A Mountain Top High

Trail Fuel: Homemade Beef Jerky

2012-01-15T22:25:00.000-08:00

Beef jerky is one of MM and my favourite camping treats. It's a super satisfying as a snack, a welcome break from monotonously sweet trail mix, and is a delicious addition to a bowl of instant mashed potatoes.

I can't imagine its healthy per say, but homemade beef jerky has to at least be a little healthier than the store bought stuff. Right? Right. Let's go with it, ok? Luckily, if you have a food dehydrator, it's easy to make.

I've eaten a lot of the store bought stuff and I've experimented a bit with recipes. I'm sold on a recipe based on the Doc's Best Beef Jerky recipes from allrecipes.com. I'd classify it as a cross between a teriyaki and a classic jerky recipe. It's salty, a little sweet, and not spicy.

I changed it a smudge, here's how I do it:

About 1 lb of the leanest inside round steak you can find
1/4 cup soya sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt (I like grainy kosher salt)
1 tsp black paper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika

First you need to slice up the beef. If you've got any visible fat on your beef your going to want to cut that off.

As the recipes suggests, to get really nice thin slices it helps to freeze it first for about 30 minutes. Alternatively, if you can find beef that's already thinly sliced or get your butcher to do it that's even better. I find that the inside round from Price Smart Foods is already sliced super thin, so it's perfect.

Next, mix all that good stuff (a.k.a. everything but the beef) together into a yummy paste. Put your beef strips into heavy duty ziplock, add that sauce, make sure you get it all coated, and marinate in the fridge for at least half a day.

After you've got your marinating done it's dehydrating time! I use a NESCO Food & Jerky Dehydrator. It's from Costco. It's a good quality dehydrator with a fan and all that jazz. Set that bad boy to 160 degrees F. I like my jerky dry and crunchy so I let it go for about 12 hours.

I keep my jerky in the freezer in an air tight freezer bag and it appear to keep forever. Once you take it out of the freezer it should be good for a couple of weeks.

Summer, eh?

2010-05-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

The May long weekend is considered the beginning of the summer season in Canada. We woke up to four inches of fresh powder.

Welcome to summer!

Providence Bridge Pedal

2009-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

MM and I overnighted in Portland on our way to the coast. While pursuing the Saturday Market we learned that the Providence Bridge Pedal would be taking over the city the next morning.

We were in Portland, we had our bikes, and our hotel check out time wasn't until noon. We were in.

This ride is a BIG deal. Innumerable roads and eleven different bridges are fully/partially closed down to accommodate 20,000 bike riders all raising money for Providence Health & Services - a not for profit that operates a number of heath care facilities including 26 hospitals in Alaska, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California.

While I was eager to go, I kind of expected it to be mayhem. Nothing could be further from the truth. This ride was so fantastic in organization and in spirit that it made the absolute perfect start to our ride across Oregon.

From my point of view, here's what made the Providence Bridge Pedal such a fabulous experience:

Ride not Race. When you have a big event that combines people who are serious about racing with people who are just out there to have fun, there's a bit of a culture clash. This event was promoted as a ride not a race, and it was run as such. There were no speed categories, plenty gigantic and tempting pit stops, space to stop on bridges to take pictures, and a general atmosphere of fun and camaraderie.

Course design. The coarse was huge and allowed ample space in all the turns so that collisions and congestion were minimized. And that's a real achievement when you've got so many riders on the road.
Flexible start time. Riders start the race any time after 7:00 am. This really spreads out the crowd and add to the fun for those who aren't early rises. When MM and I finished at 9:30 there were people who were just starting.

Portlanders. I don't know if there is a city anywhere that can compete with this one. People in Portland are just really nice. They must put happy powder in the water. Time after time we came across happy friendly people. For example, we found out about the ride from a vendor at the Saturday Market. And later we got to chatting about with the couple sitting next to us in a bar and they invited us to join them and their family during the ride. We did and it was delightful.

The Providence Bridge Pedal was a memorable start to a fantastic bike trip. Have you ever participated in an organized bike event? Is there any event that can rival this excellent 20,000 rider event?

Oregon Coast Transportation

2009-10-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Planning my trip to the Oregon Coast was easy except for one item: transportation. The plan was to drive to Oregon, bike south for a week, find a way to get back to our car, and drive back home.

Easy right? Wrong.

Given how popular the Oregon Coast is as a bike touring and vacationing route I assumed this would be a piece of cake. It's not, so I thought I'd help you out by sharing the research I did pre-trip.

Bus/Train

When we first got to thinking about our trip I naively assumed that there would be a lovely train that would whisk us back to up the coast to our car. Give your head a shake girl, you're going to Oregon not Europe! Trains and charter buses don't service the coast so if you want to take one you'll have to head inland to a larger city, then up the I-5, then back out to the coast. Remember that you have to 1) find a bus that will accept your bike, and 2) possibly box up your bike. That makes this option a time consuming and costly headache in my book.

Ultimately, if time is of the essence, don't bother with trying to take a train. If money is your priority and you're alone or with only one traveling companion, this might work for you.

Renting a Car

This seemed like the next most logical solution. Again, I was lost in my big city mentality.

There are very few car rental outlets along the coast. You're pretty much looking at Astoria in the north and Coos Bay/North Bend in the south. If you are willing to head to larger cities like Portland, Eugene, or Medford you'll find a plethora of options but it takes one to two days of riding to get there.

And finding a car rental outlet isn't the only problem. They may not allow you to do a one-way rental. The Enterprise office in Coos Bay had zero interest in our one-way shenanigans. They simply wouldn't do it.

Hertz in Coos Bay/North Bend was willing to rent one-way, but it came at a significant extra cost. Being a summer weekend Hertz wanted to charge us upwards of $400 for a car we only wanted to use for four hours. No thanks.

So for us, renting a car got kiboshed. It might work for you if you're traveling on an weekday and especially if your trip is in the off season.

Flying

If you're going a longer distance or coming from further away, you might consider flying open jaw so that you don't have to deal with getting back to your airport of origin. The only commercial airport on the coast is in North Bend. The inland commercial airports are in Portland, Eugene, Kalamath Falls, Medford, and Redmond.

Keep in mind that you may need to pay extra to check your bike and that you'll need to get a bike box from a bike shop.

Taxi

No, I'm not joking. I'd excuse you if you thought I was because when the guy at Enterprise suggested it I thought he was being sassy. It's actually a really viable option. Since we were on a shorter tour and weren't covering that much distance a taxi would have cost us less than $250 - typically they charge about a dollar a mile. When you consider the additional benefits it becomes a really attractive proposition:

You get to sleep instead of drive.
It's very flexible. Just call the cab company a few hours before you want to head out and they'll have someone ready.
They'll pick you up and drop you off wherever you like. I.E. You don't have to schlep across town to get to a bus station/rental car place/etc.
They work 24/7 so you can do the drive whenever the heck you want to.
Most of the larger towns have companies that will accommodate this. Just do a little googling and give them a call to make sure.

This was actually our plan until MM found the next option...

Rideshare

When I told Mountain Man that the plan was to pay $250 to take a taxi he thought he could do better. He posted an ad in the Craigslist rideshare listing for Coos Bay and before we knew it we had someone who was willing to give us a ride for a fee that was much lower than the taxi. I was dubious about the whole situation (glorified hitchhiking!) at first, but after swapping some information I decided I was comfortable with it. And if he bailed at the last minute we could easily fall back on the taxi plan.

In the end he didn't pull out, he invited us to stay at his gorgeous house for the night (he's an avid member of the Couch Surfing community), and we made a friend who we've continued to keep in contact with since. This option isn't for everyone, but it's worth considering for those looking for a little adventure.

So there is is for you, the fruits of my research on how to get from Coos Bay back to Cannon Beach with minimal money, time, and hassle. When you bike tour, how do you find your way back home?

Trip Report: Rohr Lake

2009-10-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

The most popular places are popular for a reason.

That's a motto that I developed while traveling. When I was gallivanting around Europe a few years ago I thought I'd mix a few off the beaten path areas with the more popular areas. No offence to the less popular cities, but a place like Paris is popular for a reason. Because it's AWESOME. I've applied this to my outdoor adventures as well and resigned myself to the idea that to get the best payoff, sometimes you have to deal with crowded trails and popular backcountry campsites. A lot of times it's just plain worth it. Like here.

But not Rohr Lake. Rohr Lake is one of those places that proves my motto wrong. The payoff is five star but no one seems to know about the place.

The story begins at the trail head for Joffre Lakes. MM and I rolled into this Pemberton Classic's parking lot late in the day. On a gorgeous Saturday in August...see where this is going? As we pulled our backpacks on a Park Ranger spotted us and let us know that the camping area up at the third lake was already swamped. We asked for an alternative recommendation and he pointed us in the direction of Rohr Lake, only a few km's up the road.

Aside: can I make friends with some Park Rangers please? They always know all the best spots. And honestly, anyone who goes into Park Rangering as a profession is someone I want to know. It's just too freaking cool. If any Park Rangers are reading this, please befriend me. I'm a fairly nice person to be friends with. I like hiking and hosting cocktail parties.

So up the highway we go. We just barely make the turn and drive my poor little car up the overgrown road while it gets whapped with grass and bushes on both sides. Fortunately my paint job did escape unscathed.

I dubbed this spot Dinner Rock.

The trail to the lake goes like this:

Beautiful forest trail. Well marked yet sufficiently wild, aerobically uphill, and teaming with berries. Have I ever mentioned that MM cannot be stopped from picking any and all wild fruit? There was a lot of berry picking on this trip.
Breathtaking pristine meadow. It's really just ridiculous. Since the area isn't terribly popular the ground is a blanket of moss and plants and a yummy little stream runs through the middle. Tread carefully and try to step on rock where possible.
Semi-scramble up boulder field. Not exactly a hard core scramble, but you certainly have to put your hands down from time to time. Oh, and did I mention that you're following a stream the whole time? Prepare for mud. Also, make sure to turn around from time to time, the view behind you only gets more breath taking as you climb.
Gorgeous alpine lake. The setting will make you feel like your in a Molson commercial. The lake is icy green and so clear that you can see the rainbow trout swimming.

If you plan to adventure up to this area, here are some tips to help you be prepared:

The hike up the boulder field is VERY muddy. As in, I did the hike in late August when it hadn't rained for weeks and still got mud inside my boots. Consider gators if you're going in wetter weather.
Hiking poles were a lovely addition. Particularly when heading down, I really appreciated them on the slippery and steep boulder filed.
There is not outhouse at the campsite.
To avoid snow, consider doing this hike in late summer or early fall.
The bug population is alive and well. Be prepared.
If your into fishing, bring your gear. The lake is home to some very yummy looking rainbow trout.
This is cougar and bear country. Bear bag your food. More on that later, by the way.

We found a bunch of these cute little guys near our campsite. I've never seen anything quite like them before. I think they're some sort of adorable weasel? Anyone know? I just wanted to put him in my pocket.

So now I've convinced you and you must go, right? Alright then, here are the directional details.

Directions to the Trail Head
To get to the trail head set your trip odometer when you get to the Joffre Lake (that's past Pemberton in beautiful British Columbia for the non-locals) parking lot (directions) and keep driving for 3 to 3.5 kms. Keep your eyes peeled for a little logging road on the left. You can miss it easily, there's no signage and it's overgrown. Turn left onto this single track road and drive as far as your car can handle. Keep left at the forks. Park when you need to and keep walking down the road. Before you know it, it will become a trail.

Directions on the Trail
The trail is 15km round trip and gives you a half a km in elevation gain. It's a surprisingly quick hike given the payoff. There is one well marked junction about half way through. Follow the arrow to the right for Rohr Lake. Eventually you'll break free of the trees and find yourself in a beautiful alpine meadow. At this point the trail is unclear. You need to climb the boulder field to your right. Follow the small stream to the top of the mountain and eventually you'll find yourself at the lake.

Silly girl that I am, I don't have any pictures of the lake (or nearly as many pictures as this trip deserved - there was a camera battery involved). But these guys do.

Have you ever stumbled upon a hidden gem of a trail? Who tipped you off?

Camping Breakfast: Trader Joes Roast Beef Hash

2009-09-24T00:06:00.001-07:00

I have a new favorite camping breakfast. Well, really, I eat it for breakfast but it would do the job for any meal. It's roast beef hash from Trader Joes. Not only is it nomtastic, but it's perfect for camping!

As you can see here, it comes in a handy vacuum sealed pouch. Not only does this make it a non-perishable, but it's also light weight and waterproof.

Here's a picture of the package beside my camping stove to give you an idea of the size.

When you take it out of the package it looks like this.

Yeah. Ok. I know it looks like dog food.

But wait! After three minutes on a burner it looks like this!

Yeah...still looks like dog food. You'll just have to trust me that it's yumlicious. It's hearty, it's warm, and it's a little greasy*.

*And in case you got into the libations on your camping trip, it's great hangover food.

Gear Review: Double leg kickstand

2009-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Esge/SKS double leg kickstand is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Why would I buy a $40-50 kickstand you ask? (By the way, is that price SHOCKING or what? A regular kickstand is $7 for goodness sakes!)

A double leg kickstand keeps the bike straight up and down (not leaning like a traditional one leg kickstand) and fully lifts one wheel off the ground. This is the.best.thing.ever. when cycle touring because:

The alternatives (no kickstand or a one legged kickstand) are nothing but a lesson in frustration. You'll either be constantly finding something to lean your bike against or laying it on the ground (picking a loaded bike up off the ground is annoying) or worse, having it constantly fall over when you try in vain to get a one legged kickstand to hold the weight of a bike with loaded panniers.
It makes it oh-so-easy to get your bags on and off the racks
Because it's free standing, can provide full 360 degree access to any part of the bike.
Because one wheel is lifted off the ground tuning the gears and lubing the chain is a snap.
It performs admirably even on uneven ground and soft ground since it doesn't depend on leaning.

This kickstand is not for everyone. I've heard that it doesn't fit on all bikes (although both my Trek FX and MM's Surly Long Haul Trucker were just fine). If you aren't touring it probably doesn't make sense to drop $50 and add more weight than you'd expect to keep your bike vertical. But if you are bike touring, I wouldn't leave home without it.

Anyone out there a kickstand lover like me? In the race obsessed cycling world it's not a popular choice, but I'll dare to be different on this one.

To plan or not to plan: that is the question

2009-08-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Some people are planners, some prefer to fly by the seat of their pants. I fall squarely into the planning category. I love to plan. I relish it. I'm one of those people who gets almost as much enjoyment out of planning the trip as they do from following the carefully laid plan...umm, I mean going on the trip.

BUT - I have planned enough to know that there are times when planning really hinders more than it helps. While on a backpacking trip I plan carefully (what I'll eat for each meal, where I'll camp each night) but on this biking trip I put the planning on hold.

If you are biking the Oregon Coast I'd suggest that you consider leaving a few items open to fate. Here a list of what I planned carefully as well as a list of what I just made up as I went along.

Items the I planned carefully:

Map - having a great bike map like the one from Cycle Adventures was one of the big reasons that I didn't need to plan too much. The route is clearly laid out along with hill profiles and narratives to make surer you don't miss a turn. And it gives you all the info about campsite locations and town amenities that you could need.
Money - And I don't just mean budgeting in advance to make sure you've saved up enough money for the trip. The Oregon Coast is full of small towns and you'll run into many places that are cash only. Meanwhile, the variety of banks available isn't great. If you're with Bank of Astoria or US Bank you'll be fine, but if not considering bringing cash with you to avoid ATM fees.
Off bike transportation - we carefully planned how we would get to our starting place and how we would get home from our ending place. This was significantly more difficult than we thought it would be, so make sure you think about this ahead of time (expect a full post on this in the near future).
Packing - every pound counts so consider every item carefully before you put it in your bag.
Training - make sure to practice some tour-like riding before you actually head out. Not only will you be on a bike for hours in a day, you'll be doing it again the next day. And the next. You'll enjoy the trip more if you aren't aching with pain for the first five days.

But for the following items I found it better to go with the flow:

Where to sleep - not only did the bike map outline all the campsites along the way, but the Oregon Coast seems to have a campsite every 15 miles! On top of that they always have space for bikers, so there's no need to make reservations. Keeping your daily destination flexible means that you can take advantage of unexpected events along the way (like stopping for the annual Pirate Treasure Hunt in Depot Bay or riding an awesome tailwind a few extra miles).
What to eat - it's strange for me not to think about this because it's one of my biggest planning item on a backpacking trip. But my absolute favorite thing about cycle touring is that eateries, grocery stores, cafes, markets, and convenience stores abound! Finally you get to eat the way you want to when you are exercising all day. The Oregon Coast is studded with quirky diners and fantastic coffee shops. Ask the locals for advice - especially the guys at the bike shops. They never steered us wrong.
What to do/see - One of the cool things about the Oregon Coast is that it was developed back in the heyday of road tripping. Therefore, you can learn about pretty much anything cool (festivals, markets, attractions, view points, beaches) right from the road. On top of that, the 101 acts as a main drag for most of the towns that it goes through so you'll find yourself right in the middle of the action pretty much wherever you go. Having a sight or event in mind is great, but don't feel like you have to drive yourself crazy figuring out all the best things to do in advance.

Are you a meticulous planner or do you like to leave your options open? Do you ever find that there's a benefit from abandoning your typical style?

Thanks Angela!

2009-08-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a shout out to Angela over at My Year Without Spending for featuring me as a thrifty thread-er on her blog.

Angela's blog is all about her adventure in joining The Compact in 2009 and features all sorts of fun stuff about reducing waste, being thrifty, and changing habits to become more earth friendly.

For those who aren't in the know, The Compact is a pledge to buy nothing new for a year. It's a movement that's gaining momentum, and - in my opinion - drives at the route cause of our environmental issues. Angela explains it all here. If you haven't heard about The Compact or the non-consumer movement I suggest you check it out.

Also, welcome to anyone who may have wandered over here from Angela's blog! I'm an outdoor lover who tries to share useful advice, review, and ideas that make the outdoors more approachable to regular folks. I'd love for you to take a read and let me now what you think!

Bike Trip Packing List

2009-08-20T07:00:00.001-07:00

"You can't travel happy, heavy, and cheap. Pick two."

Rick Steves really says it all for me with that quote. For years I've prided myself on traveling light and, lucky for me, MM subscribes to the same mantra. Not only does traveling light make it easier to get around cheaply, it makes me HAPPY. Happy because I'm not slogging up hill with 45 pounds of gear on my bike (or back, or whatever) and happy because it makes me feel free from my all the Stuff that clutters up my life.

This is what MM and my bikes looked like on our week long tour of the Oregon Coast. My bike is the one with the blue bags, his has the black.

Not bad, right? I can sure tell you that we seemed to have a LOT less stuff than many others on the road. No trailer, no front panniers, no giant rear rack. We actually fit all of our stuff into two panniers each (each bag had a 40-43L capacity) and a few things on top of the back rack - namely the tent, MM's running shoes, and a bag for carrying groceries.

So for those of you who enjoy packing lists, here's what we brought!

Bags and packing gear

2 rear panniers each
1 handlebar bag each
Assorted bungee cords. The bungee net was our favorite.
A couple carabiners
Extra bag to carry groceries. We used a zippered cooler bag which was unnecessary. An empty sleeping bag sack would have been just great.

Bike Gear

Rear racks
Standard tool kit - multi tool, tire irons, patch kit
2 tubes each
2 portable pumps
Chain Lube
*note* we meant to bring some extra cables and a small wrench but we never got around to it.

Camp stuff

Sleeping bags. To save bulk and weight we brought summer bags.
Sleep pads
Tent
Dry bag. Since the tent was on top of the rack instead of in our panniers we kept it in the dry bag to keep it from being rained on during the day. This ended up being very valuable. You could probably achieve the same thing with a heavy duty garbage bag if you don't happen to have a drybag of the correct size.
Backpacking stove
3 small canisters of fuel. We only used one, this was far too much since we didn't cook often.
2 Lexan bowls
1 heat proof spatula
2 spoons
1 camping knife
2 mugs
1 cooking pan with handle
Lighter and matches
Headlamp with extra batteries
Mini first aid kit

Bike Specific Clothes

Helmet
Gloves
1 pair Bike shorts

Clothes - packed into a packing cube that keeps things organized and doubled as a pillow

2 shirts
1 fleece jacket
1 water resistant biking jacket
1 pair fleece pants
1 pair normal shorts
Long johns and thin t-shirt to sleep in
Socks/undies/sports bras
Bathing suit
Sarong (luxury item, more to come on this)

Shoes

Riding shoes (that's runners for me, real riding shoes for MM)
Flip flops
MM brought a pair of runners as well but since his riding shoes are a comfortable XC mountain bike style he didn't actually need them.

Accessories

Camera and battery charger
Sunglasses
Map and directions
Mini wallet
Cell phone and charger

Toiletries - packed into a large Ziplock bag

Mini towel. I like the 12" x 14" sweat towel type.
Hand sanitizer
Chap stick
Hair elastics
Sunscreen
Contact solution/case/extra lenses/glasses
Toothbrush/paste/mouthwash
Toilet paper in Ziplock bag
Body wash, shampoo, conditioner
Pain killers

The italicized items only came with me because we had access to actual showers and real bathrooms. I don't take them on backcountry trips.

Regardless of whether we were going for a week or two months, I wouldn't have packed anything more. There are always Laundromats available and if we ended up needing anything else we could always stop in at a store and buy it.

Is there anything else you'd suggest to bring on a biking trip? Anything you think I over packed on? Do you have any stories about packing too much for a trip or converting to the packing light lifestyle?

Gear Hack: A handlebar purse

2009-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

While bike touring I decided that I'd keep all my MVI (most valuable items) in my handlebar bag. That way not only are they handy, they are also easy to grab and take with me whenever I leave my bike, thus keeping them a little more secure (go on, steal my stinky socks, I dare you! But the credit card stays by my side). The only problem is that I have to carry the thing around by hand, which is a little annoying.

So before embarking on my trip I created a handy shoulder strap that could be attached to my bag. My first gear hack! It's simple, it's easy, and it's just common sense - but aren't these the qualities of some of the best things in life?

Steps

Buy four feet of webbing off the spool from your favorite gear shop. I prefer webbing over other rope because it's nice and smooth. Cost ~$2.50 Or better yet, if you have something appropriate lying around just use that.
Tie ends of webbing together with the secure knot of your choice. I used a fisherman's knot. And by "I" obviously I mean that I had MM do it. He's much more knowledgeable about knots being a climber and all.
When in use, loop the webbing through the velcro on the bar bag.
When not in use, store inside the bar bag.

So there you have it, just a simple gear hack that any of you intelligent people could have thought up on your own, but something you might want to consider before heading out on a tour. I really did find this to be sooooo useful.

Cycle Touring: Oregon Coast Itinerary

2009-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Oregon! And as expected, I had a fabulous time. The views were amazing, the road was great, the people were friendly, and our legs didn't get too sore. And if you can believe it we went the whole tour with not even as much as a flat tire! The biking gods were with us.

Many biking related posts are forthcoming, but I thought it was only logical to start off with my full itinerary. The route we followed can be found on the Adventure Cycling bike map (which is fabulous, by the way).

Day 1: Drive from northern Washington to Portland. Spend a fabulous night enjoying Portland (I<3portland).>

Day 2: Participate in the Providence Bridge Pedal with 20,000 other cyclists (25 miles). More on that to come. Drive to Cannon Beach. Park the car and start biking. Camp for the night in Nehalem State Park in Manzanita (15 miles). Memorable mention: the banana bread at Manzanita's market.

Day 3: Bike from Nehalem to Cape Lookout State Park. (49 miles) Memorable mention: Strolling the stormy beach and exploring the sea caves at Cape Lookout with hot tea in hand.

Day 4: Bike from Cape Lookout State Park to Depot Bay (53 miles). We stayed in a motel due to rain. Memorable mention: the cafe beside the Cape Kiwanda Inn has a cozy couch, communal computer, and AMAZING panini.

Day 5: Bike from Depot Bay to Yachats. (39 miles) Another motel due to LOTS of rain. Don't worry, I've wiped the rain from my mind. Memorable mention: the friendly bike fiends at Bike Newport invite weary bike tourers to use their lounge and dryer.

