I spent three years in the Cairngorms before I realized that most people treat optics like they’re buying a luxury watch rather than a tool …
Finding a Bird in Binoculars Before It Leaves
The Complete Guide to Winter Hillwalking
I’ve spent two decades watching people walk into the mountains with a brand-new, top-of-the-line kit list they bought straight from a glossy magazine, thinking that …
Boots or Trail Shoes: the Honest Comparison
I was leading a group through a scree slope in the Cairngorms last October when I heard it—the unmistakable, wet thwack of a heavy leather …
Pitching a Tent So It Survives the Night
I once spent four hours in a sodden hollow near the Cairngorms, shivering in a downpour because I’d prioritized finding a flat spot over checking …
The Complete Guide to Mountain Weather
I’ve sat in too many briefing rooms listening to people talk about “predictive meteorological modeling” as if a fancy algorithm can account for the way …
Wild Camping: Arrive Late, Leave Early, Leave Nothing
I was standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching a group of hikers try to pitch a high-tech, ultralight tent on …
Breaking in Boots Without Ruining a Trip
I once watched a group of hikers turn back three miles from their objective, not because the weather had turned or the terrain was too …
Map and Compass: the Four Skills That Cover Most Days
I remember standing on a saturated ridge in the Cairngorms, watching a group of otherwise capable hikers stare blankly at a piece of waterproof paper …
Learning Birdsong Five Species at a Time
I was standing on a granite ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, soaked through to my base layers and waiting for a mist to …
Identifying Raptors by Shape and Flight, Not Colour
I spent three hours last Tuesday huddled behind a gritstone outcrop in a driving sleet, my fingers numb and my binoculars fogging every time I …