These Appalachian Trail Lessons come from Wade Bastian, one of two of my old Scouts hiking the 2200 mile trail. Wade and fellow Eagle Scout Bucky Kellorg started in February. As planned, Wade interrupted his hike to spend the summer employed as a peak steward in New York’s Adirondack mountains Bucky completed the trail in July, here he is […]
Backpacking
Scoutmaster Podcast 346 – On The Appalachian Trail Again
Another visit with our favorite through hikers … … from a third of the way through their quest to complete the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. Wade “Nutshoe” Bastain, Bucky “No Name, Buckminster” Kellorg, and their fellow Eagle Scout and hiking companion “Bear” join us from southern Virginia to relate their latest adventures along the Appalachian trail. […]
Night Hike
When’s the last time you went on a night hike? Nighttime is a great opportunity to learn about wildlife, to conquer fear of the dark, and to understand how our eyes work. Night hikes build important outdoor skills and hone your powers of observation. I have created an outline to use in preparing for a night hike, here’s an excerpt […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 277 – Hiker’s Gear Guide
This encore presentation features my interview with ultimate hiker Andrew Skurka. Skurka’s Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide is my new go-to resource for backpacking gear information. The first section of the book asks and answers the questions that many don’t think to ask until they are out on the trail with too much and/or too little gear, blistered feet, and soaking wet […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 268 – Rank Requirements
What do the resources say? Who signs rank requirements? It’s up to the unit leader to select and train those who approve advancement, that’s the short answer! Listen for the longer answer and answers to email questions about troop meetings, terms for positions of responsibility, alcohol stoves, and backpack weight. Links in this podcast Going Camping Go Light! (more […]
Podcast 248 – Happy Holidays!
Next week is Christmas and the following is new year’s, so for the next two weeks the podcast will be on vacation right along with you as you enjoy the holidays with your friends and family . I’ll return on January 5th with Podcast number 249. You can listen to our archived podcasts here Music on […]
Podcast 247 – Compliance or Obedience?
What’s the difference between demanding compliance and getting voluntary obedience? The answer may have a lot to do with the tone of your voice (literally and figuratively). In this podcast I answer emails about an particular Eagle Scout Board of Review, where it looks like the Eagle Scout candidate may be being set up for an […]
Take Scouts Backpacking!
My first backpacking trip was a family hike to a trail shelter in Shenandoah National Park in the early seventies. My brother and I carried frame-less canvas backpacks with webbing shoulder straps that my dad padded with upholstery foam. I don’t recall much else about the gear we used because my brother and I were much more interested in the creek […]
ScoutCircle – Scouts and Backpacking
Joe Jacaruso, Scoutmaster and an avid backpacker, will join us at ScoutCircle.org Sunday October 13 9-10 PM EDT to talk about Scouts and backpacking. ScoutCircle is a monthly live presentation with questions from viewers, you can see our past ScoutCircles presentations here. Joe Jacaruso says: “All I need is just one more excuse to go backpacking.” […]
Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking Explained
It’s a little difficult to get ultralight backpacking explained in a simple, straightforward way. Thankfully there is no International Convention of Backpacking Standards and Terminology. We are left to our own devices to individually define “Lightweight” and “Ultralight” backpacking and argue endlessly over our definitions with other zealous backpackers (that’s half the fun of it all, […]
Best Internal Frame Pack for Scouts
My favorite external frame backpack for Scouts is the Outdoor Products Dragonfly. Almost all of the packs available today are internal frame backpacks. Finding an internal frame pack for Scouts that has the right combination of features for a reasonable price is a challenge. The best internal frame packs I have found for Scouts are the Scout […]
Ultralight Backpacking Tips
Mike Clelland is the author and illustrator of Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips, an excellent guide to changing the way you experience the outdoors. (Mike has a great blog too) In the video above Celland touches on the philosophical and practical aspects of ultra lightweight backpacking, and this ought to get you started thinking about camping in general. If I had to identify with a camping philosophy I’d say that my […]
Going Camping? Go Light!
