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| Trip Planning » GPX file of westernuplands backpacking trail » 9/01/2018 1:30 pm |
Didn't know that was an option - I used the Alltrails.com app It threw me off in a couple of places where the actual trail deviated from the trail on the map. In one case, there was an old trail shown on the app to get to Maggie Lake and I passed right by it. When I saw that on the app, I turned around to find it and while I could see that a trail used to exist there, it was clear that it hadn't been used in years.
re: Rob's comment - the app appeals to anyone with an inner child who drove their parents crazy yelling "Are we there yet?" from the back seat of the car. I would reward myself at the top of tough climbs by looking at the app to see how far my little blue dot had come along and how much farther I had to go. Sure, I could just live in the moment and appreciate the nature around me and "get there when I get there", but that would not have been nearly as fun. Plus, I got bragging rights at the end of the 6 days when I could look at my 'moving time' on the app and see my pace and all those other fun stats.
Annie
| Campsite Cooking » Dehydrated meals » 8/26/2018 11:10 am |
vanslyke wrote:
Packages of sidekicks at the grocery store are $1.50
One of them would fill you up and are great for adding things to.
Those packages are lined - can you add boiling water directly to the pouch?
| Campsite Cooking » Dehydrated meals » 8/20/2018 12:10 pm |
Already planning ahead for next year and where I can cut back on weight some more - less food, less fuel!
It seems like every trip, I learn something new to do better on the next one.
That's the plan - I plan on using up some of the reduced weight to bring more rhum - I ran out by day 4. 
| Campsite Cooking » Dehydrated meals » 8/19/2018 2:27 pm |
Seems I missed some of the additional replies to this thread following my last post. I ended up dehydrating all my own food and brought one purchased meal as a backup, only to find that the meal needed to cook in 3 cups of water when my only container for cooking only holds about 12oz. No matter, I never made it through all the meals I brought. I normally don't eat breakfast but brought oatmeal (with skim milk powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, dehydrated apples, coconut flakes, and ground almonds) and Starbucks mocha coffee packets (never again - they were more like hot chocolate than coffee) since I figured I'd need the energy for the day's hike. Once I got to my destination, I had chocolate, nuts, and dehydrated fruit for a snack and didn't eat lunch (instant noodles with dehydrated nappa, green onion, cilantro, beef broth concentrate, soya sauce, sesame seeds, peanut butter, chilli pepper sauce, hoysin sauce, sesame oil, and dehydrated shrimp that never rehydrated (!)) until 3pm which meant I wasn't hungry for supper (chipotle chili with shredded beef and corn chips, which rehydrated remarkably well) so I ended up bringing back all but one supper.
I also brought too many cans of fuel. I had one can with 5.4oz of fuel left in it, and brought two full cans as well, but only used 1.3oz more so at 6.7oz total, I would have been ok with one full can - although I didn't know at the time that I would only be making one of my suppers. Still, one backup canister would have been plenty even if I'd made all my meals.
Already planning ahead for next year and where I can cut back on weight some more - less food, less fuel!
| Skills » Bear bag » 8/19/2018 2:10 pm |
So I'm finally back from my trip and wanted to report back on the bear bag. Unlike Uppa, I didn't have any problems closing the OPSacks. On my first campsite, I had a perfect branch for hanging the bag and was able to get my rope over it on my first try, but sure enough, at other campsites I ended up using branches that would have been inadequate had I been using a regular bag. In one case, I tied the bag to the trunk itself as high as I could reach for lack of any suitable branches around, not something I would have been comfortable doing with a regular bag. That said, my food was at much greater risk from chipmunks - those little guys were *so* demanding! It was interesting to see them try to get at my food the second it was out of the OPSack, but completely ignore the URSack once everything was stored inside, even when sitting around on the ground unattended during the day. I wouldn't be able to handle the extra weight and volume of a bear vault so I'm happy to keep using the URSack and hanging it on the best branch available but not worrying too much if the "best" is not ideal.
| Catch-all Discussions » Algonquin Park Fire-out Contest! » 8/10/2018 9:16 pm |
Woot! I'm leaving Sunday morning and couldn't believe my luck when I saw that the ban had been lifted - had to come here to check that it was for real. Fire ban lifted and low bug count, looks like it's going to be a great week.
Annie
| Campsite Cooking » Dehydrated meals » 6/04/2018 7:46 pm |
Thanks, these are all great suggestions. I also came across this website from another thread in this forum: so I've got a lot of options now and I guess if it's not enough food, I can always look at a donut on the way home and regain all the weight instantly. 
Annie
| Campsite Cooking » Dehydrated meals » 6/04/2018 2:59 pm |
How do you supplement dehydrated meals (eg: those sold at MEC)? I'm OK for breakfasts, and have a dehydrator so can make some stuff as well. Those packaged meals from MEC don't have many calories! Even 500 per portion, which seems to be on the upper end (unless I eat two portions, which is beginning to look like the best option), is not that much when you've been hiking with a heavy pack for several hours. I don't want to load myself down with more stuff to carry, but I don't want to go hungry either so I'm looking for "sides" I can supplement with. Wondering what a typical meal using one of these store bought packages looks like for you.
Annie
| Skills » Bear bag » 5/13/2018 5:01 pm |
Right - I missed the post up above re: also using an Orsack. The Ursack may be pricey but I expect it will last a long time so I don't mind getting it - it will get a fair bit of use and well worth it so I don't have to stress out over finding a good tree or being able to hang my bag properly.
Have a great trip Uppa - kayak camping, now that is very cool! I will definitely be checking out your website at some point for camping tips - and to find out how you pack your gear in a kayak!
| Skills » Bear bag » 5/13/2018 8:06 am |
Thanks everyone for the responses. I'll get an Ursack to play it safe (looking forward to your impressions Uppa) but I'm impressed with the strategies to deal with lack of branches. I don't think I could figure that out on my own, though if ever someone decides to offer a bear bag hanging course in downtown Toronto, I'll be there! Annie
| Skills » Bear bag » 5/12/2018 2:07 pm |
I'm planning a 6 day/5 night hike of the Western Uplands trail in August and I'm worried about being able to hang my bear bag every night. My problem is twofold: 1) I suck at throwing at the best of times, throwing up and over a specific branch is nearly impossible (don't bother giving me throwing tips, it's just not going to happen). I'm considering taking up archery just so I can have something to shoot with. Either that or bring a slingshot. 2) I've been on a number of sites where I could find no suitable branches - evergreen trees as far as the eye can see: tall, bare trunks everywhere, and the occasional spindly little branch.
What do you do when you can't find any good branches? And know of any "bear bag" rocket launchers? I'm not kidding about the slingshot.
Edit: Has anyone ever used an Ursack? Lightweight *and* doesn't need to be hung up!
Annie
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