Its black fly season here in the Northeast and they are annoying. Do not let them keep you from enjoying the outdoors and doing some of your favorite hobbies. I personally have high tolerance and can deal with them, but even I have my limits and have to go to the bug spray. Here is how I apply it. Since I am in the woods I can guarantee you that I am sweating and I don't like bug spray in my eyes. I apply the bug spray to my hat, yes wear a hat, wear a hat, wear a hat, to the back of you neck and on the side of you head including your ears. I don't apply it to my face. I then hit my arms, and even though I wear long pants and gaiters, I still spray there to keep the ticks off. This works fairly well with black flies and misquitos, but not deer flies, you will need a hat to stop them. Hat! Hat! Hat!
Now, even if its hot, you can wear long sleeve shirts, especially those made out of spots fabric that wicks moister away. It really is not that much hotter and you don't have to worry about your arms getting gnawed on.
Wear a bug head net. I am seeing more and more of them and no they are not a fashion statement, and you may look funny, but you won't be choking on black flies so who is the cool one now?!!!
Lastly, they are a pain but you are human and you have the ability to mentally prepare yourself and NOT let this little pest ruin your outdoor adventures.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A nice Hike on the Cat
I had a nice adventure on Cat and Thomas mountains in Bolton Landing, NY. I went early as we were expecting bad weather later in the afternoon in the Southeastern Adirondacks. The trail up was covered with the orange newts that are common to the area.
The hike straight up to Cat Mt. was fairly clear and easy. This followed the orange and yellow trail markers. The blue ridge trail was an adventure as there were a lot of trees down on the trail making a rugged trail even more difficult to follow. I had to use my Adirondack senses to find the trail a couple of times so beware. Once this trail is cleared by the LGLC, it will be glorious. Not so much elevation gain, but a nice woods trail. It is not for the novice hiker at this time however.
Had a good time, Cat Mt offers some very scenic views. Oh and I found 4 geocaches up there…just a bonus.
The hike straight up to Cat Mt. was fairly clear and easy. This followed the orange and yellow trail markers. The blue ridge trail was an adventure as there were a lot of trees down on the trail making a rugged trail even more difficult to follow. I had to use my Adirondack senses to find the trail a couple of times so beware. Once this trail is cleared by the LGLC, it will be glorious. Not so much elevation gain, but a nice woods trail. It is not for the novice hiker at this time however.
Had a good time, Cat Mt offers some very scenic views. Oh and I found 4 geocaches up there…just a bonus.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Gas saving tips
Wow! The price of gas is beginning to make everyone rethink what you are going to do when you go boxing or geocaching. In fact it may even prevent many from enjoying these hobbies as much as the wanted to.
I was thinking about this today and here are some ideas that I am going to try to incorporate into my boxing and caching excursions.
Instead of just going after a box or two after work in a location that is more than 30 minutes away, plan on visiting that area when you have more time and do as many or all of the boxes in that area if you can.
Also, maybe you can drive out to an area and park and ride your bike around the area to search for the boxes. This way you will get to know the area a little better and you will get a little exercise to boot.
Plan your outing and trip to be as efficient as possible. Try not to back track
Combine letterboxing or geocaching with other reasons you are traveling to an area. For instance when I took a course at the CIA I had free time in the morning to cache and box and took advantage of it.
I am sure there are many other gas saving tips, please use the comment button on this post to let me know what they are and make this a two way conversation.
I was thinking about this today and here are some ideas that I am going to try to incorporate into my boxing and caching excursions.
Instead of just going after a box or two after work in a location that is more than 30 minutes away, plan on visiting that area when you have more time and do as many or all of the boxes in that area if you can.
Also, maybe you can drive out to an area and park and ride your bike around the area to search for the boxes. This way you will get to know the area a little better and you will get a little exercise to boot.
Plan your outing and trip to be as efficient as possible. Try not to back track
Combine letterboxing or geocaching with other reasons you are traveling to an area. For instance when I took a course at the CIA I had free time in the morning to cache and box and took advantage of it.
I am sure there are many other gas saving tips, please use the comment button on this post to let me know what they are and make this a two way conversation.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Sterilite's Ultra-Seal in the Field and testing
Current Container rating PENDING
I used two Sterilites Ultra-Seal containers last week to see how they hold up. I made one modification to them as they have a steam vent on top of the lid. I just used a good outdoor sealing glue to shut it and seal off any possible leaks. This is the only lock type container that I can buy in the local stores right now, that is the size that I prefer to use. Snapware has a larger container, that I actually am using on a remote place, but it is a little large for most of the places I would like to hide.
Anyway at this moment the Sterilite Ultra-Seal has a rating of .....Pending
I used two Sterilites Ultra-Seal containers last week to see how they hold up. I made one modification to them as they have a steam vent on top of the lid. I just used a good outdoor sealing glue to shut it and seal off any possible leaks. This is the only lock type container that I can buy in the local stores right now, that is the size that I prefer to use. Snapware has a larger container, that I actually am using on a remote place, but it is a little large for most of the places I would like to hide.
