Cape Flattery – The northwestern-most point of the contiguous United States. We are currently discussing with the Makah Tribe the means to donate online and help facilitate in-person monetary & goods donations. We had an amazing adventure around the entire Olympic Peninsula last summer. Truly looking forward to visiting our nation’s nature again soon… Cape Flattery is on the Makah Reservation. It is an Indian reservation of the Makah Native Americans. There where many visitors, hikers, families, and photographers present during our visit. I miss seeing others enjoy the earth’s wonders, in person! Video By Dennis Fiore Music cover by Mike List Bowed Vibraphone Harmony I (Cookfield -James Lyon) – John Cage From 44 Harmonies from Apartment House 1776 @Makah Cultural and Research Center – https://makah.com/

looking for some tattoo inspiration .

I’ve been staying active and sane during shelter-in-place these last few weeks by doigoing on multiple long walks with my dog, Esther, each day. I’ve also been doing TRX workouts inside or going for bicycle rides.

As a tribute to the women in our lives and our appreciation of WOMEN Pride, we are creating our first hoodie for Women & Girls Only. Mamabear tested, Nursing friendly, and genuinely gorgeous flowing design. Venus. Purpose: Super soft Comfy Hoodie for every campout or lounge situation

Watching The North Face’s Ruth Beatty who talks about vulnerability in creativity at the historic Salt Lake City Ladies Literary Club as part of the #SheMovesMountains campaign.

In July I set out with three friends on a multi-day camping and backpacking trip. The weather was in the 70-80s during the day and 50-60s at night. Luckily, it didn't rain but in a temperate climate rainforest you never know. Because of the variation in possible weather I carried a variety of layers that allowed me to layer up or down based on weather. Not shown in this photo is a T Shirt, socks, underwear, shorts and shoes that I mostly wore while hiking. If it was a little chilly I changed into Mammut hiking pants. At night after hiking all day I changed boxers and Tshirt so I didn't have a chill at night. The North Face (TNF) Beyond The Wall Hoodie was a nice light long sleeve hoodie to throw on when there was a chill in the air. TNF Thermalball Vest is my go to layer when I want to warm up a little. If I need to trap in a little more heat I toss on my Marmot Precip Jacket. In the mornings while breaking down camp I love the Outdoor Research Hot Pursuit Convertible Running Gloves. The gloves are light enough that you can do all the normal tasks and if you need that extra little warmth you can convert them into ninja style mittens.  The gear we split up and you can see in the photo and the list below my portion of what I carried. In group gear I had the tent poles, large group first aid kit, stove, fuel, and cooking pot with silicone lid. On this trip we carried two stoves with fuel and two group cooking pots. I also carried a lantern, shovel and toilet supplies, and a compass and GPS with satellite communication capabilities.  Starting from top left and going across left to right this is the gear that was carried in my REI Flash 62 Backpack. The North Face Flash Dry Shirt. Mammut Hiking Pants. Marmot Precip Anorak Rain Jacket. TNF Beyond The Wall Hoodie. Black Diamond Distance Z Trekking Poles. Extra Hiking Socks. Red Klymit Pillow X. The CamelBak Crux 3L Reservoir. Patagonia Capilene Daily Boxer Briefs. Mountain Seris Weekender Medical Kit. Red Outdoor Research Dry Bag: Eye Mask. Farkle. Petzl Zipka Headlamp. iPhone Wide Angle Lens. Blue Outdoor Research Dry Bag: Snow Peak Hybrid Summit Solo Titanium Cookset Lid. SOL Firelite Sparker. Optimus Crux. Bug Net. Counter Assault Bear Spray. Therm-a-Rest Corus HD Quilt Sleeping Bag. Sea To Summit Thermite Reactor Sleeping Bag Liner. REI Half Dome 4 Plus Tent Poles. TNF Thermalball Vest. Patagonia Knit Hat. Ray Ban Folding Wayfarer Sunglasses With Neck Strap. Outdoor Research Hot Pursuit Convertible Running Gloves. Orange Garmin Explorer+ 2. Green Golite Poncho Tarp Shelter. REI Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad. Green Dry Bag. Snow Peak Titanium Single 450 Cup. Red Collapsible Bowl. Sea To Summit Alpha Light Spoon. Snow Peak Hybrid Summit Solo Titanium Cookset Pot With Homemade Cozy. Nation Geographic Topographic Map. Primus Easy Light Lantern. MSR ISO PRO Fuel Canister. Mammut Trucker Hat. Yellow Sea To Summit Toilet Dry Bag With Sea To Summit Shovel. TP. Hand Sanitizer. Plastic Ziplock Bags. Dog Poop Bags.