Day 6: Bike from Yachats to Honeyman State Park. (33 miles) Memorable mention: Walking the beach and hiking the lighthouse trail at Carl G. Washburne State park.

Day 7: Bike from Honeyman State Park to Coos Bay where we stayed with a friend. (48 miles inc a detour) Memorable mention: heading out on a dune buggy ride with Sandland Adventures just south of Florence.

Day 8: Catch a ride from Coos Bay all the way back to Cannon Beach. Pick up car and drive to Seaside and Astoria. Park outside Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria and ride bikes in to camp for the night. Memorable mention: counting the bike tourers that seemed to few and far between while we covered six days worth of biking in four hours.

Day 9: Drive back to northern Washington.

262 miles in total over the course of 6 biking days for a pleasant average of 44 miles per day. And besides a little rain, it really couldn't have gone better.

I have posts planned to tell you about everything from the awesomeness of Portland's Bridge Ride to planning tips to the gear we packed. Stay tuned!

Biking the Oregon Coast

2009-08-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm off to bike the Oregon Coast for a week with Mountain Man. This is our rough itinerary:

Saturday: Drive to Portland and check out the sites. Stay in Portland for night.
Sunday: Drive to Cannon Beach. Start Biking
Monday - Friday: Keep peddling south. We plan to cover about 230 miles which is a leisurely 40 miles per day.
Saturday: Catch a ride from Coos Bay back to Cannon Beach in the am, possibly more biking in the afternoon.
Sunday: loooooong drive home.

Wish me luck! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

1/2 Length Believer

2009-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've recently switched from a full length air bed to a half length. Here's how the two mattresses look side by side:

The old one used to get the job done, but for all that bulk it provided very little comfort. Probably because I've had it since back in my Brownie days. It is one of the very early models of self-inflating sleep pads.

Then Mountain Man, wonderful guy that he is, got me the new Thermarest for Christmas. It's tiny, it's light, and it's actually more comfortable than the old one!

The key to this item being so minuscule is that it's a torso length pad instead of a full length. I was weary at first worrying that I'd get cold feet and lower legs, but this hasn't been an issue whatsoever.

Of course this summer Mountain Man decided to show me up and when he downsized to this little guy:

Has anyone else jumped on the torso length bandwagon? If you're looking for a new sleeping pad and you value a compact and light product I highly recommend you check it out.

Welcome Outdoor Vancouver Readers

2009-07-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Huge thanks to Karl over at Outdoor Vancouver for his shout out.

Welcome to anyone who may have wandered on over. My blog is small and completely recreational (very similar to my outdoor adventures in that way) but I hope you'll find it useful. When I started writing a few months ago I realized I was most interested in putting out "how-to" type articles, since that's what I most enjoy reading from other bloggers. Meanwhile, I'm not nearly a veteran outdoors person (please don't expect an expert post about how to ice climb Shannon Falls or anything equally insane...umm, I mean...exhilarating...) just an avid recreationalist who's eager to learn more.

So with that understood, I figured I'd share a few favorite posts with you:

This one takes on a topic that was once very foreign and scary for me: How to Poop in the Woods

This one gives a solid intro to leave no trace cooking: Backcountry Cooking Tips

And this isn't really even a post, but it's sure good for a laugh: Bears. Eat. Bells.

Because we all like pictures here's on taken in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Have you been there? You MUST go there. It's amazing how different wild spaces can be only a few (ok, a few by plane) hours away.

And if there's something else you're interested in I encourage you to explore the "Categories" menu to the right. And I'd be more than thrilled if you drop me a comment on something that interests you or just to say hi.

Welcome!

Travel Footprint Calculator

2009-07-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Beautiful summer bike rides into work have gotten me thinking a lot about my commuting footprint.

My local transit authority has put a pretty rad calculator online to help you see your current travel carbon footprint based on the length of your commute and the number of days per week you drive/carpool/walk or bike/take transit/telecommute. It's pretty thorough and in my opinion, extremely well done.

Currently my commuting pattern creates a carbon footprint of 0.26 tons of emissions per year. I think that's fairly good. I moved about a year and a half ago so that I'd be really close to work which not only decreased the mileage that I drive but also increased my opportunities for biking to the office. (Side note: I think that living close to your office is a good yet often over looked eco strategy.)

The really cool thing about this little application is that it allows you to make a plan for the future and see how many tonnes of emissions you'll save by following your plan.

Check it out!

Gearing up on the Cheap

2009-07-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

These days, thrifty is trendy. And what thriftier way to vacation is there than camping? The nightly accommodation costs little to nothing and gallivanting around during the day is free. Right?

Not so fast. Camping is a cost effective vacation option IF you have all the gear. Once you get past that initial investment it’s smooth sailing.

So you’ve decided that camping is the way for you but you need to add a few pieces to your arsenal in order to make it happen. Here are some cost effective ways to get suited up.

Rent

Not sure if camping is for you? Just trying to get a little extra gear for a friend who’s joining the trip? Renting is a great option. Both MEC (in Canada) and REI (in the USA) have great rental programs and I’ll bet that many of your other local outdoors shops do too. And I can’t speak for your local store, but the MEC and REI rental rates are awesome. Think of this when you are trying to get your hands on gear that you want to test out like tents, avalanche equipment, kayaks, and more.

Borrow

Cheaper than renting with all the same benefits. Tons of people have outdoor gear that spends most weekends just sitting in the closet. See if you can borrow from a friend and make sure to bring their gear back clean. And maybe with some homemade cookies. Or a case of beer.

Buy Used

Buying used is a new thing for me, but I’m kind of getting into it. Not only is it super cheap, but it’s very eco friendly. Craigslist and EBay are great standby’s, but some outdoor shops even have annual used gear sales or free online sales forums.

Do Without

I’m not going to bad mouth any particular store here, but the outdoor shops that make my not-so-favorite list are the ones that carry every piece of crap in the world. Regardless of quality and regardless of if it’s something you actually NEED.

Don’t let the flashy gizmos distract you. When you go camping you don’t actually need much.

Yes, I like fresh margaritas too. No you do not need this when you are camping.

Is everyone ready to camp this summer? Anyone looking to add a particular piece of equipment to the stash?

Don’t put a roof on your log cabin

2009-06-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

One day I’ll do a full how-to post on building a campfire.

But for today I have only one tip. If I have learned anything about mistakes people make when building a fire it’s this: don’t choke the life out of your fire.

The process goes something like this:

The camper (or back yard fire builder or whatever) makes a lovely little log cabin style stack of kindling with a nice little bundle of dry moss and tinder in the middle. [So far so good]

The camper lights the tinder and a nice little fire begins to develop. [Doing great]

The camper gets excited by the flames and burning wood and loses all sense of what was working. The camper abandons the log cabin style that worked so well and starts doing crazy things like topping off the log cabin with a roof. [NOOOOO! Stop the insanity!]

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to say that the log cabin is the only effective way to build a fire. (Although it is a great way.) What I’m saying is that you need to leave lots of space between the logs and within the structure for your fire to flourish.

And I’m sorry to be sexist, but in my experience it’s men who have this problem. Men who can’t just sit and enjoy the fire but have to poke and prod constantly as if the fire could not exist without their constant intervention. Men – if you need to keep your hands busy grab a marshmallow on a stick. Or give your girlfriend a shoulder rub.

So there’s my campfire tip of the day for you. Never put a roof on your log cabin.

What’s your one biggest tip for building a successful campfire?

When packing light doesn’t matter

2009-06-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

I love backcountry camping. I love bringing only what I can carry on my back. I love carefully planning out and considering the value of each item that goes into my pack.

But occasionally I car camp. And when I do I don’t bother worrying about items being compact, light weight, or particularly practical.

So when I car camp I bring along a few items that I would never consider back country camping.

Like a tent big enough for 6 people.

And a BBQ. In this case used very inefficiently to boil water for oatmeal.

And a lovely cooler of beers. The best part of car camping FOR SURE. Well, in my opinion. Maybe you guys aren’t big lushes like me.

And a suitcase.

I just thought it was hilarious to bring a suite case on a camping trip so I thought I’d share. When I started packing I figured – why not? I like this suitcase and it was the most easily available item. So now even my little suitcase has gotten to experience a camping trip.

What do you bring car camping that you wouldn’t dream of lugging on a backcountry trip?

Free Movie: Home Project

2009-06-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Want to watch a free movie tonight? Check out Home. It's a movie about climate change that's available free online - it was released without a copyrite so no worries about pirating. It's pretty cool.

Karl Woll over at Outdoor Vancouver accurately describes the movie as a cross between the stunning cinematography of National Geographic's Planet Earth and the sobering message of An Inconvenient Truth. I've got to say that it's not quite as awesome as either, but it's still pretty darn good.

And you can't beat the price. So if you're in the mood for a movie this weekend check it out.

Bears. Eat. Bells.

2009-06-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hilarious.

In case this sign is too small to read:

Due to the frequency of human-bear encounters, the BC Fish an Wildlife Branch is advising hikers, hunters, fishermen*, and any persons that use the out of doors in a recreational or work related function to take extra precautions while in the field.

We advise the outdoorsmen to wear little noisy bells on clothing so as to give advance warning to any bears that might be close by so you don't take them by surprise.

We also advise anyone using the out of doors to carry pepper spray with him in case of an encounter with a bear.

Outdoorsmen should also be on the watch for fresh bear activity, and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear sh*t has bells in it and smells like pepper.

Ha!

*But what's with all the male-centric vocabulary? Tsk tsk!

** Bonus points go to whoever can identify the pop culture reference in the title.

How to be an Awesome Race Support Team*

2009-06-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

*Team of one in my case.

I spent Sunday doing race support for Mountain Man and his buddy Iron Man as they completed in the Mountain to Sound (a five stage multisport race in the Seattle area). It was a crazy day completed with little to no preparation. We had so much fun and the men kicked butt and proved their athletic dominance once again.

Race support is a great way to join in with all the race fun and hoopla without having to break a sweat (well, hardly). Not only was it a total blast, but I got tons and tons of “thank yous” from Mountain Man and Iron Man who genuinely needed my help to pull off the logistically complicated adventure.

And since we planned absolutely nothing in advance, we learned lots. So learn from my mistakes. Below is a list of the items that I now consider essential for supporting a multisport race team. There may be a few ridiculous mishaps in there as well.

What to bring:

A camera. My camera was invaluable. I thought I’d just be taking pictures of my competitors throughout the race. No no my friend. My camera saved me when I failed to prepare in other areas. I didn’t bring a pen to write down times (this was a low tech race with no electronic chips) so I used my camera to snap pictures of the clock as my racers came though the transitions points. I also used my camera in various ways to deal with the fact that we didn’t bring DIRECTIONS. (I know what you’re saying. No directions?!?!?! See below.)

Directions. A five stage race means that we had to go to six different meeting spots. And we printed and brought directions to exactly zero of those spots thinking that they’d be provided in the race packet. Bad move. I ended up trolling for directions at every transition points – using my camera to take photos of other people’s directions (go Macro mode!) and even using it to record a video of someone giving me directions orally when no printed map was available. Thank goodness for friendly race folks. Bonus points for a GPS or an iPhone.

A watch. It’s vital to have everything prepared at your transition point before your racer comes through. There is nothing more important that you can do to help your racers achieve their best time than making their transitions fast. And to do that you have to be there before them! We may have had one tiny little 15 minute problem with this. I’m not saying it was my fault though. Iron Man is just too fast a cyclist!

Extra socks. Sometimes one of your competitors unexpectedly has to jump into a muddy river. Or ends up biking 50 miles in the rain. When you come up with the extra socks that he didn’t think to pack you’ll be his saviour. Especially if he’s about to run a half marathon in muddy wet socks.

Pockets. Make sure to wear an outfit with lots of pockets. Tons of them. Big ones. Everywhere! My pockets were stuffed with maps, race bibs, snacks, hand sanitizer, electronics, and anything else that someone needed me to keep track of. I suggest cargo pants. If you want to go really pro you could rock one of those fisherman’s vests. But maybe that’s taking things just a little too far.

Muscles. Lugging kayaks, bikes, and bins of gear all day is a mini workout in itself, especially when you’re trying to help your competitor’s save their strength.

