Posts by Olin Lathrop
This is really up to you, but I think if postholing is enough of a issue it would be good to wear snowshoes. If nothing else, it just makes things easier. One problem of postholing can be sometim...
The derailleur can be adjusted just fine with the bike upside down. Flipping the bike doesn't change the side to side alignment of how the chain is fed to the gear set. However, one thing to watc...
Let's start by seeing what the largest solar cell you could practically carry hiking could get you. Light weight solar cells are thin and fragile, but let's ignore that for now. Let's say you can...
Non-expert guess here, but I think that's some type of robber fly. Those are predatory flys, generally have the shape you show, and are rather large for flys. There are many species. Even expert...
Millers River meets Connecticut River 6 Oct 2011, Erving/Gill Massachusetts. This picture was taken looking downriver (south) from the French King Bridge across the Connecticut River, between Ervi...
Brown Loaf in the fall A local hill named Brown Loaf in fall splendor, from the top of Scarlet Hill, Groton Massachusetts, 18 Oct 2014.
Seals appear at various times in various places on Cape Cod. There isn't a guaranteed time and place to see seals, but some spots are better than others. For example, this picture was taken at He...
Yes, increased exposure can reduce the ellergic reaction that results in the itching and swelling. The very first time we are bitten by a mosquito, nothing happens. That triggers the immune syste...
This isn't a direct answer, but a relevant anecdote. Many years ago in college I went with some friends to a nearby state park with a lake. After a while, we decided to walk around the lake a bit...
I live about 35 miles northwest of Boston, so I can answer this. The first thing you should do is join the Boston Chapter of the Appalachian Mountian Club (AMC). Once you are a member, you will h...
I have a self-inflating mat, and I think the foam serves three purposes. In order of importance: It sets the shape of the mat when inflated. Think of the foam as limiting how far the opposite wa...
Camping restrictions and permits to enter particular areas are actually very rare when you look at the total land area. I believe in every case these are done only to prevent degradation caused by...
The issue here isn't about mixing fuels since white gas basically is gasoline. The difference is that commonly available "gasoline" as used in cars for example, contains a lot of additives. These...
Think about whether it really matters if your feet stay dry. Will this be in warm enough weather when trenchfoot and frostbite are not problems? If so, the simplest answer may be to let the feet ...
The sun is currently in the more active part of its cycle, where solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME) are more common. Auroras are caused when high-energy charged particles hit the vicini...
The missing context in this quote is apparently that you then use a part of your hand after the arm is extended to guage 10° in the sky. Look where you got that quote from, and it probably mention...
I can't prove a negative, but I don't think there is any such nation-wide historical record. Finding the history of various names will take different methods. For some, the history and motivation...
20-25 kg, or 45-55 pounds weight, is too much to expect to carry on your shoulders. That's especially true if only over one shoulder. Not only will that put a lot of stress on the shoulder straps...
It makes more sense to insulate you than the whole back of the truck. Get a foam pad to put under your sleeping bag. You say there is a plastic liner, but a real sleeping pad should insulate much...
Knowing why distance was included or omitted in any particular instance requires asking the people that decided on that particular sign. In other words, in the general case, you don't know why. I...
There are many reasons a trail takes the particular path it does. Probably the most common is historical, as you mention. Probably the least common is deliberate design. Most trails have evolved...
In my experience, hiking alone is definitely faster if the intent is to get to the destination quickly. I lead organized hikes often (roughly one/month) for the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) an...
That was almost certainly done by a porcupine. Like beavers, their primary food source is the cambium layer under the bark of trees. That's actually the only living part of the trunks and major...
Wood is not a simple chemical. It releases a number of different compounds when heated. Try distilling wood some time. Put a few slivers into a test tube and heat it. Pipe the result into anoth...
15 km (9.3 miles) is really long for the average 5 year old, especially when it's 65% longer and at higher altitude than what she's used to. This sounds like a bad idea to me. You say you can car...
