Posts by Olin Lathrop
I visit AZ every summer and include some hikes in the desert when I'm there. First, don't just take water. That can lead to electrolyte loss, as actually happened to me the first year I did this....
No, there is nothing on the AT that justifies carrying a firearm. The extra weight and space is much more of a detriment than the extremely unlikely and frankly inconceivable case where a firearm ...
By "black bear", I'll assume you mean Ursus americanus, the North American black bear. These bears are opportunists and aren't looking for a fight. In all the encounters I have had with them in t...
The Henry W Coe State Park is within reasonable driving range, and offers many hiking trails with good vistas and surprisingly few people. I go into more detail here.
There are quite a number of options, although the 4000 foot requirement pretty much limits it to the White Mountains of NH, the northern Green Mountains of VT, and a few peaks in ME. It's not clea...
About 20 years ago, I had a whole day free between two business engagements in the Bay area. I stumbled upon a apparently little-known state park that if I remember right was south and a little ea...
I'd give them whatever my device or map provided me, and let them convert to whatever their devices or maps use. Anyone used to receiving lat/lon coordinates regularly should be able to convert fr...
I have been researching sign construction various ways, with asking a question here being one of them. I was just forwarded a email from Adobe Signs, replying to questions from the Groton Conserva...
My town (Groton MA, USA) has 110 miles of trails open to the public, but virtually no signs helping people navigate at intersections in the woods. I am on the Trails Committee, and I'm pushing har...
To answer your other questions: No, don't insulate the pole at the bottom with a sandal, and yes, you are overthinking this. In the relatively unlikely (but possible) event that lightning does sti...
The first thing to do is to not pitch your tent in the middle of a flat area when there is a chance of thunderstorms. Sometimes that's not so easy, but that doesn't make it any less a good thing t...
Personally I would not want to mount a camera on a backpack. Sooner or later you're going to slip or bump into something and the camera is going to get hurt. Mounted on the backpack doesn't sound...
Unless you're talking way above treeline, you can get some idea by what the vegetation looks like at the top or how far the peak seems to be above the treeline. This works reasonably well in the W...
You left out a lot of particulars, like who exactly "we" is and whether you expect to camp for several days away from civilization, or will drive around enough that getting to a grocery store once ...
There is no such place. 40-60°F is a very narrow range. 20°F can be just from day and night variation, which leaves basically nothing for seasonal variation. Even if you meant daytime highs, I s...
I would at least look into multiple smaller tents instead of a single large tent to handle all. Other than the cat thing (I really don't know how to respond to that), I'd probably have one tent fo...
Here is a bridge design we (the Town of Groton Massachusetts Trails Committee) used recently that seems to work. It feels plenty strong and sturdy when walking on it. The first bridge of this kin...
We have several places on local trails maintained by volunteers where the trail crosses a small stream or ditch. In these places the stream is a bit too wide and deep to expect people to jump accr...
Whatever you do, DO NOT DRINK URINE. People who suggest this, including a example I saw on a survival show, are just plain wrong. The job of your kidneys is to take out the trash. This trash is ...
I have used both for night hiking, and I like a headlamp way better. The main reasons are that it leaves the hands free, and the light is aiming roughly in the direction I'm looking. I made my ow...
As others have already noted, keeping out mosquitos can be a big deal in some locations at some times of the year. However, when I go camping around Arizona in the summer that's not the reason tha...
Coyotes now live in our area in significant numbers. There was a den on our property this winter, and a few months ago there were four pups romping around in our back yard. We hear them howling p...
This depends greatly on where you will be going and therefore how available water is. Dehydration is a serious issue, so if in doubt bring a little extra. For example, if you're going to be hikin...
This isn't a direct answer to the question, but I want to point out that most ordinary forest fires pose little danger to humans. It is the relatively unusual crown fires which can be very dangero...
I found the best answer is tight underwear made from a slippery fabric with legs that extend just far enough down to cover where things rub in the crotch area. I currently have a pair of Underarmo...
