geocaching, hiking, & general outdoors stuff

Tying it all together

2012-01-24T15:21:00.001-05:00

Ok, I am linking my online blog to my Google+ account. This will hopefully get me to start posting more, and spending less time managing things. I REALLY want to dump FB altogether, but, as I have been a part of it almost since the beginning, its kind of hard to wean myself off. But, this should help get things rolling. We will see!

A new year!

2012-01-07T09:19:00.001-05:00

So, happy new year! I have a few things I want to accomplish this year. Get in shape, become a better piper, get some home improvement done, things like that. I have some goals to achieve as well, to help accomplish these this year. First, I am going to enter a zombie 5k obstacle race in may. That's my first fitness goal. Second, I am going to attend a 2 day shooting school this summer, which is both fitness and shooting goals. Last, I plan to attend a piping workshop, to improve my skills. My reward? A 7 day cruise with my girlfriend next year. So, here's to accomplishing goals!

Tactical Medic class

2010-12-14T18:24:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to attend a Tactical Medical class over the weekend of 21-22 November, 2010, put on by Code One Training Solutions (www.code1web.com). The primary instructor, Ian McDevitt, invited me personally to attend the class. The course ran through the weekend, and was approximately 6 hours each day. The course is designed for people that have some sort of valid medical training-be it a first responder, EMT, paramedic, or some other qualifications. The course is an introduction to performing these duties while in a role of a medic assigned to part of a SWAT or SRT team. It assumes you have the necessary basic qualifications for performing in that role. Not that the information is above a laypersons head-I am not currently certified in any of this, but have been a certified first responder, combat lifesaver, have taken wilderness first air courses, and currently possess Red Cross cert for first aid/CPR/AED, for adults & children. I attended this course for the knowledge, and the opportunity to train with others. And, I was certainly NOT disappointed! Now, on to the class!
The class consisted of a number of police officers, several EMT-Bs, a paramedic, and an ER nurse. I was THE most unqualified person there. That isnt to say I didnt know what to do-as I stated, I am familiar with the material, just not as up to date as everyone else. The first day was spent going over the concept of tactical medicine, the applications of it in today’s world, and the differences between the role of a tactical medic on the civilian side vs. a military role as a medic. The focus during both days was on the 3 phases of tactical medicine, and where to apply each phase. The 3 phases we dealt with were Care Under Fire, Tactical Field Care, and CASEVAC. The focus of the weekends training was primarily with the first phase, and touching on the second phase. Its important to note that, like anything else when in these types of environments, the phases are VERY fluid-often going back & forth between the first 2 phases, as the situation develops. This is where we focused our attention.
We covered topics such as pressure dressings, hemostatic agents, tourniquets, and when all of these are applied. Through handouts, videos, real world scenarios, class discussion, and practical application, we all had a thorough understanding of the use of all of the above-what works, what doesnt, and why. Ian has extensive experience in this subject, in hostile areas, and had plenty of stories to relate to us. He also had several videos to show us, as well as numerous pictures, of proper & improper wound treatment. By the end of the first day, I felt fairly confident that I knew what I was doing, what the phases were, and, through several iterations of practical application, how to handle the equipment.
Day 2 was the practical application day. We started off with a mental exercise. We were asked to plan the casualty phase of an operation. This is similar to paragraph IV of an op order, for those in the military. It consisted of locations of different medical facilities, what was available, route planning, etc. This was a higher level exercise, but it drilled into us that, although care STARTS with you, there is a large support chain there to assist with care. Once we were done that, Ian went over some of the packs he has used. Some worked, some didnt. And, he was honest in his assessment in all of it. If gear didnt work, he called it out. If he recommended a particular brand, or piece of equipment, he provided the dealer, and the website, so that anyone who wanted to check it out, could. Once the gear fondling was done, we broke up into 2 groups, with LE working together, and the civilian side working together.
I worked with several EMTs, who had a LOT of practical experience with the medical side, but limited tactical experience. The scenarios called for both. I FINALLY felt I could bring something to the table! We ran through scenarios where we had an officer down, and we had to get to him/her. We varied between the area being secure, to us being under fire. As was explained to us the first day, the transition between the first 2 phases is fluid-and, with these scenarios, we went back & forth between them several times, with each scenario. We even ran one where we never left phase 1. After running through 7 scenarios of varying degrees of difficulty, we then broke for lunch.
After lunch, we secured an abandoned building, and the whole group worked together. In the real world, this is how it would actually work. The LE have their jobs to do, and the tactical medic is there primarily to deal with casualties after the LE have done their jobs. So, we broke it down so that everyone got a turn doing their jobs. LE did their various response scenarios (workplace violence, officer down, etc), the tactical medics followed up with them when they were called forward, operating in both the 1st & 2nd phases, and the casualties were taken to the ambulance, and treated by the EMTs & paramedic in the CASEVAC phase. All phases were covered, and everyone got a chance to rotate into the tactical medic role. I felt that the whole class benefited from this integrated training. It allowed the LE to see the benefits of having a dedicated medic to their team, and the civilian side got to see how the LE operates for different callouts. I learned a lot talking with individual officers, as to what their SOPs are-and, they vary greatly from anything I have done with the military-and, even from what I thought they would be. I wont go into detail, but their level of response, and how the respond to certain situations, was a real eye opener to me,
In conclusion, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Some of the knowledge was new to me, some I had some experience with, and havent used in a while, but, in the end, it was all beneficial. The instructors are VERY knowledgeable, and have many years experience between them. They have been there, and done that. By sharing their stories, providing handouts, to include a book on tactical medicine written by Ian, videos, slide shows, demonstrations, and practical applications, I have a newfound reverence for those men & women who risk their lives, every day, so that others may live. The experience I walked away with will remain with me for a long, long time. Even as a civilian, a lot of this can be applied. Self aid is something we ALL should know-and knowing what works, and what doesnt, can be the difference between you living or dying.
I want to thank the following for a great weekend: first, to the Old Saybrook PD. Thanks for attending, working with us, and demonstrating your tactics to us. Stay safe, in the line of fire. Second, to the EMTs & paramedics that attended; your lifesaving skills dont go unrecognized by us civilians. Your dedication to your profession, and your interactions with people on a daily basis who arent at the best point in their lives, doesnt go unnoticed by us civilians. Your skills may sometimes be taken for granted-but they are ALWAYS welcome when needed. Stay safe.
Last, I would like to thank the instructors, who, without them, this course wouldnt exist.
Ian McDevitt-primary instructor. Paramedic, CCEMTP, Tactical Medic, FARMEDIC, graduate of CONTOMS & H&K tactical medicine, as well as a few other creds. On top of all this, he has also served with the Army as an Infantry officer. Ian has worked in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Central America. Ian, I want to personally thank you for inviting me to this course.
Tony Maggio-EMT, paramedic, and EMSI. Tony, thanks for your guidance and help, with someone who doesnt know all the cool lingo you guys use.
Rory Leslie-paramedic, and is an OIF vet, who served with the 101st. Thanks for your crafty scenarios-it helped drill in the fluidity of going back & forth between phases.

If you are interested in attending one of these, you can go to www.code1web.com for further information, or contact TacMedic here on the forums via PM. Again, this is a very informational class, and is geared towards SRT/SWAT scenarios, where a team medic would be attached. It helps to have a basic understanding of BLS, as your role would require you to perform at LEAST at a level of First Responder.

BCB Crusader Integral stove updae

2010-09-14T18:53:00.005-04:00

This is a follow up to the review I did in August, with pics.

I wanted to write this review for a while now, and just finally got around to it. I have been using the NATO canteen for about 2 years now, and recently purchased the Crusader burner and digicam zulu pouch from Bestglide. As a result, I wanted to review the whole kit. I am in no way associated with, or compensated by, either Bestglide, BCB International, or any of their affiliates. All items were purchased full price, and I was neither endorsed, nor compensated, for this.
I purchased all the following items separately, but, on the Bestglide site, you can purchase them as a complete set as well. Here is my setup I purchased:
NATO water bottle with plastic mug
Crusader metal canteen cup
Crusader cooker
Zulu pouch.
Green Heat
Additional stuff I have in the pouch:
12 Pur microtabs
2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil
small lighter in plastic bag
LMF Scout firesteel
titanium spork.

Review.
I did a test run a few weeks ago, in my kitchen, to try the stove system out. I used 8 oz water, straight from the tap, and started the test. I left the cup uncovered-honestly, I didnt even think of covering it. In this controlled environment, I achieved the following times:
Water achieved small bubbles at 6:38
Flame went out at 10:27.
Its important to note I did NOT cover the cup, so I lost a lot of heat that way. I was a little concerned with this initially.

Today I did the outdoor test.The weather was about 70*, slightly overcast, minimal to no wind. A nice day to be outside, overall. Not a great time to test gear, as it isnt testing limits, but it was great to get a baseline, where I can post reviews in inclement weather at a later date. As before, I used 8 oz tap water. However, this time I used a piece of tin foil to cover the lid of the cup (the complete kit apparently comes with a plastic lid; I dont have one, as I have heard bad reviews of it melting on the first use, so I didnt purchase one). Here are the results:
Rolling boil achieved at 5:24
Flame went out at 14:14
Two things of note here-of course, covering the cup increases boil time. In this case, it actually caused the water to boil. The other thing was the longer time until flame went out-I burned the package (it didnt burn completely, but it came close), and this gave a few more minutes of flame time. It also reduces waste. There was a very slight breeze as well, and this may have helped both the boil time & the flame out time too, as I did notice the flame increase slightly with the breeze.

