General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Sometimes a horse will become what is known as barn sour where all they want to do is hang around the stable/corrals and not go on rides. While on rides, they will keep trying to turn back and once...
I've recently learned of a local eagle cam and have been enjoying watching a pair of bald eagles and their three chicks. While I don't have access to many days of video to check (the site buffers ...
Here is a whole bunch of ants gathered on a sidewalk around dusk, I have seen this before so its not totally uncommon. What would lead to ants doing this?
I went to get something on my mountain bike checked out at the bike shop, and at the same time they told me that my brake pads were absorbing oil. Short of replacing the disc brake pads, is there ...
A few friends and I regularly play board games and RPGs together. We are planning a casual hiking and camping trip. We will go by car to the trailhead and hike in with our gear, tent camp overnight...
It's November, and in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is fast approaching - and with it, the rain. As a cyclist, I do occasionally enjoy taking my road bike out on the roads and just pedaling, wit...
I was working today when I saw a small dog run across the road in front of my apartment, narrowly being missed by a car. I went out and lured the dog in with a hotdog, brought her to my apartment, ...
Two weeks ago I planted two small cherry-tomato seedlings ("tidy treats" variety; the description used words like "small" and "compact") into one 10" pot. I now know that's too close; I'm a beginn...
My bicycle has a hook on the rear tube and one on the front fork. Both are of the same kind, face outside and upwards, and are positioned just above the wheels, as you can see in the pictures belo...
I found the picture below in a stash of things that belonged to my father. My father served in the US army during WWII in the signal corps. He was referred to unofficially as a "radio repairman" ...
While taking the certification course for working at height, the official recommendation for moving from a cherrypicker / crane device to a tower was to completely detach your fall protective gear ...
I need to take either a WFR recert or a WFA before July and am wondering how Covid is affecting them. Both types of classes usually have close contact between participants but I do know they are st...
The last time I was in looking for fishing gear, they also had a bunch of "tactical" pants. They seemed like they would be decent pants for outdoor activities. What exactly makes a pair of pants "t...
Once in Yosemite Vally, I saw a sign that one fork of a paved trail was marked as handicap accessible because it was less steep than the other fork that led to the same destination. How steep/what ...
When shoveling snow in the winter, if my gloves are warm enough to keep my hands warm, they tend to sweat and get the gloves wet from the inside out. How can I prevent this?
Sometimes a horse/pony will bite humans. They bite each other to establish dominance and sometimes they will bite humans too. How do you train a horse to stop biting humans?
On trails that go up steep hills, there are usually switchbacks where the trail goes first one way and then other, resulting in an overall less steep path. In the complete absence of a trail, how ...
My backpack has straps that are way too long and I would like to shorten them, both to save weight and to make it more organized. How can I cut the straps and then seal them so the ends don't come...
I'm looking for easily obtained fuels for an open-cup stove, such as a Trangia, in case I need to top up while travelling. I have a small simple DIY open cup spirit stove, for boiling water when b...
If the topographic map is to be believed, there are plenty of streams in Grasslands National Park, but apparently they are saline. Last and Ginn report that there is no other area in the world th...
Yesterday for the first time I turned my canoe over, then I tried to get back in it. I have been thinking about adding a sail to my canoe and now that I know a bit about sailing, I know I need to ...
I live in a rural area around 59° north. When driving around I often see rodents darting across the roads during high winds (20-50mph), but very rarely see them when the weather is calm. Rain doesn...
Over the weekend I hiked to the site of a crashed F-100 Super Saber. Most of the paint is gone, but there was this insignia with a Minute Man and two fighter jets. The crash is dated to 1967 but...
There are several higher altitude forested areas that I go hiking that have burned this summer and I am wondering about how they will be next summer. Dead trees falling on you is always a concern w...
Was using a space blanket for warmth over the weekend and found it to be really crinkly, it was really noisy with any movement at all, even just breathing. Are there less noisy/crinkly space blanke...
