Gear Reviews
Ben Kilbourne
Patching Experiments on EPL200 Ultra Fabric
Poetry
Ben Kilbourne
The Fire's Job

it is not a mountain anymore

it is now an idea of the shape

of the memory

of a dream

of a mountain

Gear Reviews
Ben Kilbourne
Searching for a Backpack that is Durable, ...

WATCH NOW

I made this video to explain why I’ve made some of the choices I’ve made as I keep on trying new backpacks.

Searching for a Backpack that is Durable, Light, and Carries Heavy Loads
Links to Other Writing
Ben Kilbourne
Good Gear Lets You Be Present

Then my attention turned to the pack I was wearing. I was 11 miles into the first day of testing the YAR Gear Mountain Drifter 38 Liter pack and needed to pay attention to whether or not it was working. Suddenly aware I hadn’t spent all that much time thinking about it during those first 11 miles, I promised myself I would try and pay better attention from then on out. I hadn’t noticed undue pressure on my shoulders, hips, or back. All I really did remember from the last 11 miles were the large volcanic stones in the trail, prickly pear, agave, alligator juniper, piñon, yuccas, and countless birds. I remember the looming blue triangle of the Mazatzal Mountains dusted lightly in snow creeping slowly closer to me like one of the pyramids of Giza chained to a winch and cranked heavily across the ground. Is that how they were built? With that thought came a flood of associations. “When the great – pyramids – dragged themselves out to this spot – sickness sank into the little one’s heart,” I sang loudly, remembering the beautiful and dark Jason Molina song.

Links to Other Writing
Ben Kilbourne
Take This Poem on Your Next Trip

“The road seen, then not seen,” begins the poem “Santiago” by David Whyte.

The road seen, then not seen, I think, walking down Woodenshoe Canyon in Bear’s Ears National Monument in late November. The red trail below my feet leads into piñon and juniper and turns and disappears within them. The path seen, then not seen. It dips into a willowy wash and is nearly gone, only seen where snake grass is occasionally matted down by past feet. The road seen, then not seen.

Links to Other Writing

Packrafting Gear List (Section Hiker)

When the snow starts to melt on the high plateaus above the canyon country of Utah, intermittent rivers start to flow, and I start refreshing the USGS site every few hours looking for an upward trend that means it’s time to go boating. Often these rivers flow between February and May, so this gear list is a direct reflection of that. In the high deserts of Utah in mid-March anything could happen. You could see rain one year, snow the next, and even some 85-degree days that leave you squinting through the glare for a shaded alcove under which to hide. Because of this variability, the gear list I have made accounts for chillier spring weather scenarios. I will offer some suggestions for pushing this list towards summer…

Continue reading at Section Hiker

Nunatak Arc UL 20 Review (Section Hiker)

The Nunatak Arc UL 20 Quilt is a thoughtfully-designed, lightweight three-season quilt. While fairly expensive at $425, its features and execution make it worth every penny. There are a number of quilts out there that cost a good $150 less than this one, but many of them lack premium features such as a draft collar, differential cut, or an edge tensioning system. Nunatak quilts are also highly-customizable. They offer a variety of fabric, sizing, and pad attachment options. So, if you know what you want, and don’t mind waiting a couple of months for it, consider placing an order with Nunatak…

Continue reading at Section Hiker

Connectivity for Adapting to the Unexpected (Wildlands Network)

On May 16, I stood at Bryce Canyon’s Yovimpa Point looking through my breath at a dusting of new snow covering the pink slopes. The weather was expected to get worse, with snow above 6,500 feet statewide. My initial plan was to follow the route of an individual deer from her winter range near the Utah/Arizona border to her summer range near Cedar City, Utah. This particular leg of the trip was going to end here in Bryce, but the discouraging forecast made it clear this was not going to be possible within our timeframe.

Continue reading at Wildlands Network

Red Butte Fence: Tracing Animal Movement and Obstruction (Torrey House Press)

Needing a break from studying, I leave the Environmental Humanities building on the University of Utah campus and begin walking towards the hills and the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I cross roads and parking lots, and pass students slack-lining between the trees that surround the dorms. The hum of the city to my back, I step from asphalt onto dirt and begin walking uphill.

Continue reading at Torrey House Press