Extra safety pins/zap straps/twist ties/tape. One thing that all multisport races seem to have in common is that they use lots and lots of race numbers. On the bike, on the helmet, on the kayak, on the life vest, and so on. We sent Mountain Man down the river without a number on his kayak because we didn’t have any tape. Oops!

Pen. Do I even have to explain this? You always need a pen! Obviously I didn’t have one.

A bike lock and cable. When you’ve got two very pricey bikes on the back of your truck you will want to lock them up before leaving them unattended. We forgot this item and spent a lot of time unnecessarily loading and unloading (or conversely, leaving behind and worrying about) our bikes when they could have easily been locked to the hatch.

Food/water/water bottles. The race will probably have lots of this stuff provided but don’t depend on it. Have a variety of the racers’ favourite energy bars/beans/goos/drinks/real foods available as well as a big jug of water and extra water bottles in case they have to ditch some along the course.

Organizational Bins. You should have seen the car by the end of the race. It looked like REI exploded in there. No, that image isn’t right. The stuff at REI is all clean. It was like someone dumped an REI store into a muddy river then strained out all the clothes and gear and threw them into an SUV. And then squirt a bunch of extra sticky energy goo on top. The chocolate kind. And it smelt like it too. (Not like chocolate, like muddy river.) I can’t tell you what to do about the smell, but a little more pre-planned organization would have helped us make quicker and calmer transitions. Here’s my suggestion: before you leave for the race, put all gear and clothing needed for each transition into separate piles. Then put the contents of each pile into a separate bin/reusable shopping bag/duffel bag/whatever. Then label it. Then if you’re running late for a transition you won’t have to frantically dig through gear for 10 minutes. You can just grab your bin and run for it.

Noise Maker. The best part of doing race support is cheering on all the participants and taking part in the general happy ambiance! Many observers had fun noise makers (the cow bell was my personal fav) that added a lot to the festive atmosphere.

So there you have it. Follow these tips, bring a good attitude, and know how to parallel park a tank sized SUV with kayaks and bikes sticking off it from all angles and you’ll be captain of the race support team in no time!
Have you ever helped a friend out at a race? Or received valuable support from someone when you competed? Is there anything that I missed?

Anyone else love to go out to races just to soak up the energy?

Trail Fuel: Home Made Energy Bars

2009-06-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

I made these for Mountain Man before he set off for a 7 day bike trip from San Fran to San Diego. He texted me from the road that they were delicious. They are compact and can be adapted for tastes and allergies.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup rolled oats
1 and 1/2 cups assorted nuts and seeds (your choice)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cups mixed dried fruit (your choice)
1/2 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.
Put all ingredients except honey and eggs in a food processor and pulse until mixture is finely chopped. Add honey and eggs and pulse until combined.
Transfer to baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Tips:

If you want a lower glycemic index try agave nectar instead of honey.
To keep the costs down buy only what you need from the bulk section instead of packaged items. I found everything in bulk including wheat germ, whole wheat flour, and dry milk.
The mixture is extremely sticky. If you are having trouble spreading it in the pan try the following: 1) use a non stick spatula, 2) create your own non stick spatula by spraying your utensil with cooking spray, 3) use a sheet of wax paper to push mixture into pan.
For a quick snack on the go wrap cut bars in wax paper and store in the freezer.
If you like to see some whole nuts and fruit in your bar just keep some aside while you do the food processing and mix it in after.

Tidal Pools

2009-06-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

The tidal pools on the Sunshine Coast are the best. They are teaming with sea stars.

In the water, on the rocks, even hanging upside down on ledges. To the point that they are almost considered a pest. These sea stars are about to eat those little octopuses (octopi?) for dinner.

This guy moved surprisingly fast. Some locals actively pick the starfish off the rocks and toss them into the water so that they don't eat all the oysters. Because, of course, they want to eat the oysters themselves.

Oh Mountain Man, no respect for nature! (What's that you say? No no, I would NEVER have encouraged him to do something like disturb the sea life! This was DEFINITELY not my idea.)

Trail Fuel: Trail Mix Cookies

2009-06-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

These cookies were an instant hit with absolutely everyone who's tried them. Cookies plus trail mix - how could you go wrong? Especially since this recipe is totally customizable to your particular taste in trail mix!

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 sticks of butter (that's 7/8 of a cup)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I'm a cinamon lover so I go with a heaping teaspoon...at least)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups of your favorite trail mix type ingredients (my favories include dark chocolate chips, coconut, macadamia nuts, crasins, and sunflower seeds but use whatever you like or whatever you have on hand)
1 and 1/3 cups rolled oats

Directions

Preheat to 300 degrees F. Use a non stick baking sheet/baking sheet lined with parchment/baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Beat butter, sugars, honey, eggs, and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix. Then mix into the butter mixture.
Stir in the trail mix ingredients and the oats.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes. You'll know they're done if they don't look quite done but you can feel a little resistance if you press on the top.
Let cool on pan for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Could that be any easier? For such an easy drop cookie they present beautifully - very gift appropriate. I gave them to a couple who lent us their cabin for a weekend and they were much appreciated. My very pick grandmother also loved them. And Mountain Man keeps getting me to make more for him.

Sorry I don't have any pictures, they all got gobbled!

Human Powered

2009-06-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

As environmental consciousness sweeps through society transportation via human power is becoming increasingly popular. More people are biking to work, walking to the store, and skate boarding to school.

I've seen people tow a lot of stuff on bikes - Mountain Man has a Bob trailer that he routinely uses to transport his Costco buys. His buddy down California rigged his bike up to carry his surfboard. One time I swear I saw a Bellingham resident transporting a keg (hope you've got disc breaks buddy).

But have you ever seen someone tow a CANOE on their bike? Yup. I only wish I'd gotten a picture of this thing loaded up and in use. A picture of the trailer on it's own will have to suffice.

Mountain Man guessed that it was home engineered and was so fascinated that he took about a dozen pictures of different parts and components.

In true Bellingham fashion one Ski to Sea team decided to take more of a political stand rather than go for the gold - they competed CAR FREE!!! This is no small feat people. Firstly, the race begins on Mount Baker. That's more than 40 miles from Bellingahm and who knows how many feet in elevation. Secondly, a multitude of sports equipment needs to be towed including a canoe, kayak, extra bikes, and skis.

Talk about making me feel lazy for always driving to work! Geeze! This is a great reminder that using human powered transportation is a lot more viable than many of us like to think.

Do you use human power to get to work, run errands, or visit friends and family?

Multi Sport Races: Ski to Sea

2009-06-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Mountain Man is ready to kick some mountain biking butt.

Can we talk for a minute about how rad multi sport races are? To me for anything to be done well (health, resource use, life) there must be balance and variety. And I think multi sport races really embrace that.

There seem to be two types of multi sport races.
1) One (or a team of) athlete competes in a range of sports to complete the race. One of the most popular forms of this has to be the triathlon - swim, road bike, run.
2) A group of athletes team up and compete in different legs of a race, each leg consisting of a different type of sport. That's how Ski to Sea works, and I think it's a unique and fabulous race.

Ski to Sea takes place in Bellingham, Washington every Memorial Day weekend and it's kind of a big deal. This year about 410 teams (of 7, so about 2900 athletes) competed. The event is a relay race with 6 legs:
1) cross country skiing
2) downhill skiing/snowboarding
3) trail running
4) canoing
5) mountain biking
6) kayaking.

I mean seriously, how much fun is that? Each leg of the course is easy enough that it's suitable for recreational racers, but the big guns do come out to play (winning teams finish in an amazing sub 5h 30m).

As for me, I didn't race. I was on race support making sure our mountain biker was fed, hydrated, and otherwise taken care of. I must have done a good job because he had the best mountain biking time in his whole division!

Mountain Man is a pretty amazing athlete. Did I ever mention that?

So how about you? Have you ever participated in a multi sport race? Are you a punk like me
or do you actually get out there and test yourself on the course?

Proof that anything will grow moss in a rain forest

2009-06-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Garabaldi Lake: Guest Post on Hiking Trip Reports

2009-04-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

I wrote a guest post for Hiking Trip Reports suggesting a fantastic weekend backpacking trip to beautiful Garibaldi Lake here in British Columbia. This trip features a pristine glacier lake, 360 degree panoramic views, wildflower meadows, and all the hill climbing your little legs can handle.

Check out the gorgeous lake from high up on Panorama Ridge

It's one of my favorite low maintenance (as in takes little planning and prep) backpacking trips and one that I'd encourage anyone and everyone to consider if you plan to be in the area.

Head over to Hiking Trip Reports and check it out!

Sweet Sweet Earth Lovin'

2009-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

Jump for joy because you love the earth!

Did Earth Day get you into a more eco-friendly mood? Are you a nature lover like me who is an environmental novice? Then maybe you'd like to join me in signing up for David Suzuki's Nature Challenge. Sounds daunting right? But all it really is is a once monthly e-news letter with simple tips for living more earth friendly.

Want to celebrate Earth Day with an active twist? Check out the Earth Run. 5K for a healthier body and a healthier planet? Sounds pretty good to me.

So what have you done lately to become more of an eco-warrior? This is embarrassingly simple, but I've started turning off my computer at the end of my work day. Kind of ridiculous that I didn't realize this was a big deal earlier (turn off your computers people!) but there is no time like the present, right? And as a bonus, I've found my computer now performs a little better all around.

Tips for buying a touring bike

2009-04-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Since I just bought myself a new touring bike, I thought I'd share what I learned. So, without further ado, here are my tips for buying a touring bike.

Cost vs. Quality vs. Time

Pick two. Want a bike that's great quality and low cost? Then you'll have to put your time in searching Craigslist and Ebay and checking out lots of bike sales. Want to get your bike quick but still want to get an awesome bike? Then your gonna have to pony up some cash. Or want to get a cheap bike fast? Then your gonna get what you pay for and get a cheaper bike.

Any of those options are fine, just try to think about what you want in advance. In the end I decided that I didn't have the energy or know-how to scour Craigslist every day so I went for the Quality and Time combo. I was looking for something that's somewhat unusual and I knew that I could be easily duped since I am no bike expert (then...why am I giving tips on buying bikes...hmm...) so after a few weeks of half heartedly looking for a deal online I sucked it up and bought the perfect bike that I had serendipitously happened upon at a bike shop.

In fact, I chose to buy from a shop that was charging a higher rate than one of the others I'd found! Crazy right? Well, crazy to a cheap-o like me. But in the end it was a difference of about $50 and I felt that it was the right choice to support the shop that provided me with fantastic customer service. And, bonus, it's more convenient for me to get to that shop should anything go wrong.

Comfort

Comfort is key when choosing a touring bike. If your going to be on your bike all day every day for a week or longer you want to be comfortable. Some things that can help you be comfortable are:

An upright handle bar position. This allows you to take pressure off of your upper and lower back as well as your arms. It's less speedy but ultimately better for long haulin'.

Source

This was my biggest consideration, since I have persistent lower back problems. My bike is specifically designed to have a more upright riding stance. And on top of that I bought a huge frame size in order to get the handle bars up even higher. This wouldn't work on all bikes because on many bikes it would make the top tube too long, but in my case the top tube increased only 0.5 inches in length while the handle bar height increased by 2.5 inches. I made up the difference (and then some) by getting the shop to swap out my stem for one that was about an inch or two shorter. For free. That's another benefit of buying direct from a good bike shop.

Handel Bar Type. When bike touring you want to set yourself up with a set of handle bars that allow you to change your hand position from time to time.

For many people drop bars are a great option. The bike below had drop bars. Actually I think it has a Brooks Saddle too. We'll talk about that later.

Source

These bars are also really common on road bikes and touring bikes, and most people like them.

But for me personally, I can't stand the things. I find all the hand positions to be uncomfortable (mostly too low for my back). I wanted straight bars (the type you find on a mountain bike). There is only one problem with straight bars - no variety of hand positions. To get around this you can add an inexpensive set of "horns" to your bike. They can be attached to your handle bars in a variety of position and give your wrists a nice break.

The bike below has straight bars with extra horns for comfort.

