October 14, 2009

Redpoint Descender

MSA very recently became aware of two incidents where climbers using Redpoint Descenders experienced rapid rates of descent resulting in injuries. The company's preliminary investigation indicates an issue with the one-way bearings provided by its supplier, which may prevent the brakes from engaging during descent. Due to the nature of this condition, the users were not able to detect the problem before the rapid descents occurred.

This Stop Use Notice applies to the following descender units:

• All Redpoint Descenders (part numbers 10024873, 10027646, and 10027798) regardless of the date the unit was manufactured or last serviced,
• Auto-Belay Descenders (part number 10021806) manufactured or last serviced on or after June 30, 2000.

The part number, date of manufacture, and date of last factory service of the unit is located on the white date of manufacture label affixed to the back of the housing. Based on these findings, MSA is advising affected users to discontinue using the Redpoint and Auto-Belay Descenders indicated above. Please forward this notice to all appropriate personnel.

MSA regrets this inconvenience; however, the company recognizes that this condition represents a potential safety concern. MSA will issue a follow-up notice shortly, after conducting further investigation into this matter. During its investigation, MSA will not be shipping any Redpoint Descenders currently on order or in for service, and will not be taking any new orders.

Consumers who have any questions, should contact MSA Customer Service at 1-800-MSA-2222 or 412-967-3000. 

To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that areas managed by the department will not charge entrance fees on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Visitors to public recreation lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation are invited to take a day to honor and reflect on what our service men and women have done to maintain our freedom and keep peace around the world, Salazar said.

“The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” said Salazar said “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harm's way.”

The Department of Agriculture also is waiving entrance fees at its national forests.

Living standards for dedicated rock climbers in 1980s England were grim by any measure, but Jerry Moffatt doesn’t shrink from describing just how grim it was. In his new autobiography, Revelations, he talks about the dole, subsisting for months on beans and tea, camping out in caves, in shacks, and under flimsy tarps at crag sites throughout the United Kingdom. It’s all in service to the relentless training he undertook to become one of the best climbers and boulderers of his generation. Revelations, written by Moffatt together with Niall Grimes, has won the Grand Prize at the 2009 Banff Mountain Book Festival, one of the biggest prizes in publishing in the outdoor, adventure, and environment genres.

“There’s none of the familiar ice-gripped heroics we’ve become inured to in climbing books,” says Book Festival jury member Stephen Goodwin, editor of The Alpine Journal. “Instead of dark introspection, the diversions from the actual climbing are bikes, dossing, travel, having fun, and becoming a business man (a founder of Sheffield’s The Foundry climbing wall). Moffatt has done climbing history a service in setting down the story of U.K. climbing in the “dole era’ of the 1980s — a story that was quickly becoming forgotten.” Moffatt wins the $2,000 Phyllis and Don Munday Award, sponsored by the Alberta Sections of The Alpine Club of Canada. It was among 31 finalists in five categories

Mountain Literature

The Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature, sponsored by the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, was awarded to mountaineer Steve House for Beyond the Mountain. House gets past the cliché of the gripping alpine chronicle, the description of the expedition, the story of near-survival, to examine the effect that extreme pursuits have on the pursuer. Jury member Jon Popowich, a contributing writer for Gripped magazine, describes House’s exploration of “the gaping inner voids that emerge in the wake of intense experiences and achievement, the desires for new and more ambitious goals to fill the spaces, and the difficult longing for partnerships of connection, synergy, and shared meaning.” 

Mountaineering History
Winning the James Monroe Thorington Award for Best Book on Mountaineering History, sponsored by the UIAA, David Roberts’s biography of alpinist and high-altitude photographer and cartographer Bradford Washburn is called The Last of His Kind. Goodwin describes this personal, anecdote-filled story as “an exemplar of the biographer’s craft,” which finds new things to say about a life already well-chronicled.

Mountain Exposition
A user-friendly guide to the connections between mountain geology and the climber’s craft takes the award for Best Book on Mountain Exposition, sponsored by Yamnuska Mountain Adventures. Sarah Garlick’s Flakes, Jugs, and Splitters delves into the often-surprising natural science behind popular climbing sites around the world.

Adventure Travel
Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland wins the award for Best Book on Adventure Travel for The Great Polar Journey – In the Footsteps of Nansen. The book follows Ousland’s expedition to retrace the route through Franz Joseph Land to the North Pole, undertaken by legendary explorer Fridtjof Nansen in 1895. Jury member Susan Schwartz, author of Into the Unknown, praises the book’s mix of polar history, heroic exploits, and personal memoir.

Mountain Image
Matevz Lenarcic wins the award for Best Book – Mountain Image for a literally soaring vision in The Alps – A Bird’s Eye View. A Slovenian biologist, mountaineer, aviator, and visionary presents these large-format images of the mountain range, without country or territorial divisions, in an art book that Goodwin describes as “a mountain manifesto, a call to arms,” to preserve the Alps for their culture, beauty, and wildlife.

Special Jury Award
Groundbreaking climber and entrepreneur Royal Robbins receives a Special Jury Award for volume one of his autobiography To Be Brave – My Life. The book tracks Robbins’s life from juvenile delinquency to his discovery of climbing and its positive effect on his life, and gives readers a unique window into the rarefied world of Yosemite in the 1950s and 60s.

Canadian Rockies Award
A local committee chose Bruce Hunter’s novel In the Bear’s House for the Canadian Rockies Award, sponsored by Deuter. Written by a poet and writing instructor, the book is a coming-of-age story about a deaf boy whose world is opened up when he goes to live with relatives in the Kootenay Plain region of west central Alberta.

Winners will receive their awards Thursday, November 5, as part of the Banff Mountain Book Festival.

Complete list of 2009 Banff Mountain Book Festival finalists:
www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/festivals/2009/books/

For more information on Mountain Culture and Environment at The Banff Centre

Top snowshoe companies are bringing a women-and-children-first mentality to the marketplace this year (though gear-lusting guys will still have a raft of cool shoes to drool over).  Our guide to the most notable snowshoes of 2009/10 starts with all-new models, moves on to tweaks in existing product lines, then closes with a nod to industry  mainstays.  

All-New

The snowshoes have a toe crampon for basic traction, and molded snowflakes on the bottom leave an entertaining pattern on loose powder. Bindings are designed with little ones in mind — easy to open and close with gloves or mittens on. Best suited to mild, rolling terrain.

• Sprout (boys): 1.9 pounds; 17-inch length; 30- to 80-pound loads
• Mini (girls): 1.9 pound; 17-inch length; 30- to 80-pound loads
• $59.95

Easton Artica

Easton Snowshoes Men's Artica Hike

Easton Mountain Products, a longtime manufacturer of tent poles and aluminum tubes for major snowshoe manufacturers, made a big splash late in 2008 when its Artica Backcountry snowshoe notched Outside magazine Gear of the Year honors. Its shoes have been in stores throughout 2009, but the Artica lines' innovations merit mention with the rest of the '09/10 lineup.

Artica's three varieties (Backcountry, Hike, and Trail) share a common frame philosophy: two pieces of aluminum connected by plastic fore and aft. The flexible plastic allows much more give on uneven terrain than a one-piece aluminum frame, easing the strain on feet and ankles. Crampons and bindings are feature-rich, and the Hike and Trail frames are asymmetrically shaped to match the gaits of men and women.

Three sizes: (21, 25, 30 inches)

• Trail, 4.3-5.3 pounds ($160)
• Hike, 4.1-5.1 pounds ($200)
• Backcountry, 4.4-4.8 pounds ($260)

MSR Shift for youth

Cascade Designs built the MSR Shift for kids ages 7 to 12 — a group underserved in a marketplace full of cutesy shoes for preschoolers.

The Shift's all-plastic base follows in the footsteps an MSR mainstay: the Denali Evo. Steel crampons and traction blades prevent slips, and flexible bindings fit shoes from size youth 6 to men's 8. Shift snowshoes are suited to flat and rolling terrain.

Specs:

• 2 pounds, 7 ounces; 7" x 19.5"
• 125-pound load limit   
• $89.95

Redfeather Conquest

Redfeather joins the push toward plastics with the entry-level Conquest 25, a basic, low-cost recreational snowshoe.

Conquests have standard heel and toe crampons, which should provide ample traction for hard-packed trails. Don't expect a lot of deep-powder flotation, however: shoes in this size range simply aren't built for it.

Specs:

• 4.25 pounds; 25-inch length
• Max load, 175 pounds
• $69.95

Tubbs Flex TRK for women

Tubbs is turning heads with its new Flex snowshoes, scoring 2010 Gear of the Year honors from Outside magazine. Tubbs' designs built on tubular aluminum frames dominate the snowshoe marketplace, so the introduction of an all-plastic frame marks a major departure. Flex snowshoes twist at the tail, easing strain on the legs, ankles, and knees over varied terrain.

Flex shoes aren't built for heavy loads on deep powder — their two sizes (22 inches for women, 24 for men) won't have enough float. Instead, Tubbs designers built the Flex for the terrain recreational snowshoers are likely to confront: packed powder and groomed trails. Aggressive crampons ensure traction while the flexible design eases the bumps on these harder surfaces.

ALP (backcountry)

• Men's: 4.4 lbs., 8" x 24", 190-pound load limit on powder
• Women's: 4.0 lbs., 8" x 22", 165-pound load limit on powder
• $219.95

NRG (hiking)

• Men's: 4.2 lbs., 8" x 24", 190-pound load limit on powder
• Women's: 3.8 lbs., 8" x 22", 165-pound load limit on powder
• $179.95

TRK: (recreational)

• Men's: 3.4 lbs., 8" x 24", 190-pound load limit on powder
• Women's: 3.6 lbs., 8" x 22", 165-pound load limit on powder
• $149.95

TSL Snowshoes 325 Nature

TSL Snowshoes goes green with its 325 Nature snowshoe, built with all recycled materials. The Nature is not for greenhorns, however: Advanced features include a heel lift for steep inclines and a binding designed to get you in and out in a snap.

The hourglass shape is designed for a more natural step in the snow, and TSL's sound- and shock-absorbing system is designed to reduce the crunch factor on frozen trails.  TSL rates the max load on the 325 Nature at 260 pounds for packed or semi-packed trails; deep powder would require a much longer shoe.  

Specs:

• 3.7 pounds, 23.5" x 8.5"
• Max load, 260 pounds
• $139

Tweaks

Atlas 10 Series/Elektra

Atlas Elektra 10 for Women

Atlas adds its Wrapp Comfort binding to the men's 10 Series and women's Elektra 10 Series snowshoes, both of which have been upgraded for 2009/10.

The Wrapp Comfort binding is designed for easy entry — a single tug snugs it tight around the forefoot and behind the heel — and insulating EVA padding prevents painful pressure points. 

The 10/Elektra series is a recreational shoe designed for packed trails and moderate rolling terrain. $199.95.

Crescent Moon SPL binding

Crescent Moon Snowshoes is a small company drawing large raves for its bindings: Backpacker magazine's latest Winter Gear Guide declared Crescent Moon's SPL bindings the best available.

Company founder/president Jake Thamm — who demos his bindings in a video at the company's website —  says the company has refined bindings across its entire line of snowshoes for men, women, and children. This year the bindings are:

• Bigger — lending greater support on all terrain.
• Stronger — a new stabilizer eliminates twist and foot slop.
• Quieter — new decking material is more abrasion resistant, reducing the snow crunch factor.

Prices ranges:

• $79.95 for the smallest kids' model
• $170 for the Silver Series Women's Recreational
• $280 for the Gold Series Expedition

Mainstays

Northern Lites

Northern Lites Elite

While some complain about snowshoes being heavy, Northern Lites actually does something about it. Where other brands are satisfied with a backcountry shoe that weighs more than 5 pounds a pair, Northern Lites' heaviest duo is just over 3.

Users confirm Northern Lites' contention that its shoes get the job done in deep snow and ragged terrain despite the absence of marketing-friendly doo-dads piled upon just about all the other shoes out there (good luck finding any negative reviews online).

