Powder your crack. Really, I mean, that’s it right there. When I sat down to write this first entry, to christen campstew.com, I was planning to wax philosophical about how reducing the friction on a hike is comparable to keeping your life flowing smoothly, simple and clean and free of unnecessary encumbrance. But you know what? The greatest truths often go unsaid. So I’m saying, a dry crack is a happy crack. Bottom line. And while a happy crack may not be the best life has to offer, an unhappy one sure as heck is down there among the worst.

So powder your crack before you hit the trail. That’s a life lesson for you right there, junior.

—the warthog