I took Cotopaxi’s Baja pants for a test run

I took Cotopaxi’s Baja pants for a test run

Cotopaxi's Baja pants

Pam LeBlanc tested a pair of Cotopaxi’s Baja pants. Chris LeBlanc photo

A decade ago, I owned two pairs of cheap, loose-fitting pants that I purchased from Academy to wear over my swimsuit when I headed to the pool.

They had an elastic waist and were made of quick dry material. I bought one pair in black and another in red, and they set me back no more than $20 each.

I ended up wearing those pants far beyond the pool. I called them my “pull-on pants” and they made me happy every time I yanked them over my hips. They were lightweight, easy, pocketed, and perfect for just about every situation.

I burned tiny holes in one pair when sparks from a campfire landed on my legs one night. The other pair flat out disappeared. I’ve been back to Academy to try to get a new pair, but no luck. They no longer sell them.

Cotopaxi's Baja pants

The pants are stretchy and have a contrasting waistband. Chris LeBlanc photo

Then, recently, I scored a pair of Baja Pants by Cotopaxi, thinking they might make the perfect replacement. They didn’t exactly replace those pants, and they cost a lot more than the originals, but they have their place in my world.

Cotopaxi touts its Baja pants as perfect for “those whose lives are equal parts adventure, travel, and everyday hustle.” That sounds like me, so I was optimistic.

The company advertises the pants as “go anywhere” and minimalist. They’re weather-resistant and made with four-way stretch fabric. A hidden side seam zip pocket holds a key or a small wad of bills. They sell on the Cotopaxi website for $100.

My pair is grey, with an oddly bright orange waist band.

My thoughts? They’re much heavier fabric than my old pants. I can’t see myself wearing them during summer months. The fit is odd, too, with a slightly long inseam that makes the pants droop below the crotch. And while the pants themselves are loose and comfortable, they narrow significantly at the ankles, so I struggle to get them over my feet when I put them on or take them off.

Still, they’re comfortable and I like them. They’re just not perfect replacements for my old pull-ons.

About Pam

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Barton Springs resumes regular Monday hours – but more lifeguards still needed

Barton Springs resumes regular Monday hours – but more lifeguards still needed

lifeguards still needed

Lifeguards are still needed to fully open Austin’s public pools, but Barton Springs will resume regular Monday hours on Memorial Day. Pam LeBlanc photo

Deep Eddy and Barton Springs pools are expanding their hours, but many Austin pools will remain closed until the city can hire and train more lifeguards.

Barton Springs Pool will resume normal Monday operations beginning Monday, May 30. The shallow side of Deep Eddy Pool will also open at noon on weekdays starting next week, according to a press release from the city of Austin.

But more lifeguards are needed.

Related: Austin looking for summer lifeguards

Right now, the city has 234 trained lifeguards on staff – 31.2 percent of the 750 needed to fully staff city pools.

The city has developed a tiered pool opening schedule to distribute the available workforce. Tier one pools – Barton Springs, Bartholomew, Deep Eddy, Springwoods and Stacy – are open annually.

Pools in the second tier – Balcones, Dick Nichols, Dove Springs, Garrison, Govalle, Montopolis, Northwest, Rosewood, Shipe and Westenfield – will open beginning June 6. But to open those pools on time, the Aquatic Division needs 375 lifeguards ready to work.

Additional pools will open as more lifeguards are hired and trained.

Lifeguards can earn up to $1,250 in bonuses. Pay ranges from $16 to $19 an hour depending on experience and certifications. Guards get paid sick leave, a free bus pass, and flexible scheduling.

Lifeguard job applications, training information and bonus details can be found at lifeguardAustin.com.’’

For more information go here.

About Pam

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The Kammok field blanket – a quilt, ground cover, poncho and sleeping bag all in one?

The Kammok field blanket – a quilt, ground cover, poncho and sleeping bag all in one?

Kammok field blanket

Pam LeBlanc test drives a Kammok field blanket that doubles as a poncho. Chris LeBlanc photo

I thought Kammok just made hammocks, but it recently added something called a field blanket to its product lineup.

The company sent one over for me to check out. I’d rather lay in a pool of cool water than cover myself with a blanket right now, but I did take the Kammok field blanket out of its carrying pouch and throw it down on the lawn for a nap.

Things to notice: One side of the blanket is soft microfleece, perfect for snuggling on cold days. (What are those?) The other is slick ripstop polyester. For what it’s worth, the microfleece side grabbed all the little oak tassles on my lawn, the ripstop side didn’t.

Instead of a solid color blanket, Kammok sent me one in rust, olive green, cream, mustard, and pink – the colors of Big Bend. It sells for $109.95.

