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Chuck Fitzgerald - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Chuck Fitzgerald, The Outdoor Guy, is the Owner of Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store providing backcountry specialty gear and educational information for outdoor enthusiasts. He is dedicated to helping others have more FUN in their outdoor lives.
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- The Desert's Most Remarkable Dwelling
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] On a recent hike in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, I stumbled upon one of nature’s most remarkable dwellings. It wasn’t made by force of water, wind or sun. And it wasn’t made by any creature either – well, not quite. I’m talking about the
- Keeping Cool in Arizona!
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Well, here we go again. Every year during springtime we sneak a peek at our calendars and dread the rapidly approaching summer. Summer in central and southern Arizona is unlike summer anywhere else. I’m actually starting to get hot just thinking about it. There are all sorts of experts with sage advice on how to successfully...
- The Magnificent Burrowing Owl
[Recreation-and-Sports] The more I watch birds, the more I am amazed. In particular, I find the sheer variety of birds to be mind-boggling. We all know penguins can swim and we know they can’t fly. And we all know that ducks can do both. These facts are understood whether you watch birds or not. But watching birds ...
- How Was Your Bird Count?
[Recreation-and-Sports] This was a count for the ages. More than 60,000 checklists were submitted with 623 identified species. What am I talking about? I talking about...
- Awesome Phoenix Area Hikes
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Are you bored with walking around the neighborhood or hiking the same crowded trail? Are you looking to break out of your regular routine
- Great Outdoor Family Traditions
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Growing up in a small town in the Midwest, my idea of being outdoors usually had something to do with our heavily treed backyard or with one of our heavily peopled
- The Gift We Can All Give
[Home-and-Family:Holidays] There are shelves, aisles, stores and malls full of Christmas gifts. “We might be able to afford this one or maybe that one.” “He would love this or
- Why I Watch Birds
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] I’ve been in-and-out of bird watching my whole life. I’ve just recently gotten back “in” the wonderful world of Bird Watching and have I ever missed it!
- My Favorite BackCountry Gear
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] If you’ve been a regular reader of mine, you can probably guess my favorite pieces of backcountry gear. I’ve written about having a good time while bird watching
- Here's Looking at you - Valley of the Sun!
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] I only know of one place on Terra Firma where I can see Casa Grande, Wickenburg, Apache Junction, Camelback Mountain and all of the Phoenix area and it is one of my favorite places in all of Arizona. Any guesses?
- Looks Like Another Monsoon Today
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Summertime in Arizona isn’t complete without magnificent storms. It doesn’t take new residents long to learn the word “monsoon” or to learn how to spot a monsoon forming on the horizon in mid-afternoon. We have all
- Tips for Enjoying the Night Sky
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Looking up into the night sky is our oldest recorded hobby. Thousands of years ago, people around the globe began recording their star gazing experiences. Many of these early journals are now found in museums, in caves or in protected wild places. Today, what I find most fascinating
- Black Bears, Blackberries and the Time of Your Life
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] I am an outdoor super-enthusiast and a technophile. I once thought this was a rare combination but just recently I’ve discovered there are lots of us around.
- Who is the Outdoor Guy?
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] I am The Outdoor Guy. I didn’t win a contest to get this name or lobby for the right to own it. I assumed the title. I doubt anyone will ever
- Stepping Outdoors is Very Exciting
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] What could possible happen in six simple steps? That’s how far it is from my cabin’s front door to the propane grill. Six steps that I have taken countless times without any fanfare or concern. But things were different today
- How I Ended the Drought
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] You don’t need to live in the southwestern part of the United States very long to understand the importance of water. Much of the area is desert and for the past
- This #1 Sport is SUPER!
[Recreation-and-Sports] Any guesses on what the #1 sport is in the United States? Some might guess baseball. At this time of year with the big game at hand, many would say football. How about NASCAR? Tennis? Golf? If you guessed any of these, you’re wrong. The top sport not only in the United States, but around the world is...
- My Perfect Campsite
[Recreation-and-Sports] What is the perfect campsite? Read on to learn about my perfect campsite--maybe it is yours too.
- Get the Most Out of Your Hike
[Recreation-and-Sports] Hiking is one of life’s great joys. Fresh air, nature, exercise and good friends. It’s difficult to imagine anything better – if you’re prepared. When you’re not prepared properly, it’s difficult to imagine anything worse.
- What to Know When Buying a GPS
[Communications:GPS] Why are GPS units showing up everywhere? Read on to understand a few simple GPS features and how knowing these features will ensure you buy the right one the first time.
- Great Tips for Car Camping Enjoyment
[Recreation-and-Sports] Regardless of how you spend your time out of doors or how much time you spend out of doors, there is always more to learn. I have compiled an extensive list of camping tips and this installment is for car campers.
- Awesome Ways to Get Outdoors!
[Recreation-and-Sports] Read on to see why it’s tough to beat having fun with friends and family outdoors in the fresh air.
- Why Orienteering is Hot!
[Recreation-and-Sports] If you enjoy spending time out of doors and you are looking to break out of your regular routine, Orienteering may be the challenge you’ve been hoping for.
- Code of Conduct for Outdoor Enthusiasts
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] How we think and act while visiting wild places today will ultimately determine the amount of enjoyment by outdoor enthusiasts for ever more.
