Magazine Column
1
78 J Rations Standard Issue 8 Adventurer’s Almanac Tips, Tricks And noTions For GeTTinG AlonG in The ouTdoors by Lisa Godfrey illustrations by Jason Ludy Name Your Poison… And we’ll bet the farm it ain’t ivy. We’re talking poison ivy, that ubiquitous plant that can leave you insanely itchy with weeping blisters that spread their torture with every scratch. The entire plant—leaves, stems, roots, berries—contains the toxin urushiol, which adheres to everything that comes in contact with it and can stick to your clothing and boots for a year or longer. The first step to avoiding poison ivy agony is to learn to recognize the plant in all its forms and then to diligently avoid it. The second step is effectively treat it if you are exposed. Cortaid has recently introduced its Poison Ivy Care Treatment Kit. This two- step kit includes Removal Scrub, which binds with the toxin to remove it before symptoms appear. The second step is the Treatment Spray. Simply apply to the affected area to stop the itch and dry the blisters. For more information on this product, go to www.cortaid.com. Bare Naked Jeeping For some of us, the only way to Jeep is to go topless and with the doors unhinged. But how do you keep your gear dry and safely stashed if the weather turns soggy or the trail becomes unruly? One reliable solution is waterproof/submersible duffel bags. Several manufacturers (and lots of retailers) offer a variety of bags in rounded and squared profiles, suitable for day trips and weekend adventures. Among the many available features are waterproof zippers, shoulder straps, outside pockets and built-in loops that allow the bags to be securely cinched to your cargo floor’s tie-down loops or roll bars to keep them in place during technical trail sections. If you don’t want to trade in your favorite duffel bag for a new one, you can waterproof its contents with an inexpensive HydroLiner from Seattle Sports. For about $10 to $14, this clear PVC liner lets you see what’s inside without opening it, and features fully welded seams and a three-roll hook-and-loop closure on top. It comes in sizes small, medium, large and extra- large. Whatever method you choose to protect your gear, there’s no reason to have to face a soaked sleeping bag ever again. Backcountry Vittles Animals know how to partake of the bounty that grows wild in the backcountry each autumn, so why shouldn’t we? In fact, a harvest trail run in search of the soft and hard mast that comes into season each year can be a welcome change of pace that also puts yummy fall fare on the table. Head out prepared with plenty of containers to haul back the harvest—a few good scores can accumulate quickly. Look for blueberries and huckleberries (can you say “fresh, organic cobbler”?), wild grapes, plums, persimmons, mountain peaches and the ugly but delicious pawpaw, a.k.a. custard apple. Chestnuts, beechnuts, butternuts and walnuts are among the hard mast you can collect this time of year (and have fun watching squirrels and chipmunks scamper about storing up their winter rations). Abandoned farms and homesteads can be virtual storehouses, where you can often find long-forgotten trees and vegetation that faithfully produce even 50-plus years later. You might be happily surprised at what appears on your dessert plate. No-Sweat Topo Getting the perfect topo map can be time- consuming and even impossible when you’re chartingintounfamiliar territory. When we were preparing for an off-road adventure in Colorado last fall, we found the answer to this dilemma at a local outfitter retail store: a National Geographic Map Machine kiosk. This is true interactive technology with a database of more than 50,000 quads. Using an easy-to-navigate touch screen, you can design, customize and print U.S.G.S. topo maps on tear-resistant, waterproof paper in minutes. A built-in search engine helps you quickly find any feature. Choose from a variety of scales, zoom in and out, add UTM or latitude/longitude grids, toggle the shaded relief on or off. You can even center your custom map over a four- map intersection and scroll seamlessly from state to state to create a topo map specifically for the area you need. Maps include a scale bar, north arrow, tick marks and contour intervals and optional details such as forest service roads and current weather conditions. You can find the Map Machine at REI, EMS and many other outdoor retail stores around the U.S. We paid about $15 for two maps, and the system worked great. This one gets a J Rats approval.
-
Upload
lisa-godfrey -
Category
Entertainment & Humor
-
view
194 -
download
0
Transcript of Magazine Column
78 J R at ionsSt anda rdI s sue8
Adventurer’s AlmanacTips, Tricks And noTions For GeTTinG AlonG in The ouTdoors
by Lisa Godfrey
illustrations by Jason Ludy
Name Your Poison…Andwe’ll bet the farm it
ain’tivy.We’retalkingpoisonivy,thatubiquitousplantthat
canleaveyouinsanelyitchywithweepingblistersthatspread their torture withevery scratch. The entireplant—leaves,stems,roots,berries—containsthetoxinurushiol,whichadheresto
everything that comes incontact with it and cansticktoyourclothingandbootsforayearorlonger.