By Alexander Kwapis A safe and straightforward way to relax in the outdoors is in a hammock. Find a little tree-filled lot away from people and relax all afternoon. The guys at WildDirt love hammocking, with each having a few. In a short series, they will share a few of their favorites. First up is Alexander’s Kammok hammock camping set up. #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1590761967254_103791 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid { margin-right: -25px; } #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1590761967254_103791 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid-slide .margin-wrapper { margin-right: 25px; margin-bottom: 25px; } “This is my goto setup for hammock camping,” says Alexander. He goes on to say, “I have a Kammok Roo Double hammock, Kammok Python 10 straps, Kammok Kuhli tarp, and the Kammok Dragonfly bug net. What I love about the Roo Double is its shape and lightness vs. durability. It is constructed so that the sides don’t cut into your legs like other hammocks when you are using it as a chair. For someone big and tall like myself, its roomy still when sleeping on a diagonal. The webbing at each end of the hammock has built-in carabiners to make setup painless. As I mentioned, I pair my hammock with Kammok’s Python 10 tree saving straps for wrapping around the tree and supporting the hammock. I find these to be the perfect length and love the series of twenty flat daisy chains. For camping, I pair this setup with the Kulhi weather shelter. The tarp has ten guy points so you can make the tarp as tight as a drum and won’t blow away during inclement weather. I found that the ends of my guylines needed a little love, so I fused the ends of the ropes to keep them from unsheathing. The tarp also came with five stakes, but if you were paying attention, there are ten guylines, so you’ll need to get yourself five more stakes. The Kuhli tarp is DWR, and Sil/PU coated as well as seam-sealed for outstanding waterproofness. Overall, this is not just an excellent tarp for hammocking, but you can also use it as a sunshade on a hiking trip or use it as a group rain tarp on a backpacking trip. Lastly, on the Kammok set up, I have the Dragonfly bug net. With quick setup straps and invisible mesh, this lightweight bug net is a no brainer. For when its chilly out, I picked up an inexpensive polyester bottom quilt to keep your underside toasty. It really does do a good job, and you can feel the difference when the quilt isn’t there. For camping, I toss on top the Thermarest Corus™ HD Quilt and sleep like a king.” #backpacking #camping #hammock #hammockcamping

Adventure lover? Risk taker? or Wilderness seeker? You can be whoever you wanna be but always find a way to keep safe in nature . Every path you take, every river you cross or every mountain you climb are part of something bigger and tougher as it may seem at first sight. As an adventurous team, we have gone through all sort of experiences in nature together. We've laughed, we've cried, we've shouted out loud but, mostly, we have spent a good amount of time discussing if we should have faced North, South, East or West. When everybody knows about orientation in nature, a good talk can easily become a debate session. After some routes, we discovered the Garmin inReach Explorer+, a GPS that became our Swiss knife of a digital tool. It’s our Global Positioning System, weather forecaster, satellite communicator, and emergency beacon. - Dennis Fiore, Wild Dirt co-founder Garmin inReach Explorer+ While on our Olympic National Park trip we used the Explorer+ to check our position with the maps we downloaded before we left. We loved being able to check the way points we set up before the hike that identified known water sources, campsites, and other features. - Dennis Fiore, Wild Dirt co-founder We always loved the quote “do one thing every day that scares you” which is misattributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. She actually said “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” and what we love about a device like the Explorer+ is that you can strive to face fear. You should of course have knowledge and not just rely on an electronic device but it certainly helps. The Explorer+ is more than just a GPS. Because it has satellite connection you can communicate globablly by sending SMS and/or email messages. We fired off daily status and positioning messages to family and friends. Since phone service was so spotty this gave a peace of mind to those back home. Lastly, we checked the weather forecast every few days to have a heads up to temperature fluctuations and precipitation that could be coming our way. Being out on the Olympic Peninsula the weather can change fast and we wanted to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature threw at us. All in all, this tool allowed us to safely further and faster into the wilds. - Dennis Fiore, Wild Dirt co-founder Here are some of our products that can be pretty useful for your next adventure:

