Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, anywhere in the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is often described as a “game of high-tech hide and seek”, sharing many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, and letterboxing.

Archive

Archiving a cache removes the listing from public view. This action is usually taken when a cache owner does not intend to replace a cache after it has been removed. As an alternative to archiving, the cache owner can temporarily disable their cache if they plan to provide maintenance on the cache or replace the container within one month.

Benchmark

Using your GPS unit and/or written directions provided by NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS), you can seek out NGS survey markers and other items that have been marked in the USA.

BYOP

Bring Your Own Pen/Pencil. An acronym often used by cache owners to communicate to other geocachers that you will need to bring your writing utensil in order to sign the cache logbook.

CITO

Cache In Trash Out is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community. Since 2002, geocachers have been dedicated to cleaning up parks and other cache-friendly places around the world.

DNF

Did Not Find. An acronym used by geocachers to state that they did not find a cache. This is also a type of online log on Geocaching.com and is useful for alerting cache owners of potential issues. Cache owners who repeatedly receive “Did Not Find” logs should check to see that there cache has not been removed.

D/T

Geocaches are rated in two categories, each designated on a 5-point scale. Difficulty relates to the mental challenge of finding a cache and terrain describes the physical environment. A 1/1 difficulty/terrain rating would the easiest cache to find, while a 5/5 difficulty/terrain rating would be the most difficult.

FTF

First to Find. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds to denote being the first to find a new geocache.

Ground Zero (GZ)

The point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the cache location. At Ground Zero, you are zero feet (or zero meters) away from your destination.

Muggle

A non-geocacher. Based on “Muggle” from the Harry Potter series, which is a non-magical person. Usually this term is used after a non geocacher looks puzzled after befriending a geocacher searching for a cache, or when a non-geocacher accidentally finds a cache. Geomuggles are mostly harmless.

SWAG

An acronym often referred to as standing for ‘Stuff We All Get.” It includes the trade items left in caches by geocachers.

TFTC

Thanks For The Cache. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds.

TFTH

Thanks For The Hide

TNLN

Took Nothing. Left Nothing. Usually written in cache logbooks by geocachers who do not trade for material contents in a cache.

TNLNSL / TNSL

Took Nothing. Left Nothing. Signed Logbook / Took Nothing. Signed Logbook.

TOTT

Tools of the Trade. An acronym used for any of the tools that might be used to search for/retrieve/find/log a geocache.

For more info on geocaching or to get caching head over to geocaching.com 

View from the top of Bare Mountain

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – Rescue crews from Amherst and South Hadley have rescued a man who fell 25 feet off a trail at Mount Holyoke Range State Park.

It happened at around 11:30 P.M. Wednesday at the M&M Trail, one of the highest and steepest points at Mount Holyoke Range State Park.

According to Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson, 22 year-old Scott Merrick of South Hadley, and a female companion were there together when Merrick suddenly fell.

The woman called police and a rescue was launched. Rescue personnel set up a command center at the visitors center building.

Around 12:30 A.M., Merrick was located. Rescuers lifted him free using a system of ropes and pulleys, freeing him around 4:00.

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Read the full story at wwlp.com

UPDATE: Hiker in good condition after fall

The Five College Outdoor Festival is a yearly celebration of outdoor sports, wild places, and the spirit of adventure. Our goal is to inspire the Five College and western Massachusetts community to engage in human-powered outdoor recreation. Activities at the festival, in celebration of our 11th year, include: an adventure race, pancake brunch, climbing competition, kayaking in the pool with Zoar Outdoor, spinning with Energia, and the Telluride Mountain Film On Tour! A silent auction and a raffle will be held during the day to raise money for Gardening the Community in Springfield, MA and the Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition (WMCC).

The Day’s Happenings: 

Try a kayak with Zoar Outdoor
Expert instruction from the professional instructors of Zoar Outdoor. Zoar will be bringing many new 2012 kayaks for folks to try out! 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Robert Crown Center pool, Hampshire College. $5.00 donation for the WMCC and Gardening the Community. Open to any high school or college student 16* or older. Must sign waiver and have proof of insurance.

Pancake Brunch
Free to race, climbing competition, and kayaking participants. $4.00 for others. 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

All Conditions, All Fun Adventure Race: Free event
Registration 9:30 a.m.  Race Time: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Compete in a fun and challenging adventure race around the Hampshire College campus. Navigate from point to point on the Hampshire campus. Includes a mystery event! Map and compass skills are not required, but may be helpful! Singles and teams from the Five Colleges and community are welcome. A special prize will be awarded to the top-scoring college. All participants must provide their own gear.

Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Robert Crown Center, Hampshire College. Open to any high school or college student 16 years* or older. Must sign waiver and have proof of insurance.

$5.00 donation for the charities appreciated.

You can find the race rules here.

Climbing Competition and Silent Auction

Climbing Competition: 1-4 p.m. $5.00 donation to benefit the WMCC
Open to any high school or college student 16* or older. Must have your own shoes, harness, and belay device. 1-4 p.m., Robert Crown Center, Hampshire College. Must sign waiver and have proof of insurance.

