BP Get Out More PDF prep
BP Get Out More PDF prep BP Get Out More PDF prep
HIKING FARTHER LONGER YOUR BODY RELAXES, REJUVENATES, AND FINDS a rhythm that frees your mind to wander, to escape the confines of everyday life. That’s why every hiker who’s ever put tread to trail dreams about staying out a few more days, or a week, or (dare we say it) a month. But what if you aren’t quite ready to jump to the next level Sure, the desire is there, but maybe you lack the skills or confidence. No worries. If you’re a beginner, this primer will identify the gear, techniques, and smarts needed to conquer overnight outings. If you’re anxious to stretch weekends into weeklong adventures, we’ll help you get there. The same goes for those thinking about a thru-hike. [Quick Tip] How to Poop in the Woods New campers have been known to “hold it” for an entire weekend, but that’s neither comfortable nor healthy. Here’s how to relieve the burden. Number 1: Urinate as far from trails, campsites, and fragile plant life as possible. Number 2: Use outhouses or designated pit toilets where they exist. Otherwise, use a trowel to dig a “cathole” 4 to 6 inches across and 4 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water sources, trails, and campsites. Make a deposit, then cover it with soil. Doublebag and pack out TP and feminine-hygiene products. Granted, we can’t answer every question you’ll have. But some of the best lessons are learned by making mistakes. Get out there, have fun, and start racking up your personal experiences. Basics for the weekend Spending your first night camped deep in the woods can be a daunting proposition, what with all the gear to wrangle, the food, map, and hygiene questions, and the carnivorous beasts licking their chops at the edge of camp. But don’t fret. With the tips that follow, you’ll stay dry, well fed, and well rested, and you won’t get eaten. We hope. Overnight pack: An internal frame model with a capacity of 2,500 to 3,200 cubic inches, or almost any external frame pack—$100 and up. Shelter and ground cloth: A basic, three-season tent with a waterproof rainfly; the weight is about 3 pounds per person. Use an old shower curtain liner or a scrap of Tyvek house wrap for a ground cloth—$125 and up. Sleeping bag: Down or synthetic fill, semi-rectangular or mummy with a hood, rated to at least 30°F and weighing less than 4 pounds—$90 and up. Stove: A lightweight backpacking stove to reduce your impact on the land and ensure quick, hassle-free meals—$25 and up. Clothing: “Must haves” include waterproof rainwear (a jacket with a hood is best, but a poncho will do), synthetic long underwear, and synthetic or wool hat, gloves, and sweater. Avoid cotton! —$150 and up. WHERE TO CAMP Keep your tent, kitchen, and hygiene areas separated so strange smells don’t attract nocturnal visitors to your shelter. Camp well away from water and trails to reduce impact. THE MENTAL GAME Beginners can boost their confidence by remembering these two rules: 1. Everybody gets worn out, so don’t feel like a failure if you can hardly lift a spoon by day’s end. Still, you can prepare your shoulders, back, and legs for the rigors ahead with some pre-trip exercises (see page 24). 2. Everybody forgets something. Part of the fun of backpacking is improvising or learning to do without. Beginner’s Guide to GPS Its full, unglamorous name is the Global Positioning System. Launched by the U.S. military in 1990, GPS is a network of 24 Global Positioning Satellites that orbit the globe, beaming radio signals back to earth to receivers in cars, boats, planes, and hikers’ hands. 30 GET OUT MORE! WWW.BACKPACKER.COM 31
HOW DOES IT WORK After acquiring radio signals from three or more satellites, a GPS receiver can triangulate your position and display it on-screen as a set of Latitude/ Longitude or UTM coordinates. (UTM is a reference grid that divides topographic maps into 1km squares for easy plotting; it’s fast replacing Lat/Long as the standard for modern land navigation.) Once it picks up four or more satellites, you get your position in three dimensions, including altitude. It’s the world’s most precise way to navigate. A hiker’s unit has a margin of error of between 30 and 3 meters, depending on the model; military and professional survey versions are accurate down to 3 feet or closer. WILL IT HELP ME GPS will tell you exactly where you are at all times, regardless of visibility, as long as your unit is turned on and has acquired satellite signals. Or you can use it like a sighting compass. Following an