What I learned during my all day CAMP USA presented Light and Fast Alpinism clinic at the 2018 Michigan Ice Festival.  The course was taught by seasoned athletes Nate Smith and Ben Erdmann. Normally CAMP USA presents this technical field clinic as a two day course but for the Michigan Ice Festival it was a one day compressed class.  Besides watching ice climbers the day before this class was truly my introduction into ice climbing. And thankfully it was described as a course for everyone from beginner mountaineers to experienced alpinists. As a backpacker that has drank more than his fair share of lightweight backpacking koolaid I was all for starting off my ice climbing career from the point of view of being as light and fast as possible. I liked how they equatited being fast to safety and being light to having more energy. After everyone had all our gear we went around the room and got to know one another a bit. Then we jumped right into dissecting the contents of Nate's backpack to better understand what you should and shouldn't be carrying in your pack to the summit. I was totally aligned with Nate and Ben as they then went on to explain how everything should fit inside your pack. To have a helmets and crampons or what have you hanging out of your pack is more than messy they can swing around and hit people or trees and cause hang ups as you are trying to move quickly. ““On Belay!”, “Belay On!” After the bag review we loaded into a transport van and headed out to Pictured Rocks National Park. The roads are seasonal up there so we then had to transfer to a six person Kawasaki Mule with snow tracks that also pulled a six person sled behind it. After a breezy forty five minute ride we made it to the trailhead for the Potato Patch. A cliff face that featured both a frozen waterfall fall column with a flowing waterfall at its core and a ice cliff face. This allowed us to experience a couple different types of ice and allowed for a protected ice cave to teach in. Ben tossed down two ropes and we got to work. "On Belay!", "Belay On!" rang out as our class of nine made quick work of the ice. Nate and Ben were there giving encouragement and lessons along the way as teachable moments presented themselves.   After a few climbs we got together and discussed different types of gear that can help you move quickly and safely up and down the mountain. Everything from the different types of carabiners and quickdraws to use and when to the merits of hydrophobic rope and different rope types and thicknesses depending on the climb you are doing. It was some eye opening stuff for an inexperienced climber, for sure. But, it seemed equally helpful for the more experienced ice climbers in the group including one gentlemen that has summited Everest. Just like with lightweight backpacking your entire kit has to work together. Carry complimentary gear and gear that is specific for the job at hand but also make sure you have gear that can serve multiple functions and then look for places to make substantial cuts in what you have.  “Light is Right Next we were on to learning about ice screws and the proper anchoring techniques using the ice screws. We also learned V thread anchors which just goes to show how strong ice is. If you want to see what I am talking about check out this video that demonstrates V thread anchors.  After practicing placing ice screws while hanging off an ice axe I really had a new respect for ice climbers.  Later, Nate really hit home why the Light and Fast method makes such as difference. Imagine you are doing a a nine pitch climb and after you climb each pitch you fumble around for ten minutes with anchoring and ropes and who is climbing next and what have you. That's an hour and a half of standing on ledges being unproductive. Now, imagine that you also waste ten minutes after each rapple as you move back down the mountain. That's another ninety minutes. In total you spent three hours of your climb/repel standing around. Okay, now imagine if you can cut that ledge time as you move up and down to just five minutes. You just saved an hour and a half. This can be the difference between success and failure or at least the difference between repelling down in the dark if nothing else.  Then we packed it all up and headed back out to the four track and headed back to basecamp. The advantage I am sure with the two day course is way more hands on time putting into practice the things you have learn and also we didn't so much get to the Fitness aspects of the normal two day CAMP USA Light and Fast Alpinism course. And I would be interested in learning more about preparation and planning so that I could better understand route logistics and wayfinding. I think I see another Light and Fast Alpinism class in my future. I got so much out of it I dont know why I wouldnt.  loading the Kawasaki four track and heading home

I am totally in love with my Patagonia MIIR Camp Cup and when I heard that MIIR was making a special Camp Cup for the relief to the fire and mudslides that affected California in 2017 I jumped at the chance to donate for the cause. All of the proceeds from the California Relief Camp Cup goes to RAKLIFE . #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1519691530085_318478 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid { margin-right: -0px; } #block-yui_3_17_2_1_1519691530085_318478 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid-slide .margin-wrapper { margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; }

Last Fall, I visited the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. It was absolutely amazing! I entered through the NorthEast gates by the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. Wandering South through a very tropical lust pathway, I spotted a very busy Horticulturist. I asked for a quick picture, being that he looked the part. Standing in the middle of many winding rows of orange & red flowers and more green layers than can be described, he said that this was his favorite part of the Arboretum. I shot some amazing video that I will edit soon to add to our site. I followed him on his pre-lunch routine, through plentiful water features, shady spots to relieve yourself from Texas sun, and breathtaking arrangements of flowering Trees in bloom. I picked a great time to visit… Don’t just take my word for it! “I’ve been to many, many botanical gardens in the world, and I think yours is one of the most beautiful and colorful that I’ve seen. It’s extraordinary. The enjoyment that it engenders in so many people is quite amazing. ~Martha Stewart” Lol. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden @dallasarboretum

