Category: Leisure

March 6, 2025 – Do You See Me?

March 6, 2025 /

Early last week, I caught the crud. As a result, I took the whole week off. Trust me, I needed to because I could not breathe anyway. The photo below was taken the weekend before, when I was on my long hike. It was the first time I saw a game animal in the area that I have been hiking.

As I have been exploring the area, I see all of these great places that seem like ideal hunting spots. This is a research forest belonging to Oregon State University. As such, hunting is severely limited. I keep thinking that there should be an elk heard right there and I know that there are several in the area. Regardless, it makes me happy to see game. I just hope that I don’t have an unexpected cougar encounter.

I didn’t have a solid plan other than I wanted to go as far as I could before the weather started to change. Downpours were predicted to start around noon and unfortunately, I couldn’t leave until after 11AM because my wife wanted me to stop at the post office before I left. They keep extremely limited hours on Saturday only being open 11AM-1PM.

You might think, knowing all of that then maybe I should have targeted getting out of the house earlier. True, that might have been a better plan but by the time I got going and had breakfast it was 9AM. I really didn’t want to rush my training just so that I could make it to the Post Office in time. And my sickness aside, I need to have the mindset that I am going no matter the weather or other environmental factors.

True to forecast, it started drizzling at about 12:30pm. After about a half an hour, I stopped and re-arranged my pack to put my poncho on top. I told myself that if it gets much worse than this, I am going to put my poncho on. It never really got worse than intermittent drizzle until I was ten minutes from the car when it started actually raining. I figured I would suck it up and just get out of there which is what I did.

The final numbers on my hike was right at 10 miles in four hours. What I noticed is that each week I challenge myself, it gets slightly easier. From that I am gleaning, what I am doing is working. Was it hard? Absolutely it was. Did I feel like I wasn’t going to survive like on week one? No. I had to stop and catch my breath at times, my shoulders ached at points and my joints were ready to be done at mile eight, but I did it.

As I stated at the beginning, I didn’t have a real plan. The only real thought I had was to continue to explore this trail system that I have been working through. I wanted to take new routes and get familiar with all of the nuances. I had a rough idea that I was going to go to a new trail via a different route. My idea was to get to this new trail and go half a mile up the trail and turn around. By the time I got half a mile in, I wasn’t completely sure that I was on the trail that I thought I was on.

I looked at the map and I told myself that I should be meeting another trail within a couple of tenths of a mile. If not, I would backtrack the way I came all the way back to the car. As it turns out, I met the intersecting trail right where I expected it to be and so I carried on. The point I am making is that it is that desire to push a little bit farther, and then a little bit farther that is the mindset to get do more each week.

It is not like you are completely alone out there. As I was having doubts about my route a trail runner came by. If it came down to it, I would ask somebody as they seem to come around every thirty minutes or so. The area has hikers, bikers and horse riders. I have seen all three.

End Your Programming Routine: I keep telling myself that I have to embrace the suck. I distinctly remember shortchanging my half marathon training because I wanted and excuse to not do it. I literally wanted to not be fit enough to race. What actually motivated me to run was signing up. Once I had a date, I knew that I had to be ready. I probably will never be as ready as I like for this hike but I am making strides.

February 27, 2025 – A New Year, New Gear Part 5

February 27, 2025 /

Despite the fact that I listen to podcasts all day long, I have made a habit of not having anything in my ears while I do my long Saturday hikes. It is me and my thoughts with the idea that this is how it is going to be on my actual PCT hike as well as I need some time to engage with the brain. One of the things that I have come to the realization is that there are only six paydays between now and when I was thinking of doing my hike.

Paydays are how I advance my agenda. I try to plan and spend $50-75 each time and I have all of my gear wants listed out. Clearly, there are some things that are more than that like my tent, so that is excluded but this trip is coming up fast. But when I do buy my tent, I will not be spending the $50-75 that I would spend on a normal pay period. There are four items that fit that bill remaining. Today is not one of them.

After my experiment with the generic water reservoir, I have decided that concept is going to work for me. I purchased the Gregory 3L reservoir for a particular reason. Because my pack is also a Gregory, I figured that a complimentary water reservoir would have some advantages. As you can see there is a specific hook to hang it in my pack.

Is the upgrade over generic worth the money? Well, lets talk about some of the features that are different with the Gregory over the generic. The first one I already mentioned. Second, the tubing disconnect is placed in a position that you can leave the feed tube threaded through the pack and still take the reservoir out to refill. One of my future purchases is going to be an in-line filter that I will ultimately splice between the outlet and the tube connector. This will be my plan to have safe drinking water on this trip.

When the reservoir is out, there is a carry handle that the generic does not have. At the outlet point, there is a hook so that it can be hung upside down for cleaning and drying purposes. At the dispensing point, there is another on/off valve. This is nice because I have experienced some leakage with my generic model. A pinch on the supply nipple will cause this. Finally, the Gregory has a rare earth magnet connection that I am using as an extra securing point. But it could also be used to retrofit packs that don’t have the tubing loop on the shoulder strap.

Is the $35 reservoir better than the $20 reservoir? I would say in every way and this is particularly true when matching the Gregory reservoir and pack. I haven’t fully investigated this and there is nothing wrong with a Camel Back or other premium brands. I suspect that some of the benefits are negated when mixing brands of packs and reservoirs.

I don’t plan to throw out my generic reservoir. It will have a place in my gear as a utility item or backup because I have more than one pack. Ideally, I would like to have one drying while I use one. I simply plan to use the one with the best features on my hike.

I am going to have to make critical decisions when it comes to what I pack. I am seriously considering packing two bladders for the reason that at some points, water will not be on the trail. It will be an extra mile or two to water off the trail. My thoughts are after hiking fifteen miles, I am going to want as much water in one trip rather than making one at the end of the night and then in the morning.

The second reservoir would be for the purposes of carrying water for cooking cleaning rather than making two trips. I would plan to hike with it empty. In addition to that, what if the one I am carrying malfunctions? The trip is over. I cannot realistically carry backups for every item but the ones that are critical survival cannot be overlooked.

The other little package are some clips for straps. I plan on trying to address my pack constantly loosening with these. Unfortunately, I purchased the wrong size and I have the right size coming. They were not expensive but I do not know if they will work. More on this to come in the future.

End Your Programming Routine: As I alluded to at the beginning, this thing is coming fast. I need to be thinking of stringing multiple days together and not just procuring the necessary gear to get started. Picking and choosing gear in the right order is critical to enabling training as I go along. I am targeting my tent by Spring Break time so that I can start unlocking the next level of training.

February 25, 2025 – Who Doesn’t Want This?

February 25, 2025 /

Towards the end of last year, things were humming along on my techno junk front. Last year, I completed my surround sound project. I purchased a couple of scanners, I bought a home base radio. The next thing I was going to focus on was an antenna. All of a sudden I realized that I needed to refocus my resources on my hike or I was going to run out of time. Hence the New Year, New Gear series that I have been running.

Despite my focus on my hike, I still check Craigslist every couple of days just to see if there are any deals out there. My criteria for deals are not just cheap but also close. I will use eBay for used things. There is plenty of old, out of date or out of fashion or just plain used there.

Sometimes, I see inexpensive items on Craigslist. When I was looking for subwoofers, I probably looked for over a year. While I waffled whether I really wanted one or not, the thought of coordinating a meetup and driving over an hour was not really a deal for me. This was especially true when I could pay the same amount on eBay and have it shipped. After looking for a year, what is another week or two.

By that same token, I saw some speakers for sale locally. They were $30 and in town. I had been thinking that I would like to have an extra set of speakers so I wouldn’t have to tear my setup apart when my wife want’s to have a birthday party or karaoke. That is what I consider a deal. Technically, I didn’t need it. I didn’t necessarily want it either but it was hard to refuse. Incidentally, I haven’t used them at all in the three years since I bought them.