- Keys to Responsible Recreation in the BackCountry
[Recreation-and-Sports] Having a good time is pretty high on everyone’s to do list, especially when surrounded by awesome views and super-awesome friends. We hike, bike, climb, camp, raft, fish, hunt, four-wheel, sleep and ...
- Is First Aid Different in the BackCountry?
[Recreation-and-Sports] Knowing first aid is critical if you are spending time in the backcountry. Read this article to understand why.
- 3 Easy Steps to Becoming a BackCountry Hero
[Recreation-and-Sports] Making a difference in the backcountry is easy for anyone – you don’t have to be Ted Turner. Follow these 3 easy steps, and you’ll be on your way to giving back to your backcountry and you’ll have a ball doing it.
- New Year's Resolutions for the BackCountry
[Recreation-and-Sports] The New Year has begun and you probably have a few New Year’s Resolutions under way. Are you ready to make this year your best backcountry year? Here are a few of my backcountry New Year’s Resolutions; please adopt a couple of these for yourself. If you do, 2005 will be your best outdoor year yet.
- 5 Easy Steps to Giving the Perfect BackCountry Gift
[Recreation-and-Sports] Does the thought of buying a gift for a friend or relative make you smile or does it stress you out? Continue reading to discover 5 sure-fire steps to giving the perfect gift to the outdoor enthusiasts in your life.
- Camping Makes the Weekend Perfect
[Recreation-and-Sports] Do you have a weekend without anything to do or a weekend when you don’t want to do anything? I know what I’d do. My favorite thing to do on a weekend is to camp. Are you looking for an easy way to camp? How about car camping? I love it!
- What's In Your Hiking Pack?
[Recreation-and-Sports] As an outdoor enthusiast, you have complete control over what you carry or what stays in the car – such as a cell phone, do you carry one? I wouldn’t dare go in the backcountry without all of the items listed here as “Highly Recommend.” What’s In My Hiking Pack?
- 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your BackCountry Gear
[Recreation-and-Sports] Time out of doors is a precious commodity to the outdoor enthusiast - but are we getting the most out of this time. One way to ensure maximum backcountry enjoyment is to get the most possible value from the gear you acquire and use.
- Best Tips for Enjoying the BackCountry in the Rain
[Recreation-and-Sports] If you spend any amount of time in the backcountry at all, it will rain on you. Remember this - rain is a good thing; without it there wouldn’t be much backcountry to enjoy. How you prepare for rain and how you handle yourself and gear in the rain, makes the difference between a great experience and a horrible one. Here are some great ideas for ensuring your backcountry enjoyment when mother nature rains down on you.
- 5 Tips for Successful Bird Watching
[Recreation-and-Sports] Can you name the number one spectator sport in North America? It’s not baseball, figure skating or racing. It’s bird watching. That’s right, more people are watching birds than football and hockey combined. With so many people hoping to see a bird they’ve never seen before, it’s not surprising to see a clamoring for the latest tips and tools to get the job done. Here are my top five tips for getting the most out of your birding experience.
- Why Range Finders are Perfect for the BackCountry
[Recreation-and-Sports] Outdoor enthusiasts love to guess about all sorts of things. We guess how many stars are in the Milky Way, we guess how fast a deer runs or we might even guess about how long it will be until that big, dark cloud dumps rain us. But there are times when guessing in the backcountry just doesn’t get the job done. Specialty gear is available to help us determine how far we’ve hiked - and in what direction - and other tools are available to help take the guesswork out of purifying water. But there is a another useful tool overlooked by many avid backcountry visitors - the rangefinder.
- Night Vision Devices -- The Ultimate in BackCountry Toys
[Recreation-and-Sports] Many nights in the backcountry are far from dark. A bright moon and a sky full of stars can throw off enough light to allow for reading a book, but add cloud cover, mountains or trees and it gets dark awfully fast. When you need to see in the dark, you have two choices - you either turn on a light, or use one of the many available night vision devices (NVD). The NVD could be the ultimate backcountry toy.
- What To Know When Buying Binoculars
[Recreation-and-Sports] We are asked nearly every day: "What are your best binoculars?" And every day we answer: "How do you plan on using them?" We are not trying to be evasive with our answer, but the truth of the matter is – the best binoculars for one purpose may be the worse binoculars for another. We want you to Get It Right The First Time.
- Top Tips for Successful BackCountry Navigation
[Recreation-and-Sports] As an outdoor enthusiast you will at some point make a decision to learn how to navigate in the backcountry. Whether you use a map, compass, GPS receiver or all three, there are several things you should know about successful navigation. Your safety and the safety of your companions depend upon it.
- Five Life Skills for BackCountry Enjoyment
[Recreation-and-Sports] As outdoor enthusiasts spend more and more time in our backcountry, a handful of skills become more and more essential. All of these skills are easy to learn and add considerably to the overall enjoyment of spending time out-of-doors. The key word here is enjoyment. In order to enjoy ourselves, we must be comfortable with ourselves and our surroundings. This is especially true in the backcountry. So let’s talk about life skills that, when mastered, will lead to heightened enjoyment as we find ourselves off the beaten path.
- Geocaching: A Great Way To Get Outdoors
[Recreation-and-Sports] If you’re tired of hiking the same trail or picnicking at the same park, then Geocaching may be exactly what you’re looking for.
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