Steve’s Blog 2017
See also:
NEW
Kintail
Burn, Dusky Track,Fiordland, NZ 2012 Six Moon
Designs ‘Swift’ pack @ 450 grams
WARNING
to ‘snowflakes’. This is a Conservative Blog. It will cause upset and offence to ‘sensitive souls’. Reading it may
cause dangerous thoughts and emotions to arise in you. Read on…
31/12/2017: All You Ever Need to Know About Tarps: As you probably know I eschew (conventional) tents. I like to be able to see out, to catch the breeze, to enjoy a warm fire out the front in cold weather, etc. I favour a tarp which keeps the weather out on three sides yet offers a sheltering verandah on the fourth such as my Siligloo and Deer Hunters Tent and Pocket Poncho Tent.
The simplest version of this though, as I have said many times is a simple 8' x 8' square of silnylon or cuben which can be erected a number of different ways depending on circumstances, number of occupants, etc. In fact 7' x 7' is the minimum, but 8' is better. This need only weigh around 150 grams, and can also be used as a hammock tarp, as here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/.
Mine has served me well for many years and kept me dry and snug in all sorts of horrible weather, weather in which sometimes other died for the want of such a simple shelter: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/. See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
This guy has an interesting blog post about tarps which you might enjoy: Here is an archived version as the website is down just now: https://web.archive.org/web/20170206200801/http://caseyfiedler.com:80/2017/01/best-silnylon-tarp-backpacking/
One of my favourite DIY tarps is Ray Jardine’s http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Tarp-Kit/index.htm & http://www.rayjardine.com/ray-way/Tarp-Kit/index.htm?g_page=2 Ray also has just about the best detailed explanation of why you should choose a tarp over a tent you will see anywhere. One of Ray (and Jenny’s) tarps will weigh 338 grams (11.89 oz) and cost from US$79.35 (Dec 2017) plus an enjoyable evening's evening's sewing..
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hands-free-umbrella/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-rain-jackets/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-lore/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-ultralight-survival-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/
31/12/2017: Speeding up Time:
To His Coy Mistress – Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)
Had we but world enough and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down, and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love’s day.
Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the flood,
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires and more slow;
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.
But at my back I always hear
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found;
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long-preserved virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust;
The grave’s a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace.
Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may,
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour
Than languish in his slow-chapped power.
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Through the iron gates of life:
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.
31/12/2017: ‘Atheist' is such a strange word which would not exist at all if it were not for the sorrowful delusions of so many people - hopefully it will cease to be in the future; so too wars about other non-existent and minuscule 'things'...eg. the purported effects of trace gas (3-500 parts per million) CO2 ‘minds me ever of Swift’s war (in Gulliver’s travels) ‘tween the ‘Big Endians vs Little Endians’.
Reply to a comment: Just the other day I posted about seven guys who currently claim to be Jesus and the 'Son of God' and I doubt such 'miracles' as you witness would hold up to serious scientific scrutiny, let alone historical rigour. Through the aeons there have been myriad religions pretty much all claiming that theirs is the only true god/s and that all others are false. They have all been about half right. All the gods cannot be 'true' but they can all be 'false' which makes atheism pretty much the rational person's default position. We live in a small spiral galaxy of 100,000 billion or so suns in a universe of at least as many galaxies. What? All created in a single day by a man? Who can talk simultaneously faster than light speed with every germ in its creation - and appear from time to time in their guise: no doubt the baboons have a god in the shape of a baboon, and the asses one in the trappings of an ass!
31/12/2017: Brexit Doomsters Confounded – Capitalism Triumphs Again: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5212079/We-got-wrong-Brexit-gloom-economists-admit.html
30/12/2017: Child Protective Services Take 80 Million Children Into Custody After Discovering No One In Country Fit To Be Parent: https://www.theonion.com/child-protective-services-take-80-million-children-into-1819579659
30/12/2017: "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against -- then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can be neither observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted -- and you create a nation of law-breakers -- and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." Ayn Rand, ‘Atlas Shrugged’
30/12/2017: Reagan and Thatcher already long ago proved that ‘supply side’ economics does work (is the only economics?) Let’s hope the boom which Trump has unleashed is amplified even further by his tax revolution and that it ends socialism worldwide just as Reagan’s revolution saw off communism: http://takimag.com/article/republicans_bet_the_farm_patrick_buchanan#axzz52TqnVnzi
30/12/2017: We owned one of these beauties in NZ in 1974, bought for NZ$800. We should have kept it. It has appreciated more than anything else we have ever owned: https://www.shannons.com.au/auctions/2017-shannons-melbourne-autumn-classic-auction/Q6B941CERORQ33AS/
29/12/2017: What a fascinating article;
I have noticed the 'terminator' wind, but I confess regretfully I have not
been outdoors enough on warm full-moon nights to notice the moon wind: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/12/24/sailing-on-the-moon-wind/#more-76322
29/12/2017: Australian Energy Bills:
Portrait of a Disaster: http://www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=5431
29/12/2017: Julie Bishop hands to the
UN supervision of our prisons, juvenile & immigration detention centres
& psychiatric facilities. On the same day ‘The Don’ cuts the UN budget
by $285 million. Who is in the right here? http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/12/julie-bishop-hands-to-the-un-supervision-of-our-prisons-juvenile-immigration-detention-centres-psych.html
28/12/2017: Ultralight Sleeping Bag: Some folk like to lug around a lead sleeping bag. Might be useful in the event of a nuclear attack I guess. The bag I use is the Montbell Ultralight Superstretch Down Hugger #3 (-1C) which weighs about 600 grams. My wife has a Zpacks -7C sleeping bag which weighs even less than mine (400 grams)! The thing I particularly like about the Montbell ‘Stretch’ range is their roominess. There are lots of other light ‘mummy’ down bags (around a pound (500 grams) but most are so narrow you have trouble even doing them up let laone having a con=mfy night’s sleep in them. The Montbell have enough stretch so you can sit up in them with your legs crossed! But they still ‘shrink’ to fit so there is no (wasted) air space your body has to heat up.
A down bag will weigh around half the weight of a synthetic bag of the same rating. Some folk worry about getting cold in them as they have the (undeserved) reputation of losing their insulative ability when wet. This is not true: Anyway, work at keeping your sleeping bag dry. You will be much more comfortable that way!
We use wool thermals & Montbell down clothes to increase the rating of our bags. A liner bag will increase the rating of your bag by 8C for only 248 grams weight penalty http://seatosummit.com/product/reactor-thermolite-mummy-liner/ . This is less than half the weight penalty you would pay for buying a bag with an 8C lower rating – and you only need the one sleeping bag.
I always have an open shelter with a fire out the front. By the same token I usually sleep along the valleys rather than on the tops. This post might also be helpful: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-deer-hunter/
I added a lot of down to my bag to increase its rating to -20C for my Everest trip http://www.theultralighthiker.com/adding-down-to-a-sleeping-bag/ . It still only weighed approx 850 grams something like Montbell’s #1/2 – but mostly in Vic you are unlikely to encounter temps of less than -10C. I sleep out in the winter all the time and find that my #3 bag is fine with the additions I mentioned above.
I think the Montbell down trousers weigh 239 grams ( I have never needed them), then I have a vest at 150 and a coat at 200 as well as the wool, but I can wear the clothes at other times as well. I just don't get lugging the single use sleeping bag weight around all the time.
You can wash down bags in the washing machine and dry them in a tumble drier.
28/12/2017: Were you wrong about
Donald Trump? If you get 15 of these wrong, you should never talk about
politics again: http://blog.dilbert.com/2017/12/22/determine-talk-politics-public/
28/12/2017: Go Donald: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/12/trump-effect-record-holiday-sales-near-600-billion-expert-spending-pace-not-seen-since-great-recession/
& this: https://www.weaselzippers.us/368976-black-unemployment-rate-lowest-in-17-years/
28/12/2017: Hope this makes you feel
safer…but as we pour more and more undesirable people into the country (up
27% last year alone to nearly 300,000!), instead of making folk we definitely
don’t want head in the other direction, we now need these emergency warnings so
we know when they are killing us. Great: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/dont-be-alarmed-cbd-sirens-to-sound-in-emergency-system-demo-20171227-h0an19.html
28/12/2017: News you don’t even get
in Victoria: Police in NSW have foiled several Columbine style mass shootings: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/miranda-devine/miranda-live-police-have-prevented-columbinestyle-school-attacks/news-story/6a34780ee965f7063066b8dffa8b3027 and the ‘Safe
Schools’ programme is gone for good in NSW: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/miranda-devine/miranda-live-safe-schools-gone-for-good-says-luke-foley/news-story/cb715bf0080519a3fe552129205267e6
27/12/2017: A Great Headline: ‘The
Prime Minister’s Brain May be Broken’ (May?): https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/the-prime-ministers-brain-may-be-broken/news-story/f8a4730f019989b2183978501cb502dd
27/12/2017: LA La Land: Traffic Controllers on A$180,000 pa. Thanks Bill: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/its-a-sign/news-story/957077a0c7ee4f71bdf178481403abb7
27/12/2017: An Interesting Benefit of Same Sex Marriage for Heterosexuals: https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2017/12/two-heterosexual-irish-men-marry-avoid-inheritance-tax-property/ I am in favour of anything which gets you out of paying taxes!
26/12/2017: The plumbus – you need
one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGaBU5cKluU&feature=youtu.be
26/12/2017: The World’s Greatest
Physicist, Freeman Dyson is 94 today. More about him here: http://wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2016/12/infinite-in-all-directions-freeman.html
26/12/2017: I don’t care (and
it’s about time you stopped caring too): http://catallaxyfiles.com/2017/12/21/tmrs-christmas-message-to-millennials/
25/12/2017: Christmas in 1947 in the
25/12/2017: Anyway, have yourself a
Merry Winter (summer) Solstice: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2011/12/the-winter-solstice-and-our-place-in-the-cosmos/
25/12/2017: Meanwhile in lovely socialist
25/12/2017: Have a Merry Muslim
Christmas
‘It's the best time of the year
I don't know
What time I'll blow
I've strapped it to my rear
Have a Merry Muslim Christmas
And as you drive down the street
Say goodbye
To folks who'll die
All splattered on concrete
Oh-ho
It's time to mow
Down people in your car
Infidels wait for you
Allahu Akbar!
Have a Merry Muslim Christmas
And in case you're still not dead
Oh, it's merry
Have an incend'iary New Year
Instead!’
https://www.steynonline.com/8340/we-are-the-bollards
25/12/2017: Meanwhile Jesus is
everywhere: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/seven-men-around-the-world-who-each-claim-to-be-jesus-christ/news-story/563e56671b7c9931b6606619df6be4c8
24/12/2017: On this day a year ago I
posted this; (I see no reason to change a word, yet the urgency has
increased): It’s getting to be a lot like Christmas as Moslems terrorists plot
to commit mass murder in
24/12/2017:
24/12/2017: Where is our Donald Trump? You and I know we have had enough from the political class and just want the Australia back that we grew up with – you know: the Australia where you could ‘do your Christmas shopping in Melbourne’s CBD without risk of being run down by an Afghan import aggrieved at ‘the treatment of Muslims.’ You know, being able to attend the Boxing Day cricket at the MCG without undergoing a bag and body search. You know, being able to asleep in your bed and not worry that gangs of imported African youths will kick in your door and beat your bloody at 2am.’ https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/12/position-vacant-australias-trump/
24/12/2017: So, the Holocaust wasn’t
enough Julie? Personally I am horrified that Australia abstained from
voting with the US in recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/12/australia-leaves-us-and-israel-isolated-gutless-julie-and-chairman-mal-give-vote-a-miss-in-the-un.html
Just so you understand, this is what a
Nativity Play looks like in Arab countries – teaching Arab children to kill
Jews: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianJewishAssociation/videos/181518405920554/
23/12/2017: Over the Baw Baws to Walhalla 1922: These over 70 fascinating photos of a memorable historic trip on the Upper Yarra Track illuminate a journey by John Jensen in 1922. The photos are held by the Melbourne Walking Club and are available here: http://www.melbournewalkingclub.org/photo-gallery/archives The photos were sent to me once again by Thomas Osburg of Yarra Ranges Bush Camp.
I have tidied them up a bit so they can be viewed individually. I think they are splendid. The captions are Jensen's originals. (No doubt better quality scans could be obtained if I had access to the originals, but these still give some idea of the treasures which exist 'out there'). I think the most wonderful thing about them is that they are in sequence and the captions allow us to locate the points where the photos were taken so that we can really relive this delightful expedition. One of the most enchanting things about this series of photos is that (for Jensen) it was a 'sentimental journey' reliving an earlier trip he undertook in 1907, 110 years ago today!
If you do not know the Upper
Yarra Track, it is one of the world's oldest and greatest walking tracks.
It predates all of the
In my Track Instructions I have supplied photographs of much of the route 'today' though in the other direction. You should have a look at them for comparison. Of course the part of the route which is under the Upper Yarra Dam can no longer be traversed and that part which is in the closed dam catchment area may not be (on pain of hefty fines) - though over the years a number of people have traveled parts of it (eg to the Falls and Shelter House) in defiance of such unnecessary and onerous restrictions.
Presumably Jensen and his companions set out from Warburton, and had:
Breakfast at McMahon's Creek:
An Abandoned Farmhouse:
The Yarra:
A Relic of Other Days:
A Halt for Repairs:
Upper Yarra Hotel Walsh's Creek:
The Starting Place:
At Aldermans Creek 3 Miles
The Lusty Young Yarra:
On the Track:
A Glimpse of the River:
Lunch at Contention Gully:
Old Mining Camp at Contention Gully:
Ferns and Flowers:
Our pack Horse:
A Halt 11 Miles:
Dinner in the Shelter Hut 15 Miles:
Near the Upper Falls:
The
The
Full Equipment:
In the
Left Fork Source of Yarra:
Right Fork Source of Yarra:
A Fallen Monarch:
The Thomson Bridge 20 1/2 Miles
Last View of the Yarra:
On the Divide:
Mountain Ash and Fern
Whitelaw Shelter Hut 29 Miles:
Our unstable Residence Also called 'Lizardville'
Photographing the Clouds:
Mountain Tops:
Snow on the Track:
Above the Clouds:
A Lookout:
Mount Baw Baw 5130 feet.
On Mt St Phillack - Highest Peak.
Lunch on Mt St Phillack 5140 Feet.
A Watery Track.
Desolation.
A Morass
Snow Gums
Above the Clouds
Cloud Scenes
Where We Slept in 1907
Mount Erica Shelter Hut 37 Miles
Mount Useful in the Distance
Leaving Mt Erica
Granite Rocks 
The Track Down Erica
The Granite Rocks
A Rough Track
A
A Fern Gully on Erica
On the Rocks
A Timber Winch
A Log Being Hoisted
The Winchman's Hut
The Thomson Bridge 48.5 Miles
Entrance to the Town
Walhalla At Last
How We Entered
The 'Star' Hotel Walhalla 57 Miles
A Glimpse of the Town
Left Branch Stringers Creek
Remains of the Long Tunnel Mine
Right Branch Stringers Creek
The Modern Dick Turpin
Leaving Walhalla
Walhalla Station
From Watson Station
Moe Station
Yarragon Butter factory
Back at Work
They were following this route: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-1925-tourist-brochure-map/ (NB. I need to update this post. Somehow the images have shrunk) Whereas today we would be following this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-map/
PS: A search in the facility on the upper right hand side of this page will reveal lots of other Upper Yarra Track treasures...there are many other interesting historic photos as well as the fascinating books by Annie Hoffa and Robert Croll.
I hope you enjoyed this post. it has taken me five hours!
See Also, eg:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-summary-cumulative-distancestimes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-baw-baw-to-newlands-rd/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-sidetrip-baw-baw-to-mt-st-phillack/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-osheas-mill/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-section-five-erica-to-walhalla/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-st-gwinear-track-junction-to-whitelaws-hut/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-section-nine-phillack-saddle-to-block-10-road/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-side-trip-poverty-point/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/yarra-falls-3/
23/12/2017: The ‘Unfit to Plead’ Scam: Terrorist scum such as Flinders St’s Saeed Noori, or Bourke St’s Dimitrious Gargasoulas as well as lots of other vile criminals have long used this ploy as a ‘get out of gaol free’ card, or at least as a means of diminishing their responsibility/sentence. Personally I do not care a jot whether they are insane or just simply evil. If they have done the deed, they should be shortened. It equally appalls me that Kylie Maybury’s vile killer Keith Davies will not be eligible for parole until he is 103. Already he has lived for 33 years since raping and killing this innocent little girl. The judge’s 28 year sentence rewards him with decades more of life. Meanwhile Kylie has had no life at all. This is not justice. He should be dead, and horribly dead. Here is an example: The execution of Robert Damien’s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert-Fran%C3%A7ois_Damiens) . Should we reintroduce such punishments for crimes which are just too awful? Well, that choice has been stolen from us by our parliamentary representatives who have adopted a UN convention which overrides our wishes.
23/12/2017: Something to be ‘mindful’
of: actions speak louder than words: Had Enough Therapy? Act First, Then
Think: http://stuartschneiderman.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/act-first-then-think.html
23/12/2017: Taming the Weather: I
am as guilty as anyone in damning the BOM. Its politicisation (eg in the
climate debate) does not help; nor does it help when it gets it desperately
wrong (as recently with the ‘unprecedented flooding’ which never happened about
a fortnight ago), but their forecasts do actually save lives. Another
frequently overlooked thing which saves uncounted lives from ‘extreme weather
events is engineering. Our houses, buildings and infrastructure are actually
more intelligently planned and better constructed than they were in the past
(despite failings such as was shown up in the recent London fire), so that our
world is actually safer than it has ever been: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/12/21/how-science-tamed-the-weather-keeping-us-safe-while-we-sleep/
22/12/2017:
And: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/
22/12/2017: Interesting Xmas Gift –
something for the man who has everything, but has at least one thing he
shouldn’t have: https://extranewsfeed.com/new-apple-watch-delivers-500-volts-to-men-who-get-inappropriate-erections-at-work-dfd3457648d
22/12/2017: Police to Arrest Those
Who ‘Interfered’ with Innocent Driver following yesterday’s
PS: Steyn’s take on this: ‘
‘That's the scene in
WELCOME REFUGEES
In that post-Christian void - the shell of a church with faith in everything but itself - a very merry Muslim Christmas makes a perverted kind of sense.’ https://www.steynonline.com/8340/we-are-the-bollards
Now admits he is a Moslem refugee and did this to redress our treatment of Moslems. I'm sure the small children he critically injured have done Moslems immense harm. How long do we have to accept this Islamic terrorism before we deport the lot of them?
22/12/2017: Snowy 2 to cost $12 billion, much more than would be needed to retrofit Hazelwood, Yallourn, Lidell, Vales, Munmora etc with clean coal technology to produce much more cheap, reliable power. Does anything about this remind you too of Kevin’s NBN? https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/turnbull-cant-admit-his-snowy-scheme-costs-too-much/news-story/3b21ba69f0a5f6fb3a0247dddbcd5179
21/12/2017: Hike Naked Day:
Now, you can’t get more ‘ultralight’ than that! However, don’t expect to see me there – I have to work! or something…
21/12/2017: The ice core data was already corrupt, eg the last 80 years of data did not match the surface data so it was discarded and the conjoined data set time-shifted to hide this fact ie the CO2 levels in annual snow for the last 80 years did not match direct observation. However, if the last 80 years of ice core data could not be made to match the known and recorded CO2 percentages, the rest of it certainly can’t. Now we learn that the data is further corrupted by bacteria (‘Life will find a way’). As the ice cores are the only ‘evidence’ of ‘global warming’ perhaps it is time we called a halt to action on ‘climate change’ https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/12/20/uh-oh-ice-cores-used-for-paleoclimatology-may-have-been-altered-by-bacterial-action-from-within/
20/12/2017: A very remarkable man
Kazimierz Piechowski has died; how few people escaped from
20/12/2017: Duh! Free Speech is good for society: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/12/15/delingpole-more-freedom-of-speech-in-beijing-than-san-francisco-warns-tech-industry-ceo/
20/12/2017: Too True: ‘The greatest folly can seem trivial or
reasonable at the time, which is precisely why it is so dangerous…Perhaps
you have been taught that the stock market crash of 1929 caused the Great
Depression. That is not so. The crash both reflected and amplified the
recession that the
19/12/2017: Wilderness Siligloo:
Nearly 6" of rain had fallen in the
At Eaglevale I park under a shady tree and wait for a lift to Hernes Spur (9 hours) or Wombat Spur (11 hours). NB: Better to get there on Friday night. Some folk will go in then, others first thing on Saturday morning. If you arrive late morning Saturday you may miss a lift altogether. Fortunately kindly couple Kay & Ron Locke from Lake Munmora NSW gave me a lift. I grew up in the 1960s within 5 km of their house.