What I find on Craigslist is a lot of the same things for a long time. A lot of it is nearly useless items like old electronic vacuum tubes or things that I have no interest in like a 10 year old Kindle or something like that. Every once in a while I see something that I have see more of, that is today. What the heck is a paranormal kit?

When you read the description, the seller is now into baseball cards, not chasing ghosts… what? Clearly this is an individual that falls hard into their hobbies, but what niche ones they are. I grew up in the golden age of baseball cards. That would be the late 1980s. I learned recently that the exclusivity that Topps had, expired. As a result, new companies like Donruss and Upper Deck all of the sudden appeared. This caused the value of cards of all era cards to become very popular somewhat lucrative. Something like a Don Mattingly rookie card was worth $20 at the time. But, once the gold rush became industrial extraction, the market never saw the extreme highs of the time again.

Back to relevant business. I wouldn’t say that I don’t believe in ghosts but I am skeptical. I am open to the idea but I have also never felt or seen something to make me believe otherwise. Part of me would like to think it isn’t that much money to perform some experiments. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have a device called “Ghost Detector”? Can you imagine the Halloween parties that you could throw?

The point being, sometimes I run across interesting things. When that happens, I look at the extra pictures and my mind starts to wander about who is this person? What would cause them to fall so deep in a rabbit hole? Would I allow myself to get in such position? Regardless of the thing that they are into, I find it fascinating.

End Your Programming Routine: My techno junk fascination will continue to march on at some point in the future. I was thinking back to this time last year and it was all about prepping to work away from home or at least my office. That was several months of my incidental spending money but it was also for the stage in my life. I was buying portable monitors and do dads for productivity. This too will pass and then it will be back to where I left off. Tell that to my shooting and reloading pantry as well.

February 20, 2025 – For Pain and Gain

February 20, 2025 /

If you look closely, you can see that I made it to the snow line this week. That is not because I went higher but because the weather got quite a bit colder. I took the same general route that I did the week before for the first part of my hike and my goal was to measure if there was any effect of my struggle the previous week. I am happy to report that I could see minor improvement.

This was a celebratory moment for me. It means that not only did I make measurable progress but that it was a sign that I was going to make it. Don’t get me wrong, I have a long, long way to go but this trip was a sense that what I am doing is working. Trust me, I don’t really embrace the suck but I know that it is necessary for my goals.

Before we get too carried away, I want to report on the bike. I got the basement cleaned up and the bike is setup but I have yet to seriously use it (at the time of this hike). So, I can’t claim that made any difference at this point. The week after the hike I used the bike a couple of times.

I don’t really have a solid plan yet. Part of the reason for the bike is when I can’t get a walk in outside be it daylight or weather or whatever. Because I live on flat ground and limited distances I can go, I am thinking of using the bike in addition to walking. The goal is to bolster cardiovascular fitness with the bike.

Last weekend we were at the beach so I have not tested the bike work yet. I also do not plan on taking the same route every week. Remember my theory of goal setting, the joy is in the process and not the achievement of the goal. I want to get to know as much of the trail system as I possibly can which means different routes each week. It is the same reason why my daily walks vary every day. Otherwise it feels too much like walking on a track.

The good news is that at my stage of fitness, I don’t have to continue pushing boundaries like distance. Doing repetitive hikes and even shorter ones can yield benefit. I was looking at the data from my hike the week before and I saw that my heart rate went as high as 153. That is too much stress.

The conventional wisdom says that your maximum heart rate should be 180 – minus your age. That makes my max heart rate to be 130. For that reason, I made this hike shorter. I don’t know if I totally buy that but the reality is that I am out of shape and midlife, I probably should be mindful of my boundaries. There is also spotty cell phone coverage in this area. Getting medical help in timely fashion is an iffy proposition.

This is not a race, I am not timing myself and measuring improvement. I am measuring improvement by how I feel and my ability to keep on going. Putting one foot in front of the other will eventually accomplish the goal.

End Your Programming Routine: As I head out the door to these longer weekend hikes, I have dread. I hope to someday look forward to doing these and enjoying the experience but right now it is necessity. I can’t afford to skip many of these and expect to not pay for it on my PCT hike. As long as I can be confident in my fitness, I am looking forward to that hike but I have a ways to go.

February 6, 2025 – A New Year, New Gear Part 4

February 6, 2025 /

The beat goes on, the beat goes on. I got some new gear this week. It is a convoluted picture but one is a bike trainer and the other is a Maxpedition MOLLE utility pouch as seen on my pack. Neither is directly involved in my trip but both are necessary at this time for training purposes.

I am not a wimp by any means, but I am motivated by my comfort and safety. As a result, if I can’t get my daily practice walk in during the daylight hours it doesn’t happen. For this reason, I am adding the bike trainer. There is a second, good reason as well.

Last weekend I did my first trail hike. I would have liked to die based on my fitness level. I planned a 6.8 mile hike but little did I know that it took an extra mile to get to the trail head. Within the first 0.15 miles after climbing a large hill, I was already huffing and puffing. At two miles in I was thinking I wasn’t going to do the whole thing but I would see how far I could go. By mile three I was going from tree to tree to catch my breath. I made it on sheer will power but it proved to me that I have a long, long way to go.

Overall, I did 8 miles in four hours. The previous week I did 8.5 miles in 2 hours 40 minutes. Flat land walks after work are just not going to cut it. I need more, hence I ordered the bike trainer. I am hoping to add bike training as a cross training opportunity as well as a supplemental one when I can’t get out there.

I will admit that I just set it up and have done some test pedaling. Will it ultimately work? I guess we will have to see. I will be honest, this trainer has been something that I have wanted to get since I was in college when I dreamed of regularly mountain biking. I would like to do more bicycling and this seems like a way to stay in bicycling shape. Getting on a bike once a year is a good way to end up with sore contact points.

For those of you saying ‘that is fancy’ I would say maybe. But it was only $80 and you use the bike you already own. Not only that, the bike is not stuck on the trainer, it can be removed and ridden with one quick release connector. It also folds up and so you can ride you bike, bring it in and train. Certainly, you can pay a lot more money as this is no Peloton. While specialized equipment yield the best results, this is a low barrier of entry.

It is recommended that the back tire be changed to a slick tire. I figure, I will wear out the one that is on there before I do that because changing a rear tire is a hassle. I kind of don’t want to either because it is neutering my mountain bike. Who am I kidding, I haven’t mountain biked in thirty years, why start now. I have considered even buying a new bike and converting my current bike into a casual rider. That is if I actually start riding more.

The pouch is for the dog training remote. I don’t always take it but I should. Since I have started this effort in earnest, the dog starts going crazy when I put on my shoes and stalking cap after work. She is good and trainable, unlike me. I am working on not pulling like a sled dog on the leash and the training collar is the most effective tool for the job.

In the early fall I was training the heel command. She definitely seems to have that down. As a result I put the training collar down and incrementally she started pulling again. What I have discovered is that it is difficult to hold the leash and the remote at the same time. When I put it in my pocket, it is hard to access and is prone to errant triggering. That is definitely no bueno. So I thought I would try this.

As tacticoolly enamored as I am, I am drawn to all the gear and do-dads that company’s make to add to the MOLLE web system. This is no exception but it is my first. I am not even attaching it to a MOLLE web but that is OK. I just want a secure place to store my training remote that has easy access and won’t shock my dog carrying it.

End Your Programming Routine: Strictly speaking, the dog is not required for training and she is certainly not going on the hike. But, she loves it and there is no reason that if I am just walking around town I shouldn’t take her. If she is going, then so is the remote. The bike trainer is in lieu of joining a gym to extend my training hours and by proxy get as fit as I can before the hike. So, neither is needed for my trip but both are critical for my trip going well.

January 30, 2025 – Roads of Our Fathers

January 30, 2025 /

It is a hike of sorts, but it is mostly on paved roads. I have done this twice now and that is a perimeter walk around the defunct military base called Camp Adair. It was a World War II training facility used to gear up soldiers primarily for the European theater. It was a POW camp for a short period of time and it was a nuclear radar facility up until 1969.

The extent of the base is much larger than what today is the official portion of the wildlife area. As an example, in the picture below the closest hill in the picture is actually a garbage dump. This was originally an artillery range which was deemed too dangerous to reclaim as productive land. In the surrounding area, unexploded ordinance is still occasionally found.

What today is the wildlife area was originally the heart of the base. You can see from the picture that I am standing on a paved road. This is an actual road around that heart. I am amazed that something paved over eighty years ago still looks this good. As you walk around the property, most of what remains are foundations and footings. There are still some structures, those contain the active facilities of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. By and large it is whatever the earth has reclaimed since it’s former mission.

I have lived within five to ten miles from this facility most of my life. It sits in-between where I grew up and where I live now. As I have been walking this loop, I have encountered hunters running dogs, I assume rabbit hunting. While I have fished the stocked pond a number of times, it makes me feel like I have not taken advantage of the hunting opportunities throughout my life.

This is one of those places that gets tons of multipurpose use. The newish archery range has been packed since it was built ten years ago. Mostly what I have known was the fishing pond. It is one of the rare places that people fish all year long. The most consistent year around users are dog and people walkers, My parents have picked blackberries, I see many apple trees and who knows what else can be found. The flat, paved roads make a leisurely bike paths. So, while it is a designated sporting property, many other people use it as well.

If you are paying attention, then the title might sound vaguely familiar. Yes, I modified it from the Clint Eastwood film ‘Flags of Our Fathers’. This movie is a historical recreation of the invasion of Iwa Jima. I think the point of the film is to highlight the grit of the figures instrumental in raising the flag on that island. For that reason, it is not purely rah rah patriotisms but showing the fabric and foundation of what people went through to complete an assigned task.

My grandfather was at training here. He was drafted where he promptly dropped out of college playing football for Oregon State University. Then he went to basic training at Camp White and finally here at Camp Adair before shipping out to drive Jeeps around both Europe and the South Pacific. As I walk around the perimeter, I cant help but wonder Is this a road that he was on eighty years ago?

For me, it is a little more emotional question than average. What I mean is not the street or the location but the exact pavement that was there. The level of fear and uncertainty that was awaiting deployment must have been palpable. He arrived in France in 1944 as the war was inevitably winding down. But, during those training years of 42 and 43 the outcome was far from determined.

With Europe in hand, they sent him to Okinawa to serve out his term. The Americans were heavily involved in rebuilding both theaters but Asia was almost exclusively American. Even today, Okinawa has the largest permanent military presence outside of the United States.

Was he a hero in the Iwa Jima sense? Probably not. He never talked about the war even when asked. The only story I ever heard from him was being offered wine in France. As the son of an violent alcoholic, he never drank. I had an assignment in US History to ask a Vet about their experience. I don’t think my teacher had much appreciation for the pain and trauma that war really had. I had three combat vets as immediate relatives and really don’t have a single story, just vague innuendo.

End Your Programming Routine: We have had a nice clear snap for the last several weeks. With the cold north wind blowing on me, I keep imagining this place filled with buildings, people and vehicles. I hear gunshots, not from rifles or artillery but a shotgun blast from a hopeful hunter. These are the roads of our fathers.

Log into YouTube to watch the whole movie “Flags of Our Fathers”. Link below.

January 23, 2025 – A New Year, New Gear Part 3

January 23, 2025 /

It is not as sexy as a new pack for sure. But one of my worries has been having enough water during the day. I have never been in love with the water bladder but it might be something I warm up to. The volume, form factor, weight and the fact that all packs are designed for it are starting to change my mind. The one I have pictured is what I am calling my practice setup.

