Great Backpacking
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When I was a kid my favorite sport was to take off across the wilderness for weeks at a time with nothing on me but what just happened to be in my pocket at that second when the urge to go struck me. After I had proven to myself that I could survive anywhere and after I grew older and wiser I decided that backpacking is even more fun.
One book to have inside every backpack in your party is
THE 2OZ. BACKPACKER. Written by Robert S. Wood it is
"A Problem Solving Manual for Use in the Wilds" It
is only available in used any more, and I still don't go
anywhere without it. The whole thing only weighs two ounces and
it will fit in your back pocket if you have to leave your pack
behind. |
Four
Self-Defense Tips
To Protect Your Life, and Your Kids
| Let's start with the Mesa Verde National Park
since it is my favorite. This is the only American National Park that
protects man-made structures. All the others were set up to protect
natural features. TThe park is specifically known for the “cliff dwellings”
which were built by communities of people from around 600-1300 A.D. here are
over 4,000 separate historic ruins. These cliff dwellings are
some of the most preserved in the United States and offer a peek at the
lives of the ancient Pueblo people. Many of them are large structures built
under steep, overhanging cliffs and found in narrow canyons. No wonder you'll meet friendly people from all around the
world here. No wonder they come in by the busload, and by car.
This Park is located in Southwestern Colorado, just 35 miles west of Durango. Mesa Verde is approached from US 160, which runs along the Montezuma Valley between Cortez and Mancos. Mesa Verde is Spanish for green table. You'll need to spend more than a day or two to thoroughly explore these ancient sites and beautiful landscape. The interactive exhibits are fascinating. Many of them offer talks by guides who are more than willing to answer questions and explain things in depth. The campsites are terrific and easily accessible. Again, it is a FRIENDLY place to be. I did see black bear there, and I don't mean signs of bear. Coyotes and other wild game are plentiful. For thousands of years people wandered across the Mesa Verde, living a nomadic life like dedicated backpackers while hunting wild game and gathering sustenance from the earth. Fourteen centuries ago, a few chose to settle in Mesa Verde, Colorado, choosing to stay near their planted crops. Over the next seven centuries they built more permanent homes and villages, and participated in extensive trade networks across the Southwest. The people of Mesa Verde are remembered today particularly for the grace of their architecture and the beauty of their intricate black-on-white pottery. One of the woven ropes left behind by the original inhabitants was over a thousand feet long. A short trail starting along the entrance road leads to Park Point, the highest peak in the area at 8,571 feet. There is a watch tower with uninterrupted 360 degree views, and visitors can enter to learn about the work of the fire prevention service. . Quite often there is a stream of tourist buses coming up the hills. Turnouts are plentiful for local little cars that can't make it all the way up in one gulp and these make perfect stopping off places for backpackers. The restrooms are really nice. The guides at Mesa Verde were knowledgeable and extremely courteous. The exhibits were really fabulous and well cared for. The entire Park is a perfect backpacker's kind of clean. The views alone are worth the trip. It seemed like every curve revealed yet another boulder poised to smash down the mountain side. The roads are well-paved and the grade is a good slope. |
It's a fact that food just tastes better outdoors. Now with 101 Camping & Outdoor Recipes, even campers who have never cooked anything more complicated than S'mores can make great meals and snacks over the campfire. You no longer need to sacrifice eating well just because you are not in your home kitchen. Some disasters will simply make travel impossible or difficult for a period of time. Other disasters might trap us in our own homes. These kinds of disaster can be prepared for with certain essentials, containers of water, perhaps an alternate way of cooking -- like an outside barbecue, more blankets or a way to open the window. A first aid kit can do wonders to boost your self-confidence. But some disasters can make home the last place we want to be. Get your very own full, nine page report today. Do you want to spend more time with your kids? Then let them join you in the kitchen, creating fun foods that they will love. Kids Fun Recipes is a collection of 120 simple and easy to follow recipes that kids of all ages will enjoy.
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The
Adventure Medical Kit
is ideal for campers,
even Guides and other Outdoor professionals. Designed for trips with
1-12 people for up to 14 days. Large easy access zippered compartment,
color coded for easy access to the supplies you need fast. reflective
piping for high visibility. Click HERE
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.
The Grand Teton National Park is my
second choice. This beautiful national park is found in western Wyoming. Set
up as a national park in 1929, it boasts of nearly 200 miles of trails for
hikers. These travel routes will provide you with outstanding mountain
vistas and wildlife viewing opportunities.
