Got my Outside magazine today

“Still haven't made my way through it but I was riveted by the article called "Surviving Galeras" about an AZ volcanologist who barely survived a 1993 eruption on the Colombian volcano. Seems that while about 100 scientists were studying the volcano, it erupted and several were killed. Another article gives the scoop on Everest base camp..amazing how much trash is piled up there...some good gear reviews, etc,etc....hey, what am I doing here when I should be finishing this magazine.”

“YEAH...well, I got my Backpacker Mag today! Mooooaaaaahhhaaaaa?

How 'bout MH's hiking KILT/SKIRT for guys. I remember joking about that idea once. Who'd've ever thunk?”

“what? what?

you got you latest issue of BP before me???

damn! damn! damn!”

“what's the scoop on all the mooing???? are you all from Lizs' ioway or something?????”

“I'm from cow country...W PA.

Ever see a cow(bull) stand up on its back two legs?”

“A few times, I'm from cow country also, NE PA. They usually had a goal in mind when they were doing it though.”

“Bessie's lookin mighty purdy today! MoooOOOOOOO:)”

“I got my mag last week. That kilt does look a little corny in my book. Its one thing if you toten a bagpipe in knee high woolies and another if your humpin a backpack. It maybe cooler but come bug season you best be DEETen your nads. (SLAP)”

“D'oh!”

“I love OUTSIDE! Now other than lovingly thumbing all the way through it (of course!), I quickly read the story on hitchhiking, some of the bad environmental news about our new Congress and President (DUH!), glanced at the fat Sherpa (who RULES Everest!), the pyramid tent reviews, the photos display and the "parting shot."

(I'm sho glad to hear some Mizzou'an ain't getin Outside no sooner'en me!! Some peoplez must be fur from the magazeen "A" list -- and "B" list, and "C" list, and youz get the idear......RAD???)”

“I got a outside ragazine, too, cept it is in leetle beety peeces.”

“Outside RULES! Only magazine I read from cover to cover.

Read the Tuckerman piece!”

“Way cool hitchhiking article! I hitched a little,but never cross country. Too many crazies. I will pick up obvious hikers and military. Thats it.”

“I enjoyed the hitchhiking piece but wonder if they'll take some flap for printing it. also, really liked all the comments from people who hiked everest. Thought the whole everest thing was well done. I've never read as many articles as in this particular issue..usually read more in Backpacker which better come soon!”

“Fulla good stuff like skiing Tuckermans. But check out current issue Nat'Graphic Adventure. Great article on Massoud/Afghanistan. It's too bad about what's gone on over there. I remember when fellow hippies'd go there for the mountains and the cheap hash.”

“HITCHIKING...I remember the day!

Don't try to hitch a rede in Statesville, NC. Those people down there suck!!!

I walked 3 miles up I-77 and between 8-9 miles of an 11 mile jaunt down some other highway to the exit I needed...on Jan 1, 2000. Yeah, Sunday, on New Years Day. I disguised myself in my best looking cloths to look proper and make a good impression, and went to the highway with high hopes of not having to walk the 14 miles. Boy was I wrong. Oh, yeah, the engine blew in my van coming back from Florida two NYDs ago, and I had to wait till Mon morning to get (walk) to the U-Haul place that had everythihg I needed to drag my vehicle back home. They aren't too prone to picking up hitchhikers in that area. Finally some crazy stinky ganrly dude picked me up, took me almost 2 miles to the exit, all the while asking me if I had any dope to turn him onto.

Did I also mention they have more litter on the sides of their roads than anywhere I've hitchhiked (or drove, for that matter) before. Disgusting place, that Statesville!”

“OH YEAH...get this...it gets better.

The U-Haul place that "said" they had the truck AND hitch to pull my van back ended up not having the correct hitch afterall.

So I went, picked up my buddy back at the hotel and we drove the 50 miles ONE WAY and then back from Winston-Salem where we got the "correct" hitch.

Now the U-Haul pepole, who are familiar (supposed to be) with their equipment, sent us (the consumer who assume they have their $hit together) back with the hitch. Well, when trying to put the hitch on, the very first chain and hook that needed to be attached to my bumper...was missing.

After calling them back, their only suggestion to expidite my departure from this hell hole was to go to a hardware store and buy the parts and rig them to the hitch. So I did...and it got me back.

We finally got out of Statesville around 5:30 that afternoon...and I started the day walking around 8:15 that morning.

I almost killed myself that day too. I had to unhook the driveshaft from the differential because I was going to pull the van ~500-600 more miles back home. Well the van was parked about 3 feet from the curb, on a sloped surface, and when I finally got the driveshaft off...the van started rolling backwards. There I am shimmying myself with the vehicle in hopes of not being run over.

NOT ONLY THAT...but I had some goodies left from the vacatin and I had them stashed in a trash bag under a seat. Well, when I was working on the draveshaft, my buddy cleaned out the van. Oh It looked spotless, however, I never realized what happened till we got back from Columbus.

