter and snap in a warm wind. Did some mending. Wrote letters and tossed them into the pile ready to go out on Babe’s express. Then a visit to the Twin Lakes’ barbershop. That little Penn’s Easy Trim is the best investment I have made for a long time.

-Excerpt from "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey"

IF A TREE FALLS

2011-09-15T15:08:00.000-04:00

Go watch the documentary If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front on PBS.  The film is streaming for free until October 13th.

The documentary takes you into the life of Daniel McGowan, an environmental activist, and the ELF. McGowan was a target in Operation Backfire for the arson of Superior Lumber company and Jefferson Poplar Farms in 2001. He was arrested and charged with arson, property destruction and conspiracy. He was also labeled a domestic terrorist. In 2006 Daniel signed a non-cooperation plea agreement with the government and in 2007 was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution.

GROWING IS FOREVER

2011-09-12T16:13:00.000-04:00

Photo by Jeremy Mineweaser

If you have 3 minutes to spare check out Growing is Forever -- a short film by Jesse Rosten about the Redwoods of northern California. This is one of the nicest shorts I have seen recently. I hope you enjoy.

YOSEMITE: THE FATE OF HEAVEN

2011-08-10T00:28:00.001-04:00

In 1851 the Mariposa Battalion came upon an unexplored valley in the Sierra Nevada while pursuing Native Americans.  Lafayette Bunnell, a doctor who  accompanied the battalion, kept a diary during the mission.  They would be the first and last white men ever to see Yosemite unspoiled.

The documentary Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven was made in the late 80's and was part of the PBS series titled American Experience (season 2 episode 14). The film is narrated by none other than Robert Redford, in which he recites passages from Bunnell's diary. The film contrasts present-day Yosemite with Bunnell's experiences illustrating the devastation caused by millions of nature lovers. Enjoy the film!

COLD

2011-07-26T22:14:00.005-04:00

For the past 26 years 16 expeditions have tried and failed to climb one of pakistan's 8,000 meter peaks in winter. On february 2, 2011, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards became the first. Cory is now the only American to summit any 8,000 meter peak in winter. The journey nearly killed them. Cory carried a small camera and filmed the ordeal constantly. This is their story, as seen from the raw, honest perspective of Cory's lens.

Awards:

Best Adventure Film, 5 Point Film Festival - 2011
Charlie Fowler Award, Telluride Mountain Film Festival - 2011

Watch the trailer!

Produced by Forge Motion Pictures.

NO PLACE LIKE TWIN LAKES

2011-07-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

Talking Circle Media, of Anchorage Alaska, put together a short film titled No Place Like Twin Lakes. The film is about Dick Proenneke's life at Twin Lakes.in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. The film is narrated by Jay Hammond, former Governor of Alaska (1974-1982). It also features Leon Alsworth grandson of Babe Alsworth who flew Dick to Twin Lakes in the late 60's when he built his cabin.

ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS PART II

2011-07-02T09:52:00.001-04:00

If you're a regular of this blog you probably heard of and love Alone in the Wilderness, an extraordinary documentary about Dick Proenneke.  Lucky for us fans, Bob Swerer Productions just released a sequel aptly named Alone in the Wilderness part II.  Best $21.95 I spent in a long time. 

Dick Proenneke continues documenting his life in the remote Alaska  wilderness in this sequel to the original Alone in the Wilderness video.  Watch as he builds his cache, enjoys the scenery and visits with his  brother Ray.

TRIP REPORT: UNDERMOUNTAIN TRAIL (CT) TO US 7 (MA)

2011-05-13T23:50:00.000-04:00

Several weekends ago my brother in-law and I hit the AT for a relaxing weekend in the woods.  The weather was compliant and the varying terrain was terrific.  We had both hiked the northern section of Connecticut's AT (Bear Mountain and Sage's Ravine) many times in the past but the Massachusetts AT wasn't so familiar.

Race Mountain

The Plan:

Drop off a car somewhere on US 7 in MA.  Drive back to CT and start our hike northbound at the Undermountain Trail parking lot on Rt. 41. 

