Posts by Sherwood Botsford
The tips in the Keijzers' answer are valid. Some additional comments: Overall the purpose of loading your pack with weight high/close is to reduce the lean you need to compensate for the change...
I suspect that sweatshirt fabric has too open a mesh for any waterproofing agent to be effective. Rather than risk a garment you love, buy as close to a similar weight sweatshirt at a thift store,...
Because your foot doesn't pivot at the toe, but under the ball of the foot. Since the pivot is at that point, the front of the foot goes thorough the hole. This helps to anchor the snowshoe going ...
Much of it is due to conifers -- especially spruce and fir shedding snow away from the trunk. I routinely see trees with 1/3 of the snow under their branches as in the open. A spruce in winter ap...
OP has qualified his question to be specific for mountaineering, and has clarified to mean 'best practice' instead of 'required by law or guild' In mountains many mishaps are close to instant, or ...
This is what a marlin spike is for. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlinspike It's not special purpose just for figure 8 knots, but is a general tool for tight knots. Dates back to the age of sa...
There are some good videos of the tsunami that hit Thailand some years ago. Thing to remember is that the waves are MILES long. The water rises and keeps rising. I read recently of a similar que...
Mesh lined running shorts. Roughly equivalent to boxers in coverage. I routinely use these on canoe trips and hiking trips under my wind pants. Morning starts with longs, and as the day warms up...
For extended outing using an antipersperant on your hands helps. Overmitts plus fleece liners is my goto. I have a pair of leather cowhide overmits that I use when working -- leather takes the ab...
In alpine conditions generally skis will work better. Below timberline skis work on broad trails. Narrow twisty trail and bushwhacking is easier with snowshoes. Snowshoes on a steep crusted side...
Case study: Persimmon Pass. We were running a group with 20 kids and 4 adults in Willmore Wilderness in September. The nature of the trails in Willmore: At low elevations they are the remains o...
I use tin cans as pots. I put a nail hole in opposite sizes just under the rim and string a chunk of bailing wire about 1.5 can diameters. Twist at each end. Most cans now have a thin liner of pl...
Prevention is important: Wear the shoes with trip socks for a few weeks before the trip. The shorter distances involved in day to day living will get your feet accustomed to your shoes. There ar...
I run into similar problems on canoe trips. My camera is a through-the-lens viewfinder, not an electric screen. Doing an entire canoe trip (3 weeks) and taking ~500 frames is easy. In additio...
My viewpoint: If it is unlikely to be seen before natural processes take care of it then disposal in the wilderness isn't unreasonable. Thus, below timberline, outside Jasper National Park, walki...
In mountain terrain, the fine particles are likely rock flour -- and they are really small If the water has a blueish cast, they are on the order of the wavelength of blue light -- about 400 nano ...
Edit your question, then I will edit this answer: What is the symptom of not working? A: The motor won't start. Check fuel Check that the spark plug works. After this it's pretty much 'my two...
As a boy, I bought Raikle boots from REI. I wore them daily to school, and on my paper route. A new pair would take about 3-4 weeks to break in. One way I read about in a hiking book was to take...
I am not a climber. These should work in the sense that they are unlikely to fail. But be sure you understand both the original purpose and the history of the sling: A: Some emergency stuff -- ...
Geologically significantly different. Fjords are flooded glacial valleys, and usually have very steep sides. Often the fjord itself is deeper than the ocean beyond it's mouth. Many have very inac...
How about repurposing an old belt. Add a few more holes to it.
Charles answer is the correct one for speed. The traditional answer is a sheer lashing. 3 loose turns around the pair (or trio) of poles, then pass between the poles twice, pull tight and tie off...
Blue may be somewhat more likely to let UV through if they are poor quality. Most sunglasses now carry some form of label regarding UV blocking. In photography, you often use an orange or red fil...
We have several feeders. Chickadees will eat nyger until the sunflower feeder is empty. Gold finch and purple finch seem to prefer the nyger seed. So far the only bird that eats millet seed (fou...
I make camp coffee as follows: I use large tin cans as pots. They can be gotten at any restaurant, cafeteria and hold about 3 quarts. It's quick work to add a wire bail to them. Morning coffe...
