Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

Salomon XAlp

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Salomon X-Alp Product Launch: Preliminary Gear Reviews

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Salomon X-Alp Product Launch: Preliminary Gear Reviews

I did test the gear at the base of the Alps on a sunny day and in the mid-range of the Alps on a day with wind, rain, snow, and a little sleet. Out of the two days of tests I’ve had, I relied more on the latter in my preliminary reviews, because again, in my experience, those are the conditions that matter to me as a mountaineer, rather than how things perform in basically perfect conditions. I will be receiving this gear later on in the mail, and I will be testing it further, so you can expect to read more specific reviews about specific pieces rather than just my general thoughts here today.

Salomon X-ALP Product Launch: Brand Ethos

Salomon X-ALP Product Launch: Brand Ethos

While I knew I wanted to talk about the gear – what we tested, how we tested it, and what I learned (which I’ll discuss tomorrow), the more I thought about the trip, the more I realized the place to begin the conversation was about the brand ethos of Salmon and how it related to me, the Last Adventurer, to you, my readers, and the social media community as a whole. With this in mind, I ask that you bear with me for a second as I generalize my thoughts about the wilderness community as it currently exists in 2014.

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Salomon X-Alp Product Launch, October 5-7, 2014

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Salomon X-Alp Product Launch, October 5-7, 2014

After the world did not end back in 2000, I found myself in France. In the midst of a raging downpour in the Pyrenees National Park, I ran into a group of fellow Americans who were also trying to find shelter.