Cosley 10K Results!

The Cosley Run for the Animals in Wheaton was my first ever competitive long distance run,  and for me it was an awesome experience. I am now completely hooked on distance running. I started the run with my friend Gene, and my brother-in law. Due to the fact that there were about 1300 5k runners and 700 10k runners all starting on the same course it was a little crowded for the first mile or so. I took this time to have a discussion on movies with my hungover friend Jordan while jogging slowly. At the end of the 1st mile, my time was around 8:50. 

After this point I increased my pace a bit and kind of got in the zone. I was on cruise control into the end of the end of the 5k. At that point a man shouted to me that my time was around 24:30. I had expected to feel like "oh crap, I have to do that again?" but I felt good, and stayed the course. At around the beginning of the fifth mile, my right knee, which had been giving me trouble in the beginning of the week, locked up, along with my right calf. FML. I pushed on, albeit at a slower pace. At the beginning of the 6th mile a girl with an enormous ass passed me up, and I decided to go Kamikazee style. For the next 1.2 miles, I sprinted. I passed tons of people in this last stretch to the finish. 

Results: 49.37.2 which was 12.8 seconds better than my goal of 50 minutes

Overall pace: 8:00 minutes per mile

Overall Mens 10k: 140/348

Age bracket: 11/18

Based on my final sprint at the end, I think that I did not leave it all on the course. It may have been a crazy cocktail of raceday adrenaline, potassium, endorphines and good will, but at the end of my sprint across the finish line I was not even tired, and felt as if I could have run a few more miles. I think this could be an impetus for me to run faster next time to try to shave some time off of my 10k PR, or maybe motivate me to train for a half marathon. 

Following this race, we celebrated by watching the USA play Honduras in the World Cup soccer/football qualifying match at Soldier Field in Chicago. This was the first time that I had seen a professional soccer match in person, and it was very impressive. I guess it was a Saturday of firsts for me. The USA won 2-1. 

Cosley Run for the Animals

For the last few month I have been training to run my first ever 10K race. This Saturday,I will be racing in the Cosley Run for the Animals in Wheaton, Illinois with some friends and family, as well as a few thousand other people. I am not trying to win the race, and I will not even be close considering that my knee has been in some pain lately, but I will finish it. I will finish it because of the free drink ticket that will be validated when I finish the race. I will keep the world posted of my results. 

This 10K is not so much an adventure so much as it is a small test of my skill and an excuse to train my body for any other adventure that may arise. 

Devil's Lake Trip

This weekend myself and a small and select group of FIBs decided to jump the border to explore the beautifully evil landscape of Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. For those of you that don't know, FIB stands for F---ing Illinois Bastards, and is a derogatory term Wisconsinites use to describe the Illinois residents that ignore their existence during the week only to invade their state on the weekends.

We drove up to Wisconsin Friday night after we all got out of work, and arrived at the Green Valley campground at about 9 PM. We quickly setup our tents and ignited a fire, around which we exchanged stories, memories and beers.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast we headed for the hills. We drove to the South Beach of Devil's Lake and began our ascent into the park's Eastern Bluffs. Once there, Curt expertly lead climbed a face, allowing the rest of us to safely top-rope the climb. After we broke down this line up the face, we set up another route on an adjacent face. As I was preparing to repel down the cliff, it began to rain really hard. Due to the fact that climbing is difficult, and that climbing wet granite is nearly impossible, we decided to quit climbing for the day. We hiked and bluff-cracked our way toward the lake. Once there, we followed some train tracks to a semi-secluded location which allowed us the luxury of cannon-balling into the frigid water from large boulders rather than having to slowly wade in from the beach. At this point, the rain had subsided, and the sun was blazing, and it was a great day for baptising in the cold water.

That night we grilled, had a camp fire, drank more beer, and told more stories.