Anyway at this moment the Sterilite Ultra-Seal has a rating of .....Pending
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A Day Off Geocaching and Letterboxing
I played hooky today as I really need a mental health day. So what did I do I went geocaching and letterboxing maintenance. I hiked into Fish Brook Pond today in Fort Ann New York and had a wonderful time. I found two Geocaches, Are We There Yet? GC17MND and A Little light at Bumps GC1786V on the way to way up, but I did run into a multi-cache that I could not find the first part of. O well the day was too nice and I am up here all the time so I will try again.
A while ago I stumbled upon some old topographic maps that are online and you can pint sections of them right off the net. Some were from the 20’s, 50’ and etc. When I was looking at the 20’s map I noticed that there was a building at Bumps Pond, but when I looked at the 50’s map, that building was gone. I being the nerd that I am, figured out the coordinates and went to see if I could find the remains of the building and voila I found a chimney within 75 feet of my GPS coordinate, and of course someone had placed a Geocache in that area. I thought that it could have been a secret find, but it seems that the fire place is a favorite camping spot.
A while ago I stumbled upon some old topographic maps that are online and you can pint sections of them right off the net. Some were from the 20’s, 50’ and etc. When I was looking at the 20’s map I noticed that there was a building at Bumps Pond, but when I looked at the 50’s map, that building was gone. I being the nerd that I am, figured out the coordinates and went to see if I could find the remains of the building and voila I found a chimney within 75 feet of my GPS coordinate, and of course someone had placed a Geocache in that area. I thought that it could have been a secret find, but it seems that the fire place is a favorite camping spot.
.
Chimney at Bumps Pond Just off the trailThere are some interesting sites on the way to Fish Brook, the small kind that are interesting to look at but hard to describe. Like an old beaver pond, a stream flowing along a cliff face and etc. There are a lot of these along this route.
Some differnt sites
I went to Fish Brook to replace my Rubbermaid letterbox container with a Snapware container that will be more weather proof as the Fish Brook Letterbox LbNA #: 24673 is remote and not visited often. In fact to date it only has had one visitor in two years.
When I hiked out I when to my Inman Pond Letterbox LbNA #: 23911 and replaced the container with a lock and lock. I was surprised to find that the box has had a few visitors. One thing about the trail to Inman Pond was there are a few trees down across the trails. Not blocking access, but the DEC trail crews need to do some work in there.
All an all I really had a nice day.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Sleeping Beauty
Today was supposed to be rainy, but of course the weatherman was a little wrong and it looked like it was going to clear up by noon. I called a friend and on impuse decided to hike Sleeping Beauty in Fort Ann and circle back via Bumps pond. We had a very nice hike, but saw a lot of blow down on the whole mountain. Also all the trails were very wet.
One of the real little treats is when we reached he summit we were all socked in by fog, but while we were up here it cleared off leaving us we some nice views of he mid-Lake George Region.
A bad day in the woods beats a good day at work
One of the real little treats is when we reached he summit we were all socked in by fog, but while we were up here it cleared off leaving us we some nice views of he mid-Lake George Region.
A bad day in the woods beats a good day at work
Friday, May 2, 2008
Letterbox hiding Advice
When I began letterboxing a couple of years ago, one piece of advice that some letterboxing websites gave was to make sure that you take your time and find a good secure hiding spot. This simple suggestion that on the surface seems easy to follow, but for me and I am going to bet for most beginners, more difficult to put into practice. First, what makes a good hiding spot? I am not talking about the destination spot for the letterbox, but the actual hiding location for it.
1 A place that is hidden from accidental discoveries by muggles
2 One that protects the box from the elements and animals
3 A location that gives the boxer a little seclusion so he/she may box quietly and undisturbed away from curious onlookers.
I am sure that many boxers out there can add to this list but even with just these three items it sometimes can be difficult to satisfy all of the criteria. One little nugget of advice I remember reading was that you need to make your box as small as possible because hiding spots are hard to find and they are right. Especially about the hard to find part.
When I first started to box and made my first plant, I could not get the box planted in the woods, run home and write the up the clues fast enough. My first hide was under a log. Not too bad of a location, but the box did not get much protection from the elements and after the first winter it had a little water in it. Now, the box is in a more secure site and I am using a lock and lock to keep the box dry so far, but it still could be in a better location.
Ok, ok where am I with this? Using my experience I would like to make some recommendations on what you may try when you decide to plant a letterbox.
Number one, either go by yourself or make sure that the people that you are with are as into letterboxing as you are. Two cases in point: First I took my kids hiking to an interesting pond (Inman Pond Lb) and did not see a good hiding place jump out at me and began to search for a spot and as you may expect 10 minutes later they wanted to get moving and I had to literally make a hiding spot, one that I will change this year the next time I go up there. Another example is when I was hiking into a secluded pond (The Fishbrook Lb) with some friends and went to hide the box. Again the same problem, impatience and I found an okay spot, but not one that you want for a box that is not going to be visited that much. And yet again I will be changing the hiding position on that one also.
