PDA

View Full Version : Where else do you use your hiking skills?



BobTheBuilder
08-31-2008, 21:47
I'm riding out Gustav in New Orleans, and it occurs to me that I have the equipment to filter water and cook over an alcohol stove only because of my hiking hobby. So my question is, where besides the trail do you use hiking skills?

Auntie Mame
08-31-2008, 21:56
Good question! Travel in general. We can go very cheaply wherever we travel, as we think its fine to cook for ourselves, use dehydrated foods, etc. We have had power outages and ice storms in Maine during which it just feels like camping. Backpacking has really developed my sense of self sufficiency, which started in the '60's and '70's, went dormant for a couple of decades, and is back in full force now.

gaga
08-31-2008, 21:59
fishing

Jason of the Woods
08-31-2008, 21:59
Hiking helps me in so many aspects of my life that it is hard to narrow it down to anything in particular.

fiddlehead
08-31-2008, 22:31
My GPS skills allow me to find (and remember) turns to get so many interesting places.
I use Google Earth a lot and transfer points to my GPS and then go there.
Example: Hash House Harriers have a different starting point every week and I do not live in the areas where they run so use it to find the turns. Easy.

Also:
firebuilding when we have cookouts in the wet or damp jungle

Jogging: I now speed walk all the uphills and run a different technique than other joggers and don't get knee problems this way.

Buying clothes and shoes: now i know what is good for cold weather and warm weather. for shoes, i look at the tread first and then the size and THEN the name brand.

Weather prediction. I don't trust the weatherman as much as i do my barometer. (how comes these guys never apologize when they are wrong?) I watch the clouds more and know the difference between some of them.
I understand the moon cycles much better and can tell what time it is (aprox) from the moon when i can see it. Know more about constellations too.

Teaching my boy about wildlife and plants as well as keeping my mind open to edible plants especially when i see locals picking them. I see what they are picking, ask questions and try some myself.

When you spend enough time in the outdoors, many things are easily read like a book
Most things in life can be related but it takes an open mind.

In other words, sort of like what Jason of the Woods said above.

mtnkngxt
08-31-2008, 22:33
Teaches you patience and hard work, which has paid off in school. Also I tend to cook better on a trail stove and have been known to make "nice" dinners on it instead of the stove. This usually draws strange looks from female companions.

rasudduth
08-31-2008, 22:53
Ha! During Katrina in New Orleans I showed up at work (the hospital) with all of my camping gear and not much else for personal effects. I was one of 2 nurses in the whole hospital with a headlamp (people laughed at our 'miners lamps'), the other nurse also hiked and worked in the ER. I never used any of it while there but in a way it made me feel more confident that I could handle what would be thrown at me/us. I am both glad and bummed that I am not there for this one.

adventurousmtnlvr
08-31-2008, 23:34
use my stove to cook with when the power is out at my house, lol.

head lamp for when I'm under the house doing my own bug bombing, pipe wrapping etc // and also in my attic when I work in that crawl space

teaching general hiking/outdoor skills to nieces and nephews (and they remember!)

walking a dog; trying a new trail only to find it goes for miles and now I can't go back only forward ... that was a LONG walk (my dog was small and I had to carry him the last few miles poor thing) lol

buying "under" type cloths is different now for just working in the yard so I don't sweat as much/then freeze

and 'sharing' what we've all learned so we can pass on good information until something better comes along :)

hammock engineer
09-01-2008, 07:58
I'm riding out Gustav in New Orleans, and it occurs to me that I have the equipment to filter water and cook over an alcohol stove only because of my hiking hobby. So my question is, where besides the trail do you use hiking skills?


I used mine last week when I bought food incase I ended up staying. Made the track back to Cincy instead. I am fortunate with my job and was given the time off before and after the storm that I don't need to sit in traffic either way.