I put in at Hernes Spur. There was plenty of water.Ron and Kay sent me this photo of me setting out - and I took this photo of them. This was their first visit to the station, but I doubt it will be their last!
A
couple of hours down the river I made camp pretty much in the same spot as last
time. It was a splendid serene spot with oodles of birdsong. Also, last time a
dozen deer came grazing along on the other side of the river just on dusk so I
was hoping to see them again. Too late for a photo that time. A couple of
quickly cut bush poles and my home away from home is ready for me.This is my Siligloo: It proved
to be everything I had hoped for. I had a wonderful refreshing sleep in it. You
can see the clothesline worked fine too. I regret my wife Della pulled up lame
on the morning we were leaving and missed this trip. She will have to wait for
a bit more rain and for the next one. There will be one - or many! She has canoed
sections of this trip before.
You have to admit it is a pleasant place to camp. How green it still is (for December) after the 4-6" of rain we had last week. This 'dark olive' is a good colour for a tent: the deer do not seem troubled by it at all. A number came up quite close and honked at me.
My washing up spot (blue cup, etc). Deer had been wallowing right on the river's edge.
Like this:
All packed up and ready to go.
You have heard of 'parallel evolution'. Nature sometime emulates art. These
could be 'Cyclopean Walls such as those at
Talk about 'serendipity'. Last trip I had lost my 'Airbeam Pad' (a pity
as they no longer make them, alas). My photos showed me around about where it
must have come adrift of my pack, but there had been over 2 metres of water
down the river since then, so I figured it to be in
It reminds me of Cherry-Gallard's
story ('The Worst Journey in the World') of the midwinter expedition to the
Emperor Penguiins in 1912. They went to the windiest place on earth 500 lies
from base in
Farmers have been planting some kind of 'camel thorn' (at least a very prickly acacia) to consolidate the banks now that the willows are outlawed. They are not doing a bad job either.
I just love synclines.
Of course I saw a few of these on my voyage. I just love watching the does playing with their fawns.
PS: The trip down from Hernes Spur took 8 hours this time. The river height
was 1.94 - 1.97 metres (at the
A couple of little video snippets for you...
Again, the morning chorus when I woke at about 5:30 am was magnificent. The view out the front door of my tent.
[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20171217060805.mp4"][/video]
I do so love being alone in the wilderness:
[video width="1440" height="1080" mp4="http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/201712170700261.mp4"][/video]
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/
19/12/2017: The Singing Mice: A fascinating article http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Mystery-of-the-Singing-Mice.html#ixzz1Jw33OqiH (and please pursue it to other articles by the amazing Rob Dunn: http://www.robrdunn.com/)
19/12/2017: Even a genius isn’t
always smart with money. The ‘South Sea Bubble’ and ‘The Tulip Bubble’
& etc bear a striking similarity in my mind to the ‘Bitcoin Bubble’ and
19/12/2017: Bitcoin Mining Consumes
an Entire Country Worth of Electricity. In a report last week, the
cryptocurrency website Digiconomics said
that worldwide bitcoin mining was using more electricity than
18/12/2017: Happiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=24&v=eGh5T5IP9Jg
18/12/2017: 5 years and a lazy 100
million or so yet they discovered zero pedophiles in the Indian Moslem or
Aboriginal communities – where it is rife, came up with a scheme to hand out 4
billion dollars to anyone who asks (great idea – where’s mine?), and a plan to
force priests to report confessions! What an idiotic idea. Its consequence is
clearly that no-one would confess or priests would be unable to help folks who
might. Why not just come up with a plan that requires folks to confess right to
the police? On the bright side lots of lawyers can afford a new Merc!
18/12/2017: This really a ‘cool’ idea can save 30% of your aircon bills: http://www.offgridquest.com/energy/cut-your-electric-bill
18/12/2017: What happens when there
are too many elephants in the room (and they are all radical feminists).
Goodbye
15/12/2017: A Hands Free Umbrella: What a good idea that would be, especially if you need to use both hands for trekking poles on rough or steep terrain. When the weather is really humid, you really need a roof to keep you dry (and warm). A raincoat in such circumstances will just see you soaked and frozen.
See: The Importance of a Roof Hiking in the Rain and Raincoat Shelter
In such circumstances my Pocket Poncho Tent may save your life.
There are several possibilities. For example Antigravity Gear has a model featuring clips which attach your trekking umbrella to your back pack. https://www.antigravitygear.com/shop/rain-gear/swing-handsfree-backpack-umbrella/
There are several other possibilities, such as:
A search for ‘hands free umbrellas’ will provide you with lots of fun and amusement!
One I particularly like is the Ufocap: http://ufocap.tradekorea.com/product/detail/P280367/UFOCAP---Innovative-Umbrella.html?minisiteprodgroupno=32229 These little guys cost about $10 on eBay and weigh about 170 grams. Even if they look a bit silly they should do the job. The ones with transparent panels (at least at the front) would help you see where you were going.
Best of all: A reader recommends this excellent DIY solution to attaching your umbrella to your pack here:https://ramblinghemlock.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/umbrella-rigging.html
I think I would caption this one, 'Fun with Umbrellas'. Well done 'Rambling Hemlock'.
If you are thinking of carrying an emergency hiking umbrella you might choose this one at 128 grams or this one at a mere 86!
15/12/2017: Polar Bear numbers are up
sixfold since the 1950’s. No wonder a handful is starving. Some places it
is even raining polar bears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=52&v=fxis7Y1ikIQ BTW, Here is the ugly truth about dying
polar bears: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/11/delingpole-ugly-truth-dying-polar-bear/
15/12/2017: Let’s just leave the aircon on during the heat wave, and burn some more coal until fusion comes along: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/12/14/laser-boron-fusion-now-leading-contender-for-energy/
15/12/2017: Minimum Effort: Is just
4% a reasonable pass rate for spelling? It is for Naplan. Surely you could
achieve this mark just by guessing! In fact there are very few areas where a
‘pass rate’ of 20% is required and only one where 50% is considered ‘meeting
the minimum standard’. Apparently 12% is considered a ‘pass’ for maths.
Something wrong with Naplan’s maths, I’d say! Frankly this is a national
disgrace (yet spending on ‘so-called’ education has skyrocketed): https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/naplan-minimum-national-standards-under-fire-as-victorian-students-score-zero-for-spelling/news-story/bc486b5932399a6d44c04c704da5eaa8
14/12/2017: The Siligloo: Here is my new ultralight 'Sil-igloo' tent at 379 grams. As you can see it is huge: big enough to stand up in - I guess it is over 100 square feet (9-10 square metres) of cover. There is plenty of room for two large adults and two small dogs , and to spread out gear all over the place. For scale that groundsheet is 5' by 8' (150 x 240 cm & 100 grams)
It requires 10-12 Shepherd's Hook stakes to erect it.
The tent has a lovely airy feel to it. I am going to love this tent. Particularly I will love carrying it!
By the way, that is a 3/4 length (4') Thermarest Neoair mat for scale.
It goes up really quickly and simply, but it does not want to come down the same way - unlike so many tents. It will also keep you plenty dry in all sorts of weather, and you can have a warming fire out the front on cold nights without the risk of it raining inside the tent. I have solved a whole bundle of tenting problems right here.
It also has a 6' (1.8 metre) internal clothesline for drying your stuff and five other internal gear hanging points. I made the tent out of a new 1.1 oz/yd 2 'Xenon' silnylon purchased from these guys (I have recommended them before) for A$11.95/metre (Dec 2017).
I could have wasted more material and done less sewing, but my money doesn't grow on trees even if yours does. I made the Pocket Poncho tent out of the same material, and it works splendidly.The material is extremely light and slippery and has a soft feel like silk. I have sewn very few things this delicate, so I am still learning techniques (as you can no doubt see - I also had a problem with my bobbin). No doubt someone else could do a better job, but at least the tent will work, which is the main thing.
I have been working on this tent for some time. I nearly finished it before we went to walk Mt Bartle Frere back in late August when I did this post then I set it aside as I had other things to do - and no need for it. I want it now for a pack rafting expedition Della and I are about to head off on, so we finished it.
Many of you will recognise its evolution from this, to this. Some of you will also have noticed my Pocket Poncho Tent which I thought was quite an achievement at 185 grams and which I intended to be a floor for this tent..
I have now to finish my Deer Hunter's Tent and make a silnylon and perhaps a cuben fibre version of it. It will be an even lighter two person tent than this one. In cuben fire (top) and silnylon (bottom) it will probably be under 300 grams - quite an achievement for a two person tent you can stand up in and warm with a fire! Using the Pocket Poncho Tent for a floor, and with a silnylon roof it should still only weigh around 400 grams - not bad for a two person tent and a raincoat for one!
We
have camped out lots of times in the prototypes of these three tents. For
example, here
we are in the Deer Hunter's Tent. Here
in the prototype of the Siligloo. And here
I am in the Pocket Poncho tent - so they work fine. And, Yes, I am planning to
sell them, some time - but I am old (and still busy about the farm and such)
and things just don't get done as quickly as they once did. Please be patient.
Next year
Tiny isn't it? .
And 379 grams, as you can see.
But plenty of room for two adults and two dogs.
Front view.
Side view.
Rear
view - you can see I have sewn a tie-out at the top to brace the top into strong
winds.
Some folks might worry about a tent which is always open on one side. In the prototype I sewed in a couple of flaps so I could close this, but I have not found it necessary so I have not included them yet in this model. I guess they would only add about half an ounce (15 grams). If a really bad storm comes you can take out the side pole and space out the pegs so the tent becomes a closed tipi which you would crawl into.
I may sew a couple of vents into the peak so that I don't get condensation in this or the closed configuration. Erected as a tipi it is nearly 10' across! I guess in an emergency you could shelter nearly a dozen people sitting up.
I have not sealed the seams. I doubt they will need it. They are all flat-felled. The Tyvek versions never needed it. The tie-outs would add a bit more but I doubt it is 400 grams with them - plus about 70 grams for the pegs. I will make a couple of small bags too: one for the tent and one for the stakes.
I will probably also make a floor for it - of course it was intended that I would use my Pocket Poncho tent for a floor, but I would wear it out pretty quickly if I used it all the time for that purpose. I will use it sometimes though - particularly on long trips with my wife, Della when we will also benefit from having a spare raincoat if needed.
The guy lines are the glow in the dark kind as are the micro line locks, as explained here. More about stakes.
Here it is in the bag with the stakes and the groundsheet:
PS: I always carry my tent in the side pocket of my pack. I attach the tent to the pack with the carabiner so I don't lose it.
14/12/2017: Andrew Bolt is wrong, the ‘deplorables’ need a hero. Contrast this: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/dont-do-it-tony/news-story/78e5f793eb42ecee4f4342b4a53e6e35 with this: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/11/case-abbott-redux/
14/12/2017: I’m sure THIS is how it
works here too. Redistribution only fuels the entitlement mentality.
Everyone should pay a proportion of their income as taxes so that they feel their
Government and society belongs to them – and so they will have an interest in
how Government money is spent: not just sit idly by with their beggar’s bowl
crying ‘Poor Me’ and expecting a handout from the rest of us: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-obama-care/121013-682454-government-becomes-a-massive-wealth-transfer-engine.htm
12/12/2017: Happy Birthday George Mason. Rights do not originate from government: ‘All men are by nature born equally free and independent… men entered into compacts to give up some of their natural rights, that by union and mutual assistance they might secure the rest; but they gave up no more… all government, and every kind of civil compact therefore, is or ought to be, calculated for the general good and safety of the community. Every power, every authority vested…is, or ought to be, ultimately directed to this sole end; and whenever any power or authority whatever extends further…it may be called government, but it is in fact oppression.’ https://fee.org/articles/george-masons-powerful-words-about-liberty/
11/12/2017: Hanlon's razor: ‘Never assume a conspiracy in that which can be explained by ignorance or stupidity.’
11/12/2017: The type of people they
want to go away – but what if we did: https://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2017/12/10/were-the-type-of-americans-the-elites-in-d-c-want-to-go-away-n2420561
11/12/2017: Less than 1C of warming
per century - hardly climate disaster: This careful examination of the
satellite data surely puts the doomsayers finally to rest: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/12/04/weekly-climate-and-energy-news-roundup-294/
10/12/2017: So, as I have said before, the sea level has not risen in 150+ years. ‘Scientists’ have been faking it: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/06/tidalgate-climate-alarmists-caught-faking-sea-level-rise/ John Daley pointed this out long ago:
The 1841 sea level benchmark (centre) on the `Isle of the Dead',
Mark is 50 cm across; tidal range is less than a metre.
10/12/2017: Weird way to make money: Ethereum miners are renting Boeing 747s to ship graphics cards and AMD shares are soaring: https://qz.com/1039809/amd-shares-are-soaring-ethereum-miners-are-renting-boeing-747s-to-ship-graphics-cards-to-mines/
10/12/2017: Better and better. Thanks
capitalism: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/12/08/some-of-the-most-encouraging-graphs-about-the-human-condition-youll-ever-see/
& https://ourworldindata.org/ 
09/12/2017:
09/12/2017: The Great Conversation
& the Great Books: How many of them have you read? I find that I am
better ‘educated’ in drama and poetry than any other field. Some of the
‘literature’ I have tried (and failed). Still, I see the point: that there
exists a corpus of great ideas: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/youre-going-have-educate-yourself
which is today falling into neglect to the extent apparently that 20% of the
population cannot name even one author! http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/1-5-cant-name-author-new-survey-finds
09/12/2017: Basically we met our
08/12/2017:
08/12/2017: Xmas used to be a time of wild debauchery, promiscuity, drunkenness - all sorts of fun – until the wowsers got hold of it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Misrule particularly under Oliver Cromwell: http://www.historytoday.com/chris-durston/puritan-war-christmas Now, even its pale shadow is under threat from PC/Islam. Kissing under the mistletoe is a poor echo of the Bacchanalia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacchanalia
07/12/2017: Kokoda Track Memorial
Walk: This delightful track is located right on the
The Japanese onslaught on Australia included the bombing of Darwin and Broome and attacks in many other places in Australia - famously in Sydney Harbour, but less well-known was an assault by a plane flown off a submarine in Bass Strait on the Yallourn Power Station here in the Latrobe Valley, the plane being shot down and crashing in the bush not five kilometers from our house!
The Japanese invasion came within about 20 kms of
You can spend a couple of delightful hours exploring this lovely spot, and soaking up some of the history which ought never to be forgotten. Much of it is intelligently displayed in monuments, billboards and brass informational plaques so it it readily accessible.
The entrance: the lush
A spectacular information board area is worth an hour of closer study. Here you will learn eg about Kingsbury VC who charged the Japanese with a Bren machine gun under his arm, killing many of them - until he himself was killed.
I was particularly impressed by this photo of the Highlanders (the so-called 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels') carrying a wounded 'digger' (who has clearly lost a leg - his composure in that circumstance is astonishing!). I was impressed by the elegance of the improvised litter: It would not have occurred to me that the weight of the patient on the ends of the blanket would be enough to secure it in place, as it is clearly doing.
You follow a winding path and are plunged immediately into the forest primeval.
Some very big timber still exists - this is a giant mountain ash. The largest of these were the largest trees which have ever existed on earth.
You pass the remnants of some of these giants which have fallen amongst the ferns.
The track follows a fern gully up the hill. The stream tinkles away only a few metres from the path.
The path is also called 'the 1,000 steps' though I did not count them. Along
the way, approximating major points of 'interest' on the real Kokoda track
there are brass plaques explaining what occurred at each point. My uncle fought
in the
Here is the last one when you reach the
A statue and Honour Board to the fallen serve as a permanent reminder of what we owe to these brave soldiers and New Guineans.
07/12/2017: 40,000 volcanoes. Wow!
They have to equal or exceed humanity’s footprint, surely. ‘It turns out
the second
largest volcano in the solar system is apparently not on Io, but 1,000 miles
east of Japan. It’s the size of the
07/12/2017: ‘The poorest 20 percent in
07/12/2017: In a similar vein, Health spending is negatively correlated with health outcomes: (and much the same could be said of education spending - and most ‘welfare’): http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/health-spending-negatively-correlated-with-health-outcomes/
06/12/2017: Voyager 1 fires its
engines for the first time in 37 years. If only they built machinery like
that nowadays: https://www.space.com/38967-voyager-1-fires-backup-thrusters-after-37-years.html
06/12/2017: What sort of a fool is
Albanese: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/12/anthony-albanese-told-the-abcs-730-program-a-lot-more-about-his-family-than-hes-disclosed-on-his-cit.html
06/12/2017: There is always another
perspective I suppose, even apparently to liking the abysmal North Korean
regime: http://www.news.com.au/travel/world-travel/asia/north-korea-the-side-of-secretive-country-most-dont-see/news-story/9f8c074cfcfb4b39e64299f7eff6a9e3
04/12/2017: Ultralight Pen
#2:
Valiant Concepts Titanium Keychain Pen: Designed to live on your keychain and go anywhere you go, The Valiant Concepts Keychain Pen is there when you need it, and practically disappears when you don’t.
Featuring a pressurized Fisher ink cartridge and operated simply by twisting the tail to expose the writing tip, this is the highest quality, most compact keychain pen on the market.
Diameter: 0.240"
Length: 2.50"
Weight: 0.235oz (6.7 grams)
Materials: Titanium
US$53.99 Dec 2017)
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-pen/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/miniature-pens/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tactical-pens/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/waterproof-notepads/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pen-fishing-rods/
04/12/2017: ‘Trump sticks out like a
sore thumb at the moment not because he is dangerous maverick but, on the
contrary, because he is the only truth teller in a world of lies… Some
of us here in Britain – many if not most of us, I suspect – are continually
pinching ourselves in disbelief at what our country has become in so short a
space. It seems only yesterday that we used to be able to walk
over
04/12/2017: ‘It is not the fault of the entrepreneurs that the consumers—the people, the common man—prefer liquor to Bibles and detective stories to serious books, and that governments prefer guns to butter. The entrepreneur does not make greater profits in selling “bad” things than in selling “good” things. His profits are the greater the better he succeeds in providing the consumers with those things they ask for most intensely. People do not drink intoxicating beverages in order to make the “alcohol capital” happy, and they do not go to war in order to increase the profits of the merchants of death.” The existence of the armaments industries is a consequence of the warlike spirit, not its cause…It is not the business of the entrepreneurs to make people substitute sound ideologies for unsound. It rests with the philosophers to change people’s ideas and ideals. The entrepreneur serves the consumers as they are today, however wicked and ignorant.’ Ludwig von Mises
04/12/2017: Credit Card Knives:
Boker Plus Credit Card Knife: A unique design from
Specs
Boker Plus
Blade: 440C stainless steel
Handle: Stainless steel
Titanium liner
Removable pocket clip
Blade length: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
Closed length: 2.8 in (7.1)
Overall length: 5 in (12.7 cm)
Weight: 1.1 oz (31 g)
Included (2) Ball chains - 1 original, 1 extra
Available: https://www.bokerusa.com/pocketknives/boker-plus/tactical-knives/credit-card-knife-black-01bo011 US$39.95 (Dec 2017)
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/small-thin-pocket-knives/
http://www.iainsinclair.com/en/cardsharp4-natural.html
Below: the Cardsharp Knife:
03/12/2017: The Conservative vote is
strong. That’s the lesson from the
03/12/2017: Away with the birds: http://www.neatorama.com/2017/11/25/Brazen-Bird-Theft/
03/12/2017: Supermoon: the moon is at
apogee so it will be 16% brighter, but I doubt you will see it. PS: It’s
all because of ‘global warming’: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/12/01/supermoon-this-weekend-will-be-biggest-full-moon-of-the-year/
02/12/2017: If you thought jumping
out of a plane was bad enough, watch these two guys jump into one: https://laughingsquid.com/wingsuit-pilots-jump-into-passing-plane/
02/12/2017:
Waterproof Hearing Aids:
(Pictured above Signia Motion – they also take the ultra-thin ‘Life Tubes’)
If you are pretty deaf like me you can’t do much well in the outdoors without waterproof hearing aids. Unfortunately Siemens (now Signia) have stopped production of the Aquaris model of waterproof hearing aids, so I can no longer buy a spare (though I will be looking out on eBay – Gumtree is better for this)
They have two new models which are mildly water proof 1P67: the Motion and the Cellion. These new models also have updated hearing technology, so if you are after a new pair of hearing aids you will be hearing better than ever with them! They even claim you will hear better than folk with normal hearing!
