Activity for Charlie Brumbaughâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: Why aren't (poly-)cotton tents more popular? I think your question spells out pretty well why people prefer other materials (cost,weight) and they really aren't used for backpacking where weight matters. The times I have ever seen them in use it was an outfitters camp where the tents are setup for an extended period of time and they had had mu... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Require advice on power conservation for backpacking trip It depends on how many pictures you want to take and how much weight you want to carry. In your case it looks like two camera batteries is enough for 1600 pictures, that may or may not be enough for your purposes. As far as your phone goes keeping it only in airplane mode, using the the low power se... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Hot coffee brewing solutions for deep woods camping I just ran the experiment of making hot coffee with a cotton coffee sock instead of doing my usual cold brew and it works fine. It's almost the same as cowboy coffee but has the advantage of seperating the grounds from the coffee. Place the coffee sock with grounds inside in water that was boiling... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What's an easy way to fasten/unfasten to bind two horizontal poles? If speed is the goal here, then just use a nylon belt with a buckle. To shorten just cut one end and then seal it with a lighter. Source Easy on and off and if you need more security wrap it twice before buckling. (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Birds not eating Nyjer (thistle seed)? It looks like birds won't eat it once the seed dries out and not all birds like it so I would make sure that you have the right types of birds in your area. Sometimes the birds would also rather eat wild seeds instead of from feeders. Also, it's not actually thistle seed, it's just called that for m... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Why is oilcloth made with linseed oil? Linseed oil is used because it's a drying oil, A drying oil is an oil that hardens to a tough, solid film after a period of exposure to air. The oil hardens through a chemical reaction in which the components crosslink (and hence, polymerize) by the action of oxygen (not through the evaporation o... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What makes for good locations to go magnet fishing? The general idea is that you are looking for places with high human traffic right next to the water. Places such as, Docks Fishing Piers Footbridges Paths next to a canal Boat ramps Old quarries The depth of the water also matters, if its a seasonal canal or a in parts of the lake that are expose... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What makes for good locations to go magnet fishing? Magnet fishing is when you take go fishing with a magnet trying to find metal objects that people have lost into bodies of water such as cellphones, knives, bikes, etc. What would make a location good for this? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What kind of toad is this 2.5 inch (6.5cm) one yellow with brown spots and a white back stripe? I just found this toad on a sidewalk near a lake the elevation was probably somewhere around 4800 ft (1500m). Does anybody know what kind it is? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What is the standard barrel length used for calculating the velocity of ammunition? The standards are set by SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Manufacturers Institute) and it depends on the type of firearm. Rimfire rifles 24 inches (page 60) Centerfire rifles 24 inches with 5 exceptions (page 231), 7.62x39 – 20.00 inches (508.0mm) 30 Carbine – 20.00 inches (508.0mm)... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is the standard barrel length used for calculating the velocity of ammunition? If you buy a box of ammunition, it usually says the muzzle velocity on the box in addition to the bullet weight (or you can find the information online). Given that bullet velocity depends on the length of the barrel, with longer barrels usually having higher velocities, and one's barrel may be long... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to make sure that your arrows are flying straight? The solution is called paper tuning, what you do is shoot your arrow completely through a sheet of paper and examine the hole left behind. The easy way to do this is to tack a sheet of paper to a large empty picture frame and stand it up about 1.5 arrow lengths from the target. This is what it shoul... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How to make sure that your arrows are flying straight? Sometimes, if your knock is too high or too low or your rest is not perfectly in line with the string, your arrows will fly at a slight angle to the direction of travel instead of perfectly straight. How can you test to make sure your arrows are flying straight? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What is the v-notch on top of the “Clickup” climbing belay device for? According to the diagram in the instruction manual, that is called a braking notch and the only mention is If the rope is inserted incorrectly into the Click Up i.e. not following the indications marked on the device (Fig. 3.5) or the Click Up is inserted upside down onto the harness’s ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is there an easy way to remember if you add magnetic declination to magnetic bearings or true bearings? Remember, your compass points to magnetic north while to finding True North requires calculation. This means that the declination needs to be added to/subtracted from the magnetic bearing i.e. what your compass is showing. As a sanity check, For locations east of the agonic line (zero decl... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do I know when it's time to replace my climbing shoes? Generally speaking, newer shoes are going to be better and more effective and yet as you well know that costs money. So what it really comes down is a cost/benefit analysis that's going to be up to the individual. If it gets to a point where you are slipping and the shoes are falling apart at the se... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How much vegetation is represented by the green on USGS 7.5 minute topo maps? On official USGS topo maps, vegetation is represented by green, and non vegetation by white as you can see below. How much vegetation does an area need to be colored green? Are short bushes enough or does it require trees? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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When would docks on Chatfield Reservoir be least busy with boaters putting in and taking out? I have a magnet and line setup to go magnet fishing and I would like to make some sweeps around one the docks Chatfield Reservoir on where it's likely that people have dropped gear/cellphones into the water, but so far there have always been people there putting their boat in and out and I don't wan... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Ultra-light camping setup for solo-backping in the Uintas The tent is probably not strictly necessary, a tarp or just the fast setup should probably work fine unless it seriously rains or you are above treeline while it rains or it gets really windy. At the point in the year, the number of ticks/mosquitos should be greatly reduced. Not taking the whole ten... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What's is the Leave No Trace way to dispose of loose tea leaves? It's possible to buy tea that is loose leaf instead on in the tea bags and use it while in the outdoors such as cold brewing in a Nalgene. Coffee grounds need to be packed out but what about tea leaves (which are biodegradable). What is the Leave No Trace way to dispose of the used tea leaves? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Has an excise tax on rock climbing/backpacking/hiking gear to support conservation ever been proposed in the US? In the United States, there are a couple of excise taxes on outdoor gear that goes towards conservation, Pittman–Robertson Act which taxes firearms, ammunition and archery equipment and the Dingell–Johnson Act which is the same idea but for fishing. The simple idea is that hunters and ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is the Leave No Trace way to dispose of coffee grounds? If one makes coffee in the backcountry, there will be used grounds. Coffee grounds are biodegradable, but should one instead pack them out completely? What is the Leave No Trace way to deal with used coffee grounds in the backcountry? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How do they tell the sex of Peregrine Falcon chicks? Related to this question where the difference in size might possibly be due to one of the 3 peregrine falcon chicks being male, how do they tell whether a peregrine chick is male or female? Eventually, it's possible due to size difference but at this stage how do they tell? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What kind of bird is this greyish small chicken sized one I found in the Uintas? On my hike through the Uinta mountains, I came across this greyish bird and her 3-4 chicks. The timelapse I took of the birds can be seen here. It looks like some sort of grouse, does anybody know what kind of bird this is? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: When to clean out old bird boxes? It looks like the answer is to clean them out at least once a year, once the breeding season is over and before winter, which would be around the end of August in the northern hemisphere (or the end of February in the southern hemisphere). If a species has multiple broods, they can be cleaned out be... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is it legal to launch a kayak from a public beach in Chicago? It looks like it will depend on the beach, some beaches have restrictions on where you can launch, some don't and some do not allow kayaks or paddles sports. It would probably be easiest to ask the park department which beaches allow kayaks or you could go through the list and see if a particular be... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What would the advantage of a piercable butane canister be? All of the butane gas cartridges I have seen have a screwable top for attaching your stove, however, there are apparently also pierceable cartridges without a screwable top. Source What would the advantage of this type of canister be or is this style just not seen in the U.S? (I went looking yest... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How much margin due to charging inefficiency should I add when calculating the size of batteries needed for a trip? In order to charge my electrical equipment while backpacking (GPS, camera for timelapses, phone, etc) I bring along a large battery. To calculate the size of the battery you can figure out how many recharges each device will need and how big their batteries are. However, charging one battery with an... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is the leave no trace thing to do when parallel trails start to form? Sometimes in areas with sandy/muddy ground, multiple parallel trails will start to form. What is the least impactful way to walk a trail like this? Do you stay on whichever trail shows the most recent travel of the deepest or another option? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Why are cottontail rabbits smelling through gravel piles? In one of the gravel parking lots I pass on my way to work there are a number of cotton tail rabbits that hang out there. At one end of parking lot there is piled up gravel from all of the plowing that happened over the winter. A couple of times when I have passed by there were rabbits that looked ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How do they capture Rocky Mountain Goats in order to relocate them? In Grand Teton National Park they have Rocky Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep and because they are worried that the goats will spread diseases to the sheep, they want to mountain goats gone from the Teton Range. How do they capture the goats alive so they can relocate them somewhere else? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Where to find Rocky Mountain Goats? All of the times I have seen Rocky Mountain goats it has been by accident, you come around the corner of the trail in the mountains and there they are. If one were to go deliberately looking for them to take a picture for example, where would one look and are there any signs of their presence in an ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to cut a climbing rope? The easiest way to do this is to use an electric rope cutter. Source To use this you wait till the blade is hot then stretch the rope tight with your hands giving yourself a couple of inches on either side of where you want to cut and bring it down across the blade. The blade will go through the ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How to cut a climbing rope? Sometimes it is necessary to cut a climbing rope, either to shorten it or to trim worn ends. If were one to cut a climbing rope, how would one do so? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How to melt snow without fire or body heat? I did a backpacking trip once where I was above treeline, there was no running water and I was low on fuel for my stove. While some of the snow was melting it was draining into the ground so fast there was no liquid water. What I ended up doing for drinking water was throwing snow on top of a tarp a... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is the use case for non-breathable waterproof pants? For rain pants, there are both breathable pants that let sweat out and non-breathable ones that do not. The problem with the non-breathable pants is that your sweat can build up inside and then you will get wet underneath the pants anyways. As non-breathable pants are still sold, what is the case wh... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Are there any tips to help hummingbirds find a new feeder? Once a hummingbird feeder is set up and the hummingbirds know about it they will come back over and over again on a regular basis. They even seem to remember after the winter and will come to check to see if the feeders are out yet. If one is setting up a hummingbird feeder in a new area that hasn't... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is this dime sized black bug with white on the segments near Loveland Colorodao? On my walk around town today I found this small black bug, (keychain carabiner for scale). Closeup It has two antenna and it seems that there is white on the edge of the segments. Does anyone know what kind of bug this is? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Can dirty bird feeders make birds sick? Dirty bird feeders are known for causing problems for birds, CPW said the disease has not yet been confirmed in Colorado, but the agency wants to warn people that house finch eye disease, along with several others are commonly spread at dirty bird feeders and baths. The other diseases include sal... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Why would one type of 22lr ammo be louder than another? I was doing some target 22 target practice and had three different brands of ammo, supersonic Thunderbolt 35 grain, Aguila 40 grain subsonic and Aguila 60 grain subsonic. The Thunderbolt was the loudest due to the sonic boom, but the 40 grain was noticeably quieter. The exact same setup of rifle and... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Using a Snow jacket for non snow conditions? It would probably work and some of it will just depend on your preferences. Possible issues may include, Too much insulation causing you to overheat and sweat and become uncomfortable, doubly so if the jacket is not breathable. Bulkier and heavier than it needs to be. Several layers instead of one ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Where to find pronghorn sheds? Each year pronghorn shed the outer covering of their horns, and while they don't last as long as deer sheds you can still find them. All of the ones I have found have been by accident, if one was to deliberately go looking for them, where would be good places to look? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Why would a Rocky Mountain Goat be making scrapes in the ground? While hiking in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada, I came around the corner and saw several mountain goats who had made several fairly large scrapes (3-4 ft long and a couple feet wide) in the ground. Why would the mountain goats have done this? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How should regular Appalachian Trail hikers interpret this weekend's attack? Realistically this is something to be aware of, horrible assaults and murders have happened before on the trail. Beyond that, for me at least this isn't a reason not to hike, it's a reason to be aware and prepared. Tons of people die in car accidents but people are still going to drive to work. The... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How stiff of a sole should I look for in hiking boots? There is a spectrum of sole stiffness in boots, from full shank on mountaineering boots to the easily bendable ones on really cheap boots. The way to test is to push in on the shoe lengthwise and see how easily the sole bends. As I am looking for a new pair of hiking boots, how stiff of a sole shou... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is this brown catipillar with white stripes and two black spots near the head in Loveland, Colorado? I was riding my bike today and I saw a number of these brown caterpillars with white strips and black spots near the head crossing the sidewalk. (Penny for scale) Does anyone know what kind of caterpillar this is? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Will a coyote attack my dog on a leash while I'm on a hiking trail? Has this happened sure, Traps have been set out after an elderly woman was walking her small, mixed-breed dog on a leash around 10 a.m. on Saturday on Avenida Majorca and a coyote began attacking the dog, Falk said. Falk said the woman tried to wrestle the dog away and was bitten in the scuf... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is there any evidence that suction devices are helpful for snake bites? There are two studies I could find on this, Conclusion The Sawyer Extractor pump removed bloody fluid from our simulated snakebite wounds but removed virtually no mock venom, which suggests that suction is unlikely to be an effective treatment for reducing the total body venom burden after ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Is there any evidence that suction devices are helpful for snake bites? Back in the old days, it was recommended that for a snake bite you cut an X and suck the venom out. That is no longer recommended, however, they still sell suction devices such as the Sawyer Extractor that you are supposed to place over the bit and then suck the venom out. (There is at least one answ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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What is this abandoned equipment and shed on skids near Mono Lake CA? I found this abandoned building with what looked like some sort of radio gear while hiking near Mono Lake California. The shed on skids Close up of inside Does anyone know what this was originally used for? (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |