Category: Blog

Review: Gregory Packs

June 19, 2009

I got this Gregory backpack for Christmas in 1991. It has been my steady companion for 18 years, hundreds of miles, thousands upon thousands of vertical feet and through more baggage claim turnstyles than I can count. It has been taking it all and is ready for more. Sure, the color has faded some after years of exposure to the sun and weather and at one point a few years ago, I must have ripped the bottom of it somewhat.

So I took it to REI where they took care of shipping it back to Gregory for me to get that rip repaired and what I got back made me a great fan of Gregory’s customer service department. Not only did they patch the rip, but they meticulously searched over every square inch of the pack and added a few stitches here and sewed up a bit there in spots that were starting to fray and show wear.

T-34a Mentor Flight

March 14, 2009

So, Dad flies with a group called San Diego Salute, which is a group of guys with T-34a Mentors who hire themselves out for air shows, flybys and scenic flights of the area. I’ve had the opportunity to fly with them twice now.

The first time I took some video, but mostly shot stills as the light was quite good. The second trip, the overcast sky made shooting stills less inspirational, but I had learned from my poor video footage to put a smarter piece together. So, the link below (or above – click the # above the image) is of stills from the first flight, and the video below is from the second flight.

If you want to know more about hiring this crew to do a flyby for you check them out at http://www.sandiegosalute.org/.

Exit Glacier

September 22, 2008

Finally, I made it to Alaska. For some, it’s hard to believe that I had never made it to our northern most, largest and most remote state. After being up there for two weeks poking around, it was hard to think about leaving.

My first adventure was a bit impromptu. I drove the Steward Highway and found myself going on a day-hike along side of Exit Glacier. The notable point however being that I was carrying a backpack with overnight equipment. There was a rumor of a small storm shelter somewhere up there near the Harding Icefield. Nevertheless, I was prepared to camp in the snow or tundra or on the rocks if need be.

Just rounding the bend in the road and catching your first glimpse of the glacier is impressive. A huge tongue of white rests in the steep hold of rocky ridges on either side. The base of the glacier tapers to a gentle rounded point, constrained by the gray piles of lateral moraines. A cloudy gray river flows out from the blue cave and twists through the ever changing channels of the broad outwash field that resembles a broad riverbed. In a way, it was once a river bed, for a river of ice. The glacier is indeed flowing down, but the terminus is steadily moving closer and closer to its source. Along the road and the trail leading right to the toe of the glacier are year markers showing how far down the river valley the white tongue used to reach.

Click “Full Story” below or the title above to read the rest and see the video.