The Trip:

Saturday morning we pulled into the closest business (Campo de' Fiori) to the AT on US 7, and asked if we could park our car overnight.  The twenty something lady behind the counter said "Of course" as if I was silly for asking.  I threw my pack in Anthony's car and we headed to one of CT's most popular trail heads.  We took Undermountain Trail, hung a right on Paradise Lane Trail and skirted around Bear Mountain.  We arrived at Sage's Ravine which was desperately clinging to winter.  This is where we met up with the AT.   The next several miles we hiked in snow and ice along the ravine's rushing water.  Due to the immense snow melt from a hard winter the waterfalls and cascades were a sight to see.  After a wet river crossing we dried our socks and shoes in the sun and ate our lunch.  Peanut butter and Nutella on homemade bread was on the menu for me.

 Mt. Everett

The first big climb of the day was Race Mountain (2365 ft.).  This was my favorite part of the hike.  As you approach the summit the trail takes you along exposed cliffs with awe-inspiring views.  We followed the soaring red-tailed hawks all the way to the Apex.  Gorgeous.  We descended in more snow to the saddle between Race Mountain and Mount Everett where we passed The Race Brook Trail.  (This past February I hiked in on Race Brook Trail and summited Mount Everett in some pretty deep snow.  This is a highly recommended day hike.)  We quickly started the steep ascent of the south slope of Mt. Everett (2602 ft.).  At the summit lies four cement footings that supported an old fire tower.  We stopped for a snack and found a rusty tin box with an old letter boxing stamp and notebook.  I plan to go back with a replacement box and notepad; my mom will be proud seeing how she is an avid letterboxer.  We climbed down to the Guilder Pond Picnic Area and continued north on the AT to the Hemlocks Shelter where we stopped for the night.

The Hemlocks Shelter is quite popular.  It has ample room with two bunks and a large loft and it's newer than most of the shelters in the area.  Dinner consisted of beans, rice, onions and peppers.  This was my first time creating a freezer bag meal and it was a huge success.  Delicious, filling, easy prep and hassle-free clean-up.  I used my balaclava as my freezer bag cozy (I have since made a proper cozy from Reflectix insulation).

 Breakfast in bed

As the mercury dropped I added more and more layers and went to bed early in order to stay warm. The temperature dropped around freezing during the night and my sleep system was just right. We woke with the sun and had breakfast in bed. We hit the trail early and made our way towards Mt Bushnell (1834 ft.). From Mt. Bushnell we quickly summited Jug End. After the summit we hit a group of rock outcrops with great views to northwest and southeast. Mt Greylock is the prominent peak to the north. We crossed Jug End Rd. and entered a remarkable pine forest. After crossing a New England stone wall we entered an open pasture and stopped for a mid morning snack. We crossed Rt. 41 and hiked through a swamp area with some helpful foot bridges (Thanks AMC). We eventually hit Rt. 7, picked up my car and headed to Baba Louie's for lunch.

Cold start on day 2

FINGERBOARD SHELTER

2011-04-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

On top of Fingerboard Mountain in New York there is a single shelter called...the Fingerboard Shelter.  This stone structure is located 350' from the AT and was built back in 1928 entirely on a rock ledge.  It is equipped with 2 (still working) fireplaces and sleeps roughly 8 people.  Despite the graffiti it is quite charming.  The shelter faces east toward a wooded valley and Lake Tiorati.

County/State: Orange, NY

Elevation: 1300'

Maintained by: New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

YOU'LL HEAR THEM BEFORE YOU SEE THEM

2011-04-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

The Cedar Waxwing is a passerine bird that can be found year-round in my home state of Connecticut.  The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds.  These birds are brown on top and pale yellow on its belly. It has a  crest of feathers on its head and a black mask lined with white on its  face. The cedar waxwing has  black legs and feet and a short black bill.  It has darker gray wings and its tail has a   yellow  tip.

If you want to attract Cedar Waxwings plant fruit-bearing shrubs and trees.  Listen to their calls and be on the look-out for these gorgeous birds.

SMART SPELUNKERS WEAR LEVI'S

2011-03-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Levi's catered to the caving community?  Here's a couple ads from the National Speleological Society News.

July 1957

April 1966