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Activity for Escoceā€­

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Answer A: Which is more dangerous, icy roads or icy roads with snow on top?
Getting rid of the subjectivity of danger, I am going to answer this for two different basic scenarios. There are so many variables that are possible within scope of the question, but I am going to leave it to 2 scenarios. Plain ice, and snow over plain ice and the. apply studded winter tires or plai...
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almost 5 years ago
Answer A: What's the best way to remove layers of bottom paint from a sailboat hull?
So after all is said and done, I called a sand blaster, but they wanted too much money to blast my small hull. Like $1000. I could buy my own equipment to do the job for that price, but I didn't want to spend the money either way. My neighbor told me he had a blaster I could use, and when I looked a...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: How do you avoid Norovirus on the AT?
In the civilized world you wash your hands regularly, and food handlers should so and additionally wear gloves so if they carry any pathogen, it's not transmitted to the food. We don't have that luxury during outdoorsman activities such as hiking, but we do have two tools we can use to limit exposur...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What are good baits for crabbing?
I am really surprised I haven't seen this answer yet, so I'll go ahead and toss this one in the mix. Cow lips are a very common and durable crab bait...especially if you do a lot of crabbing. If you keep them in brine, you can use them for a whole season and will continuously attract the crabs. This...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Swans jammed together in a small pond
If the swans are forced to stay next to shore (as opposed to casually being there), they flock together to avoid predation. In addition to flock safety by numbers, Swans are very tough, and very aggressive. Several swans are a lot more dangerous. If you've ever been attacked by a swan, you will know...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What is the best rope to have in a survival situation?
I may be biased as a mariner, but I am partial to three stranded twisted rope. It may not be as strong as braided-cored ropes per thickness, but I can do more with it. With three stranded twisted rope, I can indefinately join pieces together permanently without any special tools. So I can make a con...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Preparing rice and mashed potatoes with warm instead of cooking water
Honestly you are better off bringing some other form of starch, such as hard tack or saltines or something similar. Take a bite of cracker, and take a sip of water and chew. Rice and rice water, when kept at unsafe temperature develops a toxin that is used by doctors and pharmacists to induce vommit...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What is an appropriate caliber for hunting mule deer?
.30 cal is about where big game hunting starts. You could get away with .223 with smaller white tail deer, but you'll increase how often you need to track your deer and that's less humane. For mule deer, I would stick to .30 or higher. I prefer Springfield 30-06, but that's just my preference. You c...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: How should I position my hummingbird feeders to attract the most birds?
My mother and her husband feed hummingbirds rather religiously. They have feeders all over and in every conceivable condition you could possibly imagine. My mother refills all of her feeders on a daily basis, and the birds have learned it is her providing the food. When one of the feeders has gone e...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Is my tent pole a lightning rod?
Listen. When it comes to lightening, pretty much all bets are off. There is very little you can do that will have any appreciate or measurable affect on the path that lightening chooses to take except one and that one thing is insurmountable from a camping/outdoorsman point of view. That thing is cal...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What Navigation Aids can I make on an island with only a knife?
First things first. You need a sailboat in order to sail. A raft isn't navigated. It drifts and is blown around. If you have a sailboat you already have the navigation tools you need or at least most of them. Any tools that you can make on an island with a pocket knife will be no better than just lo...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Where and when do I use these lures [new fisher]
You do need to rephrase the question better, but I can still provide this answer. Pike will go after anything that bass will. Spinners, plugs, jerk baits, Texas rigged worms, etc etc. just about anything so long as it within reach. Trout need a more gentle approach, the Mepps style lures and perhap...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Newbie going fishing in a lake. Which of these lures would be best?
I'd go with the 3 Mepps style lures, and the two spoons at the bottom left of the pic. They'll make more noise and vibrations than the others. The others looks to me to be fast retrieve lures which may certainly attract fish, but if the water is murky may be too fast for the fish to reliably catch up...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What would cause sudsy surf?
The suds are caused by protein. Protein is usually consumed by the nitrogen cycle and finally plant life, but if there is enough water churning by wind and white caps and breaking waves it can froth up and dry out and get blown away and get trapped a gyre where is eventually melts back down into the ...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Why do Sandpipers sometimes hop on one leg?
By lifting one leg into their down, they are conserving heat.
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Is there a device to hook anything on a branch?
You could make your own with a smaller piece of hardwood 1x4. With a jig or bandsaw, cut a notch out for the hook, then remove material along the outside to make it narrow. Guaranteed to be comfortable and sit flat in your pocket. Just draw the hook shape first so you know what it will look like and...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Can a human survive in Saltstraumen or other whirlpool?
