General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Filters (None)
There have been a few Atlantic and Pacific row boat crossings. Poor weather is a significant risk. While it might be nice to row with the wind at your aft (back of boat), it might also be nice to...
It's extremely common to mandate that rifle hunters in the United States wear fluorescent orange, some states are now changing the laws to also allow fluorescent pink. The article (April 3, 2018) ...
I want to tie both cables together, but without a knot, kind of "join" them as if glued together side by side, no knot in the cable. The cable is quite thin, and I'm using fishing line, the knot h...
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 po...
I was looking up some things for some of our recent questions when I saw this line in the safety guide for Everglades National Park, Vultures are attracted to the rubber on vehicles and have be...
After a rather unpleasant experience with my current bivy sack, I am looking to replace it. I know that I want one that will hold up in rain, but what else should I look for?
There is a recent story of how one mother duck kept adopting more ducklings that weren't hers and eventually ended up with 76 ducklings. This is called "brood amalgamation", how common is it among...
Trailheads at some national parks like Yosemite or some wilderness areas will have quotas, with a certain number of permits per trailhead available per day. Usually, the permits are split between ...
I have been wondering how often the thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail resupply. I would assume that it depends on the part of the trail and the hiker, but is there an average distance or lengt...
I have heard that rabbits shouldn't be eaten in the summer because they have ticks and parasites on them at that time and that one should wait till after it freezes. Of course, you have to abide b...
I'm looking for the easiest way to cook or preserve fish at the river or lakeside with as minimal preparation or cooking involved so they can be eaten later. Mainly trout, pike or walleye. Ideally ...
About a month ago, my youngest son found a dead rabbit in the woods while camping and brought me to the spot to show it. The rabbit looked like it had just died and didn't show any obvious cause of...
I'm going on a long sailing trip in Netherlands. I would like my family to be able to contact me in case of an emergency, but we'll be outside of mobile network range most of the time. Along the G...
A simple explanation would be great. I am reading a manual for digital compass and there is a paragraph with the following words: The SpeedPuck automatically detects when a sailor is trimmed t...
Inspired by a recent question. If I want to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a boat, what are the shortest and longest possible crossing sites? Where crossing = going from one continent to another wh...
I've rendered my Sangean MMR-88 DAB radio (alias Sangean Survivor DAB+) unusable by selecting "System" -> "Software Upgrade". The display says "PC wizard.." and the radio is unresponsive. I've ...
These questions (one, two) about sail wetting/trimming raised another question for me. Disclaimer: I'm at best a novice sailor, and I've never sailed on a square rigger. As far as I understood (se...
My cat gets a rabbit every other week or so. He usually eats the whole thing himself but I was wondering if I should try and cook it for myself. Is there even enough meat on them to make it worth t...
The other day, this question (Why did wetting down canvas sails increase the speed of a sailing ship?) was asked regarding the historical practice of wetting down sails. The current answer quotes ...
I live in Massachusetts, in the Northeast United States. Our backyard is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. We're responsible for providing shelter, places for raising young...
Hi there! First time poster here. 8 months ago I found a deer head in the woods. At the time it was less than 24 hours dead. So I put it in a tub and buried it in the woods. Dug it back up a few ...
Some users here seem to think that the animal in question is a pika and not a cottontail rabbit. How would one tell the difference between a pika and a cottontail rabbit?
I'm hoping that this is the right place to put this. I'm going four wheel driving on a sand island for a couple of days this weekend. I drive a Ford Ranger truck (ute in Australia). My question i...
I'm considering replacing my North Face Gore-tex jacket as it's starting to get a bit tatty, some of the zips are breaking, etc. I've seen quite a few Paramo jackets about. I'm presuming they're q...
Small warning: This question comes from a germophobe point of view, so please keep this in mind while giving an answer. I love hiking, but I'm worried of what kind of germs (read virus, bacteria a...
I'd like to start identifying trees in my area as a project with my kids while we are hiking. What is best for tree identification? Is it a good color book such as the Audubon Field Guide to Nor...
My neighbour has an ornamental cherry tree that has died. It is still standing but presumably a dead tree becomes increasingly hazardous and should be felled. I am wondering whether, were I to offe...
Is it still considered a 'figure 8' knot when you dress it so the loop is perpendicular to the rest of the loop?
I've been borrowing this High Sierra small backpack from my friend for a few days and I'm looking to buy my own. So far I haven't found any barcode or product name on it, and I haven't found anythi...
I've heard from a friend that some bees exhibit behavioral changes during a solar eclipse event. I'd like to know what the changes are. Apparently there's a cycle that starts as the eclipse begins...
I'v been told that walking with a heavy foot-fall will deter snakes. Is this really true?
I've seen different types of hummingbird nectar, some red and some clear. My question is, will the red be able to attract more hummingbirds, vice-versa, or will they both attract the same amount? N...
Recently we were climbing up a glacier with the ice at an angle of around 80°. We were placing the ice screws angling slightly upwards with respect to the slope of the ice wall. However, one from...
I'm working on a setting for a tabletop RPG game. This place is located high on the mountains and it is cold. There is a village in this place and their is and inn who's only room is on the basemen...
This question was prompted by the advice to "follow the existing angles" in this answer on sharpening ice screws. I have heard the same advice when it comes to resharpening knives. Of course, there...
In one of the Hornblower novels, he is being pursued by a French frigate on the first day of war. During the chase, both the British and French ships are sailing upwind, and it is mentioned that ...
My wife and I just moved to Buena Vista, CO and want to know how necessary it is to have an SUV with AWD to get to trailheads. We’d prefer a sedan or hatchback for better fuel efficiency, but don’t...
I see lots of mention on sailing forums about standing on the bow and "pumping" the sail on a sunfish or other small boat to get going under your own power. However, I can't seem to find any video...
Ice screws need to be sharp to be placed into the ice, and just like anything with an edge they will get dull over time. How would one know when to sharpen an ice screw, and once they do need to b...
You see this a lot on films, the hero/heroine is injured and disinfects their wound(s) by pouring whiskey on it. I'm a bit sceptical. If I'm in an emergency scenario and need to prevent infection...
In answering this question I tossed out that a candle lantern can provide as much as 10 degrees (F) of temperature difference while winter camping. I've heard this tossed about before, but is it tr...
I would like to winter camp in a 4-season tent but am interested in alternatives to mummy sleeping bags. I want to avoid that shape. What alternative sleep systems do people use that are appropri...
I have seen a few videos of people using an interesting friction-fire technique, and a couple of them called it a "fire roll." To do this, they fluffed up a cotton ball, put something in it such as...
We went climbing on a glacier recently. There was one issue which I couldn't find a solution to. While belaying from below (on the first pitch), it was pretty much impossible to protect self from r...
We live in a suburban town in Massachusetts, Northeast United States. We keep a lot of bird feeders stocked all year with things birds and animals like, excluding meat and fruit. Yesterday, Oct...
I live in the suburban town of Holden, in Central Massachusetts. Many hundreds of acres of mature woodland areas are being torn down nearby to create new roads and housing developments, and it's ge...
Generally, I'm more used to methods described here for the US. Our task this past weekend was to use dots to remark a trail, but the method of placement was opposite to what I'm used to: the dots ...
I've been told that the only place Emperor penguins live is Antarctica. They live in colonies which can be anywhere from 500-20,000 birds. Unlike some other birds, including other penguin species, ...
I'm heading out this weekend, and the temperature is expected to drop below freezing, with a 20% chance of rain. I have two tents, a lightweight 2-person, which I primarily use for backpacking, an...
