Jetboil – Gift Idea

by Erik Olsen on

Just as I promised, here we are again with some early gift recommendations for your
favorite rugged outdoors person. For the guy (or gal) who’s looking for the newest innovations in camping gadgetry,
here’s a fancy new stove called the Jetboil. The stove got some props from
Outside Magazine as one of the fancy new devices of the year, and after whizzing around the site a bit and looking at
its features, I am tempted to go out and get myself. I have a couple of nice
Whisperlites that work just fine, and you can’t beat
their portability, but there are some features on this stove I
quite like.

What I like about the Jetboil, especially, is the insulated sleeve around the pot so you can hold it without using
those awful, awkward metal pan holders that I normally cart around. I also like the piezo lighter so you don’t have to
break out the lighter or matches (not that that was ever a big burden, but when it rains or is windy it is sometimes
hard to light a match to get a stove going). There’s a lot to like about the Jetboil, and if I get my hands on one,
I’ll try to do a full review. In the meantime, it may be a bit large for a stocking stuffer, but will no doubt fit
nicely under the Christmas tree.

 

Explorersweb

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a link to one of my new favorite sites:
explorersweb.com. The site is loaded with great articles and information on
key figures in the world of adventure, exploration and science, as well as stories about the things that hard-core
explorers are doing from pole to pole. There’s a tech section, too that
reviews useful gear and gadgets for the avid extreme outdoorsman.

I’ll be linking to more stories from this site over time, but for now check out a few of these great
dispatches from Antarctica and
articles on folks who are literally “out there”. For example,
here is a
link to a series of articles on the efforts to locate and save the refugees making the desperate trip to Spain
from Africa.  Heavy stuff.

ipod at Altitude

by Erik Olsen on

You’re planning that epic weekend trip to summit Mt. Shasta, and the final
thing you toss into your pack is the sleek white jewel that has in the last year changed your life. Your ipod. But hold
on there, Tex. Turns out that may not be such a good idea, and you may find that your best new friend actually stops
functioning at altitude.

According to the specs at the Apple site, the ipod’s top
altitude for functioning properly is 10,000 feet, and while there are
reports that it can go higher, there
are also stories about it’s failure to keep working up
there. So keep this in mind as you plan that next trip. Perhaps those 20 gigs are best left back in the
SUV. 

What expeiences have you had with your ipod?

 

 

NOLS 2005

by Erik Olsen on

The 2005 National Outdoor Leadership School Catalog
(NOLS) is out and you should get your hands on it. NOLS is one of the finest
outdoor institutions in the world, offering classes on everything from paddling to ice climbing to sailing to
wilderness first aid. These are ballsy courses, not for the (literally) faint of heart. I know several people who have
taken NOLS courses who say it changed their lives. 

You will work, you will sweat and you will likely experience some significant degree of pain. But these classes will
make you respect nature and you will gain a better understanding of yourself (and how bad you can
smell unbathed). Consider a semester in Patagonia making your way on foot, by kayak, by rope across the
williwaw-scoured countryside (williwaws are the harsh and sudden winds down in Patagonia).

Kilimanjaro for a Cause

by Erik Olsen on

Fans of Ernest Hemingway unite! And do something good for the world.

Have you ever fantasized about sitting beneath a tree at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, pretending that your wounds are just too horrible, the gangrene is setting in and well, it’s time to ponder what your life was worth? OK, dump the scene from Snows of Kilimanjaro, but go to Tanzania anyway and climb for a cause.

Here is an engaged adventure with a heart.

In February, Travel Talk Radio will start an expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, and the group is inviting anyone to join and “slog for the cure” of neurofibromatotsis, a common neurological disorder. The cost of the trip is just $999 plus airfare if you raise at least $5000.

Wondering if you’re up for it? Well, although it is a very tall hill, lots of folks climb it every year. Heck even kids and grandmothers climb it all the time. There have been cases of altitude sickness, but most people should be just fine. And remember, it’s for a good cause.