EARLY BIRD GRANOLA

Yes, GORP, GRANOLA, and all those other trail snacks  are all about personal preference and the art of worldly wisdom. (The GORP pictures above, from an old BACKPACKER, feature a recipe with Teddy Grahams. Genius.)  And on the few occasions that posts about food have showed up on this rag, the conversations have turned out to be pretty darn interesting. Nerdy as hell, but pretty darn interesting nonetheless. Most of the time, as I'm sure you'll agree, trail snacks are better to make at home (when you're carving your pumpkins this season, roast the seeds and stick em in whatever you're hiking with) but it doesn't always pan out like that. Case in point: EARLY BIRD GRANOLA. Without diving too deep - it's granola, for heaven's sake - this stuff, made in Brooklyn, NY, makes you wonder what else you've been missing out on over the years. I guess sometimes you just have to leave it to the pros.**Go get yourself some and then tell me what's better.MP3: Billy Fay - Tiny

MOSS ON THE NORTH SIDE

Ever wondered why moss only grows on the north side of trees? Didn't think so...

****Actually, moss doesn't only grow on the north side of trees, it just MOSTLY grows on the north side. Also, that rule only applies in the northern hemisphere--in the southern hemisphere, moss mostly grows on the south sides of trees. The reason is that in the northern hemisphere, because of the tilt of the Earth on its axis, the sun almost always appears to be a little south of directly overhead. That's why rooms with windows facing south are brighter than rooms with windows facing north. This is important for the mosses because the north sides of trees (in the northern hemisphere) are shadier and therefore moister. The south sides of trees get more sunlight, so water evaporates faster there.Mosses need a lot of water for two reasons. One is that they're not "vascular" plants--that means that they don't have the plant version of a circulatory system, and they can't move water around inside their bodies. All cells in a moss' body need to have easy access to water from the environment. The second reason they need water is because their male reproductive cells can only survive by swimming in droplets of water. The only way these cells can get from one plant to another is to hope that a raindrop will cause the water they're swimming in to be splashed onto a neighboring plant. If the surface that they live on (like a tree trunk) dries out, the moss will be unable to reproduce, and it will dry out. That's much more likely to happen on the sunnier side of a tree trunk than on the shadier side.The same rule applies to rocks, fallen logs, or anything else that mosses might grown on. If it has a sunny side and a shady side, the moss will mostly grow on the shady side. In the northern hemisphere, that's usually the northern side, and in the southern hemisphere, it's usually the southern side. If you look closely enough, though, you'll see exceptions.The texture of mosses is usually (but not always!) fuzzy because their leaves have many little projections on them, like the finger-like projections on a maple leaf. The moss leaves and their projections are so small, though, that they seem fuzzy to us. These projections are probably to help the moss cells deep inside the leaves to be as close as possible to external water sources.

MP3: Cocteau Twins - Cherry-Coloured Funk

SPORKS ETC.

Last week, after a friend sent me a link to the army cutlery set pictured above, I couldn't remember using any sort of camp utensil much this summer. I don't know if that means that there was a lack of effort on my part in making dinner, or if it was purely a realization that I just enjoy a sandwich-ish something more than a big bowl or rice and beans. I'm sure it'll change as the temperatures drop. Usually does. And I've never really enjoyed the Light My Fire thing, but I did encounter an AT hiker in VT this summer that was stoked on his titanium version. He had already broken four or so of the plastic version while scooping out peanut butter.Thoughts?

Julia Butterfly Hill

Julia Butterfly Hill is a famously eloquent environmental activist, who, from December 1997 to December 1999, lived atop a 1500-year-old California Redwood tree on a tiny, handbuilt platform. She spent 738 days more than 180 feet off the ground on one of the most successful tree sits in Earth First!'s history of organized action.You can watch the entire 2000 documentary about Julia Butterfly's tree sit until September 30 over at PBS.

Powdered Apple Cider

I'm kind of a backcountry-coffee-snob (like so many of us are), but not in the sense that I'm really picky about what I'm drinking. It's just always one of the first things in my pack. Second best, alongside your Knorr sauce packets and ramen, is powdered apple cider. Super light, and one of the best fall-time recovery drinks. Sure, your palette becomes a little more critical this time of year when the cider mills are really gearing up, but who's lugging a gallon above the treeline?I take mine straight, but I'm sure this would be great hot-toddied-up. Got some recipes? Share 'em.

Prayer Of The Woods

It's likely that you've come across a version of the Prayer Of The Woods sign in your travels, and no matter how many times you see it, it's a pretty darn nice thing to read before walking off into the trees:

I am the heat of your hearth on the cold winter nights, the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun, and my fruits are refreshing draughts quenching your thirst as you journey on.I am the beam that holds your house, the board of your table, the bed on which you lie, and the timber that builds your boat.I am the handle of your hoe, the door of your homestead, the wood of your cradle, and the shell of your coffin.I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty. 'Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer: Harm me not.

Jess DeSelm

I'm not sure how I came upon Jess DeSelm's blog, Sketches Now & Then, but I suppose that's the way the Internet works. Lots of wormholes to follow. There's not too much one can say here as there's little info about Jess on the site, and I guess that's what makes her site so wonderful. (Love the "Alone In The Wilderness - Dick Pernicky.") She lived in Boulder (maybe she still does?), and from Oct 2007 - Jan 2010, she scanned her journal onto the world wide web for all of us to see. Thanks, Jess.Enjoy her sketches and writings here.

Danner Party in New York

As some of you may know, I've been working with Danner for the last couple of months on the release of their new Stumptown collection of boots, all made out west in their Portland, Oregon factory. This Thursday, September 15th, will mark the official opening of their pop-up shop at Dunderon, which will be up until the end of the year. The pop-up shop will feature all 10 Stumptown styles currently available and a collaboration boot between the two companies, The Mountain Light Gothenburg.To mark the occasion, we're having a big ol' party with beer, whiskey, and lotsa good food. So come on out, say hello, and grab some boots. I'll see you there.

Patagonia and Ebay

Good ol' Yvon Chouinard. A couple of days ago, Patagonia announced a partnership with Ebay, urging consumers to buy and sell their used Patagonia garments and refrain from purchasing the new stuff. The whole thing is part of the longstanding Common Threads Initiative, and in order to be part of the buying and selling bonanza, you have to make a pledge to Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle and Reimagine. No argument here.Sorta makes any "We made this garment with the most eco-friendly this and that" greenwashing statements a little less powerful, eh? Because really, what's more eco-friendly than telling people to buy used gear?MP3: Harumi - Fire By The River (thx)

Camping and Woodcraft

You can read every scanned, yellowed, dogeared page of Horace Kephart's outdoor classic Camping and Woodcraft online here. Scanned and archived is a 1910 copy (the book was first released in 1908), the first to include Kephart's section titled "Camp Cookery." If Kephart is a new name to you, catch up a bit here. There are stacks you can score in real paper version too for pennies, grab one.See also: Our Southern Highlanders by Horace Kephart.

Night Trails

NIGHT TRAILS

You never have seen, nor you never will see—The stars at their best and the moon hanging free—And you never will know what night ought to be—'Til you are out on the trail, all alone—With the call of the West ringing out like a shout—With the wide, spreading plains all around and about—And the smell of the sage where the trail's running out—And the breeze with a tang of its own.

You never have known and you never will know—The silence that speaks 'til your soul is aglow—With, maybe it's God, and you're whispering low—To your bronc, which is proper and right—For broncs understand, they're a part of the place—With stars and the moon and far open space—And the soft desert wind sort of kissing your face—The spell of the plains in the night.

You never have found, nor you never will find—The rest to a heart or the peace to a mind—Where men can forget and the world is behind—'Til you've stood on the trail that is dim—The breeze dies away and the dome of the sky—Hangs lower and lower 'til stars are close by—And earth fades away and the heavens are nigh—On the plains—in the night—just with Him.

- Griff Crawford, June 30, 1931, Amarillo Globe

 

PJ20

I'm not sure if it's "cool" to still to listen to Pearl Jam (although not much tickles my fancy past Binaural) but, for better or worse, it continues to happen around these parts. Quite a bit, actually. (Mostly Vs., Yield and Vitalogy.) And while I'm guessing most of you - perhaps myself included - won't be rushing to the theater to see Cameron Crowe's PJ documentary, Twenty, that comes out later this month, I can guarantee that I'll be watching this thirty second clip of Stone and Eddie working out "Daughter" on a tour bus over and over.Pearl Jam - Rival