Using your watch as a compass.

So there you are, hiking along on your merry way until you realize that you have no idea where you are. It's not a problem though, you just take out your map, your compass, and- whats that? you say you forgot your compass? Okay, okay not a problem. Are you wearing a watch? You say you are? Terrific, I have a trick for you that will get you back on track. (Or back on trail in this case.)

For this trick to work easily, it's best to have an analog watch. (The kind with the minute and hour hands) If you have a digital watch, draw a watch face on the ground showing the current time.

If your in the northern hemisphere what you do is point the hour hand on your watch towards the sun. From there simply bisect the angle of the hour hand pointing towards the sun and the 12 with an imaginary line. The imaginary line points south.

With this information you now also know which way the other directions are.

If your in the southern hemisphere, point the 12 toward the sun and bisect the angle between the 12 and the hour hand with an imaginary line. This line points north.

Photo of the Week

I'm beginning a new post series that I'm simply calling Photo of the Week! It will be posted every Wednesday. These photos will only be taken by either myself or friends of mine. Each post will also include what the photo is of and who took it if it wasn't myself. Now that your aware, lets get started!

High Point State Park Obelisk in the Distance

Overview: Minimalist Backpacking Load-Out Refined

Overview: Minimalist backpacking load-out refined

Earlier back in February I posted about a minimalist backpack load-out that I planned on fielding in the warmer weather. Well, here we are in May and I’m happy to say that I did just that. Prior to fielding this load-out I assessed its contents on necessity and trip circumstances; I was surprised what I ended up with.

Allow me to elaborate on my thoughts while packing. I had a 6 mile in 6 mile out route planned with moderate terrain mapped out so the terrain and distance wouldn’t be an issue. I did this purposely because I was taking out a friend who had never backpacked before and another who had this trip as his second time backpacking. The fact that I was taking out inexperienced people who may have possible problems with comfort, be it on the trail or at camp, convinced me to pack light. The logic behind this was that if they needed me to take weight from their pack and put it into mine it was possible and if they were uncomfortable with their shelter conditions they could look over to me in my “minimalist” shelter and say, “Well, that nut-job has it worse then me, so I can suck it up.”

So there I was, standing over this strange load-out that I breathed life into. I was half impressed and half shocked.

I began with my father’s military issue web gear. It looked very trail-commando, but it was just what I was looking for. For those unfamiliar, web gear is a term used to address the Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) that the military uses to supply service members with a system that can hold ammunition, rations, and basic supplies on their person and readily available.

On the LBE I had:

• A canteen pouch holding my canteen cup, canteen, and some chlorine dioxide tablets for secondary water purification.

• A canvas pouch designed to hold M16 magazines. I used this to hold my wallet, cell phone, and car keys.

• A butt pack that contained a first aid kit, change of socks, water filtration pump, and my General Preparedness Kit. Underneath the butt pack I had a poncho for raingear/poncho shelter with two 50ft lengths of paracord. On the side I had lashed my Becker-Ka-Bar BK11.

• My food was stored in a stuff sack that was then lashed to the top of the butt pack.

• A small pouch with my camera on the left shoulder strap

Altogether the whole system weighed 14 pounds. That is a huge difference in comparison to my original minimalist backpacking load-out that weight 23 pounds without food.

Items cut from original load-out:

• Medium ALICE pack

• One 1-quart canteen

• 100ft rope and stakes

• Trowel and toilet paper

• Change of clothes

• Sleeping clothes

• Wool blanket

 The LBE makes this very comfortable, so comfortable that you barely feel any weight at all. When you begin to get tired the LBE load-out has one small problem: since the butt pack has the most weight and your muscles are sore, you feel as if someone is gently pulling down on the back of the LBE belt. As I stated, this is a very small problem that is easily ignorable.

Close up on the main part of the system: the butt pack.

The benefits of the LBE load-out far outweigh the drawbacks. Not only is it lighter than a framed backpack, but it provides a greater and more comfortable range of motion as well. Hiking with the LBE was much easier on my shoulders, back, knees, and ankles than hiking with a framed pack and I had everything I needed right within arms reach, opposed to having to stop and dig into my pack. When taking breaks I actually chose to keep the LBE on. I did this not because it was more comfortable, but simply because it felt as if you’re weren’t wearing anything at all once you sat.

