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Monthly Archives: September 2008
Weekend on the Kawishiwi
Fall colors in the Boundary Waters weren’t at their peak last weekend, but we found plenty worth seeing and sharing (despite near-continual rains). Check out our flickr set for some gorgeous sights seen along the South Kawishiwi River.
A morning in the life of an REI employee
Nice. I’d always wondered what that job – that life – was like. Now, I (and the whole world) know at last.
Cranberries + apples + granola = Crapola!
Cram your food pack with this on your next trip –– it’s Crapola. A deliciously sweet-but-not-too-sweet granola loaded with organic ingredients like dried cranberries and apples, my first bag of this stuff barely survived the drive home.
Owners Andrea and Brian Strom make Crapola locally in Ely, where they first began selling it at the farmers’ market, inviting customers to “Have a Crappy Morning.” But in a little over a year, it’s already selling like hotcakes and even making mention on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Hmm, not bad for something that “even chickens like.”
Beware this bear sign
Thanks to Melissa for sending us this hilarious bear warning sign, as seen at a park in British Columbia.
Hint: Be sure to read the whole thing to appreciate it.
Old Skool Camping Techniques: Making a pine duff mattress
How to get a better night’s sleep on the trail? Go old skool and fashion yourself a pine duff mattress, of course!We’d read in old camping books how resourceful outdoorsmen would stuff bivy sacks with pine boughs, dead leaves and moss. It provided insulation and padding, making sleep in the wild much more bearable. So, while setting up camp last weekend on a scenic but rocky campsite, it sounded like a perfect experiment. With a few adaptations, it was a definite success!
Here’s how to make a pine duff mattress in just a few steps: MORE
UpNorthica Reviews: SteriPEN Journey water purifier
Dream with me: A portable water purifier that’s compact, lightweight, easy to clean, and does all the work for you – and it floats. When SteriPEN released their next-gen Journey early this year, the claims sounded too good to be true. But if you’ve known the joys of coping with nasty iodine tablets and high-maintenance pumps, you will keep believing that someday Science will produce that magic bullet against giardia. So we extensively tested the SteriPEN Journey this season, to see if its ambitious claims really could hold water.
MORE
Videos for future foresters
“Managing Forests for Today and Tomorrow” is a 2-part video aimed at lil’ sprouts with a potential interest in Forestry… All right, all right, I learned a little bit too. Produced by the MN-DNR, it’s a good peek into the challenges and rewards of caring for the woods. and just enough a tease to make you wish you’d taken a more outdoorsy career path.
Part 2, here.
Foray into foraging
I’d read that a lost party of voyageurs once survived two weeks, with only Reindeer Moss for sustenance.
Too bad they hadn’t read this short article featuring several kinds of common roots, berries and plants that are fit to be et. While by no means comprehensive, it’s a good primer for the adventurous camp cook. Now shut up and eat your stewed Old Man’s Beard.
Bamboo tent poles: Coming to a paddy near you
Nemo Equipment has announced plans to produce eco-happy bamboo tent poles. The highly-sustainable wood seems to be a perfect alternative to carbon or aluminum, given its flexible, lightweight properties. The innovation is projected to roll out with a few tent models in late 2009.
Sweet!
Besides the obvious ‘green’ appeal, I love this trend of returning to natural materials. Reminds me of days long ago when campers didn’t have UltraSyntho-Fill sleeping bags or ThermoPedic pads – they stuffed a bivy sack with leaves and pine needles for warmth and comfort. When half of the amenities on a camping spot were cobbled together from branches, rocks and organic matter found on-site. When the only flavor of ‘granola bars’ on hand was Acorns ‘N’ Rabbit Poop, balled together with pine pitch… yeah, those were the days. Via Outside.
Now they’ve got an Internet for tracking fall colors!
Where to wander on the weekend? The MN-DNR has just posted a site to track all the state’s hot spots for fall colors. Along with current conditions and a typical peak forecast, there’s already a photo gallery users can post to. There’s still plenty of green right now in the North Country, but unless I’m wrong, the statewide lack of rain should spell early peak colors.
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