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Activity for Pepiā€­

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Answer A: Do I still need to hang my food if I have two large dogs?
Do hang the food (or use a bear can, etc.) In my experience, wild animals are not deterred by dogs very much. A bear that lives close to humans might even be attracted to dogs: dogs frequently have dog food with them. Not exactly on topic, but I have woken up to deer approaching my camp, while my la...
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about 6 years ago
Answer A: How to deal with diarrhea when using a cathole in the wilderness?
BTDT I think, but I don't remember ever having a 'problem'. As a guy who camps and also gets to use squatty potties once in a while, here's my advice: First, ditch the shorts/pants it'll be much more comfortable to squat. Second, the ground doesn't splash as much as a bowl full of water, so the pro...
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almost 7 years ago
Answer A: Accessibility of hiking trails in Nepal during December
I haven't been to Nepal but I currently live in Sichuan, near another edge of the Tibetan plateau. So here's my answer: Nepal, and everything near it, is in the monsoon climate- rainy in the summer, dry in the winter. Around here, December is a great time to be in the mountains. Clear skies and litt...
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almost 7 years ago
Answer A: How do I disinfect my wool hiking socks?
Going along the "homebrew supply" route, peracetic acid AKA PAA/peroxyacetic acid is a reasonably safe and very effective sanitizer. It's used in hospitals and by veterinarians, as well as in the brewing industry. I've splashed it on myself and my partly wool socks (and shoes) enough times that I'm c...
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about 7 years ago
Answer A: How to learn ski touring
For AT/Randonee on mountains, you'll need to go up steep (30&#xB0;) slopes on skins. You'll need a skin will cover nearly the whole ski base, and that won't slide easily at all (I think my skins require more than 10&#xB0; of slope to go downhill). Because of that friction, you will not experience m...
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about 7 years ago
Answer A: Is it ever necessary to double up locking carabiners?
It's not necessary, but neither is using two non-lockers really. People usually use two carabiners because they will bend the rope less sharply, reducing friction when loaded (also reducing wear on the biners). This is very common in top roping, when the climber is expecting to be lowered. I suspec...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: What is the safest and most effective additive to keep drinking water from freezing?
Propylene glycol is allowed in alcoholic beverages up to 5%, and this would get you to about 29&#xB0;F. You could probably throw in a little sugar, salt and good old ethanol to kick it down further. Really, nearly any solute will push down the freezing point. Maybe some salty chicken bullion, plus a...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What coat should I wear when camping that won't be damaged through melting by embers from a fire?
Leather is awesome for standing up to sparks. Just ask a welder. And some people think it's good for going outdoors too. But not me.
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Where do you place ice screws?
Addition to ShemSeger's answer, from way back in my mind: A concave spot in the ice is stronger than a convex spot, given equal ice quality. The ice should be deeper than the screw is long, so the screw doesn't push the ice away from the rock.
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: How to dry Gore-Tex boots in the field
I've found wearing them to be very effective. Just put them on in the morning and do whatever you were going to do. I've put on hiking boots that were soaked from wet grass, or soaked &amp; frozen from building &amp; using an igloo. After you start walking your body heat will dry them out. And as ot...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What's the safest way to hike up a steep slope in deep snow?
Short answer: stay near the edges of a big concave slope, near trees or rocks that could stabilized the snow pack, or at least on a convex ridge where the snow should be less deep. Long answer: the trail that fractured is probably incidental. The sunlight was probably compacting &amp; lubricating th...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What to do when you run out of rope on a sports climb?
If you've missed by only a little bit, then you should be able to rap down anyway. Removing the knots, plus the rope stretch, will add a some length. But it would be best to have a plan B in case you don't reach the ground: swing to a nearby boulder, free solo the last bit, have some tall strong frie...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Learning Anchors - How is single cordelette loop anchor redundant?
Climbers have traditionally used redundancy for metal objects rather than ropes/slings/etc. because a piece of metal can fail completely, and instantly, from one crack. This is the same reason that we don't use gear that has been dropped, or has an unknown history: a microscopic crack might be ther...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Doing The Ice Run 2016. Any recommendation on how to survive Siberian Winter
Layers of fleece plus a very wind resistant outer shell. Anything else (Carhartt type clothes, leather, Mongolian reindeer skins...) will be heavy as heck. Full face coverage would be smart, but it looks like you'll have a windshield at least. Since you'll spend time riding in the cold wind, the con...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Avoiding a "ding-dong" when lead belaying in the gym?
Without some kind of ground anchor, you'll have to adapt your belay setup. First of all, the belayer doesn't have much choice about where to stand. Stand as close as you can to the first clipped draw, or you'll experience the dreaded smacked-into-the-wall-got-knocked-out-and-dropped-my-partner-effec...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Is the "rattlesnake line" higher now in the Sierra than it used to be, decades ago?
This isn't a scientific evidence based answer, but I think that line should not be changing much, as it should have more to do with snow cover than temperature. This article on the history of snow fall in the Sierras, asserts that there has been no change in snowfall over 130 years despite a change...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Can I use a tent in bear country, if I ate food in it over a year ago?
