Outbound Dan's Outdoor Musings

The air is getting a little chillier, and hunting season is coming: it's the busy season for Search and Rescue teams.  Thinking back to November in prior years, this is the time when resources are stretched looking for lost hikers, missing hunters, and those who have wandered away in the night. Search and Rescue in Winter I also recall heading out to searches where searchers were vastly unprepared to deal with the weather, terrain, and other issues of conducting SAR in a winter environment.  I've seen people show up for searches in snow wearing sneakers and jeans - of course, they aren't carrying any water or basic survival supplies either. Yes, though it is hard to control what the myriad of volunteers bring with them, as SAR team members - we must do our best to be prepared for all conditions. Though clothing and footwear is a huge component for venturing out into the woods, what I think we should talk about first is the 24-hour pack.  Yes, we could load all...

Though my gear reviews are tediously long and comprehensive in their tests, this is my initial impression of the Ontario Little Bird knife.  Before lashing out at my general lack of cohesiveness and use of hardcore testing methods which snap blades in half, please remember that this is an initial review only.   First of all - I have a lot of knives - a lot of them.  That said, I am extremely picky about the ones I carry.  Unfortunately, most of my knives sit unused and under-appreciated in boxes in my basement.    There is something, when you first hold a knife in your hand, when you can tell it is meant for you.  Or perhaps you are meant for it.  Who knows what ancient chemistry awakens when we touch a fine blade?  Perhaps this is the "riddle of steel" after all.   OKC Little Bird Specifications:  Manufacturer: Ontario Knives OKC (Ranger) Model: Little Bird II Overall Length: 4.25 inches Blade Length: 1.8 inche...

As a consultant for the "Wilderness Survival" section for Powder Horn training, I thought that an online resource list would help Venturing and Scouting leaders.  If you have an additional resource that you feel would be appropriate,  please use the comment section below.  As always, keep the links appropriate for Scouting.  What is Powder Horn training?  Powder Horn training exposes Venturing leaders to different high-adventure opportunities from horseback riding to backpacking.  Check out BSA Powder Horn Training for more information on this exciting course.    Remember the Rule of Three: You can survive .... 3 minutes without air 3 hours without shelter 3 days without water 3 weeks without food What are the seven survival priorities?   Positive mental attitude Shelter  Fire Signaling First aid  Water  Food Risk Management:  For an introduction to hiking and backpacking safely, check ou...

Who would have thought that the largest snake I ever saw in New York would be in the Niagara Gorge.   Yesterday I went hiking with a friend from the SAR team down into the Gorge.  Yes, we hiked under the guise of "physical conditioning" and getting ready for the work-capacity test, but in a place that is wild and unique as the Gorge - it is the best design I've even seen for a gym.   After descending the ailing Whirlpool stairs and making the rounds by the Flats we headed down the trail toward the old Great Gorge Railway stop in the rapids.  As an old hand in the area, I was leading the way and then something large moved on the ground just ahead of my feet. I stopped dead, then turned to Jamie, saying "look, it's a snake!"  We both stared at the slithering snake sunning itself on a patch of open ground.  Its unblinking reptilian eyes stared back at the two hikers, probably wondering if they were going to hurt it.  It curled itself in...

Perhaps the problems with SAR teams, is that we respond after the event happens.  By the time we get the call out, arrive, organize, and venture out  - the subject is severely hypothermic and out of lifelines.  So what if we worked to prevent these wilderness accidents in the first place?  I like to call this activity Preventative Search and Rescue. Yes, our team has started doing outreach, letting people know they should carry the " 10 Essentials " and always file a trip plan.  But -could we, as SAR volunteers, be doing more?  With over 4,000 acres of rugged terrain, the Zoar Valley Unique Area and  MUA (Multiple Use Area) is a treasure of Western New York and a place where one can experience pristine forests.  It is the perfect place to recharge from the stresses of the work week and reconnect with your natural self. However, over the years it has also become a favored place to "party."  (I'm not sure why I used quotation marks ar...

The offices of Buffalo meteorologists are once again abuzz with their favorite word- SNOW- but this time it is forecast for late April. Not that we hardy folk are strangers to unseasonal weather shifts, it is part of life here on the Niagara Frontier.  Of course, what really grabs out attention is when weather forecasters throw around the term, " It could be another October Surprise ." As I look out my living room window at the budding trees in my yard, I realize that this statement is a means of urging precaution as much as it is a ploy to keep us tuned in to the TV just a little longer.  For what caused the destruction of the October Storm was wet snow clinging to our tree leaves; the limbs broke bringing down power cables across Western New York.  Some people were without power for two-weeks. The October Surprise storm taught us so much about ourselves, glued to the radio for a week, working together, and utilizing skills most of us forgot.  I lived in Lock...

High winds, heat, and a potential storm - great day for a bike ride along the Erie Canal and Niagara River.  Though I'm not a cyclist, I like riding my bike for recreation as well as transportation.  Why am I not a cyclist?  Probably because I identify myself as a backpacker, a mountaineer, and a kayaker - those are the schema around which I base my life.  Also, I've never really embraced the cycling culture, I look ridiculous in bike shorts, my bikes are ill suited for what I do, and I don't hang out with other cyclists.  I'm just a guy that rides a bike.  Of course, I'm training to tour the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo next month so I guess I am kind of a cyclist; however, I wear my bicycling shorts underneath a pair of hiking pants. Anyway, I started from my home in North Tonawanda, weaving through the sleepy streets riddled with bike flipping potholes till I reached the relative safety of the Erie Canalway Trail, which is paved and generall...

Everyone knows that Biggest Loser program on NBC, right? You know the one featuring morbidly obese people crying all the time and was created as a one-hour commercial for the weight-loss industry?  I propose a new Biggest Loser program, one which concentrates on limiting our expenditure of natural resources. We need to go on a diet from our wasteful ways, utilize renewable energy sources, and bre ak away from the gas and oil corporations all together.   Just imagine, instead of a weigh-in to see how much weight you lost, we measure your consumption of electric, gas, oil, and water. Perhaps the competitive nature of Americans, would "fuel" a new green revolution.  Now, all we need is a TV studio not owned by the fossil fuel addiction specialists.

Being up here in the somewhat frozen North and being a member of a SAR team, means that emergency bivouacs in the winter are a potential reality.  Yes, I could take the big Gregory Baltoro, throw in my Marmot Alpinist 4-season tent and my Marmot Col sleeping bag, but now my 24-hour pack is 12 pounds heavier.  Of course, it is a lot harder to walk through all that brush. So, what I needed was a lightweight shelter system, mainly because we don't PLAN on being out overnight.  Sure if we were planning on spending the night, I'd hump all that stuff back there, but realistically most of our SAR missions don't last overnight.  Generally IC, likes to bring everyone in and prevent further injuries. So, I've developed a system which is highly packable, lightweight, and that I've used in temperatures below freezing.  My test nights could be called - ALMOST comfortable. My shelter contains the following: Weather Protection:  Waterproof breathable bivy sack - ...

So for my HubPages account I am writing an article about the history of Appalachian Trail hiking. The History of Hiking the Appalachian Trail Of course as a thru-hiker myself ME>GA '98 I believe I have insight that many others don't have.  My one hub "An Appalachian Trail Thru Hike in Pictures" which showcases some pictures I took on my journey has been received moderately well.  I should probably tweak it a bit someday.  The problem is, that was '98 and I need to do something like that again.  Here I am on Katahdin during my thru-hike.  Sure since my Maine to Georgia thru-hike I've done A LOT of outdoor things, hiking on the FLT, becoming an Adirondack 46 R, paddling the Oswegatchie Traverse.  However, none of those things are as grand and as inspiring as hiking the Appalachian Trail. So, this year, before my child comes in August - I need to do something very cool outdoors.  However, because of saving money, it will have to be inexpensi...

In preparation for my big move (around the corner) I mounted my Thule rack back to my car.  It is much easier to move .while it is on a vehicle than in one.  I was going to take it off right after the move, but...the River looks so inviting.  My kayak is calling - it wants to play. Of course, because this has been one of the warmest winters on record, I could have kayaked all year around this year.  That said, for those of you that don't know - COLD WATER WILL KILL YOU!  The water doesn't even have to be that cold, to get a great shock.  I'll be wearing neoprene and my dry gear until June, just in case. I really don't want the Coast Guard to fish my body out of Lake Ontario.  Come to think of it, I don't want them to fish anyone's bodies out this year (and no, I'm not referring that we just leave them there).  I'm sure the CG would appreciate not doing body retrievals this year. So what can you do? First of all - WEAR A LIFE JACKET !!!!!!!...