Things to note with this set. First, the canteen itself. There is a little retaining plastic thing that keeps the lid from getting lost. I broke it, within the first week of use. I am a dumb grunt, and it was FAR too fragile for me. The button on top of the cap broke, so I removed it completely. Its no great loss-its been over 2 years, and I havent lost the lid yet.
Second, if you get the Crusader cup, do NOT get the PFTE coated one. The inside of the cup is peeling, as you will see in the accompanying pics. The outer coating is fine-I think that the boiling water does something to the coating. Get the SS one, and get some stove paint, and coat the outside. Me, I am gonna boil & scrape till the internal coating is gone. Not really a fun project.
Third, I am in love with the zulu pouch. This holds the complete kit, plus accessories. There is a pocket in the inside of the lid, that can hold purification tabs. There is also an internal front pocket, that holds additional fuel packets, tin foil, and my fire gear. Hell, I could stuff the spork in there too, but I usually just shove it wherever. There is room in that little pouch for small items. I have a few boullion cubes in there, just in case. It comes with a shoulder strap, and is MOLLE compatible. Really, it doesnt get any better than that....
Fourth, Green Heat is a decent product. It heats quick, you can light it with a firesteel, it doesnt smell, and you can burn the packet. It doesnt leave any residue afterwards (it certainly doesnt have the fish stink Esbit tabs do). This leaves the stove relatively clean, and ready for the next round. It being a gel, you cannot add to the stove when its burning. Which isnt a big deal, I suppose. You could always add small pieces of fuel though, to keep it going, if needed.

All told, this is a great little set. In fact, its the set I take with me for dayhikes & geocaching, as opposed to a small pack. Between the set, a small FAK, an altoids kit, and my pocketknife, thats all I really need. If you are looking for an all in one kit, something that can take some abuse, and doesnt require any more fiddling than opening a packet & lighting, this is for you. Its rugged, relatively light, compact for what is in there, and stupid resistant (soldier-proof). This kit is a primary component of my BOB kit, and can be used on its own, as needed. The only major downside is the PFTE coating-but, again, my mistake is your gain!

Crusader Cooking Set, test I

2010-08-17T20:33:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I tried the cooking set inside. Here is what I did; I used 16 oz water, measured from my Nalgene bottle. The water was room temp, roughly 78*. I poured the water into the metal canteen cup, lit the gel, started my timer, put the cup on the cooker, and waited. Here are the times I achieved:
From start to first bubbling: 6 minutes, 48 seconds. There was never a true boil achieved. The water did begin to boil, with occasional small bubbles, but never a rolling boil. The gel flamed out at 10 minutes, 27 seconds.
I think that the water was likely hot enough to either make noodles in, or to add to a freeze dried dinner-but certainly not enough to boil water for consumption. That being said, there is enough room in the cooker itself to stuff little pieces of wood, if needed, to keep the flame going. I may try that on the the second test.
Overall though, this is my baseline for testing. I will do an outdoors test this weekend.

BCB Crusader Cookset

2010-08-17T19:33:00.005-04:00

I haven't written anything of substance in a while, so I figured I would jump right back into it, by doing a review of a nice, robust, outdoors product. Today I am going to discuss the BCB Crusader Cookset. This is, from what I understand, standard issue with the British forces. The set consists of the following items: a plastic cup, the water bottle (1L capacity, I believe), the cooker, and the holder. Lets start with the holder.

The model I currently have is an older style canteen holder. It DOES hold the entire set completely, albeit a little on the tighter side. The closing mechanism is a sort of plastic clasp. The back of it is a padded loop, with snaps, designed to snap over a web belt )or any belt, but, the thicker, the better). It looks to be ideally suited for a 2" wide belt. There are also aftermarket holders for these, one of which I have ordered. They are a little larger, and have MOLLE straps on the back, as well as a shoulder strap of sorts. I have seen them in DPM (british camo), black, OD, and digicam. I am quite sure there are other colors out there as well. If none suit you, there is always spraypaint :).

Next up, the canteen itself. This is a 1L canteen, and is marginally bigger than the standard USGI 1qt ones issued to American forces. The canteen itself is black, and is a little thicker than the US ones. In my opinion, it is a little more rugged. The black color actually aids in warming up water in the container when placed in the sun. This is good for winter use, as you can place ice into some water, set it out in the sun, and let the bottle go to work. The neck of the bottle is a little wider as well, exactly for this purpose. The cap is attached via a molded plastic lanyard. There is a loop that attaches it to the bottle, and a molded button attached to the cap. My experience, and others I have read, this breaks fairly quickly. Mine broke in the first 2 months of use.

Next up is the plastic cup. This cup, from what I understand, is usually ditched by troops. As a soldier, I can see that happening. However, as a civilian, I like the cup. It allows you to eat & drink at the same time. Putting a hot beverage in the cup, and making ramen, or something similar, in the canteen cup, works out for me. Besides, you dont burn your lips on the plastic. The cup holds 22 oz, full to the top, according to my highly accurate Nalgene measuring device (a water bottle).

The canteen cup is made out of stainless steel, and comes in 2 finishes; black (pfte coating) or stainless. Mine is black. It is similar to the USGI canteen cups-hip shaped, with two swing out handles. The cup itself holds a full 28 oz-almost as much as the USGI issue canteen! This thing is built rugged as well-being made out of SS, it should stand up to some abuse. The pfte coating on mine is starting to wear out a little, but, I am not too concerned.

The last part of the kit is the cooker itself. This is simply another piece of stainless steel, shaped similar to the canteen cup, but slightly larger, to allow the cup to rest on it. There is a hinged arm that opens up for storage in the holder, and closes to put the cup on. There is also a little burn cup in it, where you put fuel into (more on that in a moment).

This all fits together into the holder. You put the burner in first, with the concave part against your body, and the arm of the burner raised. Next, in goes the canteen cup, which nests right into the burner, when its open. Then, the canteen fits in next. Last, the plastic cup goes in, inverted, as a sort of lid. Close it up, and you are good to go!

A couple of notes. First, you will want to throw some extra stuff into the bottle holder. The older issue holder will make this a little harder than the newer ones. In mine, I have the following items stuffed into the holder: a titanium spork, a LightMyFire Scout firesteel, 8 Pur waterpurifcation tabs, and 3 greenheat gelpacks (fuel).

Now, about the gelpacks. These neat little items are gelled fuel. From their site, this is Ethanol derived from sugarcane and other renewable agricultural resources. Its, safe, clean, non toxic, non explosive, burns clean, and only emits water vapor and EXTREMELY low CO2 emissions. Translation; in an absolute emergency, this can be used indoors, without any ill effects (it IS still fire though, so, PLEASE, use common sense). Best of all-when its burned, there is NO mess to clean up!

Ok, so thats the kit. I plan on doing 2 tests with this. The first, indoors, in a controlled environment. I want to test boil & burn times. Boil times are between 6-8 minutes, from everything I have read, and burn times are approximately 15 minutes.

This past weekend

2010-08-02T13:46:00.001-04:00

Well, my plan to do an overnighter didnt turn out that way. My old National Guard unit is being deployed to Afghanistan, and they had their sendoff yesterday. So, I spent the majority of the weekend with friends I still have in the unit. Additionally, I also attended their ceremony yesterday, and some BBQs a few of the guys had. So, the only REAL time I got outside this weekend, other than BBQ & Beer, was some shooting. So, I will talk about that :).
Up until this weekend, I had a S&W M&P 9c. This is Smith & Wesson's military & police model pistol. The 9c is a compact version, in 9mm. I have owned this pistol for roughly a year, and was very happy with it. It fit my hand well, shoot pretty good, and was easily concealable (you cannot open carry in MA). Although I was satisfied with this, I wanted a full size version for 2 gun classes & competitions. The advantage of a FS vs. a compact is that it is heavier, rendering it easier to control. The downside is it is bigger, making it harder to conceal. To me, thats an OK tradeoff-I wear large button down shirts to conceal anyway.
So, a little over a month ago, I put some feelers out, to see if anyone was willing to trade. I got some replies, most wanted a little $$ thrown their way-rightfully so. I priced a new one, if I were to trade mine in, and the difference was $280. A little high, but it was within my price range.
Then, I had someone on a forum I belong to state they would be interested in a trade, straight up. I contacted him, and we agreed to meet up, and if we are both satisfied, we could swap & fill out the paperwork.
I drove down there, both pistols were looked over, both parties agreed, and we exchanged pistols, filled out & filed th paperwork. No money was exchanged, it was an even trade. The new FS one I got had all of 50 rounds fired through it. A pistol break in period is 3-500-so, in essence, I got a NEW pistol. AND, to top it off, the trigger has been done. In MA, a legal trigger in a NEW pistol is 10 lbs. This SEVERELY reduces your accuracy, as a 10# trigger is HARD to pull. The job he did on it, reduced it to 5#-which is VERY light. Its exactly where I wanted it-a solid pull, but nothing that would throw the pistol off, resulting in NOT hitting what I wanted to. I was ecstatic!
So, off to the range I went yesterday. The weather was about 85, sunny, no wind. I put 150 rounds through it. First thing; I need to get used to the trigger. I found myself slapping it, as I am used to a harder pull. With time, I will get used to that. Second thing; the bigger pistol is easier to shoot, overall. The larger frame, and the subsequent weight increase, allows for quicker follow up shots. And, it simply feels better as an extension of my arms. One thing I noticed with this is that I cannot detect trigger reset. Essentially, trigger reset is when, after pressing the trigger to the rear, if you slowly release it forward, you will feel the sear engage again. This is trigger reset. All pistols do it differently, some you can feel, some you cannot. Trigger reset is important as that is the breaking point for pressing the trigger to the rear again. This is something I am going to fix.
So, thats my limited outdoor experience this weekend. This coming weekend, I am going canoeing on the Saco. This is a camping trip-we are tenting on a shore somewhere, and drinking. So, there will be minimal gear writeups. However, I will likely do an overnight in the White mountains, as I will be in the area. If I do, I will most certainly do a writeup at that time!

New stuff!!!!

2010-07-27T18:55:00.001-04:00

Ok, I have been WAY out of the loop, and I apologize. My life has been crazy busy. If you are still reading this, thank you. My intent is to hopefully post on a weekly basis.
I need to update my interests here too. I plan on doing an overnight hike this weekend, and will update my blog afterwards. The main goal of this is to keep a log of what I do, mainly for me. If it helps you out, or you have questions, then great! Plan on hearing from me again soon!!!

