Backpacking

Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo. Here’s a through hike of the Appalachian trail condensed into a few minutes of video. Watch the seasons and terrain change over 2000 miles of hiking.

The folks at Packit Gourmet offer some evidence of the indestructible nature of the humble tortilla. My favorite tortilla ‘recipe’ is peanut butter and jelly on a whole wheat tortilla for a quick, filling trail lunch. Tortillas are an incredibly versatile and easy-to-pack bread. They hold up well in your pack and can be used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ve dined on tortillas with everything from breakfast tacos to ‘sandwich’ wraps to quesadillas – not to mention the more...

While I have managed to avoid blisters myself one or two usually show up on someone during the course of a Troop backpacking trip. Dr. Paul Auerbach has posted a very comprehensive treatise on preventing and treating foot blisters: To prevent blisters one must minimize friction generated by the normal biomechanical forces of walking and the contributors to friction. The force between the foot and the insole is determined by the weight of hiker as well as any weight being carried....

This may sound pessimistic – but it is an unfortunate reality. Sometime, somewhere this month (and every month thereafter) a Troop of Scouts will start off on a hike that will end in some sort of tragedy. The major tragedies we see on the news – a lost scout or group of scouts, a serious injury, a death – all probably preventable. The smaller, yet often more poignant, tragedies don’t get publicized....

Just to be extra clear about this freezer bag cooking has nothing in common with the well known ‘omelet in a bag’ technique where you crack an egg into a plastic bag, add some veggies and cheese (or whatever) and then put the bag in boiling water. (If you haven’t tried the omelet in a bag you haven’t missed anything – it doesn’t work all that well and a boiled omelet has a very different taste and texture....

Silnylon has been taken the backpacking world by storm. Lightweight ripstop nylon cloth is impregnated (as opposed to coated) with silicone creating waterproof featherweight material for packs, tarps and other gear. I have used 10 X 12 foot silnylon tarp for the past few years instead of a tent. Offered by Campmor the tarp has three ties along the center seam and plenty of grommets along the edge offer many options for pitching....

How long is the hike? You can estimate using Naismith’s rule named after the Scottish climber W.W. Naismith, who devised it in 1892. Allow 1 hour for every 3 miles (5 km) forward, plus ½ hour for every 1000 feet (300 metres) of ascent. When walking in groups, calculate for the speed of the slowest person. The basic rule assumes hikers of reasonable fitness, on typical terrain, under normal conditions....