Source

Saddle. If you ask me, the number one discomfort when you ride long distance is your seat. A numb crotch is not pleasant, and when riding for hours it seems unavoidable! I've asked every biker I know for advice and this is the best I can do for you.

Try out different saddles (bike seats) until you find something that works for you. Usually bigger and softer isn't better, but who am I to tell you what feels good on your tush? Brooks saddles are becoming popular. Is it all hype? I couldn't tell you since I'm not the kind of girl to drop a few hundy on a bike seat, but many many people seam to love them.

Get some high quality bike shorts. A friend who has put considerable mileage on his two wheels told me about his saga of trying to get the cheapest shorts available. He stated with some cheap $20 liners, then upgraded to some $50 shorts and found little difference. Only when he picked up the $90 shorts did he really notice the bang for his buck. When you plan to be on your bike for hours day after day this is money well spent.

Frame Material

When it comes to the frame you basically have four options: aluminum, steel, titanium, or carbon fiber. When you are looking at a touring bike specifically, this is how it boils down.

Aluminum gets the job done. That's what my bike is made from. It's strong enough for a touring bike and it is the most inexpensive material.

Steal is ideal. It absorbs more road vibrations which helps reduce your fatigue and it's strong. It can also be welded by pretty much anyone (a good thing if your bike frame breaks in a developing country) while aluminum can't. It's a little more expensive than aluminum. This is what Mountain Man's touring bike is made from.

Titanium touring bikes are rare. Titanium is expensive and it's main purpose in bike making is to maximize their strength to weight ratio, which really doesn't make sense for a touring bike. When your loading your bike with heavy panniers, a few ounces saved on the frame don't mean much. Maybe you should part with that six pack of beer instead (umm...no).

Carbon fiber is NOT for touring bikes. Carbon fiber is for speedy road bikes. The material is very light weight and not strong enough for heavy loads. You wont find attachment points for racks on these frames - for good reason.

Check out this cool article if you want to know more about bike frame materials.

Frame Features

In order to make a bike useful for touring it needs to have two things:

Mounting points for racks. Both front and back is ideal, although not everyone uses front racks.

A wide wheel base. What I mean by this is that the two wheel hubs must be far apart. The idea here is that when you have panniers on your racks you wont be hitting them with your feet as you peddle.

Wheels and Tires

Have you ever heard the old piece of backpacking wisdom that says "One pound on your feet is worth five on your back"? The idea is that since your feet are the part of your body you actually have to move dropping one pound from your boot weight is equal to dropping five pounds of your pack weight.

The same idea works for your touring bike. Instead of trying to set yourself up with a racy frame your better off getting a solid frame and a speedier set of wheels.

The general ideas to keep in mind here are:

Large wheels (in circumference) are faster than small wheels.
Narrow tires are faster than fat tires.
Slicks or inverted tread are faster than knobbies.
Low spoke wheels may be fast and light, but they are not strong enough for touring.

Breaks

Disk breaks vs. V Breaks. The Great Debate! If your experience was anything like mine you probably had sales people breathing the virtues of disk breaks down your neck (not at Kulshan though, thanks Zac!).

The deal is that disk breaks are more expensive, so shop owners would like you to buy them. Does this mean they are a bad product? No, of course not. But does it mean that you really need them? Maybe not. Let's look at how disk breaks hold up against the older fashioned V breaks.

Stopping power: disk breaks have greater stopping power. A lot of weight puts extra stress on breaks so if you plan to load your bike down like crazy, disk breaks are a good call. Furthermore, if you are heading out into the mountains and are planning looong unrelenting descents disk breaks wont heat up your rims, so again they are a good call.
Maintenance: it's a toss up. Disk breaks have longer intervals between maintenance but V breaks are easier and cheaper to fix in a pinch. I'll take the V breaks when I'm on the road, potentially miles from the nearest town.
Price: V breaks are much cheaper.

So decide for yourself. There is certainly nothing wrong with disk breaks, but don't let the sales person convince you that they are essential.

I decided on V breaks, because if it's good enough for Lance it's good enough for me.*

Bags and Accessories

To set yourself up for touring you'll need to add a few special accessories to your bike.

Racks are simple contraptions that you add over top of the front and/or rear wheels. Racks create a flat surface that you can strap bags/other items to. They also provide the base on which to attach panniers. When you buy a rack make sure that it's strong enough for the poundage you plan to load it down with. When you buy a bike for touring make sure that it has attachment points for both front and rear racks. Front racks are certainly not required, but why limit yourself?

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Panniers are bags that are specifically made to clip securely to your racks. Choose bags by deciding the carrying capacity your require, if you'd like them to be waterproof ($$), and making sure the clip system works for your bike. You can also get bike bags meant for your handle bars. Look for models with a waterproof map pouch on the top for maximum utility.

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Trailers are an alternative (or possibly an addition to...if you have legs of steel) to panniers. Instead of carrying your gear in bags on your racks you can pull it in a trailer behind you. This is a pricier option but it does increase carrying capacity and allows you to haul gear on a bike not equipped with attachment points for racks. However, it's still not advisable to use a trailer on a carbon fiber bike. The torque of the heavy trailer could damage your light weight frame.

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Lights are essential for travel in low light, both to help you see the way as well as to make you vi sable to other road users. Red lights go in back (always set them to the flasher mode) and white ones go in front. LED types provide the most power and have great battery life. The more lights the better - add small flashers to your helmet, jacket, or bags to increase your visibility from all directions.

Fenders help to keep water and road debris off of you and anyone riding behind you. They are inexpensive and very worth while when they save you from soaking yourself while riding on a cold rainy day.

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Does anyone else have touring adventures planned for this spring? Are you using a bike meant for touring, a hybrid (like mine), a road bike, a cycle cross bike, a mountain bike, or something in between? What helpful hints have you picked up while setting up your rig?

*Yes, I realize that this is a ridiculous statement.

50 miles and counting

2009-04-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning I bought a new bike. 30 minutes later I embarked on a 50 mile bike ride.

Umm, whoa.

If you've read my "About me/AMTH" post you'll know that I'm new to biking. This was quite a feat for me. And not to mention, how funny is it to buy a bike and take it straight from the store onto a full day's bike trip? I think it's hilarious.

For anyone who's wondering - it's a hybrid that I plan to use for bike touring this spring and summer (and beyond of course). A Trek FX 7.3 in a 22.5 inch frame. Yes, that's monstrous. I love it. Mountain Man says it's because I'm leggy. But really it's because I love an upright stance on a bike (bad back - word is I'm getting old).

And 50 miles later, I love-ity-love-love my new bike. I could hug it.

I usually try to make this blog about sharing info helping people out, rather than chronicling my journeys. Clearly this is just me bragging about my awesome day on the road. So in the spirit of being useful, here's a tid-bit that can help you out next time you're on a really long bike ride. This comes direct from the most awesome spin instructor ever (I miss SDSU spin classes).

If your cycling partners are getting tired climbing a hill you can just turn to them and say, "Ride my road monsters, RIDE!" It's very motivating. Some people like to channel the Wicked Witch of the West (you know the scene when she's sending out her winged monkey legions?) to get the voice right.

Alternatively, if you're trying to go fast you can cheer, "Knees knees, pretty please, I want knees, gimme knees!"

Shout out to Kulshan Cycles in Bellingham.

How to Poop in the Woods

2009-04-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

Relieving myself is my absolute least favorite part of camping. As a female, I can tell you how jealous I am of a male's ability to pee at the drop of a zipper with no issues about privacy, cleanliness, or - most of all - toilet paper. But the infamous outdoor poop effects us all equally.

So today I'll tackle the task of making the outdoors just a little more approachable by bringing you a tutorial of how to poop in the woods.

METHOD 1: THE OUTHOUSE

Many backcountry campsites have outhouses. While these facilities are usually not pleasant, they are the best place for both your number 1's and number 2's. They are built to contain the refuse and therefore protect the surrounding environment (especially bodies of water) from pollution. Other than being a great leave no trace option, they also usually provide privacy and sometimes even toilet paper. The main drawback is the gnarly smell and dirty interior (although I'll admit I've used some fabulous outhouses).

My outhouse tip is to streamline the process of getting in and out - prep your toilet paper (TP) in advance (no fumbling for me!) and don't bother closing the door. While it's not exactly awesome etiquette to do your business with the door open, the outhouse is not the most popular hangout and I haven't been caught yet.

Make sure to use an outhouse whenever it's available.

METHOD 2: BURIAL

Of course, outhouses are not always available. And occasionally they are so incredibly disgusting that they cannot be used. I've only come across an unusable outhouse once but - ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

When traveling in a wooded area burial is a common and effective method of poop management. While there is some debate on the topic, it is fairly accepted that burying your poop promotes quick composting, prevents the spread of disease, and preserves the illusion that others aren't pooping all over the forest. While it is considered acceptable by leave no trace campers, it isn't as good as using an outhouse or packing out your waste (for serious. We'll talk about that later).

A) Choose a Location

Select a site that is 200 feet away from a water source, trail, or campsite. No one wants to see you poop, step in your poop, or contract a waterborne disease from your poop.

B) Dig a Hole

Use a trowel, stick, or rock to dig a cat-hole 6-8 inches deep. This depth is generally considered to promote proper decomposition (go deeper and you'll bypass the most active part of the soil) while keeping your feces out of the reach of animals and other nature enthusiasts.

If you miss the hole while doing your business use a stick (not the trowel that going to go back in your pack) to poke your log into the cat-hole. Of course, if the trowel is going to be stored in your hiking buddy's pack then it is perfectly acceptable to touch the poop with the trowel. Just kidding.

Once you've done your business and made sure everything has hit the target use a stick to knock a little dirt onto the poop and mix it around a bit. This expedites the composting process. Then cover the hole with dirt and you are good to go.

C) Assume the Position

There are several pooping positions for you to try. BUT, there is only ONE position for your pants. In order to poop (or pee, ladies) without worrying about getting any business on your shorts roll your pants and undies down to you knees (that's knees, not ankles). Then, for extra credit, roll your pant legs up to your knees as well. At this point it is pretty much impossible to get turd on your trousers! (Note: this position is also perfect for squat toilets on your adventures abroad.)

There are all sorts of positions that people like to employ when they take a poop in the woods. From simple to elaborate, some common options are:

i) Simple Squat

This position is simple but takes a little balance. Put one foot on either side of your cat-hole. Squat down so that your feet are flat on the ground and your bum is down near your heels. You can hang on to you knees for support.

ii) Hold a Tree

Very similar to the simple squat position but with a little added support. Find a small but sturdy tree (let's say 4-5 inches in diameter). Assume the squat position facing the tree and holding the trunk for support.

iii) Sitting on a log

Find a sturdy log laying on the ground. Sit on the log and scootch your butt back until it hangs well over the side of the log. Do your business as if you are sitting on a toilet. Luxurious but sometimes a little more exposed that you'd like to be.

iv) Back to Tree

Brace your back up against a tree with knees and hips at a 90 degree angel. Take your poop into a cat-hole waiting at the bottom of the tree. This one seems risky to me but many people swear by it.

D) Wiping Clean

There are three main ways to clean up after doing your business.

i) The natural method: use leaves, pine cones (go WITH the grain), a rock, stick, or moss to clean up. Just drop the used item into the cat-hole before you bury it. This is very acceptable from a leave no trace perspective.

ii) Packed out TP: use toilet paper and pack it out with you. You can store your used TP in a Ziploc baggie. To disguise the unappealing site of used toilet paper you can cover the baggie in duct tape or even put a brown paper bag inside the Ziploc. This is a great leave no trace method, but a little intense for some beginners.

iii) Bury TP: Burying your toilet paper is less acceptable from a leave no trace perspective but it still a common practice. To do this just use a modest amount of organic, unscented, biodegradable toilet paper, toss it in the cat-hole, pee on it, and bury it. Peeing on your toilet paper is recommended because it compacts it down and reduces the chances it will resurface later. Rather than pee on it you could also pour a little water from your canteen (I hear you ladies).

After you've finished with your cat-hole its a great idea to clean up with some hand sanitizer.

