Happy Holidays

To all you wonderful people out on the interwebs,

There's no doubt about it. 2011 was one hell of a year. We hope you have a great holiday season and get to spend some well-deserved time with friends and families.

We're going to try and sign off  Cold Splinters for a little while (though who knows how that will actually play out), so we'll see you back here when the clock strikes 2012...

Thanks for everything,JNT

MP3: Randy Newman - I'll Be Home (Live)

PicWay Hikers

They probably fell apart after the third mile of your hike, but for $16.88? Not bad, I suppose. And that "speed lacing" system really looks like it'd save you a lot of time..Unfortunately for all of us, PicWay was bought out by Payless in the early 90s.

The Desert, My Home

I imagine that many of you are getting away for the holidays: Whether that means going home to see ma and pa, going on a road trip to some far away place filled with cactus and cholla, or, hopefully, a combination of the two. Cold Splinters is off to the California desert for a couple days (Palm Springs + Joshua Tree National Park) then to to the foothills of Colorado (Boulder + Nederland), and in preparation fore the trip - at least the desert portion - we've been blasting Bombino's Agadez over and over and over. (Thank you Justin Gage.) Sure, it's the wrong desert (his is the Sahara), but the sentiment is the same. I guess the only real difference is an Ace Hotel, right?MP3: Bombino - Tenere (The Desert, My Home) MP3: Bombino - Iyat Idounia Ayasahen (Another Life)

Cameron Pendleton

When I was 10, I spent my summers at camp in Bemidji, MN where I hiked, canoed, pretended to like archery, and learned to play the guitar. And while I'm not knocking the "outdoorsiness" of camp (I still think about my time there very often), it seems like city living compared to Cameron Pendleton's adventures. The kid started the AT with his dad when he was 10, turned 11 three weeks into the ordeal, and six months later, made it to the top of Katahdin. Boys' Life interviewed Cameron, now 12, about his experience on the trail, the challenges he faced, and of course, the origins of his trail name. (Hint: It's "Chili.")  You can listen to the audio right here.

New Jersey Bear Hunt

According to state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese, as of Saturday night, the kill tally for New Jersey's six-day bear hunt was 464 bears. (Last year was 592.) That number represents about 13 percent of the state-estimated population of 3,400 bears in areas north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287. One of the bears killed weighed 829 pounds (!), a new New Jersey state record.More info here.

Trail Mix Volume V

This week's Cold Splinters Trail Mix comes from our ax-making friends at Best Made Co. (Now you get the "Deep Cuts" title, yes?) For the past couple of weeks, they've been spending time at their treehouse hideout in Lumberland, NY. Cold Splinters was lucky enough to drive up in early November (Tom from Archival Clothing, whose Trail Mix is coming up next week, was along for the fun) for a big fire, bourbon balls, and copious amounts of spiked hot apple cider and mallow pumpkins. Needless to say, it's a hell of a time up there.Enjoy "Deep Cuts" while reading the Best Made Project's Lumberland Diaries and have yourself a damn fine weekend. We'll see you soon.Download: Best Made Co. x Cold Splinters Trail Mix Volume V

Whelen Lean-To

Tentsmiths:

Colonel Townsend Whelen, noted hunter and outdoor writer, designed a tent he called the “hunter’s lean-to” in 1925.  David Abercrombie ( of the old Abercrombie & fitch fame) manufactured the style  and marketed it as the “Whelen Lean-to”.  It has been called the Whelen ever since, Colonel Whelen, as a devout minimalist,  hardly believed in tents for shelter at all.  He wished to be as close to his natural surroundings as was possible and practical.  The Colonel considered this design, which almost has the appearance of half a tent, more than adequate for anything short of -20 degrees or severe bugs.  With a sloped rear roof, slanted and splayed sides and a short fore roof panel, this tent is a relatively dedicated specialized tarp.  Light and easy to pack.

If you want to read a little bit more about the Whelen Lean-To, which I'm sure you don't, start on page 80 of Bradford Angier's  Basic Wilderness Survivial Skills. And don't forget to check out Conway, New Hampshire's Tentsmiths, who make a large array of "authentic period tents" like The Forester, first used by Daniel Beard, founder of the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, which later merged with the Boy Scouts of America.

