Dave Canterbury:
‘ Good Judgement Comes From Wisdom, Wisdom Comes From Experience, Experience Comes From Poor Judgement’ http://woodlandwisdom.blogspot.com.au/
Camping
Upper Yarra Track – Winter Update:
Spot and I planned to finish checking out the Upper yarra Track on Sunday, but we had to defer as seasonal road closures have come into force. The gates now have all these nice new signs on them. Perhaps someone at DSE has been noting my posts. Now we have dates for the road closures
Water: Survival Still
Four methods for purifying water when hiking: Method 3 NB: On the Kon Tiki they drank a ‘shandy’ (for two months) of 40% seawater 60% fresh water with NO ill effects. As soon as you realise there is a shortage of water, add your own urine to your fresh water supply to extend it.
Blisters:
This guy is RIGHT: One way to prevent heel blisters is to learn to tie your shoes differently, eg: http://life.damn.com/the-secret-of-the-extra-shoe-holes/?utm_source=nym&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shoeholesnym One other thing is sure, as soon as the skin on your feet starts to warm up, pop on a blister pad – available from pharmacies. Always carry some! See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/foot-care/
BACKPACK GEAR TEST: Dry sacks follow up:
Folks at this website field test various hiking gear and write a detailed report about it. This is a very useful resource to consult before you launch into parting with some of your hard-earned on the latest new bit of gear For example, here are some reviews of the Sea to Summit Ultra Sil Nano
DRY BAGS: Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Nano:
Your choice with dry bags can save you quite a few grams. Without them, you could have some sadly wet gear and maybe a disastrous trip. You need to check the seam sealing on the inside of the bags before each trip to ensure they remain waterproof. If you have any doubt, pour a few
ZPacks Hexamid Solo-Plus Tent:
NEW Model: (http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid_plus.shtml) I see Joe and Sheryl have added a cross-over ‘vestibule’ to their new model of ‘our’ tent. I had been thinking of extending the beak on ours down a bit as a storm flap, and to add a bit of vestibule room. This crossover design is clever, and eliminates the need for
Col Townsend Whelen’s Forester Tent
(Bradford Angier 1958): ‘If you need to cut weight or cost, the Forester tent is a good solution. It’s one of the best tents ever devised for a chronic woods loafer, particularly for one who yearns to live close to nature and who objects to spending any of his or her outdoor hours confined in
Rail Trails
https://www.railtrails.org.au/ Our taxes have been busily at work creating these lately. There are now some really long ones http://www.murraytomountains.com.au/the-rail-trail/ http://www.greatvictorianrailtrail.com.au/ https://www.railtrails.org.au/trail-descriptions/victoria/gippsland?view=trail&id=143 Some could be combined with an existing hiking trail to make an interesting loop walk, eg the George Bass Coastal Walk and the Bass Coast Rail Trail: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/352803/Park-note-George-Bass-Coastal-Walk.pdf & https://www.railtrails.org.au/index.php?option=com_railtrails&view=trail&id=203&Itemid=244
Amazing Torch 4.5 GRAMS!
Pak-Lite Pilot LED Flashlight : Great emergency/hiking light; 80+ hours on the brightest setting and 1200+ HOURS on the lowest from a 9V battery at 45 grams (including alkaline battery) 38.5 grams (lithium) plus a 10 year shelf life. White and red LED. Also comes with a headband. Some folk have hiked the entire Pacific