On Sunday morning we awoke early, and again hiked the CCC(Civilian Conservation Corps) trail to the East Bluffs, and did more climbing. While we were finishing up climbing, an older gentleman that had been watching us climb asked if he could try out our rope. Adam belayed him while he made easy and efficient work of a climb that had really challenged us. Upon his safe return to Earth, Curt asked him how long he had been climbing, to which he replied 57 years. The man was 67 years old and was in better shape than any one of us, he was a climbing machine. He went on to tell us about the horrible gear he used when he started climbing and that he gave up mountaineering because most of his mountaineering friends were dead from mountaineering. This included his brother that had died 12 years earlier in Japan, when they were both buried in an avalanche. This man whose name was Ed said that he is currently working on a few climbing projects that include a 5.13 A climb, which is ridiculous. What an interesting old dude to talk to. You know when you see an old man with a shirt that says "Old Guys Rock!". Generally speaking they do not rock, and in fact they suck. Ed broke the stereotype, and really did rock.

When we finished talking with Ed, we hiked back to our swimming spot, and did a few dives. Afterward, we decided to do more hiking. We adventured to the Devil's door, and Balance Rock, then hiked back to our car to grill in the main park before hitting the open road back to our more civilized state.

This was a really good weekend, and was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends, and to explore the magnificent Devil's Lake. We will definitely be back at some point this summer.

Memorial Day Weekend

It is Memorial Day weekend, and it is time to get together with family and friends to honor those brave men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the freedoms that we enjoy. 

Besides attending my local Memorial Day parade on Monday, I will also be tagging along with a few friends to Devil's Lake, Wisconsin for a few days of hiking, camping, adventuring, and rock climbing. There may also be a chance for the more adventurous of the group to be dared into cannon-balling polar bear style into the frigid fiftyish degree water. It should also be a great weekend to take time to reflect upon those that we have lost in wars long ago, as well as in current wars. It will also be a good weekend to take mother nature on a date, and connect with some old friends. 

 

In other news, Jeff is going to be going to Bear Valley California to honor fallen heroes by drinking mass quantities of alcohol with his friends. Although he will be staying in a top of the line Cabin, the opportunity to rope swing into an iceberged lake may also present itself if anyone in his crew has what it takes. 

More updates to come. 

Survival Shelter Tune-up

It is getting nicer in the midwest, and my nephew and neice wanted to camp in their backyard. So, last Friday, I helped them setup their tent for the night, which is the tent  Ibought used at the REI Garage sale in Chicago. I then constructed a shelter for myself using two medium sized tarps, a little bit of rope, a few stakes a ski pole, and the bottom half of a Chicago Cubs "W" flag pole. 

According to the weather report that I had read several hours earlier, it was supposed to rain torrentially--this I was prepared for. I think my shelter was ideally suited for rain. 

After I made cobbler in a dutch oven on the campfire, we went to our seperate shelters. After a few minutes of lightning, my sister brought in her kids for safety. But even though there was lighting cthunder crashing around the neighborhood, I felt warm, dry and safe under the protecting arms of a few old maple trees(see. Dangerous sleeping habits)

After a few drops of rain, the storm was blown away. It was blown away by a weather system with wind gusts of 40+ miles per hour, and it seemed to be coming from both the north and south of my shelter. Unfortunately, I had not had time to test my shelter in a wind tunnel. It was not meant to endure these winds. My shelter was in a state of constant flap. I was essentially sleeping in a windsock. I barely slept. At one point I had to remove some supports and create what resembled a bivvy shelter or tarp cacoon(I am currently copywriting/patenting the tarp cacoon, so do not steal my idea.) 

Shortly after this, I began to hear the old maple trees above me begin to groan, creak, and crack. I began to worry a little about my safety. If a tree limb fell on me, what would they say at my funeral? "What an idiot!" 

What had I accomplished with my life? ......not much. 

What would the newspaper say? 

 "Pretend Survival Situation turns deadly"

 "Local Idiot crushed while sleeping in tarp cacoon"

This was unacceptable. At 4:30 AM, I brought my mummy bag and thermarest inside and slept on the couch. 

When I awoke, I went outside to take a picture of my shelter, and to gather the rest of my gear. The trees were still intact. But the tarp cocoon had been ravaged by the winds. It didn't survive the night, pictures would be too gruesome to show, just imaging what a yard sale looks like. 

I learned a few things about weather reports, and shelter placement, and that wind is the main enemy of bootleg survival shelters. 

REI Fresno Garage Sale

we got an email from an adventurer in Fresno wondering when their local Fresno REI was having its garage sale. Although it is easily googleable, I decided to post the answer for them. 

REI Fresno Garage Sale

When: 6/27/2009 9:00 AM

Where: REI Fresno

More specifically 36° 50.922' N 119° 47.406' W

The details: Members only sale. Will have great used and out of stock camping, hiking, and adventuring equipment items. Arrive early (a few hours early) for best (any) selection. 

The shot at acquiring excellent gear at rock bottom prices is definitely enticing. I highly recommend checking out this sale. 

Happy brawling!

REI Anniverary Sale

The time is upon us to stock up on adventuring gear. REI is currently in the midst of their anniversary sale. The sale includes 15% off of bikes, 20% off of some racks and boxes, and a good amount of items up for clearance. This sale ends May 10th. 

I am contemplating purchasing the GSI dualist lightweight cook system to go with my new single burner camp stove. Also, I may buy some Mountain House freeze dried food.

This is not a commercial for REI, but it happens to be my favorite store, and in a recession or not, it is always a good time to stock up on adventuring gear. 

Geocaching Success!

Okay, I did it, I went Geocaching to see what all the hype is about. First off I created a Geocaching alter ego---GatorCT. I then enlisted the help of my nephew and niece luring them with the prospect of pirate treasure. We biked to three separate cache locations. We had two unsuccessful attempts that may have been a result of human error, or muggles. At our third Cache location, we were able to discover the cache---a small black film canister. We signed our fake names, GatorCT and Bragonston. 

After one successful geocaching adventure, we are hooked, and have a healthy and exciting activity that will offer us another outdoor activity this summer. I think our next GPS induced outing will take place tomorrow. 

These caches are everywhere. Chances are there is probably one within a mile of where you are right now. Check it out at www.geocaching.com and participate in the hunt.

Watch out for muggles. 

Send us your Adventures!

Adventuring Blog has gone global. According to our records, Adventuring Blog has been visited by people from around the world. Included so far in the list of international visitors are Adventurers from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Germany,Ireland, Italy, India, Chile, Mexico, Greece, Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and we are especially popular in South Korea.

With visitors from around the United States and from around the world, we wanted to make it possible for other people to share their ideas and opinions with us. If you have any tips, recommendations or stories, we would love to hear them. In addition, if you have experienced an epoch Adventuring trip, write it up and email it to us, and there is a good chance that we will publish it in the blog.

The Adventuring Blog has a new email address.

AdventuringBlog@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

Geocaching

Today, the University of Florida's student newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator ran a story about a UF student that was involved in Geocaching as a hobby. Geocaching being searching for hidden objects, lists and treasures. Rather than using Pirate methods of looking for booty with crusty maps, modern Geocachers use hand help GPS systems to guide them on their journey. 

Why do these people do this? Not because it is pointless. They do it as an impetus for getting outside to explore new places.  To test their ability to navigate and to find hidden objects. Or as a challenge to see who can race to an object the fastest. 

Before reading this, I had heard of geocaching before, but had never given it a second thought. It certainly is not a flashy hobby, and chicks certainly will not dig it. But most girls have crappy hobbies anyway... scrap booking, cooking, cleaning, giving birth to children, etc. 

Anyway, I decided that Geocaching was an activity that I might want to try out. My brother-in-law owns a handheld GPS, and I am going to borrow it and explore this great earth one latitude at a time. In my research, I discovered http://www.geocaching.com/ which allows users to search for caches in their local area, or anywhere they may be going. I hope to have my inaugural attempt this weekend, and will keep everyone a-Breast of my explorations. 

