Tips for Snowshoeing

Every once in a while a lesson or a  refresher in your outdoor skills is helpful, especially if you are looking for a new way of experiencing adventure and exploration.  Below is a video about getting out with a pair of snowshoes.  

Snowshoeing is an excellent way of fighting the winter blues.  Once your have had your day of snowshoeing a nice quiet evening with a book and cup of hot cocoa next to a warm fire place.  That is a complete day made for lowering your stress level and blood pressure.

Saving Money for Winter Events

It is that time again, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is coming.  The mountains have started to acquire that white frosty covering.  Excitement is beginning to build for the winter sports.  And what better way to celebrate the coming season then a ski swap.

The ski swap has been a family tradition since I was a small boy and continues to be for me.  In the days when saving money and doing as much as possible yourself was the norm the ski swap was a wonderful way to buy semi-used gear at a wonderfully reduced price.  

Where I live it is the Mt Spokane Ski Patrol Ski Swap.  Not only can used equipment be found but also last years models.  Unless you are a ski snob, last years gear will do very well and so will the savings.

Making Oatmeal for Outdoors

As saving money these days is very important and the desire to get out and explore still exists the need to find cheaper solutions to food becomes paramount.  Making your favorite variety of oatmeal is both easy and cheap, and all that will be require in the field is to add water.

Recipe for Oatmeal.

1) 1/2 cup of Quick Oats

2) 1 Tablespoon of margarine/butter.

Optional ingredients 

1) 1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

2) 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon 

3) 2 Tablespoons of Raisins

4) 2 Tablespoons of Apple Chips

5) Huckleberry (if they are in season)
6) Salmon Berry (if they are in season)

These are my favorite additives but there are plenty of others only your imagination will limit you.

Put your ingredients into individual sized Ziplock bags.  When you are ready to eat heat your water and add to the bag and let sit for a minute to allow the Oats to absorb the water then eat and enjoy.

Hiking in Thuringia

I always seem to have more dreams than time or money.  Hiking the Rennsteig trail in Germany sounds like an interesting adventure.  According to The Local, Germany's News in English, the Rennsteig runs through the Thuringia hills past historic castles along an old Medieval Trade route.  The Rennsteig is the oldest known trail in Germany extending 170km or 105 miles. 

Being in Europe there is always a beer hall or hotel close to the trail with fairly easy access.  The Local also mentions how simple it would be to take a pack with a few changes of clothes and still stay at what I would call luxury accommodations, a hotel, and eat something more substantial than trail food.  

This five or six day hike will go on my dream list, meaning, I will probably never get to it due to the afore mentioned time and money.  But if you have time plan a trip to Thuringia for a trip along the Rennsteig trail.

Chasing Rabbits

This week myself and two friend, Statler and Waldorf (not their real names) took a Thursday and headed out to one of the local ski area's, 49 Degrees North, to do some snowshoeing.  Statler had "organized" the trip.  Thursday morning we loaded up my car and head to the Mountain.  When we arrive the first hitch in our plan became apparent, you need to permit to use the trails and the ski area was closed, there was no way to buy a permit, even worse the trails were posted no trespassing.  Waldorf, thinking on his feet remembered an old logging road just down the hill that he and his wife previously hiked and we all agreed to give it a try.  Down the hill we drove and found the spot.  I parked the car in the only parking space there with the front end point uphill, this is an important point.  As we were gearing up, strapping on the snowshoes and hoisting the packs my car began to roll backwards, there was only about 5 feet between the back end of my car and the highway, Waldorf managed to jump in the car from the passenger side and push the brake with his hand stopping the car from become just another pile of scrap metal on the highway, for some inexplicable reason the car rolls, while in park, backwards.  I had to turn the car around and pull the emergency brake to make sure it would not roll onto the highway, to double insure the car was still there when we returned I place ice chunks under the wheels as chalks, where a logging truck might find occasion to display his superior size and weight in the side of my vehicle. 

Now everything was ready and we headed up the trail/road.  As far as hiking goes this was relatively easy walking.  We followed a set of moose tracks the entire day and as the title suggest rabbit tracks.  I see a great deal of rabbit tracks but never a rabbit while out in the snow.  It is more then entertaining to listen to my friends trying to identify trees, they were both Air Force survival instructors, and they could not distinguish between Lodgepole Pines or White Pines, not that I know what a White Pine looks like. 

After a day of changed plan and rolling cars, and yes snowshoeing, we stopped off in the town of Chewelah at a mom and pop deli/bookstore, what a great combination.  The books were 99 cents each and the food excellent.  There really is no better way to end a day in the outdoors.