I'll probably be heading back later this week or a day or so after everyone else makes the push back. PM me if you need anything you can't find there.

modiyooch
09-01-2008, 08:13
I'm riding out Gustav in New Orleans, and it occurs to me that I have the equipment to filter water and cook over an alcohol stove only because of my hiking hobby. So my question is, where besides the trail do you use hiking skills? I've learned to respect Mother Nature, for the most part, and I pray for your safety during this storm. Keep us posted if you can.

Lyle
09-01-2008, 08:20
I attended a conference in Downtown Deluth a couple of years ago. Being cheap, instead of paying a week of Hotel charges I found a cross-country ski area right in the city that allowed camping. I spread the word to others who were attending the conference and three of us roughed it the entire week. We had the entire 100 acre ski center all to ourselves. Had an excellent, relaxing time. If I weren't a backpacker, I probably wouldn't have considered camping in the middle of a large city.

Just the knowlege that I'll be perfectly comfortable for an extended time no matter what comforts or "Necessities" are lost during a disaster. As long as I have my backpack, I'm good to go!

modiyooch
09-01-2008, 08:28
I've heated by wood most of my adult life. No sweat when the power goes out during a winter storm. We already have warmth, we can cook on the woodstove, I have the essential two cups of coffee, we have candles and flashlights. Everything slows down. When the kids were young we would have family entertainment time with puzzles, Knex projects. We often talked about having a "nonelectricity" night once a month.

Homer&Marje
09-01-2008, 08:33
I find myself being much more patient in life when I get back from a hike. Fast paced lives sometimes breed impatience but after I have been in the woods for a few days most of that anxiety is erased when I get back. Of course it's quick to return when needed, and then I plan another few days in the woods

MOWGLI
09-01-2008, 08:41
Trail maintenance & construction, and invasive plant species removal.

Slosteppin
09-01-2008, 08:50
I'm retired so many concerns don't apply.
I use my headlamp about 8 months of the year to walk to the road for the morning paper.
Whenever we travel I carry my day pack with all my standard "emergency" gear. I might find a place for a hike.
I took a part time job with the local Land Conservancy locating property corners on all their various Preserves. All my off trail navigation skills are needed. I carry one of my backpacking packs instead of a daypack so I can attach the extra gear needed for locating and marking property corners.

Slosteppin

fiddlehead
09-01-2008, 09:03
I took a part time job with the local Land Conservancy locating property corners on all their various Preserves. All my off trail navigation skills are needed. I carry one of my backpacking packs instead of a daypack so I can attach the extra gear needed for locating and marking property corners.

Slosteppin

I did that last fall for a friend in PA who needed help finding his property line (he had about 150 acres and many corners)
He had some kind of map that showed the corners and how many feet they were apart.
I used Delorme Topo USA and plotted his whole property on my GPS, went out, found all but 3 of the stakes (found 5 of them) and tied rags on trees a bushes where i thought his line was for hundreds of yards. (lots of bushwhacking through thick brush)
turned out i was so close, he used the rags to put a road in and gave me $250 for my (fun) work. I was just seeing how accurate i could be and he said i saved him a lot of surveryor fees. (he eventually found the other pins with a metal detector which i didn't have and they were buried)
Anyway, your post brought back those memories.

bloodmountainman
09-01-2008, 09:40
Hunting, fishing, canoeing, when the power goes out, and the truck breaks down.

modiyooch
09-01-2008, 09:54
did anyone of us have fears of Y2K (Y2@K) ?? :)

chief
09-01-2008, 10:30
Pretty impressive comments!

Personally, I use my hiking skills to impress friends and get laid. Just the other night I schooled a girl in the proper use of body heat to stay warm. She said, "Ooh, you're SO self-sufficient". Works every time!

NICKTHEGREEK
09-01-2008, 10:40
did anyone of us have fears of Y2K ?? :)
You did if you had money or investments

modiyooch
09-01-2008, 10:55
You did if you had money or investments I had both.

