• Find a flat surface, that is higher then its surroundings. In case of rain you don’t want to be in a pool, or rushing water.  The sleeping bags and tent materials are very slick, if the surface is not flat you will be sliding down as you sleep.
• Make sure the surface is clean, no sharp objects.  Sharp object may puncture the bottom of your tent. In any case use a footprint or a tarp to protect the bottom of your tent.
• Look up, don’t setup under a dead leaning tree, rocks, or anything that may fall on you.
• Setup away, and up wind from the camp fire.  When sparks hit a tent they burn holes.  Holy tents don’t stay dry.
• In windy conditions make sure to stake as you go.  The tent is very light and will act like a sail, when setting up a tent on a cliff, you may loose it if not properly staked.  If you are on a surface that stakes would work (a rock) use a heavy object (like the backpack) to keep the tent from flying away.
• Setup the Tent away from the food preparation/eating area. Food attracts all kind of creatures, bears, etc..  you don’t want them coming near your tent.
• Do not eat or keep food in your tent.

Of the 3 bear species (black, brown, and polar bears) in North America, only the black bear lives in our area. Shy and secretive, the sighting of a bear is a rare treat for most backpackers. However, bears are found throughout much of the Commonwealth, and encounters between bears and people are increasing. Most encounters are people who have the opportunity to view a bear in the wild, but given the right circumstances, bears may cause a variety of problems/nuisances. However, a basic understanding of bear biology and implementing a few preventative measures will go a long way to helping make all your encounters with bears positive.

Black Bear Facts

• Black bears are typically crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn), but can be active any time of day.
• Bears may feed up to 20 hours per day, accumulating fat (energy) prior to winter denning. An adult male can gain over 100 pounds in a few weeks when acorn production is heavy.
• Female black bears have smaller home ranges (1 to 51 square miles) than males (10 to 293 square miles).
• Black bears are generally solitary, except sows caring for cubs. Adult bears may be seen together during the summer breeding period.
• Bears are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating mostly plants in the spring, berries and insects in the summer, and nuts and berries in the fall. Bears have been observed capturing live animals, both wild and domestic. Carrion (dead animals) is often a part of a bear’s diet. Predation of livestock is not common, but is reported each year.
• Adult female black bears weigh between 90 to 175 pounds. Males commonly weigh between 130 to 400 pounds. The largest known wild black bear was from North Carolina and weighed 880 pounds.
• Depending on weather and food conditions, black bears enter their winter dens between October and January. Bears will not eat, drink, urinate or defecate while denning. Bears are easily aroused and may be active during warm winter days. They emerge from their dens from mid-March to early May.
• In Virginia, most bears den in large, hollow trees. Other den types include fallen trees, rock cavities, brush piles in timber cut areas, open ground nests, and man-made structures (culvert pipe). Sun, 24 Apr 2005 16:04:10 -0400 Submited By: Aaron
  

  Three of anything—whistles, shouts, flashes, etc.—is the universal distress signal. Signal with your mirror, whistle, or flashlight.

  ]]> Fri, 27 May 2005 19:24:12 -0400 Submited By: Aaron
  
  • Find an area protected by low clump of trees - never stand underneath a single large tree in the open.
  • It is a myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. In fact, lightning will strike several times in the same place in the course of one discharge.
  • Be aware of the potential for flooding in low-lying areas.
  • Crouch with hands on knees.
  • Avoid tall structures such as towers, tall trees, fences, telephone lines, power lines, or high ground and open spaces.
  • Avoid proximity (minimum of 15 feet) to other people.
  • Stay away from natural lightning rods such as golf clubs, tractors, fishing rods, bicycles, or camping equipment
  • Stay away from rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water. If you are isolated in a level field or prairie and you feel your hair stand on end (which indicates that lightning is about to strike), bend forward, putting your hands on your knees. A position with feet together and crouching while removing all metal objects is recommended. Do not lie flat on the ground.

   

  What to Do When Lightning Strikes a Person

  Check for injuries. A person who has been struck by lightning does not carry an electrical charge that can shock other people. If the victim is burned, provide first aid and call emergency medical assistance immediately. Look for burns where lightning entered and exited the body. If the strike causes the victim's heart and breathing to stop, give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until medical professionals arrive and take over.

   

  ]]> Thu, 17 Feb 2005 09:20:07 -0500 Submited By: Aaron
  

  Normally I don’t like to link to external sources but in this case I could not resist, this is a very humorous and informative article.

  
  click here to read.

