Not The Critic Who Counts

Self Portrait by Hawkeye, a trail friend




It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly,

who errs and comes up short again and again...

who spends himself in a worthy cause; who
at the best, knows in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst,
if he fails,
at least he fails while daring greatly.--Teddy Rosevelt



Self Portrait-Woman Who Runs With Wolves-Brawny

Thru Hiking Pages

A group of hikers met Cobweb and Me near Muir Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail and took this photo. They recognized my trail name, Brawny. I had my packless system, complete with ice ax strapped to the outside. This stretch was 192 miles without a resupply because I left Kennedy Meadows, summitted Mt. Whitney, returned to Crab Tree Meadows, and lived off the supplies in my pack until I reached Vermilion Valley Resort.

Trudging through snow, cooking on a soda can stove, and layering all my clothing, I learned many things. My journal can be read at

http://trailquest.net/BRindex.html

I've been writing a lot about planning a long trail lately at my

http://brawnyview.blogspot.com

January is the month many hikers start getting serious about gear, itineraries, money and partners.

I've spent many months living out of a backpack, learning stuff from others, keeping my eyes and ears open. Mostly keeping my mind open to new ideas.

With every thing you see, with every story you hear, there are potential lessons to be learned.

Many things I've learned the hard way, sometimes creating personal hardships that next time around, I could avoid.

Writing about long distance hiking allows me to share these lessons.

My purpose is to share with those who can read with an open mind and file away useful information. The greatest piece of gear is your brain. It will hold gigabytes of useful information, but it must be loaded onto your hard drive first.

Happy Trails.

Using Search This Blog

I write about a host of topics in this blog and my

http://brawnyview.blogspot.com

The easiest way to find what you're looking for is to use the Search this Blog" box at the top of the page, on the right.

The ten pages I've written to go with each blog also are searchable.

Starting in January, I'll be posting regularly at BrawnyView on Planning a Long Hike. This will deal with long distance hiking, backpacking as a form of vacationing, logistics and gear.

On this blog, January should usher in more adventures and alternative gear building and design. Stories from trail life will litter the blog as well.

May 2011 be all you desire and more.

Winter Skills Page

Winter is just around the corner and I'm changing some strategies to deal with upcoming adventures.

I added a new page over at my http://brawnyview/blogspot.com

blog, and entitled it Ultralight Backpacking Winter Skills.

This link should take you right there:

http://brawnyview.blogspot.com/p/ultralight-backpacking-winter-skills.html

These techniques I've learned on the Appalachian Trail, Bartram Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, etc.

Although I've hiked mostly in three seasons, once you get about 8,000 feet, and especially above 10,000 feet, the mountains make their own weather. Be prepared.

A Sleeping Bag Trail Story

All this talk about sleeping bags brings to mind a couple of stories.

Preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, I bought a Junior, or youth synthetic bag, rated 20 degrees. It fit, a snug fit. I would get in it, bend my knees, zip it up and stretch out. Tight. It fit my newly divorced-budget at the time, and I determined not to let that stop me.

The first season, 825 miles from Sonora Pass to Crater Lake, the bag did wonderful. Wonderful enough to take this bag, weighing just two pounds out in the spring to finish up the Pacific Crest Trail. I would be out for 5 months, and it never occurred to me that it was fairly trashed, and had lost most of its loft already.
While hiking through the desert I didn't notice any issues. But once into the High Sierras, I was freezing every night. This was early June, there was still snow banks at 10,000 feet.
I was using my Packless system, so determined to buy something at the next trail town, Kennedy Meadows, and strap it to the pack.
Within a few days we arrived at Kennedy Meadows, and I bought an old army blanket from the owner of the store there. I cut it down with my razor (5 gram) knife, sewed it into a mummy bag liner and carried it along with the sleeping bag.
The moral of the story? One way or another you will get a good sleeping bag.
My hiking partner sent me my fleece liner so that I could ditch the heavy, over 2 pound army blanket. With this combination, I finished in Canada on September 17th.
You can read my trail journals which are linked on my home page at:
http://www.trailquest.net/BRindex.html

I have all my gear lists for the trails as well, too numerous to list here.

Happy shopping.