Spinning with Energia
Two 50-minute workshops will be offered for folks wanting to spin on our stationary bicycles. No experience necessary. First come, first serve; limit 14 persons per session. Workshop #1: 1-1:50 p.m.  Workshop #2: 2:10-3 p.m. Must be 16 years* or older. Must sign waiver and have proof of insurance. $5.00 Donation to the charities appreciated!

Chair Massage
Come meet local massage therapist Lauren Abend. She’ll be offering free chair massages from 10-3 p.m. Donation to the charities appreciated!

Martial Arts Demonstration: 10:30 a.m., Robert Crown Center Playing Floor! Marion Taylor and Sam Kanner. A short introduction to Shotokan Karate, Aikido, Kyudo and Iaido!

Telluride Mountain Film On Tour

An action-packed 3-hour adventure film series. Come enjoy great short movies and raise money for a good cause with the always popular intermission raffle!

$10 Admission (1 raffle ticket included). Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
FREE to Hampshire, Smith, Amherst, and Mount Holyoke Students with valid school ID.

7-10 p.m., Franklin Patterson Hall, Hampshire College.

Dean Potter - One Crazy Man!

Just watching clips of this guy make me a nervous and want to throw up a little, I’m not sure I can take a full show of watching his crazy adventures…

One of the world’s most renowned rock climbers, Dean is also an adventurer and nature enthusiast who leaps off cliffs and mountains while wearing a special “wingsuit” that helps him soar before deploying a parachute and then landing.  In 2009, he set a world record when he scaled the Eiger Mountain in the Swiss Alps and leapt from an 8,800-foot drop, spending almost 3 minutes in flight.

Now, Dean embarks on a new adventure. His goal: climb Mount Bute, a 9,000-foot granite wall on Canada’s western coastline … and then jump.  Before Dean attempts the record-setting flight from Bute — which is about seven times as tall as the Empire State Building — he has three months to perfect his technique, design his wingsuit and prepare himself mentally.

The Man Who Can Fly premieres Sunday, February 12, at 8 PM ET/PT on National Geographic Channel

Man Who Can Fly Trailer

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/extras/explorer-2/ngc-the-man-who-can-fly/

Photo by Chris White - Beantownfstop.com

My friend Chris called me up and wanted to find someplace neat to explore. After some thinking I remembered the old abandoned quarry in Becket, MA… I checked this place out when writing the book, but it didn’t make the cut.  It is plenty cool just not easy to give navigation directions.  Chris brought his camera gear and got some neat shots – check them out over at his blog BeantownFStop.com.

Here is a little more about the Quarry from the Becket Land Trust website:

The quarry, known during its operating days as the Chester-Hudson Quarry, played a key role in the early development of the Town of Becket and the surrounding area. Granite from this quarry was used for monuments in many states. The quarry was operational from the 1860′s to the 1960′s.

When the quarry was abandoned, much of the equipment and structures were left just as it was (as if the quarrymen had gone for lunch and never returned). The site has stayed the same, plus some rust, until now.

The Historic Quarry and Forest is open year round, dawn to dusk, and admission is free to the public.

You can find directions, maps and all kinds of other info on their website: Becket Land Trust

Find BeantownFstop:

• Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beantownfstop/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/beantownfstop
•  http://beantownfstop.com

Photo by eliduke

Dr. Welch is a professor of pediatrics at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. He is also a licensed professional guide, a certifying instructor (and field course instructor) for the Wilderness Education Association and a member of the Wilderness Medical Society. Welch has drunk from many water sources with no filter other than his teeth.

While at the University of Cincinnati, Welch conducted a 1995 survey where 48 of 50 U.S. state health departments responded to a questionnaire about giardiasis in their jurisdictions, the agencies studied 80 outbreaks of giardiasis in 1991; 19 outbreaks were linked to contaminated water, and just two were associated with campers or backpackers.

Two departments considered water-associated giardiasis to be a problem for backpackers in their jurisdiction, though the study found neither had any data to reinforce the claim.

“This was a classic food/hand epidemic in all respects,” Welch says.

For Easy Access

Poor hygiene, Welch believes, is the real issue, as he explained in a 2004 article that appeared in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine:

“If our objective is to protect the backcountry user from enteric [intestinal] infection,” he wrote, “then we should emphasize the overwhelming evidence showing that assiduous hand-washing or using alcohol-based hand cleansers is by far the most important strategy. It must be impressed upon backpackers (just as it is impressed upon health care, food industry, and daycare workers) that stopping hand-to-mouth spread is the key to preventing gastrointestinal infection.”

With all that being said should you still treat or filter your water?  I say yes! I think it is better to be safe.  Most of the east has been farmed at one time or another at all elevations so animal contamination is likely. Using a filter, steri-pen, or drops, always a good choice.

