Fire and snow
2013-12-04
Jess and I were camping up in the mountains on our way out toward Montana, and the good spot we found was quite snowy. We wanted to cook up some meat that evening and thus really wanted to start a fire. So, that's what we did:
ALL of the wood was wet, there was no hope of finding dry wood. There also wasn't much tinder around.
A quick primer in starting fires in the snow. The first step is to make it so the the melting snow doesn't sap all of the energy straight out of your fire. Fundamentally fire is about getting a chain reaction. When trying to get it to light up you want as much of the heat from what you have burning so far to go back into the stuff you want to burn as you can, to keep the chain reaction going and building. The easiest way to do this is to lift the fire up out of the snow so it doesn't sap out all that energy. To do this we started by building a platform of sticks. This is just a layer of sticks layed side-by-side, and then a second layer on top of that. 2 was plenty. In really deep snow this platform may slowly work it's way down into the snow, I've heard of using green bows under it to keep it up, but I can't say as I've tried it yet.
Next I stripped some of the driest needles I could off a dead branch still attached to a tree. These needs were *just* dry enough to actually burn very very slowly. I placed these on the platform. Jess had gathered the driest tiny twigs she could find off some nearby fallen trees (for some reason the sticks on the standing trees were like rubber that day, totally soaked). I piled these twigs on top of the pine-needles and lit the needles. There was little wind, so it required a little blowing to keep the needles going.
Next we started piling on more and more twigs, worrying less and less about dryness and more about volume as we went. The more outer layers should be dry by the time the fire gets there, and there's more energy to spare to dry them out. Then we started going to larger and larger wood, and building up more of a Tee-Pee shape. The classic "Tee Pee" approach to building a fire is *extremely* effective, but I find that if I build it all up before lighting I usually knock it over and get really frustrated. Instead we usually start with a heap of smaller stuff, often we just keep going with the heap, but in more difficult weather such as that day the Tee-Pee really helps.
One of the tricks to making all of this work is to use LOTS more wood than you think you need, at every stage. Build it several stages past where it's burning at the time. You need the wood to start drying long before you expect it to burn. The extra layers also serve as a bit of a shield holding a bit more heat in the center to help your chain reaction. Normally this would just be a waste of wood and you'd end up with a ridiculous bonfire that you can't cook on. But, if your wood is really wet and keeping a fire burning is hard, something closer to a bonfire is exactly what you want. Once you have some really hot coals you can just collapse it all and use it like a normal cooking fire (unless say, you're in pouring rain and a bonfire is the only way to keep it going).
We *did* use a lighter on this one. But using only a lighter, when everything was wet, we were soon burning logs we were literally digging out of the snow. Maybe someday we can get an on-the-spot built hand-drill to work in this weather... getting closer!
Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC)
2013-12-04
Jess and I went up exploring into Oregon and then shot East out across Idaho and up to Yellowstone. Some friend's Jess met this summer work for the Buffalo Field Campaign
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/.
So we figured we'd drop by and say hi for a couple of days. To be clear, the "Buffalo" field campaign is about the American Bison (not technically a buffalo, though that's it's common name)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison
.
I'll be honest. I kindof expected a cool group of folks, but a pretty heavy dose of the sort of environmentalists who think anyone who isn't Vegan is a terrible person, and that sort of thing. I was completely mistaken.
Turns out it's a pretty varied group, and in particular a good portion of involved folks are not only meat eaters, but hunters themselves. The organization has been around for a while (and made a real difference in that time) and as a result they really have their ducks in a row. The BFC's reasons for being against the Buffalo hunt are much more nuanced than simple "don't kill the fuzzy things", and their way of fighting is by 1) gathering hard data through rigorous field work and 2) educating people (hunters, ranchers, lawmakers, park officials etc.) about the issues and being involved in the debate. The site here at West Yellowstone is one of their jump-off point. People stay here all year, including Yellowstone's extremely harsh winter. It's early December and is likely to hit -40F (-40C) this week. They gather data every single day on the buffalo's movements, and actions taken by agencies, hunters, etc. involving the buffalo.
(This is a couple of kids Jess met this summer actually, who were also at the BFC).
I'm sure I can't do it justice, and the arguments get pretty complex, but here's the short short sinopsis of the general points:
The Yellowstone Buffalo are not allowed outside of Yellowstone. If they leave they are driven back in with paint-ball guns and the like, a process called "hazing". If driving them back fails, they are killed. The National Parks manage the number of buffalo precisely, taking any "surplus", through a combination of hunting permits, and slaughtering the buffalo themselves. What the carrying capacity is seems to be one point of debate:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/faq/howmanybuffalo.html
The other major point of debate is Brucellosis. A disease which slightly reduces the healthy birth-rate of calves in cows, and has less impact on Buffalo. Brucellosis is the primary "reason" that Buffalo are killed when they leave Yellowstone:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/faq/whatisbrucellosis.html
. However, the scientific backing for this seems to be slim to none. The real issue is more likely that ranchers don't like buffalo damaging fences and competing with cattle for range. A reasonable thing for ranchers to dislike to be fair. The ranchers then put pressure on the government toward this end. Unfortunately to date no-one has come up with a functional/practical way to make it beneficial for landowners to let the buffalo range.
