General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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A woman in a semi-rural Maryland neighborhood was injured by a black bear sow a day or two ago. See The Washington Post. She heard a dog barking, went out with her dog on a leash to investigate a...
What gear do I need to climb buildings? Can I use a suction cup lifters? Or is it a safety risk, since this piece of equipment was clearly not developed to climb buildings?
Aversion to snakes, or at least a predisposition to strongly avoid snakes, appears to be deeply rooted at the genomic level in primates. See, for example, The Human Evolution Blog. Be warned, the...
In mountaineering, the turnaround time is the point in time at which the party will turn around and head down the mountain regardless of how close to the summit. This is typically done to make cert...
I do know that if your elevation rises while staying in the same position, the pressure is decreasing and that it is a sign of bad weather incoming and a decrease in elevation means that the pressu...
I have heard the argument that red light is better because it helps preserve your night vision, however it is less bright than white light. Are there other pros and cons that I am missing or circu...
Numerous customers who bought the manufacturer-made tent footprint for the 'Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2' tent reported on Amazon that the tent footprint is poorly made and NOT AT ALL a good purchase....
The Jet Boil Minimo is supposed to be an efficient cooking system that uses FluxRing technology: FluxRing® technology makes it possible to heat a conveniently shaped vessel with extremely high ...
I have the next week off and I was thinking about exploring some parks in Ontario (e.g: Algonquin). I am prepared for the colder weather and am thinking of doing some trails. Some people I've talke...
I warm up very quick and sweat a lot, that's why I am usually looking for the most breathable equipment. My chose is regular fleece plus a breathable wind breaker on top if there is wind. (Please r...
Authorities have recently banned climbing in my favorite site "for safety reasons". This is, in my opinion, unfair, and was done for unknown political reasons. What can I do to hopefully change th...
This blog has a discussion of the slip-slap-slide and PBUS techniques for taking in rope when belaying. Here is a video demonstrating PBUS. Slip-slap-slide is illustrated on p. 161 of Freedom of th...
I just passed one of the town parks, and there was a flock of Canada geese sleeping on the frozen lake. It seemed like that would be a rather cold place to sleep, is there a reason beyond the possi...
What are strategies for successful baking on the trail where wood fires are not allowed? I am particularly interested in Pizza Cookies Pies Corn Bread
I'm about 150ish lbs and my partner is 100ish lbs. I've read somewhere that a 2/3 weight ratio between belayer and climber is ok for lead climb, but I don't remember exactly where. Can someone co...
For the locking caribiner that connects the person's harness to their rappel device/ropes, should the locking caribiner's gate be toward the top or bottom of the setup when using a screwgate type l...
I just passed the pond where the geese in this question are, and it turns out that while some of the geese are sleeping ontop of the ice, there is a section right there, about 20ft by 80 that is op...
I possess the spikes "Snowline Chainsen Trail" of two sizes: a small one and a large one. The small one (EU sizes ≤40) sits extremely tight on my hiking shoes "Nevada MFS 6½" (size 40 EU), the larg...
When on an icy/snow slope if I loose my footing, what is the correct technique to self arrest and control my slide? To re-iterate, this question: What is the proper technique for self-arrest wh...
I haven't used trekking poles but I've used wooden poles and they make a huge difference while hiking. Ascents are somewhat easier, and descents are much more so thanks to the poles as another thin...
I'm pondering a longer-term hike in Northern Quebec/Labrador. Autonomous style, sky or snowshoe (TBD) with a sled etc. Right now, considering going Fermont, going south to Sept-Iles (possibly follo...
I've read a couple of sites that say that trailrunners are great for hiking, as they have good traction and are lighter than boots. Would they also work well if you're clambering down or up steep r...
Believe me or not but I'm currently playing a video game :) It's called "Ark: Survival Evolved". You've to survive in the wilderness and for example pick up berries to do so. There is a specific sp...
Stu Miller's Dynamic Spine Calculator asks the user for the "strike plate position". How do I measure and add it correctly to the calculator?
Usually I don't have any hiking poles with me when walking. From time to time I think it would be great to wander one or two kilometers with some support while on the track. I then often end up wit...
Hop climbs up other plants or objects. It clasps its target always clockwise. What is the reason for this? Wouldn't it be more efficient to select the direction case by case?
A couple years ago I have traveled to rather remote areas alone on multi-day hikes and the cell phone coverage was poor. During my hike I wanted to let someone know about my progress (the tracking ...
I am thinking of buying a satellite check in device. I often go alone, and would like to upgrade from the system of of always letting someone know where I am going and when to expect me back. The ...
If one is out fishing and someone gets a fishhook stuck in them, what are the different techniques for removing it?
I have a pocket transit and on the back are a bunch of numbers. They can be seen in these images here, here, and here. What are these numbers used for?
We know we need "Climb High and Sleep low" to prevent Altitude Sickness. Now the question is what can affect the acclimatization process? Example: Bring luggage/bag/etc when climbing high. Wil...
I have been throwing around the idea of purchasing a Burton Channel System snowboard and everything sounds good except for the lack of information on maintenance. I have been unable to find much on...
In January 2016, I was on a flight from London to San Francisco and photographed this prominent mountain (the large one, roughly in the centre of the horizon). Can anybody identify it? The photog...
I'm just curious which animals would peel bark off a tree like this: It's a riparian setting in the Mid Atlantic region. I was thinking maybe a beaver?
I was out in the woods the other day and I came across a tree. It had all of the bark around the bottom removed, and a good layer of wood removed as well. I estimated the damage was a good 7-8 feet...
For the last 4 years or so, my day to day walking/hiking shoes have been a pair of Tevas that I picked up from REI (Riva Event Model: 4103). I'm on my second pair now and they've both lasted about ...
Often times in high alpine lakes you will see lakes like this, where the color comes from the rock/glacial flour suspended in the water. The lakes and sometimes even streams are very pretty, b...
Given that temperature decreases with altitude, and yet inversions happen where cold air is below warmer air, as a general rule of thumb, where would the warmest place to sleep be? Here is one pl...
I've always loved going camping, from the age of about 6. I've also always loved watching Bear Grylls' various TV shows from a similar age. Already you can probably see where this is going! I fini...
Some people seem to be able (as I've noticed when camping and traveling with different people) be able to produce more heat and need fewer layers in cold situations. Are there any techniques that ...
When I go to the beach, I love to look at sea shells. I never take them with me because they're vital to the eco-system. I just gently pick them up, have a close look and sometimes take pictures, t...
I was out ice climbing with a group today and they were using three-point anchors using two vertical v-threads (abalakovs) with one backup ice-bolt. They said the vertical v-threads (one hole over ...
I'll start with two examples of what I don't want. Two years ago, we bought a double Kathmandu airbed in some camping shop in New Zealand. It wasn't cheap, and it was really good for a month of ca...
What are the techniques for starting and maintaining a fire in a survival situation when snow is present? I would like to know if there are any known techniques for starting and maintaining a fire...
A Recent news event (Pioneer Cabin Tree in California felled by storms), brought drive through trees to mind. When I looked at the pictures, I realized it is not the same tree I drove through last...
I have an ultraviolet water purifier. It uses ultraviolet light to kill 99.9% of all viruses and bacteria in one litre of water in 90 seconds. I was wondering: if UV light can purify water, then ...
I'm new in Camping, and recently I have camped in France, in the Vosges region, in the locality called "Le bonhomme". Well it's not the pure wilderness but it was very unusual for me, as it was no...
I'm new in Camping, and recently I have camped in France, in the Vosges region, in the locality called "Le bonhomme". Well it's not the pure wilderness but it was very unusual for me, as it was no...
Recently i was forced to take a long nap in a particular set of toilets at the top of a particular peak after missing the last bin down. I had no bivvy gear, but the toilets were heated and i was ...
I'm looking for socks for the following conditions and to complement the following footwear. My wife frequently spends several hours driving a car (setting car temperature to stay around +20°C) , ...
