by Jason Stevenson, Backpacker Magazine, January 2007
Don't get cold feet at the prospect of winter backpacking. With the right insulation, food, and clothing, even chilly sleepers can snooze soundly through a freezing night. Follow our field-tested advice and set up your sleeping bag as shown below to create a comfortable cocoon that dries your damp clothes with body heat, and ensures all-night warmth.
Size your sack
You don't need a -40°F bag to sleep toasty, but you do need a snug fit; a too-big bag means extra space to heat, which saps your body's energy. Choose a winter bag with just enough tossing-and-turning space, and a temperature rating based on the lowest digits you'll experience, subtracting 10 degrees (15 if you sleep cold).
Have a snack
Eat energy bars before bed to give your body the fuel to stay warm, and keep a Snickers handy in case you wake up chilled before dawn.
Cover your dome
Always sleep in a hat, especially if you don't use your sleeping bag's hood.
Dress for space
It's tempting to wear every layer to bed, but too much clothing can make your bag tight and compress the insulation. Adjust your layers to suit your bag's interior volume.
Put on dry socks
If your feet get cold, wrap them in a jacket or extra insulating clothes.
Snuggle with a bottle
Fill a Lexan bottle or two with hot water, stuff them inside a sock or fleece, and place them between your legs (to warm the blood in your femoral artery) and at your feet.
Go long with your pad
Skip the ultralight summer shortie for a full-length mat, and back up any self-inflating pad (1.5 inches thick is optimal) with a closed-cell foam mat or spare clothing underneath it. A pack placed under your legs also provides insulation.
Dry your shoes
Stash wet boots in a waterproof stuff sack or trash bag between your legs to keep them from freezing. Remove insoles and put them in your bag to dry out. If you have double boots, sleep with only the liners.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
GOOD KARMA
From the Dalai Lama...
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting whay you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little idspute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting whay you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little idspute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
Monday, January 01, 2007
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2007
1. Have fun.
2. Get back on the bike.
3. Take up yoga.
4. Do volunteer work at shelters.
5. Hike 1,000 miles.
2. Get back on the bike.
3. Take up yoga.
4. Do volunteer work at shelters.
5. Hike 1,000 miles.
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