2010-01-12T21:36:00.001-05:00

Good afternoon, its been a while since I updated this blog. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that life just sometimes gets crazy, and you cannot always accomplish everything you want to do, so you make sacrifices where you can. This was one of them. But, I want to put something in here, and TRY to post monthly. I had asked a question on the ETS forums regarding the use of alcohol stoves in below freezing weather. Well, I decided to take it upon myself instead, and do a practical test. This is by NO means a definitive one-this is simply something that I wanted to try & test out to gather some general data. I am using the following equipment for my test:

a GSI 1L cookset-filled consistently with 16 oz of water (measured from my nalgene bottle)

A Snowpeak Gigapower piezo stove, with a small gas canister (full for this test)

A homemade cat stove

A Mini-Trangia brass stove

A Minibull Designs mini Atomic stove

A Pepsi Stove

The first of the two tests I am doing is the control test. What I did was simply boil 16 oz of water on each stove, and timed the stoves until it reached a rolling boil. Note; yours may vary. The fuel I used was standard denatured alcohol, that was about a year old. I also picked some up for this test, as I only had enough left to test indoors. Which means that the outdoor test will be done with relatively fresh fuel (canister stove being the exception.). I measured out the 16 oz of water, for each test, using a standard nalgene bottle, filling it up to the hash mark. I used tap water, cold, for each test. Additionally, I cooled the cookpot in between each test, so as to minimize possibly skewing the results with a warm pot (I simply ran cold water into it each time, until the pot was cold again-nothing fancy). Here are the results of my indoor control test:

Gigapower canister stove-reached rolling boil in 3:56. Of course, thats the advantage of these types of stoves-a rolling boil, fast. This was by FAR the quickest of all boil times. The fuel is isopro, so I am anxious to see what the outside performance will be, as they traditionally dont operate well at low temps.

Homemade cat stove-reached rolling boil in 10:42. I used a heat reflector shield with this as well. The design for the stove is simple-its an empty cat food can, with holes punched in it. You fill it with alcohol to the bottom of the row of holes, light it, and set the pot directly on the top. The boil used ALL the fuel for this-I suspect that, when doing this test outdoors, it may not reach boiling, due to the lower temps. But, right now, that is only a suspicion.

Mini Trangia-reached rolling boil in 10:46. This only consumed roughly 1/3 the fuel in the stove. This is the standard brass Trangia alcohol stove, that has been in use for damn near ever. Honestly, these are my favorite alcohol stoves, due to their heavy duty build. And, you can keep alcohol within the stove itself, with its lid. This also came with a simmer lid, which I find completely useless, as I am of the mind that cooking, while hiking, consists of boiling water & adding it to the dehydrated food. But, again, this is personal preference. Your experiences may differ. The simmering gizmo is simply a lid that restricts some of the heat output, by limiting the amount of jets being used.

Pepsi Can Stove-reached a boil in 5:23. This was a LOT faster than I expected! I used a pot stand for the test, as this type of stove isnt a sit-on-top kind. It took about 15 seconds for the jets to ignite. Used about a 3rd of the way up for fuel, which seemed to be maybe just a little too much, by about a minute's worth of burn time.

Minibull Designs mini Atomic-reached boil in 5:34. This was surprising, as I expected it to hit boil before the pepsi can stove did. The first time I tried, I didnt add enoug fuel-its hard to judge how much you put in it without graded measuring lines on your fuel dispenser. So, the second time, I filled it with more than I thought I would need, which worked (I cooled the pot off in between too-in fact, I ate dinner between the first & second tries).

My control experiments left me with a few thoughts-first, canister stoves are quick & easy. But, that is expected. The downside is that you need to pack out empty fuel canisters, which are still heavy (comparitively speaking). Also, if they break, you are pretty much SOL, if it cannot be fixed immediately.

Alcohol stoves can be lightweight, and with the correct design, are within acceptable boiling times-comparable to my canister stove-at least inside. We will see what changes, if any, to boil times outside, in the cold. The great thing about alcohol stoves is that they are simple-pour fuel in, light, and go. No moving parts, nothing to clog. Fuel I keep in an empty soda bottle. They are delicate though (with the exception of the Trangia), and can be easily crushed if stepped on. Of course, if you can find another one, and have something small to poke the jets through with, you can make another one. The design is insanely simple. From everything I have read, the downside is that these will not work in sub-freezing weather. I have no first hand experience with that-which is what I will be testing this coming weekend!

Look for another post shortly after the coming weekend with post-outdoor test information.

New items for review next weekend!

2009-03-21T09:29:00.001-04:00

I recently received a few new items in the mail, that I plan on testing out next weekend. Three things specifically; a minibull stove, a custom outsdoors knife, and a sparklite from TAD gear. More to follow on this, including pics.

As promised, a review on the DVD Prepared to Survive

2009-02-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

First off, I have to apologize for not getting this done sooner. I came down with the evil flu, that took me down a couple of days, I had some bagpiping engagements I had to take care of, and I had an army buddy visiting this past weekend. So, its been a crazy couple of weeks, but I DID get to watch them (plan on it again soon too).
First, the packaging. The DVD set (two DVDs) come packaged in a standard plastic type case. The front picture is gorgeous: a mist covered mountain. The back is a quick overview of the contents, and the bios of the 4 authors: Gretchen Cordy, Doug Ritter, Buck Tilton, and Rich Johnson. Reading these quick bios, these are some heavy hitters in the world of preparedness. You have a USAF survival instructor, a leading authority on survival, particularly small aircraft safety, co-founder of the Wilderness Medicine Institute for NOLS, and an ex-special forces soldier, who regularly teaches outdoor survival tehniques, and writes for several outdoor magazines. So, these are your instructors; needless to say these are some heavy hitters!
The DVD set is broken down into two disks; the first one is basic concepts, in depth topics, and profiles. This DVD goes into a LOT of the mental state of a survivor; they pull on some real life scenarios, and have interviews with some folks who had survived several days snowed in on a mountain in CA. There is alot to take in; the DVD is over 2 hours long. They show a little demonstration, using some lost hikers, or basic things; a quick lean to using plastic sheeting, carrying a whistle, little things like that. This DVD mainly touches on the preparedness part of it; skills you should know, and some of the thought processes one goes through. There are quite a few concepts that are discussed, and the narrators pull from personal experience to illustrate some points. It is not dry; all 4 narrators are presenting information that, although it may not be fresh, new ideas for some of us, is certainly alot of the things people overlook, such as the boredom of your situation, the Rules of 3, and the fact that, by the time most people admit they are lost, it is dark. These are things that arent normally discussed, or are at best brushed over, in alot of the books out there. So, it is nice to see someone touch on these things (I have carried a deck of cards for YEARS in my survival kit, for just this purpose!).
The second DVD is bonus materials. They go into some of the things one would want in their kit, as well as some knife selections. This is nice, as they point out the pros & cons of some of the equipment, but dont seem to endorse any particular brand (so it doesnt really feel like an infomercial). With the knife selection section, they go over what to look for in a good sheath knife, showing several different models. Again, as these folks are professionals, they keep it well on track (no Rambo style knives). Gretchen does a section on knots; this part I found sort of lacking. She went over a timber hitch, and a square knot. IIRC, that was about it. Personally, I think that this was sort of glossed over; I would've liked to see some other basic knots reviewed as well; classic ones like the figure of 8, bowline, girth hitch and a reef knot would have been nice. Not sure why only 2 knots were covered, but, dont expect much.
The last part of the 2nd DVD is scenery; I must admit, I didnt look at these as of yet. However, I believe most, if not all, of this DVD was shot in the Pacific NorthWest, so, I am SURE it would be gorgeous.
Overall, I think that this is a worthy addition to any outdoors library. It isnt campy, they arent pushing a particular product on you, it isnt a military-style movie; it is just 4 experts sharing their knowledge & experience with the rest of us. My suggestion would be to pick this up if you can!

DVD review coming soon to you!

2009-02-10T20:04:00.001-05:00

So, I placed an order from Lifeview Outdoors last week, and received a brochure for a DVD set: Prepared To Survive. I thought, oh, goody, another thing for me to order! Doug Ritter contributed to this, so I figure it HAS to be good. Well, I was going to wait till next month, but I needed (wanted) a couple of other items, namely, another mora knife, and a PSK for my nephew. So, they were actually having a special over at their website; $54.99 for the DVD set & a PSK. So, I slapped the mora order on there, and they are on their way! I plan on reviewing this this weekend, should it get here in time.

Friendly Reminder

2009-01-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

Dont forget to change meds & bandages in First Aid kits, as well as batteries in flashlights & smoke detectors! New year, time to change things!!!

A new year for me!

2009-01-31T12:09:00.001-05:00

So, after getting soft for the past 4 years as a civilian, I decided that I need to whip my fat ass back into shape. I was never ripped, mind you; I am short, & stout (like a teapot?!?!). However, I was solid, at my peak. My recent snowshoeing trek showed me how unfit I really am; 5 hours of snowshoeing shouldnt have resulted in soreness for a few days. When I was active in the Army, it seemed I could walk indefinitely (and a few time, it seemed like I actually did). Although I am older now, and know I will not get back the fitness level of my younger days, I can still do what I can to get back into shape. I have put on about 20 lbs or so as a result of working a desk for the past 5 years, and this will adversely affect my health. I am aware of this, and am making the concious decision to control it. So, I joined my local gym today, and will start on a "getting back into shape" program on Monday.
I have never been a fan of the gym; however, I realize that I cannot do this alone; I have tried (I usually run for about a month, then find something else to do). So, I am hoping that by making this part of my daily regimen, much like it was when I was active (when we werent deployed somewhere), and this should help me keep on track. Time will tell; my goal is 30 lbs by June, or 2 waist sizes (which is more realistic). Time will tell!

Winter hike 2009

2009-01-19T16:50:00.004-05:00

So, today I decided to do a little snowshoeing. I havent done it in a couple of years and, frankly, since I have gotten back from a year in Cuba, the cold just isnt for me anymore. But, we got over a foot of fresh snow this weekend, I had today off, so I decided to take a little walk. My INTENTION was a short hike, maybe an hour or so, where I wanted to test out anew stove type (more on that below). Well, I packed a small daypack, with my essentials for "just in case", and off I went!
It was gorgeous out there today! Weather was about mid 20's or so, partially sunny. I started off with a med weight thermal base layer, goretex pants, my TNF fleece top, wool watch cap, and glove liners with ragg wool half mitten thingys (the kind that you can pull the top of the mitten off, flip it back & velcro it, so you can use your fingers).
My daypack consisted of the following:

Pack: Camelback MULE

Outside:
Military poncho
Mora knife/leather sheath, firesteel
Garmin GPS60CX
Bandana
small carabiner (non safety, key fob like)
about 6' of paracord type cordage

Main pocket:
1L british issue canteen, with metal cup (better suited to any situation, as opposed to the bladder the MULE came with)
3 1 gallon ziplock bags
2 leaf bags (large trash bags)

Top pocket (all in ziplock bags):
3 Clifbars, 1 granola bar (absent, instant coffee packets)
notepad & pencil
Spare AA batteries
Wooden nickels (I geocache, and this is what I leave in my finds)

Bottom pocket:
50' paracord (may be more, I cut this off a spool from my units armory)
Gerber hand saw
Heatsheet
Brunton orienteering compass
Princeton Tec LED headlamp (repaired with duct tape, incidentally, from my kit)
Tinder (cotton balls with petroleum jelly)
Adventure Medical Kit Ultralight (pretty standard, I only swap the medicines out, add Advil, and put an irrigation syringe in it)
PSK

PSK contents:
waterproof tin container
necklace with small compass, LED flashlight, and Fox40 whistle
15' of small cordage (the stuff that came in the RSK PSK)
handfull of strike anywhere matches in a small ziplock bag
tinder (again, the little things that came with the RSK kit)
small roll of duct tape
plastic see through disposable lighter
fishing/sewing kit (2 lures, 4 hooks, 6 sinkers, 2 needles, 4 safety pins, 20' of fishing line wound around the outside of the tube)
roll of thread
signal mirror
fresnal lens
snare wire
ferro rod w/striker
surgical blade, sealed
micropur water purification tablets
tin foil
survival pamphlet

That weighs in at about 11 lbs, almost non existent as far as weight goes. I left the poncho behind, and strapped on my goretex jacket. I also snapped the paint can stove to the small biner.

So, about 45 mins into the hike, I decided to bust brush to find a nice secluded spot to test this stove out. With a little over 2 feet of snow, find a LEVEL spot was a bit of a test. So, anyway, I found a nice place to test it out.
I stomped a flat area as best I could, then dug down with a snowshoe. Got it fairly level. Then, I went to find tinder. Easy task, as this is a mixed growth forest. Within 5 minutes I gathered what I thought was a good amount of fuel. So, on to the stove...
First, one thing I advocate wholeheartedly; ALWAYS carry cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly! These are the BEST firestarters one can use! They catch a spark instantly, and burn for a good minute.
So, I get the stove started. Got a good base of wood burning. Then, decided to test how long it takes to get water to a boil. I filled my canteen cup about halfway, and put it on the stove. It worked, but with a fair amount of fidgeting. It took about 15 minutes to get it to start forming bubbles, at which point I stopped the test. It was hot enough for coffee. The reason it took so long is that you have to constantly feed the fire, and remove the cup in doing so. This method isnt the greatest, but, hey, its a wood stove, essentially! I have seen other designs with s smaller can attached horizontally...but, well, I like quick & easy! And this stove does exactly that, with no fire scar afterwards.
Ok, the design of the stove is stupid simple; get an unused 1 qt paint can from your local hardware store. Take a tailors tape measure and make marks along both the top and bottom of the can at 1" increments. Now, drill out those marks with a 1/4" bit. Thats it, you're done!
The idea behind it isnt so much a stove, as a controlled fireplace. Word of warning; paint cans have a lining on the inside, so, when firing this up for the first time, let it ALL burn off. Takes about 10 minutes, give or take. After that is done, it should be fine.
When you are cutting fuel, think SMALL. This is a small wood burning stove; nothing larger than your index finger will fit into it. Hence, the constant need to stoke it. But, again, as long as you have access to stuff to burn, you are fine. It just takes a little longer, thats all.
So, done with the stove testing, I pack up, and start my trek home. I decide to cut through the woods. Well, I got some fantastic pictures, but, a shortcut it was not. I wouldnt say I was lost; I could always backtrack. I COULD say I took the scenic route back to my jeep though :). It was a nice day for a walk anyway! 4 hours longer than planned, but, hey, that sometimes happens, you know?
More photos here

Gear Testing this weekend

2008-09-08T17:57:00.000-04:00

I am tsting out some new gear this weekend, namely a new stove & cook system. The cook system is a GSI Soloist, and everything, including the fuel canister, fits inside it. I am also trying out a giga power stove as well. I just tested the stove in my kitchen, and achieved a rolling boil at 4:20. I will check boil times out in the field this weekend. I am also introducing my nephew Josh to lightweight backpacking. We will get some pics this weekend, and post them here. More to come soon!!!

Foraging in New England

2008-08-02T15:56:00.001-04:00

Well, I've decided to add some foraging to my weekend outings. I picked up a book called "Foraging in New England", which is a nice field guide by Alpenguide. There are color plates in the middle, and descriptions of the plant, time of year to harvest it, where its found (the book is broken up into regions; coastal, wooded, cultivated land, waste land, etc), and even how to prepare it.
So, I went up to my local woodland, Groton Town Forest, and went for a walk. I have modified my packing list somewhat. I now use a Maxpedition pack, which is sort of a shoulder pack. In it I have the following (off the top of my head); military poncho, tied to the bottom, nalgene water bottle, with a stainless steel cup, Gerber hand saw, a battery operated chemical light thingy (looks like the military chem lights, but it run off of small batteries), compass, small emergency bivy sack, first aid kit, 50' of paracord, flight gloves, a survival tin, and my Mora knife with flint & steel. It sounds like alot, but, it weighs just under 5 lbs, and, for the summer, and warm weather, there's enough there to get me through a night or 2. Additionally, there is a zippered pocket, behind the main one, that I slipped this field guide into. So, knowing what I have, I'll go over what I learned!!!
I found about 4 different species that I could easily identify. I found common plantain, wintergreen, bunchberry, and burdock. Granted, I know what most of these were. Also, with the exception of the wintergreen, most species were WELL past their harvesting time. Which is fine; my goal is to become familiar with these. I also additionally tentatively identified a few more; stinging nettle, pineappleberry (which, when I was young, used to crush, ust to smell them), canada goldenrod, and queen anne's lace. All in all, a good, productive day. If you regularly spend time outside, I'd HIGHLY recommend getting a field guide, similar to mine, and spend the time outside learning. Its amazing how you look at the woods, after you start learning so much about them!

Been a long time!

2008-07-30T13:59:00.002-04:00

Sorry, its been a LONG time since I've logged on this site! Some updates; I havent been outside as much as I wanted to be lately. Life got crazy. I got let go from my old job, which sucked anyway, and started a new one. My commute is a LOT longer now, which limits me going out whenever I want. Also, I am currently in a relationship, which also limits my outdoor time. Lastly, I took up the bagpipes a year ago or so, and this takes up a HUGE amount of time. I still do get out occasionally, and recently picked up a book called "Foraging in NEw England". I am going to go out this weekend and try some of the things in there. I will keep you posted.

caching this past weekend

2007-08-24T17:30:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been over a month since I last posted. Lets see...most recently, I participated in my first geocaching tournament, called the great northern tier geocaching tournament . I took my nephew, Josh, and we had an absolute blast! We camped out 2 nights, and met some wonderful new friends. I slept out in my hammock, which alot of folks thought a little odd...but, I slept like a baby. First night we had a good thunderstorm....didnt get wet at all...and even got to watch it out over the pond through my tarp. It was truly amazing. Now, on to the caching...
First day, we linked up with Scout98, and went out. We didnt intend to compete at all, but, after the first day, we had an amazing 22 caches, in one day! Then, on to the night caches....there were 8 in all, and, after a great dinner o BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn, and other fixings, we were off at dusk to grab 8 more. We finished up about 8:30 or so that evening, and called in a night.
One thing I forgot; the night we arrived, Friday, I went out ad did a few local caches with some people there for the event. I even got to FINALLY log one of my DNFs, at Lyons falls. My plan was to hit 300 caches this weekend, and I didnt count correctly, as I only counted the ones from the tournament. This threw my count off a little, but, thats ok. Anyway, on to day two...
The next morning, we got up and, much to our surprise, Scout98 was in the lead for single cachers! Well, without even trying, he pulled ahead! We set up a game plan for caching that day, and didnt stick to it. That happens. We grabbed a bunch more, including a few in areas where tournament ones were, and I finally hit 300 at Shore of Wicket Pond. After that one, we decided to hit one more, and call it a day. Again, mind you, I had forgotten about the "other" caches I did outside ofthe tournament.
So, we get back, and they tally up the totals for the day. It turns out that Scout98 missed making best by ONE CACHE!!! we were literally 1/10th of a mile away from him winning. Ah well...there's always next year.
As an aside, I did the whole weekend kilted, and it was EXTREMELY comfy! This I ill definitely be doing kilted from now on...
I have attached a couple of pics here, to share both my 300th cache & a small prank played on us by fellow cachers. You'll see the kilt on me. It is made by Freedom Kilts, and I was VERY happy with it. It most definitely took a beating, much as Steve (the maker) told me it would.
So, here are the pics:

Update

2007-07-10T16:02:00.001-04:00

I know I havent posted anything in a while. I have done some geocaching as of late, & recently passed the 250 mark. I have about 8 left within a 10 mile radius of me, which I plan to finish up tomorrow (hopefully). But, that isnt the biggest news. The Big news is....(insert drumroll here)...
I've started on the bagpipes!!
This is a culmination of an 18 year old dream. The opportunity to start playing kinda fell in my lap. I started the end of May, and have been practicing diligently since. I now have two tunes down, one by memory, the other, well, I'm working on it. This has taken up most of my free time, as I hope that, by this time next year, I'll be playing with the local band. This wont take away my love of outdoors, naturally. But, it is something I ALWAYS wanted to do, and, well, I simply couldnt pass it up! And, well, not to toot my own horn, but, in May, I couldnt even read music...now, I have two tunes, and soon to be a third. I will not be on the actual pipes until around christmas, at which time I'll buy a set (they are expensive, you know!!).
This week, I am headed to NEw Orleans, so, I'll post some pics when I get back. Take care, and thanks for reading!!