The reason it is practice is two fold. The bladder pictured is smaller than I intend on carrying. It is also sized to carry in some of my smaller packs that will use for day hikes and less ambitious endeavors. The other is that it is inexpensive. I plan on primarily filling it with water and just carrying around for additional training weight. I would rather do that with a $10 item than a $50 item.

I have been thinking. I may in fact choose to carry two bladders. Here me out, if water is a mile away, then I don’t want to fill up at the end of the day and then cook, wash, etc only to have to go back another mile the next day before starting. That would give me the capacity to carry additional water to the camp site without making an extra trip.

It is also a known fact that I am preparedness minded. Water is primary to life, I can loose all my food to a bear or something but without water, that can be terminal. If for some reason my one reservoir breaks, doesn’t hold water or doesn’t work there are no other options. I was also trying to solve how to carry up to 6L of water, I think this is it.

My boys are users of water bladders for years. It is common for me to see them sitting on the dish drying rack for a month while I patiently wait for the boys to deal with them until I finally have had enough. For that reason, I invested in a cleaning kit that also includes a hanger or spreader. I take care of my stuff, even cheap stuff but I hope that they will too.

To the far right, is the worlds most expensive piece of aluminum. Of course the purpose is to dig holes. Reading the instructions, I was surprised to read that the initial digging was with the handle. Then you flip and pry with the spade side. We all know what the holes are for, but it would be useful for clearing tent sites and other things a shovel is for.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t appreciate water and sanitation. You might even say that I take it for granted because I have never really been effected by the lack thereof. That being said, I am a student of history and take any pre-modern event and look at the lack of sanitation. The Oregon Trail being a very famous one but more people died from disease than the battle field in Civil War.

It is not to say that pre-modern man dug holes before doing business but in a concentrated area like the PCT, nobody wants to see that. That is the real purpose, not that it is going to contaminate the earth. Another interesting factoid that I heard on the Outside podcast was that in the Grand Canyon, everything needs to be packed out, everything. Supposedly, the humidity is so low that waste never decomposes, so it is not allowed.

This is exactly the kind of thing that needs some practice and that is why I am working to get geared up in order to do that. Maybe I will find I don’t like the bladder, I haven’t used it but I have carried it. I chose the shovel because it was light. If it sucks digging holes, then it would be a lot better to know that now so I can start looking for and alternative.

End Your Programming Routine: Not every week am I going to be able to buy (and write about) new gear. Next week will be one of them. I am not sure exactly what is next on the gear list. Clearly, I have been on a buying frenzy since the beginning of the year. Christmas, my birthday and good fortune have aligned for that. No matter what I choose, I have a list of things and I will keep plugging at it until it is time to go. However you slice it, water and sanitation are not sexy but critical.

January 21, 2025 – Two Scanners Scanning

January 21, 2025 /

Six months ago, I had zero scanners and now I have two. Most work days I will have both of them on because I have a lot to learn still. I figured out a couple of channels by using Radio Reference. The real reason that I have two is that I would like to have one not just in my office but also upstairs, where we live.

My newest scanner (the handheld) has a neat, preprogrammed set of frequencies that are commonly used by emergency services. I have learned at least three new channels that I didn’t see on the Radio Reference database. Eventually, I am going to add them to my stationary scanner so that I get a more comprehensive listen to what is going on.

The thing about the pre-programmed scan list is that there are so many channels that it takes it takes about 5 seconds to scan through and I am pretty sure I am missing most of the conversations that are taking place. I think this because sometime I catch the tail end of the conversation on the handheld that I have been hearing on the larger scanner. This means that there is a meaningful limit to the number of channels to put into a scan group.

Another cool thing with the handheld is that is have several built in scan-lists. For instance there is a CB list. So I could run the scanner to determine a good channel to talk on. It also has a VHF channel list. This would be more helpful in a marine environment where I could listen to Coast Guard radio. Most of those channels are reserved for certain purposes like ships and harbors.

