Base Camp

Even if you have gone camping many times before (Like me) you should listen to these tips (I didn't and was very cold last weekend). 1. Make sure ALL your gear fits you. I hadn't used my cold weather sleeping bag in about a year before I used it this weekend. It was too small and my shoulders didn't fit in the sleeping bag. 2. DO NOT USE a survival blanket (Like the one I reviewed) unless you are really in a survival situation. I did and my sleeping bag was very wet for the entire weekend. 3. Bring microspikes or a similar kind of crampon. I actually remembered these on my trip and almost everyone else on the trip didn't. I was able to walk on the ground (A huge sheet of ice) without slipping. 4. Have a mummy bag style sleeping bag for winter camping. These are a lot better for winter because they have a hood to go over your eyes. If you go camping a lot you will generally have 2 types of sleeping bags, a mummy bag for cold weather and a different one for warm summ...

Climbing Rope Equipment: Rock climbing (Top rope and lead):      In order to rock climb you need a harness , rope (usually provided for no or little cost at most rock gyms), a climbing carabiner that is locking , climbing shoes , and a belay device . You will only need 1 belay device and carabiner for 2 people (Unless you are planning on practicing rappelling. If you are rappelling you will need a second rope, carabiner, and belay device). You will also need two people. If you are climbing at a gym that has auto belay systems, you will only need a harness and maybe a locking carabiner depending on the system.  Most rock gyms have rental services for harnesses and shoes. Chalk and a chalk bag is also recommended for climbing and bouldering. A climbing shoe Bouldering:      If you are planning on going bouldering you only need climbing shoes and possibly a chalk bucket for bouldering . Some climbing gyms allow you to use street sho...

The chalk bag filled with chalk When you are doing rock climbing or bouldering many people use chalk. People use chalk to make their hands less sweaty and improve their grip. When most people are climbing they bring a chalk bag filled with chalk in case they have to use chalk mid-climb. If you are going bouldering, most people bring a large chalk bucket that is meant to be left on the ground. This chalk bag is medium sized and is made with a fairly strong material. This chalk bag is made by the climbing supplies company Petzl. The inside of the chalk bag is soft on the top and on the bottom is a similar material to the outside. On the right side of the bag there are 2 chalk brush slots. The bag is designed to be able to be opened with one hand if you forget to open it before climbing. The belt is adjustable and the bag can be used without a climbing harness. This is useful if you want to use it while bouldering. I am currently using this bag when climbing and it works great. ...

Top Rope Climbing Recently I had the opportunity to try both top rope climbing and bouldering at EVO in Portland. I also learned about lead climbing. Rock Climbing is the most basic of all of these three methods. This is when you climb up a fairly tall rock wall and you are tethered to the top of the wall and to a belayer. This is the safest of these methods when done correctly. Lead Climbing Lead Climbing is when you are climbing up a rock wall but are not tethered to the top of the wall. As you climb you clip your rope into different carabiners on the rock wall. You are also tethered to a belayer on the ground. When you are lead climbing if you fall, you will generally fall from 6 to 20 feet (Twice the distance from you to your last tie-off point). You generally want a belayer who is heavier than you so that when you fall they don't fly into the air. Bouldering Bouldering is when you climb up a wall that is about 16 feet tall without being strapped/h...

This past week I cross country skied almost every day. Cross country skiing is a great winter sport that is fun to do and can be done in many different places.  Cross country skiing is also a great way to get cardio exercise. I cross country ski in the classic style. This makes it easier to ski in tight trails when there is not much space. During this past week I have skied on an open field, trails in the woods, snow-covered sidewalks, and on a road that was covered in about an inch and a half of snow. None of the places I have skied have been groomed and I had a good time every time I skied. Almost every time I skied there were different snow conditions and different weather. I skied on hard snow and soft snow and when it was snowing, sunny, and cloudy. This shows the versatility of cross country skiing. You can cross country ski in most weather and most snow conditions. There are two different kinds of skiing. These two kinds are skate and classic. Skate is when you are moving yo...

I purchased the Samsung Chromebook 3 recently on Black Friday. I bought it for use as my computer in high school and college. So far I have used it for about 5 days. I have used it to edit google docs, listen to music on spotify, read the news, and study for quizzes on various topics. It has performed very well even when I am multitasking. The keys are a nice size and are good to type on. The Samsung Chromebook 3 has an 11.6 inch screen and 2gb of ram. The Chromebook also turns on very fast even when it has been fully shut down. The Chromebook also does not have a wide variety of apps and so far can only download applications from the chrome web store. However, the Chromebook is ideal for use in schools and colleges because most of the work that is done currently is done online in Google applications. I recommend the chromebook to people that need a computer that is secure and people that do most of their work online. I would not recommend the chromebook to people that need a lot of do...

Misconceptions: 1. Hiking is hard. ---Hiking is like many other activities in that you can choose your level of difficulty. If you want a hike to be easy, then hike on an easier trail. 2. You have to be very fit/active/healthy to be good at hiking. You don't have to be any of these things to be good at hiking. In fact, hiking can help you become fit, active, and healthy. 3. You need specialized gear/shoes/equipment to go hiking. You can go hiking with regular sneakers. By the way, a few of the longest hikes I have been on I was using sneakers and I was fine. 4. You can easily get hurt hiking. If you use common sense and be careful, you will be fine. However, it is always a good idea to do a tick check after you go hiking or stay outside for a while. 5. You should have socks like smart wool socks to cushion your feet. These are mostly useful in the winter and are not at all necessary during the summer. Tips: 1. Bring more water than necessary. I always bring at least 2 liter...

I got the iPhone 6 around Christmas last year. Since then it has replaced my old camera, old iPod touch 4, old iPod, and my old phone, a Samsung Dart. I have also used my iPhone to take the majority of the pictures on this blog (For this reason I will not have a picture for this post). I have also played a lot of games on my iPhone. I have never had a game lag while playing on my iPhone. The iPhone is very fast and has a very good (high definition) camera. The iPhone also has a lot of different apps available for it. Despite the price, I would reccomend the iPhone 6 to anyone who wants a multi-purpose phone that can do a lot of jobs.  I rate the iPhone 6 4.8 stars out of 5 stars. The only reason I don't rate it 5 stars is the fact that a few apps are not available for ios, how you can't put widgets on the home screen, and a few other software quirks.

I bought this a few weeks ago for $80 at Best Buy. I have used it for about 1-3 hours since I purchased the 2DS. The 2DS is very comfortable to hold and has fairly large screens. The buttons, analog pad (The circle control on the left), and touch screen are very responsive. I have played Mario Kart 7 and Kirby: Planet Robobot  on this device and have found that both of the games loaded quickly and played without any lag. For reference: my version of Mario Kart  was a digital download and my version of Kirby: Planet Robobot  was a cartridge game. My only complaint with this product is that you have to push the sides of the top triggers in order for the button to register correctly. This means that you have to push the button on the side, not the top, for the 2DS to respond to your click. I would recommend this to anyone who wants an inexpensive handheld gaming system that is easy and fun to use. Since purchasing this product I noticed that Best Buy appears to no longer sel...

Image from EMS.com I bought this water bottle at the beginning of the fall and have used it on a few hikes and campouts. The Nalgene silo is a great water bottle because it can hold a lot of water. This water bottle never leaks. I have used many cheaper alternatives in the past but at one time or another every one of those bottles has leaked. Not this bottle. The bottle also does not dent as far as I can see but does scratch fairly easily. This is not a problem because the bottle is so thick that the scratches really don't do anything other than improve the appearance of the bottle. I highly recommend this water bottle to anyone in need of a high capacity water bottle.