Fine Art of Failure

The Economist.com is an unlikely place perhaps to glean inspiration. This guy named Schumpeter wrote an article  called Fail Often, Fail Well.


He quotes A.G Lafley, a successful ex-boss from Procter and Gable as saying that "we learn much more from failure than we do from success."

And its true. Failure can teach things that success takes much longer to instill. My best friend's dad always taught him that bought experience was the best kind, meaning if it hits you in the wallet (time or money) you'd remember that lesson forever.

The main thing with a successful failure is stepping back and analyzing what happened.

"Thomas Edison performed 9,000 experiments before coming up with a successful version of the light bulb," Schumpeter wrote. I didn't know that. Imagine how discouraged he could have become. Probably T. Edison wouldn't have blogged on all those failures either. Somethings just have to be done in private.

All the new ideas we see for gear, tents, equipment and extreme sports are exciting. We can expect to see failures due to all this creativity, and if this guy is right,  it will be followed by great success.

Women Sets Record Of Fastest Hike

I'm all about empowering women. This story tells about a 28 year old female who sets a record hiking the Appalachian Trail . This is her third thru hike. I'm glad she did her first one the old fashioned way: backpack, tent, and food, an "unsupported" journey of self discovery.

http://news.yahoo.com/woman-sets-appalachian-trail-fastest-hike-record-223818247.html?bouchon=524,ga

I have some fond memories of nights spent in trail shelters. Wondering who would pull in and how bad they'd smell. Wondering if I would find space in a shelter on a rainy night, or if I would have it all to myself. I learned if I didn't set up my tent, I could pack up in minutes and not worry about condensation either.

I fondly remember hikers spread across the shelter, laying like so many peas in a pod while Radio Flyerr asked How much would you need to be paid to eat a night crawler? He ended up with the lowest bid, and if it hadn't been so late, we'd probably have pooled our money to come up with the $20 bucks and someone would have found the worm for him. Course, Radio Flyer was a Tennessean dude, and probably had experience eating worms.

I fondly remember that last night trying to sleep while my stomach growled in anticipation of the morning hike into town. A resupply meant eating as soon as I got to anyplace selling food, grocery shopping, another snack before heading out. It probably meant running into trail friends I'd met and lost track of along the way. Not all of signed the same trail registers or slept in the same trail shelters.

I fondly remember peeling off socks and shoes in a trail shelter in Maine and the grandmother pleading with me to let her massage my thru hiker feet. Her grandkids were maybe a bit embarrassed, but they also wanted to listen to everything we talked about.

The miles of pain and agony I seldom even think about. Thats why I kept a good journal. I fondly remember so much of it that I would gloss it over when telling the stories, stories that hopefully will also inspire women to get out there and enjoy life.

I'm not against slack packing. One guy had his wife meet him every 20 miles and take him to a motel or established camp. Like our record setter, he made good time, saw his family every night. We scrounges called the white van she drove The Slack Mobile. I think he missed out, maybe we're the ones who did.
We'd live on ramen and oatmeal and slept on the dirt, made cups of coffee instead of pots of the brew.
The same clothes worn daily for months on end. Who knew one pair of shorts could last five months.

I post this just to give hikers the memories side of the story, and a warning, don't try to set the new record. I heard a few other kinds of records: Ed Garvey visited every shelter on his thru hike, my life partner had the longest thru hike in '92, how about the cheapest thru hike? How about the most nights out without seeing a person. On the PCT we went 10 days without seeing another soul up in section O, I believe it was.

Anyways, happy trails. Just saying.

Solar Shower by Coleman-A Trail Story and Review

I hiked the Colorado Trail, all 468 miles at the time. Its been rerouted a little so its somewhat longer. Do it if you get a chance. Its a marvelous above treeline experience.
Nearing a resupply point, we came upon a trail crew by Copper Mountain. They invited us to stay for supper, enjoy a hot solar shower and spend the night. We accepted and had a great time of companionship. The shower held five gallons, and was plenty warm. Amazing experience. Many thanks to the Colorado Trail crew for their generosity.