Prices run to the high range of the snowshoe market, though the priciest model (Tundra, $269) still gets you out into the powder for a fraction of what you'd spend on skis or snowboards.  

Yukon Charlie's Trail Series Junior

You'll be hard-pressed to pay more than $100 for a pair of Yukon Charlie's, which means you'll carry a bit more weight and get by with less high-tech wizardry. With children's models selling for around $60, parents won't have a huge investment in something the kid will either outgrow or lose interest in.

Yukon Charlies' shoes are built with standard aluminum tubes and plastic decks riveted on. Bindings don't have the wow factor of higher-end models, but they do keep boots in place as intended.

Reviews online paint Yukon Charlies as solid shoes for the money — nothing fancy, but fine for beginners or those who might go out a few times a year.

Share your gear experience with these and other snowshoes by writing a Trailspace review.

In the second of four columns on planning a thru-hike, we discuss: What am I doing out here on the trail? And what am I going to eat and drink?

What am I doing out here?

On the Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California. (Photo courtesy of Jackie Zinger and the PCTA)

A few months before beginning a five- or six-month trek on one of America’s long trails, a would-be thru-hiker must make his plans public. He arranges for a leave of absence from work, or tells his boss he will be leaving in April and won’t be back. She looks for someone to house-sit her place for six months, or lets the lease run out and begins putting stuff in storage.

He tells his significant other that he won’t be able to attend her family reunion on the Fourth of July this year … he’ll be out on the trail. She tells Mom and Dad that, no, she won’t be looking for a job right away with her brand new diploma, because she has decided to spend the summer and fall with those weird friends of hers, walking from border to border.

It isn’t always easy to explain why you’re doing this. The decision to tackle a thru-hike — to spend five or six months toting a backpack through forests, mountains, and deserts, going without showers or clean clothes for days or weeks, living without phones, television, and hourly Twittering — strikes many people as, well, crazy.

“First of all, you must believe you are not crazy,” is Triple Crown hiker Jackie McDonnell’s advice to those eager to follow in her footsteps. “Your parents, friends, spouse, others in your life cannot possibly understand why you want to go on this hike. Only you know why,” says the backpacker known as Yogi, who’s completed the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail. “It’s simply something that you have to do.”

For most people, in fact, it really would be crazy to attempt a thru-hike. It’s a huge undertaking. Hiking from Georgia to Maine or from Mexico to Canada is very difficult, physically and mentally. Also, unlike organized adventures such as guided mountain expeditions or Outward Bound programs, a thru-hike is a completely amateur experience. There are no professionals waiting to swoop in to rescue hikers who get in over their heads — much less a support crew waiting just out of camera range in case someone gets tired of their “reality” show.

Once you’re on the trail, you are on your own. Your fellow backpackers will help you out when they can — as Yogi puts it, “We are your new family.” And trail angels and town residents are amazingly helpful. But you’ll only succeed if you start out accepting that you are responsible for walking from one water source to the next, for getting out of the rain before you risk hypothermia, and for deciding whether the stranger who just walked into the shelter is merely a crank — or someone who should be left miles behind promptly.

Karen and Andy Somers (trail names: Nocona and Bald Eagle) have backpacked thousands of miles, including in California’s Sierra Nevada, above. (Photo courtesy of Karen Somers)

Who should attempt a thru-hike?

Karen Somers (aka Nocona), who has thru-hiked the AT solo and the PCT with her husband, writes, “A good sign is if you take a solo shakedown hike, end up cold/wet/hot, so scared you can’t sleep all night, limping back to the car with terrible blisters … and still want to go hiking again once you get home. Then, you have the thru-hiker’s bug!”

Who should not attempt a thru-hike?

Anyone who does so purely in the hope of having a life-altering experience that will somehow solve all problems. Don’t choose a thru-hike as a way to grasp an elusive secondary goal, whether it’s discovering your true self, making lifelong friends, losing weight permanently, or deciding whether to get a divorce.

True, any or all of those things might happen. But the only legitimate reason to thru-hike a long trail is because you want to thru-hike a long trail.

The Thru-Hiker’s Obsession: Food

Once you’ve decided a thru-hike is what you really want to do, and you’ve begun getting into shape and purchasing necessary gear (see “Planning a Thru-Hike: Part 1”),  it’s time to focus on the topic that becomes a thru-hiker’s daily obsession: food. And more specifically, what to eat and how to get hold of it before you start viewing your fellow backpackers as potential sources of animal protein.

The two main schools of thought on this topic could be described as (1) “plan it and pack it” and (2) “forage and feed on it.”

Plan it and Pack it

What you cook for dinner will depend on whether you plan your food resupplies in advance or forage along the way. (Photo courtesy of Zyla Nuite and the ATC)

The first approach is to pack resupply boxes for every town stop on the trail and have someone mail them so that they’ll arrive just before you get there.

The advantage is that you’ll get plenty of food (and other necessities, such as first aid supplies, the next section of the map, fresh reading material, and new boots) without worrying about whether there will be any Snickers bars or ibuprofen left in the little campground stores along the trail, and whether the prices will be outrageous.

The disadvantage is that one or more of the boxes might not arrive in time — or that by the time you get the 10th or 11th box in the series, you are thoroughly sick of the very things you packed the most of, and there are still 15 boxes to go.

Join the “plan it and pack it” crowd if:

• You’re an experienced backpacker and you are certain you know what you’re willing to eat, week after week.
• You want to spend your money ahead of time, not be surprised by how much things cost along the way.
• You can predict how much your appetite will increase on the trail, and plan accordingly.
• You know that you can call the long-suffering relatives who are mailing your boxes and they’ll be willing to take out the bags of whole-wheat pasta and organic dried fruit you chose back in March and replace them with the Pringles and dark chocolate M&Ms that you’re craving in June.

Forage and Feed on it

The second approach means purchasing food in trail towns, resorts, and campground stores along the way, which might mean having to hitchhike into a bigger town if the pickings are slim.

Go the “forage and feed on it” route if:

• You’re willing to put up with a fair amount of uncertainty in return for being able to choose a new variety of food at each town stop, and are willing to make detours into town to find that food.
• You want to mail only a few boxes, to those places where you know from your research that not much food will be available, or where you need to have particular items waiting for you. (For example, PCT thru-hikers traditionally mail their ice axes to Kennedy Meadows.)
• Your route and timing are uncertain enough that you don’t want to have to reroute boxes up and down the trail. For example, after a heavy snow year, some thru-hikers “flip-flop” around the trail: hiking those sections that are snow-free and waiting until later in the year to finish the others.
• You’re willing to carry a lot of cash along with a credit card.

Combo Approach

A third, hybrid approach is to send some resupply boxes ahead and also resupply from the trail. You can create your own combination resupply strategy by purchasing food in some places, especially those with large grocery stores, and sending boxes elsewhere, especially to the points where you need to receive stuff that won’t be available in small-town stores (for example, the trail guide for the next section, new boots and socks, or a replacement water filter).

A “bounce box” fits in well with this approach: you collect a box in Town A, which also has a good grocery store, and you buy extra amounts of the food you have come to prefer. Then you mail that box (the bounce box) on ahead to Town C, which doesn’t have good shopping possibilities. In between, you hit Town B, where you plan to stay in a motel and gorge in local restaurants for a day, recovering from your calorie and fresh food deficits of the past couple weeks.

Whether you plan to buy most of your food along the way, or only a few extras to supplement your resupply box, pay careful attention to Yogi’s financial advice: “You damn well better have extra money saved. This costs way more than people lead you to believe.”

I can vouch for that. After four months on the PCT, my family’s appetites for restaurant food and our desire for motel stays increased amazingly, and in order to finish, we had to buy extra cold-weather gear in Portland and Seattle. I’d estimate we spent an extra thousand dollars just to get through Oregon and Washington.

Packing Considerations

How much? Just like what foods to include, how much food to pack is highly individual. According to the ATC, while backpacking can require 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day, a male thru-hiker can burn as many as 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day. However, your appetite may initially be diminished as you set out on the trail, only to return with gusto. 

The author and daughter, Mary Chambers, hike through wind, fog, and sunshine, in Washington’s North Cascades. (Photo: Gary Chambers)

The ATC recommends 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of food per day (2 1/2 pounds in cold weather). Estimates can be a good general starting point, but veteran backpackers should consider their specific nutritional needs and preferences, as well as the frequency of resupply options.

Garbage: When packing your resupply box(es), consider the garbage. Once you’ve eaten your food, you’ll have to carry the empty containers to the next campground or town that has a trash can, and on some trails that can mean a week or more. Bears can smell those wrappers, so choose items that don’t leave a smelly residue. And plan to double-bag all garbage. (On our PCT thru-hike, we used Ziploc bags for trash, and then put the trash inside the liners that come with the new Ursacks.)

Also, be aware of food storage regulations in areas you’ll travel through. For example, the PCT passes through black bear and grizzly habitat, with some spots requiring bear canisters. Whatever bear avoidance plan you choose (canister, Ursack, hanging food in trees), practice it beforehand!

The Desert Thru-Hiker’s Obsession: Water

Careful water planning is essential to a successful thru-hike on any trail. Where water is scarce, like southern sections of the PCT and CDT, it’s particularly important. In Southern California, PCT water sources frequently are 20 miles or more apart in areas that reach 100 degrees. On the CDT, sources can be infrequent also, particularly in New Mexico and in Wyoming’s Great Divide Basin. No matter what trail you thru-hike, water planning is an essential part of your preparation.

Find it

Traveling through the Mojave Desert offers its own water planning challenges on the PCT. (Photo courtesy of Aaron Doss and the PCTA)

Trail guidebooks typically list reliable water sources to help you plan ahead. On the AT, for example, most (but not all) shelters are near a reliable water source. However, some springs and streams may dry up later in the hiking season, so you’ll need to take your timing into account.

A few trail websites provide current water conditions as a service to other hikers, though information may be incomplete or inaccurate. Plan carefully for areas where water availability is a major concern, and be prepared for a non-existent source.

Treat it

Once you’ve located water, consider how you’ll treat it. Even clear, cold, running water can be contaminated with microorganisms. As with other gear choices, water treatment is a very individual decision, and hikers should practice different techniques before deciding on one.

Many thru-hikers opt for lightweight chemical treatments. If chemical treatments appeal to you, use them on practice trips to make sure you can follow the directions, and that the water tastes good enough to drink. The new bottles with built-in filters are becoming popular, but most likely won’t provide enough water for a full day of hiking in 100-degree weather. People planning to use a regular filter or purifier should practice with it, including learning how to clean and maintain their filter out on the trail.

Research the water treatment concerns and suggestions for the various areas you’ll travel through. Then consider your treatment’s effectiveness against the biological contaminants (parasites, bacteria, and viruses) you’re likely to encounter, as well as its convenience and ease of use.

Additional Preparation Tips

Here are a few more nuggets of wisdom from experienced long-trail hikers on how to prepare:

• Do work out a plan that will get you to water, campsites, trail towns etc., on a schedule that will enable you to finish in five to six months. But accept that most of your assumptions will turn out to be wrong and many of your plans will have to be changed on the fly.
• Forget about reading that 1,000-page novel you’ve been saving. Escape literature is what you need when you have a few brief moments to read before falling asleep … or when you’re stuck in your tent or a shelter during a downpour.
• Settle all personal and financial matters before you leave home. Once you’ve left the trailhead, you will have energy only for surviving the trail. If there are birthdays and anniversaries you must remember, make out cards ahead of time and leave them with a trusted friend with instructions on when to mail them.
• Take a phone card along for use at pay phones or in trail angels’ homes. Cell phone coverage is unreliable in the backcountry, and even in many small towns. 
• Do plan to keep a journal. Whether you post it online for all the world to see, or just keep it for yourself, it will be priceless.
• Read the label warnings for any medications you’re taking, prescription or over-the-counter, including common anti-inflammatory drugs. Many make you particularly susceptible to sunburn.

