General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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As we wandered through a valley in a South-German forest, we stumbled across this skeleton: A few key-facts: Big eyes It had two sharp "ear like" bones coming out of its skull The pictured rem...
I just saw this BBC news clip Does Canada have the solution to slipping on ice? at about 1:20 into the clip (not counting the commercial) a scientist says "most footwear performs poorly" he also sa...
I have some obsidian and I know that it can be made into knives and other sharp objects such as arrowheads. Historically this was done for a long time in the United States before there were steel b...
This BBC news article Mount Everest: Altitude sickness claims third death in four days caught my attention. From what I understand the best cure for Altitude sickness is to get lower, fast. This...
This is something I have pondered on multiple occasions, when the light of the full moon and the altitude induced insomnia kept me awake long into the night. I realize that this would be an unusua...
This is something I have been thinking about since answering this question about guessing the size of a shark. What precautions would a scuba diver take or is this something that is simply avoided?
This question was prompted by PaulD's question about hypothermia prevention after a falling into icy water. A subsequent answer by Roddy stated that the immediate danger of cold water immersion is ...
Possible Duplicate: How can you navigate without a compass or GPS Obviously we all carry a compass and a map when we go trekking, but if I lose them but know I need to get back to my car...
A recent question asks about disassembling a multi tool pictured below. We have an existing question How do you fashion a spear with a fixed blade. All of the blades pictured are long handled an...
I've often thought about if there is a thumb rule how to wear a backpack comfy and safe. Where should it sit on the back to be ergonomic etc.? How do I adjust the shoulder, hip and chest straps to ...
I've often thought about if there is a thumb rule how to wear a backpack comfy and safe. Where should it sit on the back to be ergonomic etc.? How do I adjust the shoulder, hip and chest straps to ...
We all know this typical Hollywood hiking backpack with an attached sleeping bag and a dangling camping mug. As I currently build a custom backpack, I wondered if there is any good reason to le...
We all know this typical Hollywood hiking backpack with an attached sleeping bag and a dangling camping mug. As I currently build a custom backpack, I wondered if there is any good reason to le...
Skaters commonly wearing special kind of shoes. However, from my point of view they just look like a pair of sneakers. In most cases these are very expensive and I asked myself if they're reall...
The flannel shirt is extremely popular when it comes to outdoor activities since ever. Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or ...
There is a story I have heard about climbers who confused "take" and "safe" and I am wondering if it has actually happened. The story goes like this, The climber is out of sight of the belayer an...
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 been curious as to which mountain is in this picture. I have tried a reverse Google image search but all I have found is pictures of computers. Presumably it is somewhere in the Sierra Ne...
How long does it take for trash like beer cans, old mattress springs, or glass bottles to go from trash and need to be packed out to being a historic artifact with archaeological significance?
I was just reading this answer at Can you keep your feet warm in ski boots on a very cold day? Yes, add fat to your feet. I don't mean gain weight. Just slather it on before putting socks on. P...
There was a question about when a placed ice screw is not reliable. Now I want to know where to best place an ice screw in advance. So what are features of the ice I should look for or avoid when ...
When skiing, if the weather is good, I often come back with a better tan than if I have been at the beach. Obviously with altitude, there is less blocking of UV rays by the atmosphere. But how muc...
Sea water does not freeze until about −2 °C (28 °F) if you add more salt you can lower the freeze point to -21°C. We know from How much sea water can I safely drink? that drinking salt water is ...
I want to install a deck plate in the top of the fresh water tank of my camp trailer (RV) to allow for cleaning the inside at the start of the season. The product I am looking at recommends "Lubri...
As pointed out in a comment by cobaltduck in the question What type of rope to use for the mainsheet of sunfish? the proper name for rope when used on a boat is line. If I go to the store and buy ...
A z-pulley or z-drag is a way of gaining leverage to pull a rope tight or to pull an object or person closer to the anchor. It is commonly used to tighten Tyrolean traverses, recover pinned boats i...
