Base Camp

A Great Weekend 43º34’53”N 70º20’18”W By: Matthew H Railway to a trail, from manmade to nature, this remains as a place for weekends, for nature and for fun and for family. Once in awhile a soft wind slides across the trail, and stirs the trees, grass, and flowers, abloom with the fresh life of spring vivacious in their ever-changing greens. The sweet scent of honeysuckle, hovers in the air, luscious in the warm breeze. And the water meanders slowly, from one turn to the other, and carries many fishes,    from one place to another. All this moves, but the trail remains, stoic and unmoved and unchanged and untouched it stays. Part of the land and part of the people, it stays.

What I Will Remember From Middle School Five Years From Now? Five years from now, I will be 19. I will remember the fun we had during WIN and the fun projects we did in Seminar and Fab Friday. We have done tons of fun projects over the years in seminar, and I will remember the experience of researching these topics and then presenting on them. This experience has also made me better at presenting and creating slide shows on projects. All-in-all, Middle School has been somewhat fun and I will remember that fun.

Cyclocross Bikes Cyclocross bikes are road bikes with knobby tires, disc brakes, and sturdier frames. The knobby tires are for riding off road, the disc brakes are to stop fast on slippery surfaces. Touring Bikes Touring bikes are road bikes with relaxed frame angles so that they are more comfortable for riding long distances. The tires are also knobby so that touring bikes can go off road when riding on trails. They also have many racks for carrying all of the necessary touring equipment. Cargo Bikes Cargo bikes are for carrying large loads over short distances. Because of this they generally have lots of cargo space, a large kickstand for loading and unloading, and fenders to protect the cargo from water. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi4lYDAjLHUAhWq6YMKHeusDRUQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bicycling.com%2Fbikes-gear%2Frecommended%2F17-for-2017-best-adventure-and-

Falmouth Town Landing Market to Cousins Island: This is a nice small ride with many hills. It is nice if you want to go fast and have some nice views but don't want to go that far. The views are when you are over the bridge and at various other times on the ride when you can see the water. This ride is all on actual roads so be careful and watch for cars. At times, pavement can be bumpy and the shoulder of the can be small.  Section of the Mountain Division Trail to Sebago Lake: When I rode this, I started on the Mountain Division Trail by the Post Office in South Windham. The section of trail from the post office to where I make a left off of the trail is paved and is not very hilly. The squiggly section from where I turned left off of the original trail is not paved and is quite bumpy. The rest of the highlighted route is because I needed to ride 25 miles and what I had ridden already was not sufficient. This ride is fairly flat. Eastern Trail in Scarborough: T

There are three basic types of bikes: the road bike, the mountain bike, the hybrid bike, and the other kinds of bikes. This post will only cover hybrid, mountain, and road bikes. Other kinds of bikes might be covered in a later post. There are tons of subcategories under and between all of these main types, but these are the main categories. Road bikes:     These bikes are built for riding on roads. They generally have light frames without suspension because of this. They also generally have thin tires for aerodynamics and decreased rolling resistance. Most road bikes have dropped handlebars that offer a multitude of riding positions and positions that are more aerodynamic.  Mountain Bikes:      Mountain bikes are made for riding off road and on trails. Most types of mountain bikes have suspension to absorb the bounce of riding off or over obstacles. Mountain bikes that only have front suspension or have no suspension at all are called hardtail mountain bikes. Mountain b

Randonneuring is long-distance, unsupported riding where riders attempt routes of 200 km or more. Riders have to check in at checkpoints called "controls" along the route. Sometimes riders can get food and water at checkpoints. Some events have riders use cards called "Brevet Cards" that get stamped at each checkpoint. These are to make sure riders use the correct route and do not cheat by skipping ahead. In general, randonneuring events are more for the ride than for the race. This means that the riders are, in general, more interested in the ride itself rather than winning the event. All in all, randonneuring is a fun sport that is more for the enjoyment of the journey rather than the glory of the podium.  A randonneuring bike with fenders, a basket, and road handlebars. 

     Cyclocross is a type of bike racing where you race many laps around a short track made of a mixture of grass, trails, pavement, muddy places, gravel, sand, and steep hills and other obstacles that require the rider to dismount and carry their bike over the obstacle then remount on the other side. Races can be based on a time limit or certain number of laps. In many occasions, race officials wait to see how long it takes for the first lap to be completed before deciding on how many laps/minutes the race will be.      Cyclocross bicycles are quite similar to road bikes with a few changes such as greater tire clearances, lower gearing, stronger frames, knobbier tires, cantilever or disc brakes, and a more upright riding position. All in all, cyclocross is a great sport. Cyclocross bike Next week: What is Randonneuring? Works Cited "Cyclo-cross." Wikipedia . Wikimedia Foundation, 04 May 2017. Web. 12 May 2017. "Spotted: Specialized's All-New 2018

In 1869,  Eugène Meyer of Paris invented the high-wheeler (aka. the "penny farthing") and the wire-spoke tension wheel. This was one of the earliest predecessors to the modern bicycle. With front wheels up to 60 inches in diameter and a direct drive system, they were hard to mount and painful to crash because of the height and hard to ride because of the high center of gravity. Despite all that, the penny farthing took off in popularity.  Next came the manufacturing of a rear-wheel, chain-drive  bicycle with similarly sized wheels and pneumatic tires. These inventions made the bike even more popular because the idea of riding a bicycle with symmetrical wheels wrapped in tires filled with air was a lot more fun than bouncing around high above the street on solid tires. An effect of the huge popularity of bicycles was that cities and municipalities began paving roads to accommodate the flood of cyclists. That's right. Roads were built for bikes. Remember that next time so

The waterproof case that the matches come in I recently aquired a box of UCO stormproof matches that I was planning on using for lighting solid fuel tablets and for other camping fires. Since then I have used them to light solid fuel tablets. I have also tested the water-proofness of them. They worked great and I figured out that as long as there is enough of the orange portion of the match left, the match can't be put out by water or wind. After being dunked underwater, the match does sputter but it still is lit. The case that the matches come in is very protective and is waterproof. The case comes with 25 matches and 3 strikers. The case fits 25 matches, give or take. These are the right choice is you want to definitely make a fire. These matches are the most reliable method of ignition I have found so far because they don't go out until, at the very least, the orange portion of the match is burned through. Both regular matches and regular lighters go out easily with wind

    I was recently thinking that I wanted to build something. I thought for awhile about what that something would be and eventually settled on a sled. I decided to build a sled because I have never been that satisfied by the store-bought models and thought I could make something better. I believe that I can build a sled that goes faster, lasts longer, and is possibly more comfortable than the store bought models. I am using downhill skis for the base of my sled because I know that they have very little resistance and people using them can go quite fast*. The top of my sled will be either some boards or a bench-press or similar cushion if I can find one. This post will cover my plan for the sled, the materials I am using, and what I have done so far for the project.       If you build or replicate this, be careful when using it. In the words of BrutalEfficiency  ^ on instructables:  "How do you brake? You don't. Brakes were invented by cowards. This Extreme project is Extrem

The headlamp I have use this headlamp on multiple occasions, when camping and not camping. The new Black Diamond Storm headlamp works very well and I am pleased with its performance. The light is very powerful at a max of 250 lumens of white light. The minimum amount of light is 4 lumens. There are also red, green, lock, and close-up light options. The range is 80-2 meters. Another very useful feature on this headlamp is that is IP67 rated. This means that it is water and dust proof. It also means that the headlamp can be used up to 1 meter underwater for 30 minutes. This was useful recently because it was snowing out and I had to keep going inside then out again to bring gear into a cabin. The snow melted into water when I went inside and accumulated again once I got back outside. The headlamp worked fine the entire time and the water/snow/cold did not affect the headlamp at all. The only problem was that the snow reduced the range that the headlamp could light, but that would hap

The sleeping mat inflated and on the ground Intro and Specs:      The Sea to Summit UltraLight Sleeping Mat is a inflatable sleeping mat made for backpacking. This mat is generally used in conjunction with a sleeping bag. A sleeping mat is used to insulate the person sleeping on it from the ground. This particular mat is made by the Australian company Sea to Summit. The company makes high quality products for hiking, backpacking, camping, and other outdoor activities. I got this sleeping mat because it's really compact and more compact than most of the other kinds of sleeping mats. The packed size of this sleeping pad is 3 by 8 inches or 7.5 by 20 centimeters. The sleeping pad has an R value (Amount of insulation) of only 0.7 This is fine during the summer but it may be better to use in conjunction with another, more insulating sleeping pad during the winter. On the other hand, If you are willing to spend more money for a better insulated sleeping mat, you can get the Sea to S

The Multi Tool when it's folded The Gerber Multitool I have is a great tool that I carry almost everywhere. I have needed it many times to fix many different things including a euphonium, tent, open boxes, and more. This multitool has a pair of pliers, knife, 3 screwdrivers, a bottle opener, can opener, a file, and wire cutters. The tools I have used most are the pliers and the knife. Every tool on this multitool is locking. This includes the pliers. This multitool fits well in a pocket and is very versatile. Despite being slightly heavy, the usefulness outweighs the weight. All-in-all, this is a great tool that is inexpensive and useful.

The Talon 22 In this picture the hip belt is folded at the bottom of the pack        The Talon 22 is a 22 liter pack that is made by the company Osprey. There is also a version of this pack made specifically for women. That version is called the Tempest 20 and is 20 liters.  The Talon 22 is a versatile pack that can be used for hiking, biking, climbing, and anything else you would need a medium-sized backpack for (ie: school, commuting, travel, skiing, etc.).         The Talon 22 is loaded with useful features that are great for any of the previously mentioned activities. These features include: A gear loop and elastic loop to hold a(n) ice axe(s) or other tool, a bike helmet attachment point, a separate pocket for a hydration reservoir in case your water leaks, large hip-belt pockets, a trekking pole holder, and a large front stretch pocket. These features are in addition to the basic features any good pack has such as 2 side water bottle pockets, and multiple internal pock

The ATC XP is a device used to belay* a climber when climbing top rope and lead. The ATC XP can also be used to rappell. I have used the belay device almost every time I have climbed and it has never failed to work well. I have lended the ATC XP to people who are belaying for me and the belay device has always caught me if I fall. When this device catches me, there is not a sudden jerk when I reach the bottom of my fall. This is partially because of the stretch in the rope and partially because of the belay device. The grooves on the right of the picture of the belay device are there to help the belay device create more friction on the rope. All in all, the ATC XP is an affordable belay device that works great for its price. *Belay means to be in a position to catch a person who is climbing should they fall, hopefully using a belay device.