Activity for Danubian Sailor‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Where in Europe is wilderness meeting the U.S. wilderness definition? Ukrainian Gorgany. One of the most wild places in Europe. Mieczysław Orłowicz has written almost 100 year ago about one of the peaks, Popadia, that from there no place inhabited by men is to be seen. According to people that were there, this sentence is still true. You will not see any a... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What resources are needed to attempt E3? This is an extremely long trail. Very good walkers are able to do 30-50 km (depending on weather and terrain) each day for a very long time. But for seasoned (though physically very fit) walker a realistic estimate is on avg. 25 km/day. So for 7000 km you would need 280 days. According to the articl... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	Is emergency overnighting using hammock/canvas tent considered wild camping (Europe/Germany)? Is (more or less planned) emergency overnighting with usage of hammock and/or canvas tent considered wild camping in Europe (especially in Germany)? In many countries, such as Germany, wild camping is disallowed and fined, but if you don't use full tent, but only canvas to protect yourself from rai... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	Hardening the skin on the whole body (not only soles) Walking barefoot makes skin on the soles very hard. Indigenous tribes that have no boots are walking barefoot even on the sharp rocks. But after my leg was slightly slit by the seaweed, I wonder if it is possible to do the same with the skin on the other parts of the body. If so, how to achieve it? ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	Is it possible to develop immunity against mosquitos? For me, every bite by mosquito results in heavy itching and the blister, which size is dependent on how long the mosquito was sucking the blood, in worst cases even 1 cm in diameter. If I would stay naked outdoors the whole nights, the blisters would probably cover my whole body with painful red crus... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the minimum set of shoes required for hiking outdoors It depends much more on your individual condition, how your body (mostly feet and knees) react to various kinds of shoes. There is a guy in the series "Dual survival" that claim not to need shoes at all, even in hard terrain. But it's extreme. If we limit the scope to the people not used to walkin... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	What do you risk when you ignore blisters and carry on walking? The blisters can be very painful. If you walk further, you should expect it won't be easy and pleasant. And the blisters may get worse. But what do you risk, except from pain and getting more blisters, when you decide to walk anyway? If you want to train long-distance walking and you decide to go on... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	Will barefoot walking harden the skin and help prevent blisters when trekking in heavy shoes? Blisters are usually happening if you walk much more than you are used to, or the shoes are much harder than those you usually wear. For example on multi-day trekkings in heavy trekking shoes. The people more used to walking have usually harder feet and are much less likely to get blisters. The usu... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	Is it safe to swim naked in lakes in Northern Europe? Is it safe to swim naked in lakes (rather smaller ones) in Northern Europe (north from Alps), when it comes to possible interactions with the fauna? I wouldn't expect to meet fishes such as infamous Candiru in the Northern Europe, but are there any fishes or other animals, that could be possible da... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Geocaching or alternative game/activity to learn the basics of GPS navigation in terrain You can try waymarking. The concepts comes from virtual caches, which currently are able to register only in a few geocaching portals, such as opencaching.de. However, if your aim is to learn your friends to use GPS, I don't see any problem with geocaching. The most difficult part - finding a cache ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to cheaply introduce someone to backpacking Even if you want to go for city-sightseeing trip for one day, you wan't go below 100$ assuming you have nothing, including shoes, clothes and rucksack. But this is extreme situation. Everyone has something to wear and some kind of rucksack. You shouldn't started from extreme with novices, so we ass... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	How to harden feet for walking barefoot on harsh surfaces? In the past I was only occasionally walking barefoot, on relatively short distances, on the earthy surfaces. But I'd like to train my feet to be able to do much more - including walking on harsh surfaces such as rocks. My inspiration are the documentaries of indigenous peoples walking barefoot in man... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	Is it generally allowed to walk in German forests in the night? I was geocaching a bit and I've found in many caches the warning not to cache in the night during the winter because of hunting season. My question is, have such limitations a legal basis, and if so, how restrictive they are (and how can I check what where exactly is limited)? Now the day is long, ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	How many calories (aprox.) do we lose when washing in (very) cold water? This is a common problem during wild camping or survival activity, especially during colder seasons. You are tired, you have lost a lot of calories during day, and now you want to wash, but the only option you have is the cold water in the stream. And the temperature outside is also not very warm. S... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Emergency measures: sleeping bag not suitable for the current weather People falling asleep and dying were already affected by hypothermia, once it happens to you, the only chance is a heat source such as fire or other people, however if you are alone, you will have really problems with making fire in such condition. If your body isn't completely exhausted, you will h... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it warmer to sleep naked in a sleeping bag? From my experience - no way. If the temperature outside is below the comfort range of your sleeping bag, you'll have to put some extra things on you, otherwise you risk hypothermia (in best case - sleepless night). The best things are the fleece ones. However, when it goes to trousers and jackets (n... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it normal for a double skin popup tent to leak in slight rain? There is one thing about tents in general (well, at least I don't know any exception) - they are absolutely not waterproof!. The outer part simply soaks with water and leads it down to the ground. But if you touch it - you have a rain inside. It's just like touching the surface of the umbrella from t... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: I've found a GeoKret, what can I do with it? GeoKret is an open alternative to commercial TravelBugs. It is an independent solution, having own site: geokrety.org, where you can log it. It is integrated with OpenCaching portal, but Groundspeak is not willing to integrate them with their site. You can use Chrome plugin called GeoKrety Toolbox.... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	I've found a GeoKret, what can I do with it? The previous founder wrote in cache log that he had dropped a trackable called GeoKret. I've found it, but I don't know how to log it? I can't find it on GC site. (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I keep my backpack safe? Generally the far from the civilization you go, the safer your things are. Thiefs are operating there where people live or where there are a lot of people. Distant rocks, caves etc. are not their target. I have not heard of something being stolen from someone's luggage in mountains, for example. If ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	How to deal with little flies flying into the eyes? There's one thing which can spoil my day outdoors. Those are the little flies which happen to fly directly into my eyes. I work on a computer and my eyes are dry and over-sensitive. If such an insect falls into my eye, it results in intensive stinging, something making me unable to open my eyes. It ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to create campfire which will burn overnight? In one of the series of Survivorman the Les Stroud has put into fire the whole fallen pine. A very thick trunk will burn for a long time. Generally, the thicker the wood the longer it will burn. A thin branch will last a few hours, the fire will not be big, but it will nevertheless give heat. Unfor... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is a type of walking trailer a good alternative to a heavy backpack in off-road conditions? Compare the size of those wheels with the size of the wheels of outdoor vehicles, and you'll see that such small wheels can't work well in hard terrain! Probably even on dry meadow the energy you'll have to use to drag that device, which will constantly catch on blades of grass and other plants, wou... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: When does a geocached area become "saturated"? It's probably a very subjective measure, but I think that the area is too saturated when I spend more time searching for cache as walking to other location. For bicycle cachers it may be a bit else, but after finding 5 caches 500 meters from each other (5-6 minutes walk) I want to skip the next and... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Question	—	Should I register caches when I know in longer perspective I will move? I've registered some caches in Poland. It strike me that reviewer from GeoCaching was asking how I'm supposed to service caches far from my home location. In the meantime I moved to Germany, which made caches registered near my 'home' location less serviceable than those register 'far from', but near... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Question	—	Would it be acceptable to plant OC's mobile cache into GC's caches? I have currently no place of permanent perspective (from the geocache's point of view, I think it should be about 5 years, to be able to service cache in that time). So I'm thinking about creating the series of mobile caches. Of course, those caches can be created in OpenCaching only. And in Germany ... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is a "travel bug" in geocaching? The trackable is the object which can be moved from cache to cache and tracked with help of tracking code. This is something like normal exchange object, but you can track it and know who have taken it and where have it landed. There are only other rules for trackables as for exchange objects - you c... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it dangerous to sleep in a tent alone in a forest in -20°C? Even the temperatures around 0 C are real threat to life! For -20 C you'll definitely need very good equipment. A sleeping bag with comfort temperatures around -20 C will cost much but without it you won't cope. But you must note, that 'sleeping' in tents in such low temperatures is often not real s... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	Running shoes for asphalt + winter conditions? What is the good choice for the running shoes for winter conditions in city (mostly running on asphalt)? When the snow is shoveld, normal running shoes would be no problem, but when the snow falling, they are soaking immediately and they have poor adhesion. So, I was thinking about running in light ... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	City tickets as exchange objects? Is it good idea to use city tickets for public transport (laminated or in string bags) as exchange objects or traveller objects (krets)? Are such items welcomed by the geocachers community? From the one side, simply throwing validated tickets into caches in the same city is not welcomed, because suc... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	Legal issues when entering school areas while geocaching in Europe What are the legal issues when entering school areas while searching for geocaches? Some caches are located in such places. The first is available without problem for children and teachers, but what with other geocachers? Is it actually legal to go into such area without "strong reason" such as worki... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: How many GeoCaches are registered in Germany by OpenCaching? It seams, that there is another site for statistics, which is not linked (or the linking is not obvious. The statistics for Germany can be obtained under http://cms.geocaching.de/index.php?id=9 So, OpenCaching has 28k caches in Germany, and GeoCaching 192k. That means that GeoCaching has over 6 time... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	How many GeoCaches are registered in Germany by OpenCaching? I was trying to find statistics for the number of caches in Germany, that are registered in portal opencaching.de, a free of change and open alternative to GeoCaching.com. But I've failed to find such numbers. In polish version of OpenCaching the statistics are available under the link in the main me... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is buying an expensive sleeping bag better? You're talking about 2 extremes: very cheap sleeping-bag from supermarket and very expensive down sleeping bag for freezing temperatures. I've bought myself the synthetic sleeping bag, which was about 4 times cheaper than proffessional down one. However, I've bought the sleeping bag in proffessional... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are fires in natural caves/overhangs safe? The general rule is that the rock can't get hot. When you heat the rock, the water inside evaporates and can crack the rock. If you're just making fire to warm yourself or cook something (a steak, not the whole beef) it will be OK. When the fire is moderate, the rock shouldn't even get warm. You sho... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: What should be carried in a standard Geocaching bag? The list you've provided as the answer to your question is very good, so I write only about additional items: gloves - very usefull to get caches out of the dirty locations and holes you don't know what is inside (to prevent bites, hurting yourself by splitted glass etc.) string bags - to wrap the ... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: How important is thermal underwear for skiing? Good underwear is very important in winter conditions. When you're active, you're sweating. The moisture greatly reduces the termal isolation, which increases the chances of hipotermia. Cotton is very bad for underwear, because it absorbs moisture. When it is wet, it acts like cool compress, drainin... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Can I eat rotten meat and carcass given enough cooking? I've met often with the concept that rotten meat and carcass is inedible because of bacteria and toxins. The most harmful is the botulinum toxin. However, in the question Can any waterborne pathogens survive boiling?, a link pointed to an article with some pertinent information. That link now leads ... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Will boiling be enough to decontaminate standing water from pathogens and toxins? Will the boiling of the water itself be enough to decontaminate water taken from such standing water reservoir as that: This water looks horrible, and probably drinking it raw would cause serial diarrhea, however, is boiling of this water enough to be safe to drink? What would be required to make i... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	How much garlic in the mountain kitchen? How much garlic should I use in the mountain kitchen during backpacking camps? I'm asking from the perspective of the person who wants to plan such a camp and the menu on it. Walking a lot with a heavy backpack, often in bad weather condition, and sleeping outside when the nights can be cold is a ve... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Is there any repellent against wasps, bees and hornets? On my trip I've been accompanied by a few wasps. I don't know what attracted them but they were trying to sit on me, which wasn't comfortable to me, since a bite of a wasp is causing by me a swelling of a few cm size... So, I'm wondering, if there's any repellent against wasps and other Hymenoptera ... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Does a red headscarf or hat provide better protection from the sun? I read in an old tourist guide (from the beginning of the 20th century) that during mountain walks on sunny days one should wear a red headscarf or a hat with red lining to avoid heat stroke, because the red colour gives better protection against sunlight. Is this really true? Does red colour actual... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Are there something like student mountain guides clubs in Western Europe? Student mountain guides clubs are very active in Poland. They are organizing non-commercial mountain backpacking trips, where participants have to pay only their part of costs, such as when you travel with the group of friends. So you don't have to travel alone if you don't have your team and don't w... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Are the orienteering marches popular in Germany? I'm engaged in orienteering marches, which differ from sport orienteering: there is the time limit, where finishing before time gives no advantage to the participant, and the center is put on the decoding of the map. The map itself is highly transformed - this involves fragmenting, stretching, mirror... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is there a straightforward way to calculate energy requirements for a trek There is no simple algorithm to calculate calory needs. It depends on many conditions, such as the intensity of the trek, the temperature and humidity, your metabolism, what you are wearing etc. My typical calory usage (70kg weight) in mountains measured in Crna Gora in August, route between 20 and ... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	An alternative to geocaching, but with classic maps instead of GPS? Geocaching is a great fun, but it is oriented on GPS devices. I'd like to participate in searching caches, which location is given on the map (full, or fragmented, or just a drawing) - like in orienteering. Does such alternative exist? I'm asking about the activity that has numerous active participa... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Tent and sleeping bag: pack inside or strap outside a backpack? For me, the sleeping back is the most important thing to be kept dry, so it would be the last thing I would decide to strap outside. It may be not the case if you have very durable waterproof bag for your sleeping bag. (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the best way to cross streams while backpacking? I'm always using sandals. There are good trekking sandals with profiled soles that gives you adhesion not much worse than trekking shoes. Of course, they are not as much stabile, but you have no problem with drying them. When the water is not higher then the knees, the current is not strong enough t... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is a varied diet necessary while backpacking? Some people have great resistance for limited diet. I've heard a lot of stories from the people I've met during mountaineering about their high mountain trips, where their diet was based mostly on semolina powder mixed with milk powder (something uneatable for me because of lactose intolerance). One... (more)	—	over 12 years ago

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