Blogs

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben (Greystone Books, 2015) is an approachable book of bite-sized chapters explaining the mysteries of trees. Ever wondered if trees can talk to each other? How they know when to drop their leaves in the fall (and why)? That they can lower the blood pressure of hikers beneath them? Wohlleben answers all these questions – and brings up fascinating others – in this easily-digestible book that’s sure to make a tree-hugger out of anyone.

Full of questions and answers, The Hidden Life of Trees is sure to be an interesting read for anyone with an interest in nature.
Reading The Hidden Life of Trees
Wohlleben spent his career managing a forest in the Eifel mountains of Germany, and his passion for trees is contagious. The heart of his essays revolve around the fact that while trees grow slowly and live much, much longer than humans do, they share a remarkable amount of things in common with humans. For instance, tree roots connect with the roots of other trees in forests – even other tree species – to share nutrients, water, and even share signals about predators. While trees have countless ways to compete with each other for available sunlight, they’re surprisingly social creatures whose well-being depends on their community. And not just forest communities – but also communities of fungi, insects, birds, lichen, and plants, too. Wohlleben’s true gift lies not just in his lifetime of knowledge and devotion to forests, but his uncanny ability to spark wonder in the reader.
I most enjoyed learning about how trees differ from one another in strategizing how to eek out a living. It’s stiff competition in forests, after all! Some trees are extremely good at soaking up all the sunlight they possibly can, like beeches, which catch 97 percent of sunlight (that’s not good news if you’re a tree that needs lots of sunlight and you happen to grow beneath a beech). Oaks create lots of tannins in their bark to discourage and slow down fungi from feeding on their tree bark. Spruce store essential oils in their needles and bark, which acts like antifreeze to keep them healthy during very cold winters. Quaking aspen get their name from their leaves, which – thanks to their triangular stem - blow in even the slightest wind; this helps quaking aspen generate more energy, because both sides of their unique leaves are able to photosynthesize. Wohlleben shares a great depth of knowledge of trees in “revealing even more of their secrets” throughout the book, and since chapters are usually 5-10 pages long, readers can take in these facts in bite-size chunks.

The book also discusses the importance – and disappearance – of old-growth forests and forest preserves. Take the Great Bear Rainforest in northern British Columbia, which covers a whopping 25,000 square miles along the Pacific Coast. Over one-third of this area is covered in old-growth trees, which provides much-needed habitat for the rare spirit bear, a black bear with white fur. Old-growth forests in particular have soft, moist soil rich in nutrients — and soil health is essential to healthy ecosystems. Conserving undisturbed forests isn’t just good for ecosystems — it can also provide new sources of income for humans, too. Consider the Adirondack and Catskill parks in New York State, forest preserves that initially curbed excessive logging, soil erosion, and the silting-up of the Erie Canal; today, they’re also a vital source of tourism to the area. The Hidden Life of Trees shares many of the ways that countries around the world aren’t just understanding the importance of conserving forests — but finding out new ways to monetize them as well, through tourism, education, and more.
Conclusion
Explaining complex scientific systems is no easy feat, and doing so succinctly is admirable. My main issue with the book, however, is his tendency to anthropomorphize the trees – to make them seem like they have thoughts and behaviors as humans do. He talks of trees that live in urban areas as “street kids” and the upper canopies of trees being the “executive offices.” I’m sure Wohlleben does so to make his writing more clear and relatable to the audience, but it also makes it sentimental, patronizing, and, well, unfitting for a book with a number of scientific citations. Nevertheless, The Hidden Life of Trees is a book I’ll keep suggesting to my outdoorsy and non-outdoorsy friends alike for a long time to come.
You can find The Hidden Life of Trees here at Amazon.com.

No matter if it’s a low snow year or not and even during summer drought conditions, mosquitoes tend to maintain a strong foothold here high in the mountains of Wyoming. As I’ve migrated from DEET to Picaridin to natural insect repellents over the years, I’m always on the lookout for products that either work better or have better ingredients. While I’ve been using Herbal Armor for several years, the best version of their product – the pressurized continuous spray has recently become hard to find. Thus in regards to natural insect repellents, this leveled the playing field and I decided to give another product a try recently – Buzz Away Extreme from Quantum Health.

Buzz Away offers a DEET-free insect repellent with decent ingredients.
Buzz Away Extreme
While Buzz Away has a fairly standard set of natural oils that are known to discourage biting insects (citronella, cedarwood, lemongrass, etc.) what makes this product stand out is its inactive ingredient list, which is hard to beat: purified water, coconut oil, glycerin, lecithin, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, vitamin E, and wintergreen oil. With no questionable ingredients (at least from my point of view) on either the active or inactive ingredient list Buzz Away is one insect repellent that you can use and / or use for the entire family without worry about what you’re actually putting on your skin and clothes.

While pump spray insect repellents work well enough, they can make getting areas like your legs covered a bit difficult since they don’t work on their side or upside down. When upright however I did find Buzz Away dispenses better than other products, which I presume is due to the thinner liquid nature of the product. While some people can be put off by the strong smell of some herbal / natural insect repellents, Buzz Away has a similar smell but of a more muted nature. In my experience this translated into a product that is more of what I’d call a mosquito discourager, though it did provide some relief and got me through dinner until I could retreat to my tent.
Testing the product was admittedly performed at the height of mosquito season, where swarms of dozens to hundreds of mosquitoes showed up as uninvited guests for dinner time in the wilderness. In these types of situations you usually want the most repellency you can get. The product does help however – noticeably – and made the situation tolerable, although frequent reapplication was needed for the best effect.
Final Thoughts
For me, that strong citronella smell of natural insect repellents never bothered me, and out in the field I did find myself wishing that Buzz Away Extreme was just a bit more on the extreme side. However, if you’re a person that prefers natural insect repellents but is also sensitive to the smell of some stronger natural insect repellents that are out there, or are looking for something to repel mosquitoes early or late in the season where they’re a little more lazy, this might be a great option that comes with a great ingredient list as well.
You can find Buzz Away Extreme here at Amazon. You can also check out REI’s selection of DEET-free insect repellents, and for more on overall hiking strategy during bug season, see our Hiking During Mosquito and Tick Season Guide.

Like most backpackers, my cook kit usually consists of a stove, pot, spork, and mug. Sometimes I even forego the mug in a quest for simplicity and weight savings and just drink my tea and coffee out of the pot. And, inadvertently, I’ve left my spork behind once or twice and enjoyed extremely minimal and inconvenient weight savings.

However, under certain conditions, I’ve been known to expand my cook kit to include a non-stick skillet and cook up meals normally reserved for car camping or the kitchen at home. Scrambled eggs, veggie quesadillas, ground beef for tacos, and chocolate chip pancakes have all been cooked up at one time or another on backpacking trips – meals that would’ve been virtually impossible to make without a skillet. The MSR Quick Skillet has been my skillet of choice for nearly ten years of backpacking and if you’re looking to expand your cooking options beyond dehydrated or freeze-dried options or simple one-pot meals, this skillet is an excellent choice.
The MSR Quick Skillet
Weighing in at 5.9 ounces, this additional piece of cookware isn’t horribly noticeable when added to a backpack for an overnight or short multi-day trip. The handle is removable, which makes it easy to pack up. I use this skillet in conjunction with the MSR Alpine Spatula (given the non-stick coating, only plastic utensils are advisable), which folds up conveniently and weighs less than an ounce. Although this a review of the skillet, it is worth noting that the tip of the spatula is prone to melting when placed in contact with the heated pan for more than a few seconds, so use appropriate diligence to avoid unpleasant consequences. Aside from that, I have found this pairing of utensils to be all that is needed to cook delicious and creative meals in the backcountry.

Cleaning this skillet is a breeze and only needs a minimum of water (be sure wash this and other cookware in compliance with Leave No Trace principles and pack out food scraps). For the most part, after removing any food particles, a quick wipe with a damp paper towel and some water to rinse is all I’ve found is required. The non-stick coating has remained largely intact, although the rim is starting to lose some of its coating – likely from being packed with other cookware items that rub against it.
I’ve used this skillet on MSR Whisperlite and upright canister stoves, and on a woodstove in a fire lookout. Although the skillet is made from aluminum, one notable limitation of this skillet is that it tends to hotspot in the middle and not evenly distribute heat throughout the pan. This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with cooking in the backcountry, but it is something to be aware of when using this skillet. I’ve been able to get around this by simply moving the skillet around in a circular motion when cooking and making sure it doesn’t sit directly on the burner for too long. This “babysitting” is a bit tedious, but I’ve found the results are worth the extra attention you have to pay when cooking with it.
One of my favorite meals to cook in this skillet is veggie quesadillas. Two 10-inch tortillas (folded in half) fit in this skillet with a little squeezing (its 7.75 inches wide) so you can cook two at once. Mexican rice, your choice of backpacking spices, and jerky tossed in the skillet is a great entrée that I've found makes for a great group meal as well. When staying at lookouts or backcountry cabins, another easy and tasty meal is tacos. I cook the ground beef or turkey at home and simply re-heat it on the skillet. With none of the other ingredients typically requiring cooking, this meal cooks up quickly and with little clean up or other preparation.