A bit of quick background for those who don't know. The buffalo were intentionally nearly made extinct in the United States as a way to win the battle against the plains Indians. By removing their primary food supply the U.S. government hoped to force them into submission. To accomplish this they payed hunters to by the head for slaughtering buffalo in an attempt to completely exterminate them. http://all-that-is-interesting.com/post/5631232781/the-near-extinction-of-american-bison-in-the-1800s . Most of the results of the hunting (meat, bones, hides) went unused, though hides were often sold for a small amount of money.
Here's a timeline (though a cryptic "extermination began" describes the program) http://www.fws.gov/bisonrange/timeline.htm. Here's a great explanation and set of pictures http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-near-extinction-american-bison
Sorry I'm lacking cool photos of Bison. Jess did go on a patrol and saw 26, and we went on some awesome hikes, but we both forgot to take pictures. Anyway... The Buffalo Field Campaign is a pretty neat organization if this is the set of issues you care about.
Thanksgiving on the road
2013-12-04
Jess and I were wandering up towards Oregon and decided it would be really fun to have a thanksgiving dinner. We stopped by a grocery store and picked up some brussel sprouts, 3 types of pickles, some apple cider, some hard apple cider, and some sauce for meat we already had in the truck.
Near ashland we found a road out to the National Forest called "Dead Indian Memorial Road"... sadly appropriate. Down this road we found a good spot to camp. It was pretty chilly and there was ice on the ground when we got there. We lit up a fire, and had a wonderful little feast out in the woods. The sky was super clear and we watched the stars as they moved through the sky that night.
We both agreed that listing out what we were thankful for was pretty pointless. It's all so good.
DYI: new backpack
2013-11-20
A while back I noticed that my backpack was on it's last legs. See
http://www.blog.smalladventures.net/2013/11/review-granite-gear-serrano-25l-daypack.html
After some minor foibles I decided I should just make a pack myself. So after an afternoon of thinking I dove in, and here's the result so far.
I just got it to a usable state, there's certainly more to do to really make it nice.
My goal was a day pack around 30 Liters, large enough for a good-weather weekend backpacking trip, or a week of civilization travel with a laptop and change of clothes. I had a painter's drop-cloth lying around, so I took a shot with that and some webbing I picked up at a hardware store.
This is a simple 3 panel pack, 2 side panels and one panel that wraps around as the front/bottom/back. The side panels fold over at the bottom creating a side pocket, and a lid is stitched to the top. There's a drawstring around the top as well. My eventual plan is to add drawstrings to the pockets for water-bottles, and compression lacing up the sides of the pack. I also want a second ring to attach the lid-hook to for when the pack is overfull.
I attached the shoulder-straps with D-rings both top and bottom in case I decide I don't like my first quick-hack design. The shoulder-straps are stitched over the D-ring on the top, and the bottom is a standard slider (sadly plastic, it's what the hardware store had).
The top of the pack is rolled down several inches and stitched again, this gave me extra reinforcement for the shoulder-strap attachment that I knew would be one of the most stressed spots on the pack.
(Front of pack)
Note also the shoulder strap D-rings are stitched to the pack over seams, so for example the attachment points on the bottom of the pack are actually sewn directly to the bottom as well, not just the side. I'm hoping this helps keep it form tearing out of the fabric.
So far I'm a little sad that I didn't use canvas for the straps instead of nylon webbing, just for my own aesthetics and generally avoiding adding more plastic to the world when this pack wears out. Otherwise it's looking like a pretty good first attempt!
This is the first backpack I've made, and I have no illusions that my first pack is going to be anywhere near perfect. This is an Alpha pack made quickly out of cheap materials (<$10.00 worth I believe). I expect to wear it out pretty quickly, but how it wears out and how I like it in the meantime will hopefully give me good information for how to build a good Beta out of more costly fabric.
We will see!
Review: Granite Gear Serrano 25L daypack
2013-11-20
By my reckoning this pack is about 3 years old. And to be clear I have put it through the ringer. Around June or so the zipper failed on one side, it's been getting sketchier and sketchier. Sometime in August I realized how bad the seems were and restitched several of them to keep the pack together long enough for some SAR work. I'm finally retiring the pack today.
My uses:
- I carried it to work daily until I quit work. With a laptop in it most days, often jogging, usually cycling.
- When I travelled in civilization I would stuff it packed with a change of clothes, sandals, food, presents, laptop, etc.
- For gear-heavy day-hikes I'd carry this pack with snacks and water
- For weekend 1-2 night trips in warm weather I'd overfill this pack as a weekend backpack. These trips frequently involved heavy bushwhacking.
