This is a little off-topic from my norm but what the hey! Even if you've been reading the blog for a long time, you may not know that I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. The topic rarely (ok, never) comes up when I'm in the kitchen at home so naturally it's also been absent from my blog babblings. Nevertheless, it's the truth. So, there's one thing you learned today.

Why am I telling you this? Not because I'm venturing into the realm of trail food (well, not todaaaay at least) but because I just have to brag about my friend Sarah of TrailCooking.com and her article in this month's issue of BACKPACKER magazine. You can read Sarah's blog post about it here. I had a hefty hand in the preparation for the article, along with a few faithful volunteers. Sarah and I worked together for weeks testing various outdoor cooking pots, pans and gadgets and we did it all for science. Or rather, to help BACKPACKER readers make better decisions about how to spend their hard-earned gear money this year.

Little known fact: Sarah and I actually met on the Backpacker.com discussion forums and she hiked with me on my first visit to Rainier when I moved to Washington state, oh so many years ago.

If you're able to check out the article (pages 52-53 in the March 2011 issue!), I'd love to hear your thoughts!