Most importantly I think using an alcohol based hand sanitizer on the trail is crucial.  I can’t count the times I have seen people digging

Sanitize! Sanitize! Sanitize!

into their bag of GORP with dirty hands.  When the back to school products hit the shelves you can usually find convenient hand sanitizer lanyard that you can attach to your packs hip belt strap for easy access.  You should always sanitize after bathroom breaks and before meals.

How do you treat your water in the backcountry?  Do you carry sanitizer?

Enjoy the Outdoors!

Saturday September 24 2011, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, along with 31 other trail clubs will be launching Family Hiking Day. In part, supported by REI, Family Hiking Day is a great opportunity to get families to enjoy the outdoors together. The event will be held on National Public Lands Day and coordinating with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.

So I urge you to grab your family and head outside. Whether it be a short stroll with the grandparents or an all day hike with the super fit family spend some time together in the best place of all… in the woods!

The ATC has a few links to help your family plan a hike:

• A list of family friendly hikes – including some guided hikes led by Appalachian Trail Clubs
• Guidelines for planning a family hike
• Games and activities that you can bring with while you’re out on the Trail.
• A place to submit your family hike story and for a chance to win prizes.

If you are looking to plan a hike in Western, MA I can help pick a hike for your family, just contact me.
If you do participate I would love to have you share your family hike story here at huskyhiker.com… contact me!

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!

Buy a Copy.

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…

• loperamide – anti diarrhea
• ibuprofen or acetaminophen – for pain, swelling, fever, etc.
• antihistamine – for bug bites and reactions
• water purification tablets – you never know when the filter will break
• hand sanitizer – for cleaning wounds, tools, hands, etc.
• antibiotic ointment – wound treatment
• zinc oxide – rash prevention and treatment
• sun block – avoid sun burn
• bug repellent – avoid biting and annoying bugs
• moleskin – blister treatment
• band aids – small wound treatment
• 2”x3” gauze – small wound treatment
• wound closure strips – medium wound treatment
• duct tape – wound, blister treatment, etc.
• powdered drink mix – energy, electrolyte replacement
• tweezers or a tick remover – to remove embedded ticks, thorns, splinters, etc.
• safety pins – fasten slings out of clothing
• razor blade – multi purpose
• bandanna – slings, splints, etc.
• WFA cheat sheet – Here is a great one

Be creative when packaging your kit.  Use Ziploc bags or Ez Does Pill Pouches. Whatever you use make sure it is water tight and durable.  A lot of people like to use individually packaged items some can be found at the pharmacy but I suggest checking out minimus.biz

Make sure to check your first aid kit before heading out to make sure nothing needs refilling.

What do you pack for first aid? How do you pack it? Please share your tips…

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.

Ultimate Waste

3. Dispose of Waste Properly: Even though most trash and litter are more of a social impact rather than long term ecological impact it still rates high on backcountry concern. Always pack out what you pack in, remove as much packaging at home to reduce the amount of trash you have at camp. Waste water should be disposed of as far away from natural water sources as possible and avoid using soap or detergents. Human waste should be buried in catholes 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from trails, water, and camp.

How long does it stay?

• Paper: 2-4 Weeks
• Banana Peel: 3-5 Weeks
• Wool Cap: 1 Year
• Cigarette Butt: 2-5 Years
• Disposable Diaper: 10-20 Years
• Hard Plastic Container: 20-30 Years
• Rubber Boot Sole: 50-80 Years
• Tin Can: 80-100 Years
• Aluminum Can: 200-400 Years
• Plastic 6-pack Holder: 450 Years
• Glass Bottles: Lots and Lots of Years.

4. Leave What You Find: Leaving rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts and other neat objects will allow other hikers a sense of discovery. Take only pictures leave only footprints! Avoid clearing land, digging tent trenches, hammering nails into trees, and felling trees for firewood.

5. Minimize Use and Impact of Fire: Use camp stoves rather than fires, many areas have been seriously degraded by overuse of

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fires. The demand for firewood strips an area of all fallen trees and the area becomes trampled. Use only existing fire rings or construct your fire in such a way that there will be no evidence of it have ever been constructed after you leave.

6. Respect Wildlife: If enough people approach, interfere, and feed wildlife, it can be disruptive to animal populations as well as dangerous to future campers.

7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors: Following hiking etiquette allows visitors to enjoy the wilderness with minimal impact on each other.

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Simple hiking etiquette can go a long way in making trail experience more enjoyable. Most state parks have rules and regulations posted but trail etiquette is a bit more.

Share the trail – Common rule is bikers yield to horses and hikers. Hikers yield to horses and horses yield to none.  This is the common rule. I like to yield to bikers as well. I feel it is safer this way.  Greet others as you pass. Uphill hikers should yield to downhill hikers.

Leave only footprints and take only pictures AKA leave no trace – Taking rocks, carving trees, damaging plants, etc. Not cool man, don’t ruin it for the next people! Even biodegradables like orange and banana peals should be packed out.

