Posts by helm
This weekend, I was hiking in the Spanish Sierra de Guadarrama. On a small trail north of Navacerrada (used by only a handful of people each day at the moment), at 1905m height, I encountered the p...
When looking for trail permits for a particular trail at recreation.gov, I almost always see the status "W: Available at the Facility" for today and the next day, and rarely anything available for ...
On a very secluded beach on the Faroe Islands (half a day's hike from the nearest road, and you have to climb down a 50m cliff using an old rope), I found these rusted metal objects. They're about ...
I am hiking in black bear country (no other kinds of bears there). It's dark, I have a whistle hanging around my neck to scare away such a potential bear and I'm using my torch light to be able to ...
I'm currently in the US for an internship and the idea of climbing Mt. Whitney appeals to me. I know you need a permit, but there is a good chance on getting one spontaneously. I know about proper...
I've been looking if there is an alternative to renting a satellite phone when it's to be used in absolute emergencies only. As far as my searches showed, most prepaid plans have very short expira...
I purchased a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and followed the link printed on its back side (beaconregistration.noaa.gov). Following the instructions on the page, I am somewhat put off by the messag...
Looking at the photo, if the ground is as soft as that, burying the canister by 2-3 cm could help a lot. If you're camping at a beach and bury it halfway in the sand, then that should even work in ...
Adding this mainly because it's a different kind of approach. The other ones are usually more practical, but this is an alternative that does not require remembering any constellations. If you hav...
Recently, I've started drinking more and more tap water instead of buying bottles all the time (which is usually absolutely no issue in Germany). I like to use a bottle for that not fill a glass a...
"The mountains are calling and I must go." -- John Muir, the naturalist who had in great influence on the preservation of e.g. Yosemite and Sequoia National Park The quote may be rather commo...
Recently, nutritional drinks that fulfil the complete nutritional requirements of adults (optimum proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and other nutritients) have been on the rise. Backpacke...
A derivate of Geocashing is Geohashing, which started with an xkcd comic. The basic principle is the same: you take a pair of coordinates and try to get there. What differs is the way these coordin...
I'll be doing a guided tour which includes going up a steep slope on a glacier, therefore I need an ice axe. I could rent one for a couple of bucks from the tour organizers, but I was wondering if...
Your trail appears to follow a ski slope all the way, so you can pretty much rule out ferratas or technical climbing. Still, the snow may cover some rougher terrain in the winter (like streams that...
From your heading I gather the mountain in your story is covered in snow. If the slope allows it, then I'd skid down on my behind. Grab something like a suitably formed stone to be able to perfor...
