Base Camp

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...

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...

I bought this product on Friday and used it Friday night. The temperature went down to 49º Friday night. The Thermal Bivy kept me very warm and as far as I could tell no condensation got into the bivy. I would rate it 4/5 because the bivy would be better if it had a drawstring instead of velcro to close the top of the bivy when you are in it. The bivy comes in a nice little stuff sack. I used the stuff sack to hold my rain jacket when I went hiking and left the bivy itself at camp. Some pics I took of the bivy: The bivy spread out on the grass with the stuff  sack on the bottom left of the picture The bivy with the foot vent open Close up of the foot vent. The foot vent is made of a tough mesh surrounded by velcro. The velcro is used to close the foot vent The bivy with the top portion partially opened. The opening on the bivy goes from one top corner to the other and down to the orange tag The bivy in its stuff sack An other view of the bivy ...

I spent last weekend on Cow Island taking part in the Ripple Effect programs with my friends. The programs were awesome. The activities we participated in include zip lining, kayaking, raft building, and more. All of these activities were very awesome and all of the staff were very nice. After the activities our schedule left us time to explore the island. There were beautiful views all over the island and I was able to watch one of the sunsets while on the beach. The other sunset I couldn't see because of heavy clouds. For a great view of the sunset I went to the northernmost point of the public use area and watched the sunset from the rocks. The beaches were very rocky but that just added to their awesomeness. From our campsite we could see the ocean and walk right out onto the beach. There is an unobstructed view of the stars from the beach in the public use area. We went for a swim  but the water was very cold and so we got out of the water pretty quickly. My weekend ...