(This was a trip in Mendocino involving some really heavy bushwhacking and swimming a river several times)
Granite Gear background
Jess has a Granite Gear Meridian Ki which she adores. so much that I actually bought the men's version and used it for a bit before needing to get rid of all my gear. Those packs are for another review though. Granite Gear got their start with A.T. through-hiking packs. They several one of only a few models of pack under 3 lbs that will last the entire length of the trail. The numbers are increasing elsewhere, but ULA and Granite gear were the first really good packs of their ilk. The founders have shown up every year at "trail-days" a backpacking festival on the A.T. and repaired through-hiker's gear for free (any gear, not just theirs). As a result they understand failure modes better than most.
Summary
Wear life
This pack doesn't quite live up to Granite Gear's deserved reputation for robust gear. It's more solid than most packs. In particular the slightly odd shaping of the pack and zippered opening put less stress on the zipper than most designs would, that said... it has a zipper which is virtually always an issue. The fabric is entirely reasonable for this weight of pack, but repeated overstuffing does eventually tear out the seams. I can't really ask *more* from a pack in the price-range and it met my needs for absolutely constant use for 3 years and all the abuse that entails. For most people this would be a life-time backpack. But it's certainly not perfect either and a more robust pack would be nice.
Size
At 25 liters this pack is an incredibly useful size. It carries well massively underloaded which is a very important feature in my book. As a result I carried with everything from a laptop and power-cord, or lunch a rain-coat and a water-bottle, all the way up to a minimal bivy shelter, wood-stove, food for 3 days, warm-coat, etc. on a trip in Lassen. That said, my conclusion is that for my use-case 30 Litres would fit the bill better. At 25L I often overstuff the pack for travelling, as a SAR 24 hour pack, or as a weekend backpacking pack. The extra 5 litres would give me the space to fit that extra bit of food or a minimal shelter into the pack easily.
(Prepping for our impromptu trip in PA a couple weeks ago)
Shape
This pack *looks* totally typical, but the shape is odder than it looks at first glance. Note how the zippered panel goes 2/3's of the way down. It almost looks like it goes to an outer compartment and not the primary one. This, actually, is a really good feature. You can pack really tightly and the stress ends up on the fabric rather than the zipper. You can also get WAY more in the pack than it looks like, that front "bump" gives a huge amount of extra space. It took me a bit to realize it, but basically after the pack *seems* full you can still easilly get a pair of jeans, a shirt, and probably a snack in there. This is part of why the pack carries so well empty, that space slacks out easily leaving some tension in the rest of the pack to help it hold it's shape and keep stuff from shifting. This is especially nice while jogging.
Suspension
I purchased this pack due to external water bottle pockets, a *real* hip-belt with pockets on it, and minimal other pockets in the pack. The hip-belt pockets are wonderful and amazingly didn't wear-through (in contrast to my ULA Circuit). I usually keep a sighting compass, a salt crystal, a headlamp, maybe a sparker, and often iodine in the pockets. This stuff just stays there all the time basically regardless of what I do, and it's always handy while walking or hiking. Having a broad belt is also really nice, when the pack is optimally full, meaning about 3/4 the belt will actually take quite a bit of the load. It's not critical, but definitely nice for long walks. For running a decently wide belt IS critical. The back panel is a thin foam with bumps covered with mesh. This is pretty good. I did tear the mesh some in the time I owned the pack, but in general it rarely caused a problem. It probably helped a bit with getting air to my back, but I'm not actually sure as that's not something I worry about very often. Oh, the mesh over the padding on shoulders kindof frays out a tiny bit, and the mesh itself chafes somewhat, such that if you want to wear it without a shirt, and your shoulders aren't thick-skinned it can be kindof unpleasent.
Water bottle pockets
I don't use water-bladders myself, so this is critical for me. Also, it's nice to have occasionally to stuff a coat into. They aren't quite tall/deep enough. When the pack is empty they carry water bottles very very nicely. When the pack is overstuffed though the bottles get pushed out sometimes, which can be annoying when you have to chase it down the mountain on a rocky scramble.
External Attachment Points
This pack has some tiny little stretchy draws intended for an ice-axe. They are very light while in fact amazingly working quite well for a real ice-axe (I've done this a few times). My only warning though is watch the back of your head, depending how the pack is loaded you may have the spike at the butt end of your axe disturbingly close to the back of your head.
The attachment points work for tons of other things though, and you can pull the stretchy bit off and just throw something else through the nice little webbing loops. Particularly nice is that an ice-axe or hiking poles strapped vertically too the pack do not have to take up the water-bottle pocket and neither do they block entrance via the front lid.
Conclusions
It's a good pack, and for someone with similar criteria to me I'd recommend it. That said it's still on the market I'm not going to get another one. I've decided I'd prefer to move towards canvas and leather. For me a pack like this wears out quite quickly so it's a bunch of plastic to throw in a landfill every 3 years. Canvas or leather is biodegradable and also a lot more repairable. Additionally I've decided my backpacks should not have zippers, particularly for main compartments. Zippers are just to unreliable and hard to repair for my taste. A draw-string is easily field repairable given a knife, a stick, and some fiber, so is most the rest of the pack for that matter particularly if you add a needle to the mix, and a zipper just isn't. After a few attempts to find a pack I decided to build my own, that article should hopefully be coming soon.
(If you decide to get one, please use this link and it will help fund our blog... thanks!)