First overnight with the hammock

2007-05-10T11:59:00.001-04:00

Well, I had an extra day off this week, so I decided to do an overnighter in my local area. I was going to drive out west to Mount Greylock, but where I had planned on parking is closed until 2009. The closest area to park was about 9 miles from where I wanted to be, so, I decided on an easier plan.

    Instead, I did part of the wapack trail, about 6 miles in. I weighed my pack before leaving, and, with food for 3 days, and 4 liters of water (water can be unreliable, once you get into the hills), I topped 35 lbs. A little too heavy for an overnighter, and a LOT heavier than where I want it to be normally, but, it wasnt too bad. I had the following (to the best of my recollection):

pack-Golite trek

hennesy asym hammock, with tarp, & underpad

Golite rain jacket & pants

patagonia R4 lightweight fleece

longlseeve nylon flyfishermans shirt

extra pair of socks

wool cap

glove liners

flipflops

small paperback book

my journal

pencil

compass

map

first aid kit

bandana

msr miniworks water filter

Kifaru Woobie synthetic blanket

3 Liter platypus

1 liter bottle for water

metal cup (goes on the bottom of the bottle)

titanium cooking pot 2L

titanium spoon

clikstand stove cover & windscreen

pepsi can stove

1/2 liter of alcohol for the stove

princeton tec micro headlamp

battery powered glowstick

Mora knife with sheath and firesteel

camera

    As you can see, I had quite a bit. I could have easily pared the weight down, but, as I was only out for an overnight, I figured I could pack the extras. So, anyway, off I went, about 11 yesterday morning. I hiked up to Nuuting Hill, then began my journey northward. It was about 75 degrees, sunny, with little breeze. A pleasant day to be ouside, to say the least. I had decided that I'd take my first pack off break at the last reliable watersource bfore I hit the hills. This is located just north of Binney Pond, and I made it there in about an our (just about 3 miles). So, I got to the spring, took out my filter, topped off platypus, and filled the extra water bottle for cooking. It was a little past noon at this time, and I wasnt too hungry as of yet, so I decided I'd hit the top of the first hill, Pratt Mountain, for lunch. I knew there was an excellent overlook of the pond, and I thought that that would be a great place or lunch. So, having topped off, I started up the hill.

    About 20 minutes later, I got to the top. Dropped the pack, and broke out lunch. Lunch consisted of a raisin bagel with peanut butter. I had mixed up some gorp as well, but, the heat destroyed it. I was stuck carrying a baggie of melted chocolate with nuts & coconut in it. Ah well.   

    So, I finished lunch, then broke out the map. Looking at it, I saw that my final destination wasnt that far away, maybe another hour. My trek would consist of walking the current ridgeline, giving up some elevation, then climbing to the top of New Ipswich Mountain, which was my destination for the day. Looking at the map, I thought that there may be another spring in between the two mountains, as it was a fairly steep draw. 30 minutes later, I hit that draw, and, sure enough, a small stream!! Now, this will, in all likelihood, be dried up in a couple of weeks. But, for now, I took advantage of it. I sat down, drank a liter of water at a leisurely pace, topped off the bottle again, then began the final climb of the day. took about 20 minutes to get to the top.

    So, finally, I am at my destination. I begin looking for a place to set up camp. Hanging a hammock makes this MUCH easier. I locate two old apple trees, and string up between them. I set up camp, then settle in & start reading my book I wanted to stretch the lines a little, then tighten them up again when I crashed for the night.

    So, a little while later, I start dinner. Now, I havent tried this stove out before, but am familiar with alcohol stoves in general. I also never tried the clikstand before now, so I was kind of experimenting. I fill the stove all the way to the top, & lit it. I filled my pot to the 1000ml line, poured the macaroni in (only time I ever eat mac & cheese is hiking), and put it on the stand. So, about 5 minutes later, its boiling away. Too much fuel. Also, too much water, as I had to drain quite alot of it out. Other than that, dinner was uneventful. I had some awesome views of the valley though. was nice to sit there & eat, looking out over miles of countryside. I had mount monadnock as a backdrop, which topped it all off.

    I finish eating, clean up, then fart around camp for a bit. I decide to rig my tarp up, just in case. I got everything all set up, crawled in, and read some more. I finished reading about 8:30, and it was still light out. The breeze picked up quite a bit, so I rigged the tarp up to keep it to a minimum. Finaly settled in for the night. I found myself constantly sinking in the hammock. Not realy a big deal, as I was never uncomfortable at all, like I would be sleeping on the ground. I just woke up several times, and stretched out again. The night temps were in the 40s, and I had on only boxers & a T-shirt. I later added a wool cap, as my ears got a little chilly. The combination of the underpad, tarp, and woobie kept me well warm. In fact, I constantly vented to keep from overheating. And, forutnately, I DID set up the tarp, as we had a light rain all night up in the hills. It was all fog in the valleys, and a light rain above that. My pack got wet, but, everything inside it was in a garbage bag, so the stuff stayed dry.

    I awoke next morning, expecting the stiffness I normally experience when sleeping on the ground. Nothing! I wasnt even sore from the walk in! Needless to say, I was quite surprised. I was also completely socked in with fog. I decided that, instead of cooking for breakfast, I'd have another bagel. So, I packed everything up, and ate. I also took a look at my water situation, and decided I could make it back the 6 miles on what I had. Even if I ran out, I knew where I coul locate it, as I passed many streams in the valley on my way up. So, off I went.

The walk back out was completely uneventful. But, walking along a ridgeline, at 6:30 in the morning, with fog banks offering only glimpses of the valleys below you, are truly breathtaking. I tried to snap a coupe of pictures, but I truly dont think they do it justice. It was a surreal feling, standing there, looking down to where the valley is, and only being able to ee a few hundred feet in front of you.

    By the time I got back down into the valley, the fog had lifted. I made good time back to my jeep, as I didnt stop at all with the exception to take pictures. My water situation stayed fine, and I didnt have to stop to filter more. It was a great experience, and a good gear run. I decided though that I need a bigger tarp. Maybe next payday. Please check out the pcitures in the photo album when I post them up (should e tonight). Take care, and I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Overnighting tomorrow

2007-05-07T20:37:00.001-04:00

Well, a REAL brief update; I am going to head out tomorrow night, for at least an overnighter on a local mountain. I want to test my new hammock out. I also picked up a neat little gadget for my alcohol stove called a clikstand.

This little thing folds neatly into my pot, providing a potstand, and windscreen, all without taking any additional room. I will snap some pics of my camp tomorrow afternoon. I plan on leaving right after work. So, it will be an evening hike up the hill, followed by a little relaxation, dinner, and maybe a book. I will also weigh my pack & post if for everyone, so you have an idea what I'm carrying. I try to go lightweight, but am not obsessed about it. Anyway, more later!!!

A fine spring day

2007-05-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

Well, as it was again a wonderful day, I decided to go out geocaching all day. I didn't hit as many as I normally do, which is about 7, but I got a couple of good ones, so it paid off. I started off with a new local one, hear a baseball field. However, with so many folks around, I gave up on it, leaving it for another, less busy day. So, I went off in earnest for others.
I started in on Birch Hill WMA, but only did part one. The second part will require a little planning, as there is no access to it road wise. I'll have to break out the topo, using my maptech program, and work it out from there. So, I went on & did a couple easy ones, and topped the day off doing Spirit IN the Falls and Doanes Fallies. Both were awesome, and memorable. The Spirit in the Falls one, had an awesome view from the first waypoint, and was well worth the hike up to the ridge. See the picture attached to this.
Doans Fallies was a double treat, as, first, this is one of my favorite local places, and second, I came upon a beaver swimming lazily in the pond! I, of course, snapped off a few pictures...unfortunately, only one came out. But, hey, that life, right?
Both of these caches are muliticaches, and required quite a bit of hiking. Which, again, was fine, as it was a nice day.
Then, this evening, I went fishing with my oldest nephew & my brother in law. My nephew, Josh, was the only one to catch on tonight, despite several strikes on everyone's bait. He caught a large mouth bass, but has never taken one off the hook before. Well, I showed him how to do it, and told him he was on his own next time!
One last thing; I am currently trying my hand at two home made items; one will be an alcohol stove, and the other will be a homemade firesteel. I picked up two firesteel blanks recently online, and will be making a handle for one out of black birch. I plan on taking several pics during construction of the firesteel, so stay tuned!!

