Primitive and modern outdoor skills

Review: Taylor 1522 Indoor

2014-03-11

As a house thermometer it's probably fine, but don't let it get cold.

We purchased this thermometer for our truck. We go out in all sorts of different weather, and especially after our stint in Montana last November I thought it would be nice to know what temperature it was both inside and out of the truck body.

The thermometer fit perfectly in our 2002 Tacoma. We pulled the ashtray and pushed it up into the remaining hole using double-sided tape to hold it in place at the top and at the back against the face below it. It worked great!
I then ran the outdoor sensor through the hole in the carpet and floor. The hole in the floor is as from the factory, it just had a rubber plug I had already pulled out for running a radio antenna wire. I had also slit the carpet for the same purpose.

My first attempt had the sensor inside the frame, this didn't work as too much heat got stuck there and the thermometer was WAY off if the engine was running. So next I moved it to the outside of the frame and back a ways, tying it to the rear cab mount on the frame. That worked great. We compared it to thermometers on banks, and at houses we were staying at, and it seemed to read about right.

Now comes the problem. Jess and I were up looking at land up in Vermont, and slept out in the truck. Temperatures got pretty cold that night, but not THAT cold, maybe down to 0 or so, and in the morning the thermometer didn't work, and hasn't worked since.

So, it's probably a fine thermometer for house use, but do not buy this for a vehicle, or for use anywhere that drops notably below freezing.






To Vermont!

2014-03-10

Probably.

Back when Jess and I hiked the AT we talked about it and decided to stay in normal fulltime tech work a while longer to build up some money. We succeeded in getting a nice little nest-egg for ourselves, and as you all know quit our jobs and went on adventures this summer. The goal though was always eventually to use that money to get some land. The hope was that this would open whole new worlds of opportunities to live with the land, and help it help us prosper.

Several months back Jess and I were talking and trying to decide what we wanted to do next. We rolled around various crazy things to do related to stuff we talk about on this site - like guiding, teaching outdoor skills, homesteading, tanning, hunting, logging, farming, land-management etc.

As we talked it slowly sank in that neither of us wanted to do any of those things full time. We were also both loath to give up software engineering entirely. This may sound odd to some who read this blog, but I love programming, and I crave that type of problem solving. It's such a pure form of thought, requiring and thus inspiring a type of clarity of thought in general. That clarity becomes a habit at invades how you do everything, I LOVE it. That way of thinking is why I got into computer science in the first place, and I have no desire to give it up. I really want to do woodworking and all the rest, but I still want to program, I just want to do it *less* than I used to.


My old "server"

Then we realized that part-type remote tech work exists. In fact, there's a fair amount of it out there, especially for my skillset. With that in mind, Jess and I have been trying to decide where to house-hunt since before the holidays (with that little medical side-trip in the middle). Jess will get probably a fulltime remote job because she wants to keep doing techy management stuff, and I'll likely find some part-time tech work. Then we can spend the rest of our time on the type of stuff you see in this blog.

So, how does one decide where to live? Not knowing where to start, and being nerdy engineers, we started like any one of those proclivities would. With a list of goals:

With this in mind we quickly paired it down to a short list. We visited a few places on the short-list, did some research on local politics, temperatures, etc. and after not too long had it down to Washington, Vermont, or Virginia. Vermont and Virginia beat Washington in the end for being near our families. After a few road-trips looking at examples houses and towns we chose a small area in Virginia and another in Vermont that we decided we liked. Decisions are hard, but all things together Vermont looked better in most dimensions, so right now we're pursuing the Vermont idea. The snow's made it interesting as well.

Our next step is probably to rent a place in that area of Vermont while we find a place and strike a deal. I've been spending almost all of my free time for the last couple of weeks reading about buying land, researching different types of house construction, researching various methods of transportation on the snow, different ways to clear driveways, off-grid systems, passive solar systems, insulation, housing codes, outhouses and composting toilets, etc. It's a lot to learn, but it's fun and exciting! We've been using a (slightly older version of) this book:

In the meantime it's been pretty cool hanging out with both our parent's again. It's always great to have a place to go back to in-between things, and people who love you and who's counsel you can consult.

