Author: crow

Hermit, long distance hiker, primitive cabin dweller, seeker.

How to hitchhike

cabin-587-1.jpg1.If you carry hiking poles, collapse them and put them away. Make sure they won’t scratch or poke a hole in the car’s upholstery.

2. Tighten all your compression straps on your pack to make you pack look as small and tidy as possible.

3. Stand in an area that has a space big enough for your ride to pull over, safely.

4. Push up the brim of your hat and take off your sunglasses, so people can see your eyes.

5. Stand up straight, smile and look the driver in the eyes.

6 Don’t just stick out your thumb, actually thumb a ride over. Read the book or watch the movie “Even Cow Girls get the Blues� to get inspired.

7. When you get the ride, thank them for stopping, introduce your self and tell the person about your trip. This serves as a way to start humanizing your self. Ask the person if they are from around there, if they are, compliment the area that you are in. Be polite, entertaining and upbeat.

9. Don’t ever give up control. Emit an aura of direction and authority over your life. If you feel creepy about a ride grab the door knob and say “thanks for the ride. This is where I get off.� I like to keep my pack in my lap. Most people who pick up hikers are the very nicest of people.

8. When your ride drops you off, thank them profusely, and say, (if you have enough money), ‘I would like to contribute some money for gas� and hand them 2-5 dollars; ninety percent of the time they won’t take it.

Note: It’s much easier to get a ride when hitch-hiking alone.

Backpacking first aid kit.

cabin-586.jpgThis is what is what I carry when backpacking:
Neosporin. I apply to any wound or infection. Someone told me that if you put some on your urethra you can prevent urinary track infections.
Bandaids Most blisters, I pop with a needle, put some Neosporin on them, and cover with a bandaid. Some bandaids work better than others. If your bandaid keeps falling off you can duct tape it on. In the beginning of a long hike you may need lots of blister stuff. After I have been on the trail for awhile, I don’t get blisters very often. Second Skin is also good for blisters. It’s sort of heavy but in the beginning of your hike it may be worth carrying.
Pain relievers, -Ibuprofen is my personal favorite though I often bring a variety. Don’t rely on aspirin as a your main pain reliever as it increases bleeding and puts you at and risk in the event of an accident for excessive blood lost. Some people in addition carry some heavy duty prescription pain medications, like Oxycontin/Oxycodine, or morphine in case of a break or sprain. A good idea if you can get them.
Aspirin– just a little, good for your heart. Don’t take too much as it will increase bleeding in the event of injury.
Benedryl– not only good for allergies but also good if you are having trouble sleeping. -not just good for airborne allergic reactions but also plant and insect bite reactions.
Claritain. Good for allergies when you don’t want to be sleepy.
Decongestants– also good if you need to stay awake to hike out in an emergency. These are sold without a prescription but apparently you have to ask for them, now.
Emer’gen-C good for replacing electrolytes in the event of dehydration.  At an advanced wilderness first aid course, the instructor said that heavy doses of Vitamin C can prevent and even cure urinary track infections by making your urine so acid that nothing can live in it.
Tums or some kind of antacid. Sometimes trail food can cause acid indigestion and make for a really horrible night.

I carry a needle in my dental floss case to pop blisters. I carry duct tape wrapped around one of my water bottles, not just for repairs, but also for taping a splint made from my pad on if I needed to. Every thing is kept in a plastic ziplock.

On my last hiking trip, I pulled a thigh muscle and a hiker I meet gave me her ace bandage. Later in my hike, I met a woman with a sore knee and I passed it on to her. I’m thinking of starting to bring an ace bandage with me. It does offer some relief.

Travel sink

cabin-577.jpg This is my wash kit: a standup ziplock ,that can withstand hot water, to use as a sink (weighs .40 ounce or 11 grams), half of a light terry wash cloth cut diagonally ( .65 ounce or 18 grams) and a .5 ounce (15 ml) bottle of Campsuds. Campsuds don’t come in that small of a bottle; I used an empty, tiny hand sanitizer gel bottle and filled it up.

It’s nice to have a sink. After a day on the trail it’s wonderful to wash up with some hot water, a little bit of soap and a terry wash cloth.  I only use the littlest amount of soap.

I sometimes then use the water to wash out my underwear and hang it up to dry. It isn’t usually dry by morning, but because it’s synthetic it will dry on me while I hike.

The sink can also be used for an ice pack when staying in town.

My old sink was bigger; big enough to put a whole foot in. I wish I hadn’t lost it, because I can’t find another like it. I’m going to keep trying to find a bigger sink, It would be nice to have one that was big enough to at least stick a foot in; even better to be able to stick two feet in, so I could soak them both if needed.

Some people cut the bottom out of a plastic milk jug to use as a sink. I’m thinking of cutting down a collapsible water jug and see how much that weighs.  I certainly wouldn’t carry more then 2 oz. for a sink.

Note: Cut or make a button hole in the wash cloth so you can loop it to the outside of your pack to dry. It will be much more secure than tying it on.

One more thing: Often I also carry a small scrub brush for cleaning feet, hands and gear.

I saw people, today.

cabin-558-2.jpgToday a neighbor called and asked me to go to town with her. In town, the roads had great piles of snow in the middle of them.