Stay on marked trails – This keeps you safe and protects flora and fauna. Even when navigating a tricky area like a big puddle, stay on the trail, get them boots wet.  Staying on the trail helps prevent further trail erosion.

Keep the noise to a minimum – Noise travels in the wilderness, others might be trying to enjoy the quiet.

Clean up after pets – Bag the poop and carry it out.

Keep a leash on your pet – Use it when others are around. Not everyone loves your muddy dog as much as you!

Report any problems to park authorities – trail damage, vandalism, suspicious people, etc.  The rangers will thank you.

Survive!

I finally finished up the original survival man Les Stroud’s book Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive.  As a fan of his show I really wanted to read the book.  If you watched the show the book just reiterates most of was covered in episodes of the show, just more in depth.  Les goes into detail about water, shelter, food, navigation, etc. for various locations worldwide.   The best part of the advice he offers is you know it is tested and true. Les has spent years in the wilderness practicing his skills.

In the book, he covers building survival kits for auto, home and wilderness.  If you carried everything he recommends on every day hike you would have legs of steel.

The book was informative and kept me entertained. The added survival stories were fun to read. If you are a Les Stroud fan pick it up.  Survive! Would make a great gift for anyone who loves the outdoors.

(Author’s Note: I use a few keywords in the place of actual names as the names are interchangeable. This is for every outdoors-man and almost every #sport# out there.)

You will read many articles/books/magazines on #SPORT# and most will emphasize not skimping on the gear and equipment you will use. While this is true for specific sports (rock-climbing, for instance), most of the gear tends to be variable based on budget and does not have to be the latest and greatest pieces you read about in #SPORT# magazine. If you are truly a beginner, you may not have even experienced #SPORT# and need to identify if you are truly cut out for it.

Whether you are truly a beginner, or an intermediate or advanced outdoors-man on a budget, there are several possible sources we do not consider when purchasing clothing, footwear, gear and equipment. The purpose of this article is to remind you of the other opportunities waiting out there.

THRIFT STORES
Yes, I said thrift stores. Sure, you can buy the top-of-the-line fashionable clothing and footwear for #SPORT#, but what is the product’s condition after your first outing? Are they still pristine as when you found them on that high-dollar rack? Have you just had your first experience and found you have no interest in continuing #SPORT# and wonder why you threw all that money into clothing that will end up in the garage?

I recently hit up a few stores and managed to get two Columbia shirts, one REI branded shirt, and a Field & Stream shirt, all for less than $20 combined. These were a steal considering not one of them would have been found for less than $20 individually at most retail stores.

THE STAND-ALONE DEPARTMENT STORE
Some of those high-volume, low-price stores have decent products for the beginner that does not hurt the wallet. Honestly, if you find you are really into #SPORT#, you will throw down the money later for the real serious stuff and keep the cheaper stuff for other uses.

I was planning for my first hiking trip and happened upon a clearance rack at Target. I did not go looking for hiking shoes (my wife was looking for something for herself) and I saw them… a pair of Cherokee hiking shoes, exactly my size, only pair they had and I walked out of there with my first hiking shoes for only $6. I have since bought better ones, but not spent much more. I just knew when I found those shoes that I was going hiking and my plans truly solidified.

ONLINE OUTFITTERS (specifically, their outlet/clearance section)
Watch these websites regularly if you are trying to net that one canoe, backpack, cooking gear that would complete your next #SPORT# trip. There can be some fantastic deals if you know where to look. And many offer free shipping to a nearby bricks-and-mortar store.

PAWN SHOPS
This is not a bad place to find some special gear for your next #SPORT# trip. Rock climbing gear, rafting equipment, high-end backpacks, all can be pawned off and you can be the lucky owner of what you need for a fraction of the retail price. Just do a little reading up to be sure the gear is actually complete and not missing key components.

I would like to take up canoeing or rafting and plan on looking into pawn shops (the next item on my list will actually be my first place to look).

CRAIGSLIST or FREECYCLE or #OtherFreeAdSite#.com
This is one of the best methods of getting gear you need for that next trip (or the one after that). Not only is it usually nearby, but you can negotiate some great deals. In many cases, it will be cheaper than through the pawn shops, and the equipment may be very well kept (you can sometimes judge that by the appearance of the home).

BRICK-AND-MORTAR OUTFITTER RENTALS
Let us not forget that many of these outfitters understand that we may not be ready to lay down the cash for a new sport and provide the ability for you to rent some of the larger pieces of equipment (kayaks, boats and canoes come to mind). This can save your #SPORT# trip budget for other necessities and allow for you to try some of the better gear before you buy.

OFF-SEASON PURCHASES
(This one was suggested by my wife and I had completely forgot that I do this one a lot). If you know ahead of time that you plan on your first #sport# trip next year, try to catch the gear you need on sale/clearance as it becomes out-of-season. This is an excellent way to catch short-sleeve shirts as fall approaches and long sleeves come out and vice-versa. I don’t know how many times I’ve purchased clothing that I wasn’t going to wear for 6 months, but knew I would when that season came round again.