I'm pretty sure bears can distinguish fresh food from year old residues. Otherwise nothing you own could ever go into bear country. Our clothes, cell phones, wallets etc have all been to so many more restaurants than your average bear, yet bears almost never take this stuff. Additional evidence: fin...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: How can I safely practice trad climbing?
Liam hinted at the method that was popular in the US while back, and probably still is: follow an experienced climber and clean their gear. You'll get to see actual placements &amp; find out how hard or easily a piece of pro should come out. Aid climbing (with bounce testing) is a great way to learn...
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Optimal use of available GPS devices when stranded
Take the batteries out and use them to start fires. You won't even need to encode your lat/lon in smoke signals, that feature is built in. follow up (edited again - note that the question does not say the person is lost, just trying to get rescued) My answer sounds flippant, but seriously, if you ...
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: Leave no Trace: Are campfires unethical?
Avoiding the word 'ethical', I'll ask: Is it good for the forest to stop all fires, and let fuel accumulate? In North America this has led to many very destructive fires that kill every tree in the forest. Lot's of money and time is being spent to clear out the excess fuel with controlled burns bef...
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: When climbing, how far should the tie-in knot be from the harness?
Another benefit of a close knot is less rope movement at the tie in. This is the rare case of nylon-to-nylon contact in the safety chain, abrasion will happen with heavy use. Also, +1 for getting hit with the back up knot.
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: How to avoid cracking your windshield while strapping down a kayak
The problem probably won't happen again, assuming you tighten down the kayak with reasonable force. The glass in most cars is (was originally) installed with some flexible material around the edges (rubber or urethane sealant in my experience). That stuff probably hardened on your junky old station...
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: Extra strong sunglasses for sensitive eyes
It might be overkill, but welding shops sell (at least) up to #5 shades as lightweight plastic glasses. Kinda ugly and very green, but the way darker than sun glasses. And you can still see the ground in front of you on a sunny day.
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: How to get pine sap off my teeth
Been there, done that, can't remember why it happened.. It will go away in a few days. Eating few apples, or maybe some dry, high-fiber crackers will probably help.
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: Should the cloth part of ski gloves be treated before use?
Most ski gloves will have a waterproof/breathable layer (Gore-Tex or something similar, they should be labelled to say what it is). In my experience new gloves also seem to have a water repellant on the fabric to help water drops fall off before they get to the Gore-Tex. This surface water repellant ...
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about 9 years ago
Answer A: Uses for different size locking carabiners
The bigger carabiners will work better for a double rope rappel or for belaying two ropes if you're into that kind of thing. Bigger is easier to attach to your harness if you don't have belay loop (or you prefer not to use it). Also, I think that belay devices are meant to interface to a larger bi...
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: How steep of a slope can you skin up in AT gear?
I think I've gone straight up 30&#xB0; on good snow, maybe steeper for short bits. This would be on old Diamir bindings and fairly stiff alpine boots. As Dakatine mentioned, not all snow is equal, powder tends to let the tails drop even further than the actual slope. So loose snow, presence of hard ...
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: Does cotton really kill?
I'm pretty sure this concept originated with search and rescue teams, who noticed a correlation between what the lost hiker was wearing, and whether the result of the search was a 'rescue' or a 'recovery'. I strongly believe this to be true, and I tried to find good data online, but no luck yet. If ...
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: Where in the US can I find green mountains to hike like in Scotland, such as Dalveen Pass?
In northern California, after a rainy winter, much of the coast ranges are green and grassy, especially as you get further from the Pacific. But timing is very important. In the same region, Pt. Reyes Nat. Seashore looks similar and stays greener, although it's not a very big area.
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: What considerations are required for making a hiking ascent of Mount Othrys, Greece
There you go: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=8287543. In two languages, no less. A long trek to three peaks of Othrys mountain (Gerakovouni 1640 m, Gkiouzi 1725 m, Piliouras 1558 m). Distance 17,1 km, walking time 6.45, total time 8,5 hours. Start and finish on the asphalt road, abou...
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: For how long afterwards do we benefit from acclimatization?
Anecdotal evidence: my wife and I take periodic trips from a few hundred meters altitude to 3000-4000m (and sometimes over a pass at 4480m). We feel that going a little as one weekend per month provides a noticeable benefit. We've even camped in the same spot at 3900m on a couple occasions and defini...
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: What are some good guides to the U.S. national forests, specifically those in California?
This is a broad question, so here's a broad answer: The coastal ranges north of SF are heavily forested and have narrow steep valleys.... and hillbillies and marijuana farms. Although as you go inland there is more grass and some of the valleys are very nice when the grass is green and flowers come ...
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: Applications of a slip knot in climbing?
When aiding, you can use a slip knot to tie off a fixed piton close to the rock face (if the eye is broken). You can do the same thing for a chickenhead if its shaped in such a way that the rope must be tighten to stay on. In that case I'd rather use that for body weight, not fall protection.
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over 9 years ago
Answer A: Is it ok to use rolled aluminum descending rings in permanent anchors?
SMC's site doesn't say anything very helpful but, keep in mind that 14kN is enough to lift a medium sized car. In a rappel only situation, it should last for years. That being said....using 'left gear' is a judgment you should make for yourself. Even if you can't see any defects in a piece of metal,...
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over 9 years ago