From the category archives:

How to’s

How to use an emergency blanket

December 12, 2009 Favorites
Patricia wraps up in an emergency blanket

There comes a point in most of my backpacking trips where I think, “Who’s stupid idea was it to going into the woods anyways?” For my friend Patricia, that point hit pretty early. “I’m freezing!” she proclaimed. “Our water bottles are turning to ice and I can’t feel my toes. What are we doing out [...]

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Backpacking basics: socks, fungus, and blisters

November 16, 2009 Gear

At the risk of being told I have a fetish, I’m going to write another post about feet for my next Backpacking Basics article. Up this time: socks, fungus, and blisters Socks There are a lot of different opinions on how to choose socks, and here’s mine: let your padding come from your shoes and [...]

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Backpacking basics: Footwear

November 12, 2009 Gear

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several people ask me what the beginning steps are for getting into backpacking. So I’ve decided to write a series of articles on the backpacking basics to help people get started. First up is footwear. The main things to consider are: tread, stability, and waterproof level. Tread For [...]

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Basic information on the Appalachian Trail

September 4, 2009 Appalachian Trail

Northbounders (Nobo’s)- Hikers who go from Georgia to Maine. Most people head this direction. Southbounders (Sobo’s) – Hikers who go from Maine to Georgia. Southbound represent! Flip-floppers- People who go one way for part of the trail and then jump down and go another direction to finish it. Trail names- Every thru-hiker chooses or is [...]

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No one’s in the kitchen with Dina

August 31, 2009 Appalachian Trail

I’ve decided to go no cook, which is to say that I have decided that my trail life should match my home life. No cook hikers don’t bring stoves and subsist largely on powerbars and poptarts. You can end up carrying more weight than other people because you don’t have the freeze dried dinners. But [...]

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How to climb a mountain in Maine

August 25, 2009 Appalachian Trail

I’m done with the state of Maine now, so I though I’d pass on a few tips. Hiking here can be challenging because there are no switchbacks. It is as if the creators of the trail said, “Lo, there is a mountain. You will now walk straight up it.” Often, the trail is actually a [...]

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Cytomax first run

June 13, 2009 How to's
Ultimate frisbee team powered by Cytomax

I’m trying out a product I recently found out about through Philip Werner, the author of the blog Section Hiker (which is great, by the way). He recommends using an electrolyte replacement mix called Cytomax to speed recovery during exercise. You start drinking before your activity begins and then more regularly throughout the day. I [...]

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Basic self-defense

May 28, 2009 How to's
Adelaide does self-defense

I’d like to be clear here–the Appalachian Trail is a pretty safe place for women. Incidents are the extreme exception rather than the rule. Still, basic self-defense skills are useful. If nothing else, they will help you feel grounded and secure in your ability to protect yourself. I recently attended a great self-defense class with [...]

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