Next up, Part 3: Triple Crowners — the humble aristocracy of the trail community — offer advice to first-time thru-hikers on how to stay safe and have fun.

Check out “Planning a Thru Hike: Part 1” for tips on choosing a long trail, gear, training, resources, and more.

In 2005, half of those NPS incidents occurred in just five NPS units, according to “Dead Men Walking: Search and Rescue in U.S. National Parks,” a study of search and rescue efforts in all National Park Service units from 1992 to 2007, and published in the September 2009 issue of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (Volume 20, Number 3).

Yosemite accounts for 25 percent of all National Park Service SAR costs. (NPS image)

The objective of the authors, Travis W. Heggie, PhD, and Michael E. Amundson, BS, was to identify search and rescue trends in U.S. National Park Service units. The authors retrospectively reviewed the U.S. National Park Service Annual Search and Rescue Reports from 1992 to 2007 and the SAR statistics for all NPS units in 2005.

Some of the findings and results, from the study's Abstract:

• From 1992 to 2007 there were 78,488 individuals involved in 65,439 SAR incidents. These incidents ended with 2,659 fatalities, 24,288 ill or injured individuals, and 13,212 saves.
• On average there were 11.2 SAR incidents each day at an average cost of $895 per operation. Total SAR costs from 1992 to 2007 were $58,572,164.
• In 2005, 50 percent of the 2,430 SAR operations occurred in just five NPS units. Grand Canyon National Park (307) and Gateway National Recreation Area (293) reported the most SAR operations, followed by Yosemite National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
• Yosemite National Park accounted for 25 percent of the total NPS SAR costs ($1.2 million).
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve ($29,310) and Denali National Park and Preserve ($18,345) had the highest average SAR costs.
• Hiking (48%) and boating (21%) were the most common activities requiring SAR assistance.
• Hiking (22.8%), suicides (12.1%), swimming (10.1%), and boating (10.1%) activities were the most common activities resulting in fatalities.

Study Conclusions: Without the presence of NPS personnel responding to SAR incidents, 1 in 5 (20%) of those requesting SAR assistance would be a fatality. Future research and the development of any prevention efforts should focus on the 5 NPS units where 50 percent of all SAR incidents are occurring.

In a related study by Heggie, “Search and rescue trends associated with recreational travel in US national parks,” NPS SAR reports for the years 2003 to 2006 were reviewed. Findings include:

• Almost half (40%) of the operations occurred on Saturday and Sunday, and visitors aged 20 to 29 years were involved in 23 percent of the incidents.
• Males accounted for 66.3 percent of the visitors requiring SAR assistance.
• Day hiking, motorized boating, swimming, overnight hiking, and non-motorized boating were the participant activities resulting in the most SAR operations.
• The vast majority of visitors requiring SAR assistance were located within a 24-hour period, and the most common rescue environments were mountain areas between 1,524 and 4,572 m, lakes, rivers, oceans, and coastal areas.
• An error in judgment, fatigue and physical conditions, and insufficient equipment, clothing, and experience were the most common contributing factors.

Study Conclusions: SAR incidents can be expensive and end with severe health consequences. NPS management should develop education and preventive efforts focused on hikers, boaters, and swimmers who are males and aged 20 to 29 years, addressing issues of adequate judgment, preparation, and experience.

(The full text of “Dead Men Walking” is available online to Wilderness & Environmental Medicine journal subscribers.)

(National Forest Service image)

The Abstract states: “Black bears forage selectively to balance energetic and nutritional gains with foraging costs. Selection of minivans by bears in Yosemite National Park was the likely consequence of efforts to maximize caloric gain and minimize costs by targeting vehicles with higher probabilities of payoff.”

There are several, non-mutually exclusive possibilities for the higher rate of minvan break-ins:

• Minivans may emit stronger food odors, regardless of how much food is present inside. (Blame the sticky car seats and small children who spill food and drink.)
• Minivan passengers may leave more food inside their vehicles. (Most vehicles broken into have some amount of food or trash inside. Yosemite visitors are required to use bear lockers or other approved storage methods.)
• Minivans may be physically easier to break into.
• A few individual bears may have learned to repeatedly break into minivans for a better payoff.

Station wagons were broken into the least (see chart below).

Chart: Percentage of vehicles broken into by black bears (Ursus americanus; used—black) and parked overnight (available—gray) by class of vehicle in 2004–2005. Only use of minivans surpassed availability and shows that black bears strongly selected for this class of vehicle.

The study, Selective Foraging For Anthropogenic Resources By Black Bears: Minivans In Yosemite National Park, is available online.

Modesto Bee article: “Yosemite bears know big picnics come in minivans”

(Image courtesy of Patagonia)

Yvon Chouinard is being recognized in the November issue of U.S. News & World Report as founder and owner of Patagonia, a company he founded and continues to run, which strives to cause no unnecessary harm to the planet and uses business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Yvon pushed Patagonia use only organic cotton in 1996, co-founded 1% For the Planet in 2001, urged the company to begin a revolutionary garment recycling program in 2005, and inspired the launch of the Footprint Chronicles, an interactive website that took corporate transparency to a new level, in 2007. Since 1985, Patagonia has given over $34M to grassroots environmental organizations through its unique Grants Program, and continues to thrive during recessionary times, having their best year on record in 2008.

"The country has faced exceptional challenges in the past year," said Brian Kelly, editor of U.S.News & World Report. “With our Best Leaders issue, we focused on individuals from a range of industries who have demonstrated unwavering leadership and a commitment to finding solutions in this difficult time."

U.S. News Media Group’s nomination of America’s Best Leaders features 22 of the country’s foremost professionals, including:

• Ben Bernanke, Chairman, The Federal Reserve Board (Washington, D.C.)
• Cory Booker, Mayor, City of Newark (Newark, NJ)
• John Chambers, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cisco Systems, Inc. (San Jose, CA)
• Yvon Chouinard, Founder, Patagonia Inc. (Ventura, CA)
• John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (Menlo Park, CA)
• Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green (New York, NY)
• Eve Ensler, Founder and Artistic Director, President, Board of Directors, V-DAY (New York, NY)
• Norman Francis, President, Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA)
• • Orrin G. Hatch, United States Senate (Washington, DC)
• Susan Hockfield, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
• Edward Kennedy (1932-2009), Former United States Senator
• Kathleen Magee, Co-Founder and President, Operation Smile (Norfolk, VA)
• William Magee Jr., D.D.S., M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Operation Smile (Norfolk, VA)
• Greg Mortenson, Executive Director, Central Asia Institute (Bozeman, MT)
• Ray Odierno, Commanding General, Multi-National Force, Iraq, United States Army (The Pentagon, Washington, DC))
• Senior Enlisted Officers, United States Military (The Pentagon, Washington, DC)
• Eboo Patel, Founder and Executive Director, Interfaith Youth Core (Chicago, IL)
• Sally Ride, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sally Ride Science (San Diego, CA)
• David Robinson, Founder, The Carver Academy (San Antonio, TX)
• Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation (New York, NY)
• James Sinegal, President and Chief Executive Officer, Costco Wholesale Corporation (Issaquah, WA)
• Twyla Tharp, Founder and Artistic Director, Twyla Tharp Productions (New York, NY)

"America's Best Leaders are constantly working to solve society's biggest problems," said Kelly. "Whether they are developing ways to be more environmentally sustainable, reviving a city, building schools in war zones, or bringing the economy back from the brink, these leaders are making a positive impact with creativity and innovation."

In a collaborative effort between U.S. News and Harvard’s CPL, the leaders were selected by a nonpartisan and independent committee, convened and organized by the Center, without the participation of U.S. News editors. The selection criteria used by the committee in choosing the honorees included the ability to set direction, achieve results, and cultivate a culture of growth.

Are you considering or planning a thru-hike for next year (or even just for “some day”)? Sorting through a deluge of advice and wondering which to pay attention to? Successful backpackers can tell you what really matters.

Thousands of people set out every spring to hike one of America’s long trails, such as the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, or the Continental Divide Trail. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, they anticipate spending the next five or six months traipsing through woods and over mountains, earning bragging rights that will last them all their lives.

Come autumn, only a relative handful of these eager souls will finish the trail. The rest will drop out along the way.

What makes the difference?

Answers to that question from hardcore backpackers and successful thru-hikers vary widely. What works best in terms of physical training or gear choices is very individual. Even then success isn’t assured for anyone: even the best-prepared backpacker’s plans can be thwarted by a stress fracture or an early-season snowstorm. But Triple Crown hikers — those who have completed all three of those long trails — generally agree on certain characteristics essential to success, especially preparation, perseverance, and flexibility. 

Those are also the keys to enjoying shorter trails, such as the 211-mile John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada, the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail in California and Nevada, and the 273-mile Long Trail in Vermont, the oldest long-distance footpath in the United States. All are terrific ways to prepare for a longer trek.

The 2,178-mile AT is the most popular of the long trails. (Image courtesy of ATC)

By now, people planning to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), or Continental Divide Trail (CDT) next year should be deep in the preparation stage. The first choice, of course, is: which trail?

• The Appalachian Trail, running 2,178 miles from Georgia to Maine, is by far the best known and the most popular. With its white blazes marking the trail, shelters every several miles, and easy access to roads and towns, the AT annually attracts well over a thousand wannabe thru-hikers … who quickly discover just how challenging it really is. Typically, around one in four make it the whole way.
• Only about 300 thru-hikers tackle the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail each year, partly because it appears much more daunting. PCT thru-hikers begin their walk in the hot, dry desert at the California-Mexico border and climb through a succession of High Sierra passes, many exceeding 10,000 feet, before pushing through the Northwest’s stormy weather on their way to Canada. Roughly 60 percent finish.
• Few except the very experienced tackle the Continental Divide Trail, which isn’t even a true trail yet — just a route from Canada to Mexico along the spine of the Rockies, roughly 3,100 miles long. Only a few dozen people attempt it each year and map and compass skills are crucial.
• While the AT, PCT, and CDT are probably the best known long trails in the United States, other national scenic trails (some still in progress) include the 4,600-mile North Country Trail, the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail, the 1,000-mile Ice Age Trail, and the 1,100-mile Florida Trail. Canada’s long trails include the 885-km (550-mile) Bruce Trail, the 1,045-km (649-mile) International Appalachian Trail, and (in the works) a coast-to-cast National Hiking Trail.

Having chosen his or her trail, the wise backpacker investigates all available resources, including websites, books, magazines, and trail journals (see resources below). He or she may attend programs to learn or review specific skills (map and compass reading or first aid, say), or interview successful backpackers in person or online. Then he begins buying gear and getting into shape. These two chores are best begun many months before a thru-hike starts.

Gear

Wise thru-hikers preparing for cold, wet weather choose the lightest-weight gear they can afford before heading into the mountains. Here, snow clings to the North Cascades even in July. (Photo by Gary Chambers; click for PCT videos)

Triple-Crown hiker Jackie McDonnell, better known by her trail name Yogi, says the best way to keep pack weight at a minimum is to keep gear at a minimum and get the lightest version of each item that you can afford. (Unfortunately, the lowest weight tends to correspond with the highest price, for everything from cook pots and tent stakes to ice axes and sleeping bags.) 

On the other hand, since Yogi frequently changes her gear, even on the trail, her most important item may be the “800” number for REI stores. “I could order anything and get it at the next town,” she said.

Triple Crowner David Rainey, aka Pineneedle, has a simple formula to explain why he carries only the essentials and how he manages to move so quickly: “The less you carry, the faster you go. And the faster you go, the less you need to carry.”

Of course, the bare essentials differ from one person to another. Karen Somers, known on the trail as Nocona, wouldn’t step foot in the Sierra without her RailRiders Eco-Mesh shirt (proof against biting insects and sunburn) and a mosquito head net. John Muir Trail veteran Alice Bodnar found a comprehensive foot care kit was the most valuable item in her pack. My favorite possession is my MSR PocketRocket stove. Ask other thru-hikers, especially those with similar hiking styles to yours, what worked for them.