El viaje a México estaba loco

Fireworks, tequila, surfboards, and la policia. That is how I sum up our Mexican adventure. It started off with an 8hr drive from San Francisco to Poway, CA. We arrived around 3pm and spent the rest of the day at the beach, a roof top bar, and playing in an adult league softball game. We were in no shape or form prepared for any sort of competitive activites. Sandals were not allowed in this league, so Brian borrowed some guys business dress socks and some old Goodwill looking shoes while I lucked out and got to wear my surf booties. Friday we packed up for our departure to Mexico and all met at a harbor in the San Diego Bay. With uncooperative weather, the sailing unfortunately did not take place. We did however climb aboard, daydreaming about what it would be like to be out on the open water, and then headed to Mexico in our caravan.

We crossed the border without receiving full
body searches, and made it to our condo. The
rest of our caravan wasn't supposed to arrive until late in the day, so Brian and I pulled on our wetsuits and grabbed our boards and headed out into the water. Google "K38 beach" and this is where we surfed. Friday night turned into a "pre-party" to what was supposed to be the "actual party" on Saturday night. The night ended around 2am with us throwing glow stick rings (out of Brian's survival pack) off of the 10th floor balcony and trying to make them into the pool. This game was quickly ended when security caught us. Saturday was a day full of waking up hungover, drinking lots of coffee and eating little food, surfing for 4 hrs, and then getting in the hot tub with a styrofoam cooler full of beer. The day quickly turned to night as we (we from now on consists of 4 guys, a.k.a LOTPs or Life of the Party) got dressed and headed for the "real party" celebrating Carolyn's graduation with her Masters at UCLA. Margaritas, beer, awesome mexican food, and a Mariachi guitarist. Everyone became increasingly roudy and we decided to grab our headlamps (out of our survival packs) and fireworks (not from our survival packs) and head to the local beach to light up the sky. Pictures were hard to take during this outing while we were all either trying to light fireworks or avoid losing our hearing. On our trek back to the condos, we had to trespass onto some locals land, dodge a furious canine, save Brian's pet rock that he would not leave behind, all as we were climbing a fence.

Waking up Sunday morning wasn't too hard. The past two nights I had slept out on the 10th floor balcony with my Kelty mummy bag (20 F) and my air mattress. Nothing beats the sound of the ocean and hard tile flooring after a night of drinking. Sunday we had to trek back to San Francisco. That was supposed to be about a 10 hr drive. About 1/4 of a mile from the border to the US, we were stopped by la policia (Brian was driving of course). Illegal left turn from a middle lane on a one way street, and the cop wanted us to follow him the the police station in Tijuana. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Brian talked the cop into taking $40 and letting us go! As we crossed the border, reminiscing about our weekend and about how we wanted Taco Bell, the car engine check light went on and off. We hoped this car would make it home, for we were on a tight deadline to make it home for a Easter dinner with the family by 5:30pm. Now it is about 2pm and we are broken down on the side of I-5 North. The car decided to completely shut down, which we found out later that the oil pump had failed and exhausted the entire engine (and turbo) of oil. Calling AAA got us a tow truck who towed us 3 hrs home!! We were only two hrs late for Easter dinner.

Things we learned:

-Don't drive your own car across the border

-Have some cash on you at all times, but not over $60

-Try to learn some Spanish before you head out on this adventure

-Take more tequila than you really want

-Don't throw a lit M-80 at the feet of your drunk friends

-Rocks don't always make best friends

-Never make this trip with out people you trust or people who should be there...meaning Charley next adventure we have you are COMING...no excuses!

Aventura Mexicana

Stay tuned for a detailed report on what went down in our trip from San Francisco to Rosarito, Baja Mexico. The picture above is just a taste.

Mexican Surf Adventure

Today, Brian and Jeff will be setting off from the San Francisco area for an adventurous Easter weekend in Mexico. There is little known now of whether or not they will be looking for huevos. From what I know, they will drive to San Diego, where on Friday, they may be able to stow away on a sailboat for an early morning day trip. Following their time under sail, the group they are with will be caravanning south of the border to Baja. There they will go surfing, probably drink tequila, and most likely attain a moderate case of Montezuma's Revenge. Hopefully, after their return home from this great adventure, they will post a complete synopsis of the goings on of their trip.

