While the pavement melts in the city of salt, cool air and wilderness are under two hours away: the Uinta Mountains. Hiking, rock climbing, fishing, kayaking, overnight or week-long backpacking—the Uinta Mountains deliver. So if you’re thinking about making a pilgrimage to the Rockies, the Uintas are a great alternative to the higher traffic areas to the south and north (see: Colorado, Jackson Hole). Read More …
Gear Articles tagged ‘backpacking’
Trip of the Month: Uinta Mountains, Utah
By: Justin Mool | July 26th, 2010Dealing with Grizzlies: How to Prevent Attacks
By: Genevieve Mount and Toni Isom | June 23rd, 2010- Grizzly bears will also usually move along if they sense a human nearby. Try to make your presence known as often as possible when you travel through grizzly territory. Human noises work best, so try to keep a conversation going, or shout “Hey, bear! Coming through!” if you see signs of a bear in your vicinity.
- When surprised, grizzlies attack more often than black bears, but the same “threat” mentality applies. Back away, speaking in a strong but soothing voice, showing the bear that you mean it no harm. Read More …
Mountain Lion Tips
By: Genevieve Mount and Toni Isom | June 22nd, 2010- Make noise while you hike. Most mountain lions will leave if they hear people coming.
- If you see a mountain lion, do not run. Running will stimulate the “chase and attack” instinct, and four powerful legs outrun two human ones.
- Do not approach the lion. Give it a way to escape. Most mountain lions will avoid confrontation (unless they have cubs with them or are very hungry).
- Maintain eye contact and face the mountain lion. Make yourself appear larger by raising your arms, opening your jacket, or holding your backpack over your head.
- Speak in a firm voice.
When You Hear A Rattle: Rattlesnake Safety
By: Genevieve Mount and Toni Isom | June 22nd, 2010- Keep your distance from the snake – most rattlers will leave you alone.
- Go around the snake at a safe distance if the terrain allows. At best, rattlesnakes can strike a distance of two-thirds their total body length (this means a three-foot-long snake can snarf a bit of your leg within two feet of where they lie). Play it safe and give them a wide berth.
- If you can’t go around, throw a few small pebbles around the snake from a safe distance (this is not a squash-the-snake game, you’re just trying to get the snake to move).
Black Bear Attacks: What To Do
By: Genevieve Mount and Toni Isom | June 21st, 2010- Most black bears will high-tail it when they hear or smell a human. While being loud and ripe with B.O. is a social no-no in the human world, it’s a good idea in bear country.
- If you surprise a bear on the trail, back away while speaking calmly and choose a new route or wait for the bear to leave the area.
- Avoid eye contact. This is perceived as a challenge to bears and may change their attitudes from “What’s that weirdo doing?” to “What the hell are you staring at? I’ll rip you apart, smartass!” Read More …
Preventing Animal Attacks
By: Genevieve Mount and Toni Isom | June 21st, 2010
Happy Solstice, everyone. Now that warm weather is officially here, we implore you to be careful out there. Because along with heat of summer comes something else: deadly animal attacks!
To kick off the summer season, we’ve compiled some tips (and some shockingly realistic videos) on how to handle animal encounters. Over the next few days, keep an eye out for the advice and the video that just might save your life. Read More …
Camp Chef Recipe #4: Hobo Potatoes
By: Kyle Marston | June 18th, 2010
Although cooking outside shouldn’t mean you have to sacrifice a feast of multiple courses and gourmet concoctions, there are those times when simplicity is king. Car camping, backyard cookouts, and tailgating parties can offer some of the best gastronomical experiences under the sun or stars, but what about those isolated trips into the wilderness? What if your normal meals come from the college mess hall, and you just need a break from bad lasagna but don’t have the funds for a filet mignon? You can eat well (and cheaply) in the wilderness with dehydrated meals and put a sufficient pre-party, alcohol-absorbing layer in your stomach with a 50-cent noodle packet, but there is one meal that is synonymous with terms like hearty, piping hot, and damn cheap—Hobo Potatoes. Read More …
Keep Blisters At Bay
By: staff | June 16th, 2010
What can happen when your boots don't fit properly; photo by Andy Anderson
- Get out your nail clippers, and trim down those razor-sharp foot fangs.
- Check the inside of your boot with your hand. Make sure there are no deficiencies in the fabric. Even the smallest rough spot can cause blisters. Read More …
Pack Your Tent: Stuff, Fold, or Roll?
By: staff | June 3rd, 2010
It’s a conundrum that has plagued many a backpacker: should I roll my tent neatly, or stuff it in any which way? First and foremost, we’d say to go with what the manufacturer suggests. But anyone who has bought a tent lately knows that they rarely offer specific advice. Read More …
How to Stay Safe in a Lightning Storm
By: Catherine Greenwald | June 1st, 2010
It's getting to be that time of year
To date, two people have been killed by lightning in 2010 and 24 have been injured. As we head into the summer, those numbers are destined to spike thanks to the increasing prevalence of afternoon thunderstorms and the simple fact that more people are spending time out of doors. In fact, June, July, and August account for 73% of reported lightning strike incidents.
True, your odds of getting struck are fairly low (about one in 500,000 in any given year) and much better if you don’t live in Florida, Michigan, New York, or Texas. If you get unlucky, you still have a nine-in-ten chance of surviving the strike. However, lightning strike survivors are very often never the same as before, suffering ongoing symptoms including memory loss, headaches, fatigue, depression, joint pain, and insomnia. (Heightened extra-sensory powers have also been reported, but don’t count on it.)
So how do you avoid becoming a statistic? You’ve probably heard all this before, but as a public service we’ll run a few reminders by you. Read More …
When To Purify Water
By: staff | May 24th, 2010
The difference between water purification versus filtration is that purification eliminates viruses, whereas filtration does not. Most purifying systems use a chemical component to destroy viruses in addition to regular filtration. Read More …