The author (right), husband Gary Chambers, and their Eureka! Zeus 3EXO tent in the Southern California desert during their family’s 2004 PCT thru-hike. (Photo by Mary Chambers; click for PCT videos)

On the other hand, plenty of backpackers give little thought to mosquitoes, blisters, or cooking on the trail, and do just fine. But the successful ones agree that a shelter of some sort is crucial, preferably a lightweight tent.

A sheet of nylon might be enough for the ultra-light crowd, but for most people, a tent is best. It keeps out rain, snakes, mice, and mosquitoes, and it gives shelter from the wind and the cold. It gives you a place to stow your belongings and organize your stuff when you camp with other hikers. And a tent provides one more thing that’s often in short supply on the trail, especially the more popular ones: privacy.

Whatever gear you choose, familiarize yourself with it and break in any footwear before your thru-hike begins.

Training

As with gear, advice for getting into shape is all over the map:

• 
  Jackie McDonnell, aka Yogi, perches atop the monument at the south end of the Pacific Crest Trail on the Mexico-California border. Yogi has written handbooks for the PCT and the CDT. (Photo courtesy Jackie McDonnell)
  Yogi likes to start the trail completely conditioned, which isn’t easy while working 50 hours a week during the off-season, in her home state of Kansas. She starts walking an hour a day, six days a week, about nine months before she wants to start a trip. During the last three months, she adds ankle weights, and swaps 20 minutes of walking for 20 minutes on a stepper.

• Nocona recommends traveling to a point near the trailhead a week ahead of your start date to adjust to the heat during day hikes, especially out West.

• Alice found high-mileage backpacking trips on weekends just before a big hike the key to a good trip.

• Trail angel Donna Saufley, who took up backpacking after meeting and helping hundreds of thru-hikers, tries to match her training regimen to the elevation gains and losses she’ll experience on the trail. “Flights of stairs would work for those locations without mountains,” she suggested.

What it comes down to is building up your strengths and skills, discovering your weaknesses, and then acting on what you’ve learned. Try to fit in at least one backpacking trip of 10 to 14 days that includes terrain similar to the harder parts of your chosen trail a few months or even a year ahead of time, and take several shorter trips as close to your anticipated hike as possible.

If you plan to travel alone, then practice alone. There’s a huge difference between going alone and being with another person. Until you actually do it, you don’t know if you can hike to your backcountry campsite all by your lonesome, set up your tent, and then actually get a good night’s rest despite all the strange noises emanating from the dark forest. 

And if you do have a prospective hiking partner, be sure to practice with him or her. There’s a popular misconception that you can advertise for a hiking partner online, meet up with this person for the first time at the trailhead, and by some miracle you’ll both have the same goals, hiking style, daily mileage capacity, ability to deal with the weather, need for rest days, and so on.

Yogi is adamant: “Never agree to hike with a partner.” Unless the partner is a spouse or significant other — and someone you’ve done a lot of backpacking with already — don’t do it. Instead, start on your own and you’ll soon discover fellow backpackers who will make good companions for a section or even the entire trail.

Up next, “The Lure of the Long Trail: Part 2 of 4” — What am I doing out here on the trail? And what am I going to eat?

Resources for planning an AT, PCT, or CD thru-hike include:

(Check online and with other thru-hikers for additional publications and resources, as new material is published every year.)

	Appalachian Trail Conservancy www.appalachiantrail.org The ATC provides a wealth of information on planning an AT thru-hike on its website. The ATC publishes official trail guides and maps, the Appalachian Trail Data Book, and the AT Thru-Hikers’ Companion, both updated annually. Members receive the magazine A.T. Journeys and discounts on maps and books purchased from the extensive online Appalachian Trail Store.
	Pacific Crest Trail Association www.pcta.org PCTA members receive the PCT Communicator magazine. The website has answers to FAQ, information on planning a thru-hike, and maps, guides, and planning books for sale. The PCTA issues, upon request, Thru-Permits for trips of 500 miles or more on the trail, plus special permits for side trips to Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the Lower 48 States.
	Continental Divide Trail Alliance www.cdtrail.org In 2009 the CDTA began an extensive mapping project with the U.S. Forest Service to capture an accurate “center line” for the trail. The data collected will be made available with up-to-date trail information, GPS coordinates, and CDT maps.
	Continental Divide Trail Society www.cdtsociety.org The CDTS publishes the Guide to the Continental Divide Trail, a series of guidebooks and supplements that provide a mile-by-mile description of the Continental Divide Trail.
	Wilderness Press, Berkeley www.wildernesspress.com Wilderness Press, publisher of outdoor hiking books and maps for 40 years, publishes the three “official” PCT guidebooks — for Southern California, Northern California, and Oregon/Washington — and the PCT Data Book. Other titles cover hiking maps, planning, trails, skills, and narratives. (Wilderness Press also published Zero Days, the author’s book on her family’s 2004 PCT thru-hike.)
	Pocket PCT PCT thru-hiker Paul Bodnar just published Pocket PCT: An Elevation Guide to the Pacific Crest Trail available at www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/pocket-pct/7555165. It provides an elevation profile of the entire PCT, mile-by-mile markings for water sources (graded by reliability), resupply points, and other landmarks (such as other trails, roads, etc.).
	Yogi’s Guides www.pcthandbook.com Triple Crowner Jackie McDonnell publishes Yogi’s PCT Handbook, the companion book for the PCT,  and updates it frequently. (The old Town Guide is out of date and out of print; the PCTA recommends using Yogi’s handbook instead.) Yogi also has published a CDT companion, Yogi’s CDT Handbook.

Whether you hit the trail for a day or a week, and whether you prefer campsite camaraderie or backpacking’s blissful solitude, entering the land of grizzlies and black bears comes with great responsibility.

Assure a safe trip by taking proper precautions, respecting bears’ space, and having a firm grip on how to handle yourself in a face-to-face meeting with one of nature’s most majestic and often misunderstood mammals.  

• Where to be bear aware
  
  
• On the trail in bear country
• Camping in bear country
• Handling food in bear country
• Bear encounters
• Further resources

Where to be Bear Aware

North America is home to three types of bears: the American black bear, the brown bear, and the polar bear. Since few people enter freezing, remote polar bear country, we’ll focus on black and brown bears, where you may encounter each, and how to tell them apart. 

American black bear (Ursus americanus)

Black bear in the Great Smokey Mountains (NPS Photo)

With a population estimated at around 750,000 according to the North American Bear Center, the American black bear is the most common bear species on the continent. It makes its home in 41 states, northern Mexico, and throughout Canada. Compared to their hulking Kodiak cousins, black bears are small. A male averages 275 pounds, with weight varying greatly depending on food availability.

And don’t let the name fool you — black bears come in a variety of shades. Cinnamon and tawny bears are often found in drier Western regions, and more than 80 percent of Colorado black bears are actually brown. All are known for being quite shy, prone to running away or climbing a tree if they feel threatened.

Brown bears (Ursus arctos)

While brown bears are commonly called grizzly bears, grizzlies are technically a subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis) of browns, along with the Kodiak (Ursus arctos middendorffi). How many other brown bear subspecies there are is up for scientific debate.

Brown bear in fall (NPS Photo)

Huge, aggressive, and agile, the brown bear is the athlete of the bear family. They’re able to run up to 35 miles an hour and swim expertly. With plenty of food available they can reach 900 pounds, though the average female grizzly weighs 200 to 300 pounds, and males usually reach anywhere from 300 to 650 pounds. The colossal Kodiak, the largest subspecies of brown bear, can reach 1,500 pounds due to abundant seafood availability.

Exact numbers are impossible to determine, but an estimated 50,000 brown bears remain in North America. They live primarily in Alaska and Canada, with about 500 found along the Continental Divide in northern Montana and another 600 in Yellowstone National Park. The Kodiak bear is found only on Kodiak, Shuyak, and Afognak islands off the coast of southern Alaska.

(Image courtesy of Alaska State Parks)

Which bear is which?

Geography and size are good clues, but they aren’t always enough to determine which bear is which, especially if you’re hiking in places where both may live. Color isn’t definite either: some black bears come in brown or blond shades, and some brown bears come in blond or black shades.

The following features will help you be certain:

Body type
Brown/grizzly bears have a pronounced, muscular shoulder hump. Black bears have a straighter back that slopes toward their rump.

Facial features
Black bears have a long, pointy nose and larger, pointed ears, while brown/grizzly heads are much larger and dish-shaped, and their small, neat ears are rounded. 

Claws
Black bear claws are sharp, curved and usually no longer than two inches. Grizzly claws are rather straight, dull, and can be longer than your finger. Not that you’ll want to get close enough to examine them.

(Readers wanting to test their identification skills can take a Bear ID quiz on the Center for Wildlife Information’s website.)

On the Trail in Bear Country

Brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. (Photo: John Gookin)

Thomas Smith, a wildlife biologist with decades of experience studying human-bear interactions, says staying safe in bear country doesn’t have to be as complicated as it’s often made out to be. “In their world, they really are not looking for trouble,” he said. “Most of them will run from you, given advanced notice. As long as you give them cues you’re coming, it gives them a chance to move off.”

Generally, if you encounter a bear on the trail, you’ve either surprised it or it is one of a minute percentage of bears who, “with no provocation, see a human and see it as potentially a food item,” according to Smith.

Know the signs

A trail with a hump in the center is likely a well-traveled bear trail, since their heavy paws pack down the trail sides, leaving a raised center. Scat, about two inches in diameter, is an obvious indicator, usually quite dark and with hair or partially digested insects or plants.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists a host of other signs: Padded down vegetation with scat nearby is likely a bear’s day bed. Stripped bark, depleted berry patches, clawed or torn-apart logs, overturned rocks, and dug up roots are also telltale signs of a bear’s presence. So are dead animal parts, the smell of decay signifying a food cache, or fish remains near a stream. Even if you don’t see a bear nearby, never get close to a carcass or other food source.

Hey, Bear!

Don't fall into a trance on the trail, but look up and around and announce your presence as you hike. Chat with your group and keep children close by and within sight. Sing a song, clap your hands, call out occasionally, or talk to yourself if you’re solo — having other hikers wonder if you’re crazy is preferable to surprising a bear. Some hikers tie bells to their backpacks for a constant jingling bear alert (though how well bells work remains uncertain). When traveling upwind or near running water make more noise to be heard.

Arm yourself

With bear spray, that is. Bear spray — a substance made from capsaicin, the oily residue from hot peppers — greatly irritates a bear’s eyes and breathing passages (warning: it will do the same to you, so don’t spray it at people or straight into the wind). Always have it handy — not packed in the top of your pack, not one zipper away, but in a hip holster (it should come with one when you purchase it) or a side pack pocket.

Bear spray should be used as a last line of defense against a charging bear. Never spray it on people, on your gear (spraying it on your tent might even attract a bear), or at a non-charging bear.

Learn how to properly use bear spray and know the spraying guidelines and range before you head out. Practice removing your spray from its holster in anticipation of various, surprise encounters. Be prepared to aim at the bear’s face or in a cloud the bear has to pass through to get to you. The Center for Wildlife Information recommends a minimum spray distance of 25 feet and spraying for at least six seconds to give the bear time to stop or divert its charge.

All bear sprays sold in the United States must be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, which maintains a list of approved bear deterrent products. Health Canada registers products for use in Canada.

If flying, check current airline and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations before packing bear spray. Currently, the FAA has restrictions against traveling with certain non-medicinal aerosols. You’ll likely need to purchase bear spray once you arrive at your destination.

What does Tom Reed, co-author of NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country, think of the bear-spray-versus-guns debate?

“As a hunter, I certainly take comfort in carrying a sidearm while hunting in grizzly country; however, this, in all but the most unusual circumstances, serves the same purpose as a binky does for an eight month old. It’s comforting, but really not much use.

Think about it: 700 pounds of fur, teeth, and claw is coming down on you faster than you can read this sentence. Do you think you can pull your sidearm and fire a killing shot that drops the bear in its tracks? Do you think you can hit a moving, raging target with a kill zone the size of the end of a Folgers can, calmly, deliberately and without fail?