I would say no, because according to records, the strait is not even considered navigable except during short periods of slack tide. Does that mean a person couldn't survive? No certainly not, but I wouldn't bet my own life to try.
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Allergic to Neoprene and need water shoes
Two suggestions. Buy canvas sneakers or tennis shoes, or even those flat soled kungfu shoe style slippers. Leather boat shoes.
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Does a Bear Archery bow quiver influence my Grizzly?
Adding a quiver to the bow will increase the amount of noise, and also increase the amount of interference of the flight of the arrow as it leaves the bow. It also makes your bow heavier increasing the amount of effort to aim and hold the aim.
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: I've been out of the water for a little over a year; what should I focus on refreshing before I dive again?
Breathing technique is bar far the most important. Remember to keep your airways open at all times during descent and ascent, but most importantly during ascent. During normal dives you want to keep you ascent slower than the rising bubbles, while in a near continuous exhale, in deep dives you slow t...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: How tight should I tie hiking boot laces?
When they are tight enough to prevent movement within the shoe/boot but not so tight that it causes discomfort. A little too loose is actually worse than a lot too loose. A little too loose will guarantee a blister, while a lot too loose will reduce your ankle support.
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Advantages of a (hunting) hat in the woods?
Hats are great for many reasons. They keep sun off your head, they retain heat when it's cold. They help keep small stuff from hitting your head and sometimes your face. A branch may knock your hat askance rather than scratch your face up or even poke you in the eye. It can keep that same branch from...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Can you use a pull buoy in tidal water easily?
Disregarding floating devices altogether (because they can easily be abandoned if needed), where and when you decide to swim in tidal waters should entirely depend on expertise of those waters. Currents are local phenomenon which do not necessarily replicate themselves from one place to another becau...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: How fast do you lose heat in cold water immersion?
Roddy's answer is great for study details, but in the nautical realms of boating safety and courses that include boat safety (safe boater, boatUS, USCG, ASA, USSailing,etc) We are taught in New England that if you fall in the water in winter, you have to get yourself out as fast as you can. Any lon...
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almost 9 years ago
Question What's the best way to remove layers of bottom paint from a sailboat hull?
What is the best / easiest method for removing multiple layers of ablative bottom paint from a sailboat hull? I have acquired a sailboat which has 3-5 layers of different bottom paints. I want to get back down to the base layer and put a fresh coat of paint on the hull. I have used a pressure washer...
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almost 9 years ago
Question What is the aspect ratio of a keel and how does it affect your how your boat sails?
I have heard of aspects of sails and keels, and it seems that taller skinnier sails and keels have this higher aspect ratio. What is it and what does it do for your sailing?
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Stop insects from flying into my cooldrink?
I never heard of the pencil trick and I'd be wary. But using a cup with a lid is probably the most obvious choice.
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almost 9 years ago
Question Difference between full keel and fin keel?
What are the performance and behavior differences between a full keel and a fin keel on a sailboat, and when would I want to choose one over the other?
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Blisters on small of back
As Shem pointed out, wear the pack where it was designed to ride on you. Making sure the pack is tightened snug so it's not rubbing is just as important. Loose straps cause added motion which cause friction and irritation/blisters.
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: In kayaking how would you escape an underwater whirlpool current if you were trapped in one?
The answer to this is going to be counter intuitive. Firstly, the most important thing to do is to avoid these dangers altogether. Firstly (yes another first) wear a good life jacket. I can't say how important both of those points are. If you get caught and especially without a life jacket, you will ...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: When is the best time of year to find the North Pole?
You can't ignore the difficulties. Those difficulties are precisely what dictated when you could attempt the trip. For the most part, those limitations still exist. However for the actual calculation and finding of the North Pole, that would be night time, when you could calculate how far away from ...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: What makes flannel so popular?
Man, that's easy. It's soft, warm and durable.
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: What are suitable strength exercise for archers?
Push-ups, sit-ups, dry aiming you bow (do not do this with compound bow, you can derail your strings), one of those stretchy surgical tubing pull exercise gizmos. Yoga is good exercise for all muscle groups and keeps you limber and supple, not bunched up.
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: What are some heavy-duty alternatives to a long line for walking a dog on rugged terrain?
Being a sailor rather than a rock climber, my familiarity is more with nylon 3 strand twisted ropes. With nylon twisted ropes, you can make ropes of any length without needing special splicing tools like you need for cored ropes like those used in climbing. I would buy 3/8 inch deck and anchor line...
