Recent Writing and Updates
Can veteran backpackers still get lost? You bet. Last fall, Ross Mason, a Houston-based graphic designer, got 20 miles off course in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. Only his pre-trip safety measures--like designating an emergency check-in contact--enabled his rescue after four days of struggling to survive. Learn from Mason's mistakes in my latest Case Study in the November 2011 issue of
Backpacker.
Since autumn is when I'm outdoors the most, writing my latest Backpacker article on
extending your hiking season into October and November was like sharing my favorite secrets. In the article I explain how to plan a warmer route, and why white-gas stoves are better in colder temps. Check it out in the October 2011
"Survival" issue.
Mt. Washington can serve up nasty storms on any day of the year, a fact that instigated the Case Study I wrote for Backpacker's September issue. During a surprise August storm back in 2001, hiking guide Rachel Drayer managed to rescue a trio of ill-prepared hikers while keeping her own clients safe from the rain, snow, and hail. Learn how she did it in this minute-by-minute scrutiny of their ordeal.
For the last 22 months I led Citizenship Lancaster—a free, weekly class that prepares immigrants for the
U.S. naturalization exam. With my friend Michael, we taught over 100 students and helped 20 become new U.S. citizens (read this newspaper article about one of them). Then, take a practice test to see how much you know. Note: In June we turned over administration of the class to three new teachers.
We are selling our Lancaster home!
It's located in the lovely West End neighborhood, and has four bedrooms, 1.5 baths, off-street parking, central air, and a private backyard. Walk to downtown Lancaster in minutes, and it's just three blocks to Chestnut Hill Cafe
, the F&M campus, and Buchanan Park.
Check out our
website, and our ad on Postlets
This summer the editors at
Runner's World asked me investigate the hidden world of race fees.
My infographically illustrated findings appear in the magazine's August 2011 issue. Interviewing marathon directors, economists, and running analysts helped me answer questions like: Why are entry fees for races rising so fast? Where does the money go? And are most races over-priced? Look for more of my articles in RW coming soon.
Backpacker magazine debuted a new Survival department in the May 2011 issue. I wrote two articles--a challenging quiz and an hour-by-hour diagnosis of the ordeal endured by Michael Hays, an Ohio hiker who got lost on Katahdin for four days in May 2010. Soldiers learn to fight better by studying past wars--so why can't hikers learn to be safer and more confident by learning from other's harrowing mistakes. Look for more survival articles by me in the future issues of Backpacker.
Reviewing trail footwear for Outside has taught me one very important rule: Not every boot will give you blisters. After testing dozens of hiking shoes and boots, I've zeroed in on the key ingredients that make my feet happy: a soft heel cup, wide laces, and a flexible upper. The technical shoes, boots, and sandals in this review passed my test, and I hope they work for you.
Do New York Times columnists read Backpacker? Anne Eisenberg does.
That's why she interviewed me for her
January 2011 column about new gadgets that enable satellite reception for smartphones—even at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I explained how terrain and distance block cell coverage deep in the backcountry, a problem these new devices overcome. The trick, however, is making sure you never need to call 911 in the first place.
I'm blogging as Prof. Hike at Backpacker.com these days. I focus on the informative and irreverant. For instance, the 5 Unwritten Rules of Trail Etiquette , and what to do if you need
Gearoholics Anonymous. Other posts explore Aron Ralston's survival epic in The Instinctive 127 Hours , and how satellites will change the nature of search-and-rescue in The End of Off-the-Grid. Head to class at Backpacker.com
Hiking the wrong way is an excellent strategy to learn the correct way—and to get assigned a magazine feature for Backpacker on how to avoid 52 common mistakes. That's the gist of my article in Backpacker's March 2011 issue. And it goes nicely with my new Backpacker.com blog—Prof. Hike—which has the motto: "I've made the mistakes so you don't have to..."
Being a self-proclaimed Weather Channel geek made it fun to write Outside's Storm Hacker guide to the weather--a science-heavy feature in the November 2010 issue. Still confused about El Nino and La Nina? This guide explains it and tells you what it means for the upcoming winter. Hint: Book tickets to Whistler.
Last summer I wrote my first book--The Complete Idiot's Guide to Backpacking and Hiking which was published on April 6, 2010. The tight-deadlined project kept me inside and at my computer from June to September, but I celebrated its completion with a backpacking trip in California's Sequoia National Park in early October 2009.