WORDS OF CAUTION
The only necessity you do not get with these purchases (except in the case of the department store, online outfitters clearance or rentals) is a warranty in case of damage, missing parts, etc.

If you have a chance, look up online the exact item and find out what gear/parts should come with the equipment. Then, you will know if a part is missing or something is actually damaged or completely broken. If missing, they may be able to locate it before you drive all the way to purchase it, or it may get discounted to a point where you are willing to live without the missing (AND noncritical) part or can replace it on your own.

CONCLUSION
Whatever you do, if you have the true desire to pursue #SPORT# and the ability to pay top-notch, then, by all means, get the best stuff you can buy because it may save your life if it is one of the more extreme sports. If not, use caution, be better prepared, and budget for the beefier options in a later purchase.

Just do not forget there are these options out there for the budget-conscious and when you decide to stop #SPORT#, or you do purchase the better gear, do your fellow budgeted outdoors-man or outdoors-woman a favor and post the older (but well-cared-for) equipment on Craigslist or at your local pawn store. Pay it forward, in a sense.

Photo by Gerry Gosselin

Guest post by Gerry Gosselin
Want to be a guest poster on HuskyHiker.com?  E-mail me

Every hiker should have a compass right? Eventually I got around to picking one out, not because I felt I needed it, but because I’m a gadget whore and that itch needed to be scratched. A Suunto A-10 found it’s way into my possession for about $15 US. Then it sat in my bag for 2 years barely getting any use. I’m a novice day trip hiker who usually sticks to marked trails. Every now and then I get turned around but the areas I hike in Western MA don’t usually extend more than 10 miles in any direction before hitting a road. Getting truly lost was never a concern, only a minor nuisance.

This last Saturday June 12, 2010 I took a Compass, Map, Survival Course offered free by the State of Massachusetts. It’s a 10 hour course, half classroom and half in the field. The course was light on survival but very detailed on the map and compass work. If I took anything away from the course it’s that you will never ever use the ‘L’ word (lost) again as long as you have your trusty compass and map. The course really changed the way I think about hiking in the woods. Here are a few benefits I can see to truly knowing and practicing map and compass navigation.

1. Who needs it when everyone has a GPS? The obvious answer is GPS batteries die, GPS units die, and GPS reception will probably be flaky when you need it the most. A compass is a non-electronic analog device powered by the Earth itself. You can submerge it in water and it will likely outlive you. No one is saying throw out your GPS in favor of a compass. Having a backup for a critical tool is good survival planning. Backup your GPS with a solid compass and detailed map and you’ll never be lost again.

2. GPS units point you in a straight line to your destination. But a good 1/24,000 scale contour map will show you the terrain. Observe the contour of the land. Perhaps you’d rather go around a mountain, or avoid scrambling up a cliff, or cross a river at a bridge. Good map skills can get you where you need to go safer and easier. That is, until Google starts mapping major hiking trails with traffic data, routing based on elevation, weather patterns, average pace, and Calorie efficiency. You know it’s coming.
3. The biggest danger to you when you are turned around in the woods is your own head. You need to keep cool, come up with a plan, and execute it. A map and a compass in hand will instantly reduce your stress level because you aren’t really lost! Your first job is to find where you are on the map. In heavily wooded areas this can be a challenge. But once you hike that peak or find that vista where you can get a good idea of the layout of the land you should be able to find your location. Now you plot your course and make for it. Constantly checking up on your progress with your map and compass is a reassuring thing that will keep you cool and levelheaded. It’s easy for your head to make you believe you need to go in a certain direction. Some may call it intuition, direction sense, or a dangerously over-inflated ego. It can be unnerving when the compass tells you the opposite. After a quick check of your compass to ensure it’s not pointing at your cell phone or wind-up flashlight, you need to put your flawless direction sense aside and trust the compass. Your head can be in a weird place when you’re lost, trust your tools instead.

4. How did you get lost in the first place? Another important thing I learned from the course. Didn’t you plot out where you started and where you were going before you headed into the woods? Did you check your compass and map all along the way? If you fail to use your map and compass from the get-go, your job is much harder. Before you head out study the map, mark it up, plot your course and return trip. If you do these things, use your map, and compass along the way you’ll never get lost in the first place. Everyone likes to be told periodically that they are doing a good job when they are engaged in a difficult task. Your map and compass will be that calm and confident nod of approval every step of the way.

5. Know your pace and keep track of it. I had never thought about this unexpected gem. In the course, we measured how many paces it took to walk 100 feet. A pace is every time your left foot hits the ground. I believe mine was about 21. If the map tells us we need to travel 1500 feet to our next destination, and I’m counting my paces, I will know roughly when I’m in the right area. If I go 2000 feet and still haven’t found my destination then I know perhaps I was too far left or right and went by it, time to backtrack. Smart map and compass users carry rangers beads or pace count beads to keep track of how far they’ve gone. My instructor was nice enough to give me his to keep after the course. It’s some shoe lace and beads but it meant a lot and I’ll never go into the woods without it.