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Possible to transform (at least two) smartphones into walkie-talkie like devices?
The answer is, you can do this, but I don't recommend it at all. Wallow talkie apps for the iPhone and android phones should be considered nothing except toys. Firstly, the range of wifi and Bluetooth is abysmal and the use of the cellular system does increase that range, but that defeats the why t...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Calculate true north with a compass and map
We could get really complicated with this. But basically, magnetic north is a mostly fixed place on the surface of the earth. It's actually moving, but very slowly. Sometimes the map you have may have two compass circles on it. One inside the other. The inner circle identifies magnetic north, and th...
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Why do some prefer methane to cook food
Methane is a biogas, so you get it from biological processes that otherwise would escape into the atmosphere. When you burn methane, you are converting the methane into water and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, but methane is a more destructive greenhouse gas, so it makes sense t...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Why / when to limit how much you gather?
I think this is a question of sustainability. If you strip a bush of its flowers and/or fruit, then it loses the opportunity to reproduce this year, or ever in the case of annuals and/or patches of wild veg in which you harvest the whole plant. Basically you want to leave some behind to continue the...
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Are Hawthorn berries edible?
If you are referring to Crataegus, then yes Hawthorne is edible, the pomes are like tiny apples with two flower spots on the bottom. It is commonly made into jelly, syrups and country wine. Regarding the seed, you want to pull this out after cooking the pome just like you would the heavy solids of a...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: How can a barbed wire fence be crossed safely?
The implications of trespassing and or damaging another's property not withstanding. One can spread the wires by placing a long enough stick between the top two wires and twist, this will pull the top and bottom wire toward one another increasing the gap to the wires below this pair. If there are fou...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: When stranded, how do I choose a place to camp on an island?
Shelter is by far the most important initial consideration. Since you are stranded there anyway, you will have the opportunity to move your camp. Since you specify a tropical island, you want shelter from the sun more than anything else. You won't freeze to death in the tropics if you aren't on a mo...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Can Manila rope be straightened/relaxed?
Yes there is. Soak the rope, then hang one end of the rope from a high point, and put a plumb bob on the other end. A plumb bob is just a fancy weight, you can use anything with some weight to pull the rope straight. Let the rope hang until it's dry. It will be mostly straight at that point, but it ...
(more)
almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Differences between two spine declarations?
That's a different measurement. In the 4 digit number the first 2 digits specify the diameter of the shaft in 64ths inch. And the second number specifies the wall thickness of the shaft in 1000ths of an inch. So 3545 would be an arrow that is 35/64ths inches thick and the wall of the arrow is .045 ...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: What's the spine of an arrow
The spine of an arrow is a measurement of its stiffness. It's is a number given in 1000ths of an inch of deflection given a certain amount of pressure. There is a great article detailing the specifics here: http://www.huntersfriend.com/carbonarrows/huntingarrowsselectionguidechapter3.htm Arrow s...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Avoid swimming into climbing plants/creepers
That's hornwort. It grows around here too. Wonder to fish around as well as lily pads are great to fish around. Anyway, those plants grow at a depth where strong sunlight can get to it. In all natural settings where I have seen this grow it has been less than 6 ft of depth. So I guess it's possible ...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Meeting an unknown snake on the trail; what is the best thing to do?
The best thing to do is just avoid it completely. If you can't go around because the bush is too thick, find a plenty long enough stick and get it off the path. The snake won't chase you, it's just defending itself. Do NOT pick the snake up with the stick, just get a hook on it as best you can and fl...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Does it look like these boots are too long for my foot?
From your verbal description, it sounds like a perfect fit.
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: How to measure the temperature without a thermometer?
You can build something that tells you when it's colder or warmer than something else, but without a gauge to help you create your graduations, you won't know what the actual temp is. I am not sure this is a necessary tool however. The body tells you by its comfort level whether you need more or less...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: How to store a knife
Oil the knife, then leave it alone until you are prepping your outing. Oil doesn't evaporate, it dries. When it's dried, it has the same and perhaps even better protective properties than fresh oil. It just makes you feel better to see the shiny fresh oil, but unless you wiped it away, it's still the...
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almost 9 years ago
Answer A: Is killing fish with iced water really humane?
Ice water will not kill any fish quickly. Some fish even live in ice or icy water. A tropical fish may go into shock, but it won't die right for a long time. I think people may believe the fish is dead because the body has stiffened, but that's just a function of the cold and doesn't indicate a dead ...
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almost 9 years ago