However, I have spoken to Signia/Siemens at length and they say neither of these products will stand being submerged (particularly the receiver in canal (RIC) of the Cellion, so I can’t imagine what this rating is all about, The Motion is likely to fare better than the Cellion – and should withstand sweat and some light rain, but will not stand being submerged, they say – though it will probably dry out and start working again (and would be covered by a warranty) There is nothing now which is suitable for swimming or canoeing (ie when you fall out, which you always do sometime!) The best you can do is maybe source a pair of second – hand Aquaris. Good luck with that. You will have competition.
Below is what the IP stuff is (supposed to be) all about:
IP (Ingress
Protection) ratings IP67 & IP68:
First digit: Solid
particle protection:
|
6 |
Dust tight |
No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow. |
Second digit: Liquid
ingress protection:
|
7 |
Immersion, up to 1 m depth |
Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). |
Test duration: 30 minutes - ref IEC 60529, table 8. Tested with the lowest point of the enclosure 1000 mm below the surface of the water, or the highest point 150 mm below the surface, whichever is deeper. |
|
8 |
Immersion, 1 m or more depth |
The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. The test depth and/or duration is expected to be greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be added, such as temperature cycling before immersion. |
Test duration: Agreement with Manufacturer Depth specified by manufacturer, generally up to 3 m |
The rechargeable nature of the Cellion (and the ‘soluble RIC!) means that I would have to carry a charger and a power source (as compared with two spare hearing aid batteries - perhaps), so they would increase my pack weight by perhaps 200 grams or more. Unacceptable. I will be going with the IP67 ‘Motion’ model when the time comes to update my Aquatris ones – unless I can find something better! They are available here from US$1195 ea –Nov 2017: http://www.thehearingclub.com/SiemensSignia-MOTION-and-Orion-2-BTE-Models_c_121.html
Siemens claimed their Motion binax was IP67 waterproof to 1 metre for 30 minutes: https://www.bestsoundtechnology.com/pro/siemens-hearing-product-portfolio/binax/motion/
PS: I managed to buy a second hand model of the Motion Binax on Gumtree for A$250. This is wonderful news for me.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/zenni-the-hearing-company/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/securing-hearing-aids/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code
02/12/2017: Despite Musk’s battery and heaps of diesel generators to replace their destroyed coal fired power station, SA keeps having blackouts. Astonishing really. What went wrong? http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/almost-150-businesses-without-power-in-the-adelaide-cbd-during-the-second-black-out-in-a-week/news-story/82042e02b13473cf6157a857f1213df9
02/12/2017: ‘The only thing worse than a bank which makes profits is one that does not’ is the only thing the ‘Banking Inquiry’ need to know; everything else is a waste of money – after all most of the profits (80%+) are returned to shareholders - ie us, self-managed super funds, and the like.
02/12/2017: The Forgotten Holocaust –
the fate of the
02/12/2017: Weight-training essential
to prevent muscle loss over age 40-50: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/well/move/to-maintain-muscle-and-lose-fat-as-you-age-add-weights.html?_r=&referer=
01/12/2017: Above, Romanian bread
lines under socialism, below, Romanians line up for new iPhone:
01/12/2017: So, Turnbull is to have a banking inquiry…Just remind me again how much good the last few inquiries did, eg the Trade Union one which failed to prosecute Shorten or Gillard, though it concluded that both had committed just the offenses which had all along been claimed.
01/12/2017: Ultimate victimhood: http://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/self-bullying-study.php
30/11/2017: Kamifusen (Japanese paper balloons) are astonishing. Who would have thought you could inflate a
balloon by squashing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un-pTKfC1dQ
30/11/2017: In any sane society
Dastyari would be shot for treason – yet other decent folk have been
ejected from Parliament because their grandfather was Scottish!
30/11/2017: Same Sex legislation (and
any other) cannot be validly passed by this parliament (by Xmas – or
anytime soon) whilst there is an indeterminate number of MPs who have no
constitutional right to sit or vote – as many as twenty by some counts. This
issue has to be dealt with first.
29/11/2017: A Perfect Solution to
Email Scams: https://boingboing.net/2017/11/08/somebody-wrote-an-email-bot-to.html
29/11/2017: Sold out on same sex
marriage: No protection for free speech or conscience then, yet in
September, Mr Turnbull had offered hope to Christian groups and conservative
MPs when he pledged to protect religious protections following the same-sex
marriage survey. “I just want to
reassure Australians that as strongly as I believe in the right of same-sex
couples to marry, as strongly as I believe in that, even more strongly, if you
like, do I believe in religious freedom,” Mr Turnbull said. “Religious freedom
is fundamental and it will be protected in any bill that emerges from this parliament.”
Labor will not allow a conscience vote on these protections and even some
Liberals have shot them down. This is not what people voted for, so it should
not go ahead, yet it will – and will end badly. I foresee the whole issue being
revisited later on down the track.
29/11/2017: One Nation won 14% of the
vote in Qld and 35% in some electorates, an average of 21% in those
electorates where it stood (compared to the greens at 9%), seats the Coalition
must win if it is to be in Government. Still,
Malcolm does not get it.
28/11/2017: Greenland Sharks, ugly but ancient, ‘they estimated that one sixteen-foot female was at least two hundred and seventy-two years old, and possibly as much as five hundred and twelve years old.’ https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-strange-and-gruesome-story-of-the-greenland-shark-the-longest-living-vertebrate-on-earth
28/11/2017: It’s the Government, stupid: Everyone this morning seems to think we need an enquiry into the banks (when we all know already what they get up to) when it is the Government’s disastrous mismanagement of the economy which is the root of the problem ie borrowing like there is no tomorrow, printing money, penalising thrift and rewarding wastrels…
28/11/2017: Renewable energy as a
percentage share of all energy is down from 90%+ to just over 13.8%, 10% of
which is wood! It is an C18th energy source best relegated to the dustbin
of history: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/11/26/the-big-slide-in-renewable-energy-tells-the-real-story/
27/11/2017: What a wonder: If only we had our own Donald Trump: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/454028/donald-trump-accomplishments-thanksgiving
27/11/2017: Strange things…Dog-faced
bat: Buettikofer’s epauletted fruit bat
27/11/2017: Weightless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oos4ojutOMM&feature=youtu.be
26/11/2017: Hummingbird Knife:
What a beautiful little keychain knife (what with Xmas coming up too!) The Rike
Knife
Specs
Blade: Damasteel
HRC: 58–59
Blade style: Drop-point
Grind: Flat
Handle: Titanium
Frame lock
Manual opening with flipper tab
Ceramic ball bearing washers
Pocket clip for right-handed tip-up carry
Lanyard hole
Handle thickness: 0.3 in (0.8 cm)
Blade thickness: 0.09 in (2.3 mm)
Blade length: 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
Closed length: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
Overall length: 3.75 in (9.5 cm)
Weight: 0.6 oz (17 g)
http://www.rikeknife.com/page144.html?product_id=460
Available on Massdrop US$74.99(Nov 2017)
26/11/2017: Fascinating…Nothing comes
from nothing; (or ‘ex nihilo nihil fit’, as Parmenides argued – though in
Greek, it must be said). However, as it turns out everything comes from
nothing. What a mind-blowing discovery. Imagine discovering the 90% of the
universe that had been missing since 1933 - only to find that it had not been
missing at all: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/11/25/dark-matter-and-dark-energy-do-they-really-exist/
26/11/2017: This is the Bureau of
Met's records for our oldest continuous remote station in
26/11/2017: The great Karl Popper: Nothing I have read in the last decade is as important as this (ex Karl Popper):
‘(1) The state is a necessary evil and its powers should be kept to the minimum that is necessary.
(2) A democracy is a state where the government can be changed without bloodshed.
(3) Democracy cannot confer benefits on people. "Democracy provides no more than a framework within which the citizens may act in a more or less organised and coherent way".
(4) Democracy does not mean that the majority is right.
(5) Institutions need to be tempered and supported by traditions.
(6) There is no Liberal Utopia. There are always problems, conflicts of interests, choices to be made between the lesser of evils.
(7) Liberalism is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. It is about modifying or changing institutions and traditions rather than wholesale replacement of the existing order. The exception to this is when a tyranny is in place, that is a government that can only be changed by violence and bloodshed.
8) The importance of the moral framework.’
Please read on: http://www.the-rathouse.com/CRPublicOpinion17.html
25/11/2017: 58% of Northcote voters
are public servants…the lunatics truly are running the asylum: http://catallaxyfiles.com/2017/11/25/stephen-cable-no-matter-the-question-government-is-the-answer/
25/11/2017: A woman who cannot even
pronounce her own name is about to win her second Qld election, the only time a
woman in
25/11/2017: Meanwhile, it has been
quite cold in
25/11/2017: Polar bears gather around
the carcass of a bowhead whale on the
25/11/2017: The Remote Wonnangatta,
Day Two: Posted Monday night on Facebook: 'Listen to the birdsong: 6:30am
Monday morning in one of the most remote spots in Victoria, Wonnangatta River
Alpine Nat Park. From
[embed]https://youtu.be/zTwhka6fmQM[/embed]
I had to get out at this rapid (about half way between the Moroka and Eaglevale anyway, so I thought i would record it. The sound alone should kindle a desire in your heart to be there yourself:
[embed]https://youtu.be/hQw-WapWdg8[/embed]
As you can see my Pocket Poncho Tent (185 grams) worked a treat, though it did not rain actually. If it had I would have been snug and dry. There was ample room for myself and all my gear scattered around the edges. I could manage to not touch the top or sides so my sleeping bag stayed dry, though there was of course the normal condensation you get from the inside of the shelter being warmer than the outside.There is nothing to be done about 'dew point'. It is a physical reality - but you don't need a double skinned tent (or all the weight). A simple tarp like this (and a Polycro groundsheet - at 46 grams) is quite adequate: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-ground-sheet/)
My breakfast view. There is certainly plenty of firewood here - which I find very sad. The two big fires which came through here back about 2008-9 killed vast numbers of trees (and even vaster numbers of animals and birds). This fire-killed wood is now dropping everywhere (you have to be careful where you camp) and blocking up the river awfully in places. Curiously, it burns not unlike pine. All the goodness has been 'cooked' out of it somehow. A small pile of wood which used to last you overnight is now replaced with about a trailer load's worth (which does not). Morning and night the well-nigh deafening echoing valleys of morning and evensong are mostly silent. Along the rivers the birds are starting to come back, as the video - well the audio actually above illustrates.
About to
set out - looking up towards the top flat.
And
downstream.
And off
I go again!
Mt von
Guerard Creek confluence - notice the tiny waterfall. Just below here there
used to be a giant log jam I guess an acre tor two) which made for a very
difficult portage. It persisted for 30+ years I guess. Eventually the river
changed its course!
Looking
back at the beginning of the bottom flat.
Rounding
the bottom flat.
There is
a bit of a rocky run below the bottom flat (and below the small flat below it).
Looking
back up river in the deep pool above the small flat.
It's a
great pool isn't it? I have eaten a few trout out of this one, I can tell you!
As I
said there is another rocky run below the small flat.
Lots of
dragons:
And I am
at Mt Darling Creek confluence.
Looking
downstream from Mt Darling Creek, looking upstream.
At Mt
Darling confluence: Look at this. I was there about six weeks ago and some guy
had purloined an old tent (and other things) I had wrapped in a garden bag and
hidden under a tree to shelter all his possessions with. He had also bagsed my
campsite which I had long ago cleared - and burned my gathered firewood. And it
it still just the same - but no-one around. This is apart from having made use
of the walking track I had cleared - to this point. Now it is just his campsite
alone apparently (and I will have to make another, a more discreet one for
myself). Usually I expect more civilised conduct in the bush, but yobbos get
everywhere nowadays! How many dozens of times I have camped here. I should have
left him a note, except I don't really want to know him.
There is
another rocky race below Mt Darling, then a nice little rapid.
The
Snowy Bluff looms on your right.
There is
a huge deep pool on a left hand corner. What monstrous fish it harbours. The
river does a big remote loop to the left then.
The deer
have been wallowing right in the river on this loop!
Coming
out of the loop into straighter, deeper sections.
And soon
I have come to the Moroka confluence! At about 4 1/2 hours from Hernes Spur I
am a bit over half way to Eaglevale.
Another view looking up the Moroka. What a splendid little river and an excellent trout stream it is...but that is for another day!
Looking upstream to Moroka Glen (road's end). I forgot to take a snap of it as I passed.
Time for a spot of lunch under a shady tree - actually there are not so many
of these since the parks vandals removed all the willows - and all but
destroyed the river. Given enough time they will destroy all our public lands!
There is going to be a lot of work for such as you and me replanting all those
willows and poplars!
Off again. Another tree down across the river.
And my signature finger again.
Look at this mighty granite extrusion. What awesome cataclysms there have
been in the past. I'm glad I wasn't standing here when this happened. It looks
like a mighty alien spaceship has crashed into the earth, and coalesced.
The view from behind it.
If you scan this bare hillside you will discern innumerable animal paths.
Della and I camped here once (see the lovely beach around the bend in the next
shot). This bare face was just opposite us. A deer honked at us loudly for
nearly an hour from right in the middle of this clear hillside, yet neither of
us was able to make it out at all. They are such geniuses at using the
slightest bit of cover to disguise themselves!
Great beach isn't it - and what a swimming hole!
I just love this wonderful syncline too. Earth in upheaval!
Another fine beach.
And another syncline.
And yet another log jam. Thank goodness the pack raft only weighs a bit over
2 kg.
looking back at the confluence of the Sugarloaf Creek. We are now adjacent
to private land all the way to Eaglevale (approx the last two hours).
Willows would once (not long ago) have held this bank together.
Now the farmer's brand new fence is being swept away every time the river
rises. You have to feel sorry for these mountain cattlemen. The statists and
bureaucrats have stolen their mountain grazing leases. Now they have stolen
their river banks and forced them to fence them off even though (with the
willows gone) that will most definitely not work. I do so love government! I
would love it to death actually. Perhaps like Oscar Wilde's Kings and Priests
(the last of one he hoped to live to see strangled with the gizzards of the
last of the other) I will live to see the last Government disappear from the
earth - 'not with a bang but a whimper' - as T.S.Elliot said in 'The Waste Land'.
Or maybe not. it is awfully triumphant everywhere just now!
The greenery here attests to the benefits of phosphorus.
The first swing bridge.
The old pump and the new. The new will not last a smidgeon that the old has.
Eventually the farmer will be reinstating the mill - when the solar gibberish
expires!
A delightful brace of spur-winged plovers takes flight.
Another great wall. And observe the contrail. Other folks are out and about exploring the world too - in their own way! I would rather be here.
At last, after another hour, the 
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
24/11/2017: Incredible: Bearded Dragons Are Dumber Because of Climate Change: ‘Somehow dragons survived for millions of years, across millions of square kilometers, through ice ages, asteroid impacts and far hotter periods. The real problem today is that legally Dragons are not permitted to move territory, dig deeper nests, find shadier trees, or selectively promote their smarter offspring without losing welfare benefits.’ http://joannenova.com.au/2017/11/climate-change-will-make-bearded-dragons-dumber/
24/11/2017: Amara’s Law: Interesting: ‘we tend to overestimate the impact of a new technology in the short run, but we underestimate it in the long run…. We expect too much of an innovation in the first ten years and too little in the first 20, but get it about right at 15. ‘http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/amaras-law/
24/11/2017: Pack Rafting the Remote
Wonnangatta, Day 1: Suppose you didn't have two 4WDs, or a 4WD at
all...Nonetheless, could you hitch a 4WD ride to the Wonnangatta Station so you
could pack raft the
Given that the drive each way (Eaglevale-Hernes Spur) is 1 1/2 hours (and
you would normally need two 4WD vehicles, leaving one at the Wombat or Hernes
Spur and taking the other one in later to pick it up), this still saved hours of
driving for two drivers - and of course it meant I could do the trip by myself.
(Eaglevale is approximately 6 hours from
Two lovely young blokes from Traralgon graciously gave me a lift on their first (fishing) trip into the Wonnangatta. I doubt it will be their last. They were good company too - but my last company for the remainder of the trip, as I prefer it anyway. They headed down the Wombat Spur (Humffray Confluence), so I had two extra hours paddling - as it turned out (compared with putting in at the Hernes Spur). Still, I experienced the entire navigable section of the river.
And here they are (with their Jeep) at the Wombat Spur crossing. What a lovely day it is:
I will split the post in two - as there are lots of photographs - so you can imagine a night spent regaling yourself by the river, rocked to sleep by the murmur of the river on its bars - after dining on fresh-caught trout, lullabied by the returning evening chorus, etc. The photos are in order to give you an impression of the totality of the journey. Mostly I will just allow the photos to speak for themselves. There are zillions of spots where you can pull out and make a delightful camp. I have included a couple of video clips to give you a better 'feel' for the experience. These are not professional productions.
There are around seven road crossings of the Wonnangatta between the Wombat and Hernes Spurs. If you have made a mistake and there is just definitely not enough water you can pull out and hitch back from Hernes Spur. On the other hand, this section (though quite nice) takes about two hours, so if you are in a hurry, you might walk the distance in half that time and save yourself an hour by beginning at Hernes Spur (supposing you were dropped off at the Wombat Spur). If you were camped in the vicinity you could take turns doing trips between the two tracks Wombat/Hernes) and maybe doing a spot of fishing. I simply paddled on...
This is my rig. I have an Alpacka 'Fiord Explorer', an Aqua Bound paddle, my old Zpacks Blast pack with its Gossamer Gear Airbeam pad (they have been a lot of places with me). Inside is three days food, my Pocket Poncho Tent, my take-down .308 BLR - all the gear I need. Something like this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/ There would be plenty of room for a small dog (who remonstrated with me about being left out, I can assure you!), but you just can't count on hitch-hiking with a dog!
There does not look as if there is quite enough water at the crossing...
But, maybe...I will give it a 'go' anyway:
It soon gets better.
All along the trip you have to watch out for log jams and log overhangs.
The rapids are only ever Grade 1 - perhaps the odd Grade 2. But you need to watch out: there are lots of submerged rocks.
There are lots of great fishing spots - and zillions of tasty trout. Sorry about my finger in the snap below - a signature thing actually!
Lots of pretty beaches...
So much fire-killed timber. Be careful how you negotiate overhangs like this one.
Many 'welcome' little guys like this which nest under the bank overhangs along the river.
Be careful how you approach things like this. Plenty of folk have died under such logs.
Here is the Hernes Spur crossing. If you go past this point without intending to, you will have a long paddle (over 8 hours more) - or a very long walk back!
Plenty of dragons watch you pass.
You would have to get out for this one. This is where a pack raft comes into its own. Simply unclip the pack, swing it on, pick up the raft in one hand, the paddle in the other as a walking stick, and off you go:
This duck imagines she is hiding.
Great fishing hole!
Coming up to the top flat (right). One hour from Hernes Spur.
Looking upstream from the top flat.
Just a couple more bends. Say half an hour...
Here is a little video just to give you a feel for the sights and sounds of being on the river. This was taken between Wombat and Hernes Spur:
[embed]https://youtu.be/iHTlSW8Jpm8[/embed]
And I spot a pleasant camp on the true left bank just above Mt von Guerard Creek. Put yourself in this picture perhaps (my pocket poncho tent looks very nice in that scenario doesn't it?):
Like this:
Here is another little video to give you a feeling for the beauty/tranquillity of the spot I camped in and some idea of how the morning chorus has returned:
[embed]https://youtu.be/OTkP1KUOq7I[/embed]
As I did not launch until 1:30 pm, I had one short day (3 1/2 hours) and one longer one (7 hours). If you were at Eaglevale at 7:00 am, you would probably be putting in to the river by 9:30 am, so you might camp somewhere between Mt Darling Creek and the Moroka Confluence - to split the journey roughly in two. I camped about half way between the top and bottom flats, around about Mt Von Guerard Creek. If you were doing the trip over three days, this would be good. The second night you would camp say about an hour below the Moroka confluence/Moroka Glen.