All in all I had a great time. It was a once ina lifetime experience (I hope). However, I'm still paying for the trip!”

“Ah, memories...

20 years ago, at the end of a college summer spent washing dishes, I took 3 weeks and $200 and went on a hitchhiking tour of the west. I had relatives near Santa Fe (Espanola), so I headed east to visit them...then visited a friend in Idaho Falls...and one of my rides in New Mexico told me to say hi to her sister in West Glacier, so I went up through Glacier...west to Seattle, then down the Oregon Coast, and inland to Eugene...did the Grey Dog the rest of the way, crashed at my brother's place in San Francisco with $0.20 in my pocket, and borrowed $5 from him the next night to go see Snakefinger play at the On Broadway. Those were the days...”

“Ohhhh... Alphapackrat, you had to bring up N'tl Geographic Adventure. Another mag I CRAVE!! I really like mags that will go the expense and effort of doing LONG, IN-DEPTH stories -- and not just feed us the short, hydrogenized (sp?) crap they think "we" want in this day and age. There is indeed an audience which likes to read.

Has anyone read Hooked on the Outdoors? It's another I buy. The most recent issue had a fun story on traveling the "outback" of Nevada in a "chopped off" (or something like that) Caddy. They had a great time exploring. And they wouldn't even reveal the one place they went skiing on a warm day. More power to THEM!!”

“lizs, have you seen the Utah Outdoors magazine on the web? If not, go to amazingoutdoors.com, I think. It's great and they have back issues as well. As said in the current Backpacker magazine article - "Lovin it!"”

“So are y'all saying that Outside Mag and Nat'l Geographic Adventure is as good as Backpacker eh??”

“na, I usually prefer Backpacker to Outside and pass on the Nat'l Geographic (my hubby reads that). However, I thought this month Outside was chock full of super articles that caught my attention and got me to actually read vs. just skimming and looking at the pics. I save all of my BP mags (have back to 94) just to be ready for future trips and just to look at when I want to daydream. What's your thoughts?”

“Thanx for the input utahiker, I'll pick up this month's Outside for giggles. LOL, now as for BP'er Mag, I've gottem since about '91 or so (sorta gottem that is).

NERD WARNING: Hehehe, I say "sorta" because I don't care for keeping the whole magazine. So I've 2 files with many years worth of BP'er Mag articles, nearly all of them are trail articles for future reference. One file for "local" stuff (within a cupla hundred miles or so), and the other one has national (a few international) trails, mostly longer distance ones. And the latter file is of course, true to 'revenge of the nerd' fashion, alphabetized by trail name. I also keep larger articles on regions of travel that BP'er sometimes has, like summa their major features, such as Alaska On $50, and some photo stuff they have on occasion. LOL oh yeah, I cain't forget my file of Dream Gear that I've compiled over the last 3 or so years.

Well ya axt my thoughts, now are ya sorry!?!”

“Not to sound blasphemous, but I think Backpacker Mag. is over rated. I feel shortchanged on the subscription. Never really seems like I get a full years worth, because we don't. The Gear Guide Rules but the rest of the year it seems like they rehash the same stuff/issues/ideas over and over. I don't believe I have read innovative ideas in there that I have not discovered or heard elsewhere or discovered on my own. Almost like it is geared for the newbies in away. Why I am still gettin it, I don't know. I don't recall pay for this past year.

Do any of you feel short changed?

I would like to read more trail and gear reveiws and less food recipes. Even more of those insightful back page articles would be nice. Creative writing. More Signposts.”

“Best article I've seen in Backpacker lately was where the couple went to K-Mart to outfit themselves. It's mainly one big advertisement which I find acceptible since I'm a gear head. But really they never pass on that many innovations. I look to the TT crew for that! How about our own mag?

Outside, on the other hand, provides a little more political insight and writing creativity.”

“jen gets outside mag and nat'l geographic adventure, but i usually just read my bper.”

“Utahiker, yep, found Amazing Outdoors a few months ago when doing a search for something. It showed up. I like it!

I like Outside waaaaay better than Backpacker. Then again, I'm more of a hiker than a backpacker. And I love to read any stories on adventure in the outdoors. The more well written, the better. I like the diversity of Outside and N'tl Geographic Adventure. They make me think about and "try on" new experiences of all types. Keeps ya growing.”

“Utahiker, yep, found Amazing Outdoors a few months ago when doing a search for something. It showed up. I like it!

I like Outside waaaaay better than Backpacker. Then again, I'm more of a hiker than a backpacker. And I love to read any stories on adventure in the outdoors. The more well written, the better. I like the diversity of Outside and N'tl Geographic Adventure. They make me think about and "try on" new experiences of all types. Keeps ya growing.”

“lizs is almost a virgin, still! LOL!!!!”

“We got our pakpak'er yesternite!
The happy nice man that is frendly and smily put it in the road box and my daddy took it out when the truck got home and said "woohoo!"
do:3”

“Grrrr, mine better be here TODAY! Hehe.”