Today I bought a solar shower made by Coleman. Surprisingly it only cost $7.88 at Walmart. Holds 5 gallons, and the directions say it takes about 3 hours to heat.
I have plans to use it for outdoor showers this summer, washing dishes, and basically have it for base camping.

This heat wave we've been going through made me think of turning this "lemon" into lemonade by utilizing the constant sunshine. I have it laid across the trunk of my Geo, a naturally hot spot anyways.

The red shower end is adjustable. I'll report back after more testing.

How to Send a Box Without the Post Office

Amazingly, this USA story had it right. Long distance hikers on trails do love the Post Office. We come to view it as standard procedure for shipping transitional supplies to ourselves. No one is needed as a support person back home if we do this via Bounce Boxes.

Read this article for a very realistic picture of how it goes, ideally.

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/news/story/2011/07/Post-office-closings-threaten-Appalachian-Trail-hikers/49719560/1

 

There are places on the trail that have no readily accessible post offices. At those times, a person knows they'll be resupplying at the nearest gas station for enough to make it to a decent road where they can hitchhike to a nearby town. Some hitch hikes involve 20 miles in one direction. You want to choose a town on a busy road  or  you could be standing there a very long time.

 

There are trail towns with hiker hostels nearby. Sometimes the owners will let you mail yourself a package with their address on it. Vermillion Valley, on John Muir Trail/Pacific Crest Trail, and the Sauffley's in Aqua Dulce are just two examples. Every year these places can change their policies so its always wise to check first as you plan your hike.

 

There are motels along the highways which will allow you to mail a package to yourself if you have a reservation with them. I saw several hikers making up resupply boxes to ship to themselves at these places instead of post offices mainly because the motels are open 24-7 whereas tiny post offices had unusual hours.

 

No doubt long distance hikers and section hikers will determine these key spots and everything will go on just fine. The Pacific Crest Trail has a dedicated website and there are many forums for Appalachian Trail questions.

If you chose to mail yourself extra clothing to get through the Whites on the AT, or through the John Muir higher elevations, if you can ship something that you are willing to donate to the hiker boxes at the end of that section, you can eliminate the need to ship it back home. North and South bounding hikers on the AT can take advantage of these hiker boxes and generosity much easier than those on the PCT because the traffic and common towns are much fewer on the PCT.

 

 

 

One Lucky Woman

Luck is the frosting on the cake of life. I live in a deep forest, have a studio and share a lovely mountain home with a wonderful man who I love to pieces. I am one lucky woman.

My studio is a metal building 12 x 16 which has been insulated, panelled and carpeted.

There is a lot of wild life too. Yesterday morning I watched a fawn run up and down the trail frisky as a pup. It was hilarious because she wouldn't venture into the clearing. Each trip up and back, her little tail would be flipping back and forth.
The day before that, we had four deer in the yard. I took some footage, and enjoyed watching them for half an hour. Then, I got down to my writing.

There are many bears in our neighborhood. My man has various trail camera which capture photos when movement is detected. We have noted at least 7 different bears. One mother and her two cubs are cute as can be. They seem to prefer the spring trail. Others are thinner, younger and have some scars. After examining the read end photos, we now know there is a small female, and a small male out there as well.
The bear in this photo is 3 feet at the shoulder. You can see his scar.

The seldom seen bobcat was caught coming up the driveway.

So far no snakes have been seen in the yard. That's pretty unusual. Normally we have at least one poisonous sighting.

Ultralight Silnylon Rain Jacket-Prototype

I took this video, but really the photos and text are needed to describe this prototype rain jacket.
It weighs 4. 5 ounces, is a medium, and come with this pouch which weighs 3/8 ounce. The pouch is over sized so a person can carry spare gloves in it too.

I've been using silnylon rain jackets, and sewing them for other hikers for 10 years now. Some have been made with internal pockets. The one shown here has a full frontal pocket, where data books, hand warming and other gear can be stashed. If you have your pack on, the belt will probably hit just above the pocket, giving you full access to the pocket in the rain.

Black in opaque, and good for cold weather because it draws the sunshine. You can wear it in the laundromat without anything under it, unlike a gray or blue silnylon. I have worn mine as a vapor barrier at night, it really adds warmth. I prefer using a light wicking layer between my skin and the jacket. Others say the wear the jacket by itself.

The cuffs are elastic, with finger loops to hold your sleeves down if you use hiking poles.
I sometimes hang my jacket by these finger loops to provide privacy under a tarp set up.

The hood is generous. Some folks have mentioned at first they thought it too large. I explained that this way, when you wear a hat and pull the hood up, you have a natural beak and rain won't be running into your eyes. I bought a heavy rain coat once with a scanty hood and that is one problem I noticed. Hence, I always sew an ample hood with any jacket I make. The hood has a draw cord.

The hem of the jacket also has a draw cord. This keeps heat in when needed. I used a silnylon jacket on all my trails, wearing only a tank top under it. Some mornings it was just for warmth,  days in driving rain it made all the difference between being cold or comfortable.

This pouch can hold many things, and you can hang it from your belt by the strap. You can vent this non breathable jacket by rolling it up from the bottom to chest level, by pushing up the sleeves, or taking the sleeves off but keeping the jacket on. The generous cut allows you to layer underneath as well.

I made a belt loop pouch to keep this rain jacket handy. There's enough room in it for a pair of gloves.

This is a medium jacket, sleeve length is about 32 inches from center of spine. The jacket is 26 inches long, enough to be hip length. Fit depends on each individuals body composition. You can see there are very few seams. Like all the gear I make, seams are double rolled for strength and long life.

You can buy this prototype for $40, which includes shipping, by checking out how to order on the sales page.  http://brawnyview.blogspot.com/p/sales-page.html

When Ice Was A Buck

Just yesterday I was in Wal Mart, doing the weekly town trip. I check my blood pressure and heart rate at the pharmacy department, make sure to visit the sale aisle, and see what's new in the camping/ outdoor department, lifting various items for weight.

I noticed a bag of ice now goes for $3.50. Where have I been?  Used to be a buck. I know it was, I remember that.

Then it occurred to me I sound like my mom, kinda getting old. And it further occurred to me why youngsters, you know who you are, aren't disturbed by this, or anything bothering the country now.
This is their reality. They don't remember when you could get a Baskin Robbins cone for a quarter. They don't remember when  you could find a pay phone nearly everywhere you went. Now we need cell phones cause you can't call home from the nearest pay phone. Aren't any.

And it occurred to me they won't remember when you couldn't find ultralight backpacking gear. Used to be you had to wait forever for a little cottage industry to fill an order, or buy some silnylon from a outfitters five states away and try to talk mom into sewing something for you.

Its good, all good. No wonder there is a measure of hope in our kids because this is their reality. Some of the older folks I talk to seem out of hope, expecting Armageddon at any time. Breathing down our necks. They remember the times when ice was a buck.

Media can work us over, hammering for a story. I'm guilty of much worry over the economic mess our country is in. Can we still afford to follow our path? Can we afford not to? Life is short. Think Amy Winehouse.

And too, I remember the huge Y2K thing  that was supposed to happen. All the computers going down, people were stocking up on dehydrated goods, toilet paper, not flying. I was working at a retirement center at the time. They asked me if I could be on standby, just in case. Like the ovens might go down? I said, sure, no problem. Just call me.
Last week they warned us about Carmegedon in California. Didn't happen.

Need to warn us about the real things. Like maybe too many politicians on the payroll. I say down size, down size them all. How many senators do we really need? I think one per state would be able to hold up  negotiations just as well as two.

Just Can't Take the Heat

Guess I am a morning person, but that's not all of it. Just don't like the heat. Heat can sap the energy right out of a person, even when they drink tons of water.

An early start to the day gives  a person plenty of time to get stuff done before the sweat starts dripping off your brow, down your eyebrows, off your nose, onto your shirt.
Sorta salty stuff, that.

When the thermometer is ready 90, the shade is a mighty sweet find. A cold bottle of water, barefooted and fancy free. That's what I'm talking about.

Now, those who have a real job, I'm hoping its air conditioned or else they let you have some breaks. I've worked a line behind the grill, the saute end of things, and the wheel. Love the cooking, just can't take that heat!

Northbounders Meeting Southbounders

I got to the Maine border August 1st. I'd seen a few south bounders before this. It was always good to ask another long distance hiker who has been over the trail section I'm heading into if they have any tips.

One guy who made the most difference had come through the White Mountains. I met him at the frat house in Hanover, New Hampshire. He told me he had more food after finishing the Whites than when he started because he ate at the huts. Every day, after the guests were fed, he'd eat leftovers for a buck.
Well, that sounded really good to me.
Resupplying before the Whites, I took four days of food, not too heavy, and planned on capitalizing on that perk.
Sure enough, it was just as he said. One really decent morning, my friend and I ate blueberry pancakes, syrup, and steaming hot coffee, all we wanted for a buck a piece. The crew was mopping the place, stark naked except for aprons, and just asked if we'd mind eating outside so they could finish their jobs.
No problem, we chimed. Excellent!
We did a work for stay at the Hut of the Clouds, sleeping on the tables after the guests were fed. Our jobs had been to wash dishes. Worked.

South bounders can give you a heads up on the town you're approaching, avoid the certain restaurant cause they give small portions or don't let you bring your pack inside. They can warn you about shelters over run with local thugs.

By the same token, if they ask you for tips, you can give them good information. Some hikers are too nosey, too bossy, or just give a bad vibe. I'm not saying I'd talk to everyone I met.
But if the situation is good, it can really be a benefit.

One thing I always hated was meeting hikers who had an over competitive chip on the shoulder, comparing miles, weights, and expensive gear. My favorite quote "In the end you find no one wins, and the race was only with yourself ."

Chicago's Death Wave of '95-Beat the Heat

The current heat wave sweeping the country reminds me of the heat wave we encountered up Chicago way in 1995. Read more about it :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Chicago_heat_wave

Basically, you have fatal humidity coupled with record heat and people living in a place where its too dangerous to open windows. A place where older people are more isolated, smack in the middle of a huge town whose officials didn't declare the warning until the last day.

We really shouldn't need a warning. If someone is feeling very hot, not drinking enough, or not sweating, things are getting serious. If you know someone who lives alone, living in a heat advisory location, call them up, check on them.

One of my best ways of cooling down  when the power goes out is to get a basin of cold water and sit down with my feet in it. Get a cold glass of water, and sip it while relaxing in the shade. If you need some extra cooling, get a paper fan and use it. If you get your hair wet, the fanning feels even better.

If you're planning some hiking during hot weather, get an early morning start. Try to stop by a lake, creek or river at lunch time. Take a swim, get your clothes wet, and stay in the shade. Wait a while before continuing. Remember after 3 p.m things will start to cool down and you can get some more miles in.
One of the worse places to hike through during a heat wave on the Appalachian Trail is that cornfield north of Duncannon in Pennsylvania. I got through there when the leaves were only knee high, early June. Can't imagine what it would be like in July.

All modesty aside on the Pacific Crest trail, when we came near water, I would take off my shirt, rinse it in the stream and continue on. This is one time when a cotton t shirt is better than synthetic because it will absorb more water and dry much slower. Throw a cotton t shirt into your bounce box for the desert and Hat Creek Rim of the PCT if you can.

Three main words of advice if you're out on a trail : Drink, drink, drink.