The 2009 Rainier Mountain Festival is coming up–September 12th and 13th. Admission to the festival is free, and located at Rainier Basecamp in Ashford, Washington. A big highlight of the event is that over the course of the two-day festival, you can attend meet and greet, Q&A sessions, and view slideshows from mountaineering legends Ed…
Monthly Archives: August 2009
Review: New Balance 1500
If you’ve ever bought a pair of running shoes, you have heard of the brand New Balance. The company has taken a rather large share of the running market in recent years and now has started to expand into the hiking market. The New Balance 1500 is a full size hiking boot that is best suited for long backpacking trips with heavy packs.
Review: Merrell Chameleon Arc Mid Gore-Tex
On a recent day hike I tested out a pair of Merrell’s Chameleon Arc Mid Gore-Tex, a mid-height hiker designed specifically for women. They feature a Vibram sole, Gore-Tex XCR lining, and Ortholite anatomical footbed, and have the versatility of a mid-height hiker. As a result, these boots will work well on a variety of…
Review: Timex Expedition WS4 watch
Timex is best known for its IRONMAN series of watches that have a lot of technology built into them for triathletes. Along the same vein, the Timex Expedition series attempts to match the same caliber and recognition with the mountaineering crowd. With the help of mountaineer Conrad Anker, they have created the Timex Expedition WS4…
DEET more dangerous than previously thought
We’ve all known for years that Deet isn’t exactly the best thing for you, but it’s really the only thing that reliably repels mosquitoes. Unfortunately, a recent study found that Deet is more dangerous than we previously thought.
SIGG water bottles contain BPA
Remember the giant BPA scare in 2007 and 2008? Everyone ditched the iconic Nalgene for metal water bottles from the likes of SIGG and Kleen Kanteen believing metal bottles to be safer. Well as it turns out, that might not have been 100% true. According to a recent article in SNEWS, many aluminum bottles actually…
Fall 2009 Headlamp Roundup
A good headlamp is an essential part of any hiking trip. Even if I don’t plan on being out long enough to be in the dark, I always bring a headlamp just in case. With this in mind, we though that we would check out the latest headlamps from a bunch of the manufacturers and give them a try.
King County budget affecting neighborhood parks
With the current economy, California isn’t the only state eyeing parks and green spaces funding to close budget shortfalls. In Washington’s King County, as many as 39 parks could be closed to the public on January 1, 2010. King County Executive Kurt Triplett made the announcement on Monday. The parks affected are in unincorporated areas…
Review: GoLite Women’s Comp Trail Runner
When it comes to choosing a trail running shoe, the market seems to be flooded with options to choose from. Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring reviews of some of the newer models on the market today, for both men and women. One of the first pairs I tried was the Comp from…
Events in the Seattle area
There are a couple events for good causes coming up in the Seattle area that I’ve seen. If you’re looking for something to do, here are a couple ideas.