Trailspace Blog March 2007
The More Things Change...
Today I happened upon a 1951 edition of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Appalachian Trailway News. The following headline and short blurb reflecting on equipment 50 years prior (that would be 1901) caught my eye first.
LIGHT-WEIGHT EQUIPMENT
The following extract from the Army-Navy-Air Force Journal, March 3, 1951, shows that some progress has been made toward light weight equipment, even though not as much as hikers wish.“In the Journal”
50 Years Ago
A proposition is under way to make an endeavor to lighten to some extent the equipment of an infantry soldier in heavy marching order. When it is taken into considerations that an infantry soldier under heavy marching orders has to carry 73 pounds 15 1/2 ounces, exclusive of the water in his canteen which weighs approximately three pounds, it will be seen that this question is worthy of action.
This was followed by a piece on “the ubiquitous tin can” and efforts by the Sierra Club and others to educate hikers on cleaning up after themselves on the trail. And next was an announcement from the Maine Appalachian Trail Club that it was preparing “a leaflet of warning” to be distributed at Katahdin Stream Campground and similar points, “emphasizing the importance of light packs, adequate preparation, and proper footwear for an extended trip over the Trail.”
Lighter-weight equipment, treading lightly in the backcountry, and being adequately prepared for the trail. That sounds pretty much like the same stuff we’re talking about today—50 and even 100 years later.
Here's Johnno: Trailspace's 10,000th Reviewer
A few weeks ago Trailspace’s 10,000th review, a review of Garmont’s Passo hiking boots, was posted by Johnno. Since we couldn’t make balloons fall and the band play when the 10,000th review was posted, I wanted to recognize Johnno, or rather John Stewart, in an effort to acknowledge the contributions of all of Trailspace’s reviewers.
Originally from Waiheke Island, New Zealand, Johnno lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is working toward his geoscience Ph.D., specializing in structural geology and geophysics, from Monash University. Johnno’s work involves a lot of outdoor activity in remote and rugged desert and mountainous terrain. He says the day he posted his review “I just happened to see my old boots on the office floor and decided that I’d do some mucking around on the Internet to see if anyone else had something to say about them.” The rest is history.
The big news in John’s life (besides posting Trailspace’s 10,000th review) is that he and his fiancée, Helen, are getting married in April. Congratulations, John and Helen! Trailspace hats are now on their way to you in Australia.
Trailspace Publishes 10,000th Gear Review
On February 26 Trailspace published its 10,000th independent outdoor gear review with a user review of Garmont’s Passo hiking boots submitted by Johnno.
I can’t say if 10,000 reviews means Trailspace has the most outdoor gear reviews online, but I know it amounts to a vast wealth of gear information. And that information is thanks to backcountry users, like you, who’ve taken the time to write a review and share their outdoor gear experiences with other hikers, climbers, and backpackers.
So, thank you to Johnno and everyone who has submitted one of our 10,000-plus gear reviews (and counting). And, Johnno, if you’re reading this, we want to acknowledge you in some way. So send me an e-mail (I fear mine's lost in your spam filter) and I’ll make sure you get a Trailspace “Gear Up and Get Out” hat or T-shirt as soon as they're available.
New Blog Features
I've been tinkering under the hood of the blog and added some long-overdue functionality. Most notably, there are now archives browseable by subject and date. You can also access older posts via a link at the bottom of the blog main page. (Previously there were only links to the 15 most recent posts.) We also added "email this page" functionality and exposed our RSS feed, complete with the nifty little news feed icon. It's looking a little more like a proper blog now. What else are we missing?
« Previous blog posts | Later blog posts »
