Questions tagged [history]
Questions about the history of things in the Outdoors
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What was the highest mountain climbed without supplemental oxygen, and the lowest one climbed with oxygen, before Messner's 1970 Nanga Parba ascent?
I wonder what the highest mountain (or highest elevation above sea level, not necessarily a summit) had been that was climbed without oxygen and the lowest one that was climbed with oxygen out of fear ...
user24419
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When did it become commonplace to rely on Sherpas' technical skills in climbing?
I am rereading Annapurna by Maurice Herzog, the account of the first successful ascent of an eight-thousander, which took place in 1950.
In Chapter VII, the following dialog takes place:
[Lachenal, ...
- 24k
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Why did Lewis and Clark use square rigged boats?
The best way to travel across wilderness with a lot of gear depends on the exact nature of the terrain; in particular, if it contains rivers, the best solution may be a boat. Lewis and Clark ...
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How much different was camping before “leave no trace” took hold?
I’ve read an interesting comment on a different post:
I remember when Boy Scout manuals advised "trenching" a tent site- that is, digging a trench around your tent to direct rain water away....
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Is this piece of flint a Native American tool?
I was walking in a cornfield this afternoon. It is located in the Midwestern United States. I found this particularly interesting piece of flint. It has a sharp edge all the way around. I don't ...
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Historical data about rock climbing / bouldering ascents
I am always interested in the history of rock climbing. Lately, I tried to collect data about male and female first ascents to visualize progression in rock climbing over time (I have a small blog ...
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What is this abandoned equipment and shed on skids near Mono Lake CA?
I found this abandoned building with what looked like some sort of radio gear while hiking near Mono Lake California.
The shed on skids
Close up of inside
Does anyone know what this was originally ...
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RIMO III (elevation: 7,233 m, coordinates, 35°22′31″N 77°21′42″E): first ascent date?
RIMO III is one the 6 peaks of the Rimo mountain massif, situated in Indian Kashmir.
First ascent: 1985, by an Indian/ British expedition led by Harish Kapadia.
Can't find the exact date of this ...
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What is a glass artificial horizon?
On Amundsen's polar expedition they had,
Of instruments and apparatus for the sledge journeys we carried two sextants, three artificial horizons, of which two were glass horizons with dark glasses, ...
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How do you know you have reached North or South Pole without GPS?
Having read about the recent foot traverse of Antarctica by Colin O'Brady I was wondering which means the polar explorers of former, pre-GPS times used to determine that they had reached the North or ...
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What are the differences between a lighthouse and a light station in terms of the specific purpose?
One summer evening we drove to Race Point, the farthest tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. We were told there was a lighthouse at that spot, and wanted to see the light shine through the darkness, ...
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When did wearing a helmet become the norm for climbing?
This is going out primarily to those who have been climbing for 20yrs +
Back in the day, helmet use was optional and not particularly popular.
These days, things seemed to have taken a dramatic change....
user16414
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Are there US Forest Service maps of historical logging?
Some forests in the Western United States will have been logged at different times and by different methods i.e. clearcut vs selective logging.
As time goes by, the trees will grow back but this ...
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When did indoor climbing gyms start to become popular?
I am trying to learn some history about rock climbing. I know initially rock climbing was purely an outdoor activity, and according to this article in the 1990s indoor climbing gyms started to spring ...
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When and why were House Sparrows originally brought to the United States?
The common House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, is one of the few birds not protected under federal law in North America, because it's considered a non-native species. However, it currently lives in ...
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Were elk solely plains animals before the Europeans came?
Someone was telling me that elk were solely plains animals before they were driven to the Rocky Mountains. They mentioned the account of Lewis and Clark and that they said there were no elk in the ...
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When did semiautomatic hunting rifles become commonly used in the United States?
My understanding (possibly wrong) is that the use of semiautomatic hunting rifles is fairly recent. I recently encountered someone online who claimed that in the United States even in the 1970s it ...
