Trail aid

Solo hiking has many benefits but many times it gets lonely along the trail. I have been using a classic ipod to keep me company. I recently bought an ipod nano because it is so light and does so many functions. The nano is a video recorder, plays music and videos, a pedometer,and is a FM radio. It has plenty of things to keep you company on those lonely nights on the trail. Sometimes it is hard to sleep with all of the animals crawling around in the dark at night. I can turn on the ipod and it drowns out the noises till I get to sleep.

Winter hike

Nothing is so rewarding as hiking in the snow. Deep snow make it more challenging to hike on the Appalachian Trail near Rockfish Gap Virginia. I recently began a hike but could not reach my destination because the snow reached a depth of 2 feet. We didn't have snow shoes and walking became very exhausting. My pack weight was around 20 pounds but my friends pack weight was around 50 + pounds. With every step he took he sank the full depth of the snow. After going half the distance we had to turn around and thrace our steps back to the car. We learned that snow shoes are a must in conditions like that. But I could think of a scripture that carried me through the hard hike.

Psalm 119:133

Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.

alcohol stoves

My friend and I have been making an assortment of alcohol stoves. Coke can, cat food and penny alcohol stoves. I have fpound out that they all work very well especially for solo hiking to revitilize dehydrated foods. The light weight of the stove far over comes the weight of carrying the alcohol. A very good ultra light stove.

I hiked on the AT near Three Ridges in Virginia a couple of weeks ago. I slept in the Clark's Jungle hammock and it was terrific. I also used the peapod under quilt to keep me warm in sub freezing temperatures and never got cold. Falling ice from the trees never gave me a problem. I used spring clip-ons to walk on the ice and never fell.

I went hiking this past weekend on the Appalachian Trail. The area was having an ice storm. My friend and I had to put ice clips on the borrom of our shoes to hike up the mountain. There was so much ice that my friend had to set his tent up inside the shelter so that the large chunks of ice would not damage his tent. I set up my Clarks Jungle hammock with speer peapod to weather the storm. The trail became a 4 inch ice path. The return trip was hard, at one point I had to slide on my backside for a long distance to get down the mountain. The ice chunks falling from the trees were the size of large ice cubes a hard on the head.

Stories to tell

Whike hiking I explore trails finding unusual facts about the plants, animal, geology and folk lore along the way. I work as an environmental engineer ( a Hydrogeomorphologist). I redesign streams so they mimic their original natural state. I spent some time as a marine biologist and studied plants and animals around estuarine streams. I have collected a million stories about the people I have met and the places I have been. One person I met was a man hiking the AT from Hawaii near Waynesboro Virginia. He had a very unique story. Do you have a story to tell ?

Winter hiking

Hiking solo in the snow in winter can be a very rewarding experience. While walking in the snow animals get wet fur and each animal gives off a different odor. Coyotes, deer and bear all have odors specific to them. A coyote has a musty smell while a deer has a sharp simi sweet odor. Bears have a ransid ketone odor from the metabolism of the yellow fat in winter. When you hike solo you can move quietly enough to be within the smell of wild animals. If you hike in groups the animals see and hear you long before you see them. But if you hike in winter youmust take every possible safety precaution. I leave a detailed map of my route and carry a locator beacon, a GPS as well as a SAT phone. I also carry a pack with extra winter supplies (dry clother, etc).