As a “minimalist” shelter I used my rain poncho and paracord to construct a lean-to. I did this by tying a line between two trees that passed through the top grommet holes in the poncho and staked the bottom two grommet holes out with sapling branches. Possible thunder storms were forecasted but did not come so I cannot report on how it would have performed in rain. It did fine in moderate wind once I anchored down the middle of the bottom portion between the stakes.

Tempur-Pedic my butt, this is real comfort.

To keep me insulated from the ground I used a bed of dry leaves which worked quite well. Being that it was warmer I decided that I would sleep in a fleece and leave the sleep system’s home. As luck would have it, I forgot my fleece at home and I spent the night with sporadic shivers and turning to press each part of my body into the warm leaves. I fell asleep around 11:00pm and woke back up at 12:40am. From 12:40am to a little after 3:00am I sat up, watched the leaves blow in the trees, and enjoyed the peace. After falling asleep a little after 3:00am I woke back up at 4:00am and dozed in and out of consciousness as I watched the overcast sky grow into a shade of dark blue and listened to the faint chirping of birds that seemed to get closer and closer. Eventually I got up, got a nice fire going, and watched the fog lift off the mountains in the distance. Lack of sleep aside, it wasn’t a bad night.

Bringing it back.

As you all can see, for a time there I stopped writing. I've learned it's hard to find the time to write while keeping up with other things in my life. But everyday I'd see the Blogger icon on my toolbar and thought how I've gave up. But I am not one to quit and giving up is not what I do. I will resume writing, and you can hold my word to it!

Be bear aware! An article for dealing with black bears.

Let's start with the bear facts...

• Black bears are usually solitary animals that are most active at dawn and dusk.
• Black bears have an excellent sense of smell and hearing
• Black bears can run up to 35 miles per hour. They are strong swimmers and excellent climbers. Both adults and cubs will climb trees for food and to escape disturbances.
• Black bears eat plants and animals. Their diet mostly consists of skunk cabbage, berries, wild cherries, acorns, and beechnuts. They also eat insects, small mammals, and dead animals.
• Black bears are opportunistic eaters and will supplement their diet with food or garbage left out by humans.
• Adult females average 175 pounds. Adult males average 400 pounds.
• Not all black bears are black. They can be brown, light brown, and even blonde, white, and grey-blue.
• Even during winter a black bear will leave its den to search for food at times.
• Den sites include rock cavities, brush piles, open ground nests, and hollow trees. A bear will not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate in their den.
• Breeding season is from late May to August, peaking in June and July.

Be bear aware!

 If you encounter a bear...

• Do not feed or approach the bear.
• Remain calm and make the bear aware of you presence by speaking in a calm, assertive voice.
• Make sure the bear has an escape route. This insures the bear does not feel threatened and resorts to violence.
• Make loud noises and look as big as possible to scare the bear away. If you are with another person stand close together and raise your arms above your head.
• The bear may utter a series of huffs, make popping sounds by snapping its jaw, and swat the ground. These are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away and avoid direct eye contact. DO NOT RUN.
• If a bear stands on it's hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. It usually is not threatening behavior.
• Black bears will sometimes bluff charge when cornered, threatened, or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, and slowly back away. DO NOT RUN.
• If the bear will not leave head for nearby shelter. Remember that black bear attacks are extremely rare.
• If a black bear does attack, fight back.
• Report any violent, mischievous, abusive, or unusual bear encounters to your local ranger, fish and game warden, or the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Moving forward.

As I have posted earlier, I had been training for, and embarked on, what was supposed to be a 43 miles hike of the NJ section of the Appalachain Trail. Sadly, one day into the trip a member of my hiking group tweaked their knee and we couldn't go any further. I won't blame anyone because it is not the injured member's fault, but I was, and still am, very disappointed

I refuse to let this deter my adventures though! The day after I returned from the aborted backpacking trip I took a nice ten mile day hike to work out all that energy and to get a great hike. I learned something interesting on this hike: weather it's a flooded mine or a flooded trail, I always end up thigh deep in cold water...

Also, if you look through older posts you will find a minimalist backpacking set up. After modifying this load out a bit, I have come to a conclusion and will be fielding it this weekend. Check back then!

T-Minus: 11 hours...

Tomorrow morning I leave with my hiking group to do 43 mile New Jersey section of the Appalachain Trail. I will be returning Sunday afternoon and will probably spend the rest of the day resting.

You can expect to see photos, stories, and more within the next few days after. Wish me luck!