A Little Closer To Heaven

Photo courtesy of flickr user obeyken

With cold fronts moving in left and right, and arctic chills taking their tolls, I thought I’d relay my top ten winter camping tips for your enjoyment:

10. Don’t worry about freezing to death in your sleep. Your body will wake you up long before it gets that bad. And if I’m wrong, at least you won’t feel anything.

9. Don’t sleep with your face in a sleeping bag. The humidity increases dampness in the bag and reduces it’s insulation properties. And do you really want to smell your nasty body odor and rank breath all night?

8. Don’t sleep in your underwear, like you’ve probably been told. Sleep in thin layers. Trust me, your hiking buddy isn’t as comfortable as he may look in a 2 person tent and you in your tighties.

7. Start hiking cool. No, not cool like the Fonz. Cool like the temperature. You can always add layers, but the last thing you wanna do is sweat.

6. Pitch a South facing camp. You’ll get more sunshine and longer days. Who doesn’t want that?

5. Store water bottles upside down. Your friends may snicker, but you’ll still be able to get a drink when theirs are frozen.

4. Pee often. There’s no reason to keep that junk in you any longer than necessary. It’s stealing your body heat to keep itself warm.

3. Sleep with your shoes, fuel, and the next morning’s clothes in your bag at your feet. You’ll be rewarded with dry shoes, a better performing stove, and clothes that smell like feet. Hey, at least they’ll be warm.

2. Before bed, fill a lexan water bottle with boiling water and stuff it between your thighs to stay warm. Then, when your buddy goes to sleep, put his hand in the warm water and watch what happens!

1. If your feet are cold, put on a hat. If you’re a guy and suddenly realize you’ve got two belly buttons, stop hiking naked. Actually, stop hiking naked regardless. It’s just nasty.

So there ya have it. Remember these simple tips on your next winter hike or overnighter and you’ll be all set. Don’t let the cold weather stop you from having a good time!

1 Comment »

I’m gonna share a little secret with you all that my dad taught me when I was just a little kid. He taught me a lot of things about life. He taught me how to change the oil in my car. How to skin an animal. How to catch fish, clean it, etc. One thing he taught me that I’ll never forget is how to make waterproof matches.

Making these matches is really quite easy. All you need are some storebought strike-anywhere matches, a candle, and a film canister to store them in. First, light the candle and let it burn for a while until there is a nice puddle of hot wax in the candle. Then, just dip the head of the match into the hot wax, making sure to cover the entire head with wax. Let it dry and, VOILA, waterproof matches.

I generally store them in a little film canister and throw them in my pack in case of an emergency. I’d rather carry that around than fool around for hours trying to get a spark to catch fire, or wearing myself out as I twirl a stick between my hands trying to create enough friction to start a fire.

2 Comments »

There is a wilderness first aid class being offered in Harrison, AR for two weekends in December. Special emphasis will be put on scenarios that you will likely encounter in the woods. Cost is $85. It certifies you for a year in CPR and counts towards a Wilderness First Responder certification.

My wife and I are going to attend it because it is a definite necessity for the outdoor enthusiast. A lot of deaths in the wilderness could be prevented if only people had the slightest idea what they are doing and how to assess a situation. If you haven’t had a course like this. Find one near you. It can save your life.

No Comments »

I don’t know about you…but I love taking pictures and am always looking for new tips on how to make my photography better. I just learned a few new tips and wanted to share them with all of my readers.

Photographing Waterfalls:

1. Unlike many assume, sunlight is not your friend. Waterfall pictures turn out much better when it is cloudy outside.

2. To get a better effect from your pictures, slow the shutter speed down to 1/4 second or slower. This will create a flowing effect, instead of a rough looking picture.

3. In order for these pictures to turn out okay…one needs to adjust the exposure to make the picture darker. If the exposure is normal…then you will be left with a very pale picture because the slower the shutter speed, the more light in the picture. Many of my pictures don’t even turn out if I don’t adjust the exposure.

4. Take lots of pictures…the more you take…the more of a chance that you’ll get some keepers.

5. Finally, make sure you either have a tripod or something to sit the camera on. The slightest movement on your part…and the picture is ruined.

Okay…so those tips revolutionized how I take waterfall pictures. Let’s move on to sunrise and sunset pictures:

1. Place something in the foreground of the picture to create a shadow. This will look much better than just a picture of the sun going down.

2. Remember to adjust the exposure to less or more light in order to get better pictures.

3. A tripod will help, but is not necessary.

4. Once again, take lots of pictures because a sunset is constantly changing.

5. Slowing down the shutter speed may also help in some pictures…though you may have to make other manual adjustments to get the desired effect.

Well, all of these tips have been helpful to me, and hopefully they’ll be helpful to you. Good luck trying to capture the beauty of nature and the outdoors on your camera. It can be really tricky sometimes to relate what you saw with what the picture shows.

No Comments »