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Five Life Skills for BackCountry EnjoymentChuck Fitzgerald As outdoor enthusiasts spend more and more time in our backcountry, a handful of skills become more and more essential. All of these skills are easy to learn and add considerably to the overall enjoyment of spending time out-of-doors. The key word here is enjoyment. In order to enjoy ourselves, we must be comfortable with ourselves and our surroundings. This is especially true in the backcountry. So let’s talk about life skills that, when mastered, will lead to heightened enjoyment as we find ourselves off the beaten path. Understanding basic first-aid is paramount. This life skill is needed whether you enter the backcountry or not. If you haven’t taken both a first-aid class and a CPR class lately, what are you waiting for Accidents happen, be prepared. The American Red Cross offers both classes all the time. Backcountry travel requires a basic understanding of how to navigate. Whether you prefer to use a map with a compass or with a GPS, learn how to find your way around. Getting lost is bad. Fear of getting lost can be worse. Classes for map reading, compass use and GPS use are readily available in most communities. Check local libraries, community colleges or orienteering clubs. On-line classes are readily available as well. How are you at tying knots This too is an easily acquired skill. Nothing is cooler than needing to use a rope and actually knowing how to use it. Whether you are tying off a tent stake or repelling over a cliff, being able to use the right knot at the right time is important. Learn how to tie a bowline, sheet bend, rolling hitch and timber hitch, to name a few. Many books and websites are available with pictures and instructions. To start a fire, only two things are needed—heat and fuel. Whenever you visit the backcountry, always be sure to carry both heat and fuel. Heat is easiest to carry in the form of waterproof matches or a weather proof lighter. Fuel is tougher to carry although starter fuel such as lint and mineral oil shouldn’t be too difficult to carry. Nature provides an abundance of fuel if you know what you’re looking for. Whether rubbing sticks together yuck or using waterproof matches yea, be sure you know how to start a fire before you start your journey. There are many ways to start a fire and you should find at least three of them that work for you. You can find lots on-line regarding this life skill. The most enjoyable way to experience our backcountry is the “low impact” way. You’ve most likely heard the phrase “leave only footprints, take only pictures.” If we take good care of our wilderness areas, not only will we be able to enjoy them our entire lives but our descendants will have the opportunity to enjoy them too. There are many organizations actively educating outdoor enthusiasts as to the best way to “low impact” recreate. Two very popular organizations are Tread Lightly! and Leave No Trace. Knowing these five life skills will provide you with the confidence to fully enjoy your time in the backcountry. Once you’ve mastered these skills be sure to pass them on to your friends and family. Get Outdoors!
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Hell-Roaring Creek The first Summer that I lived in Colorado provided me with an opportunity to do some field work in the western Rocky Mountains.To reach my first campsite, I followed a rutted dirt road along the bank of Hell Roaring Creek, and found a rocky path that led to an abandoned mine.A cold, mountain stream gurgled and murmured within its narrow banks, at the bottom of a narrow defile carved by furious erosion to expose towering, jagged cliffs of maroon sandstone on one side, and a more gently sloping mass of granite on the other.By early afternoon, the maroon hills were softened by shadow, too steep to allow even the high Colorado sun to fully illuminate the bottom of the miniature gorge.I unfolded my double-burner Coleman stove, and placed it carefully on the hood.As the twin burners hissed bright blue heat, searing mixed vegetables on one side and Dinty Moore on the other, I watched swallows dart after insects against the backdrop of the waning Rocky Mountain sunset.I basked, self satisfied, in the sounds of the gurgling creek, the ever softening sunlight, lengthening shadows, and lilting, cool breeze.As dusk encroached, I settled in by flashlight with a Stephen King novel.I read, mesmerized as rain pattered on the roof and lightning flashed, momentarily revealing the churning mass of foliage around me and briefly illuminating the high cliffs, now turned blood-black. Photography Contest - a Fun and Rewarding Experience Do you like to take photos Are you always standing by with your camera waiting for that moment that is meant to be captured on camera You may even be taking photography classes or maybe you have already completed a photography course and you want to share your photos with others. You may want to get into photography as a career and winning a photography contest will help you get recognized. Maybe you are just an amateur that has a favorite photo that people keep telling you to enter. How To Stop Your Horse From Rearing And What To Do If He Does It Unexpectedly There is a dangerous problem that horse owners should be very aware of.It’s when a horse stands up on his back legs.It’s called “rearing.”This problem can be quite dangerous and cause severe injuries to the rider and/or horse. Choosing A Fly Reel Selecting a fly reel for trout fishing has become, like many things in fly fishing, a somewhat unnecessarily complicated adventure. The problem is, reels have gotten so well-made, so functional, that you almost have to know what you are looking for. In the old days, reels held the line, your spare hand was the drag, and that was it. Tippets almost always broke when fighting an unusually large trout, and the rare one you did haul in was a great cause for celebration. Who Invented The Game Of Golf Well, who actually did invent the game of Golf The question has been asked and argued for many years with no true winner. Many countries have a valid claim to an early game that resembles the game of golf. Some of the countries that make this claim are England. Scotland, China, Rome, France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Laos. The most heated debate over who invented golf definitely comes from Great Britain and Scotland. 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NHL Hockey Fans Left Out In Cold As The NHL Owners Lock Out Its Players NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has halted the start of the NHL hockey season by locking out its players.Can the impasse between the NHL owners and its players ever be mendedBettman reports that the NHL league has a desolate bottom line that lost $224 million US last season.The NHL hockey league is reported to have lost $1.8 billion over the 10 years of its collective bargaining agreement. New Year’s Resolutions for the BackCountry The New Year has begun and you probably have a few New Year’s Resolutions under way.You’ll lose weight, lose a bad habit, add a good habit or even mend an old fence.But do you have any resolutions for the backcountryAre you ready to make this year your best backcountry yearI’m ready.Here are a few of my backcountry New Year’s Resolutions; please adopt a couple of these for yourself.If you do, 2005 will be your best outdoor year yet. 10 Benefits You Get from Using Trekking Poles For Hiking We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit.-Aristotle- Success Doesnt Always Come Easy On a raw, cold day in the European Alps, Lance Armstrong steered his bike into the sleeting snow, then stopped. His partner riding in the car behind him urged Lance to give it up for the day and return to the comfort of his shelter. Passionate About Organizing – How To Create A Single System To Organise Both Your Digital And Traditional Photographs Digital photography promises much. Store your photographs on your computer, print them when you want, email them to friends and family – share them to your heart’s content. Couldn’t be easier, could it So how come that for most of us storing and sharing our photographs is a bit of a nightmare Camping Makes the Weekend Perfect Do you have a weekend without anything to do or a weekend when you don’t want to do anythingI know what I’d do.I would pack up the truck and head for the woods.Sitting by a camp fire with your favorite people solves many problems, so you shouldn’t wait too long between fires.My favorite thing to do on a weekend is to camp.Are you looking for an easy way to campHow about car campingI love it! Five Life Skills for BackCountry Enjoyment As outdoor enthusiasts spend more and more time in our backcountry, a handful of skills become more and more essential.All of these skills are easy to learn and add considerably to the overall enjoyment of spending time out-of-doors.The key word here is enjoyment.In order to enjoy ourselves, we must be comfortable with ourselves and our surroundings.This is especially true in the backcountry.So let’s talk about life skills that, when mastered, will lead to heightened enjoyment as we find ourselves off the beaten path. |
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