View of the Snowy Bluff on the
Times: (please note this is with the minimum navigable gauge height and if you are nearly 70 - you may be quicker - or slower) but this will give you some idea. These are actual paddling times, not counting time spent being stargazy, eating, swimming, fishing, hunting etc. Humffray confluence/Wombat Spur track to Hernes Spur: two hours; Hernes Spur to top flat 1 hour; top flat to bottom flat 1 hour; bottom flat to Mt Darling Creek 1 hour; Mt Darling Creek to Moroka Confluence/Moroka Glen (add ten minutes) 1 1/2 hours; Moroka Glen to first swing bridge 3 hours; first swing bridge to (second) Eaglevale swing bridge 1 hour; thus Moroka Glen to Eaglevale 4 hours.Totals: Humffray River to Eaglevale: 10 1/2 hours; Hernes Spur to Eaglevale: 8 1/2 hours.
This trip can be done in two days, but would be better over three - or more! If the river heights are suitable and you drive to Eaglevale on Friday night and camp so that you go in with the first vehicles on Saturday morning - o9r even on the Friday night (you can pitch a tent on the true right bank below the Hernes Spur crossing - get well back between the trees so no-one runs over you in the dark), you can be back to Eaglevale on Sunday afternoon with enough time to drive home again! It is likely that someone else who is going in on Saturday morning will be camped at Eaglevale on a Friday night, so you can maybe arrange your lift over a couple of cold ones!
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
23/11/2017: Political Correctness has now become even more tyrannical. Now it is
not acceptable even to be neutral. We should just give up funding academia. I’m
sure that would shake them up a bit: http://davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/2017/11/the-absurd-and-the-sinister-arent-mutually-exclusive.html
23/11/2017: Anti-matter in lightning storms: The universe sure is a weird
place. Now this might be an interesting alternative renewable energy source: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/11/22/discovery-lightning-creates-anti-matter-in-our-atmosphere/
22/11/2017: Ultralight Ground Sheet: If you are sensible and don’t use a tent, but instead sleep under a nice airy tarp, you may nonetheless want to protect your bottom and other expensive equipment with a ground sheet. As I have mentioned before a mylar space blanket (at about 50 grams) is good enough for this and does double duty by keeping you warm in an emergency – also good for your day pack when you go for a stroll away from your camp to check out that waterfall, rare orchid or monstrous stag, etc.
Another leading contender is a Polycro ground sheet. This is much tougher stuff than 'normal' plastic film such as painter's drop cloths, etc. You can buy them from Gossamer Gear here: https://www.gossamergear.com/products/polycryo-tent-footprint-ground-cloths for US$8.46 for two (Nov 2017) or you can make your own with supplies from eg Bunnings, such as this: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/3m-window-insulator-kit-5-windows_p00167658 or this: 3M Indoor Window Insulator Kit, 5-Window You get a heap of sticky tape too which might come in handy for repairs of some sort.
As you can see
Gossamer Gear’s Specs (above) are as follows: Size 40 x 96 in / 102 x 244 cm 46 grams each. You can even make a transparent fly tarp (which might be cool) or tent out of this stuff if you want, as eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/transparent-tarp-instructions/ For a groundsheet the .75 mil material is adequate (and lighter). I like the see-through9Ness) of it actually. It really helps with finding those 'lost' small objects you dropped just now!
An equivalent piece of silpoly or silnylon, say the 1 oz/yd2 stuff would be under 4 ounces, say110 grams but would last much longer. I have been using a piece .8 oz/yd2 spinnaker cloth for a number of years, something like this: https://www.gossamergear.com/collections/shelters/products/groundsheet which weighs 2,7 ounces or 76 grams. Diminsions: 90" / 228.5 cm long by 40" / 101.5 cm wide and costs US$40 (Nov 2017).
You could purchase 2.1 metres of silpoly material (that's enough for a double sheet ie 7' x 5' - 2.1 x 1.5 metres). It does not need hemming (that's why it's called 'Ripstop') and will last you many years. The 'dark Olive' is a nice colour. http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/xenon-sil-11 It costs $A11.95/metre - so your groundsheet will cost $A25
PS: This is the fabric my Pocket Poncho tent is made from. It blends in very nicely in the woods, I think. Even the deer did not notice it! See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
22/11/2017: Can You Pass This 8th
Grade Mental Arithmetic Exam from 1922? I actually found this easy, but I
was brought up with it…I really like the comment though by former
22/11/2017: 20%. Why
22/11/2017: Black Thursday 7 February
1851, quite possibly
21/11/2017: Mal’s solution to the ‘problem’ I identified back on the 5th and 8th November (ie that the Govt would not have a majority at the next sitting on 27 November)…cancel Parliament as Charles 1 did (and lost his head – which came first?) Why, Oh Why, did you axe Tony Abbott and replace him with this buffoon? Tony had an historic majority (and would have still), and a recipe for fixing our benighted country…now we have a carbon tax again, vast debts and the problem of the Manus ‘refugees’…and can look forward to three years of Shorten. ‘Poor fellow, my country’.
18/11/2017: A Wonnagatta Spring, Day
Three: From Neates Track down to the
Here we are once again setting out:
Once again it is a superb Spring morning.
The river fairly glows with vitality and beauty.
This is the kind of log which would flip you out. You might not get round the inside of it. A little later on a similar log, I did not - and the two dogs and myself had a pleasant swim!
Just as we were about to come out into a view of the large clear hill on the right where the old Telstra facility used to be, there was a tiny finger of bush between the road and the river - i guess no more than 1/2 an acre. Spot began barking, wanting to jump from one canoe to the other, jump into the river, onto the bank... Of course we were snapping back at him. Then two very large sambar hinds ran regally across our path not thirty yards ahead of us. Far too quickly unfortunately for me to get my camera out and get a snap of them. Worse luck! Bizarrely enough I had managed to flip myself out on a branch just up the river and I had managed to set my camera to video mode, so I have an audio record of him barking. I had even taken my camera out of my pocket just seconds before this, realised that it was recording switched it off and slipped it back into my pocket, just after this excerpt. If I had just kept videoing for another 20 seconds I would have had a beautiful piece of film...
[video width="1440" height="1080" mp4="http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171115094849.mp4"][/video]
Some more of that strange ochre staining just past the spot where the deer disappeared onto the left bank.
Even in death this old gum imparts a wanton beauty.
The murmur of immemorial elms:
Don't these beautiful European trees really dress a river up a treat. There
should definitely be many more of them. Bring back the willows!
The
Crooked River confluence.
Still the odd pleasant rapid.
A lovely beach just up ahead. Time for 'elevenses'.
What a fine little beach.
I guess that's Conways Track winding up the hill above the flock of wood ducks.
I guess this old guy will be in the river before long - worse luck. The willows had saved it for generations, but a couple of floods, and down it goes!
Just about the last rapid - Della is looking quite expert here.
Finally the
It was a lovely trip spoiled only by these two things: seeing that hoons had just about burned down Gee's Hut at the Black Snake Creek which had been lovingly restored only recently (only to be shot full of holes - as also was the public toilet there) within about two weeks. Really, a passport ought to be a required before they let such folks out of the cities!
And this: on the main road just out of Iguana Creek someone had shot a large stag in their car's headlights and cut off its head with a chainsaw. Such expert hunting. Mind you, it had made a fine meal for this other bush predator:
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
18/11/2017: You wouldn’t want to be standing under this huge meteor. Scroll to about 23 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=36&v=iDhoHpSJEQE
18/11/2017: ‘Milton Friedman once joked that if you put
the government in charge of the
18/11/2017: The
17/11/2017: A Wonnangatta Spring, Day Two: Very little rain was forecast for the three days - and very little fell. We were however treated during the night to that beautiful brooding, ominous rolling booming of thunderstorms clawing their way across the faces of the mountains, and to the mysterious comings and goings of the cervine denizens to their wallow not twenty yards away. I have picked out the best 40 or so of a couple of hundred snaps I took during the six lazy hours we were paddling on the second day. We ended up camped just below the twin bridges of Neates Track, again on a lovely grassy verge where a small stream entered the river on the true left bank. The snaps are in order, so mostly I will just allow them to reveal this wonderful river to you.
Leaving camp:
Lots of pebble races. We often had to get out at 1.75 metres. It would have been better at 1.8, but still possible at 1.70.
Duck Della.
Getting side on to a log like this would have you out too. Beware.
There were lots of these white moths feeding the many trout the river supports. Anglers take note. The river also supports carp near as big as your legs. Maybe there will be man-eaters here in the future?
The PC brigade cleared out the wonderful, beautiful willows which held the banks together. As a consequence they are falling in everywhere and the river is getting shallower and shallower - getting silted up. Replanting them will be a lot of work, but it must be done! Take a few green willow wands with you on every trip.
This little guy was in a desperate hurry to get out of sight!
Large gums are being undercut and falling - here blocking the river completely. Especially at higher levels you have to keep your eyes peeled. If you were stuck under one of these you would be a goner!
We had to climb out onto them (there were three altogether), heave the boats on top, then tumble back into them on the other side. Chose a slack bit of water for this maneuver.
Tiny waits patiently.
What a great sky!
There are lots of lovely beaches for lunch or a snack.
This was a pretty good spot too.
Everywhere you look: postcard perfect!
I couldn't resist posting these two snaps of a wood duck. I only wished the camera had focused a little better on its flight.
Who'd have thought though that s/he took three jumps off the water in the blink of an eye!
Visual porn.
A lovely old swing bridge at Neates Track. 
Apparently you are supposed to avoid this lens rainbowing - but I love it! What a great idea for a vehicular bridge. There definitively should be more of these.
Again, a lovely grassy camp on the left bank 100 metres downstream from the bridge.
Della found this interesting deer head. She will restore its flesh with felt. An interesting trophy it will become.
A beautiful spot to camp. Stay well clear of the large gums though.
See Also:http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
17/11/2017: The Senate ‘system’ is a joke: This bloke is only there because folks voted for Pauline in droves while he received 19 votes , yet she has not say over his conduct. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-13/hanson-says-anning-has-abandoned-one-nation/9144142
17/11/2017: It is so hard to keep track of the origins of the influences which inform our opinions, nay our truisms. An example: it was the Marxist historian Gordon Childe who ‘invented’ the ‘Neolithic Revolution’, a ‘fact’ which I had not questioned until recently. In so doing, he had drawn parallels with the ‘Industrial Revolution’ (which I must also reprise soon) and had created a narrative of the human story (which like the ideal of ‘progress’ for example) is wholly false, apparently. The discoveries at Gobeki Tepe, Jerf el Ahmar, Wadi Faynan, etc, etc undo the sequence of events in our prehistory underlining eg the certainty that culture takes precedence over necessity (thus overturning a fundamental tenet of leftist social studies curricula of the last 30 (?) years which have taught two generations at least that the essential human necessities are first & in order: air, water, food, shelter…) In these astonishing sites we see that prehistoric hunters were constructing (Palaeolithic) monuments long before the invention of farming, so that clearly culture takes precedence over all else in the human mind: an adamantine fact which policy makers everywhere need to cleave to, utterly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe
16/11/2017: A Wonnangatta Spring, Day One: Finding just the right conjunction of time, three days of delightful spring weather and enough water to make the river canoeable is harder now than it was before the bushfires years ago when the river height was over 1.8 metres on the Waterford gauge all summer. Now it rarely is. Last winter was quite dry so there have been few days when we had time, where the river has been at this height and the weather suitable - but the last three days looked auspicious, and even though there were only 1.75 metres on the gauge we thought we should try it before the opportunity was gone for yet another summer.
This section of river is Eagelevale around 25km down to the
Here we are ready to begin just before the swing bridge at Eaglevale. There is a vast (empty) camping area here (even with a toilet).
There is the bridge just upriver. The ford across the Wonnangatta is just
below it. That is where you cross if you are driving in to the Station (which
we have done many times). I would not recommend crossing if the water is (much)
above 1.8 metres on the
And off we go. Spot in the lead as usual:
But old Tiny is still going too at 17 1/2! Both dogs look like they are going to enjoy the trip.
I love the granite outcrops, and this evergreen lady.
Mostly this section of the river is just pebble races,so it is quite suitable for children so long as you look out for snags such as log jams and walk around them on the inside edge.
Spot decides we can fit under that one.
This sky is what Della described as 'tenebrous'. What a wonderful vocabulary!
Some places the river is a magical mirror.
Paddling it is great fun though.
Lots of ducks along the river this year. As you paddle along, (you will have to imagine this) the air is just full of birdsong. A hundred different voices raised in a wonderful musical medley. Along this section there are lots of clear private paddocks, (mainly on the true right bank - though you cannot see them from the river, so that it feels like you are enclosed by wilderness) which received some protection from the worst excesses of the terrible wildfires, so that the birdlife in this section is something like what it was before the fires.
Just cruisin'
This shag was so replete s/he could barely fly. It waited always until the very last minute before it lumbered off looking something like 'The Spruce Goose'. I always try to get a snap of a bird taking off. It is awfully hard to do (especially when you are canoeing the river with both hands too) but sometimes you succeed.
And, how good is that:
There are lots of logs you have to watch out for. Sometimes they will occasion a portage.
You do not want to get stuck under one! Tiny agrees.
More of that tenebrous sky!
From where we live (10 km from Morwell) it is approximately a 3 1/2 hour
drive (safely) to get to Eaglevale. You turn off just after you cross the
What this means is that was we were dawdling getting ready and didn't leave Churchill until around midday. It was after three before we were on the river. We spent a leisurely hour and a half paddling. There were lots of other grassy flats where you could camp. We chose this one on the true left bank just before a large granite outcrop. There was a small stream entering on the left which made a little bay or anchorage for our boats - but we pulled them well up on the bank - as I have been caught out by flash-floods before.
What a delightful little grassy spot amongst the black wattles. Behind Della and Spot is the small stream I mentioned. It had quite a number of deer wallows in it.
We washed our breakfast dishes about 100 yards above our camp just above this interesting feature. We saw two places on the river like this where iron compounds were staining the rocks with ochre.
Spot
inspects the cleanliness of our dishes.
There is our tent way along there. Plenty of room for a dozen tents, but we would have been somewhere else in that event!
Here is Della checking out the wallows for cast antlers. She has lots of crafty projects to use them on.
And here she is next morning setting out again from our little harbour.
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
13/11/2017: Moose Hunting Pack: Just in case you really
need an indestructible 93 litre pack which will carry 40 kg (100lb) plus a
moose and weigh only 1.25 kg. Personally I couldn’t resist the photo. That (by
the way) is an Alpacka pack raft, most likely the Fiord Explorer model, their
'moose boat'! If you haven’t got one, you are seriously deprived.
Here for
example are Della and I canoeing the Wonnagatta in ours: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
In a similar
vein, if you are interested in moose hunting (in the
It does look a nice pack, doesn't it?
Details here: https://seekoutside.com/divide-4500-ultralight-backpack/ usually US349 (Nov 2017)
You need a Xmas present, surely?
Available on
Massdrop this morning )12/11/2017) for US299 https://www.massdrop.com/buy/seek-outside-unaweep-divide?1=1&utm_placement=0&referer=EJ89BQ&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202017-11-11&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional&utm_content=1510397336979.968917496224031815359828
And Della really looks to be enjoying herself on the Wonnangatta, doesn't she? We will do this again very soon:
See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
13/11/2017: This from the world’s greatest living physicist: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/11/10/freeman-dyson-on-heretical-thoughts-about-global-warmimg/ and this showing an unbelievable waste of $58 trillion on this madness: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/11/10/delingpole-58-trillion-290-apollo-programs-to-combat-climate-change-this-is-beyond-a-joke/
12/11/2017: It was also MUCH hotter in 1896 than anything we have experienced post WW2: http://joannenova.com.au/2012/11/extreme-heat-in-1896-panic-stricken-people-fled-the-outback-on-special-trains-as-hundreds-die/
12/11/2017: Who would
have thought: "a Christian...steals, rapes, and kills children?” I'm
not very keen on any of these religos, but the persecution of 200 million
Christians worldwide IS despicable - and particularly as it is largely done at
the behest of the religion of 'peace'. Mind you, those of you who were so
ignorant of history as to think Buddhists were immune to religious excesses
must be eating your words when you see what they have been up to in
12/11/2017:
11/11/2017: The Big Sky: I loved
the classic novel of the same name about the American West by A.B.Guthrie, and
I love the tent! You can download the ebook here: https://archive.org/details/TheBigSky_epub
but you will have to buy the ultralight tent. Their ‘Wisp’ model recently fell
into my hands so I could have a closer look at it – and a play in the garden
with Spot and grandson,
As it came into my hands it weighed 619 grams bare (including the short rear pole). I guess it is expected you will use a hiking pole or a bush pole for the other main support. In fact I found you could use a second (third) pole to create quite a satisfactory verandah, which gives you lots of room to spread out in hot, wet weather, for example - or maybe to sit and watch the fire in colder more inclement times. If it is seriously raining and blowing it will shut down into an impregnable watertight mode.
I added all the extra guys you could ever need. The tent comes with lots of extra tie-out points. It can be erected with just 8 shepherd’s hook pegs but can be secured against the “Roaring Forties’ with a total of 17, if you wish. With the added guys and the micro line locks it now weighs 650 grams (probably with a bit of grass and dirt from my boots still attached), and is as you can see a bit smaller than a large soft drink bottle.
It goes up very easily with no fiddling around adjusting things, and is immediately taut. Once it is up (if it is secured with all those extra guys), nothing is going to shift it. Of course it has an excellent bathtub floor big enough for your mattress, pack and lots of spreading out - and commodious insect netting.
Plenty of room to stretch out with all your gear - and a dog. There is a largish net pocket to stow your overnight necessities such as glasses, torch, hearing aids, ebook, etc. Above my head (below) you can see a loop of yellow spectra I would hang my torch from so i could see to cook, read etc.
There is even room for a couple of friends to come sit and visit.
Spot thinks it is swell anyway, and can't wait to get away up the bush.
Plenty of tie-outs for the roughest weather.
It has two triangular vents at the peak which are held open with short light props secured with velcro - a top idea, which I will copy!
The short end pole slips into a hidden channel and is secured by a piece of webbing and velcro.
This will be an excellent one person hiking, fishing, hunting tent. It is intelligently thought out and extremely well-made. I would not hesitate to recommend it. I would mark two arrows with a texta, perhaps on the doorway so that I could set up my hiking pole exactly the right length (or break a bush stick) so that the tent just goes up: Snap! The tent is also available in cuben if you have a large wallet. In that material it only weighs 300 grams: http://bigskyproducts.com/big-sky-wisp-1p-trekking-pole-tent-lightest-weight.aspx
It is available in
PS: 'Big Sky' is also a classic 1952 film starring Kirk Douglas - one of my
favourites! There are five books altogether in Guthrie's sequence (the Big Sky
deals with the Mountain Men): next is The Way West, then
11/11/2017: Keep on
Hiking: https://www.outsideonline.com/2255056/82-year-old-broke-appalachian-trail-age-record
11/11/2017: A Sombre warning from Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59): ‘A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years...When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education...the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint...It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold...they neglect their chief business which is to remain their own masters.’
10/11/2017: Mind-boggling! The Extinction of the Australian Pygmies: For a whole variety of reasons: 'The story of human habitation of this continent is not the exclusive property of anyone. It should be the concern of all of us, black and white, to ensure it is told as openly and as truthfully as possible.' https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/history-wars/2002/06/the-extinction-of-the-australian-pygmies/
10/11/2017: Who’d have thought – when you fix the thermometers, the warming goes away: ‘This data is from state-of-the-art ultra-reliable triple redundant weather stations placed on pristine environments. As a result, these temperature data need none of the adjustments that plague the older surface temperature networks, such as USHCN and GHCN, which have been heavily adjusted to attempt corrections for a wide variety of biases. Using NOAA’s own USCRN data, which eliminates all of the squabbles over the accuracy of and the adjustment of temperature data, we can get a clear plot of pristine surface data.’ Trend = 0.6 ± 0.9 °C/decade, p-value = 0.31, far from significant. Source: NCDC National Temperature Index time series plotter
10/11/2017: More compulsory acquisition without compensation. Whatever happened to our constitutional protection of private property rights? : http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/hepburn-shires-push-to-lock-up-land/news-story/64277e497d518f0fc0bcb9f884391efd
09/11/2017:
http://catallaxyfiles.com/2017/11/07/the-russian-revolution-100-years-ago-today/
09/11/2017: Never Lose Your Hearing Aids Again: After playing around for some time with some Dyneema fishing line and a micro cord lock to secure my hearing aids when I am in the bush or canoeing (which by the way worked well) I am delighted to learn there is a commercial alternative which whilst not so secure, is a lot simpler. These devices are called: Hearing Aid Oto Clips A couple of examples: https://adcohearing.com/categories/clips-and-loss-prevention and https://www.amazon.com/OtoClips-BTE-ITE-Hearing-Aids/dp/B00YCK55E0 Try an Ebay search for ‘hearing aid clips’. They are usually less then $10.