arrow on your screen that looks like the real thing. The coolest tool in GPS is the waypoint, a digital version of a trail sign. A waypoint is, well, a point on the earth’s surface—a trailhead, a waterfall, a restaurant, your home—whose coordinates your GPS will save at the touch of a button. Here’s what waypoints can do for you: Help you explore off-trail. What’s beyond that ridge Wander right over, storing waypoints as you go to create a virtual trail for the way back. Or draw a cross-country route on your computer for a 30-mile loop in Denali, download it to your GPS, and [Quick Tip] follow the blinking arrow from waypoint to waypoint. Stay Hydrated Water weighs 2 pounds per quart, so you’ll want to carry only enough to get you to the next source. Here’s how to manage your liquid assets. ■ Check maps and guidebooks and consult rangers about water availability. ■ Drink half a quart of water an hour, or twice that if you’re sweating profusely. Tank up as soon as you get into camp. Remember points of interest. Want to save the location of the secret fishing hole, campsite, or food cache Just hit the waypoint button; most units store at least 500 of them. Follow routes. Download waypoint collections from a computer to share hikes with friends or explore a park you’ve never visited on a route you designed online. Get found. With fresh batteries and some practice, you can’t stay lost. Just clock to your unit’s Go To page, and select the “trailhead” waypoint (you saved it, right If not, you can move the GPS map cursor over the position where your track started to create it) for the route back to your car. But wait, there’s more. Many units come with altimeter, barometer, and clock. And all of them can crunch data on time and distance. ■ Learn your average travel speed, estimated time to camp, vertical gain or loss, and exact 3D trail mileage. ■ Back home, plot your route on an aerial photograph, create an elevation profile, or plug your numbers into fitness-training software that analyzes each workout. WHAT GPS CAN DO ■ Provide an exact geographic fix that can be plotted precisely on a map. ■ Tell you the straightline distance and direction to your destination. ■ Record the day’s travel as a “track,” creating a highly accurate breadcrumb trail you can reverse and follow home or transfer to a computer. 1A 12-parallel channel WAAS-enabled receiver. This feature helps your unit locate your position faster and more accurately, even with difficult terrain or tree cover. 2 3 4 5 6 GPS Buyer’s Guide What you want in a handheld GPS: Waterproof housing. You need GPS most when the weather is nasty. Long battery life, plus power-saving options. A big, bright screen. Compact models are swell, but a readable display—and backlight—is a blessing in a blinding storm or dim light. The ability to download topo maps, and the memory (at least 20 MB) to hold them. Ample waypoint storage. Most models hold at least 500. 7Multiple datum capability. (A datum is the geographical information used to create a map.) If you plan to use your GPS in combination with printed maps, the survey datums need to match. Survey datums are listed at the bottom left of most printed quads; two common ones are 1927 and 1984. 8 Bearing and distance to next waypoint. Also called a “GoTo,” this feature is a seeing-eye dog and a breadcrumb trail wrapped into one cool feature. 32 GET OUT MORE! WWW.BACKPACKER.COM 33
- Page 1: Backpacker.com Dream it. Find it. E
- Page 4 and 5: you can’t cover all the bases wil
- Page 6 and 7: 6. Consider your trails. If you pla
- Page 8 and 9: ainfly that reaches all the way to
- Page 10 and 11: EATING WELL EATING WELL ON THE TRAI
- Page 12 and 13: A d v e r t o r i a l The 3-Day, Tw
- Page 14 and 15: hips, thighs, and calves, plus your
- Page 18 and 19: ■ Tell your altitude within 30 fe
- Page 20 and 21: Stove: Field-repairable stoves, typ
- Page 22 and 23: Ultimate Gear List - what to take f
- Page 24: PRINCIPLESOF LEAVE NOTRACE 1. PLAN
HOW DOES IT WORK<br />
After acquiring radio signals from three or more satellites, a GPS receiver<br />
can triangulate your position and display it on-screen as a set of Latitude/<br />
Longitude or UTM coordinates. (UTM is a reference grid that divides<br />
topographic maps into 1km squares for easy plotting; it’s fast replacing<br />
Lat/Long as the standard for modern land navigation.) Once it picks up<br />
four or more satellites, you get your position in three dimensions, including<br />
altitude. It’s the world’s most precise way to navigate. A hiker’s unit has a<br />