In closing, I’ve read a bit more about this subject in the last two days and there seems to be a bitter distaste for GPS users in this community. I’m an all inclusive kind of guy so if I have a GPS unit AS WELL AS a map and compass I’m going to be a lot happier than having only one or none. I can see the point that a GPS can make you lazy in that you never practice your map and compass skills, and that’s a valid concern. Hell I’ve been hiking for decades and this is the first time I’ve seriously respected the old map and compass combo. I strongly encourage you to get a Sylva style compass (with that transparent internal dial), read a good book or take a course on map and compass use, then practice. Not only can it save your life, it’s pretty fun and rewarding as well. And when the zombie apocalypse comes, you’ll be a survivor!

By the way, I like my Suunto A-10 but the class gave me an appreciation for compasses with a sighting mirror. This Brunton 15TDCL appears to be the bee’s knees. Reviewers have suggested that there are cheap knock-offs of this compass but this model is the original and maintains a high standard of quality. It’s definitely on my list to become my primary compass with my A-10 as a backup.

Photo by: Darren Lone Fight

Guest post by Darren Lone Fight
Want to be a guest poster on HuskyHiker.com?  E-mail me

Day Hiking, Multi-Day Hiking, and Weight

Getting outside and enjoying the outdoors is a great way to maintain and increase fitness levels, burn calories, and has the potential to be a very enjoyable hobby. Nevertheless, the enjoyment can be quickly lost when you’re lugging a pack, pouring sweat, and trying to remember why it is you’re on a trail in the first place. Lowering pack weight, then, becomes a very important component to maximizing your enjoyment of the outdoors and create a positive, healthy experience that you’ll want to repeat in the future. Hiking with a backpack falls very generally into two categories: day hiking and multi-day hiking.

Day hikers don’t need to carry such items as a tent or a sleeping bag, but the pack itself and whatever other supplies that are brought along with the hiker might weigh anywhere from 2-10+ pounds. While this weight is not negligible, it is nevertheless a significantly lighter weight than the average multi-day pack. This article will focus primarily on reducing weight in the larger packs of a multi-day hiker, but most of the general points made here can apply to a lesser degree to the day hiker as well.

For a multi-day hike, one has to carry many supplies for daily use. I’ll be speaking here of a weekend trip, since this is the kind of backpacking trip most of us are able to fit into our schedule (not to exclude the bearded and smelly Appalachian Trail thru-hikers and other multi-week and multi-month hikers). This means a half-day Friday, Saturday, and half-day Sunday (or roughly two full days of supplies). A Base-pack weight for a multi-day hike of this nature includes the “Big Three” of backpacking: the pack itself, sleeping system (sleeping pad/bag), and shelter system (tent, tarp, etc.).

The (Other) Things We Carry

On top of this base-pack, a backpacker will often carry: a first-aid kit, food, water, a compass, whistle, GPS, knife, cooking system, map, clothes, water purification system, light (headlamp/flashlight/lanterns), camera/electronics, etc., etc. Obviously this list grows quite long very quickly, and it is not uncommon to see multi-day pack weigh 30 pounds or more, even for such a short trip. The “best” equipment in each of these categories is fiercely debated, but this post will take simplicity and utility as a guiding principle to organize and revise how we plan for a multi-day hike. In this scenario, we’re looking for our pack to be 20 pounds or less fully packed including food (excluding water). 20 pounds is the ceiling, but 10-15 pounds should be readily attainable. This process of winnowing pack and equipment weight in order to decrease overall weight and increase enjoyment is known as lightweight backpacking or ultra-light backpacking depending on how “ultra” you get about cutting weight: If you’re counting half-ounces when weighing your individual pieces of equipment and sawing the bottom half off of your toothbrush to save weight, it’s safe to say you’re “ultra.”

Perhaps the most common mistake made by hikers who are preparing for a short -weekend trip in the middle of summer is that they pack like they’re going on a two-week trek in the middle of winter. Bring only what you need and prepare for what you can reasonably expect! I’ve seen a fellow backpacker, bent at the waist and red-faced, hauling enough equipment, food, and water to feed and shelter himself and everyone in our crew for at least a week! He had an enormous tent, food for miles, and he was paying for it with every trembling, labored step he took on the trail.

The relationship between food and packing can actually make hiking even more useful for weight-loss; it’s good exercise, yes, but it can also teach us important lessons about portion sizing and the relationship between calories and exercise. Before a trip, you’ll need to determine the amount of miles that will be hiked and calculate the food necessary for the trip. If you’re going to cover five miles a day (10mi.), depending on weight, one would burn at least 4,000 calories a day in hiking alone (not including basal metabolism). This means the amount of food one would need to bring to replace every calorie would easily be close to 7,000! To calculate for weight loss, one would adjust the replacement calories down from these totals, and when you’ve got to pack each of those calories into a backpack and wear it on your back, you will begin to get a better sense of how much food that really is and make decisions on what and how much to bring accordingly! Even more, when you’ve got to be sure to portion your foods out correctly because you can’t run to the grocery store if you eat it too quickly, you’ll begin to necessarily harden your resolve about portioning.

