Speaking of Web 2.0

Somebody at Tread Lightly knows their event-triggered marketing. I just got a nice little email form letter from Tracey Hackworth thanking me for my participation as a Friend of Tread Lightly. I’m guessing this is an automated response based on a trackback ping because of my post below? Dunno. Because I don’t think Tracey actually

Best GPS for Hiking

I just got a hit from someone looking for “easiest gps for hiking and highways.” If any of my intrepid reader* knows the answer to this, please post a note in comments. My guess is that we’re talking about something along the lines of the Garmin eTrex Legend CX Handheld GPS Navigator which uses uploadable

Some Days the Bear Eats You Department: Borealis Expedition Adventure Resource Drowning, Not Waving

There was a great One-Show wining ad for a store going-out-of-business sale that read “Oh Sure, Now You’ll Shop Here.” In an effort to try and avoid winning a similar One-Show Golden Pencil, Borealis Expedition Adventure Resource (BEAR) in Thousand Oaks, CA, just sent out a plea to its mailing list asking for corporate partners,

Tread Lightly! (but not too lightly)

Tread Lightly! is some kind of mysterious organization designed to make moronic 4WD enthusiasts (such as yours truly) feel better about ripping up nature. But here’s the best part…as an incentive to join you now have the opportunity win all kinds of cheap crap from China.

Stepping on Frogs

  No, we’re not talking about letting her rip. We’re talking about Treehugger’s latest survey: is a frog shaped can-smasher bad design because it teaches kids to stomp toads. Geez, Treehugger. Give kids some credit. This thing is bad design because you can just as easily smash cans with your forehead.

Fetch Me My Slippers and Half Pipe

If I’m going to blow out my ACL I’d sooner do it at Mammoth than in my hallway next to the bathroom. Strap these babies on your shoes and go speed-skating in your rumpus room! Turn your stairs into a black diamond run! FunSlides via GetOutdoors. (Maybe not as much fun as these🙂

Rafting with Scissors

Well, we survived the South Fork of the American River. Five adults, fifteen high school kids, three rubber rafts and a mayonnaise jar full of Ritalin…it just doesn’t get any better than that. On Day One we put in at Henningsen-Lotus park. Our guide was Gordy Ainsleigh, something of a local hero in those parts

What, Are Ya Yellow?

I really should be working on the kitchen cabinets or doing the 30,000 mile axle service on my Jeep. I need to be packing for our rafting trip on Monday. And a new freelance project just showed up in my inbox. So what do I do? What any red-blooded American man would do. I Simpsonized

Pardon Me If I’m Prying

Made in the fashion of Damascus swords (the exact technique of pounding, cooling and folding has been lost for over 200 years), this Son of Pry thing will outlast any multi-tool in your gear shed. Of course, $160 will buy you a lot of Swiss Army Knives. Then again, if you had a Son of

The Book of Duderonomy

Tom, dude, this one’s for you.  The Church of the Latter-Day Dude Myself, I live and die by Duderonomy 1:3 Always write checks whenever possible, as your cash is limited and you never know when you might have to pay off roving bands of heathen Nihilists.

Goofy Footed

Words cannot express how badly I want a pair of these Vibram Five Fingers sandals when I head off for the American River next week. Of course, then I would need a hat like this:

Poison-Oak: the Itch You Can Never Scratch

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“Leaves of three, beware of me” is a useful rule of thumb for avoiding poison-oak. On the other hand this ditty applies quite well to wild raspberry. You could easily find yourself in a bushwhacking situation where you have to make a choice between galloping through one thicket or the other. Tipping-toe through raspberries is

Nonsmoking Ashtray

I found the ashtray above in a Motel 6 in Big Bear, California–similar to the double message Spanish ashtray posted by BoingBoing’s Mark Frauenfelder. I have to point out that we found our ashtray in a nonsmoking room. The sticker was stuck to the outside of the bottom, where I supposed someone thought it would

Hard to Swallow

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Lynn from NatureShutterbug kindly suggested fish oil for my aching knees. At my friendly local grocer I found a product that advertised “NO FISH BURPS.” Solving a problem I never knew I had. What they don’t tell you on the label is that the gelcaps are tough as footballs and each one is roughly the