As I plan and pack for a small winter mountain excursion, I double check one key item in my pack. A reliable fire starter! I have read many journals that end in near tragedy or a trip account that ends in death when it could have been averted. It is easy to have hind sight. But with a little preparation and a few key bits of information, you may just save yourself and not become a statistic.

Being able to start a fire when needed is a life saver. I have been so wet and cold, had I not been able to start a fire, I am sure it would have been a lot more miserable if not fatal. With a fire I was able to dry my clothing and sleeping gear. I was able to get some warm food and liquid into my shivering body. All this kept me from falling into the grips of one of the greatest outdoor threats, hypothermia.

To make sure I can start a fire I carry three forms of fire starters. In fact, my stove has a “click” spark mechanism, so I guess I have four. I carry matches, a lighter and a flint. All of these are in a heavy zip-lock baggy and the matches are in a water tight case. With all of these at my disposal, I have never been with out fire if needed.

This brings me to most important bit of advice. You need to know the signs of hypothermia so you can avert it before you are in its grips. If you are traveling solo and become fully involved by hypothermia, you most likely will perish. The fist sign is uncontrollable shaking; this is the body attempting to warm itself. It is time to find or set up shelter and get warm. If you are traveling in a group, identifying the signs in others can be life saving.

The following is the list of hypothermia’s signs:

• Shivering
• Clumsiness or lack of coordination
• Slurred speech or mumbling
• Stumbling
• Confusion or difficulty thinking
• Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes
• Drowsiness or very low energy
• Apathy, or lack of concern about one’s condition
• Progressive loss of consciousness
• Weak pulse
• Shallow breathing

If one or more of these symptoms are evident, take action! Get out of the cold, get out of wet clothing, get warm fluids, get warm by shelter, sleeping bag, and/or sharing body heat with another. This may just save someone’s life, maybe yours!

Be safe of the trail, Peter

Here is a list I came across on the National Geographic Adventure Blog. I am not sure it would be my top ten adventure list, but I still like it!

Top 10 American Adventures

10. Shipwreck diving in Lake Superior, Minnesota: Shipwrecks that rival anything you’ll find in the ocean can be found in the waters off Grand Portage, Minnesota, near Isle Royale National Park. The freshwater keeps them incredibly preserved, too.

9. Hiking the Sierra High Route, California: The 195-mile stretch between King’s Canyon and Yosemite National Park is not for the faint of heart. This trail, through the country’s most rugged terrain, is challenging to say the least.

8. Surfing ‘The Lost Coast,’ Humboldt County, California: If you’re looking for epic surfing, look no further than Humboldt County, where 80 miles of serious surf combines with coastal redwoods and gorgeous cliff walls.

7. The Tour de Heartland – Biking RAGBRAI, Iowa: Every summer, 10,000 fun-loving bikers ride across Iowa in ‘Register’s Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa.’ This year, the Barenaked Ladies are kicking the race off with a concert in Council Bluffs.

6. Watching the Caribou Migration, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Hike to the Kongakut River in ANWR to watch one of the world’s largest migrations. You’ll see lots of other large wildlife, too.

5. Canoeing the Adirondacks, New York: One of the most serene parks in the country, Adirondacks Park is perfect for paddling. Drop in at Little Tupper Lake and paddle the million-acre circuit of pristine lakes and streams.

4. Climbing Mount Rainier, Washington: Mt. Rainier may only be the 22nd highest peak in the country, but its technical climbing difficulty makes it one of the premier mountains for daring climbers.

3. Rowing through the Grand Canyon, Arizona: Row a dory (a traditional rowboat with a narrow prow) through the rapids of the Colorado River for ultimate thrills you won’t find on a raft.

2. Kayaking Lake Yellowstone, Wyoming: Paddling the Thorofare region of Yellowstone (where Yellowstone River meets Lake Yellowstone) will allow you to see the park in a whole new way. Laden with wildlife but lacking in crowds, Lake Yellowstone is teeming with bison, grizzlies, wolves, eagles and more.

1. Biking the Continental Divide Trail: If you’re looking for a challenging and epic cycling trip, pedal the Continental Divide Trail from northern Montana to southern New Mexico. 2,490 miles of trail take you up a total of 200,000 feet in elevation through desert, prairie and mountains.