Bear spray spreads a cloud of spray in a wider diameter than does a sawed-off shotgun and is extremely effective. Several studies have borne this out. Nowadays, I take just as much comfort in the bear spray on my hip regardless of what I’m carrying in my hands: bow, shotgun, rifle, camera, or fly rod.

Honestly, I trust my aim with a cloud of spray 20 feet or so in diameter far more than I trust my aim with a pistol or even a shotgun. Bear spray is a better option for 99 out of 100 of us. The 100th needs to be an Olympic class pistolero with nerves of ice.”

Far better than bullets

Never rely on shooting your way out of a bear encounter. Recent research shows that using your brain and your bear spray is a far safer option. In 2008, Smith and three colleagues published the study “Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska” in the Journal of Wildlife Management, assessing the use of bear spray in Alaska from 1985 to 2006. In 72 bear encounters involving 150 people who used bear spray, a bear touched a person three times, resulting in very minor injuries. According to the study’s Abstract, “Of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters.”

In a separate research project by Smith (using data from the Alaska Bear Attacks Database Project he’s worked on), of 150 people who used firearms, bears killed 17 people, seriously mauled 35, and injured many others.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Bear Spray vs. Bullets fact sheet, “No deterrent is 100% effective, but compared to all others, including firearms, proper use of bear spray has proven to be the best method for fending off threatening and attacking bears, and for preventing injury to the person and animal involved.”

Consider the animal, too — bear spray results in temporary discomfort. Bullets wound and kill. And many parks, including Denali and Yosemite, prohibit firearms or, at the very least, don’t allow you to carry them loaded on the trail.

Camping in Bear Country

When camping in bear country, avoid bringing anything with a scent. Just because it’s not edible doesn’t mean it won’t draw a bear to your camp, so ditch perfumes and use unscented deodorant and soap. When choosing a backcountry campsite, keep in mind that lakeshores or alpine meadows are lovely places to camp, but bears prefer them too.

Inspect your site to make sure it’s clean, trash-free, and that it will allow enough space between your camp kitchen, sleeping area, and where you’ll store or hang your food.

John Gookin and Tom Reed, authors of NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country, recommend about 320 feet between each area, in a triangle set-up. If outdoor toilets aren’t available, go far and away to do your business, and bury it deep. Keep your camp spotless, collecting all trash in a sealable bag.

Handling Food in Bear Country

A fed bear is a dead bear. We’ve all heard the mantra. Human food is incredibly enticing to bears. Bear noses are 100 times more sensitive than ours, and they have excellent memories, often returning to places they’ve found “positive food rewards” like a sandwich or Twinkies. Yosemite, for instance, is ridden with smart, food-conditioned bears that have become expert thieves. A bear that raids campsites usually ends up being destroyed — a terrible and unnecessary result of careless human behavior. Dave Smith, author of Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters, sums it up simply: “Once bears get food from humans, they’re addicts, and most addicts die young.”

Never stash food anywhere other than an approved storage container. Your options are a metal bear box, a plastic bear resistant food canister, or a stuff sack hung properly from a tree or bear pole, depending on the rules wherever you’re headed. Research the rules and practices for the area you’ll be visiting before you get there. 

What goes in

Whatever method you use, Backcountry Bear Basics recommends the following be safely stashed:

• 
  Place all smellables—including food, toiletries, and trash—in an approved bear canister or box.
  Food and beverages
• Stoves and fuel
• Cooking utensils
• Clothes in which you’ve cooked
• Toiletries
• Pet food
• Trash

Bear boxes

Many areas, like Yosemite and Denali National Parks, provide bear boxes in campgrounds and require you to use them. When these metal food lockers are closed and locked correctly, a bear can still smell the food but can’t access it. Never leave a bear box unlatched or open, even if you’re only stepping away for a moment. If a bear box is not available in your campground, secure your stash in your vehicle’s trunk.

Bear canisters

These durable, plastic containers that close and lock tightly are used when backpacking, where bear boxes aren’t available or when there aren’t substantial tree limbs from which to hang food. Yosemite and Denali require them for the backcountry, and some parks even require you to have an approved brand of canister — check websites in advance so you make the proper purchase or rental, and practice packing it before your trip. Information on approved containers can be found at the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee or the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group’s websites.

The National Park Service recommends placing bear canisters on the ground 100 feet or more away from your campsite, never near a cliff, big hill, or water source. One helpful hint: place cookware on top of your canister to create an instant bear alarm. Bulkiness is an issue, but you can repackage your food and toiletries, and choose dense foods that are high in calories. It’s better to heft the canister on the trail than to wake up one morning, three days from civilization, to find only empty food wrappers and bear spit.

Food hanging

If you’re not required by park law to have a bear canister or use a box, you must hang your food in a stuff sack. Some parks, like Yellowstone, provide backcountry food hanging poles, but a suitable tree works too. In NOLS Bear Essentials, Gookin and Reed recommend your stash be 12 feet above ground and five feet from large tree limbs. A variety of rope hang techniques are featured in their book, ranging from the Single-Rope Hang to a “High Line Hang and Tree Climb” technique that you won’t want to attempt without some prior practice or the help of a professional engineer.

A diagram from NOLS Bear Essentials illustrates the single-rope hang, one of several methods for hanging your food. (Illustration by Mike Clelland)

Here’s how to pull off a single-rope hang:

1. Grab your food bag, the sturdy 50-foot rope you’ve surely remembered to pack, and find a proper tree limb, about 20 feet above the ground with no branches below it.
2. Weight one rope end with a rock or carabiner and toss over the limb (repeat until you actually pull it off).
3. Tie the food bags on in a secure knot, and hoist them about 12 feet above.
4. Tie off the rope on a different tree nearby.

Is it foolproof? No. Could a visiting, determined bear chew through your rope and enjoy a tasty snack while you sleep? Sure.

For this reason, some backpackers take a combo approach, storing some food in a hanging stuff sack and the rest in a canister.

Others opt for using one of the more complicated hanging techniques in Gookin and Reed’s book, which include numerous trees and ropes and some shimmying. Practice before your backcountry excursion and have your method(s) down pat.

Cooking and cleanliness

Avoid greasy foods that splatter (leave the bacon at home) and try to avoid leftovers. If you’ve hunted or fished, do not clean fish or game in camp. Wash all dishes and utensils with a non-scented soap. Any leftover food must be included in your trash, and as on any camping or backpacking trip, always adhere to proper Leave No Trace principles. If you pack it in, you pack it out, and that means every single food wrapper, tissue, bit of trash, and band-aid. Leave the woods as you found it.

Disposing of grey/wastewater can require extra care. Leave No Trace recommends the following in its Rocky Mountain Skills & Ethics Booklet:

Disposing of wastewater in bear country is tricky. Once again, your main goal is to keep odors out of camp. If you are camped by a large volume river—at least 10 feet wide with substantial depth—you can pour strained wash water directly into the river to help disperse any odor.

If you are not by a river, consider digging a small hole (6-8" deep cathole) and sumping your wastewater. This practice concentrates odors in one safe location well away from your camp, however, animals may be attracted to the smell and dig up the hole in search of food. For this reason, sumping is not recommended in areas of high use. In these places, you should walk well away from camp and scatter your wastewater.

Always research and follow local agency regulations and suggestions for your area.

Bear Encounters

You’ve been careful and followed all the rules but now find yourself in the path of a grizzly or see two cute black bear cubs foraging with mom. Hundreds of books and websites offer countless tactics  — waving your hands about, throwing rocks, lying down if a bear charges.

A brown bear at Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park shows off its “cowboy walk” to look tough (or, in John Gookin’s words, “be a real bad-ass”). (Photo: John Gookin)

Nonsense, according to Tom Smith. “Carry a deterrent, make noise and act appropriately, and let the bear figure you out. Stand your ground. If it charges, you spray it. There’s no room for this other stuff,” he said. So here are the steps, as simple as possible, to handling a bear encounter:

• Be calm. Don’t run; you’ll flip the bear’s “chase” switch.
• If you come upon a bear that doesn’t notice you, leave quietly and immediately. This isn’t your “Grizzly Man” moment; don’t fumble around for a camera, approach it, or talk to it.
• If the bear does notice you or you surprise it, speak in a normal tone of voice while slowly reaching for your bear spray. Back up, but don’t turn away from the bear. “Give it a chance to recognize you’re not a threat and to leave the area,” Smith advises. If it leaves, you leave in the opposite direction.
• If the bear stands up, it’s trying to get a better whiff of you. However, if it’s snorting, huffing, or making clicking noises with its jaws, it is getting angry. Continue speaking and backing up, and don’t lose that grip on your 12-ounce can of protection.
• If the bear approaches, it might be bluffing to tell you it’s tough. Don’t wait to find out. Fire your bear spray as soon as the bear is in recommended spraying range. The National Park Service advises aiming for the face but slightly downward because the spray billows upward. Fire a second shot if the first one doesn’t stop the bear’s charge, emptying the can if you have to. The bear should quickly find itself in severe discomfort, and you should find yourself booking down the trail as fast as your shaky legs can carry you.
• 
  Brown bears at Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park head off after a flare is set off. (Photo: John Gookin)
  In the very rare instance that the bear spray fails, stand your ground. If it’s a black bear attacking you, always fight back — yell, scream, punch, kick. According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, people have successfully defended themselves from black bear attacks with knives, trekking poles, and their bare hands.
• No matter what species of bear you’ve encountered, never hit the ground and play dead unless the bear has knocked you down. “Telling them you’re submissive and passive and they’re dominant? I would not give them that message,” Smith said.
• If you’ve encountered a grizzly and it approaches, is unaffected by bear spray (highly unlikely), and knocks you down, then playing dead is a good plan. According to Backcountry Bear Basics, “a startled grizzly — a grizzly acting defensively — generally does not cause serious injuries if you play dead.” However, if you’ve been playing dead for a few minutes and the bear hasn’t left, doesn’t seem as angry, and may be settling in to make you a meal, then you must switch gears and fight. “There are people who fought back with grizzly bears and that worked for them,” Smith said. “But we’re talking about the few who lived to tell about it.”

When exploring bear country, your first and best tool of defense is your brain. Never make assumptions about bear behavior or take a nonchalant, “it won’t happen to me” approach. Research the area and contact local wildlife or park officials for their specific rules and recommendations. Carry bear spray, but know that it’s not a substitute for taking all the proper precautions.

Keep your cool, make smart choices, and maintain respect for the bears’ natural habitat, perhaps keeping in mind the words of naturalist and author Henry Beston: “The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not our brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations caught with ourselves in the net of life and time.”

The Author’s Source List, and other bear resources:

Books
Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters
Dave Smith 

NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country
John Gookin and Tom Reed

Hiking in Bear Country
Keith Scott

BEARS: Behavior, Ecology, Conservation
Erwin A. Bauer

In the Company of Wild Bears: A Celebration of Backcountry Grizzlies and Black Bears
Howard Smith

Bears: Wild Guide
Charles Fergus

Expert Interviews
Tom Smith: associate professor of wildlife science and research wildlife biologist, Brigham Young University; U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office 

John Gookin: curriculum and research manager and instructor, NOLS; author of NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country

Tom Reed: former NOLS instructor; currently Montana/Wyoming backcountry organizer for Trout Unlimited; author of NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country

Websites
Colorado Division of Wildlife
Camping & Hiking in Bear Country

The North American Bear Center
www.bear.org

National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park
Minimizing the Dangers of a Bear Encounter
Backcountry Camping & Hiking
Bear Pepper Spray Video Transcript

National Park Service, Denali National Park & Preserve
Backcountry Information

U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
Bear Pepper Spray: Research and Information by Tom Smith

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Mountain-Prairie Region

Environmental Protection Agency
Bear Deterrents

Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee
www.igbconline.org

The American Bear Association
Camping and Hiking in Black Bear Country

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
Camping and Hiking in Bear Country

Center for Wildlife Information
www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org

Leave No Trace
www.lnt.org

Trailspace’s assistant editor, Tom Mangan, on North Carolina’s Stone Mountain.