METHOD 3: PACK IT OUT, OR, THE POOP BURRITO

I spend most of my time camping and hiking in the temperate rain forests of BC and Washington. Here the ground is wet, fertile, and teaming with lovely things like earthworms and bugs and microbes that will make quick work of composting your doo-doo. However, for people camping in arid, dry, rocky, sandy, dessert, etc conditions I'm sorry to tell you the burial is not a responsible method. Like your other waste materials, you're going to have to pack it out.

The first backcountry camping trip I ever did was a canoe trip to Black Canyon with Aztec Adventures while I attended San Diego State University. The trip was fabulous, one of my all time favorites, and creates a lot of lasting memories. One thing that I will NEVER forget from this trip is the phrase "poop burrito."

Allow me to explain. Before each Aztec Adventure trip, participants attend a planning meeting. At these meetings the group leaders set expectations, go over packing lists, distribute gear, etc. However, because this trip takes place in the desert and is home the the completely unusable outhouse I mentioned earlier, they also included a fairly graphic demonstration of what they've dubbed the poop burrito.

Materials needed for a poop burrito

A sturdy container to keep poop in (I'll expand on this later)
Toilet paper
Sheets of wax paper (about 20" square)
Sheets of brown butcher paper (about 20" square)
Paper bags

Method to create a poop burrito

Find a private spot. Lay the brown paper on the ground and lay the wax paper on top of the brown paper.
Cop a squat and do your business onto the wax paper.
Wipe with TP and drop TP onto poop.
Roll your poop up like a burrito first with the wax paper then with the brown paper.
Put your steaming burrito inside a paper bag and roll the paper bag closed. You can even use tape if you wish.
Deposit your neat little poop packet into your poop container and seal the container shut.

You have plenty of options for a poop container. Just choose something appropriate for the size of your group/length of your trip.

For the Aztec Adventure trip (12 people, 5 days) we used a 5 gallon bucket with a solid screw on lid and double lined the bucket with garbage bags. The bucket was bright orange so that we didn't accidentally mix it up with other buckets. Bulk was not an issue since we were traveling by canoe.

For a backpacking trip a popular option is a length of PVC piping with screw on end caps. You can find something like this at a hardware store. You could also buy yourself an opaque Tupperware with a snap on lid and clearly mark it so that it doesn't accidentally end up in the kitchen later. If you can't find an appropriate container that's opaque you could always line it with a garbage bag or cover the outside with duct tape.

Hopefully this backwoods pooping tutorial will help to make the outdoors just a little more approachable. How about you? Do you have any special tips on how to poop in the woods?

Better Snapshots for Beginners: Flashing (part 3)

2009-04-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm back with my series on photo tips for beginners. In previous posts I've talked about blurry photos and focus, and today I'll talk about flash settings.

*Repeat disclaimer: I am a photo novice with only a point and shoot to my name. Someone gave me a compliment on my photos so I decided to be audacious enough to share what I've learned about taking better pictures. If you are an expert, you will laugh at my basic advice. But if you are an average person you might find it useful!*

First I have to apologize that none of the pictures in this post are from outdoor adventures. But there is a good reason for that! When taking pictures in the natural, daytime light of the outdoors you rarely need to deviate from your camera's automatic flash settings. Good news, right?

So here is a gratuitous outdoor shot that has nothing to do with flash settings.

Mountain Man taking a break part way up the Chief in Squamish, BC

Flash Range

Have you ever been at a concert and seen people trying to take flash photographs of the stage with their point and shoot? Unless these people were in the first couple of rows, I'll bet that their picture turned out poorly.

That's because of the flash range. On your average point and shoot the range of the flash is minimal - only about 20 feet (check your manual for your specific flash's range). If the subject you are trying to illuminate is outside of the range the flash isn't doing you any good.

Suppressing the Flash

In the example above having the flash on is not only doing no good. In fact, it might actually be doing your picture harm.

Why would this do the picture harm? Because when the flash is on your camera's automatic settings choose a faster shutter speed. I wont get into the details (because I only have a foggy understanding of them myself) but essentially what that means is that the shutter is open for a shorter amount of time and that it lets less light in.

Normally that's good - if you're illuminating your subject with the flash you don't want to let too much light in or the photo will be all washed out. But if the flash is doing nothing to illuminate your subject (i.e. if your subject is outside of the flash range) letting less light in is bad.

The fix? Turn off your flash. On most cameras you do this by finding a symbol that looks like a lightning bolt and pressing it until a no-lightning bolt (bolt in a circle with a strike though) appears. Check your manual for the specifics for your camera.

The other time you might want to suppress the flash is when it is just plain ruining your picture. The flash on a point and shoot camera is less than ideal. It is situated centemeters away from the lens and falls directly onto your subject which often results in harsh lighting. But since we're just your average point and shooters here (and not professional photographers with separate flashes and light umbrellas) we've got to make do with what we have. A few times that the flash might ruin your picture are

When it washes out your subject (ever taken a picture of someone only to have their face look unattractively stark white?).
When it ruins the natural lighting you were trying to capture.
When it erases all the details from your subject.

The quick fixes for these situations are to turn off your flash and/or move to somewhere that has better lighting. Natural light is pretty much considered the best, so open the curtains or step outside.

When I took my first shot of these hanging lanterns in Mexico (left) the flash ruined the natural lighting that I liked so much. By simply turning off the flash I was able to capture the picture on the left that showed the lanterns as the eye saw them.

While I'll admit that neither of these are great pictures, you can see in the shot on the left (flash on) that the detail from the white flowers disappeared (click to enlarge). By turning the flash off (right) you can see the detail again. I probably would have been better off moving outside to get a shot that had fewer distracting shadows.

One caution for turnign off the flash: when your shutter speed is slower your camera is more suseptible to shake. So make sure to hold it steady and you'll be set to go.

Night Snapshot Mode

This is my FAVORITE special mode on my camera and probably the only one that I use all the time (as I said in my first post, automatic gets the job done right most of the time). It's not exactly a flash mode but to me it kind of fits in the category so I'm covering it anyway.

Have you ever tried to capture of a photograph of city lights only to be disappointed? What you need is the Night Snapshot mode. The idea with this mode is that it sets a super slow shutter speed. This lets in lots of light which means that more background light makes it into your picture.

This mode is useful for city lights, sunsets, fireworks (if you like the streaky look), and even stars.

Beautiful downtown Copenhagen.

On my camera it's called Night Snapshot and the symbol looks like a little person in front of a moon and the Eiffel Tower. Your camera might be different so consult your manual.

When you use the night snapshot mode you have to be super careful of camera shake. But in certain situations you can use that to your advantage to create an interesting effect.

The Bellingham Marina. I created this picture by moving the camera around in a circle while I took the shot. Kind of fun, right?

Play around with the night snapshot mode and I'll bet you'll find a ton of times to use it.

Also note that on many cameras you can still force the flash to be on or off (or leave it in auto mode) while using night snapshot. So You can get a picture of both the neon lights of Las Vegas and of your sweetheart standing in front of them.

Forcing the Flash

Just like you sometimes want to suppress the flash, sometimes it's useful to force the flash to be on.

Have you ever tried to take a photo of someone in front of a bright background like a sunny sky? You may have had the experience of your subject coming out in silouette. Sometimes that's great, but other times it's no so desirable.

The solution? Turn the flash on! It seems weird I know. The conditions are bright yet you need to use the flash. But try it out! It's all part of that flash range thing we talked about earlier.

Prospect Point in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC. The picture on the left has no flash, the picture on the right has flash.

Another time to force the flash is when a bright sunny day is casting shadows on your subject's face. This is a pretty common problem for people wearing sun hats.

Forcing the flash on is similar to supressing it. Just find the lightning bolt symbol and click it until the lightning bolt comes up (not the one with the A beside it, that means auto flash).

Are you laughing yet at the simplicity of my tips yet? (I told you they are for beginners!) Then head on over to hear what someone who really knows what's up is talking about. Pioneer Woman has a great Photography blog (actually, all her blogs are pretty great) and creates free sets of actions for all your PhotoShop users. And if you are into real life romance stories you have to check out her Black Heals to Tractor Wheels serial.

"Just Add Water" Camping Meals

2009-03-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my introduction to backcountry camping, I prefer "just-add-water" camp meals. These give you easy prep, easy clean-up, and ultimately more time to get the chores over and get on with the fun stuff. To me the essence of the "just-add-water" meal is that it the only things that get dirty are your bowl and spoon - the pot stays clean. This way all you have to do is lick your bowl and spoon clean and you are all finished!

In case you'd like to try this as well, here are my favorite "just add water" items

Instant mashed potatoes. I often pre-mix in dried gravy mix, dried cheese mix (oh yeah, we're going seriously processed), dried onions, and spices. This pairs great with a can of peas (if weight isn't an issue), campfire roasted smokies, or summer sausage.
Couscous. Pre-season your couscous (chicken bouillon does wonders). I like to mix it with a mini can of flavored tuna.
Cup o' Soup. Chicken noodle is my fav. These tiny packets take up almost no space and sure make a welcomed first course or hot addition to a cold meal. Just don't make the same mistake that Mountain Man did and mix it with your hot chocolate. I can vouch that chicken noodle hot chocolate is gross. I can also vouch that since we were camping (ie super hungry and had no where to dispose of leftovers) we drank it anyway.
Instant Oatmeal. I mix 50% pre-packaged type (think Quaker Oats) with 50% plain quick oats because I find the packaged stuff pretty sugary. I also always hit the bulk isle to find yummy add ins - macadamia nuts and coconut, almonds and dried apples, chocolate chips...whatever strikes your fancy.
Ramen noodles. For me it's not quite filling enough, but many love to camp with Ramen. You can always fill this meal out with some pre-cut fresh veggies.
Kraft Dinner Cups - good old KD in it's own little cup. You can ditch the cup and repackage in a Ziploc if it is too bulky. If you take yours with ketchup snag a to-go packet from a fast food joint.

Another upside of all these meals is that they are as cheap as they come. A big packet of instant mashed potatoes serves two and only costs about a dollar. (Take that freeze dried camping meals!) The downside is that we're going all out on processed food. I find it pretty hard to get away from processed food while camping light.

These are some of my favorite no-fuss-no-muss-nothing-but-hot-water-so-I-can-get-on-with-it meal ideas. How about you? What is your favorite easy peasy hot meal in the backcountry?

Yeti Snowshoe Race

2009-03-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

I got the great idea in my head that I would do the 5K Yeti Snowshoe race on Mount Seymour last January.

Unfortunately once I signed up I didn't train. At all.

But the show must go on! And honestly, I knew I wasn't going to train anyway. I guess you could say I knowingly signed myself up for a world of pain.

So I signed up for the 5K and Mountain Man signed up for the 10K. I didn't realize how fitting a choice this was until we showed up to the race and found the 5K to be 90% women while the 10K was predominantly men. Anyway, on to the pain.

Have you ever done a 5K? Not too bad right? Did that 5K involve ascending and descending gigantic hills? Hills that are challenging at a walking pace? Did it take place on snow? Snow is a heck of a lot of fun when you're not in a hurry. But when every step counts it's a little maddening how much of your energy gets absorbed by the soft surface. But anyway, we were lucky. It hadn't snowed in days so the trail was packed and pretty firm.

I started the race off at a fairly quick jog. I'll be honest, this was mostly out of peer pressure. I had every intention of jog-walking this trail but EVERYONE was running. So off I went.

After about 15 minutes I settled into a pattern of walking and jogging (read: walking and kind of flailing on the downhills). Essentially the whole race felt like burning pain. There was a lot of single track which makes it a little harder for serious racers. I however, was happy to keep people bottled up behind me as a chance to improve my standings. Just kidding.

The race ends on a huge downhill slope. Thank goodness. But I couldn't enjoy it because my snowshoe was teetering on the brink of failure about to slip off my toe and trip me down the mountain at any point. I made one or two hasty attempts to fix it but couldn't make any progress without actually taking it off and re-adjusting things. Too time consuming. Luckily the gamble worked out and I didn't end up tumbling across the finish line.

Lord that finish line was like my savior in the night (but at 11 am). The searing pain went away eventually and I got to say that I did it. And in less than the 2.5 hours I'd guesstimated. Well, maybe I was being pessimistic. I finished in 57 minutes.

Mountain Man ran the 10K. Of course he breezed across the line in 71 minutes. You read that right. MM finished twice my distance in only 14 more minutes. Speedy like a fox that one. The best part was that at the finish line he didn't even know he was done. It's a figure eight style track that was a little hard to figure out. Well really, it wasn't hard to figure out. He just didn't listen to the instructions. Listening isn't his strong point. Being speedy is though. So he still kicked butt.

From my extensive experience as a snowshoe racer I will now give you my tips on running a snowshoe race:

Unless you are doing this as some sort of penance, train first.
But even if you don't train, show up. Just give it your best shot and at the end of the day you can say you did a snowshoe race. It'll help you get all the ladies.
Dress light. The day of our race was freezing cold but once you are 10 minutes in running pants and a base layer is plenty. Ditch the rest.
Bring warm clothes for before and after. I rocked my knee length parka until the race started and right after it ended. Much needed.
Wear light weight shoes. I normally wear hiking boots snowshoeing but they would have been to clunky for this. Trail runners would be ideal. I went with my running shoes and put neoprene biking booties over top to keep the snow out. In reality the trail was hard packed enough that the booties were probably unnecessary.

Have any of you ever made the choice to do a trip/race without training? How did that work out for you?

Merrell Boot Love

2009-03-26T08:00:00.001-07:00

I can't understand people who wear hiking boots that make their feet sore by the end of the day. Why torture yourself when there is a better alternative?

My beloved first paid or Merrells. Last winter the waterproof layer finally died and it was time to replace them.

I religiously wear Merrell boots. And they are cushy and delightful.

I lucked into my first pair of Merrells. I was working at an outdoor shop at the time and they were on sale (I think the mid weight boots were selling for $70 from $150) so I grabbed a pair. And I loved them.

I started to understand how lucky I was when others couldn't wait to get their boots off at the end of the day. I never felt the need. But I truly realized how fab my boots were when they wore out (after about 5 years) and I started shopping for new ones. Now I can see why others can't wait to get their hiking boots off at the end of the day! Yikes, I genuinely doubt that most hikers need boots that are so stiff!

If you find your hiking boots to be uncomfortable maybe you should try a pair of Merrells next time. I doubt you'd be disappointed.

Mmm, mud.

I'm still trying to convince Mountain Man to get a pair. He wears a pair of Scarpas that don't fit and leak like crazy (probably because the water poof layer broke when he got them stretched). Mountain Man is too stoic to complain but I know his feet hurt on the trail.

How about you, what's your favorite brand of hiking boots?

Backcountry Cooking Tips

2009-03-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting experience in observation on a trip to the Olympic Peninsula a couple years ago. It was a light weight backpacking trip - base camp was an easy few miles from the parking lot and we were only staying two nights. One of the couples on the trip had never been backcountry camping before and watching them prepare, eat, and clean up from their meals really made me thankful that I was taught the ways of low-maintenance leave no trace camping on my earliest trips.

I had the privileged of learning how to cook leave no trace style from these lovely ladies.

The couple's method went something like this:

Step 1) Lug a whole backpack worth of food into camp. It was a short hike (about an hour) but for only two nights, their food was quite heavy and bulky.
Step 2) Spend a solid hour cooking using a variety of pots and pans (all which had to be rotated over one burner), do things like drain pasta water onto the dirt, and use ingredients like fresh milk.
Step 3) Eat a big yummy meal...albeit long after everyone else was done cooking, eating, and cleaning up.
Step 4) Spend a good hour mucking up the beautiful little river with the remains from 5 or 6 dirty pans and containers. Even though this small river was rushing (the entry point was right below a 6 foot waterfall) the icky dirty water lingered for some time.
Step 5) Pack out a big old bag full of garbage.

I'm not sharing this story to pass judgment on these folks. They were absolutely lovely and the trip was much improved with them in attendance. It's just that this was their first time camping and they hadn't had the opportunity to learn the tricks that made backcountry cooking a faster, easier, and more eco friendly. If any of you are just starting out, here are some things I think you should consider when planning your menu.

Perishables. Think weather and duration.

Are you camping in the hot dessert sun? Better be vigilant about non-perishables only.

Are you doing an overnight snowshoe trip in the cold winter? Frozen or perishable foods are probably fine.

Somewhere in between? Use your best judgment. I have no problem taking eggs or smokies on a 2-3 day trip in the spring time. Is it perfectly food safe? Probably not, but it's a risk that I personally think is reasonable.

Size and Weight. Think mode of transportation and duration.

How will you carry your food? When I backpack I care a lot more about weight than when I kayak. If I'm on a one night trip and have lots of space in my bag I don't care too much about bulk. But If I'm on the trail for several days I have to actually be able to fit all of that food into my bag.

Look for foods that are dry or dehydrated (dried fruit instead of fresh, dried soup instead of canned) and packaged light (tuna in vacuum sealed packages instead of cans).

You can also reduce the weight and bulk of your food (not to mention of your garbage) by re-packaging foods before your trip. Get rid of that unnecessary box, open up those individual oatmeal packets and pour them all into one zip lock, take just the portion that you plan to use on your trip and leave the rest behind.

Price. Think time vs. money.

I'm sure you've probably heard of pre-packaged backpacking food. It is soooo convenient: open the pouch, add boiling water, let it stand a few minutes, and chow down. Your only clean up is licking your spoon and stowing the packaging with your garbage. And in my experience it is DE.LIC.IOUS. But it's pricey. One pouch usually costs about $8.

Aside: The package usually says it's for two...yeah right. I've been there. And when you have just dragged your kayak onto the beach for refuge (FINALLY A BEACH!) after paddling through a crazy storm (who plans their trips against the current when it's unnecessary? Stupid people like me, apparently) for about 2 hours you'll laugh at the idea that this meal is meant to two. Two NORMAL people. Not two ravenous backpackers (or in this case, kayakers).

Ultimately I can make dinner for a heck of a lot less than $8 a pop. But if your priority is your time, not your moola then these camping meals are a great alternative.

Preparation. Think materials and patience.

I happen to care a lot about getting my meals ready quickly and easily. You may have more patience than me. That's really a personal choice.

But are you choosing a meal that requires a lot of gear? I strive to make all my meals with nothing more than a pot, bowl, spoon, and backpacking stove. Look at the meal your planning. Will you need additional pots and pans? Cooking utensils such as knives, whisks, spatulas, can openers, or cutting boards? Will you need special items like a dutch oven?

Do you want to carry all of that weight an bulk? If you do then that's great. But if you'd rather have a low key experience I urge you to consider meals with simple preparation.

Also think about what you can do in advance to reduce your time and material needs on the trail. Can you pre-cut the veggies for your rice? Re-package and pre-mix the nuts into your oatmeal?

When the decisions are left completely up to me (which is rare) I bring only a stove, kettle, bowl, and spoon. The only hot meals I eat are of the "just add water" variety. This not only makes cooking super easy, but also makes clean up (my real concern) a breeze. Speaking of clean up...

Cleanup. Think environmental impact and convenience.

For me, cleanup is the number one driver of my backcountry meal choices. This is how I clean up after a meal:

Step 1) Eat EVERYTHING or pack it up as leftovers for tomorrow. Literally pick your pot clean of every food particle.
Step 2) Lick your bowl and spoon clean. To do this you need to make sure to buy a bowl that isn't too deep so that you can lick all the way to the bottom. If you are camping with a group be sure to label everyone's bowl and spoon so that they (and only they) will re-use it. If you like you can use just touch of hot water (maybe a table spoon's worth) to get things even cleaner. Swish the water around in the bowl and drink it or disperse it 200m away from a water source.

This shallow lexan bowl is perfect for licking clean, plus it's light weight.

Step 3) For the pot I have 3 methods:

leave it clean (just use it for boiling water - this is why I often camp with just a kettle)
clean it with your food (use bread to get all the leftovers off the sides of a soup/stew/pasta/etc pot - yummy and functional)
leave it dirty (I often do this for the last meal of the trip. Just leave it dirty, fill it with other garbage, and put on the locking lid before you pack it up).

You'll notice there was no mention of biodegradable soap, washing dishes in rivers or lakes, or other dirty practices. If you plan ahead you wont need to do these things. They are not viable leave no trace practices.

But alright, if you did twist my arm I'd say that washing the MINIMUM dishes (just the cooking dishes for a group, you can still lick bowls and spoons clean) in a river would be ok if that river is named after a state or major city. That's a rule of thumb that I was taught by some pretty reputable leave-no-tracers. But you still need to pick the item clean of every last food morsel and forget soap. The gravel from the river bed is all the "soap" you need.

These group cooking pans had been scraped clean of any food particles before I washed them with rocks in the Colorado River.

Hopefully you'll find these tips helpful to make backcountry cooking quicker, easier, and more eco friendly! What is your favorite tip for backcountry cooking? Have you ever had any cooking mishaps while in the wilderness?

Better Snapshots for Beginners: Getting focused (part 2)

2009-03-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

In my previous post about photography I explained that my modest little photography tips are only for photo novices like me that are interested in improving their pictures with point and shoot cameras. In the first post I talked about reducing camera shake.

Today, I'll move on to focus.

Taken at Granite Falls, BC

Are you familiar with the concept of lens focus? If not, think of your eyes. Notice how when you look at something that's close to you (like your computer screen) things that are far away (like the TV across the room) are blurry? Then, if you shift your eyes up and focus on that TV the computer screen is now blurry?

Get it?

That's the same kind of thing that a camera does. The lens inside the camera adjusts itself so that it can focus on things that are at different distances.

But how does it decided what distance to focus on? Good question my friend. Mechanically how it happens I don't really know (I think it's something to do with the sensor on the front, so don't cover that guy up). And I don't need to know. And you probably don't either. But if you really want to know this guy can tell you.

What you do need to know is how to tell what your camera is focusing on. If you are still using a film camera (seriously?) look through the view finder. See that little cross hatch in the middle? That's what your camera is focusing on (unless you have some crazy fancy camera - then check your manual).

I'll assume that most of you are using a regular old point and shoot digital camera. I'm sure you are familiar with the little square that appears onscreen when you take a picture. That's your camera telling you what it's focused on. Handy, right?

And if you're using an SLR - seriously, didn't I tell you that this tutorial is for novices only? Although if you want to read and add your tips I'd be much obliged!

All digi cams are a little different and on many you can customize the settings. Your camera might be set to always focus on what's in the center of the frame. Or it might be set to try to "guess" what your focused on. Either option has it's pros and cons and you can probably switch between the two modes. Check your manual.

If you aren't following grab your camera and play around with taking some pictures. See the little square? Get it now?

So now that we get what focus is and how our camera tells us what it's focusing on, now we can think about using focus to improve our pictures.

1) Locking the Focus

Auto mode on a camera is a beautiful thing. For a simple girl like me it gets the job done 9 times out of 10 (ok...maybe 8). When you set up to take a picture is that little square focused right on your main subject? Then perfect! Snap away and don't worry about locking your focus!

But what if the square does not settle on your subject? For example, maybe you've framed your picture so that your hiking partner is on the left of the shot and your camera keeps focusing elsewhere? That's when you need to lock the focus. Don't worry, it's crazy easy.

Point the camera directly at the subject you want it to focus on.
Press the shutter button half way. If you've never done this before you'll notice that it's quite easy. It kind of half clicks into place.
You'll see the square on screen. Ensure that the square is where you want it. If not just try again.
While keeping the shutter button in it's half pressed position, reposition your camera to frame the shot as desired. It is important that you stay the same distance from the subject that you just focused on (focus is all about the distance from the object, remember?). So keep your feet planted.
Press the button the whole way down to take a picture.

Easy right? This way you'll always be able to get the camera to focus on the object of your desire.

So now that we've got that basic covered let's talk about some other things we can do by locking the focus and playing around with settings.

2) Blue Skies

Have you ever taken a picture on a gorgeous blue bird day only to be disappointed that the sky turns out washed out or completely white? So frustrating, right? Well, I have a simple fix for you. Remember when we talked about how to lock the focus? (Like 3 seconds ago...jeeze, I hope you remember.) Lock the focus on the sky before you take the picture. Is this really to do with focal length of the lens? No. It's to do with something or other that adjusts for colours and light and all that good stuff. It doesn't matter. Lock the focus on the sky and you'll get brilliant blue in your picture.