So, with some luck you should be seeing a bit more of us around White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, and out on the Long Trail.

National Scenic Trails

2014-02-22

Many people have heard about the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and maybe even the Continental Divide Trail, but that's just scratching the surface in terms of what long trails are out there.


The official National Scenic Trails map can be downloaded here (it's a pdf).

There are plenty of other medium length trails out there that don't show up on this map such as the Long Trail , the Baker Trail and the Tuscarora Trail . That's because this map only shows trails officially designated as National Scenic Trails, but it's a good start for dreaming.

Review: Underarmor Winter Weight Running Tights

2014-02-15

I've had a pair of these since college, and it still hasn't worn out.



My use case

These are my warm base-layer for the lower half of my body... for all activities. My main goal is to keep the wind layer off my skin, keep my knees safe from freezing, keep the blood warm on the way to my feet.

I originally bought them to run to campus, I'd wear them under a pair of thin unlined windpants (specifically these http://www.blog.smalladventures.net/2010/12/gear-review-montane-windpants.html ) to run to school during the winter. It got down to -10F occasionally, and I'd run through a park up over a hill with relatively decent wind gusts, so I needed it.

Since then I've used them all over the place.
My default ski clothing, cross-country or downhill, is a pair of rainpants over these tights. My default snowshoe clothing is the same.

When I'm not active I add a puffy layer between the tights at the pants. This will get me down to about 0F in relative comfort (given good boots).

What they are good for

Here's the key. They are really not very warm alone. If you want them for serious warmth you really need to block the wind somehow. Even if they are soaking wet they are still pretty warm (as demonstrated by that snowcave trip) if something is blocking the wind. I think of them kindof like a wool sweater, but with way less wind-blocking ability.

No doubt had I gotten wool way back then I'd be extolling the virtues of wool tights. I really prefer my clothing to be biodegradable, which these aren't. That said, Jess has been through a couple of pairs of tights in that time. There's no question that these last longer than most of the wool tights available.

Will I buy them again

Probably not.

Although these have been amazing, when they wear out I will almost certainly try something more biodegradable... I.E. something wool. I expected that that would occur several years ago actually, but they are still going strong. Of course, if the wool doesn't doesn't work I'll quickly be back.

Can you get them?

Maybe.

Exactly what I got doesn't seem to be available anymore. Here's something that I'm pretty sure is sufficiently close though. Another similar pair is linked from our gear list :


Under Armour Men's UA EVO ColdGear® Compression Leggings

Conclusion

Great tights for a lot of situations, good as the base component of a layering system. They last a long time. They're not biodegradable. They are warm when wet. They're Mostly useful with pants over them (which is why I have so few useful photos).

Why do people buy pants that are waterproof *and* insulated? Occasionally the convenience seems worth it, but it's so much less flexible. Seperating the layers I can throw puffy pants in between the two layers, or swap the outer layer between wind and rain pants, or even just some tough 5.11's, or wear them alone if that's just right. Doing that I end up with way fewer pieces of clothing, which means less stuff to push around and choose between when packing, and a lighter pack in the end.

The most ethical meat

2014-02-14

Eating roadkill... Gross right?

It can be, but it can also be the most ethical possible source of some of the best meat you'll ever eat... for free. While you're at it, you may want to grab a skin or fur too.

The catch? You have to learn about diseases in your area and watch for them, and it's often (but not always) illegal.

So, we've got 3 real issues. 1) how do you avoid icky meat? 2) how do you avoid getting sick? 3) how do you make it legal?

WAIT WAIT! Don't leave yet. Remember, this animal is already dead. You don't have to tackle an *entire* animal (like the photo below). The animal is going to sit there anyway. You can just take what you think you can deal with, and use. A foreleg, for example, is managable and very easy to remove.



Disclaimer

Before I continue let me say that I'm not a doctor, a butcher, or a game processor. I have no credentials in this area whatsoever except having studied a bit and eaten some meat. Like basically everything we talk about in this blog understand the risks and weigh them yourself. Do your research and due diligence, and decide what risks you are okay with.