Below you will find a link to a guide for survival of Montezuma's Revenge, and a picture of the man himself.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4453647_survive-montezumas-revenge.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

Google Terrain view

www.maps.google.com

Google, the most innovative company on the planet, recently came up with an additional feature for Google Maps, that will be useful to Adventurers. Now, not only can someone use Google Maps for planning driving directions, they can also look at the Google Terrain view tab, which will allow them to check out the topography of a place they may want to hike. This feature will be great to plan hiking routes, or just to get a better lay of the land before setting off on an adventure. Of course you need to know how to read a topographic map, but any Adventurer worth their gorp already knows how to do that. I reccomend for everyone to take a look at this feature before your next wilderness forray. 

Below are Google Maps screenshots of Camelback Mountain in Arizona, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. 

Above: Camelback Below: Grand Canyon

Also reccomended: look at Mount Everest

REI Garage Sale- Results

On Saturday, REI had a Garage sale to get rid of items that were returned, damaged, used, or out of stock. The sale was to start at 9 AM, so I woke up around 8AM, and drove over to the store. I arrived at about 20 minutes before 9 and saw a very long line of outdoorsman and outdoorswomen lined up outside the designated garage sale parking lot. Some of the residents of this line had camp chairs, sleeping bags and one guy was wearing a Selk sleeping bag aka a mummy sleeping bag with legs check out the link to see what I’m talking about.  http://www.lippiselkbag.co.uk/store/d58-Selk-Bag-Store-(US-Dollars)

So I was in line with about 200 people in front of me. Shortly before nine, and REI employee began shouting to the crowd.

“If your mom never taught you manners, Leave now. No Pushing!, No Shoving!, No grabbing from others! If I or any other employee tells you to leave, leave immediately, you are trespassing. If pushing or shoving happens, you will be banned from all REI stores for LIFE! I can make that happen.”

With the threat of a life sentence away from our favorite store, the tension in the air was tangible. Like your first day in prison, everyone was contemplating what they would have to do to survive. I wanted to push EVERYONE.  I wanted to grab EVERYTHING!

When the floodgates were opened, I could see the people that had camped in line running like the wind to go grab armfuls of the best items. By the time I got in, many of the clothes racks had been pillaged, and the Vikings that had ravaged them were guarding massive piles of loot. I even saw one guy that had gotten his hands on three Mountain Hardware monkey man fleeces for $50 each.

I was able to snag a used REI Taj 3 tent for $39.99. It is a 3 person, 3 season backpacking tent that had formerly been used as an REI rental tent, and I’m sure it has been on many trips. It is in good condition, and as the weather improves, I can’t wait to pitch my tent!

As far as the sale went, I had the opportunity to buy some light North Face hiking boots for $35, and there were some decent snow shoes for $40, but I failed to pull the trigger before someone snatched them.  The sale was advertized as going from 9-2, but by 9:15, the place was mainly cleaned out besides a few canoes and kayaks up for auction at the end of the day. Overall, people were well behaved and courteous. For me, this was a great start to my Saturday. Up early, interaction with gear, and likeminded people, and a chance to improve my current cache of outdoor gear. I recommend REI Garage Sales for anyone; just get there earlier than I did. I will continue to look for them in my neck of the woods. 

REI Gear Garage Sale

This post only really applies for Adventurers in the Chicagoland Area, but the REI in Oakbrook Terrace is having their members only gear garage sale this Saturday. If you do nto know what REI is, you should do your research, because it is one of the best outdoor activity stores around. 

When: 4/4/2009 9AM- 2PM

The Details: 

Up to 80% off of used gear. 

Gear or clothing that was returned, damaged out, slightly flawed or is dirty. You never know what you will find: packs, tents, footwear, rain jackets, snowboards, GPS, maybe even a bike or kayak. 