margin of error of between 30 and 3 meters, depending on the model; military<br />
and professional survey versions are accurate down to 3 feet or closer.<br />
WILL IT HELP ME<br />
GPS will tell you exactly where you are at all times, regardless of visibility,<br />
as long as your unit is turned on and has acquired satellite signals. Or<br />
you can use it like a sighting compass. Following an arrow on your screen<br />
that looks like the real thing.<br />
The coolest tool in GPS is the waypoint, a digital version of a trail sign.<br />
A waypoint is, well, a point on the earth’s surface—a trailhead, a waterfall,<br />
a restaurant, your home—whose coordinates your GPS will save at the<br />
touch of a button. Here’s what waypoints can do for you:<br />
Help you explore off-trail. What’s beyond that ridge Wander right<br />
over, storing waypoints as you go to create a virtual trail for the way back.<br />
Or draw a cross-country route on your computer for a 30-mile loop in<br />
Denali, download it to your GPS, and<br />
[Quick Tip]<br />
follow the blinking arrow from waypoint<br />
to waypoint.<br />
Stay Hydrated<br />
Water weighs 2 pounds per<br />
quart, so you’ll want to carry<br />
only enough to get you to the<br />
next source. Here’s how to<br />
manage your liquid assets.<br />
■ Check maps and guidebooks<br />
and consult rangers<br />
about water availability.<br />
■ Drink half a quart of water an<br />
hour, or twice that if you’re<br />
sweating profusely. Tank up<br />
as soon as you get into<br />
camp.<br />
Remember points of interest. Want<br />
to save the location of the secret fishing<br />
hole, campsite, or food cache Just hit the<br />
waypoint button; most units store at least<br />
500 of them.<br />
Follow routes. Download waypoint<br />
collections from a computer to share<br />
hikes with friends or explore a park<br />
you’ve never visited on a route you<br />
designed online.<br />
<strong>Get</strong> found. With fresh batteries and<br />
some practice, you can’t stay lost. Just<br />
clock to your unit’s Go To page, and<br />
select the “trailhead” waypoint (you saved<br />
it, right If not, you can move the GPS<br />
map cursor over the position<br />
where your track<br />
started to create it) for the<br />
route back to your car.<br />
But wait, there’s more.<br />
Many units come with<br />
altimeter, barometer, and<br />
clock. And all of them can<br />
crunch data on time and<br />
distance.<br />
■ Learn your average<br />
travel speed, estimated<br />
time to camp, vertical<br />
gain or loss, and exact<br />
3D trail mileage.<br />
■ Back home, plot your<br />
route on an aerial photograph,<br />
create an elevation<br />
profile, or plug<br />
your numbers into fitness-training<br />
software<br />
that analyzes each<br />
workout.<br />
WHAT GPS CAN DO<br />
■ Provide an exact geographic<br />
fix that can be<br />
plotted precisely on a<br />
map.<br />
■ Tell you the straightline<br />
distance and<br />
direction to your<br />
destination.<br />
■ Record the day’s travel<br />
as a “track,” creating a<br />
highly accurate breadcrumb<br />
trail you can<br />
reverse and follow<br />
home or transfer to<br />
a computer.<br />
1A 12-parallel channel WAAS-enabled<br />
receiver. This feature helps your unit locate your<br />
position faster and more accurately, even with<br />
difficult terrain or tree cover.<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
GPS Buyer’s Guide<br />
What you want in a handheld GPS:<br />
Waterproof housing. You need GPS most<br />
when the weather is nasty.<br />
Long battery life, plus power-saving options.<br />
A big, bright screen. Compact models are<br />
swell, but a readable display—and backlight—is<br />
a blessing in a blinding storm or dim light.<br />
The ability to download topo maps, and the<br />
memory (at least 20 MB) to hold them.<br />
Ample waypoint storage. Most models hold<br />
at least 500.<br />
7Multiple datum capability. (A datum is the<br />
geographical information used to create a map.)<br />
If you plan to use your GPS in combination with<br />
printed maps, the survey datums need to<br />
match. Survey datums are listed at the bottom<br />
left of most printed quads; two common ones<br />
are 1927 and 1984.<br />
8<br />
Bearing and distance to next waypoint. Also<br />
called a “GoTo,” this feature is a seeing-eye dog<br />
and a breadcrumb trail wrapped into one cool<br />
feature.<br />
32 GET OUT MORE!<br />
WWW.BACKPACKER.COM 33
Change language