Activity for Olin Lathropâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: Are Ice grips worth buying? I had a pair of Yaktracks for a couple of winters, and they turned out not to be what I really wanted. They do work very well on packed snow and you can walk inside most places without having to take them off. However, they work poorly on hard ice, which make them less than ideal for walking around... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Where can I get Tyvek maps? I suspect the answers will be scattered. I don't know of any one source of Tyvek maps that cover everything. For the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the AMC publishes quite decent trail maps in Tyvek. Unfortunately, the White Mountain Guide book comes standard with paper maps. You have to buy t... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How do you determine current trail conditions before going on a hike? Getting trail conditions is region-specific. For example, in New England the Appalachian Mountain Club provides a good deal of trail info. I'm pretty sure there is a web site about trail conditions, but for the White Mountains of New Hampshire you can get trail conditions info directly at the Pinkh... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Why don't we apply the principles of layering when it comes to pants? Your legs aren't as sensitive to temperture extremes. Right now it's winter here and I'm walking around outside with a regular shirt, a wool sweater, and a wind breaker on my torso. Inside I take off the windbreaker an sweater. However, inside or outside, I'm wearing the same single-layer pants ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What is a good tool for minor trail maintenance while hiking? I do deliberate trail maintenence regularly, and unfortunately what you can do is severly limited if you want to do it casually while only carrying something small. There is no set of tools you can reasonably carry, even if you go out only for that purpose, that will cover more than maybe 3/4 of the... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Storing Headlamps: With or without batteries? There are two possible reasons not to store batteries in a headlamp that won't be used for a while: Residual current draw, and batteries leaking and destroying the headlamp. To make things waterproof, some headlamps don't have a regular mechanical switch to turn them on and off during normal operati... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What is the true risk of suffocation from different combustion sources in a tent? (CO2, CO) CO and CO2 dangers are real, and most tents aren't ventillated well enough without outside wind to make it safe. CO2 dissolves well in water, especially cold water, and your body has mechanisms to deal with it. Somewhat surprisingly, what causes you to breathe harder is not lower oxygen concentrati... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Is there a protective substance, like an epoxy, I can use on my feet so I can backpack barefoot? What you want is called "skin". However, that's not something you just add on one day and go hiking for days. Keep in mind that our species evolved to get around by walking and running with our feet. Our feet have evolved to handle that. Unfortunately, habitually wearing shoes eliminates the stim... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Are 35mm film canisters safe for holding spices? I use a film canister for salt when backpacking. I have had people tell me that same story about poisons leaching from the plastic into the food, but nobody is able to substantiate that. The canisters I have are labeled HDPE (high density polyethelene). Plenty of food-touching things are made from... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How to keep water cold in hot weather? This doesn't directly answer your question and might not be to your liking, but it's what I do. Basically, I don't bother trying to keep it cold. However, I do add flavoring. I find that flavoring helps a great deal in making it feel a lot more OK to drink warm liquid. Think of it sortof like tea... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What can I use to label my medicine tubes? I occasionally have to label smooth plastic surfaces around the office that get handled regularly. As you say, even a sharpie mark wears off after a while. What I do is to write the label with a sharpie, then put a piece of tape over it. Don't use the clear "scotch" tape, but the more permanent mi... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Does eating snow help dehydration? As with any relatively unscientific field, there is a lot of lore out there that may have originally had a good scientific foundation, but the restrictions or specific conditions have long been forgotten and the answer takes on a life of its own out of context. The myth about eating snow seems to me... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: Isn't Nor'easter supposed to move from the Northeast to Southwest? Yes, "Nor'easter" is derived from "north-easter" meaning the winds come from the northeast. That is exactly what happens in a nor'easter. You are confusing the wind direction with the travel direction of the storm. The whole storm moves up the coast, but remember these are counter-clockwise rotati... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What lower temperature limit should I look for in sleeping bag for the Appalachian Trail? In addition to what Russell said, consider that the bag by itself does not need to cover the lowest temperature extremes you will encounter. You can get one good for most of the conditions, then add insulation on unusually cold nights. A space blanket over the bag makes a significant difference. S... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What characteristics should I look for in a good torch/flashlight? If you just want to solve the problem, go buy a LED headlamp. There are now quite a variety available on the market. A bunch of years ago this wasn't the case, and I built my own. It drives 4 white LEDs from two AA batteries. I calculate about 20 hours run time from two fresh batteries, although ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: How do I light a spirit (ethanol) stove when it's cold? I think you mean "light" the fuel. "Lighten" means to reduce it's weight. It seems you want to ignite it. The basic problem is that the vapor pressure of ethanol goes down significantly with cold. Keep in mind that liquid doesn't actually burn, it's the gas the liquid gives off combining with atm... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What natural (non-synthetic) fabrics are good for the winter? As others have said, wool is the best of the easily available natural materials. It's main advantages are: Somewhat hydrophobic, in other words is a little bit water repellent. This is due to wool fibers being hollow with some fat inside. This fat inside is also the reason you should never wash w... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What is a freestanding tent and why should I want one? As others have said, the main advantage of a free standing tent is that it doesn't require stakes or rope tied to external fixed objects to stand up. Of course there are downsides too. This generally means there will be more poles and the tent will therefore be heavier for the same internal size. ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: In what conditions is a four-season tent needed? I think there are two primary distinctions between "4 season" (winter-capable) and "3 season" tents: Air flow and room. In a 3 season tent, you generally want good ventilation and you pretty much leave it at that. You have to consider this issue a lot more in a winter tent. The difference is that ... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What are some mortal dangers in temperate woods? I think the most likely is actually hypothermia. All it takes is being a little unprepared and getting caught in wet and windy conditions a little above freezing. If you don't deal with that right away, things just deteriorate and then dealing with it properly gets less and less likely until you're... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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A: What are some things to keep in mind when stealth camping? Before I saw this question, I had no idea the term stealth camping existed, but I have definitely done it a number of times, just backpacking, with a bike, and with a car. Yes, it's possible to do stealth car camping. I live in the US and most of my experiences have been in New England (where I liv... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |