Recent content by Erica

I learned much from my mycology professor. Mushroom hunters wander around in the forests, get distracted by an unusual or tasty mushroom and can get lost. Dr. Lowe told us to never panic, but to set our collecting basket down and carefully walk an outward spiral, always keeping your basket In...

Yeah but just about anyone can step onto the PCT and with such a low bar I’m sure many are going to get themselves in trouble. The wilderness first aid course I took said the vast majority of emergencies were day hikers who had no maps, no warm clothing, etc. or people who just stepped off the...

Somewhere on myccr HOOP_ shows how to wrap a shaft with rope so it makes a firm grip with larger dimension. From Hoop_ on myccr: The classic way of wrapping a lower paddle shaft is using the whipping cord technique. The cord is smooth and bump-free since there are no knots. The whip is wrapped...

When the men at Monet found out I was using a compass and maps, they were as surprised as if I said I was using witchcraft I agree.

As a current star link subscriber I was given a deal on their totally mobile take anywhere in the world model. But I haven’t tried it yet. Just came a few weeks ago and there was a lot going on.

Technology is changing so fast. In the comments section it is pointed out that if the phone is being used for a variety of other tasks, it is more likely to be lost than a dedicated sat device kept in a secure location. Also, the batteries on a cell phone are going to be exhausted more frequently.

Onward to the Mégiscane! The morning began with a conflict. I was packed up and ready to go before 8 am and Jean (pronounced Jawn with a soft J and swallowing the n) appeared shortly thereafter. We loaded up his truck with my packs and canoe. So far so good. Then he told me he did not want to...

I've been thinking this over and I don't think my concern about not burning plastic is ecological but just general good housekeeping. I was raised by the Girl Scouts: You leave a campsite cleaner than you found it. Plastic and aluminum foil do not burn completely, so instead of leaving a...

Outstanding!

I used to have a cabin just north of North Creek. We did XC skiing, cross-country skiing. In the woods. On the frozen quiet areas of the creek. Sometimes we would be out all day, stopping for hot soup from a thermos at a break. I really liked XC skiing, but I like being barefoot year round better.

Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice for both Lyme and anaplasmosis (unless you have a particular reason not to take it.) I bring doxy on all my long wilderness trips, enough for one full treatment. My primary care doctor prescribes it for me.

I went with Velcro because I didn’t want to drill holes in the boat. I REALLY didn’t want to drill holes. I also put a pocket in the bow for extra paddles. I’ll have to look for a picture. The Velcro was « heavy duty « . The same Velcro has been on the boat for three years. It’s been through...

I only have a fire when it is needed for warmth or to dry clothes on ongoing wet days. I will put small amounts of paper trash in it, as long as it is burning well. Everything else I carry out. I will also pick up the odd bit of paper, cups, cans, etc left by others. I didn't see any on this...

Agreed. When I walk on, for example, the board walk for the Fakahatchee Strand in Florida, there may be a lot of visitors from other countries/cultures. Different people greet and some are effusive. In Sweden, I saw maybe three groups on a 5 day trip.

I bought a Pentax which was water and dust proof almost 20 years ago. Same reason as you, but I never got the hang of all the settings in digital cameras, so it gathered dust. Then the iphone seemed to take better pictures than I could get with borrowed digital cameras. The last two photos...