Pancakes with chocolate chips, fresh huckleberries, or banana slices tossed in are a great morning dish to make using this skillet. I use a fair amount of butter to prevent sticking and make sure the pan is moved in a slow circle over the stove so the pancake doesn’t end up burned in the middle and uncooked on the outer edges. Scrambled eggs are also easy to make using the same strategy and, if you have extra cheese and tortillas handy, can result in a tasty burrito for breakfast.
Conclusion
Overall, I’d recommend this skillet to anyone looking to add some flexibility to their backpacking (or car camping) cooking options. At a reasonable price and modest weight, it isn’t a major investment after you’ve acquired your initial backpacking kit (and likely gotten tired of freeze-dried meals, or oatmeal breakfasts). Eating tasty, fresh food in beautiful locations can be a memorable experience and this skillet is a great tool to help you experience that.
The MSR Quick Skillet retails for $40 – find in here at REI and on Amazon.com.

Although I did several trips on cross-country skis and snowshoes that involved camping out in the Northern Rockies in below freezing temperatures for multiple nights, the past few years my definition of “winter backpacking” has either included a US Forest Service rental cabin with a wood stove or a plane ticket to southern Arizona. I still find winter to be a beautiful time of year and I enjoy the heightened elements of the season that seem so magical, but I just hadn’t hadn’t been motivated to do a true winter backpacking trip for quite some time. After several blissful day trips cross-country skiing near the Idaho border at Chief Joseph Pass the allure of an overnight trip in winter came back to me.

The Continental Divide Trail at Chief Joseph Pass
Chief Joseph Pass in Winter
I’d wanted to ease back into winter camping and the groomed winter trails at Chief Joseph Pass in the Bitterroot National Forest were an ideal destination. There would be no need to break trail solo, which is an arduous task on skis with a full pack. During the day trips to cross-country ski (with one wonderful “night trip” to cross-country ski under the full moon), I scouted out a nice spot on the edge of a meadow in a nook sheltered from the wind by the lodgepole pine forest but still allowing for a great view of the meadow and the sky above.
Even better, my campsite had a small spring nearby that wasn’t yet covered by the two feet of snow that had fallen by early December. Melting snow for water is one of the most tedious and time-consuming tasks of winter backpacking – and winter backpacking is an activity filled with such tasks – and to be able to avoid that by having the spring nearby amped up my enthusiasm. I watched the forecast for the perfect balance of clear skies but not too frigid temperatures (I’m not equipped to backpack below 0 degrees Fahrenheit and I prefer not to backpack if it’s below 10 degrees for the overnight low) and found a timeframe that worked well for me.

My pack was heavier for the winter overnight than it was for most of my two and three-night summer trips, but I knew I’d be comfortable and didn’t want to take any chances. Even though I would be camping only a mile and a half away from my car in a popular cross-country skiing area, winter is not a good time to try and cut weight by leaving behind gear that could immensely impact your enjoyment, not to mention your safety. My liquid fuel stove, 0 degree sleeping bag, and Black Diamond Firstlight Tent were the biggest contributors to my increased pack weight. Insulated pants, down booties, and my winter down jacket also added some weight that is usually absent on trips to cabins in winter or when sleeping in a tent in summer.
I arrived at camp warmed up from the ski in and, as planned, not sweaty thanks to proper layering. This allowed me to accomplish all my camp chores – stamping out a tent spot, letting the snow settle, setting up the tent, hanging my food bag (more out of habit and caution against small critters than anything else), and enjoying a snack – before heading out for a late afternoon loop on the exquisitely groomed trails. Since sunset was not long after 5 p.m., it made sense to spend as much time moving as I could during the daylight hours and only return to camp to cook and sleep.

I enjoyed a nice sunset on my evening ski and arrived back at camp with just enough light to set up most of my kitchen and start boiling water without having to use my headlamp. As my freeze-dried meal cooked in its bag (which was wrapped in a bandana and placed under my jacket to allow me to appreciate its warmth) I was able to watch the stars come out as I sat atop my foam sleeping pad that was conveniently placed against a fallen tree to create a perfect backrest with a great view across the meadow and above the trees to the dimming sky.
By the time I was finished with dinner and making hot chocolate, the stars were filling up the sky. I saw one of the most lengthy and impressive shooting stars of my life and that moment made all the “hassles” of the trip worth it. What was even better was that it was only 6:30 p.m. or so when I saw this celestial highlight. I love stargazing, but tend to get sleepy early so it’s hard for me to stay up late enough in summer to get to enjoy this activity. All told, I probably saw ten shooting stars before I headed to bed shortly after 8 p.m.

