Posts by Olin Lathrop
You can't "filter" dissolved salt from seawater. Either the description you found is dumbed down for the masses, or just plain wrong. It is possible to separate seawater into concentrated brine a...
This isn't a direct answer, but keep in mind that the protections in a National Park or National Monument are already fairly strong. A Wilderness designation doesn't add as much there as it would ...
With just the right equipment in a laboratory setting, you can use the energy in a key fob battery to cause a spark. You can then use that to start a fire under the right conditions. However, tha...
A trail camera is unlikely to work. They are motion activated, so will snap pictures of every car passing by. However, you don't just want the picture of the car, you need to show the litterer in...
Hiking is a superset of backpacking. A backpacking trail can be used for hiking, since that's how you move along the trail while backpacking too. Any trail specifically stated to support backpack...
It sounds like you got near a wasp nest. These can be hard to spot, especially the ones that are in the ground. The best way to avoid getting stung more is to move away, than can mean up to 10 me...
All public campgrounds in western MA are going to be "busy" on weekends in the summer. In fact, I wouldn't even try finding a campsite later than afternoon on Friday or on Saturday. As for hiking...
It looks like a grindstone. The two halves would be different fineness. Your friend probably had this in his cooking kit to sharpen knives. This doesn't look like it has anything to do with star...
You could ask what the importance is of any species or related group of animals. They all have their place in the ecosystem, and there will be consequences when any of them disappear. In the part...
I've been to all three, and am not surprised by your statistics. While the North Cascades are certainly pretty and have their own appeal, there just isn't anything well known and iconic there. Mt...
I don't know that trail, but check OpenStreetMaps. That database has become pretty good in recent years, even for trails. Paper maps are a good failsafe, and bringing a paper map and compass is a...
The biggest danger is a broken ground wire, and some leakage path from the hot to the chassis of your camper. That puts the whole chassis of the camper at high voltage. That's actually no danger ...
About the only real danger of the ones you mentioned is a scorpion under a rock you just picked up. They do hide in crevasses under rocks during the day. Just be aware that there might be a scorp...
Bobcats have short stubby tails. The typical house cat has a tail almost the length of its body. Bobcats have a specific color pattern. House cats have all kinds of colors and patterns due to th...
Nalgene (probably a trademark, not sure what the generic plastic name is) is not a good material for a water bottle intended to be used in the back country. Nalgene gets brittle over time, even wi...
In the outdoors, the way to deal with cold is not to heat the environment, but to insulate yourself. You say "snow line", so it appears you aren't asking about anything particularly cold. Just ge...
I don't know how this works in California, but here in Massachusetts, the Fish and Wildlife folks might want to know about it. Something unusual is going on. Maybe there is some disease going aro...
You almost certainly got close to a nest. The behavior you describe fits various raptors when intruders get close to a nest. There very likely is a nest up there somewhere. If the nest isn't on ...
You need the right balance of air pressure. Both too much and too little can reduce comfort. This can be seen by thinking about the limiting cases. With no air, you're directly on the ground. I...
I see that Charlie has already shown that there may be a few cypress swamps that don't have alligators if you go far enough north and inland. However, being in a canoe gives you considerable prote...
No, center of gravity is not a issue between a tall and short person. That is because the rest of the body scales too. The center of gravity relative to the body height stays the same. Imagine a...
The GPS receiver in recent tablets and phones is actually quite good. I use a Nexus 7 Android tablet for outdoor navigation, and it works very well. Tablets generally allow you to shut things dow...
In most states of the US, if there isn't a sign telling you to keep out, or a physical barrier like a fence, you are OK to go there, assuming you were legal where you started from. Of course not a...
Birds of the genus Corvus are intelligent and generalists. They are not picky, and can survive on lots of different types of food. They are also more able than other birds to find clever ways to ...
Quick synopsis: Beetles infested tree. See circular holes. Woodpeckers made larger holes to get at the beetles. Tree died. Bark fell off, helped along by animals trying to get to the tasty bee...
