Since posting my article on dispersed camping a few days ago I’ve had quite a few questions on HOW one goes about finding places to camp on public land. Today I’m prepared to answer that question in the form of a gushing review of the DeLorme’s Atlas and Gazetteer series.

I’ll admit, when I started my review of these priceless books-of-maps, I couldn’t figure out why they went to the trouble of calling them “Atlas and Gazetteers”.  So fancy-schmancy… what was the point?  Being ever the resourceful one, I decided to find the answer.  I called Olivia.

“I dunno”  she informed me.  ”Look it up.”

So I did.

Atlas: /’atles/  A book of maps or charts.
Gazetteer: /gazi’ti(Ə)r/   A geographical directory of places containing information on things like mountains, waterways, camping areas, historic markers, state and national parks, roads etc.

Huh.

Put them together and that’s exactly what we have here:  A book of amazingly detailed, large-format topographic and informative maps.

Because Atlas and Gazetteer is too long to keep saying I will here-to-fore refer to these publications as A&G.

I’ve been a fan of this A&G series for a very very (very) long time.  It’s amazing how often we use these them. They go everywhere with us, they even have a permanent spot in the back of the van underneath the mat so that if we’re out of the house, so are they.

They provide information on camping, hiking trails, cities, and most importantly, back roads! And they have a version for all 50 states.

How do I use them?  Well, let’s take some hypothetical situations that (strangely) mirror real ones that may or may not actually happen on a regular basis. Here is a small portion from this sample page. (note the A, B, C correlations to the map). (more…)

I started a really great blog post for today, but like most things I’ve started this week it’s just not going to happen. So instead I’ll leave you with this photo. Why? Because every time I see it, I laugh.

Dogs…

Hope you all find some shade this weekend.

This post is part of a photo series on unstructured moments. For more photos in this series click here.

I’m not that in to campgrounds. They make me feel claustrophobic, you have neighbors, you can hear them, your dog has to be on a leash, you have to pay, you feel bad for peeing outside your tent in the middle of the night.  I always feel like I need to keep my kids quiet… and it’s just sorta stressful for me.

I go camping to get away from the world.

This is why I love camping on public lands. You can pretty much set up camp wherever you want, which is technically known as ‘dispersed camping‘. I have topo maps of just about every state in the west for the sole purpose of knowing exactly where to find Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land.  I pour over the maps, until I’ve located the perfect obscure road. (more…)

The folks at Chaco were nice enough to hook up a few of my favorite outdoor kids with a pair of Chacos last spring. After putting their shoes to work all summer these kids are ready to talk about how THEY view their new footwear.

We asked Ari (age 5), Adan (age 4), Cohen (age 5), Jackson (age 7) and Tobin (age 7) what they thought of their Z1 Ecotreads.

Where’s the coolest place you’ve worn your Chacos?

Adan: Sea world, Papa & Nonnies [Grandparents], rocky mt natl park, and soon the first day of school.
Jackson: Lake Tahoe
Cohen: The beach
Tobin: Cape Cod
Ari: To my friend Evas house and to Bone Canyon to find dinosaurs bones [aka sticks].

What’s your favorite thing to do in your Chacos?

Adan: Go on hikes and run really, really fast in them.
Jackson: Swim out to the big rock [at Tahoe] in them.
Cohen: Riding my bike and going to the beach
Tobin: Walk
Ari: Hike and splash in the water.

What do you like most about your Chacos?

Adan: I can get them wet & muddy
Jackson: The adjustable straps
Cohen: I like them because they make it so I don’t have to wear shoes.
Tobin: Green thingie – [he means the pattern of the webbing]
Ari: They help me climb up steep hills.

Is there anything you don’t like about your Chacos?

Adan: If I wear them for days and days the straps rub a sore spot.
Jackson: No
Cohen: This is what I don’t like about them. I don’t like it when the sand gets in them
Tobin: Mostly that they gave me a blister.
Ari: They sometimes don’t get enough sticky on the bottom of them and I slip down steep hills.

If you could pick one superhero (or the equivalent) to give a pair of Chacos to who would you pick and why?

Adan: He-man, cause his boots look to hot. [Of course Adan’s parents think its because He-Man’s going for the minimalist look]
Jackson: Thor, because he could use a new pair of sandals.
Cohen: The incredible hulk because they would make him kick stronger.
Tobin: Green Lantern because he’s green.
Ari: Spiderman, because he could put web slingers on his Chacos. (more…)

If you were to ask your kids what kinds of critters come out at night, they’d surely rattle of a list that included bats, owls, raccoons and other cute furry or fluffy stereotypical nocturnal animals.

The world of nocturnal critters is bigger than you think, in fact the other night while hiking in the dark I encountered toads, trap door spiders, salamanders and countless insects hovering in front of my headlamp.

The experience reminded me of all the night adventures my Dad use to take us on as kids. One of my favorites was an activity known to the entomology world as “black lighting”.

What is black lighting? Well, simply put it’s collecting nocturnal insects by using an ultraviolet light to attract them to a white sheet.

What you’ll need: (more…)

I heard about a study awhile back that crosses my mind on almost a daily basis. Maybe it’s just my lifestyle, but I really do think about it quite a bit.

This study involved two groups of moms. Group one never opened a book all day long. They just went about their motherly business while their kids were at home. Group two at a minimum had a book open on their laps whenever possible. If they weren’t actually reading, they at least gave the pretense of it. The study found that the kids whose moms were in group two were significantly more likely to become readers than the kids who grew up in the homes of group one.