Do I need to have two scanners running? I don’t think so but once again there does seem to be a practical limit to the number of channels that effectively are scanned in any one group. I am doing it to collectively build a better list of channels. I cant say if the ones on Radio Reference are old or out of date or what. I could imagine a situation where you might not want the scanner to jump to public works while things were getting hot.

Currently, of the two I am liking the handheld better. It has an electric plug as well as batteries making it portable. It seems to get decent reception despite the fact I have the desktop version plugged into an exterior antenna. My only knock is the programming and use seems to be more complicated and less intuitive than the desktop. Actually, I have to read the manual each time I want to do anything for either. So, that is not saying too much.

Both of these I purchased from eBay for about $50 each. Don’t be surprised to find them for a significantly higher price though. You just have to keep an eye out and jump on the opportunity for lower price. What you might find for higher priced models is more accessories or possibly better condition. Then again, just keep watching for a good one.

I have yet to figure out how to handle trunking (or digital channel skipping) and that may be why I have not really figured out the Law Enforcement frequencies. Be aware that technology moves on and buying used may not get you what you want to hear. Do the best you can to research what technology your local agencies are using and compare that to the used models out there. Both of mine support dual trunking but not triple trunking. Fire, medical, public works are all using standard radio.

What I am saying is be wary of paying too much for something that might not meet your needs. You might end up disappointed. On the other hand, sometimes an out of date scanner for $20 may be exactly the entry point you want without breaking the bank.

End Your Programming Routine: Don’t be surprised if I end up with three scanners. I would love to own the Uniden Home Patrol for the very reason that it would shortcut a lot of the trial and error that I have been doing. Basically, you put in your zip code and a database with all of the active frequencies are ready to go. These are things that often come with subscription services and other costs (which is why I don’t have any now).

January 16, 2025 – A New Year, New Gear Part 2

January 16, 2025 /

Meet my new pack. A brand new, 65L pack made by Gregory. As far as I am concerned, I am pretty brand agnostic. I guess to be totally truthful, I would prefer to support brands and companies that reflect my values and I bought this one without any research because it was the right size and fit the load the best of the ones I tried.

What I want you to know about packs is to go somewhere where people know what they are talking about. Yes, I bought a pack from a box store in the past without any sort of sales help. And if you are already an expert then that is fine. But this time, I went to a specialty store. I am not going to lie, it was REI and they do not generally reflect my values. That being said, they offer options and they provide help by people that actually do the work.

The first thing that they asked was have I been measured? Of course, the answer was no. I don’t remember the exact numbers but the results were the top end of medium and the bottom end of large. The reason this is important is that packs are sized both in what they can hold and the structure on how they fit on the body. Not only that, but different brands interpret S/M/L as exactly the same. Hence, go to a store that is knowledgeable about the product.

Another service that I got was having the pack roughly adjusted and a load added for each of the potential options. I was able have the pack optimized and walk around the store, including flights of stairs and see which one worked the best. You don’t get that from a box store or the internet for sure. Most of the other gear can be coped with but a pack is critical to be right. Hopefully, I made my point.

Another major difference between my 1990s, external frame pack and my new one is that the old one was designed to lash gear to the outside. That is where I put my sleeping bag, tent and pad. All bulky and heavy. For that reason, new gear needs to be considered to be put inside of my new pack. Everything, including sleeping bags are smaller today because they need to fit inside the zippers. So, the gear strategy is different than it used to be requiring evaluation of all of my old stuff.

A general rule of thumb is bags up to 25L are considered day packs. 30-50L packs are a couple of days and 50-70L are the week long size. Any larger than that and things are too heavy to reasonably pack. My current training pack is a 40L pack. I put some weight in it to give me something to lug around. I bought this pack with the idea that I would use it for weekend trips. Truthfully, I have used it very little since I bought it so it was almost new when I started training.

