Joseph's Tips

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Judy Ann

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Lesson#3: Cat holes don't require that you carry your old garden spade...teach your girlfriend that her hiking poles will serve many purposes including that little hole to deposit any treasures that she might like to cover. Give her privacy to figure out the details.
 

Judy Ann

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Lesson #4: Pack 1-2 mini bottles of scotch in your first aid kit. It might come in handy if you fall down a hill and think that you broke a bone. It can be used for antiseptic reasons or to numb pain and help you sleep after you figure out that you will live to see tomorrow.
 

Judy Ann

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Lesson #5: Never lose your ability to wonder and wander. Both are good for your health.
 
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Hikenhunter

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Tip #5 10/6/12---- For kids hiking/backpacking, get them a nice strait hiking staff. Everytime you hike a trail get them a hiking staff medallion for that trail if one is available. They will view them as trophys and this should help to encourage them to go on more trails.
 

Grandpa

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Oct 6 One liter pop bottles are much lighter than their nalgene counterparts and work fine as auxillary water containers. I carry from two to four empty bottles. When I make camp for the night and filter my water, they give me the capacity to have enough water to get me onto the trail the next day without filtering again.
 

oldsarge

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When venturing out in the wilds, ensure you have the very basic survival needs on your person (Swiss knife or multi tool, fire starting materials, compass & map, whistle etc). These small item can be in your pocket, or worn around your neck. Next, if you have a larger field knife with sheath, you can fashion a slightly larger survival kit to your knife sheath with other items such as an emergency blanket, small flash light, additional compass, cordage or any other items your feel necessary. This knife should be on your belt. All other field gear is in your pack. The idea here is that if your were to become separated from your back pack, you can rely on the other items to be with you, if for some reason you were to loose your larger knife and survival kit you can still have the absolute basic on your person. it's up to you what you want to carry, the key is to have at least three means of providing yourself with survival gear.
 

oldsarge

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Strive to learn the basic of navigating. Rely on your map and compass skills. GPS is great but you have to be concern about battery life. I like to keep the GPS stowed away, if need be I can turn it on and get my exact location and plot in on the map. Become proficient with Lat & Lon or UTM. It's not hard to learn.
 

ponderosa

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My 5 year old had a couple of days off school, so I took my little girls to Yellowstone for a couple of days. I missed a couple days' worth of posting tips, but it leads me to my tip for today:
Whenever you have the chance to be outside for a day or two with your children, away from any and all distractions, take it. Every single time.
 

Hikenhunter

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Tip #6 10/7/12---- Put key rings,also known as split rings, on all your zipper pulls. I do mean all of them, your pack, your coat,etc.... It will make the zipper easier to to open and close especially n colder weather.
 
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Judy Ann

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Take great care of all sporting goods equipment since much gear will last decades. Most everything you learn to do outdoors can become a lifetime sport.
 

dinosaur

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In cooler weather, never try to sleep in the clothes you wore during the day. They will have absorbed a lot of moisture from the air and your sweat. As a result, you will not warm up and you will have moisture in your bag.
 

Grandpa

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Oct 7. One item I have found valuable when backpacking is foil. I take 3 sheets about 15 inches long, folded together. This packet makes a great windbreak for my stove, or a cozy for the cannister if the temps drop below freezing, and if I decide to catch a trout or grouse, I have my baking pan.
 

Pathfinder1

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Hi...


Today's tip is also survival-oriented...although it is something that may also be useful at other times.

Always carry a multi-tined frog or fish spear in your emergency gear or BOB. Takes up hardly any room or weight, yet may come in handy...especially in an emergency. Just fit it on the end of an appropriately sized piece of wood or stick for a handle, and you're ready to try your luck.

May not be appropriate in the Painted Desert, for example. :tinysmile_twink_t2:
 

ponderosa

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Your sleeping bag will have a much longer life if you do not store it in a smallish stuff sack. Being stored compressed will eventually cause your bag to lose loft, and when the loft is gone, so is the warmth. Higher end bags come with a big storage bag, but a big cotton laundry bag works great if your bag came only with a stuff sack. The fluffier the bag, the better.
 

Grandpa

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Oct 8 Eating high protein foods like cheese, jerky and nuts just before bedtime will help you sleep warmer. Digesting these foods will raise the core body temperature, making a cold night seem much warmer. Staying hydrated also helps metabolism activity, which in turn keeps the core body temperature higher.
 

ponderosa

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When carrying babies & toddlers on a hike, whether in a backpack or front carrier, be very mindful of their body temperature, which could be very different from your own. Since they aren't doing any work, they can be too cold even if you're sweating heavily. It's important to remember that babies' developing systems can't regulate their own body temperature very well, and can easily become dangerously overheated in a front carrier on a hot day. I had a little scare that way when my first baby was a couple of months old.
 

jason

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Joseph is sitting here and working with me today. We went through a lot of tips so far and he is enjoying them. Keep them coming.
 

Pathfinder1

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Hi...


How can you estimate the amount of daylight left as the day nears its end?

Hold your hand out in front of you and keep your fingers between the sun and the horizon. Each finger between the sun and the horizon equals approximately fifteen minutes.
 

oldsarge

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Hi...


How can you estimate the amount of daylight left as the day nears its end?

Hold your hand out in front of you and keep your fingers between the sun and the horizon. Each finger between the sun and the horizon equals approximately fifteen minutes.
What if you have really really fat fingers? Does your day go by quicker?
 
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