News / Outdoors

Last Sunday was a great last minute birthday adventure to Big Bear California for the Adventure Van Expo.

I was very fortunate to have grown up in Carmel on California’s central coast, the amount of bio diversity and natural beauty in such a small location is amazing. I know there is a lot to do and places to see but one of my favorite little secrets is Carmel River State Beach (the river mouth) and Stewart’s Cove.

And while I stood there in shorts and flip flops (I forgot my boots) I was really glad I had remembered my Chama hoodie from First Lite.

I have packed a lot of miles under these boots, I climbed Mt Whitney in them, hiked the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and just completed a marathon with a forty pound pack as well as countless day trips and overnight trips in between.

Over the past few years light weight trail gaiters have also become popular among hikers for keeping out those pesky pebbles and foxtails.

Southern California has a secret camping season a lot of us locals love to take advantage of. While the rest of the country is putting away their camping gear we are keeping it out for another few months.

Desert season, well winter is a great time to get out and enjoy the California Desert. Although it is much more enjoyable than the summer the winter in the desert can come with its own unique challenges.

The past few hikes I have noticed an increasing number of people on the trail which I love to see. However, I also noticed a lack of good hiking etiquette and that got me thinking those hiking might not be aware such a thing exists. As a beginner hiker myself the thought never occurred to me there might be a set of unspoken rules on the trail until I experienced my first encounter.

We just got back from some winter camping over our holiday break and boy was it cold, luckily for us we brought along our Solo Stove Bonfire.