Mongo Outdoors

13/06/2024

I’m on a road trip to California with a friend of mine. We just passed Donner Pass (yes, that Donner Pass) and I had to stop and take a pic at the PCT trailhead. I’ll be back through here in a few years with my pack on. See you again.

17/05/2024

Did you know that nesting goshawks can get VERY aggressive humans when we wander through their nesting areas?

Just for reference, I carry this on the top of my back-inches behind my head.

14/05/2024

As I hiked to Petosky today, I saw so many signs of them declaring themselves a “trail town.” I. Not sure if they know what that is. A trail town is a place where a backpacker has easy access to the things they need. Petosky does not have that. I went to 5 different places to try to get some ibuprofen, and none of them had it. The closest place would have been almost a mile off trail. Then you have to walk that mile back. And everything there is so expensive. I couldn’t even imagine trying to backpack through there during tourist season

08/05/2024

Sometimes we get caught up in the rat race. Sometimes we prioritize the wrong things. We do this because we are told that it’s what we’re supposed to do. No offense to Mr. Muir, but I feel that we become a machine to make money for other people. Don’t do that. Find the thing that you love and that brings you joy. Spend your time in pursuit of love and happiness, instead of trying to make the shareholders more money.

Take a walk through a cemetery and see if you can find a single headstone that reads, “I REALLY WISH THAT I WOULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME AT WORK.”

03/05/2024

It looks like my first post-retirement backing trip will be…a section hike of the North Country Scenic Trail from the Jordan River Pathway trailhead to the Mackinac Bridge. That’s about 105 miles.

Then a bus ride back to Ga***rd and a hitch or Uber ride back to my car.

It should be a good week. I’ll be testing out a bit of new gear and my homemade backpacking meals. I’m excited.

31/03/2024

Yesterday, Two Step made an honest backpacker out of me. 😉💜❤️💜😍🤵👰

20/03/2024

I was watching this video on YouTube this morning, and the creator said, “When you get up to our age, you sometimes feel like you’re invincible.” I laughed and thought, “No girl. We’re Gen X. We just figure that we’ve survived everything else, hiking isn’t going to kill us.”

Also, she gives great advice for hiking, and for older hikers.

Want to have more fun hiking after 50? Avoid these common backpacking mistakes.It's easy to slip up sometimes, but you can overcome bad habits and enjoy back...

25/02/2024

I would like to keep this page free from politics, but the world isn’t free from politics and I have my beliefs.

So here’s a question: Let’s say that there is a certain state that passes laws and such that you have a strong feeling against. Let’s also say that there’s a trail that goes partially through that state. Do you still hike there? Do you hike there but spend as little money as possible? Do you hike your hike as you usually do, but maybe make a donation to an organization? Or do you not hike that part of the trail?

10/02/2024

Do Gen Xer’s make the best hikers?

We got kicked out of the house in the morning and couldn’t come home until the street lights came on. We carried giant backpacks everywhere we went. And we got there by walking or backpacking.

Just a thought.

31/12/2023

Happy Holidays from Mongo and Two Step.

11/12/2023

For years, I’ve been working towards the goal of thru hiking the Appalachian Trail when I retire. Well, the start date and route has been set, and I have most of the gear that I will need. I’m also close to hitting my goal for food. The shelf on the right is about 2/3 of the dehydrated and/or freeze dried meals that I have done. The other 1/3 is in the freezer. I still need to pack up about 20 more breakfasts about 10 more dinners, and then label all the containers.

16/10/2023

Photo dump from my two days at Pictured Rocks. I was finally able to make it all 42.5 miles in two days. I really need to get more conditioned and do some more full pack hiking, even for day hikes.

13/10/2023

I’m in Munising, getting ready to do my annual Pictured Rocks hike. It’s 35 degrees outside, and there is no place open to get coffee before my ride comes to take me to the trailhead. Also, the murder motel that I’m staying at only gave me one regular coffee pod, the rest are decaf.

Don’t mind me, I’ll be much better once I’m out on the trail.

07/10/2023

Next weekend, I’ll be heading up for my annual fall color hike of Pictured Rocks. As of right now, the weather looks like I’ll be getting rain showers, off and on, for my whole trip. I’ve never let a bit of rain stop me though.

22/09/2023

I carry my Garmin inReach on every hike, but I always passed on the insurance. But I promise that I’ll drop $40 on annual insurance before my next hike. I certainly don’t need a $60,000 LifeFlight bill.

Video Of My Idaho Hike: https://youtu.be/WuCMCNFH36I00:00 Hey Y'all00:54 What Happens When You Push The SOS Button 03:18 From My Mom's (emergency c...

23/08/2023

Hey backpackers and campers!

Check your local Menard’s. Today, at the one near me, I found that they had the 4oz canisters for $1.99, and some 8oz canister for $2.49. I bought them out of the 4oz size.

23/08/2023

One thing that I had an issue with on Isle Royale, was that I couldn’t set up my tent inside a shelter because my tent stays up with tension from the tent stakes. Zpacks does make a frame for my tent, but it’s about $150.

But I recently saw these on TikTok. They slip between planks and keep lines tight. They’re meant to hold down pop up awnings on backyard decks, so they should be strong enough to hold my little tent. I found these on Amazon. I got mine for $16.

The frame for the Zpacks Duplex is around 10oz, and 10 of these clips (2 more than I need) weigh in at just under 6oz. So that’s not much difference.

I haven’t used them yet, but I will definitely post more about them when I do.

29/06/2023

24/06/2023

I did over 20 miles in about 8 hours yesterday. Then I came home to get some work done on the house.

19/06/2023

A couple of weeks ago, I went with some friends to hike the Manistee River Loop and paddle a section of the Manistee River. This weekend, I’m going to head up and attempt to do the Jordan River Pathway and the Fife Lake Loop in one day each, back to back. The JRP is definitely the more challenging of the two trails, so I’ll start with that, even though it’s shorter by two miles.

05/06/2023

I was just told that someone is stalking this page (or has someone stalking it) because he doesn’t have access to my personal page.

I really hope that he enjoys the read and it inspires him to get outdoors. As much as I enjoy living rent free in his head, I love it much more in the Great Outdoors.

Good luck to you.

05/06/2023

I had a great time with great people this weekend. We hiked the Manistee River Loop, and then paddled from Hodenpyle Dam to Red Bridge on the Manistee River. The weather was beautiful, and the river wasn’t crowded at all. There were, however, lots of people out enjoying the trail. It was almost like walking in a park.

04/03/2023

I’m seeing so many posts about people leaving for their NOBO treks on the Appalachian trail. I have just over two years until I start my SOBO trip, but it’s never too early to start preparing. This morning I got out the dehydrator and started clearing out all of the frozen fruit I have. Once I have plenty of fruit dehydrated, I’ll start vacuum sealing some oatmeal packs. Then I’m going to start experimenting with complete meals.

What are your favorite backpacking meals? Either homemade or store bought? I have lots of ideas, but you can never have enough variety.

21/02/2023

Die with memories, not dreams.

30/01/2023

I went out and snowshoed just over 8 miles at the northern unit at Bald Mountain. it was amazingly beautiful, with big, fat, snowflakes falling slowly. I think that I may take my DSLR the next time the conditions are right.

29/01/2023

These could be a game changer for me.

I know that I’m probably REALLY late to this party, but I finally got around to buying a pair of snowshoes and trying them out. They were a fairly cheap pair from Costco, but they work great. I’ve gone out the last couple of days and done at least 7 miles both days.

I could definitely see this as being the gateway to winter backpacking and camping. I have everything except a four season tent. At this point, I feel like I could easily do 10-12 mile days with a full pack. Even in deep snow. Maybe next year I’ll upgrade to a better, lighter pair of snowshoes.

22/01/2023

I got a good start on my 2023 Hike 100 Challenge yesterday. I did 18 miles yesterday on a paved section of trail near Cannon Twp, MI. My goal this year is to be done by July.

I’m also hoping to do an extreme Michigan Triple Crown Challenge. The big three loops (Jordan River Pathway, Fife Lake Loop, and Manistee River Loo), each in a single day, in three days. That’s about 63 miles in three days.

01/01/2023

Happy New Year to you all!!

What are your goals (not resolutions) for 2023?

25/12/2022

Happy Holidays from Mongo and family!! See you on the trails!