General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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This weekend, I was hiking in the Spanish Sierra de Guadarrama. On a small trail north of Navacerrada (used by only a handful of people each day at the moment), at 1905m height, I encountered the p...
When hunting in the forest/mountains, how can I track large game (in particular, deer, elk, sheep, the like) after I've shot and wounded him and he's escaped? What should I look for? What signs ...
With the recent snow, I ran across some odd tracks that go under my guest house. I got closer to the area where the tracks ended and was surprised to hear odd squeaking noises from whatever made th...
I was having a nice evening walk near one of the nature reservations in Andover MA, close to Tewksbury, when I've found such a footprint. I'm really sorry for image quality, though. So it's a wet, ...
It looks like I may be able to spend couple months from March in Newfoundland. During my last trip I noticed a great number of hauntingly beautiful bogs, right by the road - thus one could effortle...
One of my more memorable hiking experiences came on the Wonderland Trail in the summer of 1994. The trail is about 93 miles (150 kilometers) long. It's in the Mount Rainier State Park which is loca...
Sometimes people move to a new area or go hunting far from home. What standard methods and techniques should a person use to find out where they can shoot or sight in firearms? I'm looking for t...
I have been using a double uni knot to go from braid to a fluoro leader, and just recently learned a perfection loop, and accompanying loop-to-loop for fly line to fly leader. For spinning gear wit...
I am taking part in a 100K event later this year, and the organizers have made available a .kml file of the route downloadable from here. This is great, but I want to view this route on a UK 1:2500...
When referring to a sailing boats course relative to the wind there are some clearly defined terms like "beam-reach", which is exactly perpendicular to the wind. A broader range like "close-reach" ...
I've been looking at a map of the hot springs in my state, and near my area there are 4 in a 60 mile range. These hot springs all are lined up in a straight line, and so my incredibly wishful think...
I'm in the market for a backpack for fast paced multi-day hiking (away from food up to 1 week). I've tried some of the really big backpacks (65L) and found the padding bulky. I've tried some good o...
I just recently returned from a course where we utilized a static rope to construct a top-rope anchor from a top-accessed ledge: the system was like that described in this answer - the resulting co...
Are there any good resources out there for locating publicly available hunting land? UPDATE: I should have stated that I'm looking for land in the US. Also, I'm interested in any public land (gov...
I have a requirement where I want to tie a knot with the two ends of a cord where the length of the loop can be adjusted using either of the ends. (The knot has to be present on both the ends of th...
I just got my first handgun and had previously bought a safe that we had used for other things. The safe is a made by first alert, and is the 2087F. It says in the manual, which I've thankfully kep...
I would like to visit northern Chile and particularly the Atacama region. The goal would be to trek in the area, during about 10-12 days. It can be one long route or several shorter ones. What rou...
I'm heading over to Albufeira and I was just wondering if there are any hiking or mountaineering activities, or outdoor landmarks worth seeing in the area (or close by). I don't want to be stuck ...
Hiring from a normally good company, I realised as I was putting them on that I have been given two left snow shoes. Other than the strapping direction and the 'L' on each they seem very nearly sym...
When learning how to set climbing routes on artificial walls, setters are often told to set route difficulties according to a "bell curve". An example of this is mentioned on this page. What is...
Reposting this from a Facebook discussion. It's a picture taken from a retail store where they have attached a pin-tag through the rope to prevent theft; a common practice at this location. My gut...
And what situations should I try and avoid in regards to wildlife and areas prone to hazards in the UK? Edited my question to cover the other answers more as they were very good additions to the w...
I was out camping recently, and found that the bottom foot or so of my sleeping bag had gotten wet ( in part due to one of the stakes for my rain fly coming loose, but that's another story). As no...
When hiking, I often find myself in areas where cell phone reception is poor or intermittent. Sometimes the signal is not good enough to make a call, but it is still possible to send text messages...
