Thanks to Mayo Clinic.

This is funny..

"The outdoor climbers group “wind runners” was earlier formed spontaneously by some climbing amateurs by posting forum through internet. On June 28th at 8:00am, the 104 climbing group members, led by an employee of a shenzhen transportation company, rented two buses and headed for the Shitouhe Reservoir for climbing from Shenzhen Gymnasium. At about 21:00pm, the 104 members were lost and stranded in the Lovers’ Valley due the darkness."

230 rescuers were sent by the Chinese authorities to rescue the 104. Pretty amazing what can happen today.

Nepal could drop climbing fees for Everest, making them more competitive with Tibet. It costs $25,000 in climbing fees to get your shot at climbing Everest from the popular Nepal side. It's the sherpas' move to staying competitive with the cheaper fees on the Tibetan side.

There are things I don't like to do and this is one of them; washing down sleeping bags. It takes hours to dry and you risk damaging it if you're not careful. That's why I just tell other people to clean it for me.

Due to the weak economy, Camp Birchrock that has been in the Rhinelander for 60 years is struggling to keep its doors open. They're currently fifteen thousand dollar in debt and relies heavily on donations to keep it running.

Donations would help a lot but the easiest way the community can help to keep the camp alive is by spreading the good word about Camp Birthrock. They're only running at only 50 percent right now. They planning a fundraising event to try to bring in more money.

If you want to make a donation, go to CampBirchrock.org

The Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day starts off the peak season for camping. With its the arrival of camping season, it is important for parents to be aware of potential dangers to avoid becoming a camping statistic.

Studies show that a little over 10,000 people each year are injured while camping. Camp fires are the cause of nearly 74% of children’s camping injuries; nearly 50% that have burns are under 4 years old. It is important to note that it takes 24 hours for fire coals of a fire to cool. Fire coals that are eight hours old have the potential to cause first degree burns. In fact, 70% of burn incidents occur this way.
More on Camping Safety Tips and Stats

The tallest peark in the Cascade range, Mount Ranier is a magnifent natural beauty. I found some very interesting information like "the busiest year was in 2000 when 13,114 tried to scaled it and 6,083 succeeded". I like that they encourage packing light. It's probably the best advice for beginners.  Check out what other facts that you might not know about climbing Mount Ranier.

My wife loves pasta. So she loves this post by Backpacker Magazine.

Here's what I learned: Pasta is peasant food in Italy and "real" Italian food are fresh, flavorful, and a lot more than just pasta. I also learnaed of Backpacker's new favorite piece of cookware; the ultralight Evernew Titanium pot and that spaghetti (it seems) is really easy to make. I never knew that last bit because I've never cooked spaghetti before.

I'm not a big fan but if I were to choose a favorite, it would be the Hot Red Pepper Pasta.

I wrote an article about The Basic Guide to Survival in the Outdoors but didn't say much about the survival kit. Lucky for me, the guys are examiner.com saved me the trouble by publishing their list of survival items which can fit into a freezer bag. Below are the items listed in their survival kit:

1. Knife
2. First-aid kit
3. Duct tape
4. Firestarters
5. Tinder
6. Survival blanket
7. Water purifier
8. Water container
9. Whistle
10. Signal mirror
11. 1’x1’ foil square
12. Compass
13. Candy bar

It's a good thing they emphasized that it's not meant to replace the ten essentials because the author, Alex Dundas, left out a couple of things from it. But still, first aid is part of the ten essentials and so are knife, duct tape, firestarters, tinder, water purifier or just about all of them.

What going on? Well the ten essentials are what's inside your pack. This one is meant to be in your pocket so that if you lose your backpack, you still have something to survive on. These are more like spare ten essentials.

The five part series on survival kit is a good read so why don't you go check it out.

I love to watch the show "Man vs Wild" on discovery channel.  In case you didn't know it's a show teaching you how to survive in just about any terrain. What a kid watches on TV he follows and a boy who got separated from his parents in the woods in Daggett County claimed that it saved his life.

Grayson Wynne and his cousin had been hiking back to his family camper with a cousin when he fell behind and strayed onto a different trail. Family members immediately began a search when they found him missing.

It was Saturday and Grayson was found on Sunday and the first sign of him was found Saturday night about 300 yards from the trail the family had been hiking.

Did you notice anything wrong with this picture? While I believe the show helped the boy survive through the night, he could have been found that same night if he stayed put. He left a lot of clues behind just like in the discovery channel show but the best thing to do is stay put. He even left his backpack behind which contains his sleeping bag, snacks and extra jacket.

He spent the night under a log but he was found in good health and spirit.

"Search teams concluded the boy was following the creek based on the layout of items they found and concentrated efforts on that area. Two searchers on horses, Dave Potter and Rusty Burnside of McKinnon, Wyo., found Grayson at around 10 a.m. in a meadow near the stream. He was waving strips he had torn from a yellow rain slicker hoping to get the attention of the helicopter he heard flying overhead." - Deseret News

The popular, hard plastic, drinking bottle aslo known as the polycarbonate bottle is found to cause an increase in the level of BPA in the body. BPA is known to intere with the reproductive development in animals and also linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.

The study which is supported by the Harvard University Center  for the Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Biological Analysis Core, Department of Environmental Health, HSPH can be found here.

The European Union bans iodine for use in water treatment. I was always doubtful about using iodine for water treatment anyway - honest.

From Backpacker Magazine

Trout with Mustard Sauce
By Kelly Bastone. Serves 3.

1 package McCormick Hollandaise sauce mix
1/4 cup butter or 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup water
4 trout fillets

Heat oil in a pan until sizzling. Cook fish until flaky*. To make sauce, fork-whisk water, butter/olive oil, and contents of sauce packet. Add mustard and tarragon and bring to a boil. Pour over trout.

*Yes, you'll need a pan or pot to make the sauce. Yes, you could just cook the fish in that pan. But it's still fun to bake on a hot rock. And if you want to skip the pan altogether, you can always mix and serve the sauce cold.

If you want more, check out these other trout recipes.

The federal government is hoping that promoting visitations to the national park will boost business in that area so there will be no entry charge for all 147 National Parks in the US. The dates are:

• June 20 and 21
• July 18 and 19
• August 15 and 16

I bet it will their busiest summer weekends ever. Enjoy your weekend!

Here's what one hut-to-hut hiker has in his fanny pack:

• Duct tape
• Aleve
• Bandages
• Insect repellent
• Sunscreen
• Extra water bottle
• Antibiotics
• Batteries
• Windbreaker/Poncho
• Plastic bags
• Medical kit

So what's missing? Notice there are no camp stoves and pots, sleeping bags, camping mat, tent, and anything beyond energy bars for sustenance. But one has to be prepared in case of emergencies. In the wild, anything can happen.

I've done some hut-to-hut camping in Scotland a few years back and find that we don't always reach our destination on time. There may be diversions, you may have the taken the wrong turn, etc. Two of the 4 days hike we had to camp and we were glad we had the tarp with us.

If you haven't tried hut-to-hut camping before, go for it. It's good fun. Check out this article on hut-to-hut hiking on USA today.

• Day Travel Deals » 'Hut-to-hut' hiking offers comfort between … - 'Hut-to-hut' hiking offers comfort between daily treks. June 18, 2009 @ 5:00 pm · Filed under Uncategorized. More tour operators are offering walking itineraries between accommodations that range from rustic backcountry huts to deluxe … …
• Hut Hiking - Budget Travel - … like the cabanes in France, the hütten in Switzerland and Germany, and the rifugios in Italy, which are spread out in the Alps within walking distance of each other–perfect for multi-night hut-to-hut hiking trips. …
• Alec Harper's Page - My CoolWorks - After a quick adventure to the White Mountains (N.H.) for some hut-to-hut hiking along the ridgeline (early June)… I will be looking for a "cool" job! I have 11 years in accounting and finance experience followed by another 12 years …

A man hiking in McDowell Sonoran Preservenear Scottsdale, Arizona, fell onto a cactus not even a mile up the trail. Ouch!

He was rescued by firefighters who brought him down using the stokes basket and big wheel and provided onsite treatment.

What a bummer. He was so looking forward to the trip.

The guy in the picture is not him btw.

You've probably heard about the Lost Girls - three twenty-something New Yorkers who ditched their media jobs to embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey in search of adventure and inspiration.

I'm sure these girls have been an inpiration to many women and even men who can only dream of what they're doing.

On their site LostGirlsWorld.Blogspot.com, guess blogger Britt Reints, talks about some camping tips for girls. In short, here they are:

• Stay at a campground with showers or at least ones with good bathroom facilities
• If you're forced to camp without bathroom facilities pitch your tent near a water source (as close as possible? - maybe not too close - ed)
• The most important part of a camping trip is the packing process - have a tub stocked with camping supplies
• Every camper should bring a tent, sleeping bag, pillow, garbage bags, food for dinner and breakfast, plenty of water, camping chairs and a lantern More on The Lost Girls and A Girls' Guide to Camping
  

The first meeting will be held on Thursday, June 18, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Board of Supervisor’s Chambers in Lakeport. It will a two-hour interactive session.

The public now has the rare opportunity to provide input on the future shape of a county-wide, non-motorized Konocti Trail System.

http://lakeconews.com/content/view/9096/771/

I've never used silk as a base layer before but apparently they're the perfect base layer for hiking because the properties of silk are temperature regulating and it keeps you cool during exercise.

The soft texture and the wicking properties keeps you comfortable as you're hiking. Sounds about right but this comes from the people who sell silk, Patra Selections. Go figure.

Former soldier, 52-year-old Micheal Egglestone of Nettlesworth left his villa in Benichembla, near Alicante, on June 1 to trek up Monte Cocoll.

He has never been seen since that day and volunteers have already given up the search because of the slim chance that he will ever be found alive. One of the volunteers, Dr Geoff Hall, a retired GP from Yorkshire who had spent almost 10 years hiking in the area said no trace of Egglestone or his clothing has been found. Nine others are involved in the search.

Monte Cocoll is a remote area with overgrown paths and no natural water supply.

Volunteers end search for hiker.

The guys at ABC4.com compiled a number of items every kid should have on a hiking trip in case of emergencies. It's worth a look so check it out.

myLot User Profile

This sounds like an interesting read.

"Risk has a bad name today. The bodies that govern our lives do all they can to protect us, and especially our children, from it. Yet some people, both young and old, find everyday life, if only at times, mundane and unsatisfactory. They crave more … "

It's an account of the exploration of Greenland 75 years ago by young unprepared men. The team includes 14 men, average age 25, plus scores of huskies to pull their loads. The aim is to find a safe route over Greenland — and a spot on the icy island to refuel — for the world's fledgling airline industry.

Here's where I found it.

Dr. John Mislow, 39, and Dr. Andrew Swanson,36, had been mountain climbing partners for life. Both were experienced climbers, awarded in 2000 by the Park Service for being safety conscious and helping other climbers in distress.

"The two were roped together and plummeted at least 2,000 feet to their deaths Thursday while on the Messner Couloir" according to the National Park Service.

While the two were using a route not typically used to get to the summit, it was still unclear as to how the accident happened.

Check out the whole story here.

To tell you the truth I'd much rather buy my down sleeping bag or quilt because I'm not the kind of guy who would do this thing. If you're interested, backpackinglight.com made an article with great detail on how you can make one yourself.

It costs around $50-$250 to make and weighs around 550-900 grams. Contruction time amounts to 10-15 hours if you know what you're doing. The article covers:

• Materials
• Sources of materials
• How much of material is required
• Stuffing
• Quilt design
• Construction details

Micah Dash is the only American climber yet to be found after an avalanche cut their trip short which the other two climbers who was with him. The bodies of Johnny Copp and Wade Johnson were transported to Moxi, a town about six hours from the mountain.

Bad weather conditions (fog, rain, snow) and the risk of another avalanche forced rescuers, who were made up of four Americans and four Chinese, to suspend the search until the weather clears.

Kudos go to the rescue crew - Pete Takeda, Eric DeCaria, Steve Su, and  Nick Martino. It's such a touching display of courage, sacrifice and companionship. We need more people like this in the world.

More of this story here.