Avoiding icky meat

There's some basic rules. First, there's bad meat and there's icky meat. I've heard of people eating some pretty scary stuff, green, full of maggots, etc. Raw meat tends to grow things that die easily when cooked. So, don't worry if it's not icky it's almost certainly edible. But... that said, EEEEWwwwww!... The ick factor matters to most of us (myself included). So, how do you tell how "old" it is?

It's not actually age that matters. Meat that's properly stored can be good for a long time. If you were to store meat, you'd do it in the cold. So what indicators can you use to tell if it's turning

- Rigormortis. Contrary to popular belief rigormortis kicks in a little while after something dies, and goes away in only a few hours. It goes at the same rate as the meat goes bad, so it's a great signal to use. Rigormortis is usually a sign that the animal is still well within edible ranges. So, if an animal is soft it's either newly dead, or has been dead a while.

- Eyes. Eyes are initially clear, then they cloud over, then clear again, then they are eaten by birds.

- Temperature. Keep the weather in mind of course, sun, material the animal is sitting on. But temperature can be useful if your other indicators are saying it might be recent.

- Fur. Think about the weather. Does the fur all still look absolutely perfect, or does it look just a little dirty. A good healthy wild animal will look emaculate prior to death. So if it's not it's either gotten mussed since then, or the animal wasn't healthy. Either way you might not want to eat it. Note that fur falling out indicates a pretty old kill... likely older than you want to deal with.

- Bloating. This actually doesn't work at all! Deer for example seem to bloat pretty randomly, it's generally slower in cold weather and faster in hot, but sometimes it can be days before they bloat, and sometimes they bloat within minutes of death. Surprisingly, it's not an indicator of much but the possibility of the stomach exploding on you (yeah... eww). If you don't like that idea, just stay away from highly bloated animals - or maybe just take the backstrap or a foreleg.

- Animal damage. Holes poked in the side, eyes plucked out, maggots. Keep in mind that animal damage is likely to introduce parasites as well.

- Circumstances. Given that this is here, this animals behavior, etc. When did it likely die? For example racoons are diurnal. If you find it midmorning it was probably hit that morning, or the previous evening. Use the other signs to tell which.

Avoiding getting sick

These rules are really the same as for hunting.

- Know your area and game. That's the most important point. Research the game you are likely to run into beforehand, and figure out what diseases run in your area. Chronic wasting? Trichinosis? Find out what the signs and relative danger of those diseases. Using that, figure out what game you are willing to take. Maybe it's not worth the risk for some species in your area, or maybe it's easy to identify a healthy vs. a sick individual so a disease isn't a big issue.

- Next, I simply don't eat unhealthy animals. When we find roadkill, if it doesn't look like that animal was in the pinnacle of health prior to death, we don't eat it. As we gut it we also look at the organs like the liver, for general health.

- Lastly, just in case, I use gloves. We always carry nitrile gloves with us in the truck, both for medical and animal kill use. There are a lot of blood-born pathogens, and other parasites, that are nullified by cooking. Given that, basic bodily fluid isolation practices seem worthwhile.

Avoiding breaking the law

This is where it gets tricky. To be clear as I live in the U.S. that's what I'm writing about here.

Last summer for example Jess (and myself while I was visiting) were covered by her instructor's Washington roadkill license she got for teaching. In some places if you hit an animal and you call the local cops they'll check it out and often let you take it. In other places they'll let you take things you find as well if they come look at it first. In a few places you can even get a license to take roadkill. But... in some places there is no way to take roadkill legally no matter what.

Check your local laws and see if you can figure out something. If you choose to ignore legality that's your own business, and not endorsed here.

Conclusion

Consider the risks, educate yourself and make up your own mind.

Regardless it's hard to argue with the ethicality of eating something that has already died, and where your use is highly unlikely to influence the deaths of other animals. To me, using an animal that has died anyway is a way of respecting that animals life. The more I can use, the more I respect it. At the same time though, recognize that what you leave is not "wasted". It will be used by birds, mammals, and insects and plants, to continue and enrich their lives.

As a last note, let me pass on a little tradition. The folks who taught me how to do this like to share windfalls. So, once you are comfortable I would encourage you to share this meat (with appropriate risk disclosure) with other's. It's hard to use an entire deer for example, and the help in butchering is nice as well. If all goes well maybe you'll share more than this one animal.