Joseph's Tips

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Judy Ann

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Little dogs and little children have little fat to protect them from temperature changes. Protect them both from temperature extremes and protect both from sunburns. My old dog found her sweater today in the laundry lying in piles on the floor and thought that we were going camping. Poor girl, I was just finishing up the wash from our last outing.
 

jason

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Some really great tips here. Thank you everyone. I may just do a little thing for Christmas if this keeps up.
 

Hikenhunter

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Tip#22 10/24/12----Always carry a pair of light shoes/sneakers/moccosins/ slip ons/ etc... on backpacking trips.Change into them as soon as you arrive at your campsite. It feels great after hiking all day to put on some comfy camp shoes.
 

Grandpa

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Tip#22 10/24/12----Always carry a pair of light shoes/sneakers/moccosins/ slip ons/ etc... on backpacking trips.Change into them as soon as you arrive at your campsite. It feels great after hiking all day to put on some comfy camp shoes.
My preference is Crocs as they also do duty as water shoes crossing streams and marshes. I have both Crocs and Teva's but prefer the Crocs because they dry faster and seem to have better grip on slippery river rocks.
 

Grandpa

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Oct 24 Much has been said about water filtering and purification. But the bottom line is STAY HYDRATED. If the situation arises that you are caught out without means to filter or purify, refraining from drinking is the worse thing you can do. Remember the threes, three days without water and you are dead. Just an afternoon hiking with limited water, with plenty of water back in the system before bedtime, has had me shivering and freezing in a good bag for hours until that late water has taken effect.

If forced to drink unclean water, there are certain things to remember. Try to avoid water downstream from beaver dams, mining operations or feedlots. Try to find running water. For springs and small seeps, get as close to the source as possible. If a lake is present, as close to the inlet as possible. But by all means, DRINK.
 

oldsarge

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When filling capped containers with water for drinking, lower the container as deep as possible, then fill from there and recap. This prevent all the little nasty funkroids floating on the top from getting into your container.
 

oldsarge

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Compass tips:

Basic compasses: These are good, inexpensive choices for beginning adventurers, day hikers and backpackers who stick to trails. They have all the essential components but lack some bonus features, such as declination adjustment or a mirror.

Advanced compasses: These are full-featured models with many extras (e.g., mirror, magnifier) that improve accuracy and make navigation easier. They are well worth the added cost if you regularly travel off-trail or deep into the back country.

Accessory compasses: The type found on key rings or watches, or small round compasses with no base plate. They accurately point toward magnetic north, but are designed more for fun and quick reference than serious navigation.

Ferrous metal can distort a compass reading, so be sure to take bearings away from your car, camera or other metallic objects. Magnetic interference can easily alter a compass reading enough to mislead you. So, if you are plotting bearings at a picnic table, check to see if your compass is being exposed to metal bolts or brackets that may affect its accuracy. Electrical fields (a running car engine, for example) can also throw off the accuracy of a compass (true for both floating-needle and digital compasses).

Be careful where you store a compass. For example, do not store a compass on top of a stereo speaker, which is equipped with a powerful magnet, or a place exposed to strong electric current. Do not place it in your pocket next to your cell phone. Over time, such exposure could demagnetize the needle. A compass responds to the dominant magnetic fields in its vicinity; you want it to be the earth's.

Be aware of regional magnetic zones. Compasses not only need to be held level to "swing" properly, they need to be appropriate for the latitude. In general, the earth has 5 different magnetic "dip" zones. These areas can cause a compass needle to drag against the housing, affecting the accuracy of a bearing. Fortunately, the contiguous United States all falls within the same magnetic dip zone.

Note: Most compasses correct for dip by slightly unbalancing the needle. This works fine as long as you stay near the same latitude. If you visit a place with a much different latitude (say, the Southern Hemisphere), your compass may not work properly. Some compasses are specially designed to work anywhere on the planet.
 
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Pathfinder1

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Hi...


True or False:

Hikers get lost more than any other group of outdoor recreationists.

Gino Ferri, PhD from Ontario, says the vast majority of lost people are hunters (56 percent), anglers (24 percent) trappers (12 percent), the others (8 percent) being hikers.
 

ponderosa

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I keep a few large trash bags stuffed in the pockets of every backpack I use, especially daypacks. They are useful in a number of practical ways, and also handy in a survival scenario. They can be used as a rain poncho or windbreaker. Use as a pack cover or pack liner. Protect your bear bag from rain. You can use one to add a waterproof layer to an emergency A-frame or lean-to shelter. Fill one with leaves and sleep in it. Use it to construct a solar still for collecting water when none is available. Melt snow without a stove by putting in a black bag in the sun. Collect rain water. And then, ya know, pick up trash.
 

charley

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I hope no one on this site needs this tip, but I can remember when my younger brother got out of the army and I had to tell him. Do not dig a trench for rain around your tent, we select our sights so rain is not a problem. Look and think before selecting a site to pitch your tent.
 

