Posts by gerrit
Where can I find topographic maps of South Korea? If those don't exist, where can I find good hiking maps? Specifically, I'm looking for maps suitable to hike the Jeju Olle Trail. For topographi...
This answer recommends solar cells to recharge batteries. However, this likely works best during a layover day. I usually don't have those. For a nice-to-have situation, how well does it work to...
Switzerland has a nationally consistent policy for hiking signs with Swiss precision (for example and inspiration, see this impressive 64 page guide on signage), as required by law. This applies w...
Suppose I'm caught in a heavy thunderstorm while lying in my tent, on my foam sleeping bad, in my nice waterproof tent. Suppose I have a good campsite so I don't need to worry about flash floods. ...
How frequent are thunderstorms in the Canadian Rockies in September? Canadian Climate Normals do not list thunderstorm frequency.
I am considering to get Garcia Machine Backpacker's Cache. According to MEC user reviews, this is the only cache approved in the Adirondack Mountains. Canadian parks, and other places as well, co...
I'm considering to buy a light-weight backpacking tent. My current tent (Hilleberg Staika) is very solid, but also quite heavy (4 kg). I'm looking at various Big Agnes tent models, such as the Sl...
In Jasper National Park, when I am hiking on trails, must I camp on designated backcountry campsites, or can I camp anywhere I want? According to this forum post on tripadvisor: Yes, random ca...
The Canadian national parks in the Rocky Mountains are very popular (and for good reasons). Banff National Park had 3.3 million visitors in 2012-2013, and Jasper National Park had almost 2 million...
I'm currently planning my autumn (August/September) trek somewhere in Canadian mountains. Canada is vast and there are many very spectacular places, but some are very popular; for example, Jasper ...
I am considering a trek in August/September in the Mealy Mountains and English Mountains in Labrador (Canada's newest National Park; for info see 1, 2, 3). However, I am worried by the prospect of...
Spain is mediocre when it comes to topographic maps. Certainly beats Italy, but you won't find the quality of France, Switzerland, Germany, or northern Europe. They're not too old — you can find ...
You have two options: Georgia trekking maps Georgia trekking maps covering part of Georgia are available from various international resellers, such as omnimap and amazon. They cover part of the ...
My answer is not specific for a particular area or a particular date. I like to find trails, areas, that are less crowded in general, and estimate the seasonal pattern mostly on availability. Sig...
When I pack my backpack in the morning, I sort everything into two categories: Things I will (almost) certainly not need before I set up camp again (sleeping bag, tent, kitchen, most food, etc.) ...
In my experience, you need to calibrate each guidebook or website to your own experience. As a case study, I can speak from experience with two guidebooks describing hikes and treks in the same re...
There are two kinds of USGS maps. Two articles on directionsmap.com explain the situation: US Topo – A New National Map Series. Larry Moore, May 2011. US Topo - A New National Map Series, 2012 ...
What you are looking for is a walkie-talkie / two-way radio / private mobile radio with voice control. Normally, to communicate with a walkie-talkie, you need to press a transmit button. Some mod...
Adding one more, from my own experience: a "false floor". I stepped into a lake fully dressed with shorts and sandals, because I saw it was just 10 cm deep. Unfortunately, what I observed as bein...
In early summer in the high mountains, snowfields may lie over rivers. These rivers may be otherwise tricky to ford, and it can be very tempting to use the snowfield to cross the river. However, ...
When I'm hiking with my friend, some of the time we hike together, but sometimes we hike seperately, and may be some kilometres apart only to meet on the agreed location for the evening. Our next ...
I've just ordered a large set of Spaghetteria packages, such as: Spaghetteria Funghi Spaghetteria Spinaci Aktiv Muschelnudels mit Frühlingsgemüse ... and many others Those are functionally iden...
There's some discussion here about SPOT vs. PLB. The article recommends that PLB's (Personal Locator Beacons) are more reliable than SPOT (Satellite Communications), a comment says this is not tru...
Swimming is a popular summer pas-time in Sweden and Finland. In rural areas, it's still common for schools to have swimming lessons outside, in lakes. I'm pretty sure there's no risk from fauna i...
Camping If you're walking with a tent and pitching it up somewhere high in the mountains (this may not be legal, but if you're well behaved nothing will happen), you won't have a problem with crow...