I have a camping trailer that we keep stocked with food and beverages. When we head out on an impulse trip, it stocked and ready to go. Most of the supplies are canned or dried, so we don't need to...
I just saw this small winged bug out in a prairie would anyone know what kind it is? Top view Side view
At what temperature does rain gear become a liability? If it is a couple of degrees above freezing and you are wearing rain gear to stay dry. It helps keep hypothermia (too cold) away. If the temp...
I need to adjust the derailleur on my bike, I don't have a bike stand because I am on the bike trail. I have three options for pedaling while adjusting the the derailleur. Turn the bike upside dow...
I have some experience towing with an upright bike I am considering getting a recumbent trike, as my back side does not last as long as my legs. With an upright bike I automatically move my weight ...
I found these plants while hiking in Colorado, they are pretty small and have red berries slightly larger than peas. The area was old growth that had been burned in a fire at least a few years ago.
I have 20+ year old space heater that is nearing end of life. 120 volt, 1500 watts We use it in the camper when have electric hookup, and need a little extra heat. I started looking online for a...
I live in a downtown urban center. Normally I exercise by going to the gym or by taking long walks around the different neighborhoods or some local hiking trails in parks. Current social distancin...
Once in Nevada, I saw a sign on an old abandoned mine that said two things, Stay out, mines have noxious fumes. Stay out, bats live here. Both of those are good reasons to stay out, but it seem...
Thinking hypothetically, person A is taking a paragliding course over the course of a year in three stages. The first two are about mastering ground handling, taking off, basic landing, different a...
This just crawled out of a houseplant I purchased last weekend. Can anyone help me identify it? I also need to know what to feed it because it probably hasn't eaten in a long time. It's about 4 inc...
I am often skiing with some friends, and would love to have some way of communicating. I've seen quite a lot of bluetooth based systems for motorcycles, but not as many for skiing. The ideal syste...
After reading this question about emergency kits, I noticed that no one mentioned nails. Why shouldn't we include 10 or 12, common 6d (2", 6 penny) nails in the kit? Ten 6d nails weigh about an o...
What equipment is necessary for driving on 4x4 trails and rougher forest roads in the Northeast United States? This would include safety equipment, recovery equipment and any other equipment neede...
For an older guy (say 65+) who likes to hike alone - are a mule or two a help or a hindrance? Maybe a mule for the pack, and a second mule to ride when I get really old? Historically people prefer...
I've seen small radar reflectors for sale. Should I carry one when kayaking? What else can I do such that boats can use their radar to be aware of my location when they can't see me due to poor v...
I've been hanging these fat balls for a good while and they're intact. Previously I was hanging a feeder filled with seeds (for birds) in front of the window and that was also intact for a while; s...
I've just seen a documentary in which a guy trekks through some rugged terrain while he has his cargo on a donkey. It's a pretty cool and versatile animal overall. What are some pros and cons of t...
We prefer watching animals from a distance, to try and cause them the least disruption. Every so often I've seen an animal in a distant part of a large area that doesn't appear to feel right. For i...
I have a group of friends who live in Florida, United States. One woman is blind. One man uses a wheelchair most of the time, although sometimes a cane is sufficient instead, or a friend to lean on...
I've recently bought a pair of PMR446 walkie-talkies with some 5–10 km range, operating at 446 MHz. We've happily used them in Sareks Nationalpark in Sweden. Now I'm moving to Canada, where this ...
My parents moved into a new house several years ago. In one of the gardens behind the house, we found this round metal object about the size of a bowling ball: Both my mom and I think that it ...
There are basically two bear-resistant containers meant for storing food while backpacking, bear canisters and Ursacks. What are the pros and cons of each?
Seen in November in the Rincón de Ademuz, Valencian Community, Spain. I'm not sure whether the "tail" is a stinger or just wing cases, and I didn't want to find out! This was a pretty large insect...
Some of the Yosemite Valley parking lots have communal bear boxes as do some of the trailheads because you are not supposed to store your extra food in your vehicle while you backpack. Bears can't...
