This year we are bringing back our group stewardship trips at ONDA, AND will continue to offer most of the independent stewards projects we developed because of the pandemic.

I’m going to be leading a variety of different trips this year including:

• South Fork Crooked River Riparian Planting (this will be a big party to celebrate ONDA’s 35th Anniversary)
• Beatys Butte Fenceline Retrofit Project (making fence wildlife friendly for migrating pronghorn)
• McDermitt Creek Lithium Mine Site Visit (learning about the environmental implications of a potential lithium mine to some very important sage-grouse habitat and an area near the Oregon Desert Trail)
• Trout Creek Mountains Group Monitoring Trip (walking and surveying fence lines for future removal or retrofit projects)

We’ll also have independent projects along the Oregon Desert Trail including:

• Badlands Wilderness Recreation Impact Monitoring
• ODT/Fremont Forest Recreation Impact Monitoring & Trail Work
• Alvord Desert Recreation Impact Monitoring
• Steens Mountain Wilderness Recreation Impact Monitoring & Trail Work
• Oregon Desert Trail Impact Monitoring

2022 will be a busy year! I’m also going hiking for a few months this summer…all good things!

See you out there?

Join me and some of my fellow long-distance hikers for an online live panel on Monday, February 7 at 5pm (pacific time).

Read more about our gear here: https://www.treelinereview.com/gearreviews/whats-in-my-pack

I gave a presentation for the Deschutes County Library this week, one I have given many times before, but now in the day and age of Zoom I can share the recording with all of you.

You may have heard about a new packrafting book on the market: The Packraft Handbook by Luc Mehl

Gear review website Treeline Review (and small business owned by two incredible women, friends, and thru-hiking powerhouses: Liz “Snorkle” Thomas, and Naomi “The Punisher” Hudetz) asked me to interview Luc on Tuesday, May 5 to discuss how to get started packrafting.

Here’s the video:

My newest logo is out! I am so lucky to have the opportunity to design the new Blue Mountains Trail logo.

BTW, don’t forget the Greater Hells Canyon Council May 8 Hellraiser is coming up in a few weeks, and there tons of awesome stuff going on with the event, but what can be better than helping to support and fund the newest long-distance trail around? Not much IMO 🙂

Back in 2018 I sat down with Emory from the By Land Podcast to talk about the Oregon Desert Trail. Our conversation ranged far beyond the route, and I really enjoyed the conversation, and think you will (did?) too.

Today he published the latest conversation we had about the Blue Mountains Trail, and again, the talk is far-ranging.

Give it a listen when you have a chance!

The Greater Hells Canyon Region is a critical wildlife connectivity corridor and refugia for climate change. Join me and the Greater Hells Canyon Council on Saturday, May 8, for Hellraiser, a virtual fundraiser to protect, connect, and restore this vital region.

As the first solo thru-hiker of the new Blue Mountains Trail, I will be giving the keynote speech…tune in for inspiration, education, and a wicked silent auction (including a hike with me!).

The event happens virtually at 6pm PT on Saturday, May 8; the silent auction starts on May 1. Learn more about the event and get your tickets today at the link below.

www.hellscanyon.org/hellraiser

I sat down with the Willamette Week (a Portland weekly paper) yesterday for a short video interview about the Blue Mountains Trail, and got to share my unexpected challenge of having a lake freeze solid overnight…denying me my coffee water in the morning!

Watch the interview and read the short blog post here.

Are you Zoomed out? I hope not. I’ll be participating in two online presentations this month about the new Blue Mountains Trail!

February 17, 6pm

Oregon Wild’s Webcast: Breaking Ground on the Blue Mountains Trail

February 25, 5pm

Oregon Outdoor Alliance: Beer Thirty

I always love chatting with the crazy hikers over at The Trail Show podcast. This month I joined them for episode 101 to talk about the Blue Mountains Trail.

If you haven’t listened to The Trail Show before, it’s more about beer than gear, more about hiking shenanigans than not, more about the goofy trail culture of hiking long trails than a buttoned-up show that’s all miles and not smiles.

My interview starts at 13:10:

Read about the history of the Blue Mountains Trail here and here.

Start reading about my section hike of the BMT here (Section 1, August 2020) (Section 2, October 2020)

Howdy hikers!

If some of you are looking for some good hiker gifting ideas, I got to share a couple of my favs with Backpacker Radio in their Ultimate Backpacker Holiday Gear Wish List. If you didn’t catch my podcast with them from this summer, head on over and give it a listen.

I have more suggestions that I’ll mention below, but for the podcast I could only pick 2! And preferably from brands that I’m not sponsored by, so I’ll cover a few of those below 🙂

#1 Gortex Socks

Why hike in freezing wet shoes?

#2 Purple Rain Adventure Skirts

You have to try one of these skirts (dudes love them too). This is how you will feel wearing one of Mandy’s skirts:

A few other of my favorite things:

TOAKS

This polished long-handled spoon is SO beautiful.

Six Moon Designs

The Silver Shadow Sun Umbrella is a blessing because sometimes you need to bring your shade with you (it works in rain and snow too).

Wander Woman Pee Rag

Drip drying sucks.

Photo from WanderWomanGear.com

Planetary Designs French Press mug

Life is too short to drink bad coffee. (with a couple other favs: Sawyer’s Mini water filter, and TOAKS woodburning stove)

Food for the Sole

Eat good…so much yum in my tum (on the TOAKS spoon!).

I really love all my gear, and instead of listing it all, head on over to my gear list and check it out!