Show your support for Search and Rescue by wearing a SAR shirt, maybe like this one....

Search and Rescue

And here's another....

Putting It On The Line

See more Search and Rescue shirts

Eleven years ago at this time (wow, I can't believe it's been that long), I was camped in Damascus, Virigina, having a good ol' time at the Trail Days Festival during my own thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. I'd been to the festival the year before, excited about the adventure to come, and I was at the festival the year after, reminiscing about my 178 amazing days on the Appalachian Trail. And now that same festival is happening again in what's considered the "friendliest town on the trail." I wish I were there, camping by the creek to the sound of the drums around the bon fire.

Read about the event, a bit of my own experience from my Appalachian Trail journal, and see photos and videos at Trail Days Festival in Damascus, Virginia.

Are you a backpacker? A backcountry camper? One who drinks from natural sources for whatever reason from time to time? If so, what's your preferred method for treating that water before you put it in your mouth?

There's the tried and true and time-consuming boiling method and myriads of water filters, chemicals, UV treatments and even something called grapefruit seed extract, all of which are discussed in Backcountry Water Purification, where you can also weigh in with your opinions and experience. I hope you'll stop by and share your knowlege as well as maybe learn something from others who drink from the streams, springs and other watering holes of the world.

Search and Rescue dogs aren't just bloodhounds and German shephards; they come in all shapes and sizes. But they do have one common mission -- to locate the lost and missing. To these working dogs, searching is a game with a reward at the end, be it tug-of-war with a favorite toy, a game of fetch, a tasty treat, or, for some, lots of praise and pats-n-rubs is enough.

Search dogs and their human handlers do a lot of training together, but, for the dogs especially, that training should be fun. That fun was obvious during a recent K-9 Search & Rescue conference held here in Flagstaff, Arizona, when I helped by "getting lost" for lots of SAR dogs to find, coming in contact with many pink tongues, wet noses, spit-covered toys and gooey treats in the process.

You can meet some of these special dogs on my webpage, The Arizona K-9 Search & Rescue Conference , with photos and video I took during the four-day event.

This is one of my favorite photos from my three-month trip to Nepal in 2010. It was taken in Boudha Stupa, Kathmand.

While the scenery was stunning (especially when the rainy season clouds weren't obscuring the massive and jaw-dropping Himalayas), it was the people of Nepal who really caught my attention.

To see more of my photos from my trip to Nepal, visit my RedGage album. (Browse by using the arrow keys below each photo.)

A Google search for "top 10" brings up 340,000,000 results, and adding the word "list" only narrows it down to 152,000,000 pages. That's a lotta lists! 

And yours truly has read them all. Yep, I scoured the web for the best of the best and present to you the Top 10 Lists of Top Ten Lists of Top Ten.  You've got your top 10 top ten movie lists, reading lists, your top 10 top ten things lists, top 10 top ten music lists and place lists and people lists and ... well, you'll see. And there's a place to add your own top 10 lists if I happened to miss list number 340,000,001 on Google's list.

 

I've always been a proponent of being prepared when heading into the backcountry, even for just a short dayhike. But never more so than since becoming a Search and Rescue volunteer. Over the past several years of SAR missions, I've seen so many people who've gotten stranded, lost, hypothermic, and worse because they weren't carrying some basic items in a small daypack. Gear doesn't prevent all mishaps, of course, but it can go a long way in avoiding some of them and even saving lives.

To find out what I recommend carrying on a hike (I'm basically talking about day-hikes here, without the intention of camping but being prepared for it just in case), see...

The 24-Hour Pack: Hike Smart, Be Prepared, Be Safe

The Ten Essentials for Backcountry Travel

and my commercial site, 24-Hour Pack, where both rescue personnel and recreational hikers can purchase pre-equipped packs or request custom packs of their own.

It's supposed to be "more fun," right? That's what my high school English teacher always said. And I've never seen "funnest" in any book I've read. But apparently there are people out there who claim I'm just being a word snob. Hmpf!

So, what say you? Weigh in on this most world-shaking issue at Is "Funnest" Really A Word?"

For seven years, my husband and I lived on someone else's property. For free. And we got paid to do so. Sure, there was work involved -- sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes not much at all -- but as long as the place (and, in our case, the animals) were taken care of and what needed to be done got done and done well, our time was otherwise our own. And the owners -- they came to visit maybe once a week from their city home, two hours away.

We were property caretakers, with a rent- and utility-free home, use of the land, the tools, a truck, and other equipment. We received a salary and health insurance. And we had plenty of time to spend on our own personal projects and creative endeavors, as well as time to hike, travel, and relax.

While each property caretaking situation is different and unique, there are some common elements. I'm a big fan of this alternative work-at-home lifestyle.

Find out more in Property Caretaking: How To Get The Job and Make The Most Of It

This past January, I ran my third Rock 'n' Roll event -- the P.F. Chang Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona -- along with about 35,000 of my closest friends, with live bands playing about every mile along the 13.1-mile course. The 6,000 runners in the full marathon were also serenaded by bands along those 26.2 miles and encouraged by thousands of spectators and cheering squads from local schools. Both races came together again at the finish line at ASU's Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

This was my second half-marathon at the P.F. Chang event, and I ran a full marathon at the Rock 'n' Roll Country Music event in Nashville. I love the energy I get from all the other runners, not to mention the feeling of accomplishment at the end.

These races, each preceded by a big fitness expo and followed by a headliner concert, are a lot of fun. Some locations around the U.S. have both a full and a half-marathon, while others are just a half. There are currently 17 Rock 'n' Roll host cities, including San Antonio, TX, New Orleans, LA, and Seattle Washington. (And I've just learned there are now Rock 'n' Roll Triathalon events as well.)

Find out if there's a Rock 'n' Roll marathon or half-marathon in a city near you and watch race course preview videos here:The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series