How to’s

Addy’s guide on how to survive making your own Coke can alcohol stove

February 25, 2010

Step one: Go to the store and buy a six pack of root beer and a gallon of ice cream. That way, if you get really irritated while you’re making your stove you can have a root beer float. You’ll also have extra cans available in case you make a mistake and need to start again.

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Some tips on planning for a thru-hike

February 11, 2010

A lot of people skimp their first aid kits, but your mother and I both think that is really dangerous.

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How to use an emergency blanket

December 12, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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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