As you can see these devices only attach the two aids together, which certainly makes them harder to lose – but easier to lose both. For added secrity you could tie a length of dyneema fishing line (or the like) to the two loops with a micro cord lock attached so that you can shorten the line which you would run around your neck.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/securing-hearing-aids/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/zenni-the-hearing-company/
09/11/2017: Is There Life After Death? – And the Moon May Be Made of Green Cheese! Well Done Sean Carroll: ‘There's no reason to be agnostic about ideas that are dramatically incompatible with everything we know about modern science.’ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/physics-and-the-immortality-of-the-soul/
09/11/2017: You may not like Trump (or Tony Abbott) but understand this: ‘For now, there is no one else in the opposition standing in the way of radical progressivism. At best, some not actively promoting progressivism are only begging it to slow down a bit; at worst, the “I told you so” others wish for now progressivism to prevail to demonstrate what happens when the hoi polloi do not listen to their supposed betters.’ https://amgreatness.com/2017/11/06/crossing-the-trump-rubicon/
09/11/2017: Kettle
Logic (far too common unfortunately): Freud relates the story of a man who
was accused by his neighbour of having returned a kettle in a damaged condition
and the three arguments he offers in explanation: That he had returned the
kettle undamaged; That it was already damaged when he borrowed it; That he had
never borrowed it in the first place. Freud notes that it would have been
better if he had only used one.
08/11/2017: Four more down: Five altogether (Joyce out until after Dec 2nd) Hawke, Banks, Frydenberg and Alexander. This means Turnbull does not have a majority when the Parliament sits on 27th November. Clearly Shorten will call a quick election straightaway. (Obviously he is not going to agree to a deal which saves Malcolm!) Abbott will be Opposition leader on 28th November. The election will be held just before Xmas, probably 16th December.
08/11/2017: Adjustable Hammock Ridgeline: A Great Idea: It adds 6 grams to my hammock set-up but improves comfort much more than that by allowing a flatter ‘hang’ – and it allows for somewhere to hang your gear. It works on the same principle as the Whoopie Sling. Genius. I bought mine from this guy for A$16.95 (Nov 2017). http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/adjustable-hammock-ridgeline
Mine was red. Here it is in action in the garden with Spot supervising:
A variety of Ridgeline Gear Organisers exist to stow various overnight items in (eg phone, glasses, drink bottle, head torch, hearing aids). For example: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/hammock-storage-systemsand http://www.hammockgear.com/hammock-gear-ridgeline-organizer/
These little guys are very handy too. Just add a mini carabiner: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/prussik-loops-pair
Some other ideas here: https://hennessyhammock.com/pages/tips-from-users-1#
Instructions for DIY here: http://www.tiergear.com.au/25/diy-hammock-ridgeline-organiser
Some other good ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlCvHtSDAM (better if you place the cordlock inside the loop) & here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2-rfD-VA6s
Shown is my Hummingbird
Hammock which weighs a mere 147 grams, and which kept me safe in one of the
wettest places on the planet the Dusky Track,
Fiordland
You could use either tarp as an on-ground shelter and the hammock as a groundsheet if you wanted to – as I explained here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-deer-hunter/
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
I have many other posts about hammocking, as a search at the top of the page will reveal.
08/11/2017: Astonishing? ‘By 2001...a chicken reached the weight at which it would be killed in one-third of the time and after eating one-third of the food compared with the 1957 breed...represents...reduction in waste and in the..land devoted to growing feed per chicken’ http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/genetics-bigger-chickens
08/11/2017: ‘Save the Planet’, the ‘great unwashed’
scream, yet we may have already done so (and by the unlikely means of the
Industrial Revolution’). Let me explain: Plants need @ 200ppm of CO2 to
survive. If the percentage drops below that (ie .02%) life will pretty much
cease – yet the pre-Industrial world tilted perilously close to that. The
percentage has varied from upwards of 20,000ppm in the time of the dinosaurs
for example, down to just over 200ppm over time, during which warm, tropical
periods and ice ages came and went completely uncorrelated to its percentage.
However, steadily the percentage of CO2 being liberated by vulcanism and other
processes eg from the carboniferous rocks, coal & peat deposits etc where
it ‘ultimately’ becomes ‘locked up’, declined until just before the Industrial
Revolution its percentage was such that the cessation of life on earth was
imminent. The forests shrank and great plains and deserts spread across much of
the globe as there was not enough CO2 to build any more forests, and much of
life had to retreat to what were really oases to survive. Just in the nick of
time (folks of a religious persuasion will see this as predestined) as a result
of the Industrial Revolution personkind began to liberate vast quantities of
carbon in the form of CO2 and a wonderful profusion of life was the result. The
forests spread, the deserts and grasslands retreated and once more a profusion
of life saturated the planet: We have added a continent the size of
07/11/2017: Dino Paleo Diet:
Supposing that the science of ‘
07/11/2017: 'The Scam from
07/11/2017: Censorship: Once I was opposed
to it when its targets were innocuous publications like ‘Lady Chatterly’ and
Tropic of Cancer’…then along came various anarchist/terrorist instruction
manuals (beginning with eg ‘The Anarchist’s Cookbook’), but things just got
worse and worse. Now, I agree with this lady’s call to remove this publication
– although I fear that such opposition may soon, if it is not already, be
illegal: http://moonbattery.com/?p=89456
06/11/2017: Turnbull is just nuts: Now he proposes that everyone should bring a note saying it’s OK for them to be in Parliament. Who wouldn’t pass that test? http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/11/06/turnbull-announces-citizenship--resolution-.html
06/11/2017: A
friend I have known for 40 years wrote this yesterday: ‘I reckon I am as Australian as anyone and a
Turk and a Moslem as well. Do I need to be an anti islamic racist to be
Australian? Is that what it takes? I
don't think so.’ This was my reply: It's not about 'race' ‘Mohamed’ . It's
about nationality. Our Australian nationality has always been as a descendant
of Western civilisation, and especially as a member of the English speaking
nations - along with all the huge pluses that involves: democracy, the rule of
law, private property, free enterprise, support for the disadvantaged &
etc. In contrast the Moslem world is decadent and barbaric. It is worth noting
that a single college at
06/11/2017: It sure was hot in 1932: we have never seen anything like it since. See here: http://www.warwickhughes.com/agri/bird%20deaths%201932.pdf
06/11/2017: If renewables
can’t provide cheaper electricity on a small windy island with no cheap
competitor, where can it compete? What a rort it always is: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/11/abc-renewables-fantasy-island-farewells-diesel-except-for-40-of-its-power/
06/11/2017: The Saudis have paid to
put English language copies of ‘The Noble Quran’ everywhere – at airports,
prayer rooms, public libraries, etc. It is an evil text which preaches violent
jihad, death and enslavement to any who are not Moslems. Plenty of excerpts
here for those who are unconvinced. We must ban and expel this vile creed from
05/11/2017: Seems like Malcolm is down yet another member this
morning. Now Hawke and Frydenberg, who
simply cannot play the anti-semitic card to escape. His mother clearly entered
05/11/2017: Things to come…How high can it go: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/11/04/surge-of-support-in-qld-for-one-nation--poll.html
05/11/2017: Some chicks are nuts: Oh? Yeah: Andrea Dworkin, ‘Woman Hating’: ‘The incest taboo does the worst work of the culture: it teaches us the mechanisms of repressing and internalizing erotic feeling…The destruction of the incest taboo is essential to the development of cooperative human community based on the free-flow of natural androgynous eroticism…The incest taboo can be destroyed only by destroying the nuclear family as the primary institution of the culture. The nuclear family is the school of values in a sexist, sexually repressed society.’ Thinking like this will bring progress?
05/11/2017: Maybe men are on the way out though: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/masculinity-is-toxic/news-story/6e42c8c5a6db42280f78e2f738767fc7
04/11/2017: Ultralight Compact Hiking Pole: We have used GG’s LT4 poles for many years. In just the last year mine have been to Everest and back, and many other places besides, such as the Dusky Track, and Mt Bartle Frère for example. The LT4s are a little long to fit in your pack when you are not using them, though GG packs have attachment points on the outside they can be lashed to. I have a pair of shortened (2’) two section poles which will fit in my pack, but these LT5s will do so right from the store. These would make a great Xmas present for your hiking other if you order them now. https://www.gossamergear.com/products/lt5-three-piece-carbon-trekking-poles-pair US$195 per pair.
The collapsed poles have a short profile
Weight
Pole with strap and basket - 5.3 oz / 150 g
Pole - 4.6 oz / 130 g
Strap and screw - .4 oz / 12 g
Basket - .3 oz / 8 g
Adjust from
23.5" / 60 cm when closed to 51" 130 cm when fully extended for hiking
Section Lengths
Top section 19.5" / 49.53 cm
Middle section 19.25" / 48.98 cm
Tip section 18.75" / 47.62 cm
(Sections are replaceable separately should you break one - unlikely, though I have managed to cut one of my LT4s in half with a machete - don't ask!)
04/11/2017: Undivided Loyalty: Of
course there should be an audit and those MPs who are fakes kicked out (and
required to pay back moneys illicitly gained). I don’t think ‘dual citizenship
should exist at all. (Why should one ‘man’ get two votes yet another only one –
or none?) I certainly do not think MPs should be allowed to be dual citizens.
Then, If you seek to represent
04/11/2017: We will fight them on the
beaches…we will never surrender, by George: ‘the same repulsive strategy
seen in Paris and London and Manchester, dignifying as ‘resilience’ what is
really an enfeebled passivity no better than the Eloi in H G Wells' The Time
Machine, who even as their neighbors are stolen by the Morlocks in the night
forget them instantly and gather in the dawn to dance and arrange flowers as if
nothing has happened. Free peoples need to recover some righteous anger, or
they will lose their futures - and deserve to’. Mark Steyn. Headline: ‘Muslims Fear Backlash from Tomorrow's
Terror Attack’
04/11/2017: ‘I, Pencil.’ Essential
reading: https://fee.org/resources/i-pencil-audio-pdf-and-html/
03/11/2017: Ultralight Rain Jackets: I am looking around for a new rain jacket of both of us. People’s raincoats often weigh as much as 500 grams. Try weighing yours. So there is nearly a day’s worth of food (weight) to be saved in exploring a change to this item alone.
For many years I hunted deer in winter in the Victorian mountains carrying only a bum-bag or one of those poacher’s vests to keep all my gear down to a minimum. If it was not raining when I started out so that I was wearing my raincoat (which I would tie around my waist - as you do) if it stopped, all I ever carried was one of those 50 gram emergency ponchos (orange is a good colour in case you need to be found!). Often it rained all day. Admittedly I shredded them completely in the rough bush, but they even then they did keep me substantially dry. If you are track walking only, (and are careful with them - and have a bit of emergency repair tape besides) you can keep one going for several days. The best part is they cost only $1-3! You would be even better carrying one of Coghlans Emergency Survival Ponchos (mylar) at 88 grams and approx $10 as they will also keep you warm – even overnight in an emergency.
PS: Waterproofness and Breathability: I doubt very much of a raincoat ever needs to be over 1500mm of waterproofness. What this means ois that the fabric will support a column of water 1500mmm height (That’s 5’ in English!) before it begins to leak. Unless you are planning to use your raincoat as a boat, that will be quite enough. I doubt it can ver rain hard enough to exceed the weight of 5’ of water pressing onto it. Mind you, where there is also other pressure (eg your shoulder straps, that will have to be added to the waterproofness, so maybe, just maybe. Most every raincoat is over 10,000mmm of waterproofness, so I think you can probably ignore any figure over this. They will all keep out the rain!
As to breathability. I admit I was awestruck when Goretex first came along and wasted lots of good money on their rain jackets. I never found they were any better than my old oiled or waxed japaras. Under the right (or wrong) conditions of humidity you would get soaked to the skin in either! I have thought Event was a little better, but I have since been utterly drenched in that too – so I don’t know. A girl reviewing the Arcteyx below claims utterly superior breathability – perhaps I need to try that out!
We have a number of reasonably lightweight raincoats, some of which have
done us sterling service in pretty wet places like Fiordland or
Naturally I would want a raincoat Mens Size (eg Large) which is at least under 200 grams and preferably under 150, and one in Womens Size (eg Small) for Della which is under 150 and preferably under 120. Available colour can be a problem for some people. For example, I have a white raincoat, which is fine except I want it to be green. Probably neither of us wants to own another blue one – and so on. Price can also be an important factor. I have been looking at some possible choices:
Zpacks Vertice Rain Jacket 176 grams (Mens Medium) US$299 http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/wpb_jacket.shtml The white raincoat I have is one of Joe’s. I accidentally ordered it in the wrong lengths (sleeves and coat) so that it doesn’t quite suit me, though it keeps me quite dry enough (and weighs under 150 grams in Men’s Large). This (white) material is his old material which is clearly lighter than his new one. I personally don’t like the ‘sticky’ feel of it, though there is nothing wrong with it. I dislike running my fingernails over felt too, but I can’t explain why. We both have rain pants in his new fabric and they feel fine and work excellently. You may want something cheaper though…
Montane Minimus 230 grams (Mens) grams: https://www.montane.co.uk/mens-c1/minimus-jacket-p57 Della has a Montane jacket in Event which she just loves. This one would be a lightweight replacement for it. They used to make a jacket known as the H2O which would have been even lighter (around 150 grams) but it is no longer available. I am seeing this jacket from around A$170 which is pretty good value for a well-made product.
Montbell Versalite Jacket. I really like this one in Green, my favourite colour! We have lots of Montbell products which are lightweight and very functional, so this one has to be a likely candidate for me. It is good value for money from a well-known brand: https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=25013&p_id=2328167&gen_cd=2 189 grams (Mens M) A$189
Arcteryx Norvan: This Arcteryx jacket has to be worthy of consideration. This lady has given it an impressive review here. https://www.switchbacktravel.com/reviews/arcteryx-norvan-sl-hoody $299 (215 grams in Mens large - 100grams (XS Womens?) US$299
Lukes Micro 10 Jacket 4.1 oz (Large) US$179: https://lukesultralite.com/products/raingear I really like the sound of this jacket. I just received a pair of Luke’s shorts. They actually weighed less tha his listed weight (25/28 grams). The legs are quite long too, so I will probably hem them up a bit shorter so that they come in at about 22 grams which would be hard to beat for an item of clothing to wear when mixed bathing or doing the laundry on the trail. Luke’s jacket seems to be the lightest and relatively the cheapest. I am tempted to order one and see how it goes. A sub 120 gram jacket in my size (Men’s Large) is pretty awesome.
Two others I should mention:
DriDucks: These are both ultralight and ultra-cheap (as well as being probably the most breathable available. if you are very careful with them, they will keep you quite dry. They also feel beautiful. The jacket alone is (from memory under 150 grams. The jacket plus pants costs around US$25! https://www.froggtoggsraingear.com/DriDucks.shtm
DIY Tyvek: As usual, you can make your own out of Tyvek. We are talking 150 grams and around US$10 here: Here is the link to do so: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultra-cheap-ultralight-rain-gear/
Good Luck and Happy Shopping!
PS: Looking at the pics above I am reminded of Henry Ford's comment: You can have any colour you like as long as it's black!'
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-deer-hunter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rain-skirt/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-avoid-being-wet-cold-while-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/vapor-barrier/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-shorts-28-grams/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/
03/11/2017: The Family
03/11/2017: Ayer’s Rock: This will go down well. Be interesting to see how well they get on without the tourists. Oh well, there are always even more Govt handouts and more victimhood and identity to claim: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/11/01/tourists-to-be-banned-from-climbing-uluru.html
03/11/2017: ‘Attempting to transform
children into transsexuals is an appalling form of child abuse and should be
regarded as such by the law’; Dr. Cretella is President of the
03/11/2017: World’s most employable
human parrot: Colourful, but unaffordable: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3859680/Human-parrot-57-admits-spends-pension-money-tattoos-surgery-look-like-favourite-bird-having-EARS-chopped-off.html
02/11/2017: Why tax fraud is a moral imperative: Sometimes you have to ask yourself what is the alternative, before you realise what the morally correct decision is. At present the great bulk of our wealth as a nation is being stolen from us by people being able to vote to do so, and is then transferred over eg to what ‘Pygmalion’ calls ‘the deserving poor’ who squander it outrageously on ‘bad’ things - so occasioning the need for even further ‘welfare’ spending, whilst the ‘undeserving poor’ (ie those condemned to work for a meagre living) ‘deserve’ and are ‘given’ nothing. . Of course it would be much better for the ‘deserving poor’ (and everyone else) if such folk were gainfully employed in physical labour – but that is not to be! Such a requirement would be ‘unjust’ and ‘unfair’. Therefore, it is everyone else’s duty to ‘steal’ back from the Government every cent of the illicitly gained taxes one can in order eg to pass them on to one’s children whose money it was, or ought to be. Mind you I have never understood why anyone pays any tax. Misplaced altruism perhaps? The rich long since worked out how not to. It only requires a little work and study to cheat the tax man out of every last cent! It is also a much more interesting game than any of the silly computer games the young seem obsessed with! An aside: Robin Hood did not 'Steal from the rich and give to the poor'. He stole the people's money back from the government and returned it to them!
02/11/2017: Despatches from The Fifth Column: ‘French police and intelligence services are surveilling around 15,000 jihadists living on French soil, Le Journal du Dimanche reported on October 9. Of these, some 4,000 are at "the top of the spectrum" and most likely to carry out an attack. Of the 1,900 French jihadists fighting with the Islamic State, as many as one-fifth have received as much as €500,000 ($580,000) in social welfare payments from the French state’, Figaro October 26, 2017 Meanwhile in Kabul a 13 year old suicide bomber: http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/31895 and in New York: http://abcnews.go.com/US/york-city-officers-responding-reports-shots-fired-lower/story?id=50842052
02/11/2017: Blurring ‘Reality’: All these images have been generated by AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOxxPcy5Gr4
01/11/2017: Confucian Academia: I have long railed against the ridiculous waste of providing everyone with a (pretend) university education, when most (not to mention society) would be much better served with a technical education. Nothing underlines this more than the fact that these academics are churning out vast tracts of garbage which no-one at all reads! ‘82 percent of articles published in the humanities are not even cited once - Of those articles that are cited, only 20 percent have actually been read.’ meaning that less than 3% have ever been read by anyone. Presumably even the person assessing them for a 'Higher' Degree! Compare that to my blog for example (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/) where often 1,000+ people have read a post within an hour of my posting it! Is it any wonder I gave up academia over 40 years ago! Yes, there are lots of savings governments could make. Slashing the so-called ‘education’ budget (which is just disguised welfare/unemployment ‘benefits’) is a case in point. Young folk would be ‘improved’ much more by being required to be outdoors doing some meaningful physical work – creating hiking paths or eradicating weeds on public lands, for example. http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/why-professors-are-writing-crap-nobody-reads
01/11/2017: The
environmental costs of electric cars: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/10/britain-can-have-electric-cars-or-turn-scotland-into-a-wind-farm-which-will-it-be-then/
See also: Who would have thought someone
as ‘mainstream’ as Alan Kohler would advocate banning the internal combustion
engine in
01/11/2017: Great quotes: T.B. Macaulay (1800-59): ‘We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who tell us that society has reached a turning point, that we have seen our best days. But so said all before us, and with just as much apparent reason ... On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us.’
31/10/2017: First Confirmed Interstellar Visitor: https://newatlas.com/object-beyond-solar-system/51936/
31/10/2017: I know it is slow
going, but you need to know why the AGW ‘theory’ is fallacious – and hence
everything which is done in its name is unnecessary, or worse. For example,
Kininmonth challenges the term “heat trapping gases” because: “There is sufficient CO2 in the atmosphere
such that across the CO2 wavebands all the IR emission from the surface is
completely absorbed within the first few tens of metres of the boundary layer;
the CO2 cannot ‘trap’ any more of the surface IR emission.” Please, read
on:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/29/weekly-climate-and-energy-news-roundup-289/
31/10/2017: An Interesting observation. It certainly happened in teaching; now it is the Boy Scouts’ turn: As Martin van Creveld, the Israeli military historian noted, ‘the more women enter any professional field, the more men leave it. And as the men depart, so to do the prestige and the economic rewards provided by the field. This creates a vicious cycle that both expels existing men from the field while repelling new men from entering it.’ The upsides and downsides of feminism: http://voxday.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/the-boy-scouts-converged.html Mind you, with around 25% of working age men actually unemployed now (and for the last c.20 years - and more and more women working hard to support them) , you have to ask yourself where the costs of feminism have fallen, and who if anyone benefits.
