My Book! Out Now!
random.org picked Matthew Sawyer as the winner, congrats!
Last summer things were a bit slow here at HuskyHiker.com, but I was busy. I was working on a guidebook for Falcon Guides (Globe Pequot Press) featuring 20 easy day hikes in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Most weekends were spent on the trail exploring some great places and talking with other hikers learning a lot about the area. Weeknights were spent in the library editing GPS routes into maps and writing about the weekend’s adventures. I visited a bunch of neat places and shared the best of the best in the book. Although a lot of work now that I get to see it in print it proves worth it. I can’t wait to get back out on some of these hikes again this year… Who know maybe I will see you on the trail!
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photo by sierrasportsmen
June 4 & 5 2011 — STATEWIDE FREE FISHING WEEKEND! Take a friend or family member fishing for free–you won’t need a fishing license to fish any waterbody statewide for these two days! It is time well spent with family and friends. Your purchase of a fishing license directly supports fishing, stocking, education and fish habitat management programs.
Photo by Gerry Gosselin
The Map, Compass and Survival Course is one of the “advanced skills” courses offered by the MA Hunter Education Program. Courses are traditionally held once/month on a Saturday from April – October, Visit MassWildlife for more info on Compass & Survival Course offerings. All Courses are free of charge.
Gerry attended the class last year and shared his story in a guest post titled “The ‘L’ Word – You Should Never Get “Lost””
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I saw this little about me questionnaire over at First Class Great Outdoors and figured it would be fun… So here ya go a bit about me…
A – Age: I’m 30 years old, they say 30 is the new 20 but I don’t buy it…
B – Bed Size: Queen.
C – Chore You Dislike: I dislike all chores, dishes and laundry mostly.
D – Dogs: Read more »
You Sweat You Die
Wearing Cotton – Cotton is great for bombing around town or the trip to the mall. It is soft and comfortable but once cotton is wet, it stays wet and loses any insulating properties. If the summer nothing is worse than your sweat drenched clammy cotton shirt sticking to you. Pick wicking clothing; you can even find wicking sport shirts and underwear at Walmart.
Wearing too Many Layers – Piling on a bunch of layers before heading out is great, just don’t over do it. What is the point if a mile into the hike you are going to over heat and have to shed a layer? I keep a record of what I wear and the temperature so I can look back and compare for current conditions.
Bundle Up When You Stop – When you stop hiking, you lose body heat fast, epically if it is windy. Bundle up when you stop for food or to take a break to avoid the chills. Once the chills set in it is hard to get rid of them…
Sweating – Les Stroud says it best “if you sweat, you die”. Sweat is your body’s way of removing excess heat through evaporation. After sweating when the temp drops the chills set in and can quickly lead to hyperthermia.
Another great outdoor book made movie is out on disk today. 127 hours (Between a Rock and a Hard Place) is an inspirational story about Aron Ralston who spent 5 days trapped with his right arm pinned under a fallen bolder. He does the inevitable to free himself saving his life.
The movie does a great job at telling the story and keeping you on the edge of your seat. The cinematography is truly a work of art, capturing the pain and struggles Aron must have faced… Do not hesitate to pick this movie up. Available to purchase today on DVD and Blu-ray.
by silent stereo
Making the transition from car camping to wilderness camping and backpacking leaves the question about bathrooms… Believe it or not you are going to have to go in the woods, you are going to have to dig a hole and bury it and maybe even pack it out… Let’s dive umm.. head first into this semi-taboo subject.
Most privies are gross. We all hate using them but when they are available please use them… They place them in areas of high traffic to keep the area clean, if they are used it works!
Urinating in the woods is pretty self explanatory. You just need to pick a spot at least 200 feet from any trail, camp, or body of water such as lakes and streams. Women have it a bit harder than the guys here. Avoiding pee in the boots can be a challenge Read more »
photo by gregor_y
Your first aid kit should be more than a few ibuprofen and a couple band aids. How much you choose to take is really up to group size and the length of the trip. Do you need the same kit on a 2 mile hike with the family as you would on a seven day trip in Alaska, I doubt it? Should you still bring the kit with you on the family hike? Most definitely…
Items that can be used elsewhere are best for you kit. So think out side the box. For instance, you already have 20 feet of duct tape on your hiking poles do you need more? The hand sanitizer you have on your hip belt can be a great first aid item.
You could have the best most well stocked first aid kit in the world and it will not do you a bit of good without proper training. Everyone should take a wilderness first aid course NOLS and SOLO both offer wilderness first aid courses. If you can’t take a course at least buy a good book on wilderness first aid and READ it!
Here is my suggested list of first aid kit items, keep in mind this is not a survival kit… Read more »
Trashed Campsite
Leave No Trace, also known as LNT is something we should all follow to the best of our ability in the backcountry. Keeping the land that we love as pristine as possible for other to enjoy for many years to come.
The beginnings of can be traced back the 1970’s and 1980’s when the US Forest Service and the National Park Service started to teach their visitors how to have less impact on the land. The Sierra Club, Boy Scouts of America, and the National Outdoor Leadership School had all played a big role in what LNT is today.
Leave No Trace can be summed up in seven principles,
1. Plan Ahead and Prepare: Plan your trip thoroughly, when presented with unexpected situations most resort to solutions that can degrade the outdoors or put themselves at risk. Common scenarios are improperly located campsites, excessive trash, and improper campfires.
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: Damage to land when surface vegetation is trampled takes a long time and lots of work to repair. Trampled land leads to unusable campsites and soil erosion. Keeping pets leashed is helpful to this principle. Plants grow by the inch but die by the foot! In high use areas LNT suggests people hike and camp together to avoid further damage. In areas of little use or off trail travel LNT suggests spreading out when hiking and camping to avoid new trial, and campsite creation. Read more »
Kako IceTrekkers Diamond Grips
I will be comparing Kako IceTrekkers Diamond Grips to Yaktrax because they are closest in price, and I am familiar with Yaktrax.
First Thoughts
They came in a simple plastic bag with a product insert. The Diamond Grips are much beefier than Yaktrax. By design no rubber parts are underfoot. Wielded chains attach the rubber to wire loops holding the metal “diamonds”. Diamond Grips are bit heavier (12oz vs 8oz) then Yaktrax at but one would expect them to be and worth the weight for the added durability.
Putting them on
Diamond Grips have no left or right pair so no need to keep track. They slip on just like Yaktrax. The rubber is a bit stronger so a little more pull is required. The easiest way to put them on is to slip your toe Read more »
giveaways, hikes, hiking, outdoors | Husky Hiker - Jim Bradley | 
3/29/2011 7:00 PM | 
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