Activity for ab2 MonicaNotForgotten
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: Is it poor etiquette to ask fellow backpackers where they have been/where they are going? There is no right answer to this question, but let me give you a perspective from an older generation -- a generation which was raised to respect privacy, perhaps too much. As such, I consider it bad manners to ask personal questions of strangers without giving a good reason for the question. And... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Is the reappearance of large crow populations 15 years after the West Nile dieback a widespread occurence? This is not a complete answer, but there is evidence that crow populations are rebounding. From The Virginian-Pilot, July, 2017. Crows? Who’s been seeing and hearing a lot of these noisy raucous critters this year? I certainly have. The big black birds are raising Cain, up and dow... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Are coasteering routes graded, or does one have to rely on a qualitative description of the difficulties of a route? What, you may ask, is coasteering? Does saying it is similar to kloofing help? Thought not. Many sites describe coasteering; here is a brief description exerpted from outsideonline.com, What Is Coasteering, and Where Can I Do It? Coasteering is a combination of rock climbing, swimming, and opti... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Under what conditions can a guide be highly confident of protecting clients against brown bears without using firearms? This is only a partial answer, and I don't feel comfortable citing the following source without permission. I e-mailed a highly condensed version of my question to a reputable guiding company specializing in small group trips and custom charters in Southeast Alaska. This is the reply: A trip i... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Under what conditions can a guide be highly confident of protecting clients against brown bears without using firearms? A friend travelled to Alaska last summer, and took several guided trips in areas with large brown bear populations. In each case, according to his report, the guides were armed only with bear spray. On one of the trips, to Admiralty Island, my friend said that the guides were rangers. (He did not s... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How to defend against swooping Torresian Crow You might try an umbrella. See this article from The Guardian, Rogue owl caught after year-long reign of terror in Dutch town. A rogue owl that has terrorised a northern Dutch city for the past year, forcing citizens to arm themselves with umbrellas at night, has been caught, officials have ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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From the perspective of someone engaging in an outdoor sport, is there any fur that confers an advantage over all synthetic materials? In the largely indoor sport of oneupswomanship, real fur, especially mink, sable or chinchilla, offers a great advantage; no one wearing a synthetic fabric, however stylish the coat or jacket, is in the running. This extends to the partially outdoor sports of après-ski and outdoor dining at fas... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Is the correct term Canada Goose or Canadian Goose? According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the name is Canada Goose. The big, black-necked Canada Goose with its signature white chinstrap mark is a familiar and widespread bird of fields and parks. Many of them are not even Canadian, having emigrated permanently south to the lower-48. ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Hiking with boots untied? The greatest risk with unlaced shoes or boots is that a lace will slip out of the shoes or boots and you will trip on a lace dangling on the ground. I often go around with unlaced tennis shoes (although not while playing tennis) not to look cool, but because lacing and unlacing is just one more te... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How should I treat poison ivy? I'm not going to repeat any of the good advice given in earlier answers. However, creams, lotions and salves will not work if you have a massive case of poison ivy. Then there is nothing to do but go to your doctor or to a walk-in clinic and get a prednisone shot and/or tablets. I had a horrible... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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What accounts for the predominance of Kendall Mint Cake over York Peppermint Pattie in mountaineering expeditions? I have eagerly consumed many accounts of early mountaineering expeditions in which the mountaineers always eagerly consumed Kendal Mint Cake (KMC). I got the impression that they would have found it unthinkable to set off without it. Note that it is difficult to digest anything at very high altitud... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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In what situations is it irresponsible not to carry a PLB or satellite messenger device? The motivation for this question is the impalement question. The impalement question asked what to do in a particular catastrophic accident if Phones are dead, you don't have a PLB, and if you walked out, help could not arrive in less than three days I think it is irresponsible to be three da... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Mother is attempting full Appalachian Trail next year - how can I help her now and while she is doing it? I suggest that you and your mother read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. For a look into the book, including sections of text, see here. It also comes in an audio book and was made into a movie in 2015. Bryson hiked with a friend, and although he ski... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How long until I develop immunity to stomach flu / travelers' disease? The answer from @Tullochgorum gave you excellent advice from a person with experience trekking in Asia. I don't have any experience in Asia outside major cities, nor am I an MD, but I think a few caveats are in order. (1) If I were you, I'd not only go to a travel clinic, but see a specialist on GI... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Do mountain lions play with their food? Fortunately, I cannot give you an answer based on first-hand experience or, unfortunately, even close personal observation. The two sources, (1) Balanced Ecology, Inc and (2) Defenders of Wildlife suggest that cougars do not play with their prey, at least not the larger of their prey. Cougars eat a... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Where do white tigers live? All white tigers live in zoos. The last white tiger living in the wild was shot in 1958. (This breaks my heart.) From a-z animals: White Tiger Classification and Evolution The White Tiger (also known as the White Bengal Tiger) is a subspecies of Tiger, found throughout the Indian subcontine... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Book about wolves raised by a man, his wife and a German Shepherd: familiar to anyone? Is basic premise plausible? Several decades ago, I read a book written by a man who rescued and raised two wolf cubs whose mother had been killed. He was sure his wife would welcome the cubs, but he was apprehensive about the reaction of his large, male German Shepherd. The dog took one sniff of the cubs, and adopted them, sta... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Is ice-skating on lakes or ponds a sport in Iran (or Central Asia)? This exchange of comments on English Language and Usage got me to wondering if outdoor ice-skating is or was ever a sport in Iran (or central Asia). Certainly it gets cold enough in parts of Iran. Iran has ski resorts, and skiing has been popular in Iran for a long time. Good skiing is easily acces... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Do cars really hit 20 moose per day in Sweden? Moose–Vehicle Collisions From Fatal Car to Moose Collisions: In Sweden, the number of moose vehicle collisions (MVCs) were 5874 in 2016 (Nationella Viltolycksrådet 2015). During the last 10 years in average 5 [human] fatalities occur annually due to MVCs in Sweden. To put this in ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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What to do if you have been stung multiple times by yellow-jackets hours or days from the trailhead? The Situation: Your party is hours or days from the trailhead, when one of the party stumbles on a yellowjacket nest and is stung multiple times by the tiny fighter aircraft. The person had been stung several times before, and suffered only swelling around the stings, but never had a systemic react... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: What will this bright green caterpillar with small turquoise spots turn into? It's the Great Peacock Moth Caterpillar. See Wikipedia for other images, including a painting of the moth by Van Gogh. Saturnia pyri, the giant peacock moth, also called the great peacock moth, giant emperor moth, or Viennese emperor, is a Saturniid moth which is native to Europe. It is the... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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What is the ecological justification (if any) for bird feeders? Like many people, we have bird feeders, and a bird-bath. We also have a feeding station (replenished in the mornings only) that attracts squirrels and chipmunks and some of the larger birds. During the winter, we are religious about keeping the bird feeders full, and during the few heavy snows we h... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Why should lights be turned off on beaches where turtles breed? The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) gives two reasons for keeping beaches dark at night when sea turtles are laying or hatching. The first reason the STC gives is that a nesting turtle likes quiet, dark beaches. If she cannot find such a spot after several attempts, she will choose a less than ideal sp... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How to minimize impact on terrain at camp? I agree with all of the tactics mentioned by @Tullochgorum, except for the bare feet -- Ouch! However, the terrain and your feet will thank you for wearing light weight camp shoes. As for looking for a suitable campsite, one or two people can do that -- six people do not have to go out scouting in ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How to deal with diarrhea when using a cathole in the wilderness? The following assumes you have enough time to follow all the steps, and assumes you are below timberline. Find a log. Dig your cathole on Side B of the log. Plant your feet on Side A of the log. Drop your nether garments to your knees. Brace yourself with your hands on the log. Sling your backs... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How can I rescue someone lost in an avalanche? The accepted answer gives good advice, which I will not repeat here. But although reading about what to do is much better than not knowing anything about what to do, reading is no substitute for hands-on training. I thus add this answer for the record: if you are travelling in an area where avalan... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Does fordable by 4WD imply fordable on foot? From The U.S. National Weather Service, Turn Around Don't Drown® Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm related hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: What is the lowest altitude where the effect of lack of acclimatization can be observed? According to the International Society for Mountain Medicine, in its article Normal Acclimitization: Acclimatization is the process of the body adjusting to the decreased availability of oxygen at high altitudes. It is a slow process, taking place over a period of days to weeks. High altit... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Swimming in a river in England or Wales with a right of navigation I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not a Brit, but I've found two articles that strongly suggest that swimmers can travel along a river or portion of a river designated as having a Right of Navigation. According to this article, Navigation Law and access to water on Naturenet.net: A right of navigation ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Can I safely camp in deer tick country, and if so, how? Most of my camping has been above timberline and ticks have never been a problem. However, a day in the garden at home in northern Virginia often results in a deer tick or two, despite long pants and long sleeves and DEET. There's been a suggestion of a short camping trip close to home, but it... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Details on closure of Rte 120 into Yosemite? (Not normal snow closure.) Update: Route 120 into Yosemite Valley opened on May 1, 2017. The road crews were still putting finishing touches on the area of the collapse a week later, with short delays. Delays at the el Portal entrance to Yosemite were in the one to two hour range on the last weekend in April. A ranger des... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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How do I distinguish a dirt floor in a cave from a floor formed of very old coprolites? This may be better asked as two questions; if so, I will edit. The question is prompted by a section in Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes by Svante Pääbo, who was the first to sequence Neanderthal (and Denisovan) DNA. Pääbo and his team had to work out techniques for sequencing nuclear DNA... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: What are the nighttime temperatures in Baxter State Park in June? According to Baxter State Park Monthly Weather Forecast, the record lows for May, June and July are 18 °F (-8°C), 28 °F (-2°C) and 32 F (0°C), respectively. The average lows for May, June and July are 39 F (4°C), 48 F (9°C) and 54 F (12°C), respectively. Clim... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: What are the risks of stream crossing with bare feet? The principal risk is that you will slip and fall. Depending on the force of the water and what is downstream, this could be serious. Look at the tread on your hiking boot or running shoe or even tennis shoe, and then look at the sole of your foot. Unless you can pick out a sandy route with no ro... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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How rapidly (or slowly) is work progressing on "consumer" exoskeletons for baby boomers to extend their hiking and backpacking years? Several years ago, the Washington Post had an article titled This remarkable new exoskeleton slips on like a boot and makes your walking more efficient. Engineers at Carnegie Mellon University created this unpowered, effort-reducing ankle exoskeleton. The walking-assist clutch engages a sprin... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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Should one store a tent loose for prolonged periods between uses to maximize its lifetime? Explanation of why my question is not a duplicate of What is the best way to store my tent?. I am specifically asking about an aspect not addressed in the earlier question or any of its answers: does prolonged storage (several years, not several months) in its stuff sack without ever taking it out ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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Details on closure of Rte 120 into Yosemite? (Not normal snow closure.) National Park Service, Yosemite, Current Conditions says: Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120) closed into Yosemite Valley; no access to Yosemite Valley via Hwy 120 Alert 1 , Severity ,closure ,, Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120) closed into Yosemite Valley; no access to Yosemite Valley via Hwy 120. ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Why did people rub snow on frozen feet? Was there any logic behind this practice (rubbing frostbite with snow)? Is this method encouraged / discouraged by modern medicine? According to Hypothermia, Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries: Prevention, Survival, Rescue ... By Gordon G. Giesbrecht, James A. Wilkerson, the treatment gained po... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Are there any advantages while backpacking to hike during the night and sleep during the day? The main advantages are: You don't need sunscreen Even with a full moon, the night sky is awesome Things look (and sound) weirdly and wonderfully different in moonlight In summer, the temperature will be much more conducive to brisk hiking than during the heat of the day The OP did not ask about... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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Reasonable precautions against copperheads: will being noisy in copperhead habitat cause them to slither away? In the more than 30 years I have lived in northern Virginia, I have never seen a copperhead, although there have been several reliable copperhead sightings in my neighborhood, the most recent last May. The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, in a long article has this to sa... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: What are the dangers of walking barefoot in towns/cities? I can't answer about a small town in Canada, so I will answer about my own small town (really just a village center) in northern Virginia. I don't think there would be any great physical dangers here as long as you check and wash your feet at the end of the day and disinfect, bandage and watch cuts ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: How can I backpack further without resupplying? I agree with what @Tullochgorum said, and will not repeat his points, but let's examine your strategy of eating half your food and then turning back. This is a zeroth order approximation to how to end your trip at the same time as you finish your food. As @Loren Pechtel said, you may run into bad w... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Why do horses need to wear shoes? Wikipedia Many changes brought about by domestication of the horse have led to a need for shoes for number of reasons, mostly linked to management that results in horses' hooves hardening less and being more vulnerable to injury. In the wild, a horse may travel up to 50 miles per day to o... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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I've just been bitten by a rattlesnake; how, exactly, do I "keep calm"? My question is prompted by the answer of @WedaPashi to this question, which is about rattlesnakes, specifically: • Remain calm and first move beyond the snake's striking distance. • Keep calm, panic will make the adrenaline come in picture and the blood circulation will incre... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: What are the pros and cons of air pads vs foam pads for backpacking? I used a three quarter length foam pad -- just the basic $20 (or so) Ensolite pad -- for decades until, growing older and more effete, I thought an inflatable pad, aka air mattress, would be more comfortable. Wrong! The inflatable air mattress -- more than $100 -- was no more comfortable, but was a... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: How can I acquire practical outdoor skills? One possibility is to look into doing some volunteer work in a National Park or other park or organization. You will get outdoors experience and, more important, get connected with people who have a great deal of outdoors experience. The work might be physically hard, for example trail maintenance,... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: When back country camping, how do you avoid being attacked by a mountain lion in your sleep? This source, List of fatal cougar attacks in North America suggests that you are probably safest from a cougar while sleeping. Of the seven adults killed by cougars in North America from 1990 through mid-2008, five were jogging, hiking, biking or skiing. One was killed defending her six year old ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: How do you pace yourself while doing strenuous hikes above 3,000 meters (10,000 feet)? The OP asks: How do you know how fast or slow to go while climbing at elevation (say above 3000 meters) on an instant per instant basis? First, it sounds as though you do not have experience hiking at altitudes above 10,000 feet. If this is so, my advice is to take a few day hikes (carrying ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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Under what wilderness conditions is becoming infested with lice a possibility and what precautions should one take to avoid it? I may have reacted without thinking to the question about dealing with lice because I have never worried about getting lice on a wilderness trip. Upon reflection, I find I am genuinely interested in knowing under what wilderness conditions lice are a possibility and what reasonable precautions I co... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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If you are faced with surviving on your own for a prolonged period, should a sling make your short list of hunting tools, and why or why not? If you are putting together a survival package for a prolonged period, should a sling make the short list of your hunting tools, and if so, why? By prolonged, I mean a year to decades, during which it is not possible to resupply at an abandoned store. The survivor is alone, or with a very small gro... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |