Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wilderness College Link
Eleven Ways to Make Fire
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Mountain Garden Update
My garden is doing pretty good all things considered.
The area I chose to develop into a garden late last fall is 12 feet x 15 feet and the only area which receives more than 8 hours of sunshine per day because of the deep forest which surrounds the homestead.
Previously a jeep had been parked there. That was sold for scrap a couple years ago, giving me a vacant flat spot which I defined by laying down logs.
As I dug into the soil-clay-rock I realized we would face serious challenges in aeration and root development. So, leaves, compost pile, saved coffee grounds, and excavated soil from the driveway embankment were layered and encouraged to rot.
In March I turned the new soil, raked it as much as possible and began planting seeds. The short video of its humble beginnings is posted at
http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03 entitle Mountain Garden.
Bear prints were seen later that month, and I sorta blame those bears for eating some seeds, or at least rearranging them. I put up a scarecrow, placed moth balls under a nearby board, and never saw evidence of bear again.
Onions did very well, and next year I'll get more onion sets. I worked in Zion National Park for 3 months so my partner looked after the young plants. Mostly, things were allowed to flourish as "green manure" , a way to build soil and nitrogen by composting directly the vegetation grown in it.
When I returned home last month, summer squash and zucchini were producing, a few beans had dried on the vines and recycled into second generation plants shown here in the video. Beans are great soil builders.
We harvested just two small butternut squash. Excellent eating. Next years should be bigger. Simply peel, slice and saute in a frying pan with some onions, salt and black pepper for a delicious side dish.
The marigolds, used as natural pest deterrents, are flourishing.
All told, I'm quite happy with the progress. I plan to keep the seeds from the squash and use them next spring.
I broadcast lime pellets when blossom end rot kept appearing in Septembers crop of squashes. Hopefully, in time to prevent the tomatoes from that fate.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Not Gear, But Passion
The best gear in the world doesn't make a through hiker, but a through hiker can make it with just about anything. Its the passion, an almost crazy obsession with finishing the complete trail in one calendar year, be it the 2, 178 mile Appalachian Trail, the 470 mile Colorado Trail, or the 2658 mile Pacific Crest Trail. A person has to want it so much they will endure the pain and loneliness a long distance hiker will inevitable face, especially if they are solo.
A thru hiker, or through hiker of the Appalachian Trail can sleep in shelters the entire distance and not even require a shelter. Tarps, hammocks, double wall dome tents are all found in successful long distance hiker's packs. Granny Gatewood hiked the AT using just a shower curtain for her shelter and tennis shoes. Ram bunny had a sun dress on last time I met her in Maine. Most of my gear was home made, second hand or Wal Mart .
I find simplicity and minimalism aid a long hike. Its not lack of expensive gear, or having all brand name gear that makes or breaks a long distance hike. Its passion, maintaining a basic level of health, and ability to withstand pain.
Its really interesting to see what people are carrying, what they're cooking on and with. Food as simple as oatmeal or as complicated as prepackaged. The debate over synthetic or down, sleeping bags or sleeping quilts, an inflatable pad, or closed cell, full length or shorty will probably never be over.
With all that in mind, the Alternative Gear page was written and will be updated periodically. The Gear Reviews listed on this blog site are more about designs and options than actually recommending a given item. The features incorporated into a piece of gear show how well a company understands its clients.
Check out the pages, and write me if me have anything to add or have suggestions. My gear lists and trail journals can be found on my homepage at
http://www.trailquest.net/BRindex.html
Monday, September 27, 2010
Updates On Acorns R Us
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Solstis Rugged Outerwear-Gear Review
I love the length on these pants as well. Nothing scrimpy about them. The ankles stay toasty even when you're sitting cross legged at the fire. The pant leg narrows to the ankle making an elastic cuff unnecessary.
They are a little bulky for packability, but sleeping warm is worth it.
100% Polyester Fleece is an excellent fabric for both warmth and staying dry. It will not hold water, so that even if they get wet, body heat will cause it to evaporate quite readily.
Weight is 12.5 ounces. I am able to use a lighter sleeping bag when I bring these fleece to sleep in.
Found Cookware and Spicy Acorn Treat
If a person needed to use a plastic jug as a cooking vessel, they could make one such as this by cutting the neck off, and then making two side holes for suspending the pot with cordage from an overhead branch above the cook fire. The cordage in the photo above was made with plastic as well: walmart grocery bags (see previous post ).
I made the holes in the pot pictured above by using a lit kitchen match. A flaming twig would also work.
Hold the flame near the place you want the hole. As the plastic begins to melt, gently push the match through the plastic. The melting plastic will seal around the hole and strengthen it so it won't crack when weight is placed in the vessel.
I used this pot for 16 hours and although it lost its original shape, it didn't leak. I was able to process my acorns and remove the tannin from them by repeatedly boiling water, draining it and then removing the shells.
Yesterday's post talks about it as well.
After we returned home, I sauteed the sliced acorn meat in a pan with canola oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder until crispy. These were used to garnish fresh garden salad. Wow. I was amazed how deliciously similar to almonds they tasted. We'll definitely do this again.
After supper, I sliced the remaining boiled acorn meat, added salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and sugar and placed them on a sheet pan in the oven. Our oven has a pilot light, and the drying process will seal the spices onto the acorns.
This morning they tasted great, but need more time drying.
We don't use any sugar or honey at our house, so I used an artificial sugar. You could use brown sugar for additional flavor and calories.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Acorn Report
They are receiving a final boiling on the stove, then further experimental recipes are planned. I'm thinking a roasted nut, a saute'd with cajun seasoning, a cake patty, and a vegetarian stir fry.
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Greatest Skill
That's one of my favorite quotes by Henry David Thoreau.
Its not what I earn, its what I spend. The less I spend, the richer I am.
Freebies, or nearly freebies: panning for gold, wilderness camp outs, hiking, renovating old backpacking gear, playing with new back country recipes (not using Prepackaged All In One Meals), relationship building.
Innovations are what survivalists do. Take junk, twigs, plastic trash and make something out of it.
Taste the vegetation, learn what is bitter, unsafe, doable.
There's an awful lot of acorns falling this year. Its a bumper crop. So, I figure to gather up a bunch, and try the Native American process of boiling them in water, changing the water several times to remove the tanning acids, then seeing what we got.
Its free, its easy, its educational.
I'll tell you what I think tomorrow when I get back from my backpacking trip.
Topo Maps and Profiles
This topo map has the contour lines marking at 20 foot intervals. Each dark line represents 100 feet. The closer they are together, the steeper the slope. But, because each block represents a square mile, one can see that the area has many gorges and slopes in a given mile. A map of Kansas, for instance would show very few contour lines.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Walking Out or Staying Put
The Alaska episode of Man, Woman, Wild deals with this idea during a the spring thaw scenario. They ride a snowmobile out into the boonies. It quits, and they set up base camp near a stream to wait for rescue.
The Tennessee episode also deals with this where presumably they lost the trail, then decide to wait for rescue a stream for a few days.
In both cases they end up walking out. In Alaska they follow the snowmobile tracks back. In Tennessee they follow the stream. Both of these paths were available from the very start.
I've studied and read many cases of true survival situations where the end result was the person had to walk, crawl, hobble their way to safety.
One guy fell off the ridge near Sonora Pass in 2001. A helicopter crashed in as attempt to locate this hiker. Six days of search and rescue yeilded nothing. Eventually, the guy crawled out to a nearby camp in spite of his injuries.
Another guy's car rolled back over him after he had pulled over to check something in his trunk. Pinned for three days, with no cell service, he eventually wiggled loose and walked to a road, and made his way home.
The infamous story of the guy who cut off his hand which had become stuck under a rock while hiking alone in a canyon shows the extreme measures that a soloist might have to take for self preservation.
One of the best preventative measures is to not get lost. That means stopping to check your back trail so that you can retrace steps. Taking serious note of all landmarks. Even describing the unusual tree, the rock formations, taking note of the rivers and junctions out loud helps to solidify them. Every sense you can bring to the hike aids in self rescue. How does it smell? What do I hear? Tasting the rock lichen, touching the rough bark all help prevent wilderness disorientation.
If things start getting sketchy, I set up rock ducks, or lay three branches (dead wood) across each other in a pattern so that I can back trail.
A map and compass are great tools. A GPS, a cell phone. One guy called for help as darkness began to fall on a day hike. You never know where you'll get a signal.
The thing I noticed most in watching the episodes of Man, Woman, Wild was the amount of energy expended in setting up a base camp, building shelter and securing(chasing) food sources. In both cases, after several days of depletion of natural body reserves, they ended up walking out. Had they done this from the start following the obvious path, the path they chose three days later, their energy levels would have been much greater and given them enough energy to make it out with just one nights camp.
My end conclusion is to immediately begin a self rescue, leaving obvious trail sign for rescuers to follow should anyone decide to come looking for you. Retrace steps where possible, follow a stream down hill until it reaches a larger body of water and almost always civilization or a road. Take a long range bearing on a landmark and keep hiking in one direction until you cross a road.
