Camping – Maine Israelite Outdoor Society

A lonely, tiny lighthouse sits on an overlook at Cape Enrage on the Bay of Fundy.

Getting Back to Fundy-Mentals

From where I live in Maine, I have an embarrassment of hiking riches. I’m four hours or so from Jacques-Cartier, an hour from both Baxter State Park and Katahdin Woods & Waters...

Camping, Featured, Hiking, Wilderness Parsha

Memorial Day

When my unit returned from its Operation Iraqi Freedom mobilization, I had a conversation with my friend, Jimmy. I came home early due to a custodial matter, but we stayed in touch for the...

Camping, Featured, Hiking

Backcountry with Dogs

Knowing Where to Go When I was stationed in Alaska, my ex-wife and I adopted a dog from the Anchorage shelter. We named him D’Artagnan. He was a Husky mix, former sled dog. He...

Camping, Hiking, Travel

Destination: Katahdin Woods & Waters Monument

Over the course of August 2020, I visited Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument twice. This marvelous and remote stretch of land is a solitude-lover’s paradise. Winding streams,...

Camping, Hiking

Bear Bags vs. Bear Canisters

After hiking portions of the PCT in Yosemite, the John Muir Trail, the eastern High Peaks in the Adirondacks, and Denali National Park, the notion of carrying a bear canister on long...

Camping, Hiking, News, Travel

2020 Allergy Season: What Backpackers Should Know

Not to advance stereotypes about Jewish health neurosis, but bubbie wants you to take care of yourself out there, you know? According to AccuWeather we’re on track for a pretty severe...

Camping, Hiking, Winter Activities

Cold Weather Backpacking

And with snow accumulating to around an inch, it was suddenly winter in Maine. I watched with envy this year as people concluded their Appalachian Trail thru-hikes, some as early as August,...

Camping, Hiking, Wilderness Parsha

Sukkot 5780

An Excellent Holiday Entrypoint for Wilderness Backpacking, and to Learn about the Holiday You shall dwell in booths seven days; all citizens of Israel shall dwell in booths; so that your...

Camping, Hiking, Wilderness Parsha

Backpacking with Children

I was reading a piece by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks about priorities as related to Parsha Matot-Masei, where he cites Rashi’s commentary on Numbers 32:16. Moshe reorders the priorities in...

Camping, Hiking

Lag B’Omer: The Perfect Wilderness Holiday

Let’s face it, most of the fun parts of the Lag B’Omer holiday are rooted in the aggagic stories concerning the origin of Kabbalah. If, like me, Kabbalah plays little to no...

Camping

An outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home in a shelter, such as a tent, a caravan, or a motorhome. Participants spend time outdoors in more natural ones in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment.