Category: health & safety

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2oz AeroVestâ„¢ – $15

I want one of these.

AeroVest Survival Vest

The 2 oz. AeroVestâ„¢ is compact, lightweight and inexpensive insurance against emergencies. It packs up smaller than a deck of cards yet inflates into a full sized emergency vest that shields you from wind and rain. The silver lining refects radiated heat back to you while the 18 air pokets insulate you from the cold. …

* 18 air pockets help keep heat in, cold out.
* Your 98.6 degree breath provides instant warmth
* Bright Yellow/Orange exterior for increased visibility in an emergency
* AeroVestâ„¢ comes in a single size that can fit teens and adults up to XL (men’s 46 jacket)

PreparedPilot.com

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(via Hiking H.Q. forum)

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BAREFOOT hiking in New Zealand?

Robert Jungst on a bet vowed to hike over the New Zealand Alps 4-days barefoot.

Robert’s with the Society for Barefoot Living.

Now, … I got in enough trouble with Rick the Nude Hiker for being flippant about “alternative” hikers. (In fact, I’ve promised to try nude hiking this year.) But it seems to me that my feet are the last part of my body I want nude when scrambling over a mountain!

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The Rabbit Pass route is no Sunday stroll. It has a reputation as one of the most challenging alpine passes that can be done in New Zealand without climbing expertise. …

This part of the trip is the most demanding for Robert. Underfoot is painfully sharp scree that slides disconcertingly as we slip and skate down as if surfing angry waves. I see the odd bloodspot on a stone, a sign that Robert is having a tough time now.

Further down the terrain changes from scree to subalpine grasses, including the dreaded Spaniard’s spikes. It takes us several hours to get down, and Robert’s first comment on arrival to the East Matukituki campsite is: “Before someone asks, yes, my feet ARE sore!!”

But despite the anguish of the descent, Robert chooses not to put on the Tevas from his pack. He does the whole trip in bare feet. He concedes, though, that if he was to repeat the Rabbit Pass descent, he would probably choose to wear the Tevas for that bit. “The trip in New Zealand has taught me there are SOME situations where shoes could be my preferred option.”

… So why go barefoot? Robert’s been mostly barefoot for 15 years now and he says he initially rid himself of shoes, not for any desire to be different or reject society’s norms, but simply because his feet smelt. He also lost toenails regularly. It just made more sense for him to ditch the shoes – his feet felt like they’d been freed from a cage, and the foot odour and toenail problems instantly disappeared.

… Robert insists that barefooting is a healthier option – “without a doubt”. Without shoes, he says, there’s no chance for fungus or other infections to grow, and blisters are a distant memory. “It’s good for the circulation, too.”

New Zealand Wild Walks

Thanks to Whit Thurlow of New Zealand Wild Walks for alerting us to this amazing feat (pun intended).

Wilt will organize an 8-day Gillespie / Rabbit Pass trek, the longest guided tramp available in New Zealand at 90km (56mi). Sounds varied and fantastic!

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Gillespie Pass – TrampNZ

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hike the Devil’s Garden in Utah

The most famous attraction in Arches National Park is Delicate Arch.

But the best hike, I feel, is Devil’s Garden – Primitive Loop. That’s 7.2mi (11.5km) plus extra sidetrips.

The feature attraction is possibly the longest and certainly the most “impossible” arch in the world.

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It seems Landscape Arch could fall anytime. (Several pieces have dropped since 1991 and the trail under the arch has been closed.)

Anyone can make the easy day hike to walk to Landscape Arch and back. Confident hikers should continue at least as far as Double O Arch. (Some like the sidetrip to Dark Angel tower, some do not.)

And best of all is to add the Primitive Loop rather than backtrack.

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larger map on Climb-Utah.com

It might take as long as 5hrs to do everything adding off-trail rock scrambles above some of the arches.

I returned via Primitive Loop. But reversing direction would have been even better, I think, saving the arches for last. Start at first light when animals are active and the trail still cool.

Primitive Loop is well named. I managed to get lost once or twice. It is challenging. And gorgeous. In some ways this is the best part of the walk.

Be sure to carry a map and desert survival gear. You don’t want to end up like Aron Ralston.

The excellent Utah.com site posted a video: Hike the Devil’s Garden.

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first Hayduke Trail thru hike

Steve Sergeant of Wildebeat.net pointed me to a very professional trip report posted by Brian Frankle on his ULA (Ultralight Adventure) website.

Perhaps Hayduke is not so dangerous after all.

This was the first ever thru hike of the 800mi+ route. Brian seems to have handled it with ease. (Of course he is an accomplished long distance hiker.)

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I tackled the Hayduke Trail in typical long-distance hiker fashion: frequent re-supplies, higher daily mileages, and with a focus towards lightweight equipment.

This presented some challenges and resulted in a longer distance hiked than the described route, but I think this strategy is critical to implement if you plan to tackle this rugged and demanding route… especially so in the context of thru-hiking the Hayduke.

ULA – Hayduke Trail 2005

Brian’s trip report (including resupply points).

Just last night in Moab, Utah I met a hiker setting out for just a short section of the Hayduke.

He was worried. Worried about water supply. Worried about getting lost.

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dangerous Hayduke Trail, Colorado Plateau

ht.jpgClick on the thumbnail for a larger version of the map.

I’m not sure I’m man enough for this monster, invented and laid out by Joe Mitchell and Mike Coronella over an 8-year span.

It starts in Arches National Park. Finishes in Zion.

Named after a character from Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, The Hayduke trail is an 800 mile long backcountry route that travels through some of the most scenic and remote terrain in the United States.

It showcases some of the natural wonders of the Colorado Plateau region of the American southwest, linking together six national parks, as well as national monuments and recreation areas, state parks, wilderness areas, and wilderness study areas. Exclusively on public lands in southern Utah and northern Arizona, this out-of-the-way route will lead you through deep desert canyons, over high mountains, across rivers and ridges, always revealing pieces of the personality of this unique region.

Beware! The Hayduke Trail is made up of pre-existing trails, routes, unpaved roads, cattle and game trails, ridges and drainages. The trail is not always apparent or obvious; strong navigational skills are necessary to safely and happily complete a trek in this beautiful, rugged region.

This is a backcountry trail. It is not a beaten trail like the Appalachian Trail. There are no towns ahead to find supplies in; there are no shelters. The trail involves hiking and wading through rivers, often dealing with quicksand and tight brush. It involves scrambling over or around rock falls, and climbing up, down, and across steep talus slopes. There will likely be no one around, perhaps for days at a time. This is a desolate region, and care must be taken to enjoy (and survive) trekking through this occasionally harsh land. This is not “beginner” terrain: getting in over your head in this region can easily end your life.

Deep Desert

A Guide to the Backcountry Hiking Trail on the Colorado Plateau

The Hayduke Trail: A Guide to the Backcountry Hiking Trail on the Colorado Plateau

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video – surviving freezing water

This clip is from a show called Man vs Wild.

Bear Grylls is surviving in the French Alps with only a water bottle, flint, and knife. In this excerpt he jumps into a frozen lake and shows how to deal with it. Hopefully this won’t ever come in handy.

This actually happened to Andrew Skurka during his 7700 mile hike across North America. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with no change of clothes, Skurka stripped down and ran to keep his body heat up.

Think or Thwim

Click PLAY or watch Man vs Wild – Episode 3 European Alps Highlights on YouTube.

This is very much like Les Stroud’s Canadian reality TV show Survivorman.

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hiking for weight loss – Former Fat Guy

I prefer hikes 5-days or more as I need that long to see a significant fitness gain. I lose a few pounds and feel trim and toned.

The secret to successful weight-loss might just come with hiking boots and a backpack. And we have scientific proof. According to a study from the University of California that studied a whopping 31 diets, cutting back on calories short-term doesn’t help you from packing the pounds back on long-term.

“If dieting worked, there would be a bunch of skinny people walking around,” said obesity researcher Dr. David Katz at Yale in an Associated Press release earlier today.

Since 1970, the number of obese people has swelled to epidemic proportions in America. And even though weight-loss promises come packaged in bottles, expensive diet programs and fat actresses going skinny for their public, there really is no magic bullet.

Nomadik has a suggestion. …

Want to feel better fast? Dig out those hiking boots and take them for a walk.

The Nomadik Fanatiks : Get Outside and Get Skinny

The best example I know is Rob, the Former Fat Guy. He was 175lbs in Grade 5, 320lbs in Grade 12, and eventually topped out around 500lbs at age-21.

Here is Rob hiking the West Coast Trail in 2004:

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How does he look to you?

Former Fat Guy – weight loss story

Former Fat Guy – WCT 2004 trip report

West Coast Trail information page. (Opening late due to storm repairs, about May 15th in 2007)

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build an emergency kayak

Warren Long saw the 4lb Alpacka raft (US$800+) but wants instead to try building a kayak on a wilderness trip.

(He watches Survivorman on TV.)

Warren’s looking at the Grip Clip Kayak! ($25)

You can build a kayak of green willow shoots, a blue tarp in just four hours!

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You’d strap the paddle to your ultralight pack. Or carve one from a fallen tree.

Four-Hour Kayak Boat Instruction Kit

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lost on a glacier in Pakistan

Ben Tubby and partner Kerry had problems on a trek to Snow Lake guided by Vertical Explorers Expeditions.

Ben’s detailed photo trip report is recommended reading for anyone — like me — considering an adventure in Pakistan.

Bad roads, cold rooms, disgusting toilets, illness, crevasses, rain, sunburn, freezing river crossings, communication problems with guides, …

Sounds like fun!

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Northern Pakistan is beautiful. Amazing mountain scenery, honest, friendly people and lots and lots of ice. We spent 18 days wandering up the biggest slab of ice outside of the polar regions and then got lost in a white-out on the top, surrounded by crevasses.

Tubby: Lost on a glacier in Pakistan

(trip report)

Snow Lake Hispar La Experience – Vertical Explorers (a longer tour than Ben’s)

(via Nothing adds up)

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Biafo Glacier

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Ogre’s Thumb

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puncture-resistant Therm-a-Rest

If you use a Therm-a-Rest long enough, you invariably wake up one night on a deflated mat. If it’s a slow leak, you’ll re-inflate it every two hours when your violent shivers wake you up. Then you’ll probably forget to patch it when you get back home making your next trip just as much fun.

But now Therm-a-Rest is selling ToughSkin mats with a layer of foam between the air pocket and face fabric that blocks thorns and broken beer bottles from poking through. What took so long?
Backcountry.com: The Goat » Puncture-Resistant Sleeping Mats – Rocky Thompson

ToughSkin by Therm-A-Rest

ToughSkin by Therm-A-Rest

On the same topic, I heard an excellent audiocast interview with Greg Garrigues, GM of award winning Pacific Outdoor Equipment. (Who knew mat technology was so sophisticated!)

Greg is quite knowledgeable about the materials and technology that goes into making comfortable sleeping mats. And he explains the season, gender, size, and genre-of-user specific features that are available in the Pacific Outdoor Equipment line of sleeping mats.

Practical Backpacking podcast #26

I’m still using the ExPed 7.