Adventurous by Q Kelley

      This afternoon, I was able to locate an open download of the Appalachian Trail map that includes shelters, trailheads, water sources, resupply points, and, most importantly, the trail centerline. This map is a significant addition to the map project and will continue to be a free resource for everyone to use!         I have been on a few trips around the AT using other maps to plan, and I now won't need anything else but the Southeast Section Hiker Map to plan. Who doesn't love a great free resource!      The planner can be found here , and the map has been auto-updated on the cloud. Credits: Huge thanks to u/ Giveaway_Guy on Reddit for sharing their map.  Link to the original map and post on Reddit  here

         Over the last few years, I have done a lot of great day hikes, road trips, weekend cabins, and section hikes in the southeast. Heck, I even got married in the mountains of NC as a result of my love for the Blue Ridge Parkway (thank you, wifey<3). I have accumulated a lot of hiking knowledge and spent a lot of time on Google Earth and other GIS systems in the process.      One boring day, I decided I'd record some of my mapping shenanigans to help me plan trips. What spawned is more of an idea generator than a comprehensive list. This is meant to get the ideas flowing, while other, more documented hiking maps carry the rest of the way. I will detail more of my section hike planning tips in future posts, but I wanted to get this out there to be able to refine and add to it as a tool for the general public. Most of these places I have been multiple times, but there are a few on here that I have never been to but desire to cross off the bu...

        I recently have gotten into coffee. I got into coffee because I was tired of energy drinks and ready for something more nuance. I am not the greatest fan of espresso drinks due to the nature of non-portability. I wanted to drink coffee better the the K eurig in our conference room at work, without having to invest a ton of money into a desk setup.      The idea that I could kill two birds with one stone was a great thought, but I didn't feel like breaking the bank on Aeropress just yet. I even tried designing my own folding ultralight pour over funnel out of 0.063" 5052 aluminum, but alas I gave in to the near $13 alure of the GSI Ultralight Drip filter while making a routine trip to REI.     And boy am I so glad I did.          The craziest part is that it isn't even Chemex pour-over or boutique French-press and I've completely forgone my EDM playlist to revisit John Mayer's 2012 Born and Raised album to soa...

      In a world where reasonable and honest gear reviews are hard to come by, who can you trust?