The Kammok field blanket versus the Rumpl version

I’ve seen similar – but slightly different – blankets by competitor Rumpl on shelves of camping stores everywhere lately. Like Kammok’s version, Rumpl’s blankets are weatherproof and cozy – but they don’t have a microfleece side, and they’re more like a puffy jacket in blanket form. Rumpl has way more designs than Kammok, too, including some cool ones that are themed to our national parks.

Both versions come with little loops in each corner. (Kammok calls them stake out points.) They might come in handy if you need to tether your blanket to the ground on a windy day. Those little loops also allow you to attach it to your hammock, so it stays in position while you sleep.

Kammok field blanket

The Kammok field blanket in a pattern called Palette of Big Bend. Pam LeBlanc photo

The Kammok field blanket I tried measures 86.5 inches by 57 inches and weighed 2 pounds, 4.4 ounces. It featured a hidden pocket (to stash keys?) and a slit in the middle so you can put the blanket over your head and wear it like a poncho. (So fashionable!) In fact, according to the tag attached to the blanket, the Kammok blanket works not only as a ground blanket, top quilt, or poncho, it also works as a sleeping bag by snapping it to another Kammok field blanket.

Don’t ditch your Big Agnes back country bag just yet. This might work for casual napping purposes, but probably not for an overnight on the trail.  If it gets cold or you roll around a lot like I do, you’ll feel like a soft taco with its filling spilling out.

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The Texas Water Safari is a month away, and I’m officially freaking out

The Texas Water Safari is a month away, and I’m officially freaking out

Texas Water Safari

Deb Richardson looks back down a cut near Alligator Lake while scouting the log jams she’ll have to navigate during the Texas Water Safari. . Pam LeBlanc photo

Time for a Texas Water Safari reality check.

We’re a month out, and honestly, I’m freaking out.

After racing the 35-mile Texas River Marathon on Saturday (finished middle of the pack), teammate Debbie Richardson and I explored the cuts and sloughs around Alligator Lake on Sunday, trying to plot a course for the big 260-mile race from San Marcos to Seadrift. (Thanks to Spencer Fuller, who filled a seat in our three-human boat, and to Joel Truitt, who helped us scout.)

For those who’ve never wallowed in channels of waist-deep, coffee-colored water, the cuts are hard to describe. You can get lost in a sea of spiders, mud, and low-hanging branches back there. And there are snakes and alligators.

Plus, it was hot. We sweated. It was windy. It will be hotter and sweatier and windier in a month, during the actual Safari.

texas water safari

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We tramped through weeds, brushed against poison ivy, and startled monster alligator gar, which swirled just below the brown surface of the river. Once, Richardson batted me gently with her paddle to dislodge the gangly-legged spiders hitching a ride on my head. I brushed caterpillars off Fuller’s back. The mud nearly slurped the shoes off my feet. And at one point, we had to hoist our boat over a slippery log blocking the channel.

If water levels drop between now and the race – and they likely will – we may have to bypass the cuts and drag our boat 2 miles down a Jeep trail. That will suck, possibly even worse than feeding it through miles of slough choked by logs, snakes, and the occasional alligator.

texas water safari

Pam LeBlanc relaxes at the finish of the 2019 Texas Water Safari. Chris LeBlanc photo

And I’ve got more to look forward to: Trench foot caused by marinating my tootsies in tepid water for two days straight. Trying to pee into a female urinal in a moving boat. Eating smushed energy bars, soggy potato chips and cold mashed potatoes. A painful rash on my ass. Poison ivy. A weird sun tan. A choppy bay that might eat our boat alive.

I did the race as part of a three-woman team in 2019. Someone remind me why I signed up again…

 

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Watch bats emerge from Bracken Cave tonight

Watch bats emerge from Bracken Cave tonight

 
Bats

If you can’t make it to Bracken Cave in person, you can watch the nightly bat emergence via a Facebook Live event tonight. Photo by Pam LeBlanc

If you can’t get to Bracken Cave near San Antonio to watch the emergence of millions of bats in person, you can do the next best thing – watch them swirl out of the ground by a live streaming event.

Bat Conservation International and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will host a Facebook Live event beginning at 8:20 p.m. tonight on the BCI and TPWD Facebook pages.

Biologists will answer questions live from the audience and talk about the bats. Biologists will also discuss the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act and how it will benefit species of greatest conservation need, like Texas bats, according to a press release from the Parks Department.

Bat Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy  co-manage the 3,462-acre Bracken Cave Preserve, home to the largest bat colony in the world. More than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) live in the cave, and emerge each evening during the summer to eat insects.

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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