Morry Banes posted a feature on yours truly. 🙂
Grandma Gatewood – Appalachian Trail
Emma Rowena Gatewood, better known as Grandma Gatewood (October 25, 1887–June 4, 1973), was an extreme hiker and ultra-light hiking pioneer who was the first woman to hike the 2,168-mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail …
Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1955 at the age of 67, wearing Keds sneakers and carrying an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain which she carried in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder …
She hiked it again in 1960 and then again at age 75 in 1963, making her the first person to hike the trail three times (though her final hike was completed in sections). She was also credited with being the oldest female thru-hiker by the Appalachian Trail Conference until 2007. …
In addition, she walked 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, averaging 22 miles (35 km) a day. …
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail (2014)
#1 tool for your hikes?
Morry Banes surveyed hiking bloggers with a simple question:
What’s the no.1 tool for your hikes?
I like this answer better than my own:
Chad Poindexter from Sticksblog.com:
In my opinion, the “no. 1 tool for hikes” (for anyone) is the tool between their ears.
Before anyone steps out for a hike, a backpacking trip, or anything in which they will be away from immediate help, one should take the time to learn about what they are getting themselves into.
Look at maps, at weather forecasts, and how much use the area gets. …
read the rest – Experts Roundup – What’s the no.1 tool for your hikes?
Rumpl – high tech blanket
Do you have a blanket as good as your sleeping bag?
If not, maybe you need a Rumpl. 🙂
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Blankets start at $95
Check out the product line at GoRumpl.com.
It’s happening. They raised $216,889 on kickstarter, looking for only $15,000 to get the product started.
2014 Ursack S29 AllWhite
Though the Ursack is not allowed in many American National Parks, I often use mine on other hikes.
The 2014 Ursack S29 AllWhite has been given IGBC (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee) certification number 3738. It may take a bit of time before that information shows up on the IGBC website. 2013 and earlier models of the AllWhite are not certified. …
… we baited an Ursack S29 AllWhite, knotted it securely and placed it on the ground with no aluminum liner and not tied to a tree. The first two grizzlies went at it for an active 57 minutes. One of the bears was nick-named “The Destroyer,” but neither he nor his sister were able to compromise the Ursack. …
backpack with built-in Jacket
Good idea.
Funnell – EJECT | WEAR – A backpack and Jacket in one that keeps you and your belongings dry from the rain.
via Tomaso Piantini
best bear canisters
Section Hiker likes the Bear Boxer – Contender Model 101.
I’m still using a clear BEARVAULT BV500. An Ursack. Or no bear vault at all, depending on where I’m hiking. And for how long.
Leave a comment if you have a favourite.
Fitz Roy Down Parka
Even I’ll pay $449 for this down jacket
Outside Online – GEAR GUY:
… next fall’s Fitz Roy Down Parka
When it came to the Fitz Roy, Patagonia’s Alpine Product Line Manager Kristo Torgersen only had one real requirement for his designers—that it be the warmest, best jacket in the line.
my wool shirt has a HOLE
I was really enjoying my first wool shirt for hiking and travel. But I found a hole in it after only a few months in rotation.
Is wool not durable?
Let’s try it again.
I first bought an inexpensive MEC Merino crew (US$54)
And will also carry an Icebreaker Tech T Lite SS Mt. Blanc. (US$70)
Perfect for travel, this versatile tee is made from our thin, light 150gm merino wool to keep you cool in the heat–and takes up next to no room in the suitcase.
Wish me luck.
Earl—the Rugged, Revolutionary Tablet
Leave the iPad at home.
Outside:
This new backcountry survival Android tablet works where your smartphone or iPad would fail. The rugged tablet can forecast the weather, determine your location, elevation, and let you communicate with folks back home.
About the size of an iPad mini, Earl is one tough gadget. It’s waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, and it will work in temperatures from 32 degrees to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. You can submerge it in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes with no ill effects.
Earl’s GPS uses an internal magnetometer, accelerometer, and gyroscope to track your position. It’ll guide you even if you’re navigating dense vegetation or an urban jungle without a line of site. It also gives you access to more than 300,000 trails through the site everytrail.com and high-resolution topographical maps of North America. With Earl in your hand, you have no excuse to get (unintentionally) lost. …
besthike.com 