Eureka Spit Fire Ultralight Tent-gear review

This sub 3 pound double wall tent is easy to pitch. Even though 10 stakes are included with the package, it really only needs 6. The other 4 are for serious winds, or spares. The fly is silverish gray, the floor is brown, good stealth colors.
I am impressed with the workmanship, extra features like gear pockets, top fly vent,access zipper to close that vent from inside the tent, extra stakes, and serious straps and buckles to last as long as the heavier 70 denier fabric would.

The side entrance is my favorite tenting design. Also, this particular design makes it a quick pitch: stake out the foot and head ends (one stake each), then get out the shock corded poles, prepare by alligning to form arches, put each end into its proper gromet at base, and clip the body of the tent into place.
Its spacious for me, at 5 foot 2.If you're over 6 foot 2 inches, it could be a little snug.
Next, unroll the fly, and making sure the zipper door is on the same side (and upside right) as the tent body, place on top. The cool buckles allow you to clip this right on at the staking loops in 4 places, then stake out the vestibule. So far I've used only 4 stakes. But, just in case it gets windy, I put in two more at shoulder level.

Stowing my LED light and watch in the side gear pocket was cool. During the night I could easily find either. I slept warm and comfortable and had no condensation.

The Spitfire did perfectly in the rain, although I had to get out and re-anchor the foot stake. If that pulls out, the foot bed falls inward. Next time the ground is that soft, I'll place a rock on top the stake.

Dropping the tent in the rain is not hard.
First, take the stakes out, allowing the poles to fall down. Then, reaching under the fly (leave the fly on top to protect the body of the tent from getting soaked) I unhook the clips and pull the poles out. After collapsing the poles, I place them in the plastic bag. Then, beginning at the head end, I roll the whole tent as one, keeping the body covered by the fly, folding under so it was the same length as the poles. This keeps the water from pooling, and the whole outfit could fit neatly into the tent bag.


I am quite happy with this double wall tent, and feel that for warmth, weight to space ratio, condensation control, packablity and value it can't be beat. The various construction details shows they thought of nearly everything. I am going to add a small staking loop to the bottom of the large side of the door fly, so that I can stake it out seperately , providing a small covered vestibule. Otherwise, it either rolls up all the way, to provide maximum ventilation, or is zippered completly shut. Adding this one more staking point gives that large door one more position for gear protection in light drizzle, etc.

New Hobo Gear Page

My http://brawnyview.blogspot.com/

has a new page added, The Hobo Series. On that page I have embedded five different videos I have made for my

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03 channel.

My first project was an ultralight wood burning stove made from a tin can.I used simple tools: a hammer, a regular screw driver, and some heavy work gloves.

When I completed the stove, I found it only weighed 3.5 ounces. When I used it on the Foothills Trail, I did not need to bring fuel, a pot support, or windscreen. This was a good trade off in terms of weight.

Because it did rain a little, I had to select my fuel from branches that were off the ground. Once the fire is going, it is easy to maintain indefinitely. This is really handy for folks that love endless piping hot cups of coffee, and a simple campfire which takes little fuel.

You can keep this stove system in a plastic bag which is then placed into a ditty bag. I found it to be very useful.

Final Day Packless System

I call the above clip the Nitty Gritty. If you've been following along and perhaps even revamping your external frame, today is the day we put it all together.

It can get a little strange at first, making sure everything is secure, will carry well and fits. Silnylon is slippery, so having the main bag full creates a ledge for the top bag to rest on. This helps when cinching it down.

As you can see in the video, my tent is in a long skinny bag. This helps keep things on as well. If you want, you can add the anchoring loops in the long seam as well to pass the cinching straps through.

You can use bags that are not necessarily waterproof. Just be prepared to cover with a pack cover. You can get ultralight silnylon pack covers at Campmor for a very reasonable price.

Even if all you bags are waterproof, pack covers are recommended. Those three day rains on the Appalachian Trail have a way of soaking everything unless you seriously compensate. I always line the stuff sack which will contain the sleeping bag and sleeping clothes with a plastic bag.

Its good to have this project completed. Write me if you have any questions.

Packless System-Day Three

Today we did a lengthy blog at

http://www.brawnyview.blogspot.com/

on the steps involved in making your own stuff sack to serve as the central, main bag. I sewed a mesh pocket onto the fabric before sewing the side seams. This main bag can be removed and used as a day pack. For that reason it is vertically oriented, instead of horizontal as the other bags will be.

The short clips here are showing how to add anchor points to your existing stuff sacks. As we know, the packless system is all about using what you have and just strapping it securely in place via cordage of some type.

If you've been using an internal frame, you probably stuff your sleeping bag into a stuff sack. Your food would also be in a stuff sack, as well as the tent, the cook system, and hygiene kit. Then, all these various sacks would be placed into an internal frame.

My extensive testing on the Pacific Crest Trail of the Packless System led me to the conclusion that 3-4 stuff sacks properly ordered, were sufficient for a long distance hiker's needs.

Tomorrow, we will put it all together on the pack, and by Friday have a complete video uploaded to my channel at YouTube.

Packless Conversion-Day Two

Today we take measurements and analyze our assortment of stuff sacks and gear. My pack is 14 inches wide. The stuff sacks need to be close to that length to cinch on. If you don't have them, you can make them, buy them, or modify existing gear.

Check out my video on how to make stuff sacks at my channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03

or view it at my Alternative Gear page at this blog.

I have several sleeping pads to choose from. Even if I take the thermarest in its stuff sack, it will fit. My tents are all in stuff sacks that can easily be strapped on via your common cinch strap.

Several stuff sacks would work if they had loops sewn in the bottom, but my main need is for a large central stuff sack. As long as I am making it, I will add a few perks.

Stuff sacks can be oriented either horizontally or vertically. My main bag for this system I've decided to make horizontal, so that I can add a pocket for water bottles.

See http://www.brawnyview.blogspot.com/

for more information on the Packless System Project.

Tomorrow we will make the Main Bag because I do not have a stuff sack large enough for the central bag. If you have a bag on hand which only needs modifying, we will show you how tomorrow.

Packless System Conversion-Day One

Taking an external frame to an ultralight backpacking mode is very easy.

External frames last forever, even though the packs bound to them with Clevis pins may be worn out. Many times a pack has zippers, heavy pack cloth with holes, or simply way too much outdated metal hardware which is extremely heavy. The simple procedure of stripping all the old worn out equipment from the pack takes just a few minutes.

Once stripped, the external frame with shoulder straps and cushy hip belt weigh just under two pounds. The silnylon stuff sacks with gear are sacks normally used inside the pack. The method we will employ cinches these sacks directly to the frame. All can be covered with an ultralight silnylon pack cover, if desired, for rain protection.

My pack has a modern custom silnylon pack which I made to accommodate a Garcia Bear Canister for a long distance hike in Montana, grizzly country. Now I am in Appalachian Mountains and will use this pack for other adventures so a packless system is in order.

This week we'll be blogging about that process. Tomorrow, taking measurements and analyzing our stash of stuff sack, we'll begin assembling the system.

Check out http://www.brawnyview.blogspot.com/ for more details.

The Hobo Cook Set

After making a gear loft from an onion sack, I decided to make a ditty bag for a cook set. This cook set is comprised of all recyclables, except for the matches and cigarette lighter, so I named it the Hobo Cook set.

My pot is a 26 ounce can of tomatoes. The plastic lid comes from a coffee can of the same diameter.

My cup is a plastic bowl from a dry cereal, Kashi. The soda can stove is made from a soda can. You can use tent stakes for a pot support, or make your own pot support with scrap hardware cloth or wire.

Any spoon completes the cook set. Place it all in this ditty bag.

When I was in girl scouts, we all had dunk sacks made of netting. A large kettle of hot soapy water, a kettle of clean rinse water, and a final kettle of sanitizer were lined up. Each girl would place her personal dishes in such a dunk sack, and wash her own cookware by dunking into these kettles.

It worked, and we eliminated dreaded kitchen duty.

I used a small hobo cook set while hiking the Appalachian Trail. It only weighed 3 ounces, and was used for creating simple hot foods via re hydration in cups.

Packless Systems Explained

My Packless System was first tested and streamline for my Pacific Crest Trail hike in 2001. Testing, results and conclusions can be read at the link above.

