JustRoughinIt

Anyone who takes a trip to the back country needs to know some basics about the trails they’re hiking and its wild life.  There could be a poisonous plant or even a dangerous animal that may not look threatening, but could win you a trip to the hospital.  In one of our past blogs we talked about the Rock Squirrel in the Grand Canyon .  This small creature looks like just another squirrel, but it is actually the most dangerous animal in Grand Canyon National Park.  Researching your hiking... Read Full Story

I couldn’t decide what to name this blog.  I always liked the name “Dust Bowl” since this historical event is could also be confused by many as a college football bowl game, when in reality was an event that devastated the Midwest and the entire country, mostly occurring in the Great Plains region of the United States, centering in the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma in the 1930s.  (For more information on the Dust Bowl - check this out!) So for all those out there hoping for another bowl... Read Full Story

Today more and more people are being diagnosed with celiac disease, which is a digestive disease that interferes with absorption of nutrients from food and damages the small intestine.  People with this disease cannot tolerate the protein in wheat, rye, and barley called gluten.  If they do consume this protein it could damage parts of the digestive system and can lead to malnourishment (no matter how much they eat).  Because of this growing problem, many grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and... Read Full Story

There has been much ado about the latest Half Dome permit scandal in the news lately, you would think there is nothing else newsworthy going on in the world.  If you are not up on the latest news, here’s a synopsis. In 2010, Yosemite National Park started to require permits to day hike up Half Dome for weekends and holidays to curb the number of people hiking up the monolith from 1,000+ to 300 per day.  Starting this year (2011), the park is requiring permits for everyday of the season from... Read Full Story

This is the third installment of the “It’s a Dry Heat” series.  At the time I wrote the “It’s a Dry Heat” blog , I didn’t know this was going to be a series, but since there is so much about the desert environment to be taught, figure what the heck.  I consider the blog about wearing cotton in the desert as the prequel (for all you Star Wars fans).   Anyway, this blog is about evaporative cooling and how you can cool your beverages with a wet wool sock.  How is that possible you ask?  Well, I... Read Full Story

We came into this  world without shoes, why not keep it that way?  Everyone enjoys the feeling of being free with nothing constricting or binding their feet, but no one wants calluses or dirty feet either; so what’s the solution?  That is what creators Robert Fliri and Marco Bramani were thinking when they designed Five Finger shoes. These extraordinary shoes are taking the world by storm; they are on buses, in the work place, in marathons, and even on some hiking trails.  At first glance... Read Full Story

It has been a while since we posted a blog about poop - probably since Bear Grylls ate bear poop .  So it is time to give the scoop about carrying your poop when in the backcountry.  Many backcountry environments are very fragile, or just very populated, which makes it necessary to require certain regulations when it comes to human waste disposal.  As more people venture into the backcountry, the great outdoors will continue to have serious environmental, health and aesthetic impacts. You... Read Full Story

Summer is approaching, and if you live in the Southwest, it is already here - May has already seen triple digit temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona.  But 100 degrees in the Southwest desert is not the same as even 90 degrees in the Midwest, South or East Coast (which is what makes the heat in this region of the United States so unique).  So today class, we will discuss the heat, how it effects you and why the statement “It’s a dry heat” actually means more than just some silly cliche to justify... Read Full Story

Every year, 4.5 million visitors from all over the world visit Grand Canyon National Park.  Most only stay about 2o minutes and this is after spending about 8 to 10 hours in a large tour bus for a round trip ride from Las Vegas, NV or Phoenix, AZ for a chance to see one of the most amazing places in the world.  That seems like such a waste of time, especially when there is so much more to see and experience than just the views from Bright Angel Lodge.   The people of Fort Worth, TX are... Read Full Story

As a backpacking guide , people trust me not only with their safety but with their physical comfort as well. Thus far I think I have done a pretty good job of both. I’d like to say that I have some sort of primal instinct on how to keep people safe and comfy, but really it all goes back to a story I was told in my young days as an outdoor leader. It goes like this: An old rancher, way out in the middle of nowhere, decides he has become too crotchety and tired to keep on running his ranch... Read Full Story