Muddy hiking boots drying on a cabin porch above a mountain meadow

Sisu Magazine

Notes on getting outside, and getting home.

Long days outside, and the parts of them that never make the photographs: the drive, the road to the trailhead, wet boots, the weather, and the hour you turn for home.

  1. A two-lane mountain highway at dusk seen through a car windshield, with the last orange light over the ridge The drive home is the longest part of the dayTrip plans tend to stop at the trailhead. The road back deserves a plan of its own.
  2. A narrow rural road curving through tall pines toward a dirt pullout with a wooden trail post, in low morning sun The last half mile is on the roadWhen the lot is full, the hike starts on pavement shared with cars that are not expecting you.
  3. A rocky alpine trail switchbacking up a bare slope toward a summit as afternoon clouds build overhead Pick a turnaround time before you leave the carThe person who sets the time at breakfast is rested and fed. Let that person win the argument at two in the afternoon.
  4. Two wet leather hiking boots stuffed with brown paper on a wooden floor beside a muddy doormat Drying wet boots without cooking themSoaked leather wants a slow night, plain paper and moving air. Keep it away from the stove.
  5. A steel touring bicycle with a canvas pannier and hiking shoes on the rack, leaning on a split-rail fence at a gravel trailhead Riding to the trailA bike gets you to the trailhead and solves the parking. It also puts you on roads that were not built with you in mind.
  6. A small open grey first aid pouch on a lichen-covered rock with bandages, tape, blister patches, an orange whistle and a foil blanket A first aid kit small enough to bringThe kit that helps is the one in your pack. Here is a short list that fits in a hip pocket.