littlegrunts.com

Point Reyes Lighthouse at Sunset

by Paulina Dao April 20, 2015

written by Paulina Dao

When your friend calls you up and says let’s check out the Point Reyes Lighthouse at sunset and watch some whales, you cancel all your plans and say yes!

Saturday afternoon, I hopped in the car and drove out to Point Reyes National Seashore. We were super lucky and had almost no fog obscuring our view. The curtains in the lighthouse were rolled back, showing off the golden beams on the rocks around us. We got the chance to pop into the lighthouse lens. The glass was handmade in France in 1867 before it made its voyage to Point Reyes.

April 20, 2015 1 comment

Fishpeople Seafood: Sustainable Seafood in a Pouch

by Paulina Dao April 17, 2015

written by Paulina Dao

Backcountry meals don’t always have to be freeze dried meals in pouches. In fact, you can get high protein, gluten-free, sustainably caught, and locally grown and absolutely tasty meals where you don’t even have to add water. How? By eating Fishpeople Seafood.

With a mission of harvesting only sustainable seafood, Fishpeople Seafood helps support local communities and fisheries to ensure healthy fish populations for years to come. This detail and attention to the product ensures that you know exactly who caught your fish and where it came from. You can even track your food with the code on the back of your pouch. All ingredients are sourced locally and each product lists out the ingredients in painstaking detail.

April 17, 2015 1 comment

Gear

GEIGERRIG Hydration Engine 2L

by Paulina Dao April 15, 2015

written by Paulina Dao

The brands Platypus and CamelBak are synonymous with hydration bladder. With packs that come with bladders and easy availability at big stores like REI, it’s hard not to associate the two with being the sole makers of water bladders. Despite their small name, GEIGERRIG’s got their water storage niche figured out.

When I heard that GEIGERRIG had signed on to sponsor #HellHikeAndRaft, I was super excited! I’d eyed up the packs on the Clymb’s website, came super close to pulling the trigger, but ultimately ended up passing them up for better known brands. Little did I know how wrong I would be when I tested out the GEIGERRIG Hydration Engine.

April 15, 2015 0 comments

Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan DRECP

Adventures Hiking

Volcanic Tablelands: Searching for Petroglyphs

by Paulina Dao April 13, 2015

written by Paulina Dao

The Volcanic Tablelands is one of the coolest areas outside of Bishop. Primarily known for its climbing, specifically in the Happys and the Sads, the Volcanic Tablelands are more than that. It is home to a large collection of petroglyphs from ancestors of the Paiute-Shoshone tribe who are the original inhabitants of Payahuunadü, or the Owens Valley.

April 13, 2015 3 comments

Gear

The Pillow Plus: Comfort in the Backcountry

by Paulina Dao April 10, 2015

written by Paulina Dao

Pillows are kind of a thing of luxury when you’re out in the wilderness. Why pack extra weight when you can just stuff some clothes into a stuff sack or your down jacket into its hood and call it a night? With the Pillow Plus, you can call those uncomfortable nights a thing of the past.

Made out of thick plastic and covered in a polyester-spandex material, the Pillow Plus weighs about 4 oz and packs down to about 6″ x 4”. To inflate the pillow, you bite down on the valve and blow; it’s pretty simple, as long as you remember to bite. Otherwise, you’ll be huffing and puffing for nothing. You also need to make sure you’re inflating the Pillow Plus inside the cover. It’s near impossible to get the cover over the fully blown up plastic. Inflated, the Pillow Plus dimensions are about 18” x 10”, large enough for even the biggest of heads. The stretchy fabric comes with a strap that you can use to clip to your sleeping pad, preventing your pillow from sliding around.

April 10, 2015 1 comment