In my tent, I had a book of Jack London short stories and a thermos of tea to keep my company until I went to sleep a half-hour later. The sun wouldn’t rise until almost 8 a.m. the next morning, so I settled down for a long and restful night of sleep. I woke up a few times, but was always able to go back to sleep within a few minutes. By 9 a.m. I was eating breakfast and breaking camp as the sun lit the meadow and the snow caught the morning rays. A quick ski back to the parking lot, where I stowed my heavy pack and then met up with a friend for a few miles of cross-country skiing, ended my first foray in several years into winter camping.

Water source at Chief Joseph Pass
Thoughts on the Trip
Overall, I would put this trip down as a success and it renewed my interest in doing more mild winter camping (at least “mild” by Northern Rockies standards). My skills weren’t as rusty as I thought and I think I packed smarter and not heavier in regards to insulating layers than I had on previous trips. The importance of tasty food and warm beverages was reinforced and the only thing I remember forgetting (a small brush to get snow out of the tent when it is inevitably tracked in) didn’t prove to be catastrophic. My tent poles did turn out to need new shock cord, but the conditions were so mild that it didn’t really matter and I was able to keep them connected. A good lesson to double-check seldom used gear that will certainly be heeded in the future. So, if you’re contemplating getting out this winter – go for it! It’s a wonderful time of year if you’re prepared and by starting small and planning well you can ensure a comfortable and safe trip.
Need to Know
Information
Chief Joseph Pass is groomed for classic and skate skiing and has over 20 miles of trails. Grooming typically begins in December and runs through the end of March. There is no fee to use this area and a day-use warming hut is available. The hut can be rented for overnight use through recreation.gov.
Getting There
Chief Joseph Pass Cross-Country Ski Area is located near the Idaho and Montana borders near the junction of Hwy. 93 and Hwy. 43.
Best Time to Go
Chief Joseph Pass shines as a winter destination and that is arguably the best time to visit. While the Continental Divide Trail does pass through Chief Joseph Pass, there isn't much in the way of scenery near the pass as most of the trails are in dense coniferous forest. The CDT is much more scenic further north in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness or further south in the Beaverhead Mountains.
Maps
The Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club provides a small brochure-style map that is more than sufficient for navigating the trails on skis or snowshoes. Junctions are also clearly signed. The area is an absolute maze of roads (both active and decommissioned) and while it is easy to navigate in winter, if visiting in the summer for mountain biking it can be more confusing as the winter trails signs are removed. The Montana Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer and / or the Benchmark Montana Atlas can be useful both for getting to and planning general recreation in the area.

My childhood best friend moved to Akron, Ohio right after she graduated high school to attend the University of Akron. Being from Virginia and having lived there all my life, I had never really heard of the city aside from its connection to Lebron James (but even about this my knowledge was severely limited due to my lack of interest in basketball). That was seven years ago, and I realized recently that I still had yet to visit despite her open invitation. Feeling guilty and quite aware of how long 7 years is, I reached out and we worked it out so I would stay with her over Labor Day weekend. Now was the time to figure out what there was to do in Akron!

As I said before, 7 years is a long time. Long enough for me to also graduate high school, and college, and develop a love for hiking and the outdoors that would take me on road trips all over the country. From Zion to Acadia, from Shenandoah to Bryce Canyon, I loved seeing all sorts of landscapes, beautiful views, and making a dent in my National Parks bucket list. And as luck would have it, as I glanced over the list of parks I had yet to see, I noticed – Ohio! After a quick search, I dove into researching the new-to-me world of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), which – as luck would have it – is located right in Akron’s backyard. Why hadn’t I heard of this park before? Perhaps because Ohio isn’t the first state that comes to mind when you think of National Parks or wilderness hiking destinations. Maybe because there’s no colossal red rock arches, or canyons that are a mile deep, or bison roaming on grass plains. Undeterred, I was excited to find the beauty in this park and immerse myself in a new space full of its own natural wonder.
The Trails of Cuyahoga Valley
Our first hike was the Ledges Trail. This 1.8 mile loop trail winds through sandstone cliffs and features one of the most scenic overlooks in the park. Not too difficult, it was a great first foray in this new place, with lots of little crevices and slot canyon-esque areas to squeeze into and poke around in. A few ups and downs along the way, but mostly a flat journey that was filled with massive slabs of rock and lush greenery. Perhaps most impressive was the complete immersion in nature I experienced. No sounds of highways or motorists, I felt like I had been transported to a completely new place. It certainly was not the image I picture when I think of Ohio. Be sure to bring bug spray though if you’re thinking of visiting from late spring to early fall – mosquitoes abound.