Bushwacking and backcountry trailing alone is fun. Be prepared, tell a trusted friend or leave a note on the kitchen table of your itinerary and stay alert.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Alternative Gear-Cooking
I made this hobo stove for fun and well, for frugality. It takes just a few pine cones, some twigs, tiny pieces of wood to actually cook on.
But, the practical side of me just had to know what it would be like under real circumstances.
How easy would it be to pack? Would it be messy, cumbersome, unreliable?
I posted a video on YouTube showing the results.
http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03
I found it was really nice to boil water without worrying about fuel. I really liked the campfire aspect in the evening. A regular fire takes a lot of firewood, but this one was cute and sweet with out placing high demands on fuel gathering.
Dead branches in trees, twigs and dry bark are all easy to find and break into pieces without heavy equipment like saws, hatchets and bowie knives.
By concentrating the fuel into this small area a person can cook in a relatively short period of time, make coffee and relax.
I also used this same stove on a three day trial run on the Foothills Trail. It rained, but I was able to cook in the light drizzle. It is unpredictable enough to not cook too near the tent.
An easy way to pack this stove is wait for it to completely cool. Then, shake out all the ashes. Now, using a large plastic bag (like a walmart bag) place your hand on the bottom of the outside of the bag. Reach up and into the bag and grab the stove pulling it into the bag without actually touching it with your bare hand. This way, all the soot stays on the inside of the bag.
Notice how I use my shoe as a cup holder while relaxing near the stove. It insulates the simple plastic cup and keeps it from falling over, too. Just a simple ultralight trick I use while minimizing the pack load.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Liquid Nails Repair All
After letting it dry, and then cure for two days, I used black shoe polish to cover the glue.
Wrap the rest of the tube of L.Nails in several layers of plastic to keep it from drying out.
I found this product works wonders on all sorts of handyman projects including wood to wood sculptures and paneling, filling in small holes in dry wall, rock to rock sculptures, and metal to plastic as in car side mirrors. That's a long story, but several years and tens of thousands miles on my Geo have proven how well this holds.
Best of all, its easy and fool proof. Costs about $2.50 a tube. You also need a simple caulking gun. Those are very handy if you don't have one already, well worth the couple bucks.
I'm not too mechanical and this is a very easy solution for gear, home and other simple repairs.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Survivalist Junkie
I admit it, yesterday I watched 3 back to back episodes of Dual Survival- a guide to self-reliance.
It was on the Discovery Channel and featured two guys, both quite skilled, in 3 different scenarios.
I met one of the guys, Cody, years ago in Damascus Virginia, at Trail Days in 2003. He has long blond hair, walks barefooted everywhere, even over rocks, has a muscular build and quiet demeanor. Our non-combative methods of survival seem quite similar. He really made his feelings apparent when his partner decided to go after honey in a bees nest in the "hurricane-survival" simulation. He said he always tells his students to never go after something that can take you down. As we all know, bees are more dangerous than bears.
Dave, the other survivalist, is very smart (other than the bee incident), skilled and fun to watch. I think its worth watching him for several reasons. He demonstrated how to use a broken bottle to make an arrowhead, and then did the shaft feathers with duct tape. A wild turkey was bagged with this survivalist arrow. I'm impressed.
Other skills demonstrated was hollowing a plant stalk with fire to create a water carrying device, bow and drill fire making, friction fire making (Cody said this was difficult, only 40% of people are able to do this successfully), crossing a canyon-stream via slick mossy log (check up and down stream before attempting this dangerous endeavor, good point), removing stingers from scorpions before eating, skinning a rattlesnake, building a hammock with a parachute, creating loft for warmth with a parachute, leaving an obvious trail for search and resuce teams. Good stuff.
I smiled, though while watching the guys discuss the bad water in a lower canyon, bemoaning the fact they had no way to strain the bugs and larvae from it. As Cody squatted beside the steam, on his head plainly visible was a red bandanna. I couldn't even begin to count how many times a bandanna was used by my partner and me to strain water on the Pacific Crest Trail and Colorado Trail. Cow dung, tadpoles, algae and all around debris can be removed from the water by simply passing it through a bandanna first.
This in fact helps the chlorine be more effective in treating water. The amount of chlorine needed is directly proportional to the amount of organic matter in the water being treated. By removing most of the organic matter through filtering, only a few drops are needed for the worst of situations.
Hopefully they will continue to do many more episodes.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Marmot Hydrogen Goose Down Bag
Some gear choices I love can be seen in the above video. One is my Hydrogen Marmot 800 fill goose down Sleeping Bag.
I bought it in May 2002 to hike the Appalachian Trail. I bought it in Damascus, Virgina. Its a 30 degree bag, and weighs just 24 ounces. At the time I was trying to stuff a synthetic 20 degree bag into my 9 ounce ultralight pack, which ended up taking too much space. My down bag takes up only half the space. It cost $269 plus tax. I never regretted spending the money .
After much trail wear, including the Appalachian Trail, Colorado Trail, Bartram Trail, Foothills Trail, and Montana section of the Continental Divide Trail, it sorta lost its loft and wasn't keeping me warm. The feathers were shifting to the bottom and I had about given up on it. The fabric is ultralight and so soft that I even thought of re-stuffing it.
In my quest for another goose down bag the sales person who has also done the AT suggested I wash this bag, and the oils would be removed from the feathers . Sure enough, it was reborn. I look forward to spending many more nights in this quality bag.
See yesterday's blog for ways to preserve the life of your sleeping bag.
An Ultralight Pancake Flipper
We had blueberry pancakes on the menu, but, What to flip them with?
One of these weighs only 14 grams (1/2) ounce and did the job admirably.
Any trip with less than 10 mile days on the agenda can be classified as easy enough for a few luxuries like baking tools, pillows, camcorders, and experiments. At least in my book.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Gleaning Good Stuff
http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03
The modification is temporary and easily reversed.
My review of this sleeping bag can be read at:
http://www.trailquest.net/BRfile.html#How To
Today, I am removing the compression straps from this stuff sack. I never use a compression stuff sack for a sleeping bag. By using a simple "seam ripper" or a small scissors, I will take out the stitching which connects the straps to the stuff sack.
By gleaning the straps off this stuff sack, I am reducing the weight and saving the straps for use with my external frame pack.
A sleeping bag must be treated with care. They should be stored after air drying throughly, and then hung by their bottom loop or zipper pull. If you do not have a place to hang them, store loosely in an oversize cotton bag or huge cabbage sack.
A sleeping bag should be removed from its stuff sack as soon as possible when arriving in camp. Fluff and air to restore loft. This is critical in sleeping warm.
I tend to sleep cold. I found this Eureka sleeping bag would keep me warm to 40 degrees.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bath Baggies, and Beyond
Monday, September 6, 2010
Boiling Water in Plastic Bottles!
It works. Our experiment last night was very interesting and exciting. If one can boil water in a bottle, that means, using the same procedure, a person could cook stew or soup in a plastic container, suspended over the fire.
I was fortunate enough to find a green branch sturdy enough for such an experiment. The Rhododendron hung out over a suitable campfire spot and by keeping it small enough, I could easily keep it fed.
Also exciting is the cordage I used. By cutting 6 Walmart plastic bags into long strips about 5 inches wide each, and then tightly braiding it, I made a plastic cord strong enough to guy tarps and hang water bottles. The heat from the fire didn't burn it either, as I had feared. It actually seemed to solidify it into tougher cordage.
The cowboy coffee this morning was excellent as well. Fill a empty coffee can with water, build the fire around it, still keeping it small and manageable. Place a metal lid on it to keep ashes out. When the water comes to a boil add plenty of ground coffee (not instant) and allow to boil another 5-6 minutes. I used about one tablespoon of coffee per 12 ounces water. Remove from the fire so that the grounds settle out to the bottom. Slowly pour from the can using a pot holder. The ridge in the metal can keeps the grounds from pouring out.
Save this can for the next trip, or recycle and take a clean one.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Backpacking To the Haunted Gem Mine
The above external frame pack has been stripped, except for the excellent sholder straps and hip belt. I sewed an over sized silnylon pack for it, with large pockets. This pack can hold a garcia bear cannister for a hike in griz country, as well as 5 quarts of water , sleeping pads and gear. It weighs less than two pounds.
A person can strip the silnylon pack and use it in the packless system. You can read more about that at
http://www.trailquest.net/BRindex.html
Its a very inexpensive, ultralight way to gear up with many options.
My gear list is a little strange because I plan several experiments as well.
I have a plastic bottle to boil water in over a campfire. This was seen on the Man, Woman, Wild show on the Discovery Channel. I like the show, whatever its silliness at times.
Anyways, I also constructed some cordage from recycled plastic bags. It appears to have at least a 20 pound test strength.
For supper, a side dish of quesadillas using the slow burner with sauteed veggies will be offered along with whatever we each cook.
In the morning, I will be making blueberry pancakes, and caramelized peaches for my partner using the slow burner. There will be cowboy coffee made in a tin can on the fire.
Lets see, we also plan an exploration of the inner cave and gem mine, and bringing home an ember in the fire bundle.
This is my favorite way to learn survival skills, in an educational, non threatening environment. When needed, everything and more can be put to use. The brain seems to ferment these experiences so that even while we sleep, new ideas can form.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Tarptent with 10 x 12-a Remake
My all time favorite, though, is a structure very similar to my Brawny Tarp tent, which I made years ago. For full instructions, just watch the new video I posted at YouTube, its a remake of my other one titled "My silnylon tarp"
http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03
There's also tips on how to rig a no-see-um netting for bug protection.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Tarp Modification
I'm a big fan of gear modifications.
Now, as a gear tester, I first completely test the item as sent to me. Taking into account the designers passion, I feel its very important to give them the benefit of the doubt, and find the method to the madness.
But, when its all said and done, a little modification to suit an individual's needs goes a long ways.
The above clip shows me adding a guying loop to my new Brooks-Range tarp. I found the "through hole" just wasn't optimal for me. A guying loop would be perfect. They are simple to add, you can easily do it too. If you have a shelter that would benefit from a guy line, simply watch the above video and go for it.
Today I added a new page to this site called "Alternative Gear".
Hope it helps your budget and opens new ideas to the survivalist in us all.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Why Cook in a Tent?
I filmed my silnylon tent on fire, burning to the ground. Inside a "dummy" had been placed upon the floor, simulating a sleeping hiker. In this scenario, the hiker had elected to use the soda can stove inside her tiny tent, and while laying down, and had fallen asleep for whatever reason.
The entire video is posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03
Several questions and many opinions have been offered. I love it. Being ignored is worse than being questioned.
Now why would a person ever cook in or so near their tent or tarp that it could conceivably catch fire? The time has come to deal with this in depth.
Mosquitoes.
Several of us hiking just north of Forester Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail were preparing to camp for the night. It was mid June. We'd forded streams, slid down snow pack, were tired and hot. All soloists, we'd somehow ended up in the same campsite.
The mosquitoes were ferocious. A camp spot was chosen but due to the blood sucking intensity, everyone was looking for a way to deal. Alexa threw down her bivy and crawled inside. She just lay there, safe, hot, but relieved. Her health store insect repellent wasn't worth shit, she told us.
Rambo John made a smudge fire and sat in the smoke. His tarp wouldn't keep mosquitoes off him, and his deet was running low.
I set up my tent and jumped inside with everything I had, including enough water for supper. Cobweb did the same with his tent. He said he was staying inside. He set his little soda can stove just outside in the vestibule and reached out as needed til supper was cooked and ready. Then, he ate inside.
I cooked in my tent, aware that it was incredibly dangerous. Silnylon will burn, you don't even need a flame for the heat to melt the fabric. Mosquitoes in the Sierras in June through first frost will drive one to near insanity.
Mist and Rain
After a long hard day walking in mist and rain, all we wanted was to get the tent up, some place that wasn't flooded, some place relatively flat so we didn't end up in each other's face. We'd trudged 22 miles, over the pass, through the sand, through the overgrowth. As dusk settled in, the trail wound into an old roadbed, very firm, but wide enough for the silnylon tent. Somehow we managed to get the stakes in. Then we climbed in, mud and wet gear left in each vestibule. Tomorrow we would be in town, so tonight we could cook and eat anything we wanted, use as much fuel as we felt like, drink coffee til we could hold no more. Life is good.
Wind Chill Factors
A winter hike and overnight on the Bartram Trail proved colder than anticipated. The sun shone, it was Georgia, but the temps kept dropping. The wind picked up. My car was just ten miles away and it crossed my mind to just continue the trail and not stop for the night . But, the GATC group leader said we would camp at Wilson Gap. That's fine, tomorrow we'd get out early. As everyone set up their shelters, donned their puff jackets and sat in the wind to cook, I realized my best comfort zone lay inside the tent, out of the wind, in the sleeping bag.
It dropped to 17 degrees that night, water froze in the cook pot I left outside the tent. I had dumped my water bottles to prevent loosing carrying capacity next morning. Another hiker slept with his camel back, but now even the hose was frozen. He carried out 2 quarts of ice, and had nothing to drink out or pick up water with. I cooked my oatmeal from the warmth of my bag, in the vestibule of my ultralight tent.
So, bottom line, I'm guessing anyone who doesn't know why a person would ever want to cook in their silnylon tent just hasn't been out enough. Basically its an individual survival decision. Having the right information helps make that decision.
I edited the film for impact and shared it as a courtesy.