Only members can purchase from the garage sale. Not a member, you can join. Lifetime membership is only $20. 

Garage sale items are sold as-is, and as priced.

Location: REI Oakbrook Terrace

 17W160 22nd St. 

 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 

 41° 50.8' N

  87° 57.783' W

Take Dad for a hike (part 2)

This weekend my sister, her husband and myself took my Dad for a birthday hike. We thought it would be a good excuse to get back in touch with good old mother nature, get some exercise, and for the reasons mentioned previously. We decided to go to the Waterfall Glen Forrest Preserve which is part of the Forrest Preserve District of DuPage County.

The weather was really quite bad earlier in the day. 31 degrees, snowing, windy and slushy. This made for sloppy hiking conditions, and some of the waterfalls we encountered that usually can be crossed were impossible to ford. As we continued on the hike, the weather improved to the point that I had to remove layers. As they say, Chicago has all four seasons, sometimes all on the same day.

This mini-adventure covered approximately 5 miles, and there was a decent amount of muddy hills to be hiked. There were a few opportunities to cross creeks and small rivers, and in better or worse weather, that is where the prime adventuring is to be done. Overall, it was a great beginner hike, and an excellent example of something to do with Dad on his birthday. 

Take Dad for a hike.

There are several reasons why you should take your Dad for a hike for his birthday.

1.       1. All Fathers’ love the outdoors. If your Dad does not love the outdoors, there is a high chance that you have two Dads and that you are adopted. (Not that there is anything wrong with that.)

2.       2. Secondly, all Father’s have one thing in common. They are extremely cheap, and they say do not want anything for their birthday.  Although it is true that most Dad’s do not actually require things, when they say that they want nothing, they really want-- GEAR.  But, a hike is a great birthday activity option, it will quench your Dad’s cheapass desire to do something free for his birthday.

3.       3. A hike is a great opportunity to get out there and put some of your gear into use. Although gear is nice to have and to look at and play with, it is a lot more fun to actually use it, and scuff it up a little. On a short birthday hike, you will get to use your knife, compass, binoculars, and whatever else you want. If your Dad does not like gear, and he prefers accessories, then sorry, you are adopted. (nothing wrong with that.)

4.      4. Spend some time with family. There is no better place than in the outdoors for your Dad to hang out with the kids he may or may not have adopted.

 

Coming soon… I actually took my Dad for a birthday hike. 

Gear

What is it that every outdoor enthusiast dreams about when he closes his eyes? No, it is not a beautiful scantily clad female climbing partner, it is GEAR. Gear-hiking boots, sleeping bags, tents, carabiners, headlamps, knives, axes, and the list goes on infinitely. Whether it is window shopping at REI or gearing up for your next adventure with Campmor, outdoor adventurers may be just as obsessive about gear as their girlfriends are with coach purses and Manolo Blahnik shoes.

For any person with a passion for the outdoors, their cache of gear is never complete, and must evolve along with technological improvements, trip requirements, and selfish personal preferences.

Over the next few days, we are going to discuss Gear. The gear we have available to us, the gear we require, and will even outline the buying process for a few items we will buy.

 

Cheers to Gear!

Contributor Bio: Brian Tucker

• Name: Brian Tucker
  
• Base Camp: Redwood City, CA
• Education: University of Florida, Go Gators!
• Industry: Residential Lending
• Music: Alternative Rock
• Adventuring Experience: Wilderness Survival, Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Fishing, Snowboarding, Surfing, Kayaking, Snow camping.
• Non-Adventure Hobbies: Classic Car Research and Restoration, Reading, Wood Working.
• Countries Traveled: USA, Canada, Mexico.
• Places where I'd like to pitch a tent: Yellowstone, Redwood National Forest, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park.
• Where I want to travel: Everywhere
• Best part about Adventuring and Travel: I try to prepare for unexpected problems when camping or hiking. I enjoy researching typical pitfalls and problems and have assembled a kit of items that would be helpful in a survival situation. I have not been in a situation that required survival skills, but feel confident that I would be prepared to handle any perilous situation that may arise.