Trailspace has hired Tom Mangan as assistant editor of the outdoor gear website. Mangan will maintain and expand Trailspace’s online gear catalog database and write and edit outdoor gear guides, comparisons, and reviews for the backcountry gear guide.

Mangan, an avid hiker and backpacker, has more than 20 years of experience in journalism. He formerly was a copy editor, page designer, and hiking columnist at the San Jose Mercury News. Since 2005 he has written and published Two-Heel Drive (www.twoheeldrive.com), a popular hiking blog covering hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area and now in North Carolina.

Mangan professes no allegiance to gear brands, but confesses a weakness for his Gregory G Pack and vows to replace his five-year-old Columbia zip-off hiking pants just as soon as they wear out. After five years of hiking among the redwoods and coastlines of Northern California, he’s eager to check out the North Carolina Outer Banks and the Great Smokies.

“We’re excited to welcome Tom to Trailspace,” said editor in chief, Alicia MacLeay. “He’s enthusiastic about hiking, gear, and the outdoors and is full of ideas to strengthen and improve Trailspace.”

About Trailspace:
Trailspace is the backcountry gear guide dedicated to helping hikers, backpackers, and climbers gear up and get out. Trailspace publishes independent reviews, news, and information about thousands of outdoor products, helping backcountry users find dependable gear that lets them get out and enjoy human-powered backcountry activities.

Both have hiked and camped among black bears and grizzlies for more than 20 years. They’ve taught hundreds of students the ropes — and more than just how to hang food — as instructors for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Both have some exciting tales of bear encounters, and both will tell you that there’s nothing quite like sharing habitat with one of nature’s most majestic mammals.

NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country by John Gookin and Tom Reed (Stackpole Books, 2009) $9.95

Their new book, NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country, is proof they know what they’re doing.

Just under 90 pages, it’s a pocket-sized information powerhouse that includes the essentials and omits the fluff. Light and small enough to take on the trail, it’s a must-have for anyone considering their first foray into bear country and a valuable resource for those who need a refresher. If you think it’s okay to toss out food particles in your dish water, hang your food eight feet off the ground, or aren’t sure if you should stand your ground or play dead when encountering a bear, you’re in the latter camp.

Most importantly, the authors stress that no matter where you’re headed to hike, you need the appropriate mindset. “We wanted to have something that helped visitors to bear country view themselves as a guest in the bear’s home,” Gookin said. “We wanted people to respect their habitat. That’s the attitude that helps you understand your situation.”

“We don’t have a lot of places we can go anymore where we’re not the baddest thing in the woods,” Reed said. “Grizzly country — that’s a really unique thing.”

NOLS Bear Essentials addresses both grizzly and black bear territory, covering bear identification, habitat, awareness, and avoidance, along with proper food storage, tips for fishing and hunting in bear country, and how to handle a confrontation. Rather than laying down set rules for hiking in bear territory, Gookin said a better option was to write about universal principles and allow people to use their good judgment and apply them to their own unique situations. There can’t be a rule that you always hang your food, because some territory doesn’t allow for it, and parks have different requirements. Knowing what your options are (food lockers, bear canisters, or food hanging) and researching your destination beforehand is a better method.

The basic principles include lots of Ps: preparation, precautions, prevention. The intent is that educated, prepared hikers who’ve done their homework and know what to expect at their specific location likely won’t need to rely on the “Confrontations” chapter of the book. “If you read it and take those things to heart, and you use your head, you’re setting yourself up for a really cool experience in bear country,” Reed said.

Though chances of an encounter are small, NOLS Bear Essentials provides clear, straightforward advice on how to handle one. Both authors write from experience, each having found himself face to face with bears in the backcountry more than once. In 1996, Reed was bluff charged by a grizzly while on a hunting trip in the Teton Wilderness, surprising it in a willow grove one late afternoon. He stood his ground, and the bear veered off into the woods once it was about 25 yards away. “Those are hair-raising experiences,” he said. “But being out there as a hunter, you realize how tolerant those critters are of mankind, and generally speaking, how few of them there are around.”

Gookin, while on a trip with bear scientists in Alaska a few summers ago, encountered a mother and her cubs, and the group chased them off by shooting off fireworks. “Bear scientists use all sorts of things,” he said. “There’s a fine line between a bear being curious and a bear being aggressive.”

A diagram from NOLS Bear Essentials illustrates one of several methods for hanging your food. (Illustration by Mike Clelland)

Along with relying on their own experiences, Gookin and Reed consulted a wealth of experts to be sure the book included the most up-to-date facts and research, including two wildlife biologists, three bear management officials, and a wildlife technician.

Outfitted with helpful diagrams that simplify intricate food hanging methods and a thorough section on bear spray and its proper use and storage, NOLS Bear Essentials wraps up decades of backcountry knowledge in a simple, straightforward style that will help assure any hiker’s safe, exciting foray into bear territory.

While bears have been a part of Gookin and Reed’s working lives, they’re part of their personal ones, too. Both make their homes in bear country. Gookin, a Lander, Wyoming, resident, loads up the family each year “just to cruise around with a spotting scope and look at bears” in Yellowstone. In addition, he’s co-authored other books on wilderness wisdom and winter camping for NOLS, where he’s been the curriculum and research manager for the past 20 years.

Reed, who now works in Trout Unlimited’s public lands division, is a quintessential Montana man. He lives a few miles outside the tiny town of Pony (population 100), owns horses, goes fishing, and shoots his own dinner (elk, preferably). A former journalist, he’s also the author of Great Wyoming Bear Stories and a collection of essays called Give Me Mountains For My Horses.

In addition to sharing backcountry bear knowledge and a passion for the places they live, the authors share similar views on the balance of human-bear interactions and the importance of proper conduct when entering the bears’ home, which is why it’s a central theme of their new book.

“I think the big thing is, there are fewer and fewer wild spaces,” Gookin said. “But we can visit them, and we can cohabitate with the animals that are there, so that hopefully they’ll be there for future generations. It’s just a matter of understanding and respecting them in their natural habitat.”

Be bear aware. Read Hiking and Camping Safely in Bear Country. Learn how to identify black versus brown bears, how to act on the trail, how to properly handle and store food, and what to do during a bear encounter.

Luckily, the seam-sealing process is straightforward and fairly simple.

Before starting, check with your tent or tarp manufacturer to see what specific products and practices they recommend or warn against. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendation and your seam sealant’s directions.

McNett, Kenyon, and Aquaseal are among the seam sealant brands on the market. Many tent companies recommend the following McNett products:

• SeamGrip is for use on shelters made from nylon or other synthetic materials, as well as natural fabrics, waterproof laminates, leather, and vinyl. It also can be used to permanently repair pinholes and small tears.

• SilNet is for use on shelters made from silicone coated fabrics, like silnylon. It also can be used for minor in-field repairs. 

The process of applying the two is essentially the same (follow the directions for your sealant).

Preparation

To seam seal, start with a clean, dry tent. Pay attention to the most exposed seams—the tent floor, fly, and bottom of the tent body—and attachment points, which are likeliest to let in water. You do not need to seam seal any mesh.

You’ll want to do this outside since prolonged exposure to seam sealant without adequate ventilation can be dangerous to your health. Also, pick a warm, dry day, since it will take a while for the sealant to fully cure.

1. Thoroughly clean your tent and rain fly. Wash the tent with water and, if necessary, a very mild, non-detergent soap (check with your manufacturer for their recommendation). Do not use detergents, bleach, dishwashing, liquid, stain removers, or harsh soaps as they could eat through your tent’s fabric and any coatings.
2. Rinse well.
3. Let your tent dry thoroughly, preferably pitched or hung on a line in a shady spot. Never machine dry your tent.
4. Proceed to the seam sealing once your tent is clean and dry and pitched tautly.

The Seam Sealing Process

Make sure to pull the tent and fly taut when applying sealant.

Now comes the part where you apply the sealant.

If you’re sealing your shelter for the first time, and not in response to a specific leak, your best bet is to seal all the seams at once to ensure that your tent won’t fail when you’re in the midst of a downpour days away from a fix.

Pay particular attention to the most exposed seams—the tent floor, fly, and bottom of the tent body—and the webbing attachment points, which are most likely to let in water. Mesh areas do not need to be seam sealed. Your shelter’s manufacturer may recommend specific seams to seal or not seal.

Depending on the size of your tent or the area you are applying the seam sealant to, you may require an extra or larger brush to make it easier.

1. On the interior walls, apply painter’s masking tape 1/4 of an inch from both sides of the seam. This will make it easier to apply the sealant and keep the sealant from spreading out too far. It also will give your job a professional look.
2. Apply sealant to the interior wall seams of your tent, particularly the lower portion. Go all the way around leaving a thin layer of sealant extending approximately 1/4 of an inch past the seams. Pay attention to filling in all of those needle holes. Mesh areas do not require sealant, although it will provide extra strength in holding the stitching together. Avoid getting sealant in the zippers.
3. Apply the same amount and width of sealant to any seams on the tent floor.
4. Close the tent’s opening and apply another coating on the outside of the tent, making sure that all seams are taut. Many tents come with factory-taped seams. For these tents the outside seams can be sealed for maximum waterproofness. If the tape starts to peal the sealant can be used like a glue to close the seam and re-apply the tape.
5. Leave the tent to dry.
6. For one-piece tents, sealing is complete.
7. For tents with a rain fly, put the rain fly on upside down to expose the inside seams. Follow the same process to seal the fly’s seams as explained above.

Afterward

1. 
   For added protection you can seal both sides of the rain fly here.
   Ensure that the tent is left taut to dry and that the rain fly is secured. Leave both pieces to dry fully for 12 to 24 hours or overnight, if conditions allow.
2. For an added level of protection you may want to apply seam sealant to the other side of your rain fly and tent bottom.
3. After all the seams have dried comes the fun part. Set up the tent normally and turn on the sprinkler for an hour or so. Climb inside and marvel at your handiwork. Look for any leaks or gaps in the sealant. Thoroughly testing the seams now will ensure that there are no surprises out on the trail.
4. If necessary, let your tent dry, then repeat the seam sealing process on any problem areas.
5. Once fully cured and dry, loosely store your clean, dry tent out of direct sunlight and outside of its stuff sack. Your shelter is now ready to go.

Questions and Considerations

Pay close attention to sealing the tie-down points at corners.

Do factory-taped seams mean my tent is seam sealed?
No. Newer tents often come with factory-taped seams. This means a waterproof material has been double stitched between the tent’s seams. A factory-taped seam is usually very water-resistant and should hold up well in comparison to no seam sealing at all, but it is not the same as fully waterproof seam sealing.

The outside seams can be sealed for maximum waterproofness.

I just paid a lot of money. Why isn’t my tent already seam sealed or taped?
Some manufacturers seam seal their tents. Some do not, due to the cost and time involved. It can be far cheaper for you to seam seal your shelter yourself. A few smaller companies give you the option at an additional charge.

Shelters made from silicone treated nylon are not factory-taped since seam tape does not stick to the material.

So, do I need to seam seal my new tent?
First, always check with your tent’s manufacturer, since most have their own guidelines on how and where to add sealant based on the materials used and the shelter’s design.

• If your tent’s seams are neither sealed nor factory-taped you will need to seal them. Get started on a warm, dry day, before hitting the trails.
• If your tent has factory-taped seams you do not need to seal it. Your tent should be quite water-resistant, though you may want to test its waterproofness under the sprinkler before heading into the backcountry. If your tent will be used regularly, particularly in wet conditions, consider seam sealing. An added layer of sealant will give your shelter added protection and maximum waterproofness.
• If your tent comes seam-sealed you do not need to seam seal it immediately. However, you may want to test its waterproofing under the sprinkler. Even with seam sealing, regular inspections and maintenance are still important, especially with heavy use.