My homepage at http://trailquest.net/BRindex.html

is full of trail journals, gear designs, links and stuff.

Hard to describe it all.

Starting next week, I will show you how to strip your external frame pack and create a packless system. All you need is an external frame, fabric, and sewing machine. If you want to use some larger stuff sacks you have on hand, and a few hand sewing moves, that will work too.

I posted this information at http://www.brawnyview.blogspot.com/

Included at Brawnyview are links where to get fabric, hardware and ideas where to find inexpensive, used external frames.

It should be a fun project and very cost effective.

People have asked me for years to demonstrate this. Our end goal is a workable system for my readers as well as a complete How To video for YouTube .

An external frame pack can be updated, modified and customized to fit the specific needs of the owner. Because external frames last forever, you can share your pack with family and friends, adapting it to each trail as needed.

Each day next week we'll post until the video is completed and uploaded. Join me here next week as we delve into this project.

Glossary of Terms

I wrote a new page for this blog, called Glossary of Terms, because it occurred to me that I use words in ways many people may not be used to. I take it for granted that everyone knows what "stealth camping" means, or what the difference between a stuff sack, compression sack, or ditty bag is.

Well, no more. Check out the page attached to this blog. The link is on the right, in the list of pages under HOME.

If you'd like me to cover something, please leave a comment, or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure.

This short clip is part of a longer video I did for youtube.

It demonstrates why chosing colors for gear is important. Blending into our environment is a safety issue as well as an astetic one. If backpackers chose colors that blend, even on a crowded trail like the John Muir Trail in California, a level of wilderness can still be felt. When groups are camped in bright colored tents the human presence is unavoidable and detracts from the natural setting.

I first learned about the idea of stealth camping from Ray Jardine's books over ten years ago. He felt the easiest way to avoid unwanted bear encounters at night was to pick a place just before dark with no signs of human presence: no campfire rings, no traces of garbage, no cut down vegetation. Bears which are acustomed to the backpacker's food sack will revist areas where these smells may linger. A bear with these habits is not afraid of humans, and therefore much more dangerous.

I used these tactics on all my trails. One afternoon, hiking alone just north of Glen Alden Campground in Yosemite National Park, on the Pacific Trail, I left the trail in the grassy field, with a stream running through it. I climbed a hill, checked around to be sure there were no signs any human had ever been there. After setting up camp and arranging all my ultralight gear inside the tent, I noticed another backpacker come into view and sit down on a log near the stream. I waited. I knew him as Patch.

My tent was gray, and most of my other colors black or green. He ate a snack, and relaxed as the sun began to set. I carefully made my way down behind him, and tapped him on the back. He'd never seen me. Thats stealth.

Backpacker Magazine published a study which showed how bears would stop what they were doing to investigate strange colors, especially bright blue, in their environment and that bear bells were perceived as birds.

Having something bright in your pack comes in handy when hunters are out. Then, I strap my blue pad outside my pack for visibility. A bright bandana can be used as well.

Thinking about colors before buying gear is a sensible thing to do.

Get Some Acorns

My Acorn Project video is now available on my channel at

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03

I took all the footage, compiled it with that down home touch hoping to inspire all my friends to check out this cool nut alternative.

While I was up at the picnic site processing these acorns, a nice older couple came by to chat. Turns out she had taught boy scouts back in the day how to use acorns to make pancakes. My whole thing, I told them, was to find ways to use acorns with the simplest of tools and least energy expended. I use these acorns, after processing, like one would use walnuts, pecans, almonds or cooked beans.

Being an experienced cook, I have some preferred methods to create flavor. Sauteing with canola oil and spices creates a product which can be eaten as a garnish or with fried rice. I prefer to use canola oil because it has higher burn point than butter, and contains healthy omega 3 fatty acids which raise our beneficial HDL cholesterol.

By mincing this prepared product we can incorporate acorns into vegetarian burgers or patties and serve with a variety of condiments.

Preparing the acorns with cinnamon and nutmeg instead of savory spices would make an excellent addition to baked goods such as muffins and nut breads.

Some acorns do not require processing. Their tannin levels are so low that they can be eaten raw or cooked in foods. Before processing, taste raw shelled acorns and decide how bitter they are. Then use water to remove bitter tannins as needed.

According to my research, the only animal that can not eat acorns is horses because acorns are toxic to them.

Make a Gear Loft or Survival Cabin

Today I hiked up to my new survival shelter on top of what locals call "clear cut mountain". Years ago the trees were all logged leaving just a few trees on steep slopes. Now, all the trees are small and spaced close enough together so I could chose a grouping to create a cabin style shelter. I saw an old Appalachian Trail Shelter similar to this: no floor and open on one side. I decided not to sleep in it on my thru hike, prefering to use my tent.

To build my survival shelter, I found long dead branches and layered them log cabin style. This fall I'll continue to visit my shelter utilizing the fallen leaves for bedding and insulation.

I made this gear loft from an onion sack. The directions are posted on my other blog Brawnyview. It only weighs 6 grams, less than 1/4 ounce. Easy to make, and inexpensive, this alternative gear project is simple enough for anyone to tackle with success.

With a blog, its easy to miss something logged here. Please use the search button to the right to surf this site.

Thanks for reading.

Acorn Burgers-Delicious

After removing the shells and tannins from acorns fantastic things can happen. I am in the process of creating a total learning video for my channel at

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03

The project last night involved mincing my sauteed, spiced acorns and combining them with other grains to form patties. The actual recipe is :

1 cup minced spiced acorns

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

Mix all ingredient together to form stiff paste. Allow mixture to rest for half an hour. Then, heat 1/4 cup of canola oil in skillet. I prefer a cast iron pan, myself. Form into 4 patties, and fry until crispy brown on each side. I used a cover for just a few minutes to create enough heat for the centers to fully bake as well.

Serve with catsup, or brown mushroom gravy. We had brown rice and garden salads to complete this healthy meal.

Bon Apetite!

Product Review-Sticky Back Velcro

I've been shopping for Velcro to sew onto silnylon for a tent project. Seems all I find around here locally is the sticky back variety. Sure, I can and have ordered stuff from fabric -hardware outfitters (Quest in Florida, Noah Lamport in Los Angeles, Outdoor Wilderness in Nampa Idaho). But by the time I pay shipping and handling on 5 yards, and wait a couple days, then drive into town again to pick it up, buying locally just made more sense. And I was in the mood to get this tent project done for the next expedition.

So, picking up a 20 foot package of black sticky-back brand name Velcro at Walmarts I headed home to put it to the test.

I sewed a sample onto silnylon. In no way did it want to stick on its own. It sticks to no-see-um netting, but only on a short term basis.

It looked like the machine would handle it. Sadly, I did not know the glue would build up until only gasoline would remove it from the needle. The thread breaks with the glue buildup as well, making the process of sewing by hand even laborious.

Bottom line, this is not a product to use on your backpacking gear.

I was able to place small staples through the fabric and Velcro as a temporary stitch, and will continue to sew it, dealing with the stickiness.

Lesson learned: the sticky back Velcro can be used with paper products, or perhaps to hold decorations on shelves. Next time, I will order regular Velcro, and wait for the shipping process.

Eleven Ways to Make Fire

Making fire is so basic to survivalists that whole pages and websites are built around that very concept. I started a list of ways I've seen fires made with the most basic of materials and came up with eleven.

The page is on this blog, to the right. First and most important to all fire building is dry material. Fire requires fuel, oxygen, and ignition. When fuel is wet oxygen and ignition are nearly impossible.

I watched Cody on Dual Survival put the punky wet wood next to his body, but inside his coat to cause the wood to dry out via body heat. He made sure not to put it on his skin because it would drain heat away from his body.

I knew a thru hiker who never cooked or used a fire. He also ran 100 mile marathons. This is the exception. He'd just hike and eat on the move til he got tired. Then, he'd simply roll out his bed and sleep on the trail until he woke up, and go again.

All the stories and episodes watched on survival can never replace hands on approach. One by one, I'm trying every method, working on my techniques until perfected. Not only does it build actual fire building skills, but it increases my confidence. Confidence and the will to live are paramount in survival. Panic is the biggest enemy.

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.