Incidentally, I was looking at the tag on my 40L pack and it was marked S/M. I have been having some problems with straps staying tight as I walk, While not completely uncomfortable, I wonder if that pack is actually too small for me. I thought the size denoted the capacity not knowing that they were built for body types.

One last thing to consider on packs. My two older packs are top loading. The advantage of that is that everything is well contained and they are considered to be able to hold more. Packs that can access the contents from the front are significantly easier to use. You do not have to dump everything to get to the bottom. I found with top loading options that the pack needed to be repacked every day.

I have tried to pack strategically but inevitably you should only be packing the things that you need. Therefore, everything needs to be accessed. This leads to dumping the pack every day and repacking. That is kind of a pain, I am hoping that this new, front loading pack is much more user friendly, but I will have to use it to be sure.

End Your Programming Routine: I have one more major piece of gear that I need to get and that is a tent. I am researching that now so more on that later. My plan is to keep using my training setup on a daily basis and to take my new pack out on some weekend testing. That probably wont happen until I have the tent however. Right now, I am just filling the new pack up with new stuff. That is my specialty.

January 14, 2025 – I Have GPS, Why Would I Need a Compass?

January 14, 2025 /

When I was a Boy Scout, it was a troop requirement to have a whistle and compass if you were going to leave camp. The theory was that you weren’t going to get lost but if you did, the compass was going to get you home and if that failed, blow your whistle until you were found. Keep reading to find out that was partially hooey.

My new compass

A GPS is an incredibly useful device. You can set a pin for your vehicle or camp and in theory, all you have to do to get back is keep walking to the pin. Rather an absolute navigation tool, the best use for GPS is actually relative data like how far or how fast it has been because strictly speaking it is not a perfect navigation signal.

While GPS can be pretty basic, it can also be much more interactive. In the simplest terms, The world have been mapped as a grid. A connection between you and the satellite just says where you are in that grid. Without a map, the context of that number is almost meaningless. It is possible to get coordinates to a destination and then you can simply navigate between where you are at to that coordinate destination.

The more sophisticated devices have an internal memory or at least a way to insert a micro SD card. That is where you would put your map which then gives context to the screen. Today’s younger generation has bypassed those devices in favor of the mobile phone which already has a GPS built in and plenty of memory. Services such as On-X provide detailed maps as a subscription service making the old GPS devices seem like dinosaurs.

Great… so why would we need a compass if this gizmo does everything that I want? First of all, if you don’t know how to use a compass it does you no good at all. Second, without a map even knowing how to use a compass has very little value. Sure, you should be able to find North pretty easily, but I would expect even a novice outdoors person to be able to do that by the sky. This is why carrying a compass in Boy Scouts was little more than mental dissidence.

I have found two significant problems with GPS devices. The first is terrain and vegetation will block satellite signals. This makes these expensive gizmos useless. The second is that they all run on batteries, so unless you are going to have a way to power them, they are going to stop working (relatively quickly). This is not to say that I am not going to continue to use them, but I recognize the limitations and they may not make the final gear list.

I will carry a map, so I might as well also have a compass. I should also point out that the map should preferably be a topographic map. You are going to use the highest points as targets to try and figure out where you are on the map with lines called azimuths. Once you know where you are, then you can figure out how to get where you are going to go. A compass will provide the bearing as you continue to walk in the direction of your target.

I will likely not use orienteering for navigation. The trail will be relatively well marked and the map will likely come out with signage and other landmarks. People do say that at times the trail is not well marked or covered with snow so it is possible to get off course. I have learned ‘Be Prepared’ even if it comes with a weight penalty. I will also have my watch (GPS) and likely my phone another GPS. All of these things need practice for proficiency.

End Your Programming Routine: I should probably write another article that talks about orienteering strictly because there is more to know as well as some other issues. But I think that you can tell I am advocating for map and compass. The National Geographic map of the PCT is larger than pocket sized but very detailed. You can’t go wrong with learning another practical skill especially one that doesn’t need batteries or a satellite signal. It might even save your life.