Please expect interruptions during the next two weeks while my brother is visiting me. I'm also loosing my temper with Blogger, and might just re-launch with Octopress before the next TWIR. Now reading Chris Townsend's new book Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams - Walking the Pacific Northwest Trail and The Custom Road Bike. Which makes me wanna bike the PNT. Andreas' dad on how not to get sick. Tips For Pitch-Perfect Hammock Camping. On independence. Gareth reviews Making Tracks – children led walk route packs. Colin is all change, realizing that you don't need a DSLR to make awesome photos. I concur. Trekking-Lite-Store.com renewed the website - have a browse! Also Hyperlite Mountain Gear did a re-design of their website, and added some new products to their line-up - check it out! The amazing Fowler Tour, Day 1. An overview of the Great South West Walk, Victoria. Nationalpark Val Grande. The Valkyrie - A New Route in the Stuart Range. Dave hangs in the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness. Jess is in the Granite Mountain Ridge, Idaho. Nick runs through the Great Wilderness. John & Jean are in Paradise, also known as New Zealand. The must see & read of the week. Paul & Backpacking - The Next Generation. A trip report from the Blades and Bushcraft Meeting Cass enjoys Jungle tendrils and faulty power showers from Riobamba to Loja, Ecuador. An overview of Alpkit kit in operation - kayak touring in Southern Finland. I wrote about designing the perfect hydration system which was a fun post to write. Chris Townsend reviews his TGO Challenge gear. Dave does pack mods and rain pants. Mark shares his first impressions of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa A review of the Montane Volt Fleece Jacket. Martin looks at the Gear news from Friedrichshafen 2012. Peter has a super-awesome new ride - a Salsa Mukluk in XL. A very great comparison of four Hydration Bladders.

My bike has given me the evil eye lately. It’s not that it doesn’t get used - it gets used daily on my commute to our house that I’m renovating, grocery shopping, and some fitness rides - but that it doesn’t get used enough on the singletrack trails and backend roads that it was made for. So when the three family dads of this story finally found a few free days where everyone was exempt from work and family duties, and my bike heard about it, she started to give me less trouble.

Mountains. There’s a distinct lack of them on the coast of Finland. Italy on the other hand has a fair amount of them, and as an invitation to visit the mountains and lakes of the Brescia Province landed in my inbox, with the promise of outdoor adventures, Italian cuisine and hospitality I didn’t need long to think if I’d like to go.