Activity for gerrit
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: Is there a definitive list of the tallest mountains in the world that require little or no mountaineering experience? According to Wikipedia: Aconcagua is arguably the highest non-technical mountain in the world, since the northern route does not absolutely require ropes, axes, and pins. Of course, non-technical means just that. It is still difficult and dangerous, as mountains always are. It's nearly 7 km (... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Caught in the rain without rainwear or raingear Get out. You can quickly cool down when it's raining out, in particular when the rain is horizontal and it's 4°C outside. You say there's no shelter anywhere near. Then walk as fast as you can to somewhere not near. I infer yours must be a day trip, for surely you're not out on a multi-night... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Why is there no Wilderness Area within Grand Canyon National Park? This 1998 Draft Wilderness Management Plan proposes to set aside large parts of Grand Canyon National Park as wilderness. However, despite large areas being declared "Wild" in the park backcountry management and wilderness areas in Kaibab National Forest (such as the Kanab Creek Wilderness and the S... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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How are trail surface firmness and surface stability defined? Nevada State Parks have the most numerically precise characterisation of hiking trails I have yet seen. For example, see this map and list for Valley of Fire State Park or this one for Beaver Dam State Park. For each trail, they report numbers on length, typical grade, maximum grade, typical cross ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Should I close a cathole (toilet-hole) at night? I have made camp for one or more nights in a pristine wilderness. It may be desert, tundra, or a forested environment. At a suitable distance from camp, I have dug a nice cathole (toilet-hole) and done my business. Now it's time to sleep. Should I close my cathole and dig a new one tomorrow, or d... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Should I expect to need snowshoes in the Serra da Estrela in April? It might help in places, but you'd be taking them on and off regularly as the snow is mostly patchy, and it doesn't address the bigger problem of meltwater. The highest part of the Serra de Estrela, roughly the part south of road EN 232 that runs west-east through Manteigas, does still have substant... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Should I expect to need snowshoes in the Serra da Estrela in April? I have a work trip to Portugal later this month and I intend to attach a short trekking/backpacking trip in the Serra da Estrela. I have around 62 hours. Will I need snowshoes for my hike? The Serra da Estrela is a mountain range up to 2000 metres high. Nearby Guarda is Continental Portugal's hig... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Is it warmer to sleep in a car or in a tent? Is it warmer to sleep in a car or in a tent? Suppose that our old internal-combustion-engine car breaks down in a remote place at -30°C, -40°C, or -50°C, and the engine won't run at all. Suppose we're travelling with a single car, but we did bring full camping gear, including winter ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: My car broke down in Siberia. What do I do now? When travelling on extremely remote roads, you need to prepare for the worst. This is even more true if you are travelling in a climate where the weather might kill you within days, such as in extreme cold. I've had a car break down once at -35°C. That road in Northern Sweden wasn't as remote... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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What can I do if I have 24-hour warning of very strong wind gusts (45–50 m/s), but I cannot reach a fixed shelter within this period? Suppose I get one of those text messages, like the Icelandic authorities send to travellers: ...Wind gusts could reach speeds that are known for blowing cars off the road and even pulling up the tarmac! 45-50 m/s, 112 mph or 180 km/h can be expected in some areas!... Suppose I've been out for a... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How do I make people not be afraid of me and my dogs? It's really rather simple: All dogs in all public areas must be kept under control at all times. If your dog goes toward other people, it is not under control and must be kept on a leash, as others have said. In my experience, the only dogs that are under control of accompanying humans without be... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: What route does the E1 European Long Distance Path take through Børgefjell National Park? There are two conflicting accounts of the route of the E1 through Børgefjell. After coming back from Børgefjell, I believe that the route through Børgefjell is probably the toughest part of the E1, and a good candidate for the toughest part of any European long-distance hiking route. ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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What route does the E1 European Long Distance Path take through Børgefjell National Park? Wikipedia notes that the E1 is marked from Okstindan to Børgefjell National Park, but is ambiguous about the national park itself. Indeed, Norgeskart has a route northward from the park boundary (which at this point is at a lake). Wikipedia goes on to describe the route south of Børgefjel... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Hunting for aurora near Tromso - few questions The Tromsø region does not lack woodlands. If you go out into Bardu into spectacular Dividalen National Park, there are plenty of woodlands. However, mountain birch forests in winter are nothing like dense forests in Poland or other midlatitude regions. The trees are 3–7 metre high an... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Can I visit Betatakin in mid-May? The Navajo National Monument website notes that Betatakin can only be visited on a ranger-guided tour. It states that groups leave daily between May 27 and September 3, and cliff dwellings are closed from October through April. We will pass through the area May 13–14. Is it possible to visi... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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For outdoor recreation, what are the practical implications of the downsizing of Bears Ears National Monument? In spring 2018, I intend to visit Bears Ears National Monument. Not any more; President Trump has declared to reduce the size of the monument. The area I intend to visit, around the Valley of the Gods, Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch, and Dark Canyon Wilderness, are no longer part of the monument. In truth... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Can horses ford deeper/faster rivers than humans? Is it safe to follow a equestrian trail and assume I can ford where the horse-trail does? Or should I expect equestrians to ford rivers too deep or swift to ford on foot? I'm thinking of the situation in Iceland, where the topographic map may suggest routes for hikers or equestrians, and some of th... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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What is a tent skirt and what is its purpose? Several posts on this side make mention of tent "skirts". For example: A "skirt" at the bottom of the tent, which makes outer tent reach the ground, so wind is not beating into the inner tent; it has these skirts at the bottom sides covering the tent; and Skirt. If you care a lot about wind and sa... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Safest route to cross Þjórsárkvíslar from the north As it happens, the easiest way to cross from the north is on the ice of the Þjórsarjökull glacier. The glacier in this area is almost completely flat. There are very few crevasses or other features, and those that do exist are shallow and easily visible. Þjórsárjö... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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What exactly constitutes a "road" in Iceland? In Iceland, off-roading is strictly prohibited. Unfortunately, it still happens and one can find tracks of off-roading all over the central highlands. On the other hand, in the landscape, some roads that are mapped on Atlaskort do not look like much more than some tracks in the landscape either, an... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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How do people camp on ice? When walking on Hofsjökull glacier in Iceland, I wondered: how do people camp on multi-day trekking trips across icecaps, such as when crossing Greenland? My primary choice of tightening a tent is to put pins into the soil; this doesn't work on ice. My second choice is to use rocks to fasten m... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Approximating the time remaining before sun is set and it starts getting dark This is a function of latitude and season. Apart from that, it depends on local landscape, weather, and your own eyes. On a rainy day in a dense forest, it may already be quite dark at sunset. On a clear day on a treeless plain, there's still plenty of daylight at sunset for most people, even thou... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: What free/open source maps can I put on my Garmin etrex vista HCX for walking in southern spain? As an extension to Openstreetmap, I recommend Opentopomap. It has the same trail data as Openstreetmap, but adds contour lines, which can be quite handy when hiking. However, I recommend to never hike on a GPS alone. Bring a paper map from the Spanish IGN. You'll get more overview, and a GPS can ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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How often are missing people found? Sometimes, people go into nature and go missing. A big search party is set up but they may be never found again. A morbid version of “leave no trace”. We probably all know examples: Joe Keller, Joey Ravn, Hans Nolte (the father of a childhood friend), and many others. It might happe... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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Safest route to cross Þjórsárkvíslar from the north In my planned circuit around Höfsjökull in Iceland, the biggest of the 15–20 fords will be Þjórsárkvíslar. Travel writer Fabrizio Frascaroli describes fording this river; I have included an excerpt below, a bit long but I found it too beautiful to shorten. Fabri... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: What are the easiest trekking routes in Sarek National Park in Sweden? The easiest is to take the routes that many people take, because on those routes, social trails have formed and you may find help if you are in trouble. 5–7 days is too short. Although you can get through quickly if you take take the route from Tjåmotis into Aktse and you might make i... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: What is the difference between hiking boots and “hunting boots”? I talked to a person (employee or owner) at the Bush Craft Store in Enfield, Middlesex. He told me that the Hanwag Brenner Wide boots have been specifically designed to be quiet, with the use for hunters in mind. Quiet boots would be more particularly relevant for hunters and nature photographers, ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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What is the difference between hiking boots and “hunting boots”? Many (online) shops classify boots between hiking and hunting; for example, see hunting boots. The hunting boots look more like the kind of boots I like, than the hiking boots do. What are the differences? Is it just that hiking boots are assumed to be used on trails and hunting boots in any terra... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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What model of Hanwag boots are those? I bought a pair of Hanwag boots late in 2013 at Naturkompaniet in Norrköping, Sweden, and I've never loved a pair of boots more. But now at least one of the shoes is in a bad state and a repair shop has adviced me it is not worth repairing. I can't find any comparable boots in brick&mortar... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Camping 3000 miles from home: how best to get our gear to the campsite? Christmas 2014, my wife and I spent camping on an otherwise uninhabited car-free island in the Pacific Ocean. On Christmas Day, we hiked all day in superb weather in a spectacular landscape, less than 100 km from the Los Angeles area, and we did not see a single soul. It was the best day of my life... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How far from a road do I need to be to not hear the traffic? This depends enormously on landscape, weather, and infrastructure. I grew up in The Netherlands several hundred meter from a motorway, but with good noise barriers, we heard almost nothing. My friend lives less than 100 metre from a noise-barriered motorway and it's nearly inaudible. Now I live se... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to cool a tent? You might want to consider an all-mesh inner tent: Image source: Hilleberg Akto Mesh That should make use of any breeze, and as a bonus, is light-weight (540g) Use it seperately when no rain is expected, or with an outer tent or tarp when it might rain. Hilleberg and probably other tentmakers ha... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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What are the consequences of the Lake Districts WHS status for attempts at rewilding/reforestation? UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has declared the Lake District National Park a cultural World Heritage Site (WHS), according to criteria (ii)(v)(vi), which are: (ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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What is the purpose of a valve on a dry bag? This dry bag comes with a valve and compression straps. I understand the purpose of the compression bag, but what is the purpose of a valve? (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Obtaining drinking water from a glacier or icefield, in the absence of snow or reachable meltwater What are some methods to obtain drinking water from a glacier or icefield, in the absence of snow or reachable meltwater? Collecting ice is much harder than collecting snow. Do I need to bring special tools or can I collect tools “in the wild” to break or scrape ice from a glacier/ice... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Are Icelandic deserts so dry I need to worry about drinking water? I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. This will take me through several “deserts” such as Hofsafrétt and Sprengisandur. On photos, this looks pretty dry, but Iceland is not the Sahara. Source: Johann Dréo, CC-BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Does fordable by 4WD imply fordable on foot? I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. Among the foreseen challenges are 17 crossings of named rivers (and many smaller ones). All rivers I need to cross have 4WD roads fording through downstream from where I will be hiking, sometimes quite far downstream after... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Can I camp in the protected areas Þjórsárver and Guðlaugstungur og Álfgeirstungur? I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. The route takes me through the Þjórsárver and Guðlaugstungur og Álfgeirstungur protected areas. The regulations for Þjórsarver and those for Guðlaugstungur og Álfgeirstungur do ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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How does water depth affect swimming safety? Why do signs, especially in the UK, say "DANGER: deep water"? In many UK lakes, I see signs prohibiting swimming with the explanation DANGER: Deep water. This link contains an example. I don't understand those signs. Why is a 30 metre deep lake more dangerous to swimmers than a shallow 3 metre deep lake? Is it because deep lakes may be colder (which depends... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Where can I take a dip? It's rather warm outside (32.6°C or 91 F) and I'd like to go for a swim. Having lived in The Netherlands and Sweden, I'm used to living near lakes and the fact that any surface water is by default open to swim in (unless a nature reserve or industrial site), but I have a hard time finding those... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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When to see autumn colours in and around Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland? I'm considering heading to Kerlingarfjöll. I thought it was pretty barren, which would mean it doesn't matter much whether one travels in summer or autumn, but it looks like it does get some mosses. What would be the optimal time of year to experience autumn colours in Kerlingarfjöll and ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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When to see autumn colours in and around Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland? I'm considering heading to Kerlingarfjöll. I thought it was pretty barren, which would mean it doesn't matter much whether one travels in summer or autumn, but it looks like it does get some mosses. What would be the optimal time of year to experience autumn colours in Kerlingarfjöll and surroundin... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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How do I get to Måskåsj-gammen? In 2013 I visited Nuortakrågge: Nuortakrågge is located at 67.8084°N, 16.6203°E, above Vuodnabahta, Norway. It is open and free to use. It is not listed on official maps but there is a small sign along the main trail from Vuodnabahta to the Swedish border. Some entries in th... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Would there be any practical uses of a geological map for a hiker/backpacker? It may not be relevant in too many places, but… Hot springs! I'm heading to Iceland again this year and I will carry a colourful jarðfræðikort (geologic map) with me: Source: ISOR (available online here). The topographic map does not list hot springs. The tourist map only... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: What is the top-down (reverse) shoe lacing good for? My wife does this with her hiking boots. She finds that it feels more stable and that the flap and knot remain in place better. We first learned about it from a seller at a local outdoor store, who recommended it when she felt the flap wasn't staying in place very well. In practice, a difference i... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to determine the needed volume size when purchasing a backpack? What you need is quite individual and the best way to tell what works for you is from your own experience. Some ultralight backpackers use backpacks that I would personally consider impossibly light and small (in particular in the USA), but they may be happy to lie under a thin single-layer sheet ev... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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"Due to the sheep in the settlement the surrounding area has no mosquitoes" I was surprised by this Visit Greenland statement on Qassiarsuk: Due to the sheep in the settlement the surrounding area has no mosquitoes. Does that make sense? Is there any reason why the presence of sheep would mean less mosquitoes? (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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Resources for finding organised treks based on specific criteria I'm unsure where to go this summer/autumn. Among my options would be to join an organised trek somewhere I wouldn't (currently) want to go independently (such as for experience, language, cultural, or political reasons). Are there any targeted search engines where I can search for organised treks b... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to protect a body in the wilderness? Stay with the body until authorities arrive. If there are no other people around: call the police using your mobile phone (near civilisation) or satellite phone (far from civilisation). If you don't have a satellite phone, you might consider activating your Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). I would n... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Multi-day hiking trip [California, early April] I would recommend going to Los Padres National Forest including the Ventana Wilderness in the Santa Lucia Range. No chance of snow there as even the highest mountain does not exceed 1800 metre and most time will be spent at lower elevations. And if you head to summits near the coast you have great ... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |