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1500 questions
13
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3 answers
Is it bad to rely on trekking poles?
I haven't used trekking poles but I've used wooden poles and they make a huge difference while hiking. Ascents are somewhat easier, and descents are much more so thanks to the poles as another thing you can hold on for balance especially for trails…
user19652
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13
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2 answers
Why would archery season be either before or after rifle season?
Are there any reasons, other than tradition, to have archery season either before or after rifle season?
I was chatting with a couple of Stack Exchangers when one of them remarked that in Pennsylvania, it was rifle season, to which someone else…
SQB
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13
votes
5 answers
Dangers of solo hiking (in Ontario)
I have the next week off and I was thinking about exploring some parks in Ontario (e.g: Algonquin). I am prepared for the colder weather and am thinking of doing some trails. Some people I've talked to are asking me not to do this because it might…
SivaDotRender
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13
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Why would people descend to sleep while acclimatizing?
I am watching a video about a climb of Annapurna. To acclimate the climbers head up from base camp to another camp higher up, stay for a day or two, then return to base camp. They repeat this process a few times, each time going a little…
jsf80238
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13
votes
4 answers
Why do some people stand inside the river fishing?
Why do some people stand in the water to fish and not just stand on the bank of the river? They get wet this way.
ronenfe
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13
votes
3 answers
Does the solar powered fridge work as advertised whilst hiking?
I stumbled across this link which seems rather ingenious and was wondering if anyone has tried such a contraption whilst hiking? If not, do you think it would be effective? I'm tempted to try to make one and then see how it performs in various…
berry120
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13
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2 answers
Trekking Poles - Carbon Fiber vs. Aluminum
What are the advantages and disadvantages of carbon fiber vs. aluminium when buying trekking poles? Are carbon fiber really lighter, do they break easier if jammed wrong, etc.?
Russell Steen
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13
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4 answers
How much wood can the average person expect to chop in a day?
Winter is coming. I need lots of wood to keep warm. I know there are many variables involved but I would like to get a rough estimate of what one can expect to chop in a day.
Assumptions
Average build, average height
20 - 30 yrs old
Not an athlete…
Programmer
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13
votes
1 answer
How to rappel with a dog?
My wife and I are planning a camping and climbing trip and we would likely need to rappel with our medium-sized (45lbs/20kg) dog. Holding the dog is obviously unacceptable, and using the dog's backpack is also unacceptable due to the flimsiness of…
Chris Mendez
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13
votes
2 answers
What are these strange insect nodules on my front porch?
Twice this summer, I've found some little brown domes / nodules attached to the window sills or the porch railing. They seem to be made by some sort of insect and I think when I removed them, there were some sort of larvae inside.
I live in North…
Matt Hamann
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13
votes
3 answers
Can I expect a mountain stream to have less water in the morning, even when it is not primarily fed by meltwater?
In late September 2015, I hiked part of the trail in the incredibly beautiful Lónsöræfi in southwestern Iceland, near Vatnajökull. The easternmost segment of the trail requires fording Hnappadalsá (Satellite/aerial view). Some people by-pass this…
gerrit
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13
votes
1 answer
What to do when a snake blocks a narrow trail?
Some time back I was on a very narrow mountain trail with a cliff rising to my right and a steep gorge dropping to my left. The trail was blocked by by the viper below (with the gorge just out of shot). The weather was chilly and the viper was…
Tullochgorum
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13
votes
2 answers
Is it possible to identify the sex of a caribou without a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope?
Both male and female caribou have antlers. Last year we saw a large herd cross the road we were traveling on, but had no way of telling which ones were male and which ones were females. Unfortunately, I do not possess a scope or binoculars.
Is it…
Ken Graham
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1 answer
How can I tell if a opossum is truly dead?
I saw a opossum (the North American kind) on a golf course the other day. It looked pretty dead - there was foam coming out of its mouth and flies buzzing all around it. However, I know opossums can convincingly play dead by involuntarily entering a…
C_Z_
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2 answers
Quality of duck vs goose down
While searching for a sleeping bag I was told that goose down is clearly superior to duck down in terms of quality. I guess that means e.g. the fill power (measured in cuin). What exactly are the differences, is goose down always preferable?
What I…
Wills
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