Odd day out

2007-05-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

So, its a beautiful day outside, I have the day off, and decide to go for a little walk in the local wildlife management area. I decide I'm gonna take my hammock, as 1), it hasnt really gotten any good sleep time in it yet, and 2), I was up WAY too early this morning, to bring a buddy to the army barracks, so he could ship out to Iraq today. So, as it was nice, I decided to take my nap outdoors.
A little background of this area; It is located behind a maximum sercurity prison. The area, the size of a small town, used to house inmates that were mentally deficient. It was a small town-like community, and they had the inmates work farms. There used to be massive housing facilities, several the size of mansions. IN addtion, they also had huge tracts of land to farm. They produced fruit & vegetables, as well as dairy & meat products, for the local communities.
In the 70's the state stopped funding the program, and all of the inmates were transferred to traditional facilities. TRhe community was effectively abandoned. It was taken over by the state wildlife commision shortly after they were shut down, and part of it was (and still is) used for training of police and corrections canines, and some national guard training, for fighting in urban areas (the buildings used for these were finally condemned & razed in the mid 90's). The vast majority is now just a wildlife management area (hunting & fishing allowed, no camping), where they are allowing the forest to reclaim itself. Walking in this area is a treat, as you are on some paved roads, that end abruptly, will be walking through the woods, and find an old fire hydrant in the middle of nowhere, a line of telephone poles through a copse of trees, odd things like that. But, all in all, it is a gorgeous area (no vehicle traffic allowed here at all).
So, anyway, this is where I spend the majority of my time wandering. Today, I walked to where I thought was WAY off the beaten path, to set up my hammock, & just relax. Well, I fall asleep, & wake up several times due to snoring (my hennesy is arguably more comfy than my bed). Finally, I doze off good. Then, I hear a truck. In the middle of the woods. Well, come to find out, there is an old paved road about 100 yards from where I was. In it were 3 cops. They ask me if I were living there, which, of course, I wasnt. I explain what I am doing, they are amicable, we exchange niceties, I even turn one of em on to the hennesy website, and they leave. Well, naps over, I pack up, and leave myself.
I dont take a direct route, instead, I wander some old footpaths, heading in the general direction of my jeep. I notice a police helicopter, doing lazy eights over the whole area. Now, I figure its one of two things; a pilot training, or somethings going on. So, I head back to a paved road, to make a beeline baqck to my jeep. I figure, if they have a chopper up, its serious.
Well, I run into the same cops that came across me napping earlier. It seems that a 24 year old decided he wanted to take his own life. He had left a note at his home, stating he was going to overdose with drugs in the woods. They asked if I had seen anyone fitting the description, which I hadnt. I told him of several other folks I came across out for a walk today though, and roughly where they were. They graciously offered me a ride back to my jeep, but I wanted to walk. It was a little less than a mile back, no big deal. The whole way back I kept calling out the kids name, hoping he'd respond. Unfortunately, he didnt.
As of this time, I do not know the status of the situation. I, for one, am hoping for a good outcome, and that maybe this was a call for help. I would hate to think that his life could be so bad that suicide would be the only answer. I sincerely hope he is found. There are LOTS of places one could go to do the deed in this place, and quite possibly never be found. That, IMHO, would be the absolute worst, as the family would never get true closure. Its sad that, on such a gorgeous day, someone elected to attempt to take their own life. My heart goes out to him, & his family.

Recent WA trip

2007-04-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

I recently went out to Washington State to visit my brother. This is quite possibly the most beautiful state I've yet been to. I was only there a few days, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I had the opportunity to go to the Point Defiant Zoo on Friday, see a Beluga whale (simply amazing), a 3200 lb walrus (graceful underwater, not so much on land, I'm sure), and several other animals. They had a fantastic wildlife exhibit, although it was only a "practice run" (not tourist season yet). Got to spend lots of time with my niece & nephew there.
Saturday, my brother took me wheeling in his jeep. We went to some place near Mt. Rainier, in a forest harvesting area. I will post a pic up here; feel free to check my album link though. And, before someone harps on the cruelty of deforestatiuon, I want to point several things out; first, the company that owns most of the forestry industry in the PNW does the environment pretty good. They buy the land from the state, harvest the trees (mostly pine & hemlock, I think), then plant 2 trees for every 1 tree cut down. On top of that, they then GIVE the land back to the state, to allow the forest to re-grow. Being softwood, they grow to maturity in about 40 years or so. This allows land to be harvested, left alone for several generations, then re-harvested. This is actually good for the environment, as it allows smaller plants to grow, providing food for the abundant wildlife. Now, on to a couple of pics. Enjoy!!

Another beautiful day

2007-03-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I got a chance to get outside yesterday & do some caching in New Hampshire. I did several in a couple of local forests. Nice areas. Weather was cool, winds gusty, about 45° or so. Trails were a combination of frozen ground, wet snow, compacted snow, ice, & mud. But, despite all that, I still managed to grab 7 (seems to be my average on a day out lately). All that being said, The second to last cache I did, called Conversville Cache, was my favorite. I got a chance to get a few pics, which will be posted shortly. In particular, I got some of a few wood ducks, both floating around & taking off into flight, a nice picture over the pond, with a local hill as a backdrop, and, my favorite, I got a pic of a beaver lazing around on the ice. He was too far off for me to eye him, so, I whipped out the camera, zoomed in, snapped a pic, & hoped. Sure enough, when I downloaded the pics, it was definitely a beaver. I was kinda proud of myself. See the link to my album above. I am loading them as we speak.
Well, thats all I have today. LAtely I've been getting out a lot more with caching, and hope to continue that into the spring & summer.

A beautiful day to be out

2007-03-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

Well, spring is finally here! As it was such a nice day outside, I decided to do two geocaches that were a bit of a hike. The first one was MA Ghost Town. This is in the Quabbin Reservoir area, which was originally the site of several towns, until they evacuated them all to make room for Boston's water supply. A good site for the history of it can be found here. The walk in was great, with the warm sun, the snow melting, and a pleasant stroll through the country. The cache itself was a virtual, which, technically, they cannot list anymore, so the hider placed a physical cache with the coords to the final (and other areas) in a can, that you can log after you make it to Dana Common.
Walking up this old road, one has time to ponder (it IS a 2 mile walk, after all) how much effort it must have taken these people to build towns back then. All that was made was done by manual labor; the rock walls New England is famous for, old cellar holes, dug by hand, foundations, with stones weighing more than the people moving them, even the wood was gathered locally. I cannot begin imagine how all these townfolk, from all the towns they were forced to abandon, must have felt to be relocated from what they built with their own hands. There were churches, schools, cemetaries, inns, as well as the farms & dwellings. There was even an old railroad that ran by here. But, their sacrifice has given us a beautiful place to walk, a controlled area for both forestry & wildlife, and has probably spawned more than a few ghost tales.
The second cache I went after was Harvard Forest. A more complete history of the forest can be found at this website. The walk, again, was about 2 miles one way, but well worth it. The route takes you around the pond, following a road. The road was a mix of dry forest floor, mud, slush, and combinations of the last two. This one also took about 2 hours to complete, but, I am a slow walker, and paused for several pictures.
Well, thats about all I have for now. I decided to take the day & do some caching instead of homework, so, now, I am once again behind. I am thinking that, this week, I will compare my two gear setups (ultralight & bushcraft) and post them here. So, until then, get outside!

Hammock experience & a camera

2007-03-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I purchased a hamnmock from DD hammock last week, & got it in the mail Wednesday night. Needless to say, I was excited to try it out. Well, yesterday (thursday) was a gorgeous day, about 45 degrees outside, perfect for a trial nap. So, I throw the hammock, tarp, sleeping bag, mat, & canteen into my daypack, & head off into the woods.
I also brought along my new camera, and Olympus something or other. I figured I'd give two new items a try today :)
I find a nice spot, next to a beaver pond, with good, stout trees to set up. I get the tarp up, in about 5 minutes (with fiddling). Next, I string the hammock up. Get everything nice & set up, get the bug net up, then am about to get in, when I notice that there is a ripped seam. Disappointed, I take everything down, pack up, & head for home, to email the maker.
So, I email DD hammocks, and they ask that I ensure it is actually torn, as some folks confuse the two layers of nylon (to slip a sleep mat between)with a tear. I write back that, no, I am not confused, and take a picture of the tear. Upon further inspection, I see that, it is in fact not a tear, but the machine had missed stitching about a foot's worth of material (in the picture). So, as it stands currently, I am awaiting a response from them. In the interim, I've ordered a hennessy asym, and will review that as soon as I get it.
Oh, and the camera kicks ass ;)

More gear!

2007-02-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

So, I am working on completely kitting out a rucksack designed specifically for bushcraft overnights. I have worked out the gear so far, and have either ordered it, own it, or am awaiting financial resources to aquire it. In no particular order, here is the list of what I have, will have, or want:
Karrimor 45L rucksack, with external pockets. Everywhere I've read, this has been suggested for a decent weekend pack. I had to order one from the UK, and it cost quite a bit of money. So, as I await its arrival, I'll collect everything else. Review will follow.
Military Sleep System- This is essentially a winter bag, a summer bag, and a goretex bivvy bag, that can all be snapped together. Very rugged, I've had mine for years.
DD Hammock-another piece of gear that comes highly recommended. I only once spent a weekend in a hammock, when I was 14, and it was a miserable experience, to say the least. But, I have acquired a wealth of knowledge since then, and am willing to give it a try again. Besides, I once fell asleep walking, in the Army...so, how bag can a night in a hammock REALLY be? ;)
Swedish Army Stove- one word-GREAT! This stove, although heavy, is idiot proof, and works in any weather. And, its cheap!
1L canteen-NATO issue, with aluminum cup. Ah, holds water.
Mora Knife-with a nice leather bushcraft sheath.
Swedish firesteel-ferro rod & striker. Nice & simple for starting fires.
Poncho-military, for shelter.
First Aid Kit-I have an AMK ultralight .7-I havent added anything to it other than hand sanitizer.
Survival Kit-I'll go over this in detail in another post.
AMK heatsheet-an emergency blanket, just in case.
cordage-I could tie up a battalion of boy scouts!
Food-whatever I feel like putting in there. currently, I have a mac & cheese dinner, two packets of oatmeal, 5 packets of cocoa, and 4 instant coffee packets.
Clothing-appropriate for the season.
Sleeping mat-a Z-rest 3/4 length.
Wet weather bag-Army issue, turned inside out.
Flashlight-if I remember to pack something other than the one on my keychain, I use a princeton tec micro whatever its called. Its tiny!
Shovel-Army issue tri-fold. The blade part is sharp, and can double as a light duty axe.
Axe-cheapo one I picked up at a hardware store. I dont normally chop trees down, and it sits mostly in the back of my jeep. It goes in if I remember to put it in, but, not normally carried.
Saw-I have a Gerber hand saw, with a retractable blade. I havent tried it out yet, but, it looks like it will do the job. Next time I go out for a day, I am going to try it out building a lean-to. TRhe blade retracts right into the handle for nice, easy packing.
Thats it in a nutshell. It will be interesting to see if I can get all this into the rucksack when it arrives. you may notice that quite a bit of stuff in there is military issue. Being an ex-grunt, I've come to appreciate the functionality and ruggedness of army issue gear. I normally am a light hiker, and have a LOT of gear designed specifically for that. An ultralight pack, stove, sleeping bag, all that. But, for general bushcraft, where I am going to be less than nice (read: abusive) to my gear, nothing beats military issue. As most of my bushcraft stuff is done within 2 miles of my jeep, I dont really hump it very far. Besides, the gear total may weigh around 30 lbs or so, which isnt all that bad. Now that I think about it, I may weigh both my hiking setup and my bushcraft setup, item for item, and compare weights. That sounds like an excellent project! Stay tuned!