Well, if the rain stops here is Southern California it will be time to get out and start exploring more of the Desert Ranges of California and the Southwest. I have been climbing the desert peaks for many years. Recently I stumbled upon the Sierra Clubs Desert Peaks Section. The DPS as they are know has compiled a list of the “best” 99 peaks in the deserts of the Southwest. This is a great place to start to plan your trips to the desert region. I would have never gone into some of these regions had I not been prompted to do so by this list of mountain peaks.

The desert can be deadly in the summer, but remember it can be very nasty in the winter too. Be prepared for cold and dry conditions. But if the rains do move in, flash floods can be very dangerous! Not only can they swell and fill a canyon, but could block your path back to the trailhead leaving you stranded for an unknown period of time.

The desert offers its own set of beauty that many people miss by not actually taking a trek into it and exploring it for an extended period of time. I have seen some of the most spectacular scenery and natural beauty in the desert!

The next on the list for me is Indianhead in the Anza-Borrego Desert. This peak is an awesome sight from Borrego Springs and gets its name because, you guessed it, looks like an Indian head. Check back for planning strategies and maps for this upcoming trip.

See you on the trail, Peter

This is a little different from my usual post but I wanted to get the word out.

OnTheTrail.org Blog is now available via your Kindle! I would like to welcome any new readers that are getting OTT via Kindle. I would like to invite you to also visit our website at www.onthetrail.org. You will find lots of trail information for trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, the John Muir Trail, the Sierra High Route and more.

In my daily readings at Kindle Nation Daily I came across some helpful information on using your Kindle and wanted to pass it along. If you are experiencing any trouble with your subscriptions downloading or syncing, follow these instructions before you contact support:

Step-by-Step: Kindle System Restart

   1. Make sure your Kindle is on.*
   2. Disconnect the Kindle from the USB or Power Adapter cable.
   3. Press the Home button on the right edge of the Kindle.
   4. From the Home screen, press the Menu button on the right edge of the Kindle.
   5. Select "Settings" from the Home Menu.
   6. From the Settings page, press the Menu button again.
   7. Select "Restart" from the Setting Menu.
   8. Wait a couple of minutes for your Kindle to Restart, then give your Kindle another few minutes to update files, blog posts, etc.

*If your Kindle does not come on, or seems frozen, connect it via its Power Adapter to a wall outlet and give it an hour to re-energize itself.

See you on the trail, Peter

I have read many articles and emails about trekking poles or hiking poles. This is not going to be a pro/con article on why or why not you should use them. There are many articles related to the benefit of poles from a physical aspect. There are just as many articles about the types of poles to use and how to use them. This is just going to be my narrative on moving from no poles to poles.

I have been hiking, backpacking and trekking some 35+ years without trekking poles. I am a downhill and nordic skier for that same amount of time and have used poles. It was not until last year did I resort to using poles while out on a 4 day backpacking trip. By the third day my knees were starting to get stiff and give me a little bit of pain. Debbie my partner has been using poles for some time now, she said I should give her poles a try, I declined.

When I am backpacking, I always consider every item that I wear or carry for functionality and weight. My biggest protest against the use of poles was the weight. Even the lightest pole out there are around one pound, and this to me, was excessive.

Anyway, back to my story. By the third day we had a long downhill that was to last almost the entire day. By mid-morning my knees were screaming. I even was having thoughts that I may not be able to continue. Out came the ibuprofen and I was able to continue but was starting to lag behind the group. I was at a point where I had to try something.

I broke down and asked Debbie if I could use her poles. This was a changing moment. I will have to say that it did not take all the pain away, but I was able to continue and keep up with the group, in fact, I led the last section as we headed to the trail head.

Since that time, I bought some poles and I use them. It has change the way I hike. I especially love the assistance they give me on the downhills, but have found they give me a rhythm on the flats kind of like nordic skiing and I really fell in tune. On the uphills, I shorten them up a bit and get my arms involved in the climb. I feel they really get my whole body into the act.

