I recently read a blog post which has since been lost about hiking blogs – like Goatbells – where the author stated that hikers can find all kinds of information on gear, food and trails – almost too much information … Read More

Reminder: clicking on a photo will open in higher resolution After the ice storms, the cold weather, and all the clean up, a couple of urban hikes (Gillespie Butte and Alton Baker Park) found feathered friends out and about mostly looking … Read More

After last week’s ice storm (press, post), I thought Ridgeline Tr would have been damaged. I was not prepared for the extent of the ice’s destruction. The good news is that the weak plants and trees are gone; plus, human traffic will be … Read More

UPDATE: On the second ‘warm up’ day, most of the ice was melted, so a walk around town. These were the fallen trees that caught my camera. Branches, debris and down electrical wires were plentiful. Original post There are times when the weather … Read More

Most hikers of any seriousness will acknowledge the importance of happy feet. When one has problematic feet (me) with bunions, hammer toe, and overlapping toes, happy feet are more than important – essential. At the root, happy feet require shoes that fit … Read More

Typical OR January rain … day after day … already in the first week, but then a break in the storms. While Mary’s Peak or even Silver Falls St Park were good ideas, after holiday travels, a lower carbon idea … Read More

To start planning 2024 hikes and rambles, a look-back from 2021 to EOY 2023 over the Goatbells miles traveled and associated blog posts . Over backpacking trips, day hikes and urban hikes (defined here) 3,486 miles traveled across 190+ recorded tracks … Read More

Looking back over gear failures and gear ‘save my arse’ memories … time to update gear kits. The same exercise completed last year here. Kits evolved over 2023 into 3: Best gear for 2023: a) Gossamer Gear tarp – totally saved my … Read More

An early morning fast urban hike along Pre’s Trail, the Mill Race and Willamette River. Cool temperatures in lower 40s, dense thick, wet fog and very few humans until later. A great way to work off some holiday feasting. Friends along Mill … Read More

The annual winter solstice hike on Ridgeline Tr and Spencer Butte this year was all about fog in valleys. Very similar to 2021, but not so 2022 – not surprisingly for OR winters, all 3 years were foggy, just the thick … Read More