Hot answers tagged backcountry
11
Depending on your activity level, access to water, etc, the types of food you carry should change accordingly. Some points to consider:
Dehydrated foods are great in that they are light-weight since they have no water in them. But they might not be a wise choice if you are dry camping with no water available (e.g. in the desert) since you would just have ...
8
I hike in generally the same area of the country, mostly on the AT around NC and VA.
Snakes in this area will be most active during spring and fall months. Generally they will be more active in moderate temperatures. In extreme cold and extreme heat you'll see less snakes.
In the summer they will be more active in the early mornings and evenings. During ...
6
You can get a lot of the way towards understanding which ground has a good likelihood of being marshy from full use of Ordnance Survey (or equivalent) maps, and looking at the type of rock in the area you will be hiking.
Good quality maps give a lot of detail around topography, so you can look at slopes and heights near watercourses etc. If you are on a ...
6
Most of the food I take on trips is low in sodium content by design, so I usually specifically plan on taking some overly salty foods. Like Jerky, although I have done Pringles on some shorter trips.
I used to also take several small disposable salt packets and put one or two in my water bottle when filling up. That much wasn't taste-able, but I was always ...
6
Yes you can. And more to the point, you should (save weight, and leave no trace).
I have not found a backpacking cooking mess that could not be cleaned with a combination of (in this order):
Tongue
Finger
Water + Finger (drink it -- truly "Leave No Trace" (its not as bad as you think))
Snow (when available)
Pine Needles / plant leaves / grass stalks / ...
5
What I do is carry a small microfiber cloth. First I rinse my dishes, then I swish with a small amount of boiling water (usually left from our post dinner coffee), and wipe with the cloth. Voila, clean dishes.
Sorry I missed the part about "found in the wilderness". Given that just skip the cloth and use the water ;)
Another note. If the above method ...
5
By engaging in winter sports (where there is significant snow on the ground) you are already greatly reducing your impact. The biggest impacts to back-country areas from non-motorized recreation come from vegetation disturbance: boots grinding up plants and breaking topsoil, tents compressing vegetation, camp activity destroying vegetation, fire scars, etc.
...
3
As an update, I arrived at the canyon on May 13th. They had precisely one open slot and thus I was able to hike down to Bright Angel one day, and back up the next.
A rim-to-river in a day is doable, but hard. For a first timer, it is definitely worth overnighting and going back up. Especially during May, hiking between about 11 - 3 is really uncomfortable. ...
2
A long time ago, before people had consistent access to Lye or any of the oils we use in soap now, they made it out of what they had on hand. A common one would be wood ash and rendered animal fat ( tallow ).
There's guide on eHow on making said soap, but it appears to not only be time intensive ( rest time of over two months total ), but also involves ...
2
Disclaimer: I'm also talking from the perspective of not having any experience in packrafts, but more from a general survival standpoint.
Is it fine to get started by simply reading info from books, websites etc. and get on the raft, or should one really start with a proper course in safety?
I'd say that in certain scenarios it is ok to read up about ...
2
From the GRCA back-country permit site:
Permit Responses
Permit requests are responded to through U.S. Mail - never by fax or
e-mail. Due to the volume of requests received, the park cannot
confirm receipt of requests until they have been fully processed.
Please allow at least three weeks for processing.
It does suggest that for hiking in ...
1
It's a good idea to reserve you campsite in advance 877-444-6777. If you are thinking about camping in the backcountry areas, you will need a permit (for $20), and it's advisable to consult with a ranger concerning your travel plans. As far as planning your hikes, it's best to visit the site: http://rockymountainnationalpark.com/trails-maps.
1
Some additions to the answer above:
Try to walk near bigger trees (no marshland there)
Avoid water
Use a walking stick or just a stick of wood (you can even use it in case you would have to cross something or help with going up/down or just as help with walking).
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