31/10/2017: Why are people poor?
I think there are a lot of people who would benefit from this advice (if they
were willing to take it!). Every day I see folks around me making the most
spectacularly bad financial decisions (only later to lament them as a form of
victimhood - eg ‘Why/Poor me?’). The decision to not be poor can be as simple
as deciding to grow/cook your own food (instead of take-aways/restaurants) or
realising you don’t need a new shirt/pair of shoes; you don’t need to buy a new
car, when yours has only done (eg) 150K, ie it is newer than any car I have
bought in the last 30 years! You don’t need that large house; you don’t need
someone else to build it; you don’t need that expensive overseas holiday when
you have not even seen 1% of
30/10/2017: 100th
Anniversary of
30/10/2017: The Ultralight Deer Hunter: You will definitely see more deer if you spend longer deep in the bush where they live, and especially if you can spend the night out with them. I prefer to 'get away from it all' and camp out far from anyone else rather than hunting the fringes of private land where I admit there are lots of deer.
Here are some suggestions for an ultralight deer hunter’s ‘Gear List’. In any case it is worthwhile reducing your overall hunting pack weight as it will mean you can walk further (and more quietly). The further you walk, and the harder you look, listen and smell, the more deer you will encounter. See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
Pack: First of all, as I suggested here (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/best-hunting-daypack/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-daypack/), you need to reduce your pack weight. The ‘MLD Burn’ is an excellent choice for a rugged hunting overnight or day pack at 370 grams. You might also consider Zpacks’ 38 litre Nero at 309 grams: http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/nero.shtml though the fabric is a little lighter. It may nonetheless be just as strong - or even stronger. It is adjustable.
What would I put in it for an overnight stop?
Tent: Of course I would have my ‘Pocket Poncho Tent’ (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-pocket-poncho-tent/)
at 185 grams – and you may be lucky to have one too if I can manage to organize
manufacturing them in
If you prefer a tent, you could either make your own as I do, perhaps starting with this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/ for approx $10 (try a search for 'Tent' above) eg the Forester Tent (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-tyvek-forestertent-design/), or there are quite a few 500 gram (ish) tents now available, such as this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/500-gram-tents/, or Six Moon Designs eg https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/collections/tarps/products/gatewood-capen at 340 grams, or Mountain Laurel Designs eg:
https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/trailstar/ from 340 grams, or Zpacks eg http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/solplex.shtml 439 grams (this one includes floor/bug net), etc.
Pegs/Guys: Of course you will need some pegs (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tent-stakes-and-tricks/ )and guys (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-perfect-guy-line-for-a-hiking-tenttarp/), say about 70-80 grams worth..
Groundsheet: I might use a space blanket as a ground sheet if I thought I needed one; I usually carry one anyway for safety/first aid (50 grams) – but I will soon have my Bathtub Groundsheet Chair (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bathtub-groundsheet-chair/) when I get around to making it - at approx 85 grams (I estimate). A little comfort never went astray! There are lots of ultralight options including polycryo: https://www.gossamergear.com/products/polycryo-tent-footprint-ground-cloths which would work out at 23 grams. If you yearn for something a little tougher, I guess you could opt for a piece of sinylon, eg http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/xenon-sil-11 which will still likely be under 50 grams depending on size (eg 2' X 7'). You can drape the edges over some fallen timber to create a bathtub floor effect if it is raining heavily and you anticipate flooding.
Mat: You could use a 4’ Thermarest Neoair X-Lite (ie Small https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/neoair-xlite-2 ) as a mat, and put your feet on your pack for a bit of insulation – 230 grams. For more comfort I usually opt for the ‘Womens’ size at 340 grams and 5'6" http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/.
If/when it becomes available I would try the Big Agnes AXL Air: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/big-agnes-axl-air-pad/ (300 grams for the 6’ long by 3” thick model which I would shorten by about 6” – 270 grams - as I am somewhat vertically challenged! Anyway I usually sleep on my side curled up a bit so I can fit comfortably on a 5' mat).
Sleeping Bag: My favourite sleeping bag is the Montbell UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 now at 624 grams http://www.theultralighthiker.com/montbell/ though my own older model is lighter (<600). I would also carry some other Montbell clothes (See ‘Clothes’ below) for warmth such as the ‘Superior Down’ coat (200 grams) and vest (150 grams). If it is a particularly cold night I put the coat on my upper body and the vest on my lower. This reduces the temperature of the down bag from -1c to approx -10C.
Zpacks makes an even lighter model (which Della has). Her 5'9" bag warm to -7C weighs 499 grams inc compression sack: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-zpacks-sleeping-bag/
Pillow: You should try this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/exped-ultralight-pillow/ at 45 grams or this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-super-ultralight-pillow/ . Say 10 grams.
Of course Bonnie Prince Charlie (somewhat effeminately) used just a stone as a pillow when he was camping out in the snow in a Scottish winter in just his kilt and cloak. Those Scots are/were tough!
Dry Socks & Shoes: If you suffer from cold feet, you might consider a pair of Goosefeet Gear down sox https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-socks/ – 50 grams (and of course I carry my home-made Dyneema slippers for a dry change of shoes: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/ - 24 grams.
Another option is a pair of Sealskin Socks https://www.sealskinz.com/walking-thin-ankle-socks-dark-grey-black.htm (mine weigh approx 80 grams but they may not be the lightest model) which enable you to wear wet shoes - or just carry dry socks and maybe some Crocs.
Cookset: I outlined my minimum cookset here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-windscreen/ 60 grams. A slightly larger model here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cookset-woes/ Of course you will need a 9 gram (12 long) spoon to go with that: http://www.seatosummit.com.au/products/kitchen/alpha-light/ and maybe some Esbits - or you could be carrying your egg-ring stove (as I do) and just burn some twigs: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/
Rainwear: Try to keep the weight of this down. If you weigh your raincoat don’t be surprised if it is over 500 grams. Choice here is a bit more difficult for hunting where significant abrasion might be a factor. (Much moreso if you are a hound hunter rather than a stalker). Raincoats range down to around 150 grams or less, (Luke's Ultralight/Zpacks) - again see Montbell’s range.
If you are careful with a lightweight coat it will serve you well. If you are trying to be very quiet it is unlikely you will tear your raincoat; besides it isn't always raining.
Soon (I hope) you will be able to take advantage of my Pocket Poncho tent which will keep you dry both during the day and at night (with a minimum weight of about 185 grams.
Raincoat: Lightest and best value for money are probably Montbell’s offerings, eg the Versalite https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=25013&p_id=2328276&gen_cd=1 at 189 grams.
The cheapest fully breathable waterproof jacket (not very durable – but very light) is the DriDucks by Frogg Toggs. I personally like an ‘Event’ Raincoat; I have two which have kept me very dry in trying conditions. I also like Zpack’s new raincoat.
Hat: If you really want to have a warm head of a night, I have one of Ray Jardine’s ‘Bomber’ hats my wife Della made for me years ago at 30 grams. I doubt she will make one for you. A number of people offer down balaclavas, eg: http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/goosehood.shtml at 37 grams or https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-balaclava/.
I also use a ‘Buff’ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/are-you-beautiful-in-the-buff/ to keep my neck and particularly my nose warm (37.5 grams) This is the very acme of luxury! During the day I have my Icebreaker wool cap (now alas, deleted): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/best-deer-hunters-cap-best-ultralight-cap/ fortunately I have a number of them!
Gloves: If it is really freezing, I have the MLD Rain Mittens http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-mitts-and-gaiters/ 42 grams. (I also have their ultralight gaiters – I find they work wonderfully to keep rubbish out of your shoes). The mittens work really well on very cold wet days when otherwise your hands would freeze – of course they do interfere just a bit with your trigger finger!
Under the mitts I can wear a pair of ultralight polypropylene or wool gloves, such as Icebreaker’s Oasis Glove Liners http://au.icebreaker.com/en/accessories/oasis-glove-liners/IBM207.html?dwvar_IBM207_color=001 at 24 grams.
Dry Clothes: Dry clothes (and a raincoat) are options if it is likely to rain. (Otherwise you might just carry a disposable poncho and risk having to dry your clothes out with your body heat). Keep these as light as possible. Again Montbell are hard to beat with their windpants 53/75 grams and windshirts 55 grams https://www.montbell.us/products/list.php?cat_id=25048&gen_cd=1, or you could just take some Icebreaker of Kathmandu wool thermals as your dry change – and for extra night insulation.
Clothes: Start from the skin out. Weigh your clothes. Most of those proprietary ‘hunting’ clothes and shoes are heavy as lead, particularly when wet. I always wear wool socks. The lightweight Holeproof Heroes (now rebadged as Bonds) in summer, and Explorers in winter have been long-term stand-bys for me, durable and cheap.
Wigwam are, arguably better but much more expensive. I have not tried them yet, but these folk guarantee their (hunting) socks for life: https://darntough.com Unbelievable! http://www.theultralighthiker.com/warranties-on-outdoor-gear/
Then I would wear lightweight trousers such as the Columbia Silver Ridge. (I have yet to find anything as light and as durable for their weight). To counter the smelliness which can develop in nylon clothing I recommend wearing Icebreaker wool knickers such as these underneath: http://au.icebreaker.com/en/mens-layering-underwear/anatomica-briefs/103031.html?dwvar_103031_color=401
Since you will normally be hunting in the winter months wear a long sleeve
wool shirt such as the Tomar from
Anyway always wool if you don't want to stink - and remember if you stink the deer will smell you too! . For layering, I also recommend wool: an Icebreaker/Kathmandu tee, long top and/or longjohns. I also wear an Icebreaker wool cap: which unfortunately for you are no longer available.
NB: These folk now have wool camo hunting clothes: https://www.firstlite.com/products.html just as Icebreaker used to have: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/camo-merino-wool-for-deer-hunting/
For insulated layers in really cold weather and of a night, I choose Montbell again. Their Thermawrap series are one of the lightest synthetic insulated garments. You might chose a vest in this material for an extra layer if needed in the daytime (when it might get wet) and a Montbell down coat of a night. I own their Superior Down coat (and vest, as well as the Thermawrap vest). I see they now have a 1000 fill power down (Plasma) jacket – but it is much more expensive.
Larry Adler is the Australian supplier: https://www.montbelloutdoor.com.au/
There are some items which they do not stock, but they might get them in...Ask
them. If it is still unavailable it is possible to order it from the
Shoes: I suggest some ultralight shoes such as the Topos I reviewed here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/topo-terraventure-shoes/ or some Keens: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/keen-shoes/ If you have wide feet like me. There are other lightweight options such as Inov-8s if you have narrower feet.
Guns and Knives: I have posted about the lightest effective knife I have found (at 16 grams ea) here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultimate-blades-for-the-ultralight-hunter/
Another heavier choice which might interest you (if you don't fancy sharpening your knife) is here:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/never-have-to-sharpen-your-knife-again/
If you do like to sharpen it, you might still want an ultralight sharpener: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-knife-sharpener/
You probably know I use a lever action .308 in take-down (so I can put it in my canoe bag or pack): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/308s/. You probably also know that the short action round makes for a lighter gun than the long action. I realise a lever action (and a take-down) both outweigh a standard bolt action, but I have my reasons.
Also, sambar are not really 'big game' animal. A .308 is quite adequate to stop them. If you want something 'bigger' try the WSM. Obviously iron sights (which I chose for ethical reasons) are much lighter too than telescopic sights.
There are people who specialise in 'sporterising' rifles to make them lighter (as everyone, including me), used to do with their old .303s! You could probably get your deer rifle down to perhaps 2.5kg, so still it is clearly the single heaviest thing you are carrying.
Electronics:
Torch: I use a AAA torch. I confess I am outrageous and often carry two of them (one for use as a lantern and one as a headlamp), but they only weigh at most 14-16 grams each (inc some string a micro cord lock and a couple of O-rings to turn them into a head torch): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lighter-brighter-better/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/ Clearly you also need a few spare batteries at 10 grams each.
Phone: I take my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini phone with me (at 120 grams inc battery) as (in Flight Mode) I can get nearly a week's use out of it just every now and then using the mapping App, or reading a book, listening to music, etc. It also makes a good back-up camera.
Camera: The camera I am using at the moment is this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-camera/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/camera-glassing/ at 160 grams inc battery/card (and it has taken some good shots - I'm sure you'll agree!), but I know there are now models with better optics (eg 30-40 X zoom) and programming which are not a lot heavier, and which will secure some better long-distance/poor light etc shots. The Sony XXX is a case in point.
PLB: I think you should carry some safety equipment (apart from your First Aid kit). If you are on a budget the Spot Messenger http://www.theultralighthiker.com/get-lost-get-found-plbepirb/ at 114 grams is the way to go. If you are a bit better heeled then you might go for an Inreach http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/ at 191 grams or even an Iridium Extreme Sat Phone at 247 grams: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-not-so-poor-mans-sat-phone/
Saw: You will need something perhaps to get those antlers off (or you may choose to carry out the whole head and cape out if you are very strong). You can make an ultralight bow saw (eg using a 15" bone saw blade) as discussed here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-saws/ The lightest thing I know for this purpose is a length of embryo wire (available from veterinarians).
First Aid: You certainly should carry a small kit. It is a matter of personal taste what you carry really. I carried an elastic bandage and a sling (for example) for over twenty years and never needed them - but when I did (della dislocated her shoulder) I needed them in the worst way! I carry a number of drugs: Panadeine Forte, some anti-inflammatories, anti-nausea, Imodium, antihistamine, band-aids, bandages, blister pads... I would allow at least 100 grams for this vital component.
Essentials Tally (Gun and Ammo + worn clothing plus):
Pack:370 grams
Tent: 340 grams
Pegs/Guys: 80 grams
Groundsheet: 50 grams
Mat: 340 grams
Pillow: 45 grams
Sealskin Socks: 80 grams
Cookset: 69 grams
Dry top/bottom: 108 grams
Insulated vest & coat: 156 + 208
Knife: 32 grams
Saw: 20 grams
Phone: 120 grams
PLB: 114 grams
Torch and batteries: 56 grams
First Aid, say 100 grams
Cumulative Total:2218 grams
Add Food: approx 500 grams/ day.
I'm sure you can see that my total is probably less than the weight of your day pack (empty).
PS: I have usually gone for a higher number here than I actually carry (eg so that it is something you can currently buy), so that for example my tent weighs 185 grams, my current pack 230 grams...so, I could probably shave 300+ grams off this total, say to a max of 1.9kg!
Spot and I stop for lunch by the river. That small pack has everything I need for over a week's hunting - including Spot's bed and rations, and he is a bigger eater than I am! And you can see I had brought my machete along in case I needed to do some clearing, and my hiking poles in case my knees or back gave trouble - which fortunately they did not.
If you would like to get an encyclopedic idea of my multi-day hiking list, you might find this interesting: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sambar-stalking-101/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lure-of-the-moose/
29/10/2017: The Fast Hiker: I know I certainly don't look it (and I confess I am not), but the site had been dreadfully slow. Didn't bother me - I am in no hurry to meet my maker. But I know many of you have better things to do than waiting for pages to load...so i am working on speeding things up.
As I work on it some speed problems are intermitently getting worse, but I/we are tackling the issue, and it will get enormously better!
So far the Home Page has shrunk from over 16 megabytes to 1.3 (mainly by removing photos. I compressed all 14,500 photographs (by 69%!) with Short Pixel Optimiser. This saves people a lot of data! I updated PHP to version 7.1 which sped things up by about 50%. I have updated teh Cron job -whatever that is! I also installed WP Super Cache which stores pages which have already been accessed and so speeds up loading them.
The speed to load a page should already have come down from something like 10 seconds (Sorry!) to something like 2 seconds. I hope I can get it under 1 second without any loss of functionality/quality, etc. Of course I am no computer expert. i am a retired farmer (who still has a lot of thistles to spray and other odd jobs) and who would like to be off hiking/canoeing, etc.
These were the easy fixes. Getting down from around 2 seconds to under 1 second will involve a whole lot of quite cunning computer programming wrinkles where I will no doubt need some professional help, but I will keep hammering away at it over the next few weeks until i achieve that goal. The list is incredibly long and complicated! Thanks for being patient!
28/10/2017: The Lure of the Moose:
Oh, the
enchantments of Fiordland: Again and again I have returned to this lush green
Eden searching for one of these surviving giants of the Pleistocene, which
though deported from their ancient homeland in the vast Boreal forests of the
North, yet linger there today. For me it is a tale which began when I picked up
a copy of Australian Deer back in the 1990s on whose cover this wonderful
grainy image gazed out at me:
Instantly I wanted to put myself in that picture. My daughter Merrin even Photoshopped me into it as a birthday present! The article which accompanied it introduced me to this man, Eddie Herrick whose quest for this gentle giant in the vastness of Fiordland with his guide Jim Muir consumed so much of his life. Every year for thirty years he spent three months there, searching for them: ten whole years of their lives! Even more of Muir's. On three occasions he was rewarded with such an experience as the photo above shows: two bulls and a three-legged cow!
The one above was the bull moose he took in 1934 in what is now eponymously Herrick Creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound. I guess it is about the top of the small lake in the lower section of the creek. You can see he was about the age (50-ish) I was when I began my search, so I had no feeling that what I was to undertake was impossible. Though I have found that it is very nearly so, and anyway supremely difficult, every year a powerful magnetism draws me thither.
Jim Macintosh's cow moose 1950s:
Shortly after I read the article I acquired Ken Tustin’s wonderful book and video ‘A Wild Moose Chase’, Max Curtis’ ‘Beyond the River’s Bend’ and Ray Tinsley’s ‘Call of the Moose,’ each being about NZ’s famous or fantastic moose herd - and all of which I devoured eagerly. I was hooked.
At the same time I read several other books about moose in general. I was
soon becoming an armchair expert on these giant creatures. Of course I wanted
to journey to
My fiftieth birthday came and went. My wife, Della purchased me the first brand new deer caliber rifle I had ever owned, a Browning Lever Action (BLR) in .308 calibre. What a wife! She also encouraged me to make the trip as soon as I could before I was too old to do so. Hang the expense! I planned to go in the New Year 2000; it ended up getting pushed out to nearly the end of February. Still an excellent time to be in Fiordland. Two sambar hunting mates, Brett and Michael got wind that I was going (originally by myself) and decided they needed to chaperone me!
Lots of planning, particularly of gear ensued. You would think we were C18th
century explorers heading off for darkest
Cow moose snapped by Max Curtis, Herrick Creek, Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound 1950s
We
landed in
We had organised to fly in with the 'Wings on Water' float plane to Supper Cove and so begin our search from there. This was the first time Michael or I had ever been in a small plane. As I have a problem with heights (even to changing lightbulbs!) I felt that I would have to close my eyes, grit my teeth and endure, but as it turned out I loved it, and would pay to do it again and again!
The high flight over Lakes Te Anau and then Manapouroi, glimpses into icy sunless valleys to the north, a panorama of Doubtful Sound, then the plunge through Centre Pass and a slow descent down the mighty Seaforth valley over towering Tripod Hill and the perched Lochs (Gair & Maree), past the southern home of the moose (the Henry Burn) and on to the glittering expanse of the vast Dusky fiord is a journey worth a million dollars (but only costs NZ$330 - 2017!)
Percy Lyes NZ bull moose 1950s
We had
all been hunting sambar deer in (what we thought of as) rough country in
Gippsland for years, so reckoned we could tour the Fiordland forests in much
the same way. For example, It is just a handful of kilometres ('as the bird
flies') from Supper Cove over the range to the mouth of Herrick Creek. We
foresaw that as a day hunt. In fact it is an arduous trip of at least four days
return which I am yet to complete. Being just shy of 70 now, I am doubtful I
ever will, but next autumn I know I will feel differently once more!
Supper Cove is at the head of Dusky Sound, the largest fiord in NZ. It was discovered and named by the same Captain Cook as the East Coast of Australia. The first European structures in NZ were built there - even the first house, surprisingly by the shipwrecked crew of another ship also (like Cook's) called the 'Endeavour'.
