FRED BECKEY'S 100 FAVORITE NORTH AMERICAN CLIMBS

 Beckey still climbing in his 80's. Photo by Juan Maderita.

Patagonia Books just published Fred Beckey's 100 Favorite North American Climbs.  As with most things Patagonia does, it looks gorgeous.  If you don't know who Fred Beckey is, do yourself a favor and read up.  The book is filled with hand-drawn climbing topos, photos, and 40 additional climbs of note, all printed on 100% recycled paper.

SNO-SHU CHAIR

 

A few years ago I purchased a Sno-Shu chair by Native Designs (aka Reginald Lee) based out of Westport Island, Maine.  I am a real sucker for traditional snowshoes and thus, I love snowshoe furniture.  My favorite part about the Sno-Shu chair is that it folds up for easy storage and transport.

If you feel like going with traditional rawhide lacing have a look at Iverson's furniture.  Twice as expensive but more involved design-wise.  I definitely see an Iverson log holder in my future.  Another option would be to scour eBay and tag sales for a renowned Tubbs Sno Shu chair -- which is most likely the inspiration for the name of Native Designs' chair.  Check out the following drool-worthy photos (lifted from eBay) of a Tubbs folding Sno Shu chair.

TRICKS OF THE TRAIL

HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING DAY

For me Thanksgiving equates to road races.  Unfortunately, I had to sit out this year due to a nagging knee injury (I need to stay healthy for winter pursuits).  Hopefully everyone who raced Thursday morning had great times, beat their personal best, got high and most importantly had fun.

THE CREAK OF BOOTS TRADING POST

Check out The Creak of Boots Trading Post where I have some traditional outdoor gear for sale (and some modern gear).  With the holidays quickly approaching you may find just the right gift.  Let me know if you have any questions.

JOHN COFFER

The following is a short film about John Coffer living simply on 50 acres of land outside of Dundee, NY.  Mr. Coffer spends his days tending to his farm and pursuing his hobby of tin-type photography.  This is part of a series of short films titled This Must Be The Place, which is produced by Lost & Found Films.


COFFER from thismustbetheplace on Vimeo.

OLD MAN OF THE LAKE

The Old Man of the Lake is a 30' hemlock tree stump floating vertically in Crater Lake.  Joseph S. Diller first discovered the stump in 1896 making it over a century old.  An article which appeared in the 1938 volume of Nature Notes from Crater Lake documented that the Old Man rides the winds and currents to travel the lake's entire surface area and can cover almost four miles in a single day.  Read more about the Old Man here.