My neighbor needed to drop cookies off at house in town. The woman that lived at the house was inviting people in to see her Christmas decorations. She lead us through her home andcabin-565.jpg showed us her seven Christmas trees. We were told to take our time and look at everything while she pointed out things she wanted us to notice. One tree was hanging upside down from the ceiling. She then asked us to guess the name of each tree; each tree sported a different theme. Then her husband asked me to vote on which one I liked the best. She gave me her business card which said “good conversation and 7 Christmas trees”.

The cookies dropped off, we headed to the grocery store. At the grocery store I saw an old woman wearing a blond fur coat and driving a full size pick up.

With a full backpack of food, we headed back to the hills and our respective cabins. The roads are really icy, even in town. My neighbor has a four wheel drive with snow tires and she didn’t spin or slide a bit. I wouldn’t want to try going in with my rear wheel drive pickup.

Rags

cabin-546.jpgBecause half of a bandana cut diagonally will do every thing a whole bandana does, I cut my bandana in two. I, however, end up bringing both halfs because I have incompatible uses for them. I cut or make a button hole in one end so that I can loop it to the outside of my pack, or around my neck. This system works a lot better than tying it on. I haven’t lost a bandana since getting thecabin-545.jpg button hole put in it. If you don’t hem it, it will get pretty ratty looking.

And because a bandana makes a lousy wash cloth and a terry wash cloth makes a lousy bandana, I cut a small light terry wash cloth diagonally, and put a button hole in it too.

Note: I don’t like the look of the standard bandanna, so I made my own out of a scarf.

new snow ice cream.

cabin-527.jpgA lot of new snow fell today. I scooped some up in a bowl and poured some canned milk, vanilla syrup and some caramel syrup on it and mixed it all up. It tasted a little like ice cream. My favorite snow topping is lemon juice and sugar, but I don’t have any more lemon juice. For awhile I was putting instant ice tea mix on the snow. I liked that but I’m out of that too. When on the trail I have flavored my snow with lemonade mix or Jello mix (both of which make excellent hot beverages as well).

The secret, dogs don’t want you to know.

Bali is plagued with annoying, aggressive, barking dogs that act like they are going to attack you. I was walking with a German tourist, there, and some dogs started to bark and snap at us. He reached down to pick up a rock and the dogs turned and ran. Since then , when ever a dog runs out and acts like it’s going to attack me I reach down, pick up a rock and start to throw it at it. I’ve never not had a dog run away. It’s like magic. Some kind of world wide knowledge embedded in dog’s genes make them run when it looks like a human is going to throw something at them.

Weighing my gear.

cabin-500.jpgFor working on getting my pack weight down, I weigh everything that goes in my pack, that doesn’t get eaten, on this scale. It weighs up to 2000grams (70.6ounces) and as little as 1 gram (.035 ounce) You can switch between modes: ounces or grams. Then I either write everything down or list it in this cool, free Gear Weight calculator program- .  Using The Gear Weight Calculator, I can list ALL my gear and what it weighs and then check what I want to bring on a particular trip and get a total in ounces or grams. Then, I keep looking at the list and try to figure out ways to get the weight down.

Don’t assume that the gear manufacturers weights are accurate; they usually say the item weighs less than it does. When shopping for gear for a trip, I’ve brought my scale into outfitter stores, to weigh the gear. I even some times bring it with me to discount stores, like Target and Walmart and weigh the stuff there. The discount stores may have many light weight, inexpensive gear options. For instance, I once found a raincoat that weighed eight oz and cost only ten dollars at Target. Sometimes the clothes have big plastic tags on them and it makes it hard to get an accurate weight. Just ask to weigh a tag and then push the “tar” button, then it will weigh the item minus the tag weight.

Slushy down pour

cabin-495.jpgIt’s been raining slush all day and the forecast is calling for it all week. I went down to mail movies this morning and came back soaked. Days like this make me really appreciate having a cabin to come home to; all warm and cozy with a couch to lie on. I have to go down again, soon, to pick up a new movie. When the weather is like this I don’t like doing my 10 miles a day to mail and get my movies. My clothes haven’t even dried and it’s time to go out again.

Alternative Christmas tree.

Once, while living in Portland, Oregon, a big wind storm came up. The next day at my work place on the river I saw all these tumbleweeds that must have blown all the way from the Eastern Oregon. There was one that was particularly big. I opened up my hatchback of my Justy and tried to shove it in. I could just about get it all in if I left the hatchback open but I was afraid that it would blow out as soon as I started driving. I went home and got my son to come back with me and he sat in the front seat and reached back and held the big tumble weed in. Getting it in the door, of my house ,was sort of hard and the floor was littered with tumble weed remains. Finally I got it in the living room where it took up a great deal of real estate. I wove red Christmas lights all through the branches and then hung it up on the wall. It was beautiful.tumbleweed.jpg

After it had been up for about 6 months someone talked me in to getting rid of it. I took off the lights and kicked it out the door, thinking that I would be able to find another, come Christmas time. I never saw another tumble weed in Portland, again.

White weasel

On my walk, today, I saw a white weasel.  It was completely white  except the tip of it’s tail, which was black.   It ran down the road and then turned into it’s home and stood up and looked at me.   It was the first white one I had ever seen.  In the summer it’s coat will turn brown.