I was standing on a sodden ridge in the Cairngorms last November, the kind of damp cold that settles into your marrow and stays there, …
Finding Deer at Dawn Instead of Hoping
The Complete Guide to Walking Boots
I’ve spent twenty-two years watching people make the same mistake: they walk into a shop, see a shiny, high-tech boot with enough Gore-Tex to wrap …
Reproofing a Jacket Properly at Home
I was halfway up a scramble in the Cairngorms last October, caught in a sudden, sideways sleet that turned the granite into a skating rink, …
Condensation Is Not a Leak, and the Fix Is Different
I remember waking up on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, shivering not because of the temperature, but because my sleeping bag felt …
Ground-nesting Birds and Why Paths Close
I remember standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, wind coming in sideways and my boots feeling like lead, only to find …
Reading Contours So the Ground Matches the Map
I remember a group I led back in 2014, somewhere in the Cairngorms, when the mist rolled in so thick you couldn’t see your own …
Wet Camping: Managing Damp Before It Manages You
I remember standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms back in 2012, watching a group of hikers try to “outsmart” a sudden deluge by huddling …
Disturbance: the Line You Cannot See but Animals Can
I remember standing on a scree slope in the Cairngorms back in 2012, watching a group of hikers freeze in excitement because they’d spotted a …
Why Your Waterproof Stops Working and What Fixes It
I spent three hours huddled under a granite overhang in the Cairngorms last November, watching a group of hikers realize that their “state-of-the-art” shells were …
Counting Paces: the Skill That Replaces Landmarks
I remember a Tuesday in late October, standing on a sodden ridge in the Cairngorms, watching a group of otherwise capable hikers stare at a …