I could go on about the benefits for me, but this is something that every individual will have to try out for themselves. My suggestion is to give them a try on your next multiday trek to really give them a full testing. Remember you do not have to use them every step of the way. There are situations when I collapse them and strap them to the back of the pack. But for the most part, I have them out and they are part of me…

See you on the trail, Peter

You may or may not have heard of a tpo file. This is a file that is used to store waypoints and route definitions for the National Geographic Topo! Map series. This is the mapping software that OnTheTrail.org has been using since 2004. As long as you have the NG Topo! software you can share your trail information via a *.tpo file. We found NG Topo! to be one of the best mapping software programs out there and at swiftmaps.com you will find the best prices for Topo!

National Geographic also had a website area where people could share their tpo files with others. I was called the MapExchange. It was a great resource for the outdoor community! But about a year ago, NG changed their position and removed the MapExchange. I have searched the internet and can not find any resource for these files.

OnTheTrail.org has decided to fill this void. You can find plenty of maps for download on our website and has created the OTT MapExchange! Currently you can find  .tpo’s that I have created at OTT MapExchange . OTT will be creating more and adding them as time permits. If you have any files that you would like to share, please email them to peter@onthetrail.org and we will get them posted to share with the world!

See you on the trail, Peter

This time of year I am starting to plan my grand tours. I attempt to do two or three of these “major trips” each year. This year I already have two on the books. I will be going Mt Rainer in August with Alpine Ascents International (I will have more on this in later blog posts!) and a road trip to a family reunion outside of Chicago in July. For the trip to Chicago I am still in the process of figuring the logistics of this vacation from Southern California to Chicago and back.

I do know that the “Reunion Trip” will be by car. It will have a Northern Route and a Southern Route. It will be three weeks in length, 3 day will be in Chicago. Now the planning starts. Where are all the stops, side trips, etc? I know some of it has to be spontaneous, but I do want to have some key destinations for this trip. So, I have the atlas out and I am starting to get my list together.

I received an email the other day with a link to Google Books. I guess I heard of this before but never checked it out. After clicking on the link I was taken to an entire archive of older Backpacker Magazines! What a treasure!! I am sure I probably have all these magazines in boxes out in the garage or somewhere and the key word here is somewhere…

These are from 2004 and prior, but for browsing and adventure planning, this is an awesome resource! Not is it going to help me on this upcoming trip to Chicago but it has already sparked some additional adventures and trips that need to go on the “life list”.

For me, all the planning and re-planning is half the fun! I will be spending some “quality” time at Google Books!

Today I received a card in the mail explaining the changes in the backcountry permitting at the Grand Canyon. Effective February 1, 2010, backcountry requests made in person during the fourth month prior to the requested trip start date will no longer receive immediate, priority consideration. Instead, all of these permit requests will be placed together with the requests received by fax and mail and considered based on the date received…

Great, I wish I would have know about this in the past, now it doesn’t even matter. I was always standing at the fax machine, checking the fax machine, kicking the fax machine, etc. trying to get my permit request to go through. All this time I just could have driving there and got my request submitted and added to the top of the pile!

Well now we are all in the same boat, you too can get your second or third choice of campsite/trip itinerary just like me! But it is well worth it, you can not just drive up to the edge of this big hole and not experience it on a multiday trip. I, like many others, have done single day trips down into the canyon, doing a rim-2-rim, or a rim-2-rim-2-rim day, not much time to enjoy the canyon to the fullest.

So if you want all the details go to the NPS Grand Canyon Website at: www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/permit_change.htm .

It’s been an interesting year for OTT. We are happy that we have been able to bring some new content on our main website (onthetrail.org) but saddened that some of the projects have had to be pushed back due to other commitments. But it is a New Year and we are looking forward to exciting changes and new content!

With the new web site design and move to our own servers we are ready to bring you lots of new content and outdoor information that will help you with planning and getting outside more!

Please keep sending us your requests and questions, it is really great to hear from our readers.

Join us over the new year for all the new adventures and trail beta that will be released. Here are just some of the trips that we will be covering in 2010: Mt Whitney – the Mountaineers route, preparing, planning and climbing Mt Rainer and of course information of the wild places in the West!

Happy New Year – Peter