Mission Project

By Eugene Buchanan

When my Alpacka packraft arrived from UPS, my office mate's reaction was peculiar: "Cool tent," he said. "Who makes it?"

His mistake was natural. The raft weighs only 4 lbs., nearly 30 lbs. lighter than the nearest inflatable kayak on the market. But they're opening up the wilderness to unprecedented exploration. Adventurers, mainly in the North country of places like Alaska, simply throw them in their backpacks to access hard-to-reach waterways.

"They're the greatest adventure tool since climbing's porta-ledge," maintains kayaker Sam Perry, who recently returned from a 12-day packraft trip to Mexico's Copper Canyon.

By Robert A. Stone III

In general Connecticut isn't the place for high adventure, and this winter was something to be desired for someone who wants 3 feet of snow a week, but last week we got a snow/hail storm that lasted more than 24 hours, so I packed up my gear and headed into the forest wearing my Sub Zero Parka, Snow Pro Gloves, Dome Perignon Snow Hat, and my newly purchased Wraith SL Sleeping Bag and EV2 Tent!! It was great, dry, warm, and happy, this gear works! I can't wait to get my new Maestro Backpack that I just ordered! Thanks Mountain Hardware!!!

By Bryan Gilmore

Things were getting stale around here; the routes were all in but getting boring. We started getting up early and climbing in the pre-dawn hours just to spice things up. As the days started getting warmer and our minds wandered toward the desert, we came up with a great plan.

There are rumors floating around that the three classic routes- Birdbrain Boulevard, Bridalveil Falls and the Ames Ice Hose had been linked in a single push but never sub-24, meaning, of course, in less than 24 hours. That seemed possible- I mean it's more than two thousand feet of climbing, close to one hundred miles of driving and seven miles of hiking. Jack Roberts' book "Colorado Ice" says of Birdbrain Boulevard, ...the most coveted climb in the area. And Bridalveil Falls is the ultra-classic Colorado test piece, while the Ice Hose is one of the most aesthetic climbs anywhere. All are WI5 or harder.

By Tim Murrell

The mountain bike race titled the "24 Hours of Old Pueblo" takes place in the cactus-strewn hilly lands 20 miles north or so of Tucson, Arizona. This year, race day was February 17th starting at 12-noon and ending 24 hours later. My goal was to complete my first 24-hour event as a duo (or two man team) with each RJ and I tag teaming at least 16, 15-mile laps. By analyzing the previous years results, we figured if we managed to ride 17 laps we would place in the top 5.