The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange
The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange

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5 answers

If you are canoeing on a lake when whitecaps start happening, what is the best direction to get off the lake?

If you are canoeing on a lake and the wind suddenly starts blowing to the point where there are whitecaps, what is the best direction to head to get off the lake? Would it be the shortest way back to the shore or would one take the direction of the…
Charlie Brumbaugh
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Is clipping onto the rungs of a via ferrata bad practice?

I did my first via ferrata this weekend and noticed there were often long vertical distances separating the cable anchors. At times this length was around 10m. This meant that a fall before reaching the cable anchor, if both cables were clipped onto…
alkey
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How to estimate current speed and direction while swimming at sea?

In an episode in the tv series "I shouldn't be alive", crew members of a yacht racing team got caught in a violent storm and found themselves stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after their boat capsized. Drifting for two three days, they spotted an oil…
Question Overflow
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Should I close a cathole (toilet-hole) at night?

I have made camp for one or more nights in a pristine wilderness. It may be desert, tundra, or a forested environment. At a suitable distance from camp, I have dug a nice cathole (toilet-hole) and done my business. Now it's time to sleep. Should…
gerrit
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Features to look for when buying a stove (for car camping)

We (wife, 5 year old and me) are planning to go camping next summer (UK). It will be car camping - i.e. drive, set up tent and, knowing the UK, sit in the tent as it rains. I'm looking at equipment and I would like to know what the advantages and…
Nicholas
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How to instruct someone how to take off a climbing harness?

After rappelling near waterfalls, or during the rain, the harness often becomes wet and hard to remove -- particularly for inexperienced people. How can I instruct someone in how to remove the harness, without touching them? I have heard people, in…
WedaPashi
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Is there simple guidance on sunburn risk associated with altitude?

When skiing, if the weather is good, I often come back with a better tan than if I have been at the beach. Obviously with altitude, there is less blocking of UV rays by the atmosphere. But how much is blocked? Is there any guidance that says, "For…
Rory Alsop
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How do I prevent rocks or sand from getting in my boots?

So when I hike, usually I get a small pebble or two, or sand in my boots. How can I prevent this? I already wear pretty tight boots, and stopping every so often to take off a boot and get a rock out is annoying.
MaskedPlant
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Why is (almost) no one climbing hard routes on Half Dome?

I follow the international rock climbing scene, and we constantly hear of repetitions of hard routes on El Capitan. On Youtube, it is possible to find many videos of strong climbers from all over the world climbing (sometimes free) routes such as…
valerio
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How harmful is the rising/setting sun?

Often, while hiking, my companions and I treat the very early/late sun as being less harmful (as far as skin cancer and UV radiation are concerned). For example, we might not apply sunscreen immediately after waking, but only after an hour or so, or…
Eyal
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Is belaying a lead more difficult than a top roped climber

Assessing potential lead climbing partners for competence and safety asserts that a lead climb belay is more complicated and has higher potential for a serious accident over a top rope belay. Is this the case? Are top rope belays inherently…
user5330
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3 answers

Do cars really hit 20 moose per day in Sweden?

I just saw this claim on BBC news, and found it hard to believe. Annually 7,300+ car vs moose accidents in a country that is 173,000 Square Miles, that is like one collision with a moose (and probably close to one dead moose) in every 23 Square…
James Jenkins
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Can I expect to visit Camp 1 and beyond on an Everest base camp expedition?

I am planning to do a 16 day "standard" Everest base camp trek in Nepal coming September. Can I expect to visit Camp 1 (or even beyond?) as well or is this completely off limits for casual tourists? I read that, summit expeditions will stay at base…
user1721135
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How can rope/cordage be packed to minimize tangles?

I generally pack my cordage in little bundles like Unfortunately for any significant length (100' for instance) it just turns into a wadded mess when I try and use it. How can I pack this stuff without that happening?
Russell Steen
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How do choices in design of a paddle-craft influence its handling characteristics?

If you imagine cutting a canoe or kayak along each axial plane, you get three shapes. If you cut along the waterline and look down from above, you get the plan. Cut thwart-wise at the widest point and view from head-on, that's the cross-section. …
cobaltduck
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