I took these photos from the top of Grouse Mountain to show the different result you get when you lock the focus on the sky (pic 1) an when you lock the focus on an object in the foreground (Pic 2). See how washed out the sky is in the second shot?

This photo of Mountain Man was taken only seconds after the landscape photo on the left. Because the camera was focused on Mountain Man the bright blue sky in the background was washed out. When I took Mountain Man out and focused on the sky in the picture on the right you can see the brilliant blue as observed by the eye.

Note that this might mean that colours and light in other parts of the picture are not optimized. And of course, this works for other things too, blue skies are just a common problem because they are so bright.

3) Landscape Mode

Most cameras have something called a landscape mode. Use your manual to help you locate it. The symbol usually looks like a mountain and you'll often find it close to the macro mode (we'll talk about that next). All that landscape mode does is tell the camera to focus far off into the distance.

I used landscape mode to shoot through this fence at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. See how the bird is sharp but the fence is fuzzy? If possible it would have been better to put the camera through the fence to eliminate it entirely.

So when would you need to force your camera to focus off into the distance? I have found this to be useful in a few situations:

Have you ever tried to shoot a subject though a chain link fence or a window? Yes? Then you've probably had the experience of your picturing turning out blurry because the camera focused on the window or the fence instead of the beautiful landscape behind it. The ideal solution is to remove the obstacle (open the window, put your camera lens through the chain link). But if this isn't possible you can put on the landscape mode. Your camera will ignore the object that is close by and will focus into the distance.
This is also useful if you are intentionally trying to focus on the background and allow the foreground to be blurry and out of focus. If you are using a camera that keeps "guessing" that your focusing on an object in the foreground you can use the landscape mode to tell it to focus on the background.

Taken at Clayton Beach, Bellingham.

4) Macro Mode

The Macro mode is used to shoot objects close up (usually about 2 feet to 3 inches - check your manual). The Macro symbol usually looks like a tulip.

Simply use the Macro when you want to get a closeup of a small subject - flowers, bugs, details of fibers, etc. The only thing to keep in mind is that photos in Macro are more susceptible to shaky hands so be sure to keep your camera and your subject steady.

Taken at Rainbow Lake, BC

Taken on route to Opal Cone, BC

Those are my simple little photography tips for you today. Next time I'll talk about flash settings.

Would you like to see photography tips from someone who really knows what she's talking about? Check out Jenna over at That Wife. Girl's got skills and an awesome blog.

Balaclava hoods

2009-03-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

Don't you love when you find something fabulous that you weren't even looking for?

When I got my MEC Slipstream jacked last year there was a lot to love about it. But there was one feature listed on the product description that I'd never heard of - a balaclava style hood. Essentially it's just a tight fitting hood.

At first I wasn't sure I loved it because, honestly, it looks kind of goofy. But as I used my jacket I realized that it added a whole new level of functionality. Not only was it a close fitting hood that fully covered your head yet never impeded your vision (how is that so rare?) but because of the tight fit it can be worn under things - like bike helmets, toques, and climbing helmets.

Ultimately it keeps me from having to carry/own extra items (like an ear cover when I'm biking) and adds an extra layer of coziness (a fleecy hood under your toque on a cold ski day keeps that back of your neck nice and warm).

And since I'm a dedicated function-over-fashion girl, the balaclava hood gets an enthusiastic thumbs up!

How about you? Did you ever find an indispensable piece of gear when you least expected it?

Nude Hikers Invade Switzerland

2009-03-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

How the topic came up I cannot remember, but on Sunday night I found myself telling a group of friends of the stories I've heard about German "free body movement" enthusiasts causing a ruckass in Switzerland by hiking naked through their mountains.

Picture from Just South of North

I don't think anyone believed me so had a good laugh when I got a text message from my sister a few days later saying, "The Globe and Mail just ran a full page article about the naked hikers in Switzerland!"

But this got me to wondering - Of course there are legal issues (the Swiss government put a law in place so that they could fine future nude hikers) and morality issues (let's not even start) and personal modesty issues (funny thing...I don't want you to see my boobies). But putting all that aside, does hiking naked really sound appealing? Even if hiking naked were legal and socially acceptable and you had no hangups about anyone and everyone seeing you in the buff would you want to hike naked?

I know that people rave about it, but I've got to say, it doesn't sound like much fun to me. Firstly, Vancouver is rarely warm enough to make that practical. Second, I would think that a backpack against your bare skin would chafe. Thirdly, sitting down seems like a bit of an issue. I'd think you'd get dirt in places you'd rather not have it.

What do you think? Would hiking naked enhance your experiences in nature?

An Unexpected Outfitter

2009-03-18T01:01:00.000-07:00

My favorite and most technical outdoor clothes come from a shop that doesn't specialize in camping our the backcountry at all - Lululemon Athletica. Lululemon is a clothing shop that predominantly make clothes for yoga but also provides a solid offering for running and dance.

While Lulu targets a crowd within the city limits, they've hit on all the things that (I think) makes for amazing backcountry gear.

Fabric Technology. You wont find much plain cotton at Lululemon. Their garments are flat stitched to prevent chafing. They have a wide offering of lightweight and moisture wicking materials. And they have this fabulous fabric that they call Silver Sent Anti-Stink - useful when you bring one shirt on a multi-day backpacking trip.

Sporting my fav Lululemon top. It has Anti-Stink Silver Scent Technology and is light weight and quick drying making it perfect for multi-day backpacking trips. Plus, let's be honest, it's a pretty cute top!

Durability. The quality and durability of their products is genuinely impressive. I've been wearing my gear hard for years and have yet to come close to wearing through a garment. Most of my stuff still looks practically new.

Simple Construction. The construction of my Lulu gear is simple - buttons, zippers, belts etc are rare. And as well all know, the simpler something is the less likely it is to fail. Have you ever had the buttons pop off of your hiking pants? I have. (Yikes...maybe I should lay off the trail mix?). And I can tell you that I don't care for hiking with my pants falling down.

My quick drying running shorts are perfect for a canoe and hot springs adventure.

Stretch. Am I crazy to think that most women prefer stretchy clothes? Why doesn't North Face (etc) know this? I find them infinitely more comfortable, especially for exercise. When I'm climbing a rock face I can tell you that I'm not going to choose a pair of synthetic pants with zero elasticity.

Style and Little Extras. Let's face it. Lululemon gear is just more attractive and stylish than most outdoor gear (although don't get me wrong, I dig the REI look too). Plus, they add in fun little extras such as hidden pockets, thumb holes, and even hand covers which are all useful bonuses.

Double Duty. I'm not made of money. I already have to buy a lot of gear to get out on the trials, I don't want to have to buy clothes that I don't use for anything but hiking. These pieces are just as at home in your gym or even as casual wear. Much more practical.

How about you? Do you have a favorite outfitter who's gear you use differently than intended?

Better Snapshots for Beginners: Steady as she goes (part 1)

2009-03-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I got an unexpected compliment today. After posting pictures of a recent trip to my Facebook account a friend wrote on my wall, "Man - I need to take some photography lessons from you. B E A U T I F U L! :-)"

And I've got to say - I was tickled pink. I realize that it's completely possible that she was just returning the favour because I had commented on how lovely one of her photos was. But I'm going to take it at face value. A compliment on my photography! Yipee!!!

So I thought, heck, why not share my photography tricks with the world? (Read: the no one who reads my blog...yet.) So I'm putting together a little four (or five? or six? We'll see) part series on tips to improve your photos.

Here is where I warn you. I'm just a simple point and shoot girl. And the only photography training I've ever received was from the book Photography for Dummies borrowed from the library back in the dying days of film cameras. And I don't even own Photoshop much less have a clue how to use it.

Translation: if you know anything about photography you wont find this useful. My little tutorial is meant for average folks like me (or like I used to be pre-Photography for Dummies) who just want to take some good snapshots on their wild adventures. This is basic people.

But that said, it did help me go from blah to B E A U T I F U L! (in the words of my very generous friend, of course).

Lesson 1: Blurry Photos

Blurry photos used to be my A#1 problem. And you know what? They are sooooo fixable!Blurry photos are almost always* caused by shaky hands.

A picture of Mountain Man and myself taken by a shaky handed photog.

A photo of Mountain Man taken by me with the same camera under the exact same conditions.

Here are a few simple things that you can do to reduce the blur and create sharper images:

1) Press the shutter button correctly.

Many people actually jolt the camera when they press the shutter button. Next time you go to take a picture audit yourself quickly - do you start with your index finger resting gently on the shutter button? Or do you start with it posed in the air about a centimeter above the button? If you are doing the later you are probably shaking the camera when you snap the picture.

To do this correctly start by lightly resting your index finger on the button. When you are ready to snap your picture press the button down smoothly and gently. When you release the shutter keep your index finger lightly rested on the button.

Please excuse the crazy looking claw hand. Graphic designer I am not.

2) Support those shaky hands.

Once you are pressing the shutter button correctly the next thing to deal with is shaky hands/arms/body. A good strategy is to try to stand with two hands on the camera, the camera held fairly close to the body, elbows tucked close to your sides (so that they have the support of your body), and your legs in a solid stance.

Is this necessary to get a sharp photo every time? No. But under tougher conditions it can certainly be useful.

3) Tricks for tricky lighting

When faced with low lighting or certain flash conditions (we'll get into these in later posts) your camera may be more prone to blurriness. When you find yourself in these conditions here are a few tricks you can use to better your chances of getting a sharp picture.

Brace yourself as described above. Then lean your back against something sturdy (like a wall or tree trunk) for even more support. Essentially you become a tripod rather than a bipod.
Use the automatic timer so that you don't have to press the shutter button at all and completely eliminate any shake caused by hitting the shutter.
Use a tripod or perch your camera on a solid surface such as a wall or stump. They even make hiking poles with monopod attachments for your camera!
Combine the tripod trick with the auto timer trick so that the camera is completely out of your hands.

Next time I'll talk about focusing. Your excited, I can tell.

*Disclaimer. It may not be almost always. But I'm pretty sure it is.

I Heart Wildflowers

2009-03-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers dot fields

Like sprinkles on a cupcake.
Oh, it's so bitchin.

Personal Photo from Yellow Island, San Juan Islands, WA

Since I'm expanding my horizons with this whole writing thing I thought I'd try to entertain you with a haiku. (As far as I know that's a haiku...don't burst my bubble, ok?)

This is my ode to wildflowers and how they make my insides smile. The first time I ever saw a medow full of wildflowers was high in the Swiss Alps. I could have just died right there. Take me away, this was heaven. Dining on a picnic lunch of cheese and fresh bread on a rock amongst those gorgeous, steep, colorful meadows was liking Heidi come to life.

Since then I've seen many beautiful hillsides of wildflowers. Nothing compared to the brilliant display on Yellow Island, one of the San Juan Islands off the northern coast of Washington state. It takes only about 10 minutes to walk the circumference of the little islands but the whole thing is swathed in wildflowers in dozens of varieties and a rainbow of colours.

Wild spaces can be so awe inspiring. This is why we get outside.

Hello Blogosphere!

2009-03-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogosphere, is anyone out there?

My first post ever...how exhilarating yet humbling.

About this blog: I need an outlet from all the days spent in the concrete jungle. I'm hoping to find a network of like minded outdoor enthusiasts to connect and converse with. I also hope to provide some tools for beginning hikers/campers/outdoor etcetera-ers to enable their own adventures. I'm no expert and I'm far from hardcore, but hopefully I'm a person that the gangs of weekend warriors can relate to.

The view from Blueberry Ridge, above Mount Baker ski area.

About Me: I started backcountry camping in the fall of 2006 and have been slowly building my experience and my arsenal since then. I believe in leaving no trace, in encouraging others to experience the outdoors, and in appreciating the beauty all around me. It's my goal to visit a new National Park each year. My guy, Mountain Man, loves the outdoors as much as I do and is always pushing me to do something new and exciting. I do a lot of hiking and snowshoeing, a fair bit of camping, an increasing amount of road biking, a sprinkling of paddling, and a smidgen of climbing.

Hopefully I can encourage you to wander over and visit a while. If not, you'll just find me here typing away for my own amusement, dreaming of my next weekend adventure.

Happy Wandering,

CB