While monitoring and portioning food may sound like a less-than-fun part of hiking, I’ve found that when out hiking trails, food becomes less of a central concern and more of a functional activity: we eat because we need fuel to keep walking and enjoying our hike. This doesn’t mean that good, warm, and healthy food shouldn’t be enjoyed on the trail, but that hiking holds entertaining or interesting wildlife, incredible vistas, and other beautiful flora and fauna that you’ll (hopefully) be too excited about what’s around the next bend to be too worried about food other than to refuel the tank!

Dropping Weight and the Lightweight Pack

So, aside from the more psychological components of food portioning and its relationship to physical activity, calorie burn, etc., there is the basic equipment list of a lightweight pack that will allow you to spend more time enjoying your hike and less time wishing your back and shoulders weren’t screaming at you. Examine the following suggestions as you take a look at your own pack and see where you might be able to make cuts. I have provided some links to places where you can buy ultralight or lightweight gear, but don’t feel as though this is an activity that you should “buy” your way into: paring down backpack weight in order to have a more enjoyable outdoor experience is about finding ways to do more with less. Sometimes this can best be attained by purchasing something, but very often what is needed is some DIY trimming, sewing, or construction or an honest appraisal of what is really needed in the backcountry.

The Big Three—This is the place to find the biggest/easiest weight savings. Right now, I’m using an old Swiss Gear backpack that I had for school. It had a waist strap, so I hand-stitched more straps to lash a sleeping bag, tent, etc. to the pack, and I use this for most of my weekend multi-day hikes. It weighs in fully packed with tent, pad, bag, food, etc. (minus water) at about 15 pounds. My wife uses a canvas, no-frame pack we found at a garage sale for $2 (it does have a waist/chest strap). Her whole pack weighs about 11 pounds, and the knee pain she used to suffer from lugging a 30+ pound pack around has gone away. Whatever you get, make it light and comfortable. Gossamer Gear (http://www.gossamergear.com/) makes a wide selection of very light gear, including packs, bags, and tents. Most major pack brands (Osprey, Gregory, etc.) all have ultra-light and lightweight models as well that you should look into for your next pack purchase. Ideally you’d like a pack that weighs in at under two pounds. Nevertheless, go with what you’re familiar with and what is most comfortable, just be sure you pay special attention to weight.

A sleeping bag can be replaced by a good, lightweight quilt (you really only use the insulation on the top part of the sleeping bag anyway when you sleep on a pad). I still use a bag, but I have cut out the stuffing on the bottom side of my sleeping bag and sewn back up the cells. This allows my sleeping bag to pack down to a very small and light size. Finally, I use an old, A-frame, single-wall tent which, with poles and stakes, weighs less than 3 pounds. This sleeps me and my wife (and very little else) and is basically a glorified bivy. Speaking of Bivy’s, they’re actually a good option for a tent as well. All-in-one hammocks, such as the Hennessy Hammock (http://hennessyhammock.com/), are a good third-way option (tent/bag/pad all in one!).

The Other Stuff— Look into getting an alcohol stove (http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm) and using it as your primary cooking system. Keep your food simple: lots of gorp/jerky/trail-food, couscous, freeze-dried foods, and other add-boiling-water foods. Be prepared to purify and treat water rather than attempt to haul 2-3 gallons (this will add 25 pounds to your weight alone). For purification I would suggest a combination of the AquaMira Frontier Pro (http://www.aquamira.com/) and a chemical treatment, either iodine or chlorine dioxide (I prefer the latter). Bring one LED headlamp for light. It will be more than enough (you should be sleeping at night anyway!). Lightweight multi-compass/ruler/etc.. Skip the non-essential electronics. Use only a closed-cell, ¾-length sleeping pad rather than an inflatable system. One small pot, one large mug-bowl, and one spoon. Buy a small, waterproof first-aid kit appropriate for your trips. Use light-weight and small containers (I like Platypus Bottles: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/platypus) to hold your water.

These suggestions certainly aren’t all-encompassing, but they should get you started towards a lighter weight pack and a better experience on the trails.

Finally, Philosophy.

Backpacking provides an enjoyable and healthy pastime for people who enjoy the outdoors, and is made all the more enjoyable the less weight we have to carry around. More than this, the process of stripping weight down is done most effectively by looking to get rid of extraneous or unnecessary items and by maximizing the utility of our equipment. In the first move, we must examine our own mental categories of “necessity” and “luxury.” It can be difficult to let go of the three-room tent and blow-up air mattress, but remember that the glory of the trail is found on the trail; when you’re attempting to be out in nature and enjoy a good long hike, it’s important to remember that we’re there to enjoy the raw natural beauty of the environment and not attempt to import the necessities of our daily lives (obviously in the “real world” my pillow-top bed is a necessity. It simply is.) into the great outdoors. Necessities have to shift when we’re on the trail. What is a necessity at home (refrigerator, toilet, infinite water, etc.) can be impossible in the backcountry. This shift will help you trim down and simplify your backpacking experience, but it will also heighten your appreciation of your daily-life luxuries when you get back from a hike. No hot shower and short nap in a comfy bed has ever felt better than after a multi-day hike.

