Every year I seem to think I am going to be waaayyyy better prepared. Here it is crunch time and i’m still running around crazy trying to get eveything together.
Heading down tomorrow night. Friday will be pretty crazy; setting up massive base camp, coure pre-ride, and dialing in the bikes.
So I’ve always read that when you encounter a black bear to “look bigger than you are”, “make lots of noise”, and “don’t run”. My wife and I ran into a mother and cub on a hike in Big South Fork this past week and I tried one of these tactics out. When I saw the mother, she was sitting up sniffing and had already spotted me. I alerted my wife and the mother got back down on all fours and started to move toward the side of the trail. When she did this I barked… like a “woof” at her to try and scare her off. She then turned around and raised up a bit to look at me. Then she got back down and left.
This begged the question; Why did she turn back around when I woofed? Maybe that was too close to a sound a bear would have made. Bears don’t have very good eyesight, so they depend on smell and sound. It probably couldn’t tell exactly what I was. Maybe when you meet up with a bear the particular noise you try to make is important. After this I’d recommend just yelling or screaming at it. So, lesson learned I guess.
It is actually illegal to approach within 50 yards of a bear willfully. But being in the wilderness like many of us are we run into them unexpectedly. So just as a refresher course for all of us out there, here is the recommended course of action when you spot a black bear in the wild.
If a bear spots you and watches you or changes direction, you are too close.
Be watchful of the bears behavior for any changes.
Don’t run, but slowly back away, watching the bear.
Try to increase the distance between you and the bear. The bear will probably do the same.
If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or paw swatting, try changing your direction. If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground.
If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it. Act aggressively and try to intimidate the bear.
Act together as a group if you have companions.
Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground).
Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear. Use a deterrent such as a stout stick.
Don’t run and don’t turn away from the bear. Don’t leave food for the bear; this encourages further problems.
Incidentally our elderly dog, KrissyDog, didn’t even see the bears. She did smell the ground as we went by the spot they were. So much for a guard dog…
A few months back I went to see the new Iron Man movie. I didn’t have a lot of hope for it. As of late a lot of the super hero movies have been mega lame.
I have to say, I think Iron Man was a great super hero movie but also a great movie on it’s own. The special effects were awesome. Robert Downey Jr. did a great job of playing the role, it is a role basically about his life. A millionaire playboy…that is him. The part about getting captured by terrorist and then becoming a superhero was not based on his real life.
I also received the DVD to review last week. It is the Ultimate 2-Disc Edition Iron Man. It is STACKED with bonus material including deleted scenes, extended scenes, “making-of” documentary, and ton of stuff about the visual effects.
It is incredible how much better movies are becoming in terms of visual effects. Most of him in the suit was CGI, but it wasn’t terribly obvious. I am sure within 10 years there will be many movies made without even the need for actors.
They are already producing Iron Man II, I am excited about that as well.
If you are looking for a gift to get someone, this 2-Disc Ultimate Edition is the perfect choice. If the person loves action movies, I think they would for sure love Iron Man.
Now if you don’t want to purchase a gift for someone then why don’t you participate in a quick little contest we are having. I have a brand new copy of this DVD to giveaway. To be eligible you need to create two new quality gear reviews and then post in the comment section on this blog post which pieces of gear you reviewed. We will randomly pick on Friday from those who left comments and then mail you out a copy of the DVD. Good luck!
The Gear Junkie has launched a new contest that I think most of you will be interested in. Just swing by the contest page and leave your information. You will then be entered to win one of 5 REI adventure trips.
1. Mount Washington Winter Climb
2. Sequoia Winter Mountaineering Clinic
3. Yosemite Snowshoe Trip
4. Ice Climbing Basics in New Hampshire
5. White Mountains Hut-to-Hut Snowshoe
These are guided trips to some of the coolest places in the US. And if that wasn’t enough the winners will also be outfitted from head to toe for the trip with gear.
Primal Quest, the best little adventure race series in the US, has announced its sprint series race dates and locations for 2009. These races incorporate mountain biking, trail running, and paddling, along with special events such as rope bridges and low-crawls. These 4-hour races are perfect for runners or mountain bikers wanting to challenge themselves on a larger scale.
This event is such a crazy mix of lifestyle, racing, and camaraderie. After 13 years It’s still the original and standard for 24 hour racing. As a spectator, racer, or Just-for-fun rider this is something every mountain biker should make it to at least once.
Check out their website and look at some of the competition. Free Tshirt to first one to find The Outdoorzy.com sponsored team!
I’ve been slacking on the Mountain of the Week posts… okay slacking is being generous.I haven’t done one in months. I will be picking these back up though as peak bagging season ends to give us all something to plan for when we get out next summer.
Mt Massive
(14,421 ft)
Mt Massive is big… no no, massive. It is also a mountain of massive stats, as mountain stats go.
As if one summit wasn’t enough, this one has 5. The summit ridge is 3 miles long and the round trip standard route comes in at 13.6 miles. Mt Massive is the 2nd highest peak in Colorado. It is situated just next to Mt Elbert, which is #1 when it comes to altituitude in the state of Colorado.