Going camping? Go light! Here’s an infographic of the collective wisdom of a number of my favorite authors, Nessmuk, Aldo Leopold, Horace Kephardt, Ellsworth Jaeger and more. Click the go light infographic to see full-size You can get this infographic along with OVER 50 other infographics and helpful PDF documents here If you’d like to print this infographic […]
18 Ounce Backpacking Cook Kit
Over time I have managed to get my weekend backpack down to around 25-30 pounds. I am not an fully anointed apostle of the ultra-lightweight sect but I have certainly benefited from a lot of their ideas. The backpacking cook kit described here weighs in at well less than two pounds depending on your choice of stove. Without the stove my choices […]
Andrew Skurka’s Philmont Gear List
Andrew Skurka’s new Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide includes a packing list for Philmont Scout Ranch! It has far less gear than the official Philmont list. In Clarke’s interview in podcast 111, Andrew pointed out that over 20,000 Scouts backpack at Philmont every summer and probably 19,000 of them are carrying too much weight. Improving packing […]
Skurka – Trekking the Wild North
Andrew Skurka guides us through his 4,700-mile, six-month trek around Alaska and the Yukon. Andrew is an accomplished adventure athlete, speaker, guide, and writer. The 33-year-old is most well known for his solo long-distance backpacking trips. November 2007, Great Western Loop, 6,875 miles including 5 long-distance hiking trails, 12 National Parks, and over 75 wilderness areas. July […]
Scoutmaster Podcast 111 – Interview with Andrew Skurka
IN THIS PODCAST Interview with Ultimate Hiker Andrew Skurka LINKS IN THIS PODCAST My review of The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide Andrew Skurka’s Website Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide available at Amazon Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS Listen to this episode (00:35:19) Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsPlayer EmbedShare Leave a ReviewListen in a New […]
The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide
My first backpacking trip was a hike to a trail shelter in Shenandoah National Park in the early seventies. My brother and I carried frame-less canvas backpacks with webbing shoulder straps that my dad padded with upholstery foam. I don’t recall the sleeping bags or much else about the gear we used because my brother and I were much more interested in […]
The Best Backpack for Scouts
The Outdoor Products Dragonfly pack is Available at Amazon Selecting a backpack for Scouts can be confusing; here’s one that I think fits the bill. Backpacks fall in to two basic types; ones with an external frame to which the pack bag is attached and ones with the frame built into the bag (internal frame). In […]
Clothing For Backpacking
The author of the original article posted here requested that I remove it. He contended that it was a violation of his copyright to re-post the entire article. He went on to threaten “… otherwise, I will initiate legal proceeding against you.” [sic] The article suggested a pretty good idea. Now I could have simply restated the […]
The Appalachian Trail in Five Minutes
Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo. Here’s a through hike of the Appalachian trail condensed into a few minutes of video. Watch the seasons and terrain change over 2000 miles of hiking.
The Everlasting Tortilla
The folks at Packit Gourmet offer some evidence of the indestructible nature of the humble tortilla. My favorite tortilla ‘recipe’ is peanut butter and jelly on a whole wheat tortilla for a quick, filling trail lunch. Tortillas are an incredibly versatile and easy-to-pack bread. They hold up well in your pack and can be used […]
Blisters
While I have managed to avoid blisters myself one or two usually show up on someone during the course of a Troop backpacking trip. Dr. Paul Auerbach has posted a very comprehensive treatise on preventing and treating foot blisters: To prevent blisters one must minimize friction generated by the normal biomechanical forces of walking and the […]
Hikesafe & Trek Safely
This may sound pessimistic – but it is an unfortunate reality. Sometime, somewhere this month (and every month thereafter) a Troop of Scouts will start off on a hike that will end in some sort of tragedy. The major tragedies we see on the news – a lost scout or group of scouts, a serious […]