After feeling a little sick for the last two weeks, I haven't been out hiking too much at all.  Finally though, I am feeling a little better and decided to hit up some of Western New York's gorges in the last couple days.  It felt good to return to the trails and experience the beauty of our region.  Friday, February 17th, Niagara Gorge : I jut needed a quick walk, something to get my blood pumping and feel the invigoration that the outdoors offers.  It wasn't going to be a long walk, maybe just a few miles - it was just what I needed. I parked at Whirlpool, grabbed my pack with " The Ten Essentials " and headed down the rim trail toward the stairs to the gorge.  It was overcast, nothing uncommon for winter in the Buffalo area. Albeit the temperatures, today around 33 degrees, have been all too warm this winter.  I can't remember a winter with this little snow.  The trails were a little icy though so I slipped my kahtoola microspikes on for tractio...

So, we are moving in a couple of weeks and I will have the most esteemed pleasure of mowing the lawn; it's been a few years since I had to mow a lawn.  Yes, though the banks and the realty companies tell you that homeowners have it made, it is the renter that smiles when his landlord is shoveling the driveway in a blizzard or mowing in a heat wave. Anyway, I have to buy a lawnmower... Of course, this is a small city lot, and I do have a machete.  Maybe if I ... nah, I  guess I have to get one. Am I now doomed to join the ranks of noisy lawn-destroying denizens that terrorize the peacefulness of the neighborhood? Of course, I could avoid those noisy contraptions, all the maintenance, and the yanking of my shoulder out of its socket.  Yep, I'm thinking about buying a reel mower.  And no, that is not a misspelling of "real." Now the last time I used a reel mower, I think I was 12 and the blades hadn't been sharpened since before the Korean War.  It w...

So with the success with my one article on How to Wash and Waterproof a Softshell Jacket I decided I should write another article on how to take care of hardshell rain garments too. I think I will title this one "How to waterproof a rain jacket."  I should throw something in there too about DWR too for those google results.  Anyway, it got me thinking today about how we maintain our gear. How many of us in the outdoors, especially those of us with copious amounts of gear, actually take care of everything the way we should?  A part of me expects to replace a pack every couple of years, though realistically if I took care of it better and took it to be sewn when ripped, I could get many more years out of it.  The eco-conscious person inside me knows that I should try to stretch equipment as much as I can to avoid the production of new materials.  Then again, as an avid outdoorsman that always has the latest and greatest, I really like getting a new pack ever...

Search and Rescue teams must be able to respond safely and effectively in cold weather search operations.  The following is a collection of resources for SAR teams responding to emergencies in winter environments.  If you have any resources that should be included on this list, leave a link in the comment section and I'll post it.  WINTER SAR RELATED LINKS: Carbon Country SAR winter gear list  US SAR Task Force Avalanche Safety  US SAR Task Force Cold Weather Injuries  US SAR Task Force Blizzards Firefighter Nation:  Preparation for Lengthy Rescue Ops in Cold Weather GENERAL WINTER RELATED LINKS:   Princeton Outdoor Hypothermia and Cold Weather Injuries  Princeton Outdoor Guide to Winter Camping  Military Medical Operations in Cold Environments  FM 3-97.61 Military Mountaineering  REI: How To Go Winter Camping and Backpacking WINTER ARTICLES FROM OUTBOUND DAN: "Winter Backpacking and Hiking Gear ...

Given Buffalo's general lack of snow this year, I was elated to wake up and see those outstanding white out conditions. Yes, today would be a great opportunity to test out my new Mountain Hardwear Victorio jacket. I never had a really high-end mountaineering shell before, so I am anxious to see how it performs. Though this isn't a formal gear review, more of a rambling actually, I'll be posting a in-depth review later for this jacket. I barely bundled up, but the high winds were perfect for frost bite on any exposed skin. Even just walking through my neighborhood and down to the river, I knew I'd have to "facemask up," grab my glasses, and don my gore-tex mitts. I ended up walking down my street, cutting across the tracks, and out to the walk way on the Niagara River. The untrodden walkway was thick with snow and ice, I was glad I brought my kahtoola microspikes with me for much needed traction. This is the closest place, along the river, nea...