Contributor Bio: Jeff Eckenhoff

• Name: Jeff Eckenhoff
• Home Base: San Francisco, CA
• Education: Graduated from University of Colorado-Boulder
• Industry: Commercial Real Estate
• Music: Bob Marley, Sublime, Classic Rock
• Adventuring Experience: Wilderness Survival, Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Fishing, Skiing, Surfing, Rockclimbing, Mtn. Biking, Canoeing, Kayaking, Snow camping, Cliff Jumping, international travel, Eagle Scout
• Non-Adventure Hobbies: Sand between my toes or in my hair, sports gazing, lifting
• Countries Traveled: USA, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, Thailand, England, Scotland, Ireland
• Noteworthy Adventures: Backpacking on the Kalalau Trail twice(Kauai, HI); Snowcamping (Lake Tahoe, CA); Camp Oljato (Fresno, CA); Middle Fork River Rafting Trip-5 nights (Idaho)
• Places I want to set up a tent and sleep in it: Bear Valley (CA), Pacific Coast, Mexico, Colorado Rockies, Half Dome (CA), Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Alaska
• Where I want to travel: All over the world, definitely Germany for Oktoberfest, back to Australia, South America
• Best part about Adventuring and Travel: I love being prepared for what my travels could throw my way. Being prepared is all about having the right gear for the right situations. When I don't have the right gear, I enjoy the rush of adrenaline in surviving when I don't have what I need. It is all about getting out in the wilderness, away from electricity and tvs, and spending some time with the outdoors. Backpacking 11 miles on tough terrain to a white sand beach that can only be accessed by foot or helicopter is what I dream about...

Contributor Bio: Charley Tucker

• Name: Charley Tucker
• Home Base: Chicago, IL
• Education: Graduated from University of Florida
• Industry: Technology
• Music: All, especially Classic Rock
• Adventuring Experience: Camping, Hiking, Survival, Paddling, Trekking, Trail Running, Fishing, Rafting,     International Travel, limited climbing, surfing and snowboarding. Eagle Scout.
• Non-Adventure Hobbies: Reading, Watching Sports(Florida Gators, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears), Running, Playing Sports,
• Countries Traveled: USA, Mexico, Canada, England, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Grand Cayman
• Noteworthy Adventures:
• Boundary waters Canoe trip(Minnesota, Canada, 2 times)
• Philmont Boy Scout Ranch(Cimarron, New Mexico)
• Appalachian Trail(Hiked about 100 miles of the trail)
• Europe(Backpacked when I was  a Boy Scout)
• Devil’s Bridge(Sedona, Arizona)
• N.P.’s visited: Yellowstone, Rushmore, Redwood, Everglades, Badlands, Grand Teton, Mammoth Cave, Sequoia, Voyageurs, Wind Cave,  Devil’s Tower, Glacier, and probably more.
• Places I'd like to pitch a tent: Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua Tree
• Where I want to Travel: Ireland, Italy, Germany for Oktoberfest, Hawaii, South America, Mexico again
• Best part about Adventuring and Travel: I think the best way to learn about yourself is by getting out of your comfort zone, and getting out of your daily routine.  There is no better way to do that than by taking time to cut the cord between yourself what life tells you is “important” from Monday to Friday. My favorite part about adventuring and travel is exploring new situations and experiencing the unknown. Nature is relaxing but you can never know who or what you will encounter on the trail, or while traveling. Being outdoors is refreshing and you can usually tell that by the friendly people you meet along the way.Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.  ~Albert Einstein

Mountain Survival Exercise

I spent last weekend in the Sierra Mountains in Northern California, I decided to use some of this time to build a winter survival shelter. The igloo in the picture to the right was the result of many hours cutting, shaping, and assembling blocks of snow.


Location: Alpine County, CA

Elevation: 7400 ft above sea level

Tools required: Snow Saw, shovel, Ski Poles, length of nylon cord.