The second philosophy of utility is about finding ways to get the most out of equipment. I know hikers that use only a tarp for a tent system, which also doubles as a poncho in a pinch. We don’t have to be quite as radical as that: using a spoon for most all utensil needs instead of bringing a full compliment is one example of this sort of utility; using a stuff-sack with your clothes in it as a pillow instead of bringing a separate pillow is another: these little tricks are simply ways of getting more out of less equipment by removing redundancy where you may not have realized it was present. Such small tweaks often help save significant space and/or weight by allowing for items to be used for multiple purposes. Small changes in how we perceive the functionality of our gear can lead to large savings in both weight and space, and the smartest cuts/utility uses/modifications of your gear will come from your own examination and reflection on the role your gear plays in your backpacking excursions. Look for redundancies in your gear that can be remedied with increasing the scope or role of another piece of similar (or modified) gear.

Finally, this is really all about locating an aesthetic which treasures non-excess, simplicity, and utility. This often flies in the face of how we live our daily lives, and yet there are important lessons to be learned from this outdoors paradigm. These reorientations run through the heart of the lightweight and ultra-lightweight backpacking philosophies, and they can also inform weight-loss strategy as well. As I’ve mentioned previously, the relationship such backpacking creates between a hiker, his body, his “fuel,” and his activity is invaluable in creating an awareness of the interdependence at the heart of any endeavor to lose weight, and is a necessary awareness to truly begin to manage calorie intake and exercise/physical activity in a meaningful manner. When you can translate a bag of chips into the several miles/hours of hiking it contains in energy in a meaningful sense, you’ll hopefully begin to have a better sense of the relationship between energy/calories and what, say, 1,000 calories translates to in real, physical terms.

Ultimately, weight loss works best when it comes while doing something you enjoy. I hope that some of these tips and ideas help make your next hiking trip more about enjoying your beautiful surroundings and less about enduring the physical pain of an unnecessarily large and/or heavy pack. Stripping your gear and pack down to the essentials and focusing on the enjoyment of the experience itself will help you not only enjoy your hike, but enjoy the pounds you’ve shed off your body because of the pounds you’ve shed off your pack!

Darren is a Youth Conservation Corps supervisor for the Trustees of Reservations (http://www.thetrustees.org/), a PhD student in the humanities at UMass, and a free-lance writer and reporter. He hikes primarily in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont and is preparing for a hike across the state of Massachusetts (north-south) at the end of the summer. He can be reached at: darrenlonefight@gmail.com Please put “Huskyhiker.com” in the subject line.

From the Big MOE website:

A Brief History:
The Massachusetts Outdoor Expo, fondly referred to as The Big M.O.E., started out with a group of sportsmen and women who wanted to create an opportunity for kids of all ages to learn more about outdoor skills, wildlife and conservation. They approached the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club in Sturbridge to host the Mass. Outdoor Expo, due to its central location, facilities and the connections the group had to the club. An annual event was born!

A couple years later, members of the Mass. Outdoor Expo group approached FAWNS, (Facts About Wildlife & Nature Society) a non-profit group founded in 1998 to promote the connection of people to the outdoors. FAWNS was interested in promoting educational experiences focusing on the outdoors. A “natural” connection between the Expo group and FAWNS was obvious.  A partnership was formed and FAWNS became the organizing entity supporting the Big MOE.

Hope to see you there!
The Mass. Outdoor Expo is September 27, 2009 from 9am to 4pm at the Hamilton Rod & Gun Club in Sturbridge, MA (directions)

This Saturday June, 13th is National Get Outdoors Day. Federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry all over the country get together to offer activities to help get people doing stuff outdoors.  You can find a full listing of locations and events at the National Get Outdoors Day Website (http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org). Some of the activities you will find include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rock climbing, rafting, ect.  So check the location listing load your kids up in the car and head outside…

One of the outdoor activities I enjoy is fishing.  In most states you need a license to fish.  On June 6th and 7th the state of Massachusetts allows anyone to fish license or not, I am sure this is to get people “hooked” so they will purchase a license. All license fees go to the MassWildlife Program.  I think most states offer this program and it usually falls on this weekend, here is a list of free fishing days (double check the info on your state wildlife web page) or just search google for your state and free fishing day…

You still need to follow fishing laws so make sure you read up a little before you head out.  Most states limit fish you can keep and size.

So its time to dig out that old fishing pole and head outside for a couple days…   If you have ever though about giving it a try now is the time…    Get out and just enjoy being outside!!!