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How did Viking era hikers carry their gear and provisions?
I'm interested in how Viking era1) hikers carried their gear and provisions while out and about on foot. My focus here would be longer walks in civilian life, e.g. to get from farm A to farm B. I.e. ...
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Why did wetting down canvas sails increase the speed of a sailing ship?
In some of the Horatio Hornblower novels, when they want to get the last bit of speed out of a sailing ship, the crew will wet the sails down in order to go faster.
For a real example consider,
...
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Climbing before 1950: photography book/database
I am looking for a book or digital database of rock climbing pictures from before 1950.
I tried to search online, but, except for a few pictures, I didn't have much luck. Also, the name of the ...
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Can a rope&bucket used to gather water from a well be kept outside, tied to this well, or does it have to be kept inside?
Is it feasible to tie the rope and bucket to the well and therefore keep it outside or do the rope and bucket have to be kept inside to protect them from harmful weather?
Or does the well, bucket and ...
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What accounts for the predominance of Kendall Mint Cake over York Peppermint Pattie in mountaineering expeditions?
I have eagerly consumed many accounts of early mountaineering expeditions in which the mountaineers always eagerly consumed Kendal Mint Cake (KMC). I got the impression that they would have found it ...
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Why are large/pear shaped locking carabiners called HMS carabiners?
Carabiners like this one,
Image Source
are called HMS carabiners. Why are they called that and what does HMS stand for?
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Is this rock I found on the Toiyabe Crest Trail an arrowhead?
I found this arrowhead-shaped rock on the Toiyabe Crest trail in Nevada, USA. I'm wondering if it actually is an arrowhead. It's about 1.5 inches long.
The reasons that I think it could be is that it'...
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Why did they try so hard to bring the turkey to Europe?
According to Wikipedia (German Wikipedia - Truthuhn), there were several attempts to domicile turkeys in Europe since 1732. All of them were not successful at all. Still they kept on trying until 1993!...
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When, how and by whom was sport climbing invented?
A comment:
One little thing that I understand differently: Sport climbing did not
evolve from trad climbing (at least not in the modern sense), but more
of artificial climbing. Using gear for ...
user2766
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Sailing from the Wash, UK to France during World War II.
Would it have been possible to sail a small boat from The Wash, Norfolk, UK to Dunkirk in WWII? Could it be done in one go? If not, where would you stop en route?
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What were the original trail signs on the Toiyabe Crest Trail?
This summer I did the Toiyabe Crest Trail and noticed that there are three different kinds of trail signs:
Cheap plastic triangular ones that say Toiyabe Crest National Recreation Trail
Square posts ...
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What is the history of the Duckbill rock formation in Oregon?
During an internet search for fun places to go in the Western United States, I came across a number of articles about an unusual rock formation in Oregon called Duckbill. It was called iconic, ...
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What footwear did mountaineers wear in the 19th century?
I'm particularly curious about their footwear.
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Tahoma Creek suspension bridge history
One of my more memorable hiking experiences came on the Wonderland Trail in the summer of 1994. The trail is about 93 miles (150 kilometers) long. It's in the Mount Rainier State Park which is located ...
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What climbs at Tahquitz were the original definitions of YDS class 5 grades?
From what I understand of the history, Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) grades came about when class 5 in the preexisting system was subdivided into 5.0 through 5.9. This was done by Chuck Wilts, Royal ...
user2169
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How did cartographers map out shores before modern times?
I was down at high rock lake N.C. and I was making a little map of the shore lines in my kayak, or at least going to. I ran into a problem, I could not judge the distance from the last mark I made to ...
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First ascents by Edward Whymper
Edward Whymper is most known for his sweeping ascent of the Matterhorn 150 years ago. You can read about the competition with J.A. Carrel and the struggle to find a path to the top in the famous book ...
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John Muir's Gear List
What gear did John Muir actually take on long trips?
I live in California these days, and around here we revere John Muir as a legend of the outdoors. But the legend seems larger than is possible. ...
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