Next I would say to the perspective hider, be patient yourself and don’t become too focused on planting the box in an exact location. Go to where you want to bring the finder and then begin to search around that area, literally circle the area in an expanding spiral until you find a good hiding spot that meets all the criteria or as many as possible that you have set for the plant. This I just did when I planted my Prospect Mountain Environmental Series last weekend. On my third box I had a lot of trouble finding a spot where I wanted to bring people and with the larger container that I used, made finding a good hiding spot in that vicinity impossible. So, I used the area that I wanted to bring people to as a landmark and found a more suitable location for the plant a little further up the road. That entire process took me about an hour There were potential locations in there target area, like under a log and such, that I could have used, but really were not good locations.
A last little bit of advice is to use containers that are water tight, like Snapware, Lock and Lock and such, and make sure that there are only as big as you need. I personally use the 6x6 boxes or 5x7 sizes deep enough to allow a stamp and the Strathmore 3x5 art pad with a little room for hitchhikers. Yes, if you can, make sure your box is large enough to fit a hitchhiker in it, because some boxer will put them in your box whether it fits or not. (I am beginning to not like hitchhikers anymore.) Also, buy yourself some black spray paint for plastic. And spay a little on the box, especially if there are any bright colors on the box. This will help if an inexperienced boxer finds your letterbox and does not place it back as good as they should. This way with a little camouflage on it will be more difficult to be seen by muggles.
This blog article has gone on longer than I anticipated so I will end it here. So to sum up the important points when planting a box:
1 Be patient
2 Box with real boxers when planting
3 Take the time to find a good secure planting location
4 Be a little more flexible and creative when a target site does not have a good hiding spot.
5 Use only the size box that is necessary for your purposes and camouflage it a little.
1 A place that is hidden from accidental discoveries by muggles
2 One that protects the box from the elements and animals
3 A location that gives the boxer a little seclusion so he/she may box quietly and undisturbed away from curious onlookers.
I am sure that many boxers out there can add to this list but even with just these three items it sometimes can be difficult to satisfy all of the criteria. One little nugget of advice I remember reading was that you need to make your box as small as possible because hiding spots are hard to find and they are right. Especially about the hard to find part.
When I first started to box and made my first plant, I could not get the box planted in the woods, run home and write the up the clues fast enough. My first hide was under a log. Not too bad of a location, but the box did not get much protection from the elements and after the first winter it had a little water in it. Now, the box is in a more secure site and I am using a lock and lock to keep the box dry so far, but it still could be in a better location.
Ok, ok where am I with this? Using my experience I would like to make some recommendations on what you may try when you decide to plant a letterbox.
Number one, either go by yourself or make sure that the people that you are with are as into letterboxing as you are. Two cases in point: First I took my kids hiking to an interesting pond (Inman Pond Lb) and did not see a good hiding place jump out at me and began to search for a spot and as you may expect 10 minutes later they wanted to get moving and I had to literally make a hiding spot, one that I will change this year the next time I go up there. Another example is when I was hiking into a secluded pond (The Fishbrook Lb) with some friends and went to hide the box. Again the same problem, impatience and I found an okay spot, but not one that you want for a box that is not going to be visited that much. And yet again I will be changing the hiding position on that one also.
Next I would say to the perspective hider, be patient yourself and don’t become too focused on planting the box in an exact location. Go to where you want to bring the finder and then begin to search around that area, literally circle the area in an expanding spiral until you find a good hiding spot that meets all the criteria or as many as possible that you have set for the plant. This I just did when I planted my Prospect Mountain Environmental Series last weekend. On my third box I had a lot of trouble finding a spot where I wanted to bring people and with the larger container that I used, made finding a good hiding spot in that vicinity impossible. So, I used the area that I wanted to bring people to as a landmark and found a more suitable location for the plant a little further up the road. That entire process took me about an hour There were potential locations in there target area, like under a log and such, that I could have used, but really were not good locations.
A last little bit of advice is to use containers that are water tight, like Snapware, Lock and Lock and such, and make sure that there are only as big as you need. I personally use the 6x6 boxes or 5x7 sizes deep enough to allow a stamp and the Strathmore 3x5 art pad with a little room for hitchhikers. Yes, if you can, make sure your box is large enough to fit a hitchhiker in it, because some boxer will put them in your box whether it fits or not. (I am beginning to not like hitchhikers anymore.) Also, buy yourself some black spray paint for plastic. And spay a little on the box, especially if there are any bright colors on the box. This will help if an inexperienced boxer finds your letterbox and does not place it back as good as they should. This way with a little camouflage on it will be more difficult to be seen by muggles.
This blog article has gone on longer than I anticipated so I will end it here. So to sum up the important points when planting a box:
1 Be patient
2 Box with real boxers when planting
3 Take the time to find a good secure planting location
4 Be a little more flexible and creative when a target site does not have a good hiding spot.
5 Use only the size box that is necessary for your purposes and camouflage it a little.
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