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Bobby the Backpacker

Having been a backcountry backpacker for quite a few years it is with great pleasure that I present the world with this website.

Items to bring to the backcountry.

Hey I've got a great idea, let's start exporting oil to Kuwait! Pretty dumb idea huh? Just as dumb as bringing fuel to the wilderness, the wilderness is full of fire wood, so why bring something to burn? Don't be an idiot, get a wood stove. The Trailstove by Stratus is the big favorite among hikers but there are others too.

CAMP STOVE

If you don't have a flashlight you can't see anything in the dark. Always bring an extra one too and extra batteries.

LIGHT

You can do pretty much anything without duct tape but a lot of things are much easier and less frustrating with duct tape.

DUCT TAPE

It's a bit heavy and you probably won't need it but in case you do it's very good to have to disinfect a wound or start a very hard to start fire. You don't need to bring a lot, a few ounces will do just fine.

RUBBING ALCOHOL

Carry some good strong string in your pack. It is very useful for a number of things. You will need it on every single outing guaranteed.

STRING

Back in the old days I used to carry a Swiss army knife where ever I went, then the Leatherman tools came, now I carry one of each. If I had to pick one I would probably pick the Leatherman tool just for the pliers, but there are lots of tasks where the Swiss army knife still has the upper hand.

TOOL

HOW TO MAKE AN IGLOO

PICK A SPOT
You should build your igloo on a level surface where the snow is at least 3 feet deep. There should be enough hard snow for your igloo, if the surface snow is powdery there's probably hard packed snow a bit deeper. Large bumps on the surface of the snow it usually means that there is a large object below the snow such as a boulder or a large stomp, they can get in the way so it's better to pick as flat a spot as possible. Don't make your igloo bigger than it needs to be. Mark out in the snow where you plan to have the wall of your igloo.

CUT BLOCKS
Cut out blocks from the area which will be the inside of the igloo. The lower blocks should be about 1 foot thick, 3 feet long and 1.5 feet high, the higher blocks should be about 6 inches thick, 2 feet long, and 1 foot high. If you size the blocks as I have said above you will need approximately the following number of blocks:

Sleeping 1 person, 6 feet inner diameter: 30 blocks
Sleeping 2 people, 7 feet inner diameter: 40 blocks
Sleeping 3-4 people, 9 feet inner diameter: 60 blocks

Don't worry if you think you'll have trouble fitting, once the igloo is finished you can carve out a bit of space for your feet from the inner wall.
The hole resulting from your cutting will be the floor in the igloo so you want a sleeping area for each person as high up as possible, a general purpose area that should be a bit lower to allow for mobility, and a deep entrance hole that extends outside of the igloo. The entrance hole should be as narrow as possible while still allowing you to get in and out without too much discomfort. The deep entrance hole will absorb the cold air and release it to the outside while the warm air will rise and stay trapped inside the dome.

BUILD A SPIRAL CIRCLE
Place your largest and widest blocks in a circle around the hole where you have been cutting out your blocks, the blocks should be tilted in towards the center. Start with the block that goes on top of the entrance hole, the whole entrance hole must be traversed by one single block with plenty of support on both sides. Cut the blocks so they form a spiral, make sure that the block covering the entrance hole is the largest block.

BUILD WALL
Add blocks to the wall until you only have a small opening in the roof. Before you get to the point that it's hard to get in and out of the dome move any blocks not yet used to the inside of the dome so you can put them all up in one sweep from the inside.

TOP PIECE
When all the blocks are in place cut the final top piece to the right size. If you can wiggle it out from the inside and lower it down into position that's great, but if your hole is very circular this won't be possible, you'll have to put the block on top of the dome from the outside and then lower it down from the inside.

FINISHING
Fill any cracks with snow.
Make a little doorway over the entrance to keep snow out.
You have to make at least one air hole in the roof to ensure proper ventilation. Without good ventilation you could run out of oxygen, very dangerous.
Smoothen the inside of the dome to prevent water dripping.
Your igloo is now ready to be lived in, check your air hole periodically to make sure it's not blocked. If you've done everything right you will be quite comfortable.

California National Historic Trail

The California Trail carried over 200,000 gold-seekers and farmers to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's, the greatest mass migration in American history. Today, more than 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped lands between Casper Wyoming and the West Coast, reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American travelers and settlers. More than 240 historic sites along the trail will eventually be available for public use and interpretation.

The California Trail system (more than 5,500 miles) was developed over a period of years, and numerous cutoffs and alternate routes were tried to see which was the "best" in terms of terrain, length and sufficient water and grass for livestock. The general route began at various jumping off points along the Missouri River and stretched to various points in California, Oregon, and the Sierra Nevada. The specific route that emigrants and forty-niners used depended on their starting point in Missouri, their final destination in California, the condition of their wagons and livestock, and yearly changes in water and forage along the different routes. The trail passes through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.

CONTACTS

Email - CALI_Interpretation@nps.gov

Fax- 801-539-4098

Write to
324 South State St., Suite 250
PO Box 45155
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155

Phone
Headquarters - (801)539-4095

TRAVEL BASICS

Weather & Climate
For information about weather and travel conditions along the California Trail, contact local offices of the Bureau of Land Management, the National Forest Service, or state tourism.

Accessibility
For information on the accessibility of facilities along the California Trail, contact the National Park Service Long Distance Trails Office, or local offices of the Bureau of Land Management, the National Forest Service, or state tourism.

Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service

Hey I've got a great idea, let's start exporting oil to Kuwait! Pretty dumb idea huh? Just as dumb as bringing fuel to the wilderness, the wilderness is full of fire wood, so why bring something to burn? Don't be an idiot, get a wood stove. The Trailstove by Stratus is the big favorite among hikers but there are others too.		CAMP STOVE
If you don't have a flashlight you can't see anything in the dark. Always bring an extra one too and extra batteries.		LIGHT
You can do pretty much anything without duct tape but a lot of things are much easier and less frustrating with duct tape.		DUCT TAPE
It's a bit heavy and you probably won't need it but in case you do it's very good to have to disinfect a wound or start a very hard to start fire. You don't need to bring a lot, a few ounces will do just fine.		RUBBING ALCOHOL
Carry some good strong string in your pack. It is very useful for a number of things. You will need it on every single outing guaranteed.		STRING
Back in the old days I used to carry a Swiss army knife where ever I went, then the Leatherman tools came, now I carry one of each. If I had to pick one I would probably pick the Leatherman tool just for the pliers, but there are lots of tasks where the Swiss army knife still has the upper hand.		TOOL