TD55
09-01-2008, 21:11
Cross country motorcycle rides. Also, I travel to Eastern Europe alot in the winter and do alot of walking outdoors (day hikes). My knowledge of how to pack and dress has been very helpful. I usually wear high tech outdoor clothing. Sometimes I go for month long trips with only carry on bags.

Erin
09-01-2008, 23:30
I used all my stuff when we had the ice storm in January 2007.We had the ice storm that shut down everyting for weeks, trees, wires, etc.

I had no power for two weeks in mid city. I cooked early on for neighbors and friends and they did the same for me. To get rid of the perishables. Eggs and asparagus, yum. When the temps hit zero, though, that was pretty much it for the left over frige food on the porch in the cooler. It just froze solid. It is easy to cook out when is 20, it is just not the same when it is zero and below zero wind blowing wind chill. I donated the food large items in my frige and freezer to shelters or friends who basically had shelters in their homes. I used all my cold weather gear in my home and did very well. My next door neighbors had a wood stove-great. I worked during the time and would leave the office with my cold weather clothes, a head lamp and a pistol to go home. Many of us had gone to the coast for Katrina clean up, so there was very little complaining here. We knew we were so lucky so still have homes.

ed bell
09-02-2008, 00:07
This one might get a few chuckles but outdoor sporting events. Especially when tailgating and raw weather is involved. Good tarp skills and always having the right clothing to stay dry and warm. I went to a NASCAR race in Atlanta one November about 10 years ago when the high temperature was in the 30's and the wind was blowing from 20-30mph all day. I was ready for it and had a blast while most ended up being miserable.

Landshark
09-03-2008, 21:06
This one might get a few chuckles but outdoor sporting events. Especially when tailgating and raw weather is involved. Good tarp skills and always having the right clothing to stay dry and warm.


That's exactly what I was going to say. We go to a lot of outdoor concerts and festivals, and I have found that my "hiking clothes" are much more comfortable when wet than jeans and t-shirts, and our tarps and groundcloths are better than the usual fleece blanket or towel.

I also wear my headlamp for household repairs!

Finally, I think the self-sufficiency that comes from solo hiking and backpacking gives me a little more courage for the rest of the stuff that I do. In other words, I can think, "I've faced a bear by myself, I can deal with a sixth grader who's having a temper tantrum." or "I slept in a tent in the middle of nowhere, I can deal with crazy coworkers." And so forth.

LIhikers
09-04-2008, 07:30
I did that last fall for a friend in PA who needed help finding his property line (he had about 150 acres and many corners)
He had some kind of map that showed the corners and how many feet they were apart.
I used Delorme Topo USA and plotted his whole property on my GPS, went out, found all but 3 of the stakes (found 5 of them) and tied rags on trees a bushes where i thought his line was for hundreds of yards. (lots of bushwhacking through thick brush)
turned out i was so close, he used the rags to put a road in and gave me $250 for my (fun) work. I was just seeing how accurate i could be and he said i saved him a lot of surveryor fees. (he eventually found the other pins with a metal detector which i didn't have and they were buried)
Anyway, your post brought back those memories.

Sounds like you'd be the ideal candidate to be a volunteer A.T. corridor monitor, if you aren't already (hint, hint)

Alligator
09-04-2008, 09:03
Inclement weather-ice storms, power outages.
Dressing for the weather such as outdoor events.
Backyard campfires.
Fireplace tending.
Cooking, I can cook on any stove, fire, grill etc.

MOWGLI
09-04-2008, 09:13
Running away from yellowjackets. I wasn't quite fast enough this weekend while cutting the grass. :eek:

fiddlehead
09-04-2008, 09:40
Sounds like you'd be the ideal candidate to be a volunteer A.T. corridor monitor, if you aren't already (hint, hint)

Not sure what that means but i'm not living in the area anymore.
I am using those same GPS skills in trying to plan a hiking trail here in Phuket, Thailand at the moment.

