Decided to go for a short hike yesterday afternoon, about 1.5 hours from sundown. This is a little forested area which is relatively untraveled save for a few regulars, so it's normally really quiet, and great for seeing animal sign. The lighting during the hike was incredible. Dark grey clouds under a light grey overcast sky, lit up by a setting sun and reflecting off of the snow on the ground. Something to note is the layering system I'm using. Synthetic moisture wicking base layer, light fleece insulation layer, and a wool shirt-jac. This works so well at keeping your temperature regulated both while hiking, and while stopped, it's incredible. The three layers are so breathable and effective at their given tasks, the sweat was accumulating under the waxed webbing strap of my haversack, without a drop of sweat noticeable on my clothing, or skin. It was about +2C when I headed out, and ended up being about -2C when I got back, and I was perfectly comfortable the entire time. Yours truly sporting my new hot waxed Finnish gas mask bag scout kit. Lots of deer tracks up this way. I saw a few of them come out of the forest later that night. @Bushman5 Here's my walking staff. I'll also post this in your walking stick thread, as I said I would. 7' 3" tall, 1.25" thick hazel which weighs 1kg or 2.2lb, with an Elk antler topper, epoxied and pinned on with two 3/16" diameter brass rods. The change in ambient lighting, and overall plant life changed drastically as I moved from the new growth Maple forest, into the Old Growth. The dense Evergreen canopy above kept almost all of the snow from reaching the ground, allowing the green underbrush to survive. Heading back out into the new growth, with mixed old growth. Over the course of the past month, we were pummeled with freezing fog and rain, high winds, and heavy snow which ended up taking large trees down along the highway. I expected to find a lot more dead fall along the trail than I did. This is all I found. A small, dead Maple sapling fallen across the path at just below head height. I decided to remove it with my Laplander.
Nice and clean. Walking stick resting up against a tree to the left. Turbulent grey clouds above. @Klynesquatch Here's my Scout Kit in progress. A Finnish gas mask bag purchased from @5col. I hotwaxed it with pure bees wax, which makes it much stiffer and completely waterproof. Once I have everything worked out, and the kit complete, I'll make a thread about it. A lone, common Snowberry. Some really tiny deer tracks. As compared to the 1" diameter tip of my walking staff. More turbulent grey clouds as I moved back into the barren Maple forest. The sun began to set at this point, and the temp dropped to just below freezing. The trail out. Thanks for looking guys, and happy new year!
Reno, That looked like an excellent way to spend new years eve. I can feel the coolness of the bush just by looking at those pictures. Great job on the walking staff also. I always had one when I was in scouts. They have many uses.
Thanks man. It was certainly chilly, but nowhere near what you're experiencing at the moment! And just to clarify, I've never been a Boy Scout. I'm just using the term "scout" as in recon, as that's all I'm really doing. Exploring, seeing what there is to be seen, basic trail maintenance, tracking etc.
Oh man, don't worry about the scout bag you've been quoting. I'm not like that buddy. I know where you're coming from. Now, lets see more pictures!!!
Excellent stuff there Reno, these are my favorite types of posts; adventures with lots of cool pics. I've never camped in snow before and it looks mighty cold where you're at! Thank you for sharing!
Great post Reno! I'm always intrigued by what others put in thier scout type bag, everytime I have tried it I always end up with way too much stuff in it
Thanks guys! This is normally my issue as well, but I'm really trying to limit myself on what I carry. I find that if I overpack, especially with a backpack, I tend not to carry it for just a short walk near home. So I normally end up with nothing but my belt knife and a can of bear spray. I've decided that having a little gear is better than having no gear at all. Especially after being caught out after dark on accident once. I had a light with me, but I decided then and there that I needed a basic, bare bones recon bag with the bare necessities. Once I nail the contents down (should be soon), I'll make either a text/picture post, or a video about it. Which would y'all prefer see?
@Reno Lewis I personally prefer pictures so I can mull over it but regardless I would love to see what you come up with
For anybody interested in the contents of my scout kit, here ya go! http://eseeknives.com/forums/index.php?threads/scout-kit-wip.5975/