Massive also boasts being the 3rd highest peak in the lower 48, not to mention it is the 29th highest peak in all of the North American continent. It has over half a square mile of land ABOVE 14,000 feet. I was out with some friends peakbagging in the area a few years ago and we climbed Elbert next door. The view of Massive from the summit was amazing. Since that day it’s been on my list.
From Wikipedia:
Mount Massive was first surveyed and climbed in 1873 during the Hayden Survey of the American West; survey member Henry Gannett is credited with the first ascent.[3] Its name comes from its elongated shape: it has five summits, all above 14,000 ft (4,268 m), and a summit ridge over 3 mi (4.8 km) long. Mount Elbert is Mount Massive’s nearest neighbor among the fourteeners; it lies about 5 mi (8 km) south-southeast of the peak.
Backpacking is probably my number one favorite sport. Paddling is up there too, but if I had a trailhead at my back door I’d probably be out every weekend if not more.
Affordable AND Durable
I had the chance to test the new High Sierra Explorer 55 internal frame pack and I really liked it. You may remember High Sierra as being a school backpack or daypack maker. They had a huge marketshare on that for years. Now they’ve moved into backpacks as well as luggage. The Explorer 55 is a top loading 55 liter pack (3,356 cubic inches). This size is great for overnight backpacking trips up to several days. I’d say 5 days or so are probably the top end for a pack like this, but as we know everyone is different. An extremely ultra-light backpacker might be able to get much more. This pack would also be well suited for backcountry skiing or for hauling climbing gear to a climb.
High Sierra has done a good job improving their workmanship since the early days. I remember using a High Sierra daypack back about 10 years ago and it wasn’t my favorite. But the quality has improved so much that I’d put them up against a Kelty, Jansport, North Face, or other major reliable brand. The hip belt padding was generous, and it had an Ergo-Fit adjustment at the top of the back pad that allowed the straps to adjust up or down to fit different torso lengths. The sleeping bag room proved plenty enough for my Sierra Designs 30 degree bag, along with a backpacking pillow. The model I tested fits 13-18″ torsos, and is a “slim fit” design. It is not a wide pack by any means, and if you’re the type to bring the kitchen sink, this may not be for you.
The pack has several nice bells and whistles that go beyond what you’d expect from this price range.
Rain Cover built into bottom pocket
Ice Axe Loops to hold your axe or trekking poles
Airflow Style Back for ventilation
Webbing Daisy Chain for easy gear clipping
Media Pocket for an ipod or cell phone that fits on the shoulder strap
Hydration Sleeve on the Interior which includes a port for the tube to come out near the shoulder strap (does not include bladder)
Large Mesh pockets (large enough to swallow a Nalgene)
A patch with the ten essentials for survival sewn into the interior underside of the lid.
High Sierra also manufactures packs in several fit ranges including; Universal Fit, Slim Fit, Standard Fit, and Large Fit, for different body types. All of this is wrapped up with a nice lifetime guarantee on workmanship. The color displayed above is Chipotle (orange), but it also comes in Pacific (blue), as well as a red and black version.
I have to say I was quite impressed with this pack. When I did some research online I found out you can pick it up for $79.93 online at REI. That’s an incredible deal for a backpack of this quality. If you’re in need of a new pack, have a new backpacker you’re trying to get into the sport comfortably, or just WANT a new pack, consider the Explorer 55 if its in your size range.
Use these crazy-awesome technical pants for camping, backpacking, mountaineering, adventure racing, and fitting in with your other clone trooper buddies.
Yes, 15 degree nights are coming. Don’t let them stop you from doing what you like to do… sleeping outside. You can be nice and toasty in this bag and laughing at all your camping counterparts as they sucumb to frostbite. The whole time saying… Ha-Ha!
Gregory is synonymous with quality. And you’ve gotta get your crap to that sweet backcountry site somehow.This pack has a great suspension system, gear loops, and a sleeping bag compartment. The basis for a great weekend.
Once you’re finished sweating and collecting firewood it’s time to nestle down onto a nice log and sit for several hours right. Hail Naw! You need a decent chair to make life bearable in the woods. Crazy Creek to the rescue again.
On October 2nd 34 skydivers are planning to skydive over the summit of Mt Everest. They plan on jumping from approximately 435 feet above, soaring past the summit, free falling for one minute, and landing at 12,350 feet 8-10 minutes later.
Jumpers will have to wear an oxygen mask to allow them to breathe in the thin air. Another obstacle the altitude presents is being overcome by using larger parachutes. These should work more efficiently at that height.
Some of the hazards presented are; not finding the drop zone, malfunctioning oxygen masks, and the extremely cold temperatures they will face.
Primal Quest, the best little adventure race series in the US, has announced its sprint series race dates and locations for 2009. These races incorporate mountain biking, trail running, and paddling, along with special events such as rope bridges and low-crawls. These 4-hour races are perfect for runners or mountain bikers wanting to challenge themselves on a larger scale.
Affordable AND Durable
On October 2nd 34 skydivers are 