To tell you the truth I can’t find that study anywhere to provide you with the link. Don’t remember where I heard it, or whether I heard it or read it. Maybe I dreamed the whole thing, I don’t know (if so, props to me for dreaming about scientific studies!). But I guess that’s also not really the point for me.

The findings are not shocking by any means, I’m pretty sure we can all agree that our kids watch us. Our actions speak far louder than our words. They do what we do. They learn to value what we value.

After reading (or dreaming) about the study, I started to mentally mull over my day. I imagined what it was that I was showing my kids about what I valued. Exercise? Computer? Work? Outdoors? Phone? Service? Them? Cooking? Health? Art? TV? Reading? Funny how what you think you value isn’t always reflected in how you choose to spend your time every day. I also thought a lot about what I wanted my kids to know that I value, and subsequently what I want them to value.

I made a few changes in my weekly routine. (more…)

I know it’s not even close to Christmas (despite what Mountain Mama would have you thinking last week), but none-the-less there’s something Christmas related that has to be discussed this time of year: Christmas ornaments. Specifically ornaments made from flowers, because NOW is the time to be collecting your future Christmas Tree Baubles.

This idea comes from fellow OutsideMom Heather in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s an ornament she makes out of a flower known as Queen Anne’s Lace (or wild carrot).

It’s the perfect ornament because it looks so much like a snow flake. And they’re beautiful! It blooms this time of year and can be found almost everywhere in the US and Canada. I happened to notice last week that it’s flowering in the Sierras, so I collected some.

Here’s how to make your ornament:

1. Take a hike.

2. Collect your flowers. Queen Anne’s Lace is the best option, but you can also try Cow Parsnip (beautiful name isn’t it). Collect lots, they’re fragile so you’ll want to make plenty incase they meet an untimely death. (more…)

I know it’s kind of taboo to say that you’ve ‘met someone online’. I never thought I’d say that. But the truth is I’ve met whole families online! Really inspiring families that deserve some recognition for all the work they put into their blogs. Here’s a list (in no particular order) of some of the coolest families I’ve had the privilege of ‘meeting’.

Do you know of more? Leave them in the comments!

Brave Ski Mom
Family skiing tips, unbiased resort and mountain reviews, off-season biking and hiking. We’re a western Colorado family that has seen it all and done a lot. I don’t just share our adventures. I provide information to help you fuel your own adventure — from skiing to parenting.

Tales of a Mountain Mama
Tales of a Mountain Mama (Family) aims to help inspire families to get outdoors and adventure, even with young children. We share our own stories and tips and feature weekly guest bloggers and experts to round out our own knowledge and experience. Watch for a diverse make-up of honest gear reviews and lots of giveaways!

The Kid Project
As a family, we want to live an adventure together. We want to play together. We want to live life and grow together. Our goal is to inspire families to get outdoors together, to provide gear reviews [for better or worse], family-friendly locations, posts/interviews from kindred spirits we’ve met along the way and encouragement on the road of parenting.

Velo Mom
Velo Mom is the place I share our family bike adventures, highlight inspirational families and kids on bikes, discuss exceptional products, great rides and the latest news.

Adventure Parents
Adventure Parents entertains and informs with stories about parents, families and kids who enjoy outdoor adventure in any of its forms. It has a mix of posts from personal narratives to news to product reviews that appeal to the outdoorsy parent.

Go Explore Nature
Go Explore Nature is all about connecting kids & families with nature, in your own backyard and beyond. You’ll find everything from tips on bird watching and backyard camping to ideas for backyard nature play. Happy exploring! (more…)

Todays post is brought to you by my friend Amber. We got into a discussion one day about kids volunteering and learning to taking ownership of their favorite natural places. The result was this awesome essay about her experience taking her kids to volunteer in Yosemite. I love it.

Has anyone else incorporated outdoor volunteerism into their outdoor outings? We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

I grew up in a house where certain things were just, understood. Among such things was the understanding that if we didn’t take care of our things, we would eventually be out of things to take care of.  Although there was a certain resentment that accompanied this understanding, I knew when I had kids of my own that I wanted them to have the same sense of responsibility, or stewardship, over the things that were theirs.

I had the grand expectation that it would be fairly easy to help my child develop this sense of stewardship in every aspect of life, from toys, to friendships, to the natural world around them.

My child would not have the sense of entitlement that is so prevalent in so many kids today.

My child would always be noble, kind, and responsible. (more…)

Crawdad catching season is in full swing around here. It’s such a popular past time with my kids I thought I’d share a few tips for other small aspiring ’fishermen’.

What you need:

• String
• Stick
• Paperclip or binder clip
• Bait: Salami, peperonii, bacon, bologna or your choice of bad fatty meat

The set-up:

• Tie your sting to the end of a stick
• Tie a clip to the end of the string or tie the bait directly to the stirng

The Technique:

• Find a  place that has crawdads. Lake, stream, river, canal etc. (ideally the water will be clear enough to see the bottom)
• Locate a place near rocks or along the edge of the water.
• Dangle the bait in the water, allowing it to sink to the bottom near the edge of the rocks or bank
• Wait for crawdads find the bait
• When the crawdads pinch the bait and try to tear a piece off, pull the bait out of the water at a steady moderate speed and dangle the crawdad over a bucket (when the crawdad realizes it is hanging in the air it will let go and fall in the bucket)

We have tried bringing some crawdads home as pets with limited success. (more…)