I chose to build the igloo in a clearing on a south facing slope about halfway between the valley floor and the ridge, the prevailing wind was coming from the North, the entrance was built to face away from the wind to prevent excessive drafts through the structure.


In order to create a circle pattern for the igloo foundation, I used two ski poles and a 4 ft. length on nylon cord as a makeshift compass. The result was better than expected, a circle that was nearly perfect.


I then began the task of harvesting the frozen snow. The snow was acceptable, but is was not perfect. Some of the snow had been exposed to the sun and melted and was frozen again, this caused several of the blocks to break.

When the snow has been compressed and frozen, the tool of choice would be to use a snow saw, because the snow was relatively soft I was able to use a specially constructed wooden board to cut the blocks of snow. I would carry the rough blocks to the structure and shape them to fit with the edge of a snow shovel. Each time I added a block to the igloo I would place it closer to the center so that it would over hang and produce a smaller opening. Each block is cut into a partial wedge so that is fits snug to the block it is being placed beside, the prior block is helping to support the block which allows you to hang the block further out.

I cut each block to the same initial dimensions, and the result was a fairly large block of snow, this really helped the igloo take shape right away, but caused the igloo to grow rather tall, toward the end of construction I actually used the snowmobile sled as a scaffold, so that I could place the final pieces to enclose the roof. Next time I intend to use the spiral method, where you shape the first layer like a ramp so that you can construct the igloo in one continuous coil. I will also use shorter blocks to that the height doesn't present a problem. This igloo was more than 8 feet tall on the outside when I finished. I could actually stand inside of it. The inside dimensions were large enough to shelter at least three adults comfortably.




The conditions were fairly mild while I built the igloo, the temperature was in the upper 30's I decided to test the igloo and spent a couple of hours inside the igloo after dark with a tarp, and several blankets. I found that I was rather comfortable, but chose not to spend the night because the inside surface was not smoothed out and my body heat and the candles that I was burning were producing alot of drips. Overall I really enjoyed the experience, I learned alot about the construction of igloos, and I look forward to the next one. Since building this igloo the area received a massive snow storm that dropped four feet of snow. I wonder if the igloo survived.







Adventure note: We spotted two coyote around the entrance of the igloo the following morning, we watched them as they made their way to the ridge, and even saw them attack a black squirrel.

Camelback Hike

Camelback Mountain

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

Coordinates:33°30′53.0″N 111°57′41.8″W

Elevation: 2706 Ft

Vertical feet of Hike: 1334 Ft.

Length of Hike: 1.5 Miles

Packing List: 32 oz of water, 1 orange

The Camelback Mountain hike is a really great hike, that I highly 

recommend for anyone visiting the Phoenix area. On Saturday 

February 28th, my two buddies Kevin and Gene and I hit the 

mountain starting at about 9 AM. The temperature was perfect, 

in the low to mid eighties, and there was some shade to find on the

trail because it was early. 

I have done this hike several times, but it is always strenuous.  

Although it is aerobically challenging for a one and a half mile 

hike, it pretty much can be completed by anyone, and is very

popular with residents and tourists alike. 

To me, there seems to be three logical sections of the hike. The 

lower third is composed of steep stairs made of wooden railroad 

ties. The second section is extremely steep and semi-slippery

rock with sections of railing climbing up the path. The third

section is a steep hike up a few vertical fields of small boulders. 

This stage is a great quad workout.

                                                                                   

rail section

boulder 

section

We summited Camelback mountain at around 10 AM., and

enjoyed amazing views of the entire valley, and I enjoyed my 

celebratory orange. What a great way to start a morning!

view from 

the top

summit

pushups

Previous Weekend's Adventures

This Last weekend was an eventful one for all of us. Charley went to Arizona, and climbed Camelback Mountain. Jeff went to Seattle, and Brian constructed a professional grade igloo in Bear Valley, California. Over the next couple days we will post stories and pictures of last weekend's adventuring, as well as the promised Bios.