By Alexander Kwapis Since March, I have been working from home (W.F.H.) for the first time in my career. Here are a few items I have found that have made my experience more enjoyable. Balanced Mind With not being able to get outside and clear my head as often, I have found myself following more guided meditations during this time of sheltering-in-place. Not that this is a revelation that meditation is helpful, but you might not be sure how to get into it. I have discovered The Pelton app as a useful tool. If you are a Pelton treadmill or spin bike owner already and looking for a great guided meditation, try Pelton’s Zen in Ten sessions. If not, I would suggest the popular HeadSpace app. Bring the Nature In A few weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast from Connecticut Radio’s Outside/In about How To Be A Backyard Birber while going on one of my daily dog walks in my neighborhood. It got me thinking about how much I love the sound of birds and the forest while outside. With all the science behind how our bodies react to forest bathing, I decided to play bird and nature sounds throughout the day. I have an open loft with a variety of Amazon echo and echo dots all connected as a group. On a low volume, I’ve been playing nature sounds, and they seem to softly fill my home with wild places I can’t reach right now. Perfect Posture Some days I feel like I have done nothing but sitting in front of the computer and having Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings all day. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat. As a person with a design background, I enjoy finding and refurbishing furniture. These last few weeks, I feel fortunate that years ago, I found and bought a Herman Miller Mira chair, a super ergonomic, airy, and comfortable office chair. Of course, not everyone has access to an amazingly supportive chair like this while at home, and as a result, end up working from their couch all day. Even with such a supportive chair sometimes, I change up my workspace location and end up on the couch. After a few hours, I regret it as my back seizes up, so I wanted to share two solutions I have for when that happens while working from home. Consult your doctor before performing any new exercise. Flow State Sometimes I am in meetings where it’s more informative, and I don’t need to present or be in mic so often. When those cases arise during the day, I like to grab my exercise resistance bands and get a short workout in. If I’m taking a lunch and have a little bit more time, I’ll bust out my TRX straps and follow their training app. I love both the resistance bands and the straps because you can use them for a large variety of exercises, and they feel more fun than using an exercise machine will. Finding That Trigger There are many foam rollers on the market, but I have found the Trigger Point Performance brand’s Grid Foam Roller to be a key piece of gear to channel oxygen and blood to repair my muscles after sitting at my couch for hours. Purchased initially to loosen my muscles after I have been exercising, I now find myself using it for a midday stretch while working from home. I love the compact size, patented hollow supportive core, and the quality constructed outer foam layer. Of course, you should always consult your doctor before performing any new exercise. I like Healthline’s article and accompanying videos showing you some excellent neck foam rolling moves as well as their post on foam rolling for the back. Getting The Blood Pumping I also use the Spoonk acupressure mat to stimulate endorphins, reduce pain spots, and generally get the blood flowing. This experience will be new for many of you, but I promise it is worth it. There is nothing more exhilarating than lying on a bed of 6,210 sturdy plastic acupressure points. Spoonk uses flame retardent US-made Eco-foam inside their GOTS certified 100% cotton fabric. And if you are having trouble getting back to a normal night’s sleep, it has been clinically proven to improve the quality of your sleep. I’ve had mine for years and swear by it. Try it, and you will be hooked. Comfy and Cozy As someone that lives in a loft with cement floors, I have found the importance while working from home wearing comfy shoes such as the Teva Ember Moc . Even if you have carpet or hardwood floors, you will love these slip-on footwear. With their collapsible soft heel, I wear mine like slippers, but you can pop on the heel and easily wear them like a sneaker. They’re soft quilted sleeping bag-like uppers with sturdy soles that are suitable for a variety of activities. I originally bought these for anything from car camping in the fall to airplane shoes for international trips to walking the dog around the block. Right now, they are keeping my feet cozy while working from home. Stabilizing Your Core Standing and working isn’t just an office fad. Because I have different areas in my house where I can work, I found that I enjoyed standing once in a while to change up my day and work on my overall posture. I purchased an anti-fatigue wooden balance board from FEZIBO . This wobble board is easy on the legs and feet with its ergonomic design. I’m a big guy, and I can appreciate a balance board that is rated to withstand 320lbs of weight. The wood and black rubber mat are not just functional but also look nice in the home office. I will be bringing this into the office once we are back from sheltering-in-place. #wfh #workingfromhome