The Supper Cove hut is adjacent to a lovely little beach where the Hilda Burn flows into the top of the fiord just South of Supper Cove itself - which is formed by the mighty Seaforth River flowing into the head of the fiord, creating a shallow semicircular cove perfect for flatfish. You can walk across this cove at low tide from the northern end of this little beach just past the helipad, but there is a deep gut formed by the Hilda Burn flowing in, so if you want a drier crossing you are better to walk up the track past the Hilda Burn before you cross.
Brett walking across Supper Cove on a low-ish tide:
If you wish to look for moose (or red deer eg during the Roar) along the Seaforth the three huts (Supper Cove, Loch Maree and Kintail) are good bases from which you can make daily forays up the many 'Burns' and onto the slips searching for these elusive monsters which (especially in the warmest days of summer) I believe often lie cooling themselves in the deeper pools. At other times they are likely to be too widely dispersed for you to ever encounter one, but they do particularly like the fuchsia regrowth on slips. If you are there at the end of February as we were on this occasion, you might even hear a bull moose call (as we did on the last day of February 2000), or perhaps even a cow answer him.
Initially at least Michael decided he would make the Henry Burn his own, whilst Brett and I focused our attentions on the Hilda and 'Waterfall' Burns. We arrived around lunchtime and reckoned impetuously we had enough time to check out the Hilda Burn quite thoroughly that afternoon. Of course we had not gone more than 300 metres before we realised that our times/distances would be very different than we had imagined.
If you try to follow the Hilda Burn upwards you realise quite soon that your way is blocked by a vast angry cataract that it is impossible to pass or climb. You have to go up one side or the other. The first afternoon we ascended on the true right bank (looking downstream - that is the convention). About 200 yards above the existing hut there is the ruins of an earlier hut. The first thing I knew about it was that I had tripped over a barbed wire 'fence' hiding in the undergrowth badly tearing my shin- something which you most certainly are not expecting in the enormous wilderness of Fiordland. No-one I have encountered seems to know anything at all about this ruin, but there is some wire, netting and sheets of iron there which might come in handy sometime if you know they exist.
The cataract in the Hilda Burn
Here are the remains of the old hut.
Even only traveling this far up the ridge you need to be alert to keeping the position in mind of the roar of the water falling in the Burn, as when you turn to descend you will swiftly realise that the country fissures and falls away in all directions with very steep, narrow guts which it is well-nigh impossible to traverse laterally, something which the deliberate focusing on ascent is likely to lead you to ignore. It is incredibly easy to become 'bluffed out' in Fiordland - meaning that you may relatively easily ascend but when descending not be able to find or see a way down at all. You have to pay incredibly close attention to the route you took on the way up.
We climbed above the second hut, hauling ourselves over rocks and tree roots
through vastly wet, dense terrain until the roar of the water diminished so we
judged we could safely descend into the upper Hilda Burn. As we angled down
into it at one point we had to climb a monstrous fallen log about the height of
my nose (say about 5'), so that I could not actually see the top of it. When I
had clambered my way up onto it, I was astonished to find right on top of it
fresh moose droppings! Boy, they are big beasts! It was completely obvious what
they were, as everywhere in the forest there were
The enormous moose droppings centre and normal sized
These moose droppings were nearly as large as my thumb in comparison. Brett
picked up some
Above is a photo of those fewmets. My apologies for the quality of the photos in this post. In 2000 I had the latest 'Advantix' film camera, but technology sure marches on. I thought the snaps I took back then were just brilliant, but I am embarrassed by their poor quality now, as I am also becoming embarrassed by the present quality of my digital camera compared with the results from Della's Samsung Galaxy 7's. Mind you the forests are so dark, it is very difficult indeed to get good photos. Maybe if you are an expert (and can afford to lug along a few kilos of photography kit), as I am neither...
We beat our way down towards the river following the tracks I guess of a
large
The clearing on the true left side of the Hilda Burn.
Eddie Herrick shot an ancient three-legged cow moose (I think) in the Hilda Burn in the 1930s. She was likely the one who clearly broke its leg when they were tipped out off the boat in Supper Cove. You can see that one has a broken leg in the photo of the herd standing in Supper Cove looking mournful - poor things had been raised on lucerne and such! Amazingly, though she must have lost the leg (to gangrene?), she had survived in that most moose inhospitable terrain for nigh on thirty years. Knowing that they were that tough I had many doubts that they had somehow mysteriously died out sometime after 1950. Here was one who had walked across this clearing in the last day or two, clearly making this valley and its surrounds its home!
Brett in the Hilda Burn.
Also on this clearing there was a small tree or sapling (I suppose 3" in diameter) which had clearly been pushed over and stripped by something, the bark on the top also having been chewed away. I remember wondering why the tree had 'fallen' at such a strange angle, as if an immense wind had pushed it over, so that its top was no more than a metre above the ground. I guess it was nearly twenty years before I was informed by (Ken Tustin) that this behaviour of walking trees down is a favourite moose feeding strategy. On this trip I saw it again and again - and I have seen it many more times since. It is unmistakable moose 'sign'.
By the time we had descended to the stream it was becoming sufficiently dark that we needed to turn right round and head back unless we wanted to spend our first night in Fiordland sitting around in our raincoats in cold, wet bush. For advice about that, see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/ You should definitely avoid that situation. My advice is to carry a hammock and tarp so you can spend a dry night in the bush.
Looking down from the Hilda Burn.
I guess it was the next day we decided, (it having been too difficult scrambling up the true right bank) that we would find a way up the true left bank. Let me tell you, it was no better, if not worse. There is some very steep going, a huge tangle of fallen trees, at least one waterfall to traverse - just to get above the cataract. And you had better remember just how you got there, as when you are coming back down you will find that the way up was the only way! Just that happened to us. It was only that when we became 'bluffed' we sat down for a smoke or a bite to eat, to 'study' on our dilemma, and when we sat down that we realised that the last little bit we had had to crawl up - a reality which became apparent when we got low enough to see where we had come. A cup of tea or a smoke (or sleep on it) are always good strategies if in doubt.
We saw a few
On this or another occasion Brett was walking up the true right bank as I walked up the true left. At one point I wanted to attract his attention, so I whistled. No response. Then I blew a blast on my ultra loud Fox 40 whistle which the manufacturers reckon you can hear up to a mile away! No response. He was perhaps 40 metres away. The sound was just soaked up by the forest. And he is not deaf like I am. You can see how, the folks who have shot a moose in Fiordland pretty much universally just stumbled on it (usually very close to a creek) when it stood up, they went, 'Crack!' and down it went. End of hunting story.
Walking high up in the Hilda Burn:
There is a section of morass to cross (on the true left bank). It is quite difficult going, and remains so. These morasses are ubiquitous in Fiordland and very dangerous. I can well believe you can get stuck in them and be unable to extricate yourself. You can very suddenly plunge (right on the edge) up to your hips - as I have done many times. If you can throw yourself backwards as you fall in it is easier to get out. Another grave danger of walking in the Fiordland bush is that all these large gullies are actually the moraines of ancient glaciers. Underneath they are boulder fields. And in many places not very far underneath. You need to test each step before you put your weight on it to ensure that you are not going to plunge downwards into a huge crevasse - as I did on the fourth day trying to ascend the 'Waterfall Burn'. Downwards over my head in an instant. Fortunately I did not break anything except my dignity and I was able to climb back out again. Probably the gullies are worst for this than the ridges.
I cannot now remember whether on the particular day I am relating I was alone in the valley - as I have been several times since - or if Brett was somewhere else in the valley. Anyway, I had dropped down into the stream by myself and was wading along in it - as that was the easiest going, Every now and then getting out, then getting back in again. I'm sure you know what thick difficult going is like. There came a point where as I was rounding a bend in the stream, (the banks being nearly as high as I am) something very large and dark surged up and thundered off in a cloud of spray further up the stream, giving me just the barest glimpse of it. All I could say was that it was not a bull, as I would have been able to see its antlers above the banks of the stream.
I followed it (as quietly as I could - spooked things will often halt to look back and see what it was which frightened them) when shortly the stream split in two. Where the two streams joined there was a large patch of sand, and clear as day in the sand were the unmistakable prints of a moose. They were very nearly as large as a cow's prints, and they had the 'signature' dew claw marks a couple of inches behind the main hoof prints such as only moose amongst deer kind have. I would have a photo of them only when I was coming back down again some time later, the rain had all but blurred them clear away - it does rain lots in Fiordland. Expect to get very, very wet, even in Goretex such as I was wearing.
It had crept off upwards into a large swampy area lying between the two streams which did not show up on the topographic map. It must have been very difficult to get good (and accurately interpret) aerial photography in Fiordland. I followed the beast around in this swampy area for I guess about an hour, each circling the other trying to get a look, sometimes seeing a bit of leg perhaps. The water was ankle to knee deep, and there were many small islands each with a vast tree protruding from its centre and surrounded by lowish bushes. The cloud cover came half-way down the trunks of the trees. A prehistoric landscape for a prehistoric creature. I could have taken a shot at it through vegetation - it was often clear just where it was - but I never (nor should you) ever do such a thing. A deer missed is one thing; a dead mate is missed a long time!
Alas, once again light was going to beat me. I had to break off the chase or I would be spending a terrible night out in this saturated forest. There is just no way you could make your way down in failing light or darkness. Having had so little trouble 'putting up' a moose, I was also optimistic that I might do it again. There is no end to human folly!
It disappeared somewhere up there into the head of the burn, and it is no doubt there yet!
After breakfast next morning we were all standing on the edge of the
verandah of the hut looking up the Cove, enjoying a smoke or a cup of coffee
when a large animal started calling. I thought it sounded something like a
cross between a koala bear and a camel. It was definitely not a
Even though we had been there then for a couple of days, we had still not
(instinctively) adjusted our hearing's ability to pinpoint where a sound came
from to Fiordland's conditions (I have already mentioned the episode of the
whistle). It takes a while for perception to adjust. Another example is one's
ability to actually focus on these NZ mountains. They are so much steeper
than ours in
So I guess we can be forgiven for being unable to work out exactly where the moose was (we were quite sure that was what it must be - and we were right). Our Australian senses made us overlook a flat area near the mouth of the Hilda Burn nearby (too close). It was clearly coming from the next valley over, what we called the 'Waterfall Burn' both because of the waterfall at the bottom, and the even larger one at the top of it. Here is a photo of the lower one, which you can see would be very difficult and dangerous to climb, and which would be death to descend if the stream rose very much in heavy rain. I do not have a photograph, though I have 'seen' the upper one: It is 160 metres, falling straight down from the clouds the day I was there so that one could not see the top. It was as if it just fell from the sky, and so impossible to photograph! There are lots of things like that in the world. I have a fine collection of snaps where you can't make anything out at all!
The Waterfall Burn:
We decided we would somehow climb the Waterfall Burn to find the calling moose. Now, as this was the only time we heard the call (on our second or third day there I think) I might conclude that this was the end of the moose 'Roar' rather than the beginning. You should know that wherever they be in the world, the 'roar' (or mating) of the moose lasts only one week - but it is the very same week each year. Anyway it was the last day of February.
When we returned we searched the net for moose calls. The first one we played was (unknowingly) the sound of a cow moose. When we played that we were disappointed. Fooled again. you know the sort of thing. Then we played the call of the bull moose. Kapow! That was what we heard all right. So, there had been a cow moose in the Hilda Burn and a bull moose just a kilometre from it - clearly a breeding pair. There must be a few more of them even by now!
The first day we tried to ascend the Waterfall Burn we crossed the stream and tried (all day as it turned out) to beat our way up the true left side of the stream. Utterly unsuccessfully. I doubt it was possible, so don't even try! As we were crossing the stream in the morning (just between the waterfall and the walk wire), we were able to wade across, the stream it being only about mid-calf deep. I was not particularly conscious that it was raining heavily all day, but it was certainly raining. It often does in Fiordland you know. Every year at least ten metres of rain, sometimes several times that!
On this occasion when we returned to the crossing about 4:00pm in the
afternoon, the stream had swollen monstrously. The walk wire was very nearly
submerged. My memory is that we waited for a large tree to roll along under it
before we (very trepidatiously) crossed. There is a lesson here: Never expect
to be able to get to your destination when walking in Fiordland - or anywhere
else for that matter. 'Be Prepared' is actually a good motto. Thanks
The Waterfall Burn in flood:
Some of the trees which came thundering down the waterfall.
It does rain a lot and streams can easily rise so much (or morasses expand - you get the picture), that movement either way becomes impossible. You will just have to stop and wait it out. Fortunately as soon as it does stop raining, because of the steepness of the terrain, the streams etc drop as quickly as they rose. The Seaforth for example is reputed to be able to rise 16 metres in a single day! Eddie Herrick himself relates a story wherein he and Jim Muir his guide almost lost their lives because of their inability to return to camp down the Seaforth, or to cross the Henry Burn.
Next day we tried again walking up a little gully between the Hilda and the Waterfall Burn. It was mostly really dreadful going through thick tree fern, boulders etc and with much broken ground underfoot. This is where/when I fell down the moraine hole. When we finally broke out onto the Burn above the waterfall we immediately tied something (a shopping bag I think) to a tree so we could find our way back down again. We were quite anxious. It had been a trying trip of...maybe a kilometre! Then we walked up the stream as far as we could get before we would have to turn around so we would be back at Supper Cove before dark.
In the top of the Waterfall Burn (You can see the shopping bag tied to the tree):
It is quite a large stream, still two-three metres wide up there I guess, and very pretty, though dark. I have been there on a later occasion, perhaps 2006, 2012 or 2013 (I know I was alone; I usually am) and walked as far as the top waterfall. There had been a moose in this valley recently. There were fresh-ish footprints - given the amount of rain the day before they had to have been no more than a day old, and there was quite a lot of browse. We did not see a moose, or any deer but after all, the hunt is what it's all about. That and seeing fresh sights, some of which maybe no man has seen before, or will again!
A morass in the Waterfall Burn.
I can remember seeing sign there again on a subsequent trip, but what exactly I cannot remember. Browse, marks, droppings...they all blur a bit with time. This year (2017) I realised I had seldom (if ever) actually photographed the browse so I could point it out to people later on (I did not have this blog before, so I had no reason!) There was plenty of old browse in the Hauroko (which I snapped some examples of), then a little barking as I descended into Loch Maree (which I forgot to snap). After that again along the Seaforth there was browse, but by then I had forgotten to take pictures altogether. You just get to enjoying the experience, thinking about other things etc. Last year I walked almost all the way back down from Everest without taking a single photo, though I saw many things I had not noticed on the way up. I had pneumonia is my excuse, but I doubt I will be going back to capture those missing snaps.
For example, in 2006 I took this snap of a couple of ducks. Look behind them though and you can see the height of the browse line on the shiny leaved tree on the right.
We walked back towards the Hilda Burn. The walk wire was out when we were there in 2000 so we had to walk down along the stream to the bottom, cross there and walk along the beach to the hut if the tide was high. If it was a bit lower, we would cross as much of Supper Cove as we could, then cut inland towards the mouth of the Hilda Burn, so our route was a bit different each time, always walking off-track. And that afternoon, in the fading light we found where the bull had been when we heard him call! And he had clearly been camped there for a couple of days, pretty much in sight of the hut - so much closer than we had estimated. But he was not there now. Probably he had gone up to join the cow at the head of the Burn! So much country. And it is utterly impossible to 'track' anything in that country. All you ever see is the odd print. The eternal moss swallows everything up, including sound.
There is this, though. That was 17 years ago now: a pair of moose within a
stone's throw of the Supper Cove hut. If you imagine that they managed to breed
every year, even if the mortality rate is very high or the fertility rate very
low there have to still be a number of moose within cooee of the mouth of the
Seaforth. There is still food for them there, and every time I go I can see
browse I did not see the time before. Every time I go, I find 'fresh' moose
tracks. Conditions in Fiordland are such that you just won't see prints that
are a week old. There are just so many places they can easily travel with their
long legs and wonderfully constructed feet where no man could possibly go.
Because they are so tall they can reach food on precipitously steep slopes
where
I think it was not until the second day on that first trip that I began to
notice the moose browse, despite having found moose droppings and spied some
moose footprints - and having been looking hard. It was not until I came down
with an itchy back probably from a sandfly my shirt had failed to stop, and had
sidled up to a tree to scratch the middle of my back that, as I did so, my neck
craned up and I began to see this characteristic branch breaking and snapping,
oh - so far up! Being used to sambar or
Brett pointing out some moose browse:
Another day on that trip (there were not many more, worse luck) I walked around the point of land on the other side of Supper Cove against the river before the Waterfall Burn. Many of the coprosma trees on the point had been snapped off at just the height moose love to browse 8+ feet. There was no other sign. I thought at the time maybe they were driven lower down like this in the coldest weather as sambar can be somewhat in our mountains, (There are even times that Supper Cove freezes over!) but I have since found plenty of fresh browse lower down and misdoubt now that moose suffer at all from cold. It was just a silly thought really. With moose the opposite is the case, I suspect. They suffer more from hotter weather. NZ summers of 24C or the like can perhaps be quite uncomfortable for a large Arctic animal. It is then, I suspect they spend a greater part of the day lying up in cool deep pools in the burns where the few that have been shot over the years were invariably taken.
That day we continued up as far as the ladder just above the McFarlane Burn looking for Michael who had stayed out overnight without explaining himself, so we were a bit worried - but he is an old bushman. He had a small tent (we knew) and his sleeping bag. So, of course he was fine. He had even managed to light a small fire. Well done indeed. On the way up in the middle of the track we saw an old mark we thought might have been a moose, but it could have been just several deer prints over each other some time past.
In just about the same spot quite near the Old Supper Cove hut site (which is where the track rejoins the Seaforth above the Henry Burn) I have on a number of occasions seen a relatively fresh moose track: once I would say that morning's - if it had been a sambar we would have tried to start the hounds on it once - and on another occasion about a day old, I guess. So the moose do still hang around their old haunt, the Henry Burn, or 'Moose Creek' as Herrick and the other old-time hunters used to call it.
Brett and Michael meet near the McFarlane Burn:
Old Supper Cove Hut site - you can still see the tree fern trunks which formed its floor. A pity they did not leave it standing as it was an important survival shelter - and of historical interest!
I was quite hooked by Fiordland and the Dusky after this trip and vowed to
return as often as I could, an ambition with which Della fortunately concurred.
It is not every man who has such a splendid wife, I know. What I have done to
deserve such good fortune is a mystery to me - may it long be so. Well, it has.
But circumstances (and finances) intervened to mean that it would be six years
before I could make the trip again. I had returned from the first trip with a
reasonable 8-point
In 2006, I decided I could get away for a short trip (a week - if you are a farmer, a week away is an eternity). I decided I would fly in to Supper Cove, stay a couple of days then walk out. I had no idea even if I could do this at all at the grand old age of 56! The track brochures warned how hard it would be, and recommended only fit young folk should try it, & etc. Some of them even die. Fortunately I am young at heart, as I was still able to complete the trip this year at 68!
This was to be my introduction to 'ultralight hiking'. I knew that the weather could make a short trip much longer. Also I did not know whether at my age I would be able to make the distances between the huts, and might have to camp out most nights if I was going to be safe. I had already reasoned that a hammock and tarp would be the safest thing to camp in in Fiordland, so we had been busy making prototypes and had come up with a home-made 2 oz/yd2 hammock and a 1.3 oz'yd2 silnylon tarp to go with it. This arrangement then weighed around 7-800 grams altogether, less than half the weight of any tent I owned or could have bought I must say, and much lighter than anything then commercially available as well - even if they did look a bit amateurish. I had camped out in it lots of times in the Gippsland bush, so i was quite confident in it.
This is the wonderful ultralight hammock I am now using, a Hummingbird: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/ Photo is on the beach between the boat shed and the helipad, Supper Cove. You see what I mean about being able to just camp anywhere (If there are trees) with a hammock!
I bought a Gossamer Gear G4 pack at 450 grams (which I still use sometimes), and I think back then I was still using a Snugpack or Vango synthetic bag which weighed around 8-900 grams (not my sub 600 gram Montbell I use now). I had discovered metho stoves by then, so that was down to a 7 gram model from Minibull plus home-made aluminium flashing windscreen. Back then I used to make fried bread (or Johnny Cakes) every night for lunch on the trail the next day, so I had figured a way to make the stove simmer though I can't remember now what it was! Though quite tasty, it is a bit of a tedious process making 'bread' which I have since then largely abandoned. I will do a post about it in the future though, as it is an important skill. I had moved up to a new digital camera, a Pentax Optio S40 with a 3X zoom which only weighed about 100 grams (saving at least 400 grams on my old film camera).
