I was halfway up a scree slope in the Cairngorms last October, trying to track a pair of golden eagles through a sudden, stinging sleet, …
Carrying a Camera Versus Using Your Phone
Butterfly Identification for People Who Walk Fast
I remember sitting in a damp hollow near the Brecon Beacons back in 2012, trying to log a specific sighting while the light was failing …
Hill Food That Works After Six Hours
I remember a Tuesday in the Cairngorms, about six years ago, when the wind was hitting forty knots and the temperature had dropped ten degrees …
Camping From a Canoe: Weight Stops Mattering
I once watched a group of well-meaning weekend warriors try to figure out how to canoe camp while they were actively drifting toward a reed …
The Complete Guide to Watching Wildlife
I was crouched in a patch of gorse three years ago, my knees aching and my fingers numb from a biting Atlantic wind, waiting for …
Planting for Pollinators Across the Whole Season
I was up on a ridge in the Cairngorms last Tuesday, watching a pair of peregrines circle a scree slope, when I realized how much …
Binoculars: Eight by Forty-two and Why
I’ve spent more hours than I care to count squinting through cheap, high-magnification glass only to realize I’ve missed the actual bird because the image …
Bikepacking: the Same Trip With Different Constraints
I remember sitting in a sodden tent three years ago, listening to the rhythmic slap of rain against a heavy-duty bivvy, realizing I had spent …
Carrying Water Versus Finding It
I remember a group I was leading in the Cairngorms back in 2014—not a bad group, just a bit too optimistic about the afternoon’s temperature. …
The Complete Guide to Walking at Altitude
I once spent six hours huddled under a granite overhang in the Cairngorms, watching a client try to “power through” a mounting headache with nothing …