The f i r s t s tep toavoiding poison ivy
agony is to learn torecognizetheplant inallit s forms and then to
di l igent ly avoid it . Thesecondstepiseffectivelytreatitifyouareexposed.CortaidhasrecentlyintroduceditsPoisonIvyCareTreatmentKit.Thistwo-stepkitincludesRemovalScrub,whichbindswiththetoxintoremove it before symptoms appear. The second step is theTreatmentSpray.Simplyapplytotheaffectedareatostoptheitchanddrytheblisters.Formoreinformationonthisproduct,gotowww.cortaid.com.
Bare Naked JeepingForsomeofus,theonlywaytoJeepistogotoplessandwith
thedoorsunhinged.Buthowdoyoukeepyourgeardryandsafelystashediftheweatherturnssoggyorthetrailbecomesunruly?One reliable solution iswaterproof/submersible duffel bags.Severalmanufacturers(andlotsofretailers)offeravarietyofbagsin rounded and squared profiles, suitable for day trips andweekendadventures.Among themany available features arewaterproofzippers,shoulderstraps,outsidepocketsandbuilt-inloopsthatallowthebagstobesecurelycinchedtoyourcargofloor’stie-downloopsorrollbarstokeeptheminplaceduringtechnicaltrailsections.Ifyoudon’twanttotradeinyourfavoriteduffelbagforanewone,youcanwaterproofitscontentswithaninexpensiveHydroLinerfromSeattleSports.Forabout$10to$14,thisclearPVClinerletsyouseewhat’sinsidewithoutopeningit,andfeaturesfullyweldedseamsandathree-rollhook-and-loopclosureontop.Itcomesinsizessmall,medium,largeandextra-large.Whatevermethodyouchoosetoprotectyourgear,there’snoreasontohavetofaceasoakedsleepingbageveragain.
Backcountry VittlesAnimalsknowhowtopartakeofthebountythatgrowswildin
thebackcountryeachautumn,sowhyshouldn’twe?Infact,aharvesttrailruninsearchofthesoftandhardmastthatcomesintoseasoneachyearcanbeawelcomechangeofpacethatalsoputsyummyfallfareonthetable.Headoutpreparedwithplentyofcontainers tohaulbacktheharvest—afewgoodscorescanaccumulatequickly.Lookforblueberriesandhuckleberries(canyousay“fresh,organiccobbler”?),wildgrapes,plums,persimmons,mountainpeaches and theuglybutdeliciouspawpaw, a.k.a.custardapple.Chestnuts,beechnuts,butternutsandwalnutsareamongthehardmastyoucancollectthistimeofyear(andhavefunwatchingsquirrelsandchipmunksscamperaboutstoringuptheirwinterrations).Abandonedfarmsandhomesteadscanbevirtualstorehouses,whereyoucanoftenfindlong-forgottentreesandvegetationthatfaithfullyproduceeven50-plusyearslater.You might be happily surprised at what appears on yourdessertplate.
No-Sweat TopoGetting the perfect
topo map can be time-consuming and evenimpossiblewhenyou’rechartingintounfamiliarter r itory. When wewere preparing for anoff-road adventure inColorado last fall, wefoundtheanswertothisdilemmaatalocaloutfitterretai l store: a Nat ionalGeographicMapMachinekiosk.Thisistrueinteractivetechnologywithadatabaseofmorethan50,000quads.Usinganeasy-to-navigatetouchscreen,youcandesign,customize and print U.S.G.S. topo maps on tear-resistant,waterproofpaperinminutes.Abuilt-insearchenginehelpsyouquicklyfindanyfeature.Choosefromavarietyofscales,zoominandout,addUTMorlatitude/longitudegrids,toggletheshadedreliefonoroff.Youcanevencenteryourcustommapoverafour-mapintersectionandscrollseamlesslyfromstatetostatetocreateatopomapspecificallyfortheareayouneed.Mapsincludeascalebar,northarrow,tickmarksandcontourintervalsandoptionaldetailssuchasforestserviceroadsandcurrentweatherconditions.You can find theMapMachine atREI,EMS andmanyotheroutdoorretailstoresaroundtheU.S.Wepaidabout$15fortwomaps, and the systemworked great. This one gets a J Ratsapproval.