You can spend a whole summer backpacking this area. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range. It is a mountain front forty miles long rising from the valley floor some 6,000 feet. It is said the Tetons were formed from earthquakes that occurred over the past 13 million years along a fault line. The Grand Teton is over two miles high, or 13,770 feet (4,198 m). And there are at least twelve pinnacles soaring over 12,000 feet (3,658 m). Seven morainal lakes adorn the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes dot the backcountry. Wildlife can be seen lingering near the park roads, so be alert -- for their safety and yours. Elk, moose, mule deer, bison and pronghorn, are commonly found in the park. You can see black bears roaming the forests and canyons, while grizzlies range throughout the more remote portions of the park. More than 300 species of birds can be observed, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons and trumpeter swans. As a safety precaution, all outdoor enthusiasts should carry — at a minimum — water, high energy snacks, and extra clothing during any backcountry excursion. Be sure to stop by the Moose Visitor Center (12 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming) to speak with a park ranger about suggested trails and safety tips, and to pick up a ski/snowshoe trail brochure. The Moose Visitor Center features wildlife exhibits, a relief model of the park, and an introductory video. The rock formations that make up the Grand Teton area are roughly 2500 million years old and are made from sandstone, limestone, and various types of shale. The rocks also contain volcanic deposits. The vegetation includes beautiful trees that are able to survive the cold windy slopes, such as the Whitebark Pine, Sub-alpine Fir, and Engleman Spruce. Evergreens are more often found on the valley floor and other species of trees, including, aspens, cottonwood, willows, and alders are found around the moist soil near rivers and lakes. |
For the fortunate few, life isn’t complete without a backpacking trip through Europe. This rite of passage is believed to further the maturation process of college students, according to sociologists. Of course, others have opined that copious amounts of alcohol, sun and Amsterdam have something to do with it. Regardless of your purpose, you still have to figure out what to take.
Yosemite National Park
One Park. Four Seasons. Countless Adventures. The unmatched scenery, year-round recreation, and a sense of timeless peace are but a few of the wonderful reasons Yosemite National Park is so close to the heart of so many backpackers.
Yosemite is located in California at the rugged base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The park is largely made of granite rock and remnants of older rocks. It is said that ice slopes were created about a million years ago and the movement of the ice masses going down slope sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts the most visitors.
Over three million people visit the park yearly and most are attracted to the giant Sequoia groves that are still found there. Many wonderful sites for backpackers to visit besides the Sequoia groves are O’Shaughnessy Dam, Yosemite Valley, Hetch Hetchy Valley, Half Dome, North Dome, Mariposa Grove, and Tenaya Lake.
For sheer pleasure there is nothing like camping out beside one of the many beautiful waterfalls found in this region. Yosemite’s black bears were once famous for stealing food by breaking into parked cars and there are still bears around. Once used as a tourist attraction, the park now discourages interaction between black bears and humans. You may need to explain this new arrangement to each bear on an individual basis.
Backpacking is open between late spring and early fall. If you are thinking of an overnight trip into the backcountry, a wilderness permit is needed. Also required, bear resistant food storage.
Here are two more quick ones Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone is located just north of the Grand Teton National Park and is a rich source of trails for backpackers. The park has many of the same species of vegetation and animals. Yellowstone is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and many animals travel between the two parks. Some of the animals you will see while backpacking in either park are Moose, American Bison, Elk, Black Bears, Mountain Lion, and Wolf. You will be glad to know that although the park has four different species of reptiles, none are poisonous.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This beautiful park is one of the most visited national parks. Found in both Tennessee and North Carolina it has beautiful slopes and boasts of the quality of the remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture. You rarely find snow in the parks low to mid elevations. Typically snows of an inch or more only happen a few times each winter. In the higher elevations, it snows more often and several park roads may be closed to traffic because of deep snowfalls.
Backpackers are always on the lookout for the lightest possible gear to carry. If there is water to be expected there isn’t any need to carry several large containers of water. However, if you choose not to carry water, you should carry a filter or purifier to allow safe drinking from lakes and streams. Trail mix and freeze-dried food take up little room and can be reconstituted with hot water. Any food you take should combine high-energy content wit low mass and little volume.
the end
About the author: Lin Stone maintains a National Directory of the best health insurance companies on the web and a National Directory of the best car insurance companies on the web. Hundreds of his other articles are available for free reading on the Internet. Just Click HERE to see an index to his works.
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The Variable Man, a short novel
Adventure in the
great outdoors |
The Natural Life of the Wolf |
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The Cold Water Canoe Trip written
and illustrated by Lin Stone is available in Adobe Acrobat for your immediate
download and viewing. Be sure to RIGHT CLICK on the link. This book
is free. Tell your friends, family and customers where to find it, or
simply pass it along in your emails, or, post it to your web site.
For the fortunate few, life isn’t complete without a backpacking trip through Europe. This rite of passage is believed to further the maturation process of college students, according to sociologists. Of course, others have opined that copious amounts of alcohol, sun and Amsterdam have something to do with it. Regardless of your purpose, you still have to figure out what to take. Using The Right Fishing Line * What about Circle Hooks? * Ice Fishing Back to our Front Page and general index. |