Out for a day of instruction

2007-02-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well, my nephew has the week off, so I decided we were going to spend a morning teaching him how to set up a poncho shelter. So, he came over last night, and I went over a couple of knots with him, to help set the shelter up today. This morning we got up & headed right out. It is about 20°F today, with gusty winds. We had a fresh coating of snow, about 3" or so. Pretty good conditions for what I had planned. I also wanted to try out my new swedish army stove in the woods, in the cold. It worked quite well, and took about 15 mins to boil a full pot of water.
So, I had my nephew set up his poncho as I was setting mine up. He had some trouble with the knots. I think its because he is unsure of himself. I went over it with him quite a few times. He finally got it, after a LOT of trial & error. So, we got the ponchos set up, then cut a few limbs to sit on. I then started the stove to get some cocoa going. He wants to get out alot this spring & summer, which is what I want to do as well. I told him that, come spring, I am going out regardless of the weather. So, I told him, we gotta keep working on the basics before moving on. the pics on the side are, in order:
Me drinking a cup of cocoa, after everything was all set up.
A picture of our little setup. those branches are what we sat on.
My stove chufgging away. As cold as it was, it only took 15 mins to get to a full boil. A lot quicker than I expected.
Another shot of our area, with my nephew holding a bag of cocoa in his mouth.

Winter camping

2007-02-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I just spent last night out on a local pond. Actually, next to it. But, I went out to try several different things; a 0* bag, my stove, to see how cold it could get before it didnt work, and a set of Bivvy Wear tops & bottoms. Also, I wanted to try lighting a fire using flint & steel. I did tape alot of the afternoon, until my camera actually froze, and no longer worked. So, on to my story.
It got a record low of -10* with the wind last night. Pretty damned cold! My first experiment was to light a fire using the flint & steel. I grabbed a bunch of dried grass along the edge of the pond, and attempted to light it. With the constant wind, I soon gave up without a fire. There really wasnt a convenient place to hide from the wind, and, as it was bitter cold, I gave up fairly quick. however, I went into my survival kit, and took out a vaseline soaked cotton ball, to give that a whirl. With just to strike of the flint, I got flame. So, needless to say, I will NOT be going out without this!
Next, my stove. I have an MSR pocketrocket. This, unfortunately, did not work at all in the bitter cold. I ended up putting it into my jacket, and laying in my sleeping bag, to get it warm enough to work. I boiled a cup of water, for cocoa, inside my tent. Not the best idea, but I needed something warm inside me. So, in extreme cold, the much vaunted isopro mix, good for sub freezing temps, didnt work. Good thing to know!
Next, I tried out my bivvy wear. Now, THIS stuff is amazing. With both the tops & bottoms on, I was fine, even with the wind. Good stuff. Packs small, is VERY warm, definitely a worthy purchase.
Inside my tent, I was alot warmer, without the wind. I had a candle lantern burning, and it was a relatively warm 20*. So, I thought I'd be fine with my sleeping bag. But, I found MANY cold spots throughout the night. I ended up putting on my military issue heavyweight longjohns. A little better. Ultimately, as the temps dropped considerably, I put the bivvy wear on too. This was relatively comfortable. I slept fitfully, mostly woke up when I rolled over. My toes were cold throughout the night. Had my stove worked, I wouldve heated water & put the bottle down near my feet. Ah well, again, lesson learned.
The final temp reading recorded on my digi thermometer was 9*, inside the tent. Then, it too died. I taped alot of the day, but, unfortunately, electronics & exteme cold weather dont mix. So, I got nothing of this morning. But, I made it out, toes & all!
The coolest thing was listening to the ice settle all noght. Huge BOOMs were heard all night long. The tent wall was constanlty compressed onto my face, due to the constant wind. But, I made it through fine. I actually got alot more sleep than expected. Thats all for now. As soon as I get my video loaded, I'll post that.

new knife!

2007-02-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post that I picked up a new knife. I picked up a Mora Model #731. A you can view their collection of knives here. My blade looks discolored, but, I intended it that way. To protect the knife, I used a neat little trick I learned. As it is a mix of carbon & stainless steel (I wont get into the technical aspects of knifemaking, but, a mixed metal blade will provide excellent cutting edges, retain the edge, and not stain/rust as readily), it requires some protection from elements, particularly staining. So, to do that, you stain the metal first (doesnt hurt it at all). To do this, I wrapped the blade in a paper towel soaked in white vinegar for about an hour (went & washed my jeep). The result is what you see on the blade. It faded it, and you can see the mix of the two steels quite well (of course, not with MY camera...).Anyway, I wanted to share this with you.
ON a geocaching note, I went out yesterday, and actually came across a white hare. First wild rabbit I've seen in quite some time. Had I a rabbit stick, I may have had rabbit stew last night! He was a big, fat one too. Came across an interesting cache container as well at this cache. It was actually a piece of a log a beaver had cut down, and it was hollowed out, with a hinged lid. Pretty clever.
I also picked up a new vehicle GPS. I picked up a quest 2, and was using it quite extensively yesterday. Overall, not a bad little machine. It does take some time to re-calculate routes, and this can become quite annoying. It does acquire satellites very quickly though. I have an external GPS antenna, and that may help in the acquisition/lock department though. It is definitely easy to read. The suction cup thingy kept slipping off my windshield, so I mounted it where my old one was, using a slightly different method of mounting than suggested. But, it never slipped off, so, all is good thus far!
I will probably be going out caching tomorrow as well. I am going to start taking my nephew out, & teaching him some wilderness skills. We will (hopefully) get lots of pics using just our kits. The idea is to go out for 2-3 days this spring & live just off the land, with only our little kits. We shall see! anyway, the pic of my new knife:

Nothing doin!

2007-01-25T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I stasted back in College this week. Taking CIS (computer information systems). Not really survival related, except maybe for the fact that I need to keep my mind amused to live! So, as this programming stuff is taking up my time, I may not be posting as much. We'll see though.
I receinty hit my 200 mark in geocaching, & surpassed it. I am currently at 207. I may get out tomorrow or Saturday to do a few more. My PDA backlight died on me the other day (static electricity), so, I had to buy another GPS for my Jeep. I ended up picking up a quest 2, for alot cheaper than advertised (by about $400). I do hope that this unit will last a few years...it is waterproof, which is a HUGE plus, as I dont normally keep the top on the jeep during the summer. It is supposed to be here tomorrow, so, I'll give a quick review when I put it into use.
Anyway, my 200th cache ended up being here
A pretty spot, right on the Quabbin Reservoir. It was a rather frustrating day of caching though, as I seemed to be losing my geosense. I logged several DNFs that day...not really sure why. I think that alot of them were due to the fact that they were NOT in the woods; instead, right out in the open, on roads, etc. I'm not a big fan of these, but, will attempt them regardless.
In a totally unrelated story, I am now back on the SAR team I belonged to years ago. You can check out the website here. We have outdoor training next week, and I'll snap some pics to post up. Until then, stay alert, stay alivE!

EDC

2007-01-14T06:11:00.000-05:00

Well, as I have a few minutes, I thought I'd post what my Every Day CArry is. I carry most of these items all the time, with the exception of my pistol (dont carry that to work. Here are the descriptions of everything there;
pistol-Beretta model 9000s, .40 cal
mini mag light, LED
Doug Ritter PSK
LG CU500 cell phone
wallet-credit cards, ID, etc
Doug Ritter RSK1 mini folding knife
keychain, with 12' paracord & thumbdrive
windproof lighter
watch-Suunto Vector, with velcro strap
PDA-garmin Iqueue 3600
moneyclip.

new gear

2007-01-13T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been experimenting with some new gear over the past couple of weeks. I posted my new boots. Update on those; I did some pretty tough hiking this past week (day hikes only), and they held up fine. I also picked upa new backpack, a North Face Yavapai. I needed something a little bigger, particularly for winter time. The Yavapai is perfect; allows me to put in an extensive survival kit, in the event I get caught out overnight; all my geocaching stuff, some snack foods, and an extra set of clothing, to include all layers. Also, room for water bottle (I dont use a bladder in the winter), and a lash point on the outside for my jacket. Two water bottle holders hold my canteen & a first aid kit.
I am now 10 caches away from 200...I have a special one planned for my 200th, provided it doesnt snow. Stay tuned, as I'll have pics!!!
This week, well, yesterday actually, I went out and grabbed 10 more caches. I found a few really cool places for hiking. Even did a little bushwhacking...for about a MILE. As is typical, I found the trail on the way out. I started on an old logging road, that then petered out into nothing. I then dead-reckoned to the cache. I think I crawled over or under every god damned tree that was downed in that forest! Crawled through a bunch of mountain laurel too. In case you've never had the experience of going through this; its like trying to walk through a chain link fence. So, you can imagine how tough this was. Here is a link to this cache: up, up and away

