Do you bring anything extra?

I was just wondering, aside from dressing appropriately to begin with, do you bring anything extra with you in terms of attire? Maybe something additional to help with the cold or rain if conditions get that way?

 

Bring lots of extra underwear and socks. Well in Hawaii its mostly flip flops. But you are a extreme hiker, hours on end, you need to take care of your feet. Don't forget to bring some can goods just in case you are not able to search for food.

 

Ah yes, how easily people end up forgetting necessities like that...some things don't seem memorable to people until you're in desperate need of them! My climate is nothing like Hawaii, lol, no flip flopping here .

 

What you wear on your feet is very important, depending on the area where you are hiking or camping. If there are no venomous snakes in the area, a good pair of hiking boots or even tennies will be fine for the expedition. However, if you are out walking on trails where there might be any dangerous snakes; it is certainly very important to wear good leather hiking boots that go at least mid-way up your calf.

I was bitten by a copperhead; and it was NO fun! The good part was that it was right in my own yard; so I was easily able to go to the hospital for treatment. However, if I had been out in the middle of the woods somewhere; it might have been a completely different story. I was just wearing sandals, and it was a small copperhead; so I at first thought that I had been scraped by a rose bush, or blackberry vines. Then, I realized that I didn't have either roses, or blackberries near where I was at; so I turned around to look, and there was a coiled up snake giving me a hateful look that said he was ready to strike again. After that, I didn't wear my sandals out where there might be snakes, and I bought myself a sturdy pair of hiking boots.

 

Oh wow...you're fortunate that you were able to get help right away, they can be quite dangerous in the wrong conditions. I honestly hadn't given that too much thought...snakes absolutely terrify me, on top of the question of whether they're venomous or not being relevant. I try to stick to places where there are unlikely to be many snakes, but it's impossible to say there won't be any .

 

One thing that I usually take along with me when I am out fishing, or even camping, is a wide-brimmed hat. If you are back into the woods, then it is probably not a problem; however, if you are out sitting in that nice sunshine, waiting for a fish to nibble on your hook, then having a hat to shelter your head from the sun is an excellent idea.

I have a lightweight, foldable sunhat that I wear when I am outside in the summer, even when I am just at home working in my own yard. I enjoy the sunshine, but not beating down on my head and face; but I don't want a heavy hat that causes you to sweat and insulates the heat into your scalp, either, so the lightweight, white, wide-brimmed sunhat works perfectly for what I need.

Besides, it looks cute...........that is always important, you know.

 

A wide brimmed hat? I don't know anyone who wears a wide brimmed hat.

 

...that was fun knee...MacGyver - like your style!

DO I BRING ANYTHING EXTRA?

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I make sure I bring along extra

• Humour

• Corny Jokes

• Fun Stuff

• Great Attitude

• Fabulous Friends

• lots of food,

ya just can't have enough of that stuff!

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Tilley's

 

A lot of that probably has to do with more and more people worrying about skin cancer. There are places even selling hats with full face shields. I probably should worry about skin cancer myself since it runs in the family, but my more immediate concern is my eyes. Especially as I've gotten older, I can't handle any kind of bright light or glare for too long. I have polarized sunglasses everywhere - in the vehicles at home and work, by the doors in the house, in the camping box, the tackle box, etc... With the matte black underside, the hat really helps - sometimes to the point where I can go a while without the glasses.

 

I'm a great list man...one for every camp occasion. If it ain't on the list is ain't go-in no where. When at base camp I always have my handy dandy camp tool kit - from hooks, to sling shot, from tent repair patches, to paint brushes, from pencils and thumb tacks, hooks, and extra matches, I have it just about covered.

 

...I'm a failure ,
but then again, I'm always encouraged when a colleague says to me, "You wouldn't happen to have_____________ would you?" OF COURSE I DO!

Paint brushes ? I hope none of them there parks peoples read this. But I'm in the habit of leaving a little sign of my presence. A bear paw, a bear, perhaps a wolf. Last year I painted a moose on a side of a live tree that was missing some bark. Other times I take a crack at dot painting and see how it turns out.

You have seen this before...

 

A bunch of years back, one of my camping buddies was all beaming while he showed off his air tank. "If anyone gets a flat, I've got you covered", he said. I walked over to my truck, grabbed a piece of my own gear and told him, "Here - when you're done pumping up someone's tire, I'll fill your tank back up with this compressor". Everyone laughed while he walked back to his truck, laughing, but shaking his head. "What don't you have in that truck?"

Once in a while someone will still bring that little episode up and we all get a chuckle out of it. I won't tell people online what the full nick is because some of it isn't exactly nice (still funny though), but I will say that my camping buddies put "12 volt" before the MacGyver. Half a dozen kinds of lights, stereo, filet knife, rotary tool, reciprocal saw, drill, coffee maker, water pump, inverter... gotta have my toys!

 

It's my practice to paint small markers on rocks embedded in the ground - frequently on a trail. I usually do it in black with the standard hobby paint knowing that it will eventually wash off without any damage to the environment. When I'm in the area I look for them. Within a year or two they sort of look like an ancient symbol. I stay with a handful of models to avoid the graffiti look and they are rare as not to create an eye sore. I would hope that they are favoured, especially by children and youth.

 

Go ahead, whisper it in my ear.....promise.....I won't tell anyone.....really.....I wont.

 

"What happens in Green Ridge State Forest, stays in Green Ridge State Forest"

 

I can't believe you said that....after all we've been through together.

 

If you ever decide to come down from the Great White North and happen to find yourself in Maryland during one of our trips...

 

...you know something? Stranger things have happened.

Glad you are with us MacGyver - you make the site fun and interesting. If you ever plan to come up to the Great White North to Algonquin...