  ]]> Sun, 07 Aug 2005 21:02:41 -0400 Submited By: Dawn
  

  During my last backpacking trip, as I contemplated burning a small food wrapper, I was reminded by two other members of our group just how inappropriate that would be. And I know it.  Yet, I’d slacked off and considered it.  And as I was going through some of my gear today, I found a Leave No Trace Principles card that I’d picked up at a ranger office.   So, I thought it would be a good idea to post these principles – not only for beginners who really aren’t familiar with them, but for those of us who are… but sometimes forget :-)

   

  From www.LNT.org:

   

  The Leave No Trace Principles

   

  Plan Ahead and Prepare

  Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.

  Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.

  Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.

  Visit in small groups.

  Repackage food to minimize waste.

  Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

    Thu, 19 Apr 2007 15:09:59 -0400 Submited By: Youngvine
  
  Very Very simple, go to Dave Page Cobbler. See website @ www.davepagecobbler.com
  
  ]]> Mon, 21 May 2007 16:21:16 -0400 Submited By: Aaron
  ]]> Sun, 18 Nov 2007 07:44:26 -0500 Submited By: Debbi
  
   The Snow Peak giga Power stove sits on a cannister of about 3-1/2" diameter and is quite tippy. My solution: a radiator band clamp and three light strips of metal, formed into an angle, held in place by the clamp. The clamp I got from HomeDepot and is of the heavier type (3 to 4 inch range), even so with the metal angles total weight comes to 1.5 oz, worth saving a spilled pot and a scald. Drill  holes in the angle and you can put needle stakes through and the stove will never budge. Make sure you plan to have a tool with a screwdriver end, like a Leatherman, and you are all set. Oh yes, the angles are 2-3/4" long bent at 3/4" but could be longer,and stash neatly right in the case with the stove. The band clamp? Tighten it down and it fits snugly inside the pot.
   One other tip, in general for stoves. even the best regulating stoves make it hard to simmer a dense stew without scorching, so take the lid from your pot and place it over the burner, then place your pot on the lid, that slows down and evens out the heat so a perfect simmer can take place. Replace the lid with foil to keep heat in if you like. This works with the lid that came with my Snow Peak stove and may not always work out with other stoves. The same idea could be worked out using a piece of 1/16" aluminum cut into a disc or square a few inches across but of course you have to stash it and it would add weight.
  
  ]]> Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:56:43 -0500 Submited By: Aaron
  

  Blue Bags:

  Cat holes should be part of everyone’s relief repertoire but they’re not the be-all or end-all of BMs. They don’t work for snow camping--burying stools in the snow leaves a mess when the thaw comes. They don’t work on glaciers this, too, leaves a mess as snow and ice melt. And they’re not appropriate where there’s frequent traffic-- popular campsites lacking pit toilets will quickly become a mine field and health hazard if a hundred people a year are burying their waste.

  The National Park Service regulating climbers on Mt. Rainier, Mt. Olympus, and the above-timberline domains of North Cascade National Park are now requiring climbers, mountaineers, glacier travelers, and winter campers to carry out their human waste in blue bags (unless a pit toilet can be used along their route). At first blush, it sounds repugnant to carry your byproducts in a backpack crammed with food, clothing, and sleeping bags. After you’ve done it, however, you’ll discover it beats walking barefooted through a roomful of spiders.

  Using the blue bag system is very similar to using a plastic bag to pick up after your dog. After making your deposit on the ground or snow, use the inner blue bag of this two-bag system like a glove to pickup and seal your chocolate egg. Next, the blue bag is nestled in the thicker clear bag which seals with a twist closure. On multi-day trips, you may want to safeguard your pack by storing all of your blue fruits in a poke-resistant, waterproof bag like the plastic liner of a large cereal box or a waterproof stuff sacks with a roll-and-clip closure. If you’re visiting popular places where the managing agency doesn’t distribute blue bags, make your own system with different-sized Ziploc bags.

  Once used, a blue bag becomes your personal property for the duration of your trip. At the aforementioned national parks, you can post your parcels in special barrels provided by the park at trip’s end. If you don’t use these barrels, don’t throw the blue bags in the trash it’s illegal to dispose of untreated human waste this way. Instead, the bags will need to be unpackaged and plopped into a pit toilet sans plastic. This is an unappetizing task, but it’s the responsible way to visit popular places without loving them to death.

  
  Blue-bag Alternative:

  Here’s another option for popular destinations, snow camps, and glacier camps where there will be no special barrel for blue-bag disposal: Use one of the newer bags with polymers and enzymes that immediately start breaking down feces and which are approved for disposal with normal trash headed for the landfill.

  One such product is the WAG (Waste Alleviation Gel) Bag made by PETT. This, too, is a double-bag system made of a puncture resistant material and has enough gelling powder per bag to treat three or four bowel movements. Once you’re home, toss the sealed bag into the trash. A box of 12 bags costs about $30 from http://www.campmor.com
  
  Source: http://justgetout.net/
  

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