I hate hiking boots. I can't remember the last time I looked at a heavy pack sitting on my living room floor and thought about wearing high-top shoes for an approach hike or backpacking trip.
I'm not the "ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain" guy. If a route calls for a rack up to a No. 3 Camalot, I'll pack two No. 3s and probably a No. 4. I bring one pound of Peanut M&Ms every time I touch a trail. It's not the weight -- I just prefer a pair of shoes to clunky hiking boots.
A good read here. Kenya is one of the more developed countries in Africa and whilst that may make the nation more economically potent, in terms of the environment, Kenya suffers. What is the cost of hydro-electric power, better sanitation and water sources, increased cleanliness standards? Is the environment exploitable for these reasons? Read more here and decide for yourself via the BBC.
Mau forest is Kenya's largest water tower - it stores rain during the wet seasons and pumps it out during the dry months.
But during the past 15 years, more than 100,000 hectares - one quarter of the protected forest reserve - have been settled and cleared.
Tearing out the trees at the heart of Kenya has triggered a cascade of drought and despair in the surrounding valleys.
The rivers that flow from the forest are drying up.
Seems to us that the dual-use outdoor gear niche is a segment ripe for innovation in the outdoor industry. You've slept in your backpack before, why not add some down and make a backpack/sleeping back combo. Or, how about a backpack lumbar support that turns into a camp chair that turns into a pillow. We're on roll here. How about an ice axe with an integrated fire starter? You've seen the bike seat with integrated bicycle pump, how about handlebars that double as a bike lock? Wow, we don't get paid enough to come up with these ideas. And remember, if you take any of these ideas, we want 1% royalty. Via High Snobiety.
Hey, guess what, Sharma won the Salewa Rock Award this month. We know what you're thinking, how could you have missed it? Well, probably because you never heard of it, which is funny, because it's evidently the Oscars of rock climbing. News travels slowly over the Atlantic, the award was given out Sep 4th. Better late than never:
Last night's IVth Arco Rock Legends proved to be spectacular. The Salewa Rock Award and the La Sportiva Competition Award were handed out in front of a packed crowd which went wild as the Jury's verdict for the climbing Oscars were announced; for the rock category the 17 international specialised magazines had chosen Chris Sharma, alias the King, while the competition category went to none other than Kilian Fischhuber.
The choice was by no means easy, above all because the other nominations included some of the best sport climbers in the world: Dani Andrada, Markus Bock, Adam Ondra and Maja Vidmar were in the running for the Rock Award, while Johanna Ernst and Anna Stöhr were gunning for the Comp prize.
Packed crowd which went wild. Wow. We need to attend this crazy function next year. Via RockMaster.
Thus spake Sting. Fitness isn't easy, that's why most are at least 10% overweight. Doesn't matter where you live, what you do, you're most likely overweight to some degree. Enter the FitBit, pretty neato looking, but basically a pedometer. Started up by CNET gents, you can read more about this toy here, and something about one of their co-founders, a young man who seems to have eluded the concept of his product, but then again, it's only a head shot.
James Park is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for creating great products and companies. Fitbit is the 3rd startup that he has founded. Previously, James was a Director of Product Development at CNET Networks, where he led product management, engineering and design for Webshots. Before CNET, James was a co-founder of Windup Labs, which was acquired by CNET in 2005 and prior to Windup Labs, he was the co-founder and CTO of Epesi Technologies. James also worked at Morgan Stanley, where he helped develop trading strategies and software for a quantitative trading fund. James never quite finished his computer science degree at Harvard College.
Wow, looks like I missed a good party over the weekend at the Symbiosis Gathering. Yosemite rangers didn't miss it though, they were out in full force taking names and dispensing justice to a bunch of burners and pot heads. I feel so much safer. At least it gave the law enforcement rangers something fun to do over
the weekend. Poor kids. Look like they were having fun, up until
they started getting tasered and busted. A list of some of the drugs found:
"Hallucinogenic mushrooms, amphetamines, LSD, cocaine, ecstasy,
opiates, hydrocodone, nitrous oxide and large amounts of marijuana"
Isn't hydrocodone cough syrup? Sweet, thank god they caught those guys. Nothing more annoying than those chronic coughers on the bus. And those crazy nitrous abusers, the laughing is just out of control. I remember sucking on whipping cream bottles to get at the nitrous in college. Good times. At least those guys were laughing when they got busted. Who else did they bust? Hmm, lets see the kids on E licking each other? Yeah, they're a menace. And the guys smoking weed? They probably weren't too hard too catch. All in all, seems like a fine weekend of policing Burning Man types. Could have used their time better chasing the drunks driving home from the Ahwanee...Just saying.
But remember kids, drugs make you dumb. This poor girl was so paranoid, she tried to outrun the coppers in a "slow-speed" chase because she didn't pay the fee, but turns out she did. Sheesh.
One incident in which a driver failed to pay for or show proof of entrance into the park led rangers on a slow speed pursuit through the park and down a rugged dirt road. When the driver finally stopped but refused to follow rangers' instructions, she was taken into custody after a taser deployment. A vehicle search revealed hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana and also, ironically, a valid entrance pass.
The law enforcement rangers must of been stoked to use their new toys on the kids. Tasers for everyone! Read a full report of the fun. Via Yosemite Blog.
Weird week in the outdoors. Warren Miller gets sued by his own company, a census worker was lynched (what's wrong with the country?) in a national forest. One thing we got right were National Parks so watch the Ken Burns flick. Talking about flicks, aren't all mountain movies kinda cliche Dougald? Except for German mountain films, Cliff Hanger, and Vertical LImit. Those were all works of genius. Just saying...
Pretty scary video here, but a good tutorial for what to do and what not to do. Besides the dood who gets buried, pretty systematic, all in all, a job well done.
economically potent, in terms of the environment, Kenya suffers. What is the cost of hydro-electric power, better sanitation and water sources, increased cleanliness standards? Is the environment exploitable for these reasons? Read more here and decide for yourself 
do, you're most likely overweight to some degree. Enter the FitBit, pretty neato looking, but basically a pedometer. Started up by CNET gents, you can read more about 
Wow, looks like I missed a good party over the weekend at the 
