Some of us get to enjoy a fun filled adventurous summer while the rest are chained down to a desk working while we watch as others post awesome photos of their trips and adventures on Instagram. Instead of living through a screen why not pick up a book or two. Here is a great list of five adventure travel books that will have you laughing. crying, and joining the adventure.
Category: Stories
Learn more at http://blog.rei.com/paulsboots/
If you have not heard about the story of Paul’s boots by now it is a story that will leave you touched and fall in love with the backpacking community all over again.
“Recently, a heartbroken woman contacted the Dirtbag Diaries with a story about a man who waited just a little bit too long to chase a dream. Paul remained indefinitely stuck in the quicksand of responsibility. Entwined in rat race of obligations, he put off his aspirations to care for struggling loved ones. When tragedy struck, Paul’s life was snuffed out too soon, leaving his dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail incomplete.
Crushed by Paul’s unfinished ending, his wife contemplated ways she could bring his story to a close. M’Lynn, had one last request for her beloved husband. She wanted to see Paul’s boots, dirt-caked and heavy on the Appalachian Trail.”
The crew at Duct Tape Then Beer (the parent company of Dirtbag Diaries), in conjunction with REI.com, sought out a crew of hikers to help make Paul’s dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail a reality. “Think of this as a non-linear Olympic torch relay. We had three sets of boots and, throughout the summer, they were all on the trail at different points. Together, the boots and those that carried them covered the length of the Appalachian Trail. 2,189 miles.” Explains the Duck Tape then Beer crew in the beginning narration of the short film.
Released on October 9th, 2016 this film will have you grabbing for the closest tissues and put warmth in your soul.
In my last story, I wrote about my two old Jeeps, some of our adventures, and how we got to today. To give you a better idea of the timeframe for those events, they occurred over the last 10 years. Fast forward to today, and you have probably guessed what vehicle was chosen as my newest adventure rig.
I must start by explaining that I am not a gearhead or a car lover. While I enjoy my vehicles and see them as a form of freedom and mobility, I am not mechanically minded in the least, nor can I build something easily. So, with that said, all projects have been completed with lots of youtube watching and consulting of friends who are.
When I think about it, everything all started with a crash. I purchased a 2010 Toyota Camry to replace the 1993 Camry that had gotten me through college. Sadly I did not have the 2010 Camry for very long. Within the first year of owning it, I had totaled it. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the accident was caused by a deer on a back road headed to visit family for a long weekend. The deer hit every part of the car’s passenger side, starting with the front bumper to the back, destroying the tail light. The damage was all cosmetic, but every panel down the right side of the car would have to be replaced. The vehicle survived and was driveable to get me to my family’s place and then back home to my place several days later. However, the insurance company determined that due to all the damage, it would cost much more to repair than to total it and pay it off.
While watching several videos the other day they all ended up having a similar theme. They were about books, reading, and what inspired people to write or follow their passions. Watching these caused me to think back to what started my love of reading and writing. I am not honestly sure of the exact point where this happened. I have photos of me asleep with a book in my hand and I once had a paper folder full of handwritten pages. That folder held the pages of a never-ending story about a young boy on an adventure. I can, however, tell you about one of the books that started it all.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I read that book time and time again wearing down the spine and pages. If you have not read the book it is a telling of a man’s childhood. He tells of earning money to buy two hunting dog puppies, raising them, and teaching them how to hunt. There is more to the story but to tell that might spoil the story, so I will stop there.
Every summer growing up I would visit my grandparents for a week. We would split the week between the two sides of the family. My mom’s parents lived out on the farm, and my dad’s parents lived in town. While I enjoyed visiting both sides, I enjoyed staying out on the farm the most.
Grammy and Grandad would get up early and turn on the radio every morning and tune it to KFMA news on the AM band and listen to the farm reports except on Sundays. We would eat lunch promptly at noon and dinner at five. Decades of farm life and the schedule it required were still ingrained into every aspect and decision they made each day long after farming was not a daily part of their lives.
When we were not keeping busy on the farm Granddad and I would go fishing. We would hop into his old Chevy pickup truck. While it did not have hundreds of thousands of miles on it the truck was full of dust and was worked as it was intended to be used on the farm. If you live on a farm or have ever visited one you know the smell. Road dust, corn, and bean dust, layered upon layers for decades stored inside and out in that truck. He always took good care of his machines but the country road dust could never be cleaned no matter how you tried. Despite all the dust it still looked like it did when he bought it brand new so many years ago.
Unless you are a botanist or a scientist you most likely do not spend much time thinking about leaves. Not too long ago, I overheard a discussion on a local radio station. They were discussing the process trees go through that causes their leaves to change. The hosts were discussing how they had never heard of this information before and it surprised them. Continue reading
We got up and ready before the sun hit the bottom of the valley and headed up the trail. The view from our rock was fantastic. A great start to a day with amazing weather. Today’s goal was to make it to Tuallame Meadows, drink more, and eat more. Overall I felt pretty good considering we hiked nearly 12 miles the day before. We had 13 miles to get to Tuallame Meadows and it was quite the roller coaster. Not as brutal as the day before leaving Yosemite but several large ascents in short miles. We passed by Sunrise Lakes, Sunrise camp, and Cathedral Peak.
The weekend of May 10th, an old college friend and myself headed a few hours east of Kansas city to Knob Noster State Park. The goal of the weekend was to hang out, catch up, test some gear, and have fun. The weather could not have been better for the weekend. Low forties for the lows and high sixties to low seventies for the highs. Perfect temperatures for tent camping. We left my place around noon and picked up a few last-minute items and grabbed lunch before heading out of town.
On Labor day I grabbed my water pack, some snacks and headed out. I was headed an hour north of Kansas City to a nice small state park. Weston Bend State Park sits nestled in the bluffs above the Missouri River in Weston Missouri. A relatively small state park but well worth the visit. Its almost a hidden gem in northwest Missouri. It has great views of the river and nice panoramic views of Leavenworth Kansas. There are 8 paths ranging in length from 0.20 miles to 3.25 miles. The park has a paved bike path, scenic overlook, camping, and covered picnic shelters. There are also quite a few placards with information about local flora and fauna.