I found some scats that looked a lot like those of a pine marten or otter at 600-700m in the Lake District, UK. The scat was full of white claw-shaped items, possibly bone, and was 10-15cm long an...
I want to hike to the base of this tree (circled in red in the photo). That's a hillside full of full grown trees beneath it, and it looks like over a full tree's height sticking up above the other...
I'm about to get a Granada 24 sailboat and I can't really figure out what type of trailer I need. It would be awesome if someone could explain to me what I need to know to choose the right trailer....
On a recent hike at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton, Massachusetts, my husband came across this tree. The trunk is twisted in a spiral/curly fashion. It was in a forest of many other ...
This question comes from a circle of thought processes, so bear with me a moment... The skunks are waking up from hibernation, and after smelling so many sprays, one can't help but wonder (theoret...
I'm curious of a good technique to cross a stream while backpacking that's above the boot's waterproof line but no higher than the knees. I typically face upstream and use my hiking poles for stabi...
I often see Mangrove and Cypress swamps on T.V. and I think it might be fun to explore one in a canoe. My wife thinks we might get eaten by Alligators if we try it. I have no knowledge about alliga...
Based on the answer here I would be exploring a cypress swamp in the Mississippi valey north of the 35th Parrell. If I canoe in a lake or on a river, I always have a pretty good idea where I am, ...
There are times when I just barely miss getting sprayed by a skunk (there are a lot of them in my area). I haven't actually gotten directly sprayed, but I would like to be ready in case that happen...
Sometimes when navigating with map and compass one will take a back bearing, i.e. a bearing taken directly opposite to the direction one is travelling? When and why would one want to do this?
I tried to find topographic maps of my area in Brazil, but the best I could find is some 1:50000 map from 1983. My biggest need for a map (besides not getting lost) is avoiding private properties ...
Apart from the obvious advantages of longer strides and reach, does a higher center of gravity make it more difficult for taller people to walk the slopes of a mountain? Or in other terms, do short...
I've heard that running in a zig-zag pattern makes it more difficult for the alligator to keep up with you. Is that true?
In spring conditions it often happens that the upper layer of snow warms up and small pieces of it roll down leaving traces behind them. Like in this picture I have found in the Internet: Giv...
Would amsteel blue rope be appropriate for use in anchor building for climbing or mountaineering? I expect it's not very abrasion resistant so it wouldn't be good up against some rock or an edge. B...
Most backpacking backpacks have both a big main compartment and a "brain" which goes over the top of the main compartment. Image source When packing, which gear should go into the brain?
In September of 2017, for nearly two weeks, the Kenow Wildfire raged through a swath of Canada. Its largest impact was on the Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. More than 38,000 hectares, (94...
I occasionally hike in the Sahyadri ranges in Maharashtra (India). During the rainy season there are a lot of crabs on the trail. In case the crab bites, what are the first aid steps that can be ta...
For most backcountry navigation I use a topo map and compass when necessary. Generally I'm following known trails and combined with some basic awareness of cardinal direction and land features I do...
Tents and tarps have these long straps (sketch here), which may be used to tie them to distant trees. When unused, they can look untidy and become tangled. This can happen both when the tent is in ...
I used to be a regular climber, and unfortunately I have put on some serious weight over the last 4 years, and I have not been able to climb as much as would have loved to. While, I am still worki...
I don't know how to actually put a title to this one here. But, the question is, Why do those high altitude porters haul heavy stuff (pretty heavy) on their back and with support by means of a st...
I am an avid snowboarder and I have noticed that socks made of merino wool are incredibly good at wicking away moisture while keeping my feet warm. However, I was wondering about other textiles tha...
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) , ...
Does anyone know the strength of an ATC when used in a multi-pitch set up? It occurred to me that the entire weight of a climber is resting on the strength of the ATC clip and not on any carabiner....
I recently was given some old Chouinard hexes my uncle used back in the 70s. They look great, and I see no reason why I can't re-sling them and use them as perfectly safe protection. I've found so...
