The Great Outdoors December issue: Yosemite Valley to Death Valley, Hats & Gloves

Lake of the Lone Indian, John Muir Wilderness

In the December issue of The Great Outdoors, in the shops now, my backpacking column is about my recent walk from Yosemite Valley to Death Valley. This is in fact my last backpacking column. In 2017 I'll be writing other stuff, as you'll see.

In the December gear pages I review nine warm hats and eight pairs of gloves and mitts while Will Renwick looks at six tents suitable for stormy weather. I also try the Thule Convert CSC Sling camera bag.

Elsewhere in the magazine Alan Rowan - 'Moonwalker' - discusses the Corbetts (I'm reading his new book about his Corbetts round - A Mountain Before Breakfast - which I'll review soon); Mary-Ann Ochota describes her favourite upland archaeological spots (I have a copy of her new book Hidden Histories which I'll also be reviewing soon); Dan Aspel sleeps under the Shelter Stone and climbs Ben Macdui; Vivienne Crow has less spartan accommodation at Skiddaw House as she traverses Blencathra and Skiddaw; Ed Byrne tries paragliding; Grant Hyatt has a beautiful photo essay on the Brecon Beacons through the seasons; Jessica Tradati treks to Gokyo Ri in the Himalayas; Carey Davies revisits The Rocks on the Chevin; Roger Smith discusses energy production and the outdoors; and Jim Perrin writes about Eric Newby's hilarious A Short Walk In The Hindu Kush, one of my favourite outdoor books, but which he doesn't seem to like much. The Hill Skills section is all about weather, an important topic at this time of year.