And pull on your wool socks and gather clothes around the fire.

New Belgian Brewing Company toasts to the season with their Belgian inspired glassware, full

of tubelow winter ale, a tasty winter warmer with a hoppy palate.

While the weather outside may be frightful, the beer inside is delightful.

New Belgium encourages you to follow your folly to NewBelgium.com where hoppy sing-alongs,

give a bowl glassware, and cheer can be found.

For the additional support from Kuwait Racks in Patagonia, this is the shorts, and you're

listening to The Dirt Back Diaries.

In July of 2008, fresh out of university, I packed two bags and drove west from Canada's

East Coast.

I left the car I was driving with a friend in the Canadian Rockies, then made my way to

Squamish, and from there, gradually down the coast, climbing and traveling with dirt

bags.

For the first time in my life, I was traveling with no set plans.

My goals were to climb a bit harder and do some longer hikes.

Through the process, I hoped to learn about myself.

I thought I'd get this out of the mountains, but as it turned out, some things I learned

on the highway.

Near the end of my trip on October 30th, I left the Grand Canyon.

After a week of backpacking in Arizona, I planned to hitchhike along the interstate

into California, getting off the needles, and taking back roads for 180 miles through

the Mojave Desert.

...