The next morning we enjoyed a stroll on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Almost entirely flat, the trail was packed with runners, bikers, and walkers by 10 AM when we set out. Passing through Beaver Marsh and seeing all sorts of wildlife like great blue herons, snakes, and other little creatures was a delight. The locks which would raise and lower boats were an incredible piece of history that sparked daydreams of the early travelers of the canal. But the best part? The signature midwestern kindness. Every person greeted us with a chipper “good morning!” and a smile.
That afternoon, I ventured solo to the Boston Mill Visitor Center to pick up a map and talk with the rangers. When I arrived, the parking lot was full to the brim. After hearing horror stories of closures and hours-long waits for trails in parks out west, I realized that the problem seemed to be ubiquitous across most National Parks, even the ones I hadn’t heard of until recently. I was finally able to snag a parking spot and talk to a ranger. He informed me that while the holiday weekend likely exacerbated the problem, this crowd level had been the norm for them in recent months. He estimated that their visitor numbers quadruple from the weekdays to the weekend. I believed him – as I sat in a line of cars later waiting to park at the Brandywine Falls Trailhead, I couldn’t believe the crowds. I later found out from another park ranger that CVNP was the 7th most visited National Park in 2020, beating out big names like Acadia and Joshua Tree. I credit these numbers to the weekend (and weekday!) local visitors. The proximity of the park to major cities like Akron and Cleveland, even Pittsburgh, make it an easy weekend getaway to a totally green space.

Brandywine Falls seemed to be one of the park’s crown jewels. With a packed viewing balcony just a quick staircase from the parking lot, visitors eagerly shot photos of the gushing water and the mossy sandstone backdrop. I diverted away from the crowd, preferring to take the less populated Brandywine Gorge Trail. Following the edge of the gorge and passing by an adorably quaint bed and breakfast, the 1.5 mile loop trail descends to the creek and provides more intimate views of the many layers of rock that formed the gorge. You’ll lose and gain a bit of elevation around the loop, but the trail provides plenty of stunning vantage points to stop and catch your breath while you take in the surroundings. The flourishing vegetation of the late summer was fun and enveloping, but I would be eager to visit again in the fall to see this same place with the leaves changing colors.
Cuyahoga Hiking Impressions
After hiking a few more trails and seeing some landmarks (including a visit to the house from A Christmas Story in a suburb just outside Cleveland!) I hit the road and headed back home to Washington, D.C., finding myself dumbstruck by the fact that I was a bit sad to be leaving Ohio. The park I’d never heard of! I couldn’t believe it. But the winding, easy trails surrounded by history, the cooler temperatures of late summer in Ohio, the ability to so quickly escape from the city and immerse oneself in a forest – it was magical.

Maybe it doesn’t make your bucket list when stacked up against some of the marvels out west, but Cuyahoga Valley National Park should not be counted out. This park brings people to the outdoors, regardless of their physical ability. It immerses them in history, in greenery, and in a space that they can call their own. It may not be the subject of oil paintings or John Muir quotes, but in its own beautiful way, it is a place of quiet, unassuming inspiration. I certainly hope I find my way back.
Need to Know
Information
Entrance to Cuyahoga Valley National Park is free! You can support the park by donating to the park’s friends group, the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. CVNP no longer allows camping within the park, but there are state parks and campgrounds within driving distance. Learn more here at the NPS website. Portions of the Buckeye Trail also pass through the park.
Getting There
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a thirty-minute drive from both Cleveland and Akron, OH. CVNP is also easily reached by car from Cleveland, OH and Pittsburgh, PA in about two hours driving time. If flying, arrive at either Cleveland Hopkins International Airport or Akron-Canton Regional Airport, both of which offer car rentals.
Best Time to Go
Summer is a great time to visit for hiking, as the trails are shaded by trees and the scenic railroad is operating. If you’re looking for fall colors, visit in September and October while the leaves are changing. Winters in Ohio can be biting due to lake-effect snow from Lake Erie, but opportunities for skiing and snow tubing can make it worth the freezing temps!
Maps and Books
The National Park Service offers detailed information and maps about the park and its trails at their website. Additional information and resources can be found in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Handbook. The Trail Guide to Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers easy-to-use maps and trail descriptions written by park volunteers. Check out Hiking Ohio for more information on hiking opportunities in the state.