Been a bit

2006-12-31T10:57:00.000-05:00

Well, its been a bit since I've blogged my outdoor stuff. Lets see, I've acquired new gear over the holiday season, mostly stuff I've bought. I picked up some ultralight raingear, a Golite Virga jacket, Golite Reed pants. I also picked up a new pair of ultralight boots, a pair on North Face lightweight boots, with goretex linings. Lastly, I picked up a lumbar pack, made by Mountainsmith.
I have also been refining my survival gear that I carry with me everywhere. I have a few more items to add, then I'll post some more pics up. I am teaching my nephew outdoor skills as well. I went for a dayhike yesterday, up a local mountain. It was the first significant snowfall we've had in a while. I wanted to test my new gear out, & try firemaking in less than ideal conditions. The gear worked great-the firemaking, well, I havent mastered using vaseline soaked cotton balls yet, but I'll get there. I did get one started using a spark lite & tinder-quik though. IN less than ideal conditions. On top of the mountain, the wind was about 25 mph constant, snow was blowing around, and it was about 25* without windchill. It took about 20 attempts with the tinder quik; about a mintue. But, it caught.
I will post more later. I am currently teaching myself all of this stuff so, in the event I NEED to use it, I already have the skillset. And, I get to teach my nephew as well.

caching Sunday

2006-10-18T17:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I took my nephew out on Sunday, to try & get a few more caches. We started off OK, hitting a couple real quick ones, no problems finding them. Then, as we were heading to another local one, I saw 2 pop up on my GPS. I asked if he wanted to grab them on the way. "Sure" he answered. Thus, it begins....
So, I am circling the woods where these caches are located, and we settle on parking in a clearcut area. Seeing no trail (we are used to this, by now), we just follow the arrow. Much to our surprise, the is a nice, open field to cross. No tripping, crawling through underbrush, pickers, nothing! So, we cut across, do a little bushwhacking, and find a trail. We head down the trail, get to ground zero, and begin our hunt. After about 10 minutes, we find the cache. We are at the top of these cliffs, about 100 feet up or so. I ask my nephew if he wants to try this cache, about 1/2 mile away, looking like its down the trail. Again, he responds positively. So, we begin walking. Following the trail. The trail cuts down the cliff. Slowly, slowly, we get close. A fifteenth of a mile. A tenth. Five hundred feet. Now, mind you, we are at the bottom of the cliff. I stop, take a reading, look at the map. "Bad news", I say. Without saying another word, I simply look up, at the cliffs. "are you serious" my nephew asks. I tell him, simply, "hey, you give elevation, you gain elevation". So, instead of doing the SMART thing, and head back the way we came, we decide to scramble up the cliffs. We begin half climbing, half clawing our way up. Josh, my nephew, grabs a stump to pull himself up, which promptly separates itself from the ground. "Don't grab that dead tree" he says to me. Like there was much left to hold onto after it was ripped out of the ground.
Finally, after a few more hairy moments, we get to the top of the cliffs. "Hey", I say; "the cache is only like 50 feet that way", I point to my left. Sure enough, there it was, under a rock.
And, sure as the sun rises in the east, we find the REAL trail as soon as we replace the cache.

Caching items part III

2006-10-11T19:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, so, here is the third installment of what I carry. We are going to touch on clothing items. Here, you'll notice I have three articles of clothing. These are a fleece jacket, and wet weather tops and bottoms.
These items I have with me ALL the time. I figure that, should I get caught out somewhere, these will get me through a rough night. Also, come fall (like it is now), I will throw in a knit cap. I also add thicker socks as backup (they can double as mittens). You have to draw a fine line between lightweight and comfort. I figure, worst case, I'll be stuck overnight. It may be a miserable night, but it would be surviveable. And, I just may need to, or, WANT to, stay dry; and I always know where my gear is!

Part II

2006-10-06T07:20:00.000-04:00

Ok, here is part 2 of the essentials. Now, an integral part of geocaching, and a main attraction to the sport, is, of course, the GPS. There are MANY options on the market today; the two frontrunners are garmin and magellan. Although there ARE other handhelds out there (please, make sure that the one you get is weather proof), these two are the ones you will run into the most. I, personally, have always used garmin products. Others swear by magellans. Its kinda like the coke/pepsi thing. Each one has its ups & downs. I currently own a GPSMAP60Cx, which is their premier GPS at this moment. It is capable of storing maps, has a removeable memory card, has autorouting (more on that later), and even has a geocaching feature, which allows you to log the geocache, and go to the next closest one. Its a feature I really like. There is also a calendar feature, which logs all your finds each day, so you dont have to actually remember them.
The next thing I carry for electronics is a camera. I use a Nikon Coolpix L3. Camera choice is yours. I keep mine in a plastic bag, inside a case, to keep moisture from getting to it. It takes AA batts, same as all my other electronic stuff, so I dont need to carry different types of batteries. For me, a digital camera is best, as I can download my pictures to the net. Again, the choice is yours.
Next up is a walkie talkie. I honestly have never used mine caching; some do, some dont. I carry it simply because. IT also takes AAs.
LAst one for now, my PDA. My PDA is a Garmin Iqueue 3600. IT serves several purposes; first, its a PDA (duh). Second, this model is also a GPS, and, with a car kit and external antenna, it is my car navigation system. This has autorouting (plug in an address, and it routes from where you are to where you want to be), voice turn by turn directions, and works reasonably well. Third, I use my PDA for paperless caching. You can read more on that there. But, it beats the heck out of carrying tons of paper with you. One word on caching with PDA's; get a good case for it. There are several weatherproof cases on the market today. The one I use allows me to write through the heavy plastic front of it, and, it floats. You want to protect your investment.
speaking of investment, you can get a good used pda off of ebay for a song. All you need is one that is capable of hotsyncing, and has palm os 3.0 or later, for uploading files to it. More on that later.
Well, thats all for now. Hope you found this all informative!

Part I, as promised

2006-10-04T07:03:00.000-04:00

Ok, as promised, here is one of several installments as to what I normally carry when out caching. Here is a picture of the pack I carry:
This pack is one that has been with me for several years. Almost any type of daypack will do, so long as it can hold your essentials. Mine is a 3 day pack, and can swallow enough gear to support me for several days. Mine is manufactured by Blackhawk, and is pretty bombproof. It has a hydration sleeve, side compression straps, a sternum strap, & a waist strap. I have run several miles with this, and find it fairly comfortable.
Well, thats all I have for it right now. Next, I will go over some of my electronic gear.

I hit 100 today!

2006-10-01T18:45:00.000-04:00

Well, despite the weather, I decided to go out & finish up my first 100 caches. I had pre-planned a route last night, and chose a few caches in the area. I also planned on leaving my current green jeep TB. I hit my one hundredth cache on its miller time. I went on & did one more, before calling it a day. I wanted to do a decent one to drop off my green jeep, as the 100th cache was a small one, and could be muggled. Well, finally finished up, with doing 8, in the pouring rain, in about three hours. Overall, a good day for geocaching. Even with the rain. It kept away the bugs AND the muggles!

night cache!!!

2006-09-28T19:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I did my first night time cache tonight. This brings a whole different aspect to this game. Let me explain; for a cache to be a good night time cache, there has to be some way of identifying the area when you get to it. Some people use different types of markers; I tiny strobe, powered by a solar cell, that only goes off at a certain time; a pressure-sensitive light, that, when hit, turns on; or these, which marked the way to the cache I did tonight;firetacks. These things are near impossible to see during the daytime, as they are bark-colored. But, at night, they reflect light like a stop sign! So, I follow the trail in, about .3 miles. The hint states that there will be an arrow point offtrail to where the cache is. at .29 miles, I see the arrow. I turn off the trail, walk in a straight line about 100', and, viola! The cache! I didnt take anything, as all I took to find the cache was a flashlight & a pencil. Tonight, the hunt was enough. 7 more to go!

2006-09-27T21:31:00.001-04:00

Last note for the night; tomorrow, I'll post up pics of the gear I typically take with me, and some of the uses for each piece.

2006-09-27T19:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, here is the latest; I am currently 8 caches away from hitting my first 100. I currently plan on hitting it this weekend. I originally picked up a GPS in 2002, and promptly joined www.geocaching.com. My first few attempts were failures at finding caches. The first one I tried, I have the power, was a failure. I had looked for the better part of an hour. As this was quite a few years ago, was it was cold, snowing, & getting dark. My DNF log was originally on 5 january 2003. I was shortly thereafter re-deployed, courtesy of the US Army. Thus ended my brief attempt at geocaching.
My first find was at this cache; keys to the forest. I was in the area, searching for another cache that I didnt find, and attempted this one, as it was fairly close to my hunting area. I bushwhacked the whole way in, which, apparently, has become quite common for me. I found the trail that led right to it, as soon as I found the cache.
From there, over the course of roughly the next year, I went periodically. Then, beginning in roughly May of this year, I pretty much went berserk. I started going almost every weekend I could. I made my 50th find on this cache; sheeps rock cache, on 2 september this year. Since that day to this, I found an additional 42. I made my first FTF on august 15th of this year at this cache; north central pathway, where I also found my first green jeep. My largest run of caches in one day is 16, completed on 2 september. We hit the Athol area, and cleaned it out.
My most recent exploit was while looking for rebels treat. I was out in the middle of Leominster state forest, and, no sooner had I discovered this cache, that the thunder clouds rolled in. I was almost 2 miles from my jeep, and didnt really feel like getting rained on. So, I ran. Now, mind you, I havent run in a couple of years; also, I had my backpack on. So, off I trotted, desperately racing against mother nature. I alternated jogging & walking, catching my breath. No sooner did I make it to my jeep, that the rain started in earnest. Talk about the nick of time!
Well, thats about all I have for tonight. I plan on doing a couple of night caches, maybe tomorrow night. I'll post those, should I do them. Until then, stay safe!

2006-09-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I decided that I wanted to start blogging. Mainly, to keep track of my currently favorite pasttime, geocaching. I keep an actual journal of my exploits, so I figurted I'd share it online. I will add more over the next few days, as I update it from my journal. Stay tuned!