A lot of the fatal accidents in Yosemite National park come from people getting swept over waterfalls. Yes, the falls in Yosemite have fences and warning signs and yet people still ignore them. If...
Recently we visited the alps in Bavaria. We hiked near a lake which had a lot of foam swimming on it. It was not spray from the water but rather a really dense dirty foam. Comparable to shaving foa...
In addition to sizes for different sizes of people, backpacks also have a volume size, usually given in liters or cubic inches, as a measure of how much stuff the backpack can hold. How can I dete...
Last weekend I've shot with a backpack for the very first time. I ordered one which is able to hold my quiver and my bow to hike'n'archer :) However, I suddenly shot like 250 points were I normal...
Let's assume I hike in a region with a lot of streams, rivers and lakes (South-Germany etc.) not longer than for two days. Am I supposed to use a life-straw as my primary water-source or should it ...
Caries and other similar disease can be a painful threat. It even can be a danger to life if not threatened over several months. An abscess may result from a trapped piece of food, uncontrolle...
We've (had) a harsh mosquito (Culicidae) year. Normally they already start to disappear around September but this year it's still getting even worse! Which climate do I have to hope for?
If you are hunting elk in a team of two people with one attempting to call it in and the other to kill it, where should the caller be in relation to the hunter?
I slowly want to get prepared for my trip to the USA. I think about going for an elk. So I asked myself what may be the best way to quarter an elk in the field. What are the basic steps and techniq...
Sometimes when hunting elk, especially archery, you will hear elk calls and be unsure whether it is an elk or a human using an elk call. How could one tell the difference?
I recently came across a hiking boot maker with a front page photo showing someone walking off trail in ankle high boots that are untied. Source This seems to be a current fashion trend, and if...
A triple broadhead has three edges equally attached around the shaft while a double broadhead has only two blades. Triple broadhead: So, which one should one use to hunt boars? A double- or tri...
I've never heard of a bird besides the Albatross which is able to use "Dynamic Soaring". Am I able to draw any conclusions out of this behavior? Like, can I say "it's definitely an Albatross" or "i...
Yesterday we were sitting on a porch and suddenly a wild bug appeared. It was completely black1 and had no horn etc. It just looked like a common bug without any special features. Okay, nothing spe...
Yesterday we were sitting on a porch and suddenly a wild bug appeared. It was completely black1 and had no horn etc. It just looked like a common bug without any special features. Okay, nothing spe...
Lately I chatted with my neighbor while the farrier was there, to provide her horses with new shoes. Later it made me wonder why they even need them. They don't have any in the wild, so why would t...
I've a target face with an image of a squirrel. However, I'm not sure where the the kill exactly would be. I assume that it's the little brown spot beneath the arm, on the edge to the white s...
I've a target face with an image of a squirrel. However, I'm not sure where the the kill exactly would be. I assume that it's the little brown spot beneath the arm, on the edge to the white s...
As far as I know the grey squirrel introduced in Germany by humans. It starts to slowly oust the common brown squirrel. Of course I feel bad for the brown squirrel but people around here act like...
In another forum, an user claimed that squirrels' teeth grow again if they are somehow lost. So, if you would pull out a tooth (please don't do this!), it would grow back again. Is this true? If ye...
There was another report recently about a fox sneaking in a house and resting in its living room. Due to the news report it was caused by the extreme cold weather. The fox didn't even bother the ma...
Rabies has a phase called "furious phase". The infected animal has symptoms which can directly affect humans. An infected dog may viciously attack any moving object, person, or animal; a cag...
So, I had this question. The answer was that we should kill a fox with rabies to help it. Rabies has a phase called "furious phase". The infected animal has symptoms which can directly affec...
I just saw this claim on BBC news, and found it hard to believe. Annually 7,300+ car vs moose accidents in a country that is 173,000 Square Miles, that is like one collision with a moose (and prob...
