Activity for berry120
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: Is there a tool that can calculate the time of sunrise? This web page should do the job, and also has a draggable map and list of cities if you want to select one of those rather than entering in manual co-ordinates. http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/ (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What are some natural glues found in North American nature? Conifers are your friend here - they have a sticky sap which can be used as the base ingredient for a natural glue. It hardens relatively quickly on exposure to air and in its solid form is quite easy to store without sticking to everything, so if you have this in mind it's a good idea to collect som... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How bad do circumstances need to be before activating a PLB? Taking each one in turn: If the trailhead is several hours away you're not feasibly going to be able to get there on your own with broken bones, and may seriously injure yourself further doing so. Several hours away normally could turn into a lot longer if you're bitten by a rattlesnake, and again ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Backpacking or hiking in areas open to hunting In short - be sensible. Make yourself easily seen and heard, don't walk near somewhere you hear gunfire, and where possible stick to open areas on clear, marked paths. Of course, I'd also question the wisdom of hiking somewhere when hunting is happening; if there's a sensible alternative that seems ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How to carry water in freezing temperatures? Personally I'd recommend soft plastic type water bottles if they'll be frozen (though still check that this is ok with the manufacturer.) I've heard some people recommend Nalgene bottles for this, but have heard stories from more than one other source about them splitting when left to completely free... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What kind of canteen material will have the least effect on the taste of water? If you wash the canteen thoroughly before using it then it shouldn't affect the taste too much regardless of what material its made from - I'd recommend this anyway just as a matter of course. Wash once, soak overnight in hot, soapy water then wash again. Where this might come into play more is your... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How to keep water cold in hot weather? Mix the water in with lots of crushed ice - or even just use crushed ice to start with rather than water. I prefer this approach over just freezing the bottle outright because I find it easier to get the water out when I want to. Other than that, I'd try wrapping cloth and then foil round the bottle... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Should you pop a blister? I wouldn't burst it, especially if I was going to be hiking for a few more days - if it does end up getting infected then this could end up making things a lot worse - and it's more likely to happen in the wild! Instead, I'd advise reducing the irritation as much as possible by wearing multiple / th... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What are some toilet paper alternatives you could use in the woods? In short, leaves. But as per the comment, make sure it's nothing that's going to cause skin irritations! Also worth mentioning along the same lines that when doing your business, be sensitive in where you do it - not near bodies of water people might drink from for instance. (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Staying dry in severe weather Before you make any decisions, you need to decide whether it's just rain or it could have the potential to turn into a storm. If you're not sure then err on the side of a storm, just in case. If it's a storm then before deciding on how to keep dry, the immediate action you need to take is make sure ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Where are good places to look for water sources when I have run out on a multi-day hike? Sounds obvious, but if you've got enough fuel and it's snowy, gather some to melt. Bear in mind though that you'll get vastly less water than you might expect, so be prepared to grab lots of it. Stay away from coloured snow as well, not just for the obvious reason but because very nasty bacteria can ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How to make a signal fire that can be seen miles away Build a tripod with 3 branches, then make a platform with 3 more about 1/3 of the way up the tripod. Prepare a tinder bundle and kindling as you would for a normal fire (dry grass, small bark flakes and moss for the tinder and small, dry branches for the kindling.) Once you've got the basic fire goi... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How should you wash clothes after exposure to poison oak/ivy/sumac? Normal detergent should be able to break down the poisonous oils in question, it shouldn't require any specialist stuff to remove them. Just be sure of a few things: Wash infected clothes separate from "clean" (i.e. unaffected) ones to eliminate any possible risk of spreading Make especially sure y... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Are there any cheap 1:25K electronic maps for the UK or Europe? You don't say what area specifically you're looking at, or what your budget is - but Anquet seems to do a number of electronic copies of standard OS maps for prices I wouldn't consider unreasonable here. Of course, if you mean the whole of the UK / Europe then the cost will be high, but I don't thin... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Is bear spray effective against other animals? Chemically, if you can use it, I see no reason why it wouldn't work on any similar animals - though practically it may not be as effective. In terms of cougars for instance, this seems to imply it'll work if you can get it out and use it in time, but because of their nature the chances of you being a... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How do you determine how long a hike will take? There's no general rule of thumb that I know of... I lied, there is Naismith's formula as correctly cited in another answer. I just tend to stay away from it because more often than not I find it better to make a judgement on the individual situation. There's so much variation the "average" would al... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Where can I find information on letterboxing in my area? I did wonder whether there were any long standing letterboxers whose experience would put me to shame lurking around here, but since the question is now more generalised I feel more qualified to answer! What is letterboxing? It's most commonly practised (and originally started) in Dartmoor, and shar... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What are areas of the body which lose heat more quickly, and how can I reduce that loss? It's probably worth pointing out that a lot of people reading this question may be thinking along the (commonly quoted) line that about 80% of body heat is lost through the head - which is much more of a myth than people realise (See here for details.) From what I remember, it was an experiment done ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How to improvise a signal mirror? It sounds obvious, but check that you haven't got anything like a sighting compass on you or anything else with a mirror - I once heard of someone who was rescued but the process was more difficult because of his lack of a mirror. Later investigation found he was carrying such a sighting compass the ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: If I have to cross an icy, flowing river, what are some ways I can cross safely? First off, weigh up whether it's worth crossing said river. I know this question is about if you "have" to cross it, but bear in mind that falling in is a real danger and if you do, hypothermia can onset very quickly and be deadly. It depends on the situation - if we're talking about a shallow, wade-... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Time of high / low tide There is a (very) basic model that involves taking into account the position of the moon - the earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours and the moon rotates the earth in the same direction once every 28 days. The moon pulls on the sea creating a sort of bulge on the side of earth currently facin... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Pain in the heel after a hike As well as the other answers, I notice you said they were new shoes you were hiking in - it isn't uncommon for these to be more likely to rub and potentially cause blisters until they're properly broken in. Follow the other advice (especially about socks) with blisters because that can hugely help - ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How do I read a topographic map? With these maps it's all about elevation - just remember a few main points: Each line represents a constant elevation (height) - so if you walk along that line you'll be walking flat. The numbers represent the elevation, the higher the number the higher you are. Usually it's in something like metre... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Is it warmer to sleep naked in a sleeping bag? When talking about fresh, dry clothes then it's not true. More layers definitely equals warmer! As pointed out in the comments if you really go to extremes then more layers doesn't necessarily equal warmer, but to get to that point you have to really cram yourself in the bag so there's no insulating... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How can you navigate without a compass or GPS If there's a stick around and enough sunlight, I've found the stick method surprisingly accurate: Find a straight stick, around 2 feet long (length isn't that important) and plant it straight in the ground. Mark the end of the stick's shadow, perhaps with another short stick. Wait for about 15 minu... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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How do you remove mold from a tent? Of course, the best way is to prevent mold on a tent from occurring by airing, cleaning and storing it appropriately. When doing this I've never had any issues. However, there may well be cases where perhaps tents haven't been treated as well and mold has built up on a tent and it needs to be cleane... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: Climbing rope is rated to X UIAA falls. What is a UIAA fall? It means the rope is rated for X falls where the fall factor is 1.77 and the weight is 80kg. In layman's terms it's a pretty big fall with a pretty big guy, the sort of fall that if you took you most likely wouldn't want to climb again for the rest of the day! You may well never have such a big fall ... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: Does eating snow help dehydration? If you can, melt it beforehand - not because of dehydration but because of the obvious; it'll cause you to get rather cold rather quickly! If you can't and it really is an emergency (the only time I'd suggest it might be worth considering) then I haven't found a general consensus on whether it's a g... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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What are some good ways to waterproof a geocache / letterbox? Has anyone got any good tips on how to (cheaply) waterproof a geocache or letterbox? Those pill pots used to work brilliantly - one inside the other - but now they seem to be rather hard to come by and while the typical sandwich bag inside a container seems fine for a while, after a few months things... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: How do I self arrest without an ice axe? Your best bet is to try and position yourself face down, with your feet at the bottom, and then arc your body to put as much pressure on the hands, feet and knees as you can. As pointed out below though if you have crampons then don't ever dig those into the surface at all - you'll only injure yourse... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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What things should I look for when buying a compass? Compasses seem to come in all shapes, sizes and (especially) prices! What sets a good compass apart from a bad one and what are some good characteristics to look for when making a purchase? (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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Techniques for building a raft from wood What are some good techniques to use (materials, knots, etc.) for building a raft by gathering wood in the local area? I'm talking about something to sail on still or slow moving bodies of water, not something which has to survive rapids and waterfalls! (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: What is the best way to store my tent? Make sure to thoroughly clean and air it before storing, especially for long periods of time - this will get rid of any damp and thus should help prevent mould. Aside from that, make sure to keep it dry and away from large temperature fluctuations (a loft isn't ideal for this reason.) (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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Where can I find information on letterboxing in my area? Letterboxing is a precursor to geocaching, wherein participants leave notes / stamps in boxes in the wild... It's helpful to have a list or guide to letterbox sites when embarking on a search, as locations can be transient... For instance, I heard Cut Hill (Dartmoor) was once crawling with letterbox... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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What to do if you're bitten by an adder? I've heard that while adder bites are venomous the number of people who have died from them are extremely low. If you're on a trek and you're bitten is it safe to continue for a couple more days before seeing a doctor or should you still abort right away and seek medical attention? (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: How can one find the difficult to find geocaches? Read the cache page closely. There may be hints in other places as well as the obvious encrypted hint - the cache description, title, and previous logs may all pose clues that would help you on your search. I tend to try without first but if I'm really stuck I'll read all I can to try and give me a b... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: How should I remove a tick? Use tweezers, grip as near to the head as you can, and pull gently and evenly but firmly - it should come off cleanly. If it doesn't then be sure to remove the head rather than just leave it in there. Then clean the area with alcohol and be sure to keep an eye on it in case any rashes or other untowa... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: Can/Should I cook in my tent? Most tents these days claim to have a "fireproof" coating - but I'd never really want to put this to the test! I have heard one horror story in particular (admittedly with a much older tent) that's made me wary enough to recommend never cooking inside. The likelihood may be low (and that's not to sa... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: What is the safest way to purify water? Boiling is the best thing to do, as stated already - I was always taught to boil for 2 minutes and then it's safe. (Far from an accepted time though. For debate on how long you should boil, see here: How long does water need to be boiled for to kill all bacteria / viruses?) As pointed out below thou... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: Where in Europe is wild camping permitted? After a bit of digging I found this, which covers some in Europe (not extensively as I first thought!) It's worth pointing out that while for some (and probably most people here) wild camping means free-camping wandering around with a tent and supplies on foot, for many others it can mean driving ar... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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What steps should I take if someone starts sinking? What are the steps that should be taken if someone you're hiking with starts to sink uncontrollably into say a marsh? What are some good techniques and points that should be used to get them out safely and quickly? I'm not talking about times when their feet might get a bit wet, I mean when someone s... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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How can you navigate / determine your location in thick fog? Are there any good hints, tips and ways you can use to navigate around and find your location in thick fog (apart from a GPS)? (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: What are the most effective ways to start a fire in the cold? Good kindling and tinder is essential - things like cotton balls, newspaper, toilet paper or dried wood can be beneficial here. If you haven't brought anything with you look for small, dry twigs which should ignite fairly easily. Other dried material such as dried grass also works well. As well as t... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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A: How can I be absolutely sure my fire is safely extinguished? The legalities depend on where you are - the only sure fire way to know is to look it up depending on where you're going. The best method I find is generally in some ways the simplest - soak it and all the surrounding area in plenty of water, then make sure it's sufficiently cool. If possible, start... (more) |
— | over 12 years ago |
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