Hikenhunter

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Tip#23 10/25/12---- When hiking either for the day or for several days carry a hiking stick or use a pair of hiking/ski poles. I prefer my 5 foot hiking stick to the ski poles but to each his own. On long walks you can set your pace to a rythm using the stick or poles. This helps you move along smoothly and conserves energy vs. stumbling and bumbling along the trail. The stick serves as a third leg to help you gain ground moving uphill and it serves as a brake when going downhill. It can help maintain your balance when crossing streams. There are many other uses for a hiking stick but I will end my tip with these. One thing I like to do is I have collected hiking staff medallions from many of the trails i have hiked and decorated my stick with them. They are great reminders of the places I've hiked and camped and of the small accomplishments that are dear to my heart.
 

ponderosa

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Be sure to unbuckle your waist belt before beginning any water crossing over about a foot deep, no matter how benign the crossing appears. You want to be able to get out of the pack should you fall in, so it doesn't become an anchor dragging you under. You can always try to retrieve your pack downstream, after you are safely out of the water. Falling in a fast current, strapped into a pack, is an excellent way to drown.
 

Grandpa

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Hi...


A survival DINNER NOTE:

A handful of roasted, large grasshoppers has nearly the same number of calories and protein as a hamburger...!!
On a cub scout hike, one of the little urchins was grabbing and eating all the grasshoppers he could, raw. He claimed they were quite tasty and quite filling. I took his word for it.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t He must have gotten quite a few because he only ate one hotdog at the campfire. I later apologized to his mother about letting him and checked to see if he was okay. She said he was fine and he did that all the time.
 

Grandpa

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Oct 25 The Chia Seed is an amazing food. For centuries many have used the seeds for a host of different reasons. Native Americans would take a pouch of seeds and a gourd of water on their trips. The seeds were their food source and taken with the water they would hydrate their bodies for endurance. When you hydrate the seeds in water the seeds shell opens up and absorbs up to nine times its volume in water. This then forms a gel, which is called Chia Seed Gel. The gel helps keep your body hydrated. The gel is also 90% soluble fiber, which is beneficial for your digestive track. People use the seeds when they are involved in sports or physical activities for endurance.

I have tried chia seeds at home, with a couple of tsp full in a pint of water and it does seem filling and I don't seem to lack for energy, (well, no more than normal:tinysmile_twink_t2:zzzzzzzz) but as yet have chickened out on depending on them for an extended hike.
 

Pathfinder1

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On a cub scout hike, one of the little urchins was grabbing and eating all the grasshoppers he could, raw. He claimed they were quite tasty and quite filling. I took his word for it.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t He must have gotten quite a few because he only ate one hotdog at the campfire. I later apologized to his mother about letting him and checked to see if he was okay. She said he was fine and he did that all the time.



Hi...


Thanks for my pee em chuckle, Grandpa. I wouldn't eat them raw, though, as you never can tell where their tiny, little hands have been...!!

(I was referring to the grasshoppers)...!!
 
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Hikenhunter

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Tip #24 10/26/12----When planning a hike you need to know the limitations of your partners. Use this info. to plan each day. REMEMBER The slowest hiker in your group is working the hardest of everyone .
 
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Grandpa

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Oct 26 And my last tip this month. Off to a bowling tournament for the weekend, then going directly to a camp out for a week.

Don't discount those little 99 cent ponchos that are smaller than a deck of cards. They will work if needed and they make a great pack cover in camp. Just slide the poncho over the pack backwards, then the face opening in the hood matches the hanging loop so the pack can be hung. Low elevation summer rains may be refreshing but above 9000 feet, they are downright chilly. So an ounce or so for two of these means leaving my 22 oz rainsuit home during those summer months when rain is not expected.
 

Pathfinder1

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Hi...


Today's tip:

What are some uses for Mil-type canvas straps of varying lengths?

1) Can be used to fasten items to the outside of your pack...items like your sleeping bag, water bottles, etc.

2) Longer ones can be used as a tump line, for example.

3) Can be used to 'tie' together the top of branches of your emergency A-frame shelter.

4) Can be used as a temporary tourniquet (the Military is experimenting with tourniquets built into their battle uniforms).
 

charley

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Fall is upon us. That means colder water. If you are going to be in any kind of boat, canoe, raft, whatever: make sure you wear a life vest (PFD). If you do end up in the water this can save your life. Remember that pulling your knees to your chest, if alone, or huddling in a group helps conserve heat as well. That colder water can be a killer.
 
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