Trail Mix Volume IV

This week's Trail Mix is brought to you by the ladies of Upstate, one of Cold Splinters' favorite brands in the history of brands. Kalen and Astrid have been dying raw silk with indigo for the last couple of years now (watch this video of them made by Levi's), and it's impossible for us to be in the same room without the conversation being steered towards a Cold Splinters x Upstate collaboration. Shibori hiking pants? Shibori tent? Raw silk sleeping bag? We'll get there one day, but for now, download their mix while you're putting your wool clothes into your pack, get into your 4WD wagon, and crank it.Happy weekend. Hope it's fun.Download: Upstate x Cold Splinters Trail Mix Volume IV

Bozeman Ice Climbing Fest

"Put me out in the desert, I'm going to die. I don't know anything about the desert. Put me on the seacoast, I can feed my family. I got that wired." Next week is the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival, a 15 year old gathering of climbers who aim to promote and protect the world-class ice climbing in Montana's Hyalite Canyon. In addition to a lot of crampons and a couple of live presentations, several films will be shown, including a filmed interview with Yvon Chouinard discussing ice climbing's history. Check out the clip above.

Topo Designs Shelter Shirts

There's not much talk of "product" around these parts, but after seeing the Shelter Shirts from Topo Designs, it was too hard to resist. And to sweeten the deal on an already great long sleeve t-shirt (a personal favorite style of mine that usually comes in the ubiquitous "I just finished a race in the 1984!" thrift store variety), the Trail, A-Frame, and Geodome prints are all on Jungmaven shirts, which means 60% hemp and 40% organic cotton made here in the United States of America.My one complaint? No Lean-To print. Hint hint.MP3: Neil Young - I'm the Ocean

Sardines and Harmonicas

Thanks to Netflix, I've been spending a lot of time watching and/or listening to How It's Made as of late. A few of them are Cold Splinters friendly (whatever that means), so there's sardines, harmonicas, snowshoes, and Swiss Army knives after the jump. Because really, what else do you need on a winter camping trip? Nothing. The answer is nothing.  

Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon

In the midst of buying the car that has since shuttled me around New England for the last couple of years, I went back and forth about what it was that I wanted and needed. I couldn't pull the trigger on a truck: Not nice to my friends. I test drove and salivated over a Dodge Raider (the same as a 2 door Montero), but knew that if I ever wanted to make it to the Kancamagus, I'd have to put in a very pretty penny. The teenager in me imagined taking the top off of an old 4Runner, but those dreams died when I realized I'd have nowhere to put it once it was off. The car that really drove me bonkers was the Toyota Tercel SR5, a car that can still often be seen around town, only noticed if you're actually looking for it. Yes, they're sort of ugly, but there's something about those boxy 4WD wagons (AMC Eagle, Subaru Outback) that just strike a chord. Call me weird...I didn't end buying the Tercel (but always still looking...) and went with a 1999 Subaru Impreza Sport instead. I don't regret that choice for a second - that car has been one of the best purchases of my young life - but after passing a Tercel this weekend parked on a lonely country road, I couldn't resist getting out and drooling. Probably not a car that most of you feel the same way about, which is very, very understandable, but we all have our Wish List, right?Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.MP3: Erroll Garner - She's Funny That Way

PCT MOLESKINS

After being laid off from his job in April 2011, Kolby Kirk (The Hike Guy) decided he would attempt to complete as much as he could of the 2,650-mile PCT. Starting at the Mexican border near Campo, California, he walked for 159 days and nearly 1,700 miles. In that time, Kolby wrote 850 pages in his journals. a few of which he has started to scan for a major dose of visual stimulation. The pages are filled with charts, drawings, receipts, beer labels (nice), stamps, crushed poison oak, and much much more. He's even added descriptions under a few of the pages to give us better insight on the process:

"Hiking journals shouldn’t be clean unless your hike is clean. In this example, you can see dirt and smears of ink, a subtle clue that I was grimy and had just applied insect repellant to my hands. At the time, I was a little upset that the chemicals had smudged the ink, but I have learned to appreciate that my journal records more than just the words I print on it, for better or worse."

Kolby is now working on a book that will help hikers and travelers start and retain their own journals while on the trail. And after looking at his Flickr for the last couple of hours, that is certainly a book I'd read.Congratulations, Kolby.