Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD) is a company owned by Ron Bell in Virginia (in the United States). They make lightweight backpacking gear (backpacks, shelters, and accessories). They (and more specifically, Ron) have the worst customer service I have ever encountered (and I used to be a client of both
Continental Divide Trail Week 8: Three Is Company
DAY 50: Frozen Shoes I wake up today to a first on the Continental Divide Trail (and a first in my life), frozen shoes. The combination of last night's freezing temperatures and my having hiked through muddy, water-filled trails yesterday afternoon lead to a peculiar predicament this morning.
Nepal’s Three Passes Trek: Cho La
Cho La is the second pass of Nepal's Three Passes Trek (regardless of which direction you are heading) and is probably the most frequently crossed by trekkers in the Everest Region. It connects the two most popular valleys for trekking in the region: that containing Everest Base Camp and that
Nepal’s Three Passes Trek: Kongma La
Kongma La is the easternmost pass of Nepal's Three Passes Trek and is generally considered to be the most difficult of the three (but don't let the word difficult scare you). The Three Passes is commonly hiked in a counter-clockwise direction (although it can be hiked clockwise as well) which
Japan Alps Traverse: Route Expectations
The start of my Japanese Alps Traverse is less than a week away and I have been looking into the route a bit more since, you know, I should probably know where I'm going. My starting point will be Ichiburi Station (市振駅), a train station) in the south of Niigata Prefecture (新潟県). This station is
Packing Out Your Poo-covered Toilet Paper
Friends, there's something important we need to discuss and it has to do with your bowel movements in the great outdoors (no, not the blood, that you need to discuss with a medical professional). If you're someone who enjoys (or at least partakes in) using dry (or moist) paper products to clean
Bicycling Around Biwa-ko (琵琶湖), Japan’s Largest Lake
Name: Biwa-ko Japanese name: 琵琶湖 Location: Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県) Shore length: 146.1 mi / 235.2 km Area: 258.8 mi² / 670.3 km² Difficulty: Easy-Moderate Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) is the largest lake in Japan and is located in Shiga Prefecture. It's 8 mi / 13 km east of Kyoto (a city in Japan you've
How To Get Through Nepal Immigration, Quickly and Easily
Imagine you're playing a game where you need to name adjectives describing the immigration process for arriving in Nepal. You go first. Your answer? Efficient. Guess what? You lose. If you're flying into Nepal, you will be arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport, KTM, in Kathmandu (at
Continental Divide Trail In Photos: New Mexico
The southernmost 809 mi / 1,302 km of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) covers the stats of New Mexico. New Mexico can (somewhat accurately) be described as the "desert section" of the trail and the entire New Mexico CDT is above 4,000 ft / 1,220 m and more than 75% is above 6,000 ft / 1,830 m