RABBIT STARVATION


By Guest Writer Tom Hron
You must quickly find food when you’re lost in a wilderness, otherwise you’re doomed. Everyone has heard, “Oh, people can live for a month without eating.” That’s false, and you only have a few days in which to find something to eat, and that’s assuming you’re in good physical condition in the beginning and have fat re-serves to burn. If you’re skinny, curl up and kiss your butt good-bye in just a few days. The only time humans can live for a long time without eating is when they’re fasting in bed, hardly the case when you’re camping out and burning calories like crazy.
“I always carry a survival kit with snare wire,” you say, “so I’ll catch rabbits and ground squirrels to eat.” Sorry, but that’s another thing that’s misunderstood. Eat-ing their lean meat is like taking poison, and in a matter of three or four days you will be sicker than a dog. Diarrhea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, low blood pres-sure, and chronic weakness—it’s called “rabbit starvation,” and the more you eat the hungrier you will get until your belly gets so bloated that you’ll look seven months pregnant. Early explorers learned the hard way to leave these little critters alone.
It takes two things to stay alive in the outdoors—fats and carbohydrates. Tak-ing the carbohydrates first, that presents a problem in itself, since it means you must find edible berries, nuts, and roots as soon as you can. For those who worry that they can’t do it, I’d like to remind them that if the Neanderthals could do it, why can’t you? Blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, arctic willow roots, cattail shoots, dandelions, pine nuts, wild rice, and fireweed are all possible sources of food. And there are just as many things in desert regions. Buy a book, take a hike, and make it a game to learn as much as you can about the plants you find in your surroundings. It’s not as hard as you think.
Finding fats is an entirely different challenge, since Native Americans from day one knew how to harvest deer, elk, and moose that had stores of fat along their backbones. Nowadays, of course, it’s foolish to believe people can hunt big game with homemade bows, arrows, and spears, and so what can a wilderness survivor do? The answer is to find a beaver pond, which is easy for almost everyone. Bea-vers are the one animal that is simple to locate and that build muddy runways where it’s fairly easy to snare them. An option is to tear a hole in their dam and wait in ambush, although that’s not as easy as you think. You must surprise them a good ways from water or you’ll never catch them. Use a club to administer the coup de grace.
Once you have your beaver, you’re in fat city. Its tail is loaded with nutrition and all you have to do is cut it off, roast it in hot coals, peel off the skin, and eat until you’re full. Native Alaskans still prize beaver as food. Try it and you’ll like it, especially when you’re starving to death!

Tom Hron has flown Alaska and the High Arctic with floatplanes and helicopters, written historical novels for Penguin in New York, and adventured all over North America. He tells about his experiences on www.alaskaexpert.blogspot.com and sells his “bear alarm” on www.packalarm.net.

Rabbit by Peterastn
Beaver by Paul Stevenson

Day Hiking the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon


This old Indian trail is now the most popular trail hiked in the Grand Canyon.  Bright Angel is an excellent way to see the canyon up close without having to plan for a difficult overnight hike (but you can do an overnight to the bottom and back if desired). Carrying water is highly recommended all year, especially in the summer.  You’ll be able to refill your water container seasonally at resthouses at 1.5 and 3 miles, and all year at the Indian Garden at 4.6 miles.

The National Park Service recommends the 3-miles resthouse as a good turn around spot, but if you continue in the summer it’s highly recommended that you turn around at the Indian Garden at 4.6 miles (making a 9.2 mile round trip).

I hiked this trail a few years ago and still have good dreams about the canyon.  If you’ve seen the Grand Canyon you understand why I say that it can’t be described in words or truly shown in pictures.  If you haven’t been to the Grand Canyon I suggest this day hike as a way to experience this natural wonder.

Pros and Cons of Hiking the Bright Angel Trail

Pros:

    Amazing views
    Well maintained
    Provides some areas of shade
    Water available (seasonally at some resthouses)
    Easy walk down

Cons:

    Busy
    You still should carry water as it’s limited and not always available
    Difficult walk back up (don’t forget about this as you stroll deeper and deeper into the canyon.)

Hiking Tips for the Bright Angel Trail

    Carry water bottle or Camelbak
    Be physically prepared / in shape
    Wear comfortable but sturdy shoes or hiking boots
    Bring moleskins for blisters
    Bring extra socks in summer
    Layer your clothing as it can be cool if you start early, but can quickly become hot
    Wear a broad brimmed hat, carry sunglasses, and sunscreen

Photo by Peter Stevens

On the Trail

New Site

Hiking Trip Reports now has a new template. A new decade is upon us and it was time for a new template with bolder colors and stronger fonts. You’ll also notice a new logo. The site and the logo will go through a few more tweeks in the coming days that I hope will make your experience here even better. Be sure to join the Facebook group and follow HTR on Twitter. If you have any ideas for the site or would like to submit a guest post please contact me using the form linked above right.
Thanks
Scott

Four Steps for Survival in the Wilderness


Being prepared for anything ahead of time is the most important piece of advice you’ll ever get when surviving in the outdoors. Most people will prepare for an emergency on a long hike or trip, but few do for short ones. The problems is that many still get injured or lost on short outings and are not prepared because they didn’t expect to be gone long. I’ll talk about some items you should always have with you – even for short outings/day hikes/etc. – later, but for now here are four steps to keep in mind if you get lost or stuck in the outdoors.

1. Stay Warm and Dry. If you prepared ahead of time and brought extra clothing and raingear you can ensure that you’ll stay warm and dry as night falls or weather conditions change. Always carry clothing for the worst possible weather conditions over the next 48 hours.
2. Find Water. You can go many days without food, but you’ll need water quickly. In the Southeast, where I live, this usually isn’t a problem, but in many parts of North America and the world you may be miles from water.
3. Find or Build Shelter.
4. Find Food. After you are warm and dry, find water, and have a safe and dry place to rest and sleep you can venture out to find food. Just don’t lose your way back to your shelter.
There’s much more to be said about each of these steps and about wilderness survival in general, but keeping these four steps in mind will help you organize your survival until help arrives.

Photo by Lin Pernille Photography

Hiking the Grand Canyon Video

Below is an excellent video about Grand Canyon hiking.  This six minute video contains information about the best trails to hike and how to get permits, if needed.

If you have a hiking trip report about hiking the Grand Canyon, or just a picture or two you want to share, let us know so others can enjoy and learn from your experience.

Layering for Hiking Made Easy


The best way to stay warm and to keep your body temperature regulated on a hike is with the layering system.  This may sound complex at first, but really is simple.  The basics of the system are that you wear multiple layers of clothing that you can take off or add as needed.  When you’re hiking and generating heat you remove layers to stay cool.  When you stop for a break or camp for the night you add layers to stay warm.  Below are the basics to know for each layer.

Inner Layer – This is the layer next to your skin.  This layer is most often thermal underwear (top and bottom) that is designed to wick moisture away from your skin to keep you dry.  If you are wet it is very difficult to stay warm.  The best thermals are usually synthetic and are specially designed to pull moisture away from the skin to the outside of the thermal where it evaporates.  Avoid cotton, as cotton doesn’t dry well or wick.  A t-shirt can be included in this layer.

Mid Layer – This layer traps air and is the layer that keeps you warm.  This can be fleece or any synthetic.  Look for windproof fleece.  You can add several layers to your core (chest) if needed.  Be sure to bring something very warm to wear at night around camp.  Any insulated tops or warm shirts can be added to this layer as needed as well as fleece pants.
For pants I like convertible pants that have removable legs so they turn into shorts.  For hikes in areas that are cold in the morning and warm or hot later these convertible pants save you space in your pack and are easy to convert without removing your pants.

Outer Layer / Shell – The shell is the outer layers that protects you from wind and water (rain, snow).  It must be breathable or your body will turn into a sauna.  I know this because the rain gear I used in the Army was not much more than a rubber suit and when we wore it and the rain stopped the rain suits turned into sweat machines.  A good rain top will have zippers under the armpits and other zippers to allow you to get fresh air when the rain slows.

Gloves – Keeping your hands warm and usable is essential to enjoying your hike.  Remember that your gloves may get wet from cooking so consider a waterproof outer glove and a thinner inner glove liner.  Again you can remove one or both of these as needed.

Headgear – A chunk of your body’s heat escapes through your head.  By keeping your head warm you protect your body and increase your comfort.  With layering you can adjust your head warmth as needed.  A good hat to protect from sun and rain is an easy luxury, and a scarf for your neck protects from wind that finds its way around your clothing.  I have a balaclava that covers my face for very cold conditions.

As you can see the name pretty much explains the system.  There are many synthetic materials (and now improved wool even) to choose from.  Any reputable outdoor shop can help you create an excellent layering setup for your hiking trips.  You might even be surprised to find that you already have many of the items needed.

tip:  Don’t try to bring every warm item you own or your pack will be heavy and bulky.  Put together a layered system for each trip that only includes what you need so that when layered for the coldest condition you’re wearing everything.

Introducing Collin

Our new baby boy was born Friday, February 19th.  He weighed in at 9 pounds and was just over 21 inches long.  We can’t wait to get him outside and hiking with his big brother.  Mom and dad are doing great, but big brother is still undecided.

New Site Look and Feel Coming Soon

I’m working on a new theme for Hiking Trip Reports.   I like the current look because it’s simple and brings the focus to the posts and images, but it’s time to update the site and bring it into the new decade.  The new look will keep with the clean and easy to read focus, but will have larger text and cleaner lines making it even easier to read.  I’m also looking for someone to create a logo for the site, so contact me if you have any ideas.

The World’s Best Hikes

Gadling.com just posted their list of the world’s best hikes.  I have to commend them because this is a great list.  Hikers will drool over this list as they read about Machu Picchu, Zion Narrows, and the Haute Route.  I’ve hiked two of these hikes and part of a third.  You can see me on the Mt. Whitney trail in the photo below.  I hope to have a few photos of me on the Haute Route someday.

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