Base Camp

1. Tuckerman Ravine. I hiked the Tuckerman Ravine trail this summer. The hike was moderately hard and had some great views of the surrounding mountains. The trail was fairly large and was well marked. 2. Mt.Blue. I hiked this mountain last year. The trail was well groomed and well marked. Hiking all of the way to the summit was rewarding, despite the extra distance. There was a lake at the top of the mountain that was beautiful. There were also many fish in the lake. This was a great hike. 3. Pleasant Mountain. I hiked this trail 2 years ago. The hike was nice and the view from the summit was pleasant. I also remember that there were a lot of mosquitos when I hiked the trail. 4. Douglas Mountain. I also hiked this trail this summer. The hike was fairly easy and there was a cool stone tower at the top which has a cool view of the surrounding mountains. I also visited a few of the geocaches located just off of the trail. 5. Bradbury Mountain. This mountain is fairly small but is ...

Energy bites are like mini granola bars that are good at home as well as when hiking. This recipe for energy bites is chocolate chip flavored. If you want other flavors, eatthis  has a bunch of different recipes for different flavored energy bites. Ingredients: 1 cup (dry) oats or oatmeal (plain) 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes (optional) 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup ground flax seed 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or alternative) 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Kitchen tools required: Measuring cup Spatula Large bowl Measuring Spoons 1. Stir all ingredients together in the large bowl until thoroughly mixed and until there are no more dry oats. Cover bowl and let chill for 30 ish minutes. 2. Once it has chilled, shape the mix into balls, bars, or whatever shape you want. Makes 20-25 balls with about 1 inch diameter. 3. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to one week...

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-74 is a rugged computer that is built to be used in the outdoors by people with jobs that require a rugged computer such as contractor, police officer, construction worker, etc. The toughbook is encased in a magnesium alloy case and comes protected with sealed port covers and a shock resistant enclosure around the hard drive. These features make the toughbook water and dust resistant as well as shock resistant. The toughbook that I own comes with a touch screen and stylus. However, the touch screen requires you to press rather hard and works much better with the included stylus. I have my toughbook running Windows 10 and it runs mostly smooth, except encounters a few problems when streaming video or music over Wi-Fi. These problems are usually minor and most of the time these problems consist of buffering. However, if you plug the laptop into an ethernet cord or use a PLC (Power Line Communication) box, streaming works fine. The monitor of the laptop is anti-...

Camping is fun activity that is actually easier than most people think. Many people don't go camping because they think camping is hard and is not enjoyable because you are living without many of the luxuries of everyday life. In fact, camping is the opposite. It is an escape from the luxuries of society and a really great way to relieve stress. I recommend camping to anyone and everyone. For beginners, car camping is the way to go because you are able to bring anything and everything you want. If you are more experienced in camping and are capable of hiking while carrying a fairly heavy load, you might enjoy backpacking. Even if you don't think you would like camping, I highly recommend going camping at least once during the summer. I wrote 'during the summer' because even if you bring the wrong gear or leave important items at home, you can still have a good time camping in the summer. Going camping for the first time in the winter is not a good idea because of the p...

There are right and wrong ways to pack for backpacking. I have had some experiences in the past where I have packed incorrectly and have had to carry an unbalanced pack or have had to rifle through my whole pack to find one item I need. Luckily all of these misfortunes have happened on trips where packing properly was not essential but I learned from these experiences nonetheless. Step 1 : Find a pack In order to fit all of your gear for hiking and backpacking you have to have a fairly large pack. For most circumstances a regular, everyday backpack won't cut it. I recommend at least a 50 liter pack. For a pack I use the Deuter ACT Zero 50+15. The 50 liters is the main compartment while the 15 liters is a detachable summit pack. Packs are made in sizes all the way up to 85 liters. There are a few packs larger but I recommend staying in the 50-75 liter range. Make sure the pack has a good hip belt and sternum strap unless you are planning to carry a very light load. The hip belt h...