There are lots of seam sealant products on the market. Can I use any sealant on my tent?
No. Specific sealants are made to treat specific fabrics. Find out what materials your tent is made from (nylon versus silnylon, for example) and the manufacturer’s recommendation. The seam sealant you choose should be recommended for use with your tent’s fabric.

How often should I seam seal or spot treat my tent?
For most people seam sealing need only be done at the beginning of the season, unless you notice that your tent is starting to leak or wear in spots. Backpackers and campers that use their equipment particularly hard may want to apply a coating twice a year. The easiest way to tell when treatment is needed is with regular inspections. If the sealant is missing, leaking, or cracked in sections, apply another coat.

My seams feel sticky even after leaving my tent to dry for 24 hours. What should I do?
If the sealant is still sticky after ample drying time, apply a little talcum powder to the seams after the sealant dries, so the seams won’t stick to the rest of the tent.

I seam-sealed the floor. Do I still need a ground cloth or footprint?
Yes, it’s usually recommended. A ground cloth or footprint protects your tent from the ground, prolonging its life. Be sure the ground cloth is smaller all around than the tent and does not stick out from underneath, otherwise water can get funneled underneath the tent. You can make your own ground cloth or buy one.

Note: Always follow the cleaning, care, and repair recommendations of your gear’s manufacturer. Follow all directions and safety information for the seam sealant you choose to use.

Energy Bars

Chews, Gels, and Beans

Protein Bites

Energy Bars

“Organic,” “wholesome,” and “nutritious” are the buzzwords of this bar scene. These up-and-coming energy bars emphasize nutritional value and hunger satisfaction. They contain less refined sugar and preservatives and more protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals than many of the original energy bars.

	Bumble Bars Bumble Bars are organic, gluten-free, and vegan, as well as ethically sourced. Elizabeth Ward, the creator of Bumble Bars, gained her inspiration for these healthy snacks while hiking. Noticing that people were out enjoying nature while simultaneously eating products that potentially harmed the planet seemed wrong. So she decided to make her own hiking snack. Ward’s sesame seed-based bars come in 12 flavors, including Original, Chocolate Crisp, Chai with Almonds, and Awesome Apricot. Regardless of your feelings about sesame seeds, the bars are tasty. The seeds hold the ingredients together without being overly seedy and dry and each flavor is distinct, some of the favorites being Lushus Lemon and Cherry Chocolate. Original Bumble Bar Bar: 45g (1.6oz) Calories: 230 Fat: 15g Total Carbohydrate: 20g; Sugars: 11g Other: 45% DV (Daily Value) of copper; 25% DV of calcium, magnesium; 20% DV of iron, phosphorous; 15% DV of E, zinc; 10% DV of B6, thiamin MSRP: $26.25 (15 bars)
	Forze GPS Bars As part of its “first weight management tool designed specifically for athletes,” Forze GPS has introduced a new product line of bars and shakes to help active people with appetite control between meals. This seems timely with the recent media chatter about Americans using exercise as an excuse to overeat. Forze emphasizes that a leaner body performs better and that eating too many calories hinders this. The GPS stands for gastric peptide stimulators, nutrients that affect appetite control. The blend of calcium, protein, and natural fats in these bars is said to “activate the body’s natural appetite control signal,” and thus leave you feeling fuller and more satisfied for longer. Regardless of any appetite controlling benefits, the Forze Bars, available in Chocolate Peanut Butter and Cranberry Nut, taste better than many of the other granola-inspired bars on the market. Coupled with one of their flavorsome shakes (which are more like drinks than shakes), you’ve got a satisfying snack that you can bring with you for a long day out and about. Chocolate Peanut Butter Forze Bar Bar: 40g Calories: 160 Fat: 6g Total Carbohydrate: 21g Protein: 8g Other: 40% DV of calcium, 10% DV of A, E, C, folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin MSRP: $19.90 (10 bars)
	Hammer Bar Hammer has one of the most wholesome bars on the market with organic ingredients and no refined sugars. They have even gone as far as gaining USDA organic, non-dairy kosher, and vegan (Almond Raisin flavor) certifications. Hammer Bars are available in Cashew Coconut Chocolate Chip, Almond Raisin, and Chocolate Chip. The company’s extensive marketing literature is quite convincing in justifying why they use the ingredients they use. Everything has a purpose. The Hammer Bar is handy for before and after activity. It can also be eaten during lower intensity exercise. Cashew Coconut Chocolate Chip Hammer Bar Bar: 50g (1.76oz) Calories: 230 Fat: 11g Total Carbohydrate: 27g Protein: 5g MSRP: $2.49 (single bar); $27 (12 bars)
	KIND PLUS Bars KIND has flown below the radar on the endurance and outdoor sports scene, but is recognizable to loyal Starbucks clientele. KIND makes the bars with all the fruit and nuts displayed by cash registers in coffee shops across the country. The company’s newest creations, KIND PLUS Bars, are packed with even more calcium and antioxidants than the original bars, making them a good option whether you are en route to the trail or in need of a pick-me-up mid-hike. These bars aren’t your typical energy bar mystery mash-up. Whole chunks of fruit and nuts make you feel like you are eating real food. Of six flavors, Mango Macadamia has received the greatest acclaim. Cranberry & Almond KIND PLUS Bar Bar: 40g Calories: 190 Fat: 12g Total Carbohydrate: 19g; Sugars: 13g Protein: 4g Other: 50% DV of A, C, E; 120mg of potassium MSRP: $2.29
	Odwalla Mocha-walla Bar If you crave that coffee taste, but wouldn’t think of bringing it out on the trails with you, Odwalla’s new Mocha-walla Bar will do the trick. This bar is as tasty as a Starbucks’ Frappuccino and is just slightly drier than a Clif Bar. The main selling point, besides the flavor, are all the fruit, grains, and fiber packed in. This isn’t a bar that will leave you hungry twenty minutes later. Mocha-walla Bar Bar: 56g (2oz) Calories: 210 Fat: 4g Caffeine: 22mg Total Carbohydrate: 38g; Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 15g Protein 4g Other: 50% DV of E, folate; 25% DV of calcium; 10% DV of A, C, iron, MSRP: $1.49
	PROBAR fruition These snack-sized bars are soft, chewy, and much stickier than many of the other bars on the market. These little vegan bars definitely live up to their flavor labels as they are intensely fruity-tasting, coming in blueberry, cran-raspberry, peach, and strawberry flavors. At 160 calories, fruition bars have less than half the calories of the heftier original PROBARs, which weigh in at 350 to 380 calories per 3-ounce bar. The fruition ingredient list includes two servings of real fruit, organic rolled oats, and antioxidant-rich white and black chia seeds. That’s pretty good for a little 1.7-ounce bar. PROBAR fruition Bar: 48g (1.7oz) Calories: 160 Fat: 2g Total Carbohydrate: 34g; Fiber: 4g; Sugars: 22g Protein: 3g Fruit: 26g MSRP: $2.49 (single bar), $27.48 (12 bars)

Chews, Gels, and Beans

The chews-gels-beans category is where you find the most convenient, bang-for-your-buck nutrition to be consumed out on the trails. While all claim optimal formulas and blends, it’s really about what you can stomach best. For many, a gel is simply the easiest and fastest way to get calories into your system. Others prefer a more tangible snack that can actually be eaten, like chews and beans. While many of these products contain electrolytes, on a hot day you may want the added benefit of a sports drink as well. Either way, be sure you have some kind of liquid to wash these nutritionals down in order to aid their distribution into your system.

	carb BOOM Energy Chews carb BOOM points to its lack of simple sugars as the secret behind preventing insulin spikes and stomach upset sometimes caused by competing products. While these energy chews will give you a boost anytime, they are especially appropriate to be consumed during exercise. The mixture of carbohydrates and electrolytes will replace calories burned as well as sodium lost through sweat. The package suggests eating an entire pouch every 30 to 45 minutes during exercise. That seems a bit excessive; every 45 minutes to one hour is likely adequate, and taking in a few at a time is okay too. For those with dietary restrictions, carb BOOM Energy Chews are gluten-, wheat-, and dairy-free. Wild Berries carb BOOM Energy Chews Packet: 30g (1.05oz), 6 pieces Calories: 90 Total Carbohydrate: 23g; Sugars: 11g Sodium: 55mg Potassium: 40mg MSRP: $1.70 (single packet), $29.99 (24 packets)
	CLIF SHOT Bloks FastPak The CLIF engineers hit a home run by reducing the CLIF SHOT Bloks packaging by one third while maintaining the same number of chewable Bloks within (six). Like a potato chip bag sealed with more air than product, the old packaging wasn’t exactly convenient for endurance athletes on the run. The new packaging offers a linear design with six Bloks stacked one on top of the other, making it easy to pop or squeeze one out at a time. A hole punched into one end of the package makes it simple to pin or tie the Bloks to shorts or a race belt. The Bloks come in eight flavors, three with caffeine (Black Cherry, Cola, Orange), one with three times the sodium (Margarita) for the cramp-prone, and one new flavor (Mountain Berry). Mountain Berry CLIF SHOT Bloks FastPak: contains two 30g servings (3 pieces per serving) Calories per serving: 100 Sodium: 70mg Potassium: 20mg Total Carbohydrate: 24g; Sugars: 12g MSRP: $1.99
	GU Chomps GU Chomps are a welcome addition to the energy chew market. The Chomps receive favorable taste ratings across the board. Like the PowerBar Gel Blasts below, the packaging doesn’t exactly travel lightly, though. More importantly, GU Energy Labs tout a new type of energy-enhancing blend of complex carbohydrates from maltodextrin and simple carbohydrates from tapioca syrup and vitamins C and E. Flavors include Blueberry Pomegranate, Orange, Cranberry Apple (with caffeine), and Strawberry (with caffeine). Strawberry GU Chomps Packet: 60g (contains two 30g servings of 4 pieces each) Calories per serving: 90 Sodium: 50mg Potassium: 40mg Total Carbohydrate: 23g; Sugars: 11g Caffeine: 20mg Other: 100% DV of C, E MSRP $2.20
	GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel First came regular energy gel, now comes super energy gel. Roctane is an amped-up version of the original GU. This super GU contains extra sodium and amino acids that help the body slow the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles and speed recovery. GU also has increased the levels of citrates in the Roctane mixture, which is claimed to speed the conversion of carbs into “energy molecules.” Whether it’s the added amino acids, or simply the power of suggestion, Roctane does give one the feeling of a boost superior to that of regular energy gel, making it deserving of the name on the label. Available in Blueberry Pomegranate and Vanilla Orange flavors. Blueberry Pomegranate GU Roctane Packet: 32g (1.1oz) Calories: 100 Total Carbohydrate: 25g; Sugars: 5g Sodium: 125mg Potassium: 55mg Caffeine: 35mg MSRP: $2.50
	PowerBar Gel Blasts While PowerBar hasn’t caught on to the need for better packaging the way CLIF has, their new Gel Blasts taste just as good, if not better. The Blasts are a hybrid between a chew and a gel, chewy on the outside with gel inside. The gel isn’t messy, just flavorful. Ingredients include a 2:1 blend of glucose to fructose, which has been shown to be the most effective in delivering energy to the muscles. For an extra boost, try the Strawberry Banana (25mg caffeine) or Cola (50mg caffeine). Strawberry-Banana PowerBar Gel Blasts Packet: 2.12oz (contains about 1.5 servings, 6 pieces each) Calories per serving: 130 Sodium: 40mg Potassium: 20mg Total Carbohydrate: 30g; Sugars: 24g Protein: 2g Caffeine: 25mg MSRP $1.59
	Sport Beans Jelly Belly’s Sport Beans are not new to the endurance nutritional scene. What is new is the way the beans are packaged. Formerly housed in an inconvenient plastic bag, the newest Sport Bean varieties are held in resealable pouches. Since you generally won’t eat them all at once, this keeps the beans fresh and more easily transportable. As far as taste goes, Sport Beans are tastier than ever. You wouldn’t know the added carbohydrates, electrolytes, and vitamins existed, as they taste just like regular jellybeans. Try the Extreme Sport Beans for an added shot of 50mg of caffeine. Extreme Watermelon Sport Beans Packet: 28g Calories: 100 Sodium: 80mg Potassium: 40mg Total Carbohydrate: 25g; Sugars: 21g Caffeine: 50mg MSRP: $1.99

Protein Bites

Pop-able protein is the latest craze on the nutritional scene. They have the convenience of chews, beans, and gels, and the nutrition of bars. They are becoming especially popular with folks out hiking and backpacking because they offer considerable nutrition and protein while giving you the option to snack on just a few at a time. This allows you to regulate your hunger better as well as more easily share with your comrades. Several new products fall into this hybrid category.