You can read about it here (http://fiddlehead.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/trailblazing-in-phuket/) if you like

Although my GPS died (screen went blank) on me the other day and i just bought a new Garmin 60 CSX on ebay and waiting for it to be sent over at the present time.

I do get back to PA every fall around November for a few weeks. Anything i can help you with at that time??

Newb
09-04-2008, 10:05
lol. I have a flowerbed in my front yard and some weeds started growing in the flowers...when I realized it's lambs quarters I made sure not to pick it, I'm gonna eat it...
Now, until I started hiking it never would have occurred to me save the weeds in my flower bed for dinner.

ki0eh
09-04-2008, 10:13
I do get back to PA every fall around November for a few weeks. Anything i can help you with at that time??

http://www.kta-hike.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=37 if it fits your schedule, or http://www.satc-hike.org/trailwork.html

Wags
09-04-2008, 16:13
i'm in my senior year as an elementary ed major and use a lot of backpacking stuff to teach the kids.
navigation
LNT
survival
weather
etc

Many Walks
09-05-2008, 12:39
We moved to Northern CA last December and right after buying a little place in the mountains a winter storm blew down the power lines. Power was out for over a week, and while we met some folks from the area that were nearly in a panic and complaining, we were just fine. Had out gear and felt like we were living in luxury with our own shelter. People thought we were crazy and couldn't figure out why it didn't bother us. Also, while a lot of people drive short distances for errands we have no problem walking miles. I think hikers just tend to look at things in a different way than most people, since we embrace a simple lifestyle.

boarstone
09-05-2008, 14:17
....ice fishing and survival gear stowed up for snowsled season, hunting, fishing,....

canoehead
09-05-2008, 15:55
I run all kinds of school, Homeschooler programs where
We link adventure through education.

Bear Cables
09-05-2008, 17:33
I'm riding out Gustav in New Orleans, and it occurs to me that I have the equipment to filter water and cook over an alcohol stove only because of my hiking hobby. So my question is, where besides the trail do you use hiking skills?

camping and hiking gear really does come in handy during power outages. For those neighbors of mine under a boil order it would be easy to use the micropur tablets. For those with no workable stove...power up that snowpeak!

Pedaling Fool
09-05-2008, 17:50
My local gym has a revolving staircase similar to this one (http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/bigfit_2019_44205654). No one can out perform me on this thing - I'm the StairMaster Master:D

Cookerhiker
09-05-2008, 20:14
I use some of the same gear for bicycle camping. Having a light screw-on stove and compact sleeping bag helps since there's less room in panniers than my backpack.

When I lived in the DC area and we lost power in a snowstorm, I endeared myself to my neighbors when I brewed fresh coffee on my camping stove and served them door-to-door.

fancyfeet
09-06-2008, 14:11
I used to do long road trips, the last adventure was 3 1/2 months travelling around the country, doing short hikes, taking classes in MT, visiting National Parks, and so on. Couldn't afford to stay in hotels for that duration, so I camped a lot. Got a few curious looks when using my camp stove to eat or make coffee at rest areas along the way. I certainly saved a lot of money (and my health) not hitting fast food stops very often.

chiefdaddy
09-06-2008, 14:27
I have stealth camped in the middle of towns in patches of woods behing shopping malls ect. never had a problem, in after dark and out before the public is up and about.

Captn
09-07-2008, 08:20
The self confidence I've gotten from my solo hikes serves me well in all parts of my life.

xnav
09-07-2008, 11:19
I am a survey party chief and spend about half of my time in the woods. I walk 5 to 10 miles a day on average and am currently surveying approx 3 miles of wiregrass and cypress swamp along the boundary of the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. A lot of it burned last year and we are relocating the boundary lines. I love the fact that I get paid to see many areas that will never be see by the public.

