Trailspace Blog October 2007
Got Your Hunter Orange? Hiking Safely During Hunting Season
White-tailed deer, courtesy of Wikipedia.
It’s hunting season here in Maine, as in many other places, and that means it’s time to break out the fluorescent orange vests and hats every time we take to the trails and woods. Here are a few safety reminders for hiking, mountain biking, trail running, or any activity that gets you out in the woods this time of year.
Be Very Visible: Ideally you should wear blaze (fluorescent) orange clothing that can be seen from all sides, like a hat and some sort of vest or jacket. Bright reds and yellows are also good color options. Think bright, even garish. Now’s a great time to go retro with that old neon jacket from the ’80s. Make sure your backpack has some bright orange on it too, like a large orange bandanna. Avoid any brown, tan, and especially white. You don’t want to look like the flash of a deer’s tail. And don’t forget to outfit your dog with its own blaze orange vest and collar.
Make Yourself Heard: Usually I opt for quiet on a hike or trail run, but during hunting season I’m far more likely to keep up a steady conversation with a partner. If you’re alone you can whistle or sing to make yourself heard, or consider a bell on you or your dog. Now is not the time to practice your stealth hiking moves.
Be Aware: Hunters are active from early dawn to dusk and in between. While you’re more likely to find hunters closer to any roads or trailheads and in valleys, expect that you can meet them anywhere at any time. Also, while bushwhacking can be a lot of fun, during the weeks of hunting season I stick to marked and maintained trails.
Know the Rules: If possible hike on trails in areas where no hunting is allowed or on days of the week (like Sunday here in Maine) when there’s no hunting. While deer rifle season typically brings the most hunters out into the woods, a variety of hunting seasons can extend the activity year-round. Know the hunting season dates and rules for your state and local area.
Above all use common sense and do your part to share the woods safely.
The Gear Junkie Gives It Away
TheGearJunkie.com recently launched a weekly gear giveaway contest that's running now through the end of the year. Sign up at thegearjunkie.com/giveaway to be entered for weekly prizes like a Kelty Lightyear 15 sleeping bag, La Sportiva Onix GTX-XCR hikers, an Origo Pedometer Watch, a Primus EtaPower Multifuel stove, a Gregory Z 22 pack, an Osprey Talon 11 pack, and an Outdoor Research Furio or Enigma shell.
Backcountry Gourmet: Mountain Hardwear Style
Want to expand your backcountry cooking repertoire? Check out the Mountain Hardwear cookbook, a “collection of bizarre and tasty recipes” (their words, not mine) from the athletes and folks at Mountain Hardwear. The free, 20-page PDF features recipes like Grease Bombs from Erik Weihenmayer (think spam, cheese, and bagels) and Super Fresh Tasmanian Shellfish from Jon Bowermaster (you’ll need a rock to bang open the fresh oysters). There’s a range of gourmet in here, but Ueli Steck’s Mountain House Lasagna sounds quite tasty.
Download a copy for yourself on the Mountain Hardwear press site. Then casually mention to your friends that the salami, Swiss, and hot mustard on rye crackers they’re enjoying is an Ed McMuffin courtesy of “Steady Eddie” Viesturs.
How to Get Kids Environmentally Involved
On the summit of Mount Jefferson, N.H.
Parenting.com just published “10 ways to get kids environmentally involved.” While it has some semi-useful suggestions about clothing swaps, using less electricity, recycling, and so on, it largely ignores what I consider the number one way to connect kids with nature—get them outside to explore on a regular basis.
True, number five on their list is “Head Outside,” but it only mentions apple and pumpkin picking. Now those are nice activities that support local agriculture (and something I do with my own preschooler), but connecting kids with the outdoors should be a regular part of every family’s lifestyle, not one special seasonal activity.
Here’s my rewrite:
1. Take Kids Outside. Get your kids outside every single day. Give them safe green spaces to explore and connect with nature. Give them time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. Take them hiking, climbing, paddling, biking, fishing, snowshoeing, camping, stargazing, or just plain exploring. Grow a garden together. Have fun simply playing outside—climb a tree, dig in the dirt, check out a stream. Your kids (and you) will be healthier and less stressed, and will have greater respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment.
Without a meaningful connection to the outdoors, how can you expect kids to care about it?
For a few tips read "Hiking and Backpacking with Kids."
Nominate a Mountain Hardwear Diva: Win Gear
Do you know an amazing outdoor woman who finds time to climb, hike, trail run, bike, or paddle, while juggling work and family life—someone who makes the outdoors part of her (and her family’s) lifestyle? Then nominate her as a Mountain Hardwear Diva and she could win a $1,000 Mountain Hardwear shopping spree and a training day with athlete Lindsay Yaw (and you’ll win her gratitude). Four women will win a $500 Mountain Hardwear shopping spree.
The Diva & Conquer contest ends November 5, so submit 300 words and a photo or two of your outdoor mom, wife, sister, best friend, training partner, or other female inspiration today. You can read about the women already entered on Mountain Hardwear’s diva blog. But I’m sure our Trailspace readers know some other outdoor women who deserve a little recognition—and some new gear.
Recycle a Pack, Get 10% Off a New Osprey
Have an old daypack or backpack collecting dust in your gear closet or garage? Donate it to Osprey and The Mountain Fund’s Pass on the Passion pack recycling program before December 31.
Your old pack could be reused by women in Uganda training to work in the trekking and climbing industry, rural Boy Scouts in New Mexico and Colorado who can’t afford a pack, urban teenagers in need of positive adult mentoring, orphans in Kyrgyzstan, or porters in Tanzania, Nepal, and Peru, among others.
You’ll get a 10-percent refund from Osprey towards the purchase of a new Osprey pack and your pack will get a second life. For more info on the Pass on the Passion program visit Osprey’s web site.
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