	CLIF SHOT ROKS Dubbed the first “pop-and-go” protein bites, CLIF SHOT ROKS are a simple way for active individuals to get their daily protein. While it’s no steak dinner, the ROKS are tasty, grape-sized bites that are reminiscent of malted milk balls. They come in Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Chocolate. The hard candy shell keeps them from getting smashed in your pack and you don’t need to worry about them melting all over during a hot day on the trails. With two grams of protein per Rok, they can offer a substantial pick-me-up. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough CLIF SHOT ROKS Packet: 70g (2.5oz), 10 Roks Calories: 270 Fat 4.5g Sodium: 210mg Potassium: 75mg Total Carbohydrate: 37g; Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 28g Protein: 20g MSPR $2.49
	PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites and Energy Bites Not to be outdone, PowerBar has come up with its own portable protein bites. The ProteinPlus Bites contain 20 grams of protein in a packet, comparable to the CLIF SHOT ROKS. For those who are looking for less of a protein punch, PowerBar just introduced Energy Bites, which contain 10 grams of protein per package. The company touts a 2:1 blend of glucose to fructose in the Energy Bites, which has been shown in several studies to deliver more energy to the muscles than glucose alone. PowerBar’s protein bites are softer and chewier than the CLIF SHOT ROKS. Both versions are conveniently contained in resealable pouches that can be zipped shut and saved for later. Chocolate Peanut Butter PowerBar ProteinPlus Bites Packet: 74g (8 bites) Calories: 300 Fat: 10g Sodium: 270mg Total Carbohydrate: 34g; Fiber: 6g; Sugars: 16g Protein: 20g MSRP: $3.49 Oatmeal Raisin PowerBar Energy Bites Packet: 85.5g (8 bites) Calories: 300 Fat: 5g Sodium: 220mg Total Carbohydrate: 52g; Fiber: 2g; Sugars: 32g Protein: 10g MSRP: $3.49
	Simbree Energy Bites Cashew Coconut is the newest addition to Simbree’s wholesome line of Energy Bites. If you like the taste of sesame seeds and don’t have much of a sweet tooth, you’ll enjoy this new flavor, otherwise go for the sweeter Oat Almond Pistash. Overall, Simbree is probably the most ingredient-conscious of the category. With almost entirely organic ingredients, such as rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and brown sugar, Simbree makes an effort to provide a less-processed snack. While the Energy Bites have less protein than the ROKS or the PowerBar Bites, they are packed with potassium and have zero sodium and cholesterol. Portability wise, these bites come as little nuggets in either 6-ounce or 15-ounce resealable bags. This makes them easy to share on a long hike or backpacking trip. Cashew Coconut Simbree Energy Bites Serving size: 42g (7 bites), 6-oz bag contains 4 servings Calories per serving: 190 Fat: 10g Total Carbohydrate: 22g; Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 7g Protein: 7g Potassium: 5% DV MSRP: $4.99

The newest drinks on the market tend to fall into one of two categories: recovery drinks with a punch of protein and/or whole grains to be consumed after exercise, and lightly flavored drinks with fewer calories than traditional sports drinks.

Protein-Rich Recovery Drinks

Lighter Sports Drinks

Protein-Rich Recovery Drinks

While carbohydrates provide energy, protein maintains and repairs muscles, making it important for post-exercise recovery. On the market are a number of new recovery drinks, to be consumed after exercise, that contain protein and/or whole grains.

	Odwalla Protein Monster Shakes Along with a slew of other new products, Odwalla recently announced two additions to its Protein Monster line: Vanilla Protein and Chocolate Protein. While both require some heavy shaking before consumption, they make for excellent post-workout recovery drinks. Real vanilla extract is added to the Vanilla Protein drink for a sweeter flavor. The Chocolate Protein shake is a vast improvement over the previous Super Protein Chocolate. The new version tastes a lot like chocolate milk with an added kick. Both contain 33 grams of soy and dairy protein powder per bottle, which is significant. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily allowance of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or slightly over 7 grams per 20 pounds. Chocolate Protein Monster Bottle: 450mL (15.2 fl oz), contains about two 8-fluid-ounce servings Calories per serving: 220 Fat: 4g Total Carbohydrate: 27g Protein: 18g Calcium: 50% Daily Value (DV) Vitamins and Minerals: 100% DV of B6 and B12; 30% DV of Zinc; 20% DV of Copper, 15% DV of Iron; 9 amino acids MSRP: $3.29
	Hammer Whey Protein Drink Mix Hammer Whey is becoming one of the most preferred protein supplements on the market for endurance athletes. This glutamine-fortified drink mix is made to assist in boosting the immune system as well as enhancing recovery after a long day of hiking, biking, running, or whatever you may be doing out and about. The mixture contains recovery-specific amino acids for added benefit and is 100 percent whey isolate, which means it has more protein per serving and less lactose and fat than most of the other whey protein mixes on the market. Flavors include Chai, Unflavored, Vanilla, and the newly released Chocolate. Mixing a scoop of Chocolate Hammer Whey with a glass of chocolate soy milk makes for a smooth and rich post-workout refreshment. Chocolate Hammer Whey Serving: 26g (1 scoop = 4.2 tbsp) Calories per serving: 80 Total Carbohydrate: 1g Protein: 17g Glutamine: 6g MSRP: $32.95 (contains 24 servings)
	Naked Juice Protein Zone This summer Naked Juice introduced two new flavors to their Protein Zone line: Mango and Double Berry. The unique blend of soy and whey protein makes these beverages ideal post-exercise. Not only will the 30 grams of protein in each bottle help speed recovery, you’ll also receive three servings of fruit in each bottle. As with all Naked products, there are no added sugars or preservatives. Mango has a lighter, sweeter flavor while Double Berry, which contains strawberries and blueberries, packs a bit more intensity and zing. Protein Zone Double Berry Bottle: 450ml (15.2 fl oz), contains about two 8-fluid-ounce servings Calories per serving: 220 Fat: 2g Sodium: 130mg Potassium: 450mg Total Carbohydrate: 35g Protein: 16g Vitamins and Minerals: 100% DV of C; 8% DV of Iron MSRP: $3.99
	Odwalla Wholly Grain! Tropical Medley Odwalla also has just released a new smoothie: Wholly Grain! Tropical Medley, which fittingly is packed with 32 grams of whole grains per bottle. Since whole grains contain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than refined grains, they are a great way for active people to get in their carbs for the day. Like most smoothies, the Wholly Grain! smoothie is sweet and fruity without a hint of grittiness. Wholly Grain! Tropical Medley Bottle: 450mL (15.2 fl oz), contains about two 8-fluid-ounce servings Calories per serving: 200 Fat: 1g Whole grains: 16g Total Carbohydrate: 45g Protein: 3g Vitamins: 10% DV of A, E, and C MSRP: $3.29

The Lighter Side of Sports Drinks

Lightly flavored drinks with less or no sugar and fewer calories are an increasing alternative to traditional sports drinks. Below are sports drinks, as well as a juice, for hydrating before, during, and after exercise.

	nuun nuun, offering one of the newest hydration solutions, believes that the one-size-fits-all fueling plans of the other sports drink companies don’t work for everyone. Rather than a liquid or powder, nuun comes in tablets housed in a tough plastic tube (12 tablets per bottle). Each tablet is quickly absorbed in water à la Alka Seltzer, but less fizzy. While drinks like Powerade and Gatorade contain sugar (carbs), nuun is sugar-free, seeking to hydrate, not to fuel. The company suggests hydrating with nuun and accompanying it with a fuel such as energy gel during exercise. This unique beverage comes in five flavors (citrus fruit, kona cola, lemon+lime, orange ginger, and tri-berry) and is surprisingly tasty for having virtually no calories or sugar. The easily transportable tube will especially appeal to trail buffs. No more messy bags of powder all over your pack. Look for the soon-to-be-released flavor, banananuun. citrus fruit nuun Tube: contains 12 tablets, 8 oz per tablet, 2 servings per tablet Calories per half tablet (4 oz): 3 Sodium: 180mg Potassium: 50mg MSRP: $6.50 (12 tablets)
	Accelerade Hydro All Accelerade products contain the “4:1 Advantage,” which is a 4:1 carbohydrate-to-protein formula. The company offers a considerable amount of scientific literature that backs up why they believe this formula is optimal for not only hydrating, but also encouraging peak exercise performance. Accelerade Hydro differs from the original Accelerade because it has fewer calories and less sugar. In comparison to “regular sports drinks,” it contains 30 percent fewer calories and 55 percent less sugar. This powder mix is to be used before, during, and after exercise. Hydro has a unique flavor compared to regular sports drinks because of the lack of sugar. It tastes best when served cold. Lemonade Accelerade Hydro Container: 50 servings, 16g per serving Calories per serving: 60 Sodium: 180mg Potassium: 55mg Total Carbohydrate: 10g; Sugars: 8g Protein: 2.5g MSRP: $39.99 (50 servings)
	CLIF Quench Sport Drink After years of success in the energy bar industry, CLIF has thrown its hat into the sports drink ring. Without any high fructose corn syrup, CLIF Quench has a lighter flavor than some of the existing sports drinks and fruit juices. While many of the traditional Powerades and Gatorades of grocery store shelves taste fairly similar to one another, this 88 percent organic electrolyte drink is, to say the least, different and likely to have its fair share of lovers and haters. CLIF Quench comes in Fruit Punch, Lime-Ade, Orange, and Strawberry Citrus. Earth-conscious consumers also will be glad to know that CLIF is the first company to employ the use of recycled PET plastic for its CLIF Quench bottles. CLIF Quench Fruit Punch Bottle: 480mL (16 fl oz), contains two 8-fluid-ounce servings Calories per serving: 45 Sodium: 130mg Potassium: 35mg Total Carbohydrate: 11g; Sugars: 10g MSRP: $1.49
	Ola Loa SPORT Ola Loa offers an alternative to the ultra-sweet sports drinks with its low-sugar, high-nutrient Ola Loa SPORT. Still an electrolyte formula, this drink contains carbohydrate-metabolizing B-vitamins and 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C. This is a great option if you are looking for a low-calorie vitamin drink, however, for higher intensity, sweat-inducing workouts, a drink with more sugar is advantageous. Ola Loa SPORT is available in Mixed Berry, Mango-Tangerine, and Lemon-Lime. The drink comes in individual powder packets for ease-of-use and transport. Ola Loa SPORT Packet: 7g, 30 individual packets per box Calories per serving: 5 Total Carbohydrate: 1g; Sugars: 1g Vitamins and Minerals: C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Zinc MSRP: $34.99 (30 packets, 7g each)
	Odwalla Light Lemonade and Light Limeade For the calorie-conscious, Odwalla has created a new line of juices for post-exercise refreshment: Light Lemonade and Light Limeade. The Truvia non-caloric sweetener, made from an extract of the stevia leaf, makes the juices taste just like the lemonade you remember from your childhood, but with half the calories. As with all Odwalla products, these light drinks contain no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Light Limeade: Bottle: 450mL (15.2 fl oz), contains about two 8-fluid-ounce servings Calories per serving: 50 Sodium: 15mg Total Carbohydrate: 14g Vitamins: 50% DV of C and E MSRP: $3.29

Nutrition facts above are per serving, not container.

Next up, we’ll cover the newest energy bars, chews, gels, beans, and bites.