Deerleg
09-07-2008, 12:12
All the self sufficient skills for the basics of food, shelter and warmth. A couple of my neighbors have natural gas generators that kick in during our some what frequent, but usually not very long power outages. I rather keep the 5-10K they spend and use it for other things. I look forward to few hours with the lights out!

rickb
09-07-2008, 12:41
Traveling light.

My wife and I went on our first "group tour" trip recently and the leader was so amazed that we had 10 days worth of stuff in just 2 carry-ons between us, he assembled everyone together and took our picture at the Airport in disbelief.

While I felt a bit ill at ease over the attention, I must admit I did enjoy telling him our bags would have been much lighter if it were not for the two wetsuits and sets of fins. His reaction was priceless.

As a backpacker you learn very quickly that you don't need much to have everything you need.

darkage
09-07-2008, 20:57
I use um to keep up with my 1 year old and 6 year old .... without the cardio of hiking ... they'd run me into the ground ...

Deerleg
09-09-2008, 12:14
Traveling light....
As a backpacker you learn very quickly that you don't need much to have everything you need.

My mother-in-law is getting ready to move closer to one of her children and is agonizing over what to take and what to give away...my advice was "if you don't have it, you don't need it"

Yahtzee
09-14-2008, 20:27
My buddy from '03 is living thru the hurricane in Houston. His Petzl and water filter are coming handy.

If the market collapses, which is a serious possibility, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people are going to be in financial freefall. Everyone pray for a reasonable resolution to this mess. Regardless of one's beliefs about a free market system, tomorrow is going to be a reality shortly and we have no idea what will come. One's ability to fend for themselves is no small thing at the moment, even if it is only insurance against the small possibility of chaos.

rafe
09-14-2008, 20:49
My buddy from '03 is living thru the hurricane in Houston. His Petzl and water filter are coming handy.

If the market collapses, which is a serious possibility, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people are going to be in financial freefall. Everyone pray for a reasonable resolution to this mess. Regardless of one's beliefs about a free market system, tomorrow is going to be a reality shortly and we have no idea what will come. One's ability to fend for themselves is no small thing at the moment, even if it is only insurance against the small possibility of chaos.


In Frantic Day, Wall Street Banks Teeter (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/business/15lehman.html?hp) (NY Times, today)
In one of the most extraordinary days in Wall Street’s history, Merrill Lynch (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/merrill_lynch_and_company/index.html?inline=nyt-org)Bank of America (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/bank_of_america_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org) to avert a deepening financial crisis while another storied securities firm, Lehman Brothers (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/lehman_brothers_holdings_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org), hurtled toward liquidation, according to people briefed on the deal.
Nouriel Roubini | Sep 13, 2008 (http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2008/09/roubini-and-bail-in-this-weekend.html)

It is now clear that we are again – as we were in mid- March at the time of the Bear Stearns collapse – an epsilon away from a generalized run on most of the shadow banking system, especially the other major independent broker dealers (Lehman, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs). If Lehman does not find a buyer over the weekend and the counterparties of Lehman withdraw their credit lines on Monday (as they all will in the absence of a deal) you will have not only a collapse of Lehman but also the beginning of a run on the other independent broker dealers (Merrill Lynch first but also in sequence Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley and possibly even those broker dealers that are part of a larger commercial bank, I.e. JP Morgan and Citigroup). Then this run would lead to a massive systemic meltdown of the financial system. That is the reason why the Fed has convened in emergency meetings the heads of all major Wall Street firms on Friday and again today to convince them not to pull the plug on Lehman and maintain their exposure to this distressed broker dealer.

bikerscars
09-14-2008, 21:09
seems the greedy deck of cards game is closer than ever to falling down...
hope we all can come together like we did after 9-11...
interesting times we live in

ChinMusic
09-14-2008, 21:21
Steripen - We had a local boil order so I just whipped out the Steripen. I also wouldn't travel overseas without it.

Alcohol Stove - We had a power outage so I got to be cook for the day.

Headlamp - For getting around the house during the power outage.