Back then I was still wearing either Redback Alpine Hiker leather boots (or
their Blundstone equivalent) which weighed 600-650 grams dry and about another
50-100 wet, so actually much better than most boots folk still wear today. They
are a good, tough boot and if you want a leather boot, I swear by them. I had
earlier moved down from ex-army wool shirts and trousers to
When the weather is sufficiently cool (which it almost always is in NZ), I would now wear either an Icebreaker of a Kathmandu light woolen shirt which you can wear for a week without washing (yourself or it) and never mind getting downwind of yourself, though others may disagree! I think back then I still used my lovely Snugpack synthetic coat which probably weighed as much as 600 grams. I was stronger then. I was probably using one of Big Agnes excellent inflatable mats which weighed just under 600 grams from memory, but I might ave skimped and taken a Thermarest self-inflater I suppose which weighed a little less - and was a lot less comfortable besides. And a lot colder in colder weather I might add. I have a lighter, better kit now I think. See eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/
On the first day up from Supper Cove to Loch Maree, just as I was about to pass opposite the Roa Stream which is on the other side of the river heading upriver (ie on the true left bank), I heard something in the water like a deer clattering across (going I'm not sure which way) and which given the prevalence of red deer there it often is. I have rarely managed to get a photo of them as they usually make off pretty smartly just like sambar in the dense bush. By the same token a hundred metres or so later on at about the point that the noise in the river was, there were very fresh prints of a huge animal crossing the track. It had clearly come out of the Roa stream, and crossed the river and passed just in front of me, and gone very obviously around the edge of the swampy bit on the true right bank (not a bad place to camp actually) and then up into the bush on my left. And not very long ago.
You might think a swampy bit like this would be attractive to a moose, but they are a forest creature. This one skirted this particular swamp opposite the Roa Stream.
I could not really tell whether the splashing and the tracks were one and the same. I did have a bit of a look around for it for maybe an hour, but as I could not be sure whether the tracks might have been made earlier that morning or just as I approached, I did not spend a lot of time on it. It wasn't just standing around waiting for me to take a pic of it at any rate. It is a seven hours plus walk for me (then) to Loch Maree, so I pressed on, still arriving after dark in fact, as I have done on a couple of occasions.
It is a long walk, particularly if the tide is in and you can't take the 'short-cut' across the Cove. Later on I was talking to Ken Tustin on the phone. He told me that he and his wife Marg were on that very day high in the Roa stream finding lots of fresh moose browse, so I think it is very likely they pushed this guy out the bottom of the valley and across the track in front of me. This suggests a strategy to me of how a couple of very fit young people might get a snap of a moose - but it would be a pretty wild chance, I guess - and depend on there being more moose there than may be the case.
My purpose on this trip was merely to see if I could walk the Supper Cove to Manapouri 'leg' of the Dusky Track which I was very pleased to have managed in four long days when I finished, even managing a cold beer (and a much needed shower) on the evening of the fourth day! I saw no-one the whole trip, something which I always find very pleasant!
I really enjoyed the trip and purposed to take my oldest daughter Irralee with me the following year, which I did. In 2007, when we arrived at the Supper Cove hut we found that we had missed the resident moose by about a week. There was an awful lot of moose browse all around the hut, trees snapped over all around and some barking behind the hut, just in back of the toilet. Another hunter who had arrived the day before in fact pointed the barking out to us. We had no need to have the other browse pointed out. It was right in front of the hut. The tracks were all washed away and the droppings were falling apart - which is how I arrived at the conclusion of being a week late.
Some of the moose browse in front of the hut: Can you spot the twigs which have been bitten right off 8-9' up?
It would be truly awesome to wake up at the Supper Cove hut and be greeted by a moose outside the window whilst you were eating your muesli for breakfast! That year there was also quite a bit of moose browse on the fuchsia coming down from the slip above the Kenneth Burn to the Gair Loch (on the second day out from Supper Cove), but again it was over a week old.
Irralee is pointing out some Fuchsia browse near the Gair Loch.
Some old barking encountered on the way: 
I again walked the track with my son, Bryn in 2008. There were a couple of spots where we found old tracks ('old' in Fiordland probably means at most a day) - anyway the animal wasn't standing in them. From memory again they were near the Old Supper Cove Hut site (ie near the Henry Burn) and near the Kintail Hut as we were crossing the walk wire over the Seaforth there - quite fresh tracks on the sand there, probably from that morning.
Of course you are always on the lookout for whatever made them, and you make forays off into the bush in the direction they appear to be heading, but the bush is so vast (and so thick) and the moose so sparse that it is a hopeless task, really. All that I can say is that you won't see a moose standing in the main street in town back home. if you want to see a Fiordland moose, you will have to be tramping around in the vastness of that wonderful forest. I would hope you shoot one only with a camera really. I have grown quite fond of them - from a distance anyway!
A couple of examples of some barking we found.
This looks like it is probably only a week old at most. Usually/oftenthe barking is much higher, 7 or 8 feet.
The browse around the Supper Cove hut (and the barking) from the year before were still clearly visible (and identifiable) a year later, by the way. In fact two years later, as my daughter was able to point it out to me on our second trip there together in 2009.
You can still see it here in 2009 with a fantail sitting on it.
Bryn and I watched this
I canoed
the Seaforth in 2009, probably one of the silliest things I have ever done.
As I was portaging around the shores of Loch Maree - I was walking along the
shoreline so I might see any prints rather than walking the track; the water
level was low enough to do so that year - they were having a drought in
Fiordland. It didn't rain for the whole 13 days we were in the
I was at Supper Cove again in 2011 with Della, but we had to leave precipitously only about an hour after we arrived as Della managed to dislocate her shoulder slipping off a rock. Ouch! Thank goodness for helicopters! No moose that year!
I walked the track again in 2012 in company with a young American, Steve Hutcheson I met at Supper Cove and an Israeli, named Renan Tsorin. Steve and I had about five days at Supper Cove, him fishing and me tramping around in the bush looking for moose. I remember I found some old tracks on the ridge above the Supper Cove hut and in the Hilda Burn - and obviously some browse. I found the same thing along the Henry Burn. I guess I walked nearly half way up it to the fork you must follow if you are to walk over into Herrick Creek - so probably to about the place a couple of the Fiordland moose were shot, long ago. No sign of them now of course.
Here is a (very) old print (the triangular indentation above the glasses case) all filled in with leaves. This would have to be about as old as you are going to be able to see a print in Fiordland - say over a week. This one was over a kilometre up on the ridge behind the hut
Looking down towards the fiord coming down from way up there. The going is pretty steep:
Particularly above Loch Maree along the river on the true left bank there was a lot of moose sign, mainly older browse - say up to a year old. I walked along the river for about three kilometres by myself above the Loch Maree hut and up the Deadwood Stream a bit before crossing over to the track. The young fellows following the track were quite surprised at how I managed to get ahead of them! The river level that year was again very low, so I could do this (and avoid a slow, nasty section of track for the first hour upriver out of Loch Maree). I figured this moose was a resident of the Deadwood Stream which looks big enough to hold a number of them! There was old browse here and there along the river that year - but no tracks.
However as we walked up through the huge slip above the Kenneth Burn, a moose had walked along ahead of us barking the trees quite obviously. I remember pointing this out to Renan, using my fingernails to mimic the action of his giant teeth, and angling my head to indicate how he must have made the bites. I must look a circus sometimes. I wish I had taken photographs! Then, just about where the saddle is before you start to go down again to the Gair Loch, there was a patch of fuchsia on our right which had been the home of a moose for I'd say the best part of a week. S/he had had a really good feed on I guess and acre or two of fuchsia. Anyone who doubted the continued existence of moose in Fiordland would be hard put to explain the extent of its high foraging activity there. I remember a couple of days later I was walking with Steve in the Upper Spey and also pointing out to him some very old moose browse there - in the vicinity of the Dashwood Stream.
This is part of the huge Fuchsia filled slip above the Kenneth Burn where a moose had been browsing for days in 2012. Plenty of food here.
It is a huge area of Fuchsia. There are many such in Fiordland - few as easy of access though.
I had a back operation in 2013 so any Fiordland trips were out that year.
I spent a few days by myself at Supper Cove in 2014 (flying both in and out on that occasion). It was lovely to have the hut to myself for a few days, to go out in the morning exploring the bush around about and in the afternoon catching myself some blue cod for my supper. The most delicious fish anywhere, trust me. Do bring a hand line and a fry pan if you venture that way. I was going to walk out, but on the very last night before the day I would have to leave the next morning of, a party of twelve young people arrived even though none had been there for a month! Of course I tried to persuade them to stay a day and do some fishing (even offering them my line, etc), but they insisted on starting out the next day as well.
All alone in the Supper Cove Hut
I could spread out.
And enjoy some tasty blue cod for tea.
Well one night in a crowded hut with people whose heads were filled with the usual certain certainties of the young was enough for me, so I called up Alan from Wings on Water (who had brought me in) and flew out again. I used the couple of spare days so gained to go have a look at the start of the South Coast Track (out of Tuatapere) walking out to Port Craig and back whilst I was there. I confess I was hurrying along this section - and even walked the beach 'track' all the way from the Hoka Stream. I was not looking for moose sign as I thought this was too far from their 'normal' haunts. I was just checking out the track thinking it was probably easy enough to take Della on the next year. (it was). I was surprised therefore when I spied (on the return trip of course) a small example of moose browse quite close the the shore after the Track Burn - before you begin the climb up the innumerable steps to the Rowallan.
Della and I attempted to walk out to Westies Hut along the South Coast Track
in 2015, but got only as far as the
We headed back out on the
When we were walking out from the Wairaurahiri with Pete Baldwin from the wonderful Waitutu Lodge at the Wairaurahiri Mouth, I was explaining to him what he should look for if he ever had the chance to get 'into' the Seaforth country. Right near the Edwin Burn trestle crossing there was an obvious patch of old moose browse, the branches snapped over and stripped in their characteristic way about 8' up, but maybe 1-2 years old. Nothing else could possibly do such a thing. So, there are moose that far East in Fiordland yet.
I have now realised that I smelled a moose in the Hauroko Burn last trip
(back in April 2017) and I am really kicking myself for not having stopped,
camped and investigated See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/follow-your-nose/).
As I said there: 'I have a confession (of stupidity) to make.
Somewhere during this section between the two upper walk wires on the Hauroko
Burn, Fiordland, NZ (You can imagine it is in the photo below) I encountered
quite a strong ‘animal’ smell not unlike a goat. I thought to myself at
the time, ‘Well, it’s not a deer’. Then I thought, ‘Could it be a plant?’ You
know how Dogwood in
There is a sweet cloying honey-like smell you sometimes encounter in these Fiordland forests I have never been able to identify, nor has anyone else I have spoken to been able to pick it for me. (it is not the flower of the ubiquitous tiny epiphytic orchid). It was not that though. I am pretty good on scents having been a hunter all my life. I instantly galvanise to a whiff of fox, roo, wombat, stag, goat, etc.
I scanned the forest about. Saw nothing. Thought to myself, ‘I do not want
to arrive at
There was a moose not 200 metres upwind from me, and I walked on. Despite having a tarp and hammock and more than a week of food, so that I could have spent days hunting it! And I would have doubtless ‘put it up’ withing ten minutes! Dream on! Despite the fact that one of the important reasons I go there is to see a moose. Despite the fact that I had photographed fairly fresh moose barking just back there a little (as you can see below). Despite the fact there is a $100,000 reward for a photo of a NZ moose, I walked on! Lesson: Trust your nose!’
My knee is still not right from an injury in the Hilda Burn on that trip which brought an early end to my off-track explorations then (there was still old browse in the Hilda), so I am wondering about my future ability to do so again, but I am working on it – an hour every morning in the gym and an hour every afternoon walking - on top of my normal farming activities, but at just shy of 70 it takes longer to heal and to get fitter again. Every day though I feel stronger, and have just completed a six day off-trail hike in the Vic mountains, and climbed Qld's tallest mountain, so there is hope!
It was interesting that the Hauroko was nearly eaten out, but with lots of
old sign (and clearly a resident moose!) And that there was a 'bloom' of new
plants coming up I had not seen in Fiordland before) Yet coming down from Lake
Roe to Loch Marie for example, there was oodles of moose plants without much
moose sign at all - though some barking. Clearly the moose are fairly light on
the ground. Each likely has an enormous territory, perhaps 2-500 hectares, but
that still adds up to a lot of moose in
I had this note about the moose on the first of my posts about my 2017 trip: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/
The Elusive Fiordland Moose: Along the way there is sporadic moose sign if you are alert and keen eyed. Nothing else could reach up 2.5-2.7 metres (8-9'), break off branches as thick as your thumb and strip them, or devour all the lower vegetation of their favourite broadleaf plants, or systematically bark trees, or leave footprints as big as a cow's.These solitary leviathans yet roam these forests unseen. I took these shots in an arbitrary few hundred yards walking up the Hauroko.
This coprosma has been systematically broken off about 2.5 metres up.
And this.
Broadleafs have commonly been stripped to this height.
They like to snack on nutritious bark as they amble along.
Leaving footprints as long as my glasses case. Like this:
Or this.
Someday someone will stumble round a corner onto one and snap its pic. A
girl from
I don't know at this stage whether I will be doing a lot more 'moose hunting' in Fiordland. Mostly these days we go there for the walk anyway and because it is just so beautiful. Any moose we see would no doubt be a bonus - and we surely won't see them elsewhere! I do have a couple of 'new' ideas on how we might find further proof of the continued existence of the NZ moose herd. More about that later.
And oh, I have been thinking about Ken Tustin's theory that the
I have noticed that in the areas which appear more eaten out (by moose and everything) that the moose browse seems to consist of more branches actually broken off completely whereas in the less eaten out areas, they tend to be just broken over. I need to spend more time there to confirm this, something which may not happen in this lifetime.
I realise I do not know how this 'boom and crash' population dynamics works (with any creature) though, so maybe I am wrong. I am not a wildlife biologist, but I have been a farmer and hunter for a long while. Some places look very eaten out by deer, particularly along river banks and near huts and other clearings, yet in other steeper places there is little sign of any grazing animals. Another interesting observation: along the Hauroko for example, there is this shiny leaf tree which moose obviously like. In many places it was browsed lower from the river bottom than it was from the river bank (but in each case as high as a moose could reach ie 8'+ up) giving it a lopsided appearance. I had not noticed this before. No doubt there are lots of other ‘signs’ which escape one’s attention for years.
Here is a tree moose quite like, (I don't know what it is called). You can
see that this one which is hanging out over a precipice (in the Hauroko) has
still been browsed ( a long time ago) as far as a moose can reach out, and
certainty further than anything else could.
Here the moose has been walking along in the stream reaching up and has mown
these trees to a precise height. They have even managed to strip some of the
branches hanging down. You see this everywhere. We went down the
In 17 years I have not been able to get back to Fiordland in the summer. By the time we have been able to stop watering our garden and watching out for the 'bushfires' that a ratbag collection of maniacs have taken to lighting every summer in our part of the world it is at best late March, usually April, sometimes May. And of course I am often there when the 'Roar' is on so every moose has been scared well away from the valley bottoms by ubiquitous deer hunters. It's like always going sambar stalking on a full moon, or in early Spring when the deer have moved back from the valley bottoms (as fresh feed pops out from under the snow - and the young are born. Not such a good time for hunting.
I do always find old sign though, sometimes not that old even. I am convinced if i could spend several summers walking along in the streams there I would put up another moose. I'm not sure whether at my age I can do such hard work in hot, steamy weather, and I don't know whether I will ever be able to get away at such a time or not.
Perhaps!
PS: I wrote this article at Ken Tustin's request, as he is preparing a new edition of his book/a new book about the Fiiordland moose. He and he wife are the true moose experts and heroes of this interesting saga. More about them here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/nz-moose/
PS: The 'Cover' photo was sent to me from
29/10/2017: A Year Ago Today, I was walking up to Everest with Steve Hutcheson: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-followed-my-footsteps/
29/10/2017: Bacon Sandwich Anyone: Betsy Booren Vice President of Scientific Affairs North American Meat Institute, ‘They tortured the data to ensure a specific outcome…Red and processed meat are among 940 agents reviewed by IARC and found to pose some level of theoretical ‘hazard.’ Only one substance, a chemical in yoga pants, has been declared by IARC not to cause cancer.’ YES, Seriously: YOGA PANTS! I eat a lot of them! 40 out of 50 common foods also pose a cancer ‘risk’ according to this study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23193004/ What ARE we to eat?
29/10/2017: Freedom and Death: One of my favourite books when I was a teenager was Nikos Kazantzakis’ wonderful ‘Freedom and Death’ whose sentiment echoed Patrick Henry’s famous statement: ‘Give me liberty, or give me death’. Of course, with liberty we need to expect a certain amount of collateral damage: freedom is ever paid for with the blood of patriots. Such folk might just be our own children maybe skinning their knee or breaking the odd bone as they are allowed (nay encouraged) to ‘Go outside and play’ and ‘Don’t bother mummy’ – You remember that? Our children (and grandchildren) need much more of that, and much less of the cossetting, lest they grow up to be like the fragile flowers we see all about us today: https://reason.com/archives/2017/10/26/the-fragile-generation
28/10/2017: The Good News: The World's Poorest People Are Getting Richer Faster than Anyone Else: ‘In 1820, 94 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty (less than $1.90 per day adjusted for purchasing power). In 1990 this figure was 34.8 percent, and in 2015, just 9.6 percent. In the last quarter century, more than 1.25 billion people escaped extreme poverty.’ Thank You Capitalism: https://fee.org/articles/the-worlds-poorest-people-are-getting-richer-faster-than-anyone-else/
28/10/2017: Update of my 2012 post:
‘It's a little worse than 'The dog ate my homework'! Someone has stolen
both the file at Slater & Gordon and the file at the WA Corporate Affairs
which would prove Gillard's criminal complicity in the 'Wilson Affair' - but,
remember this: someone still has them!’ Well, now Michael Smith clearly has
them. Very day he is publishing great gobs of incriminating stuff about her and
Wilson. Remember, she could sue him for defamation but she would lose that too,
because what he says is true. She is/was one of
28/10/2017: Private Property: How we need a ‘Boneta Bill’ here too! One of the few ‘rights’ in our constitution is the right to private property (and its converse) that Government may not confiscate it without (paying) just compensation. Yet the examples of Government doing just that are legion; from simple idiotic ordinances such as the children’s birthday party planning permit which provoked Boneta, to large scale confiscation of farmland for ‘environmental’ reasons… Frankly it frightens me to realise what most people (leftists) consider to be ‘rights’. Their ‘rights, almost invariably mean the confiscation of someone else’s property for the ‘good’ of someone else (themselves?). The right to work, free speech, freedom of assembly, bear arms, self protection, justice, national defence…etc are low down on their list. Do they even make their list? http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/10/virginia_farmer_starts_property_rights_legal_revolution.html
27/10/2017: A British adventurer has
flown 25km (15.5 miles) across
27/10/2017: So, you thought Trump was
starting a war against
27/10/2017: Yet Another Silent Spring: ‘There is no credible evidence whatsoever that glyphosate – or RoundUp – is carcinogenic. The only reason some people believe otherwise is because of scaremongering articles like this, derived from misinformation which originates from this UN agency, the IARC. How do we know it’s untrue? Thanks to a special investigation by Reuters, which found that the IARC had completely misrepresented the available research on glyphosate.’ http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/10/23/delingpole-science-establishment-rocked-scandal-un-cancer-chemical/ This is just another example of Green evil. You remember when they did this with DDT, and 100 million people died as a result? They also did so with neonicotinoids: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/12/05/investigation-how-green-activist-scientists-rigged-an-eu-pesticide-ban-costing-farmers-and-businesses-billions/
26/10/2017: Western civilization
heading over a cliff; thanks Frau Merkel: http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/268214/germany-terror-cases-quadruple-900-daniel-greenfield
26/10/2017: Global Warming going over a cliff too: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/25/so-far-this-year-400-scientific-papers-debunk-climate-change-alarm/
26/10/2017: Toughen Up: Why Don’t People Understand What It Is To Be a Soldier: (The Trump ‘Telephone Incident’): http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/10/24/ex-green-beret-says-what-special-forces-really-think-about-niger-goes-viral-on-twitter/ & https://fee.org/articles/trump-s-general-is-right-soldiering-is-not-a-normal-job/ & http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/19/the-general-speaks-kelly-urges-americans-to-remember-what-is-sacred/
26/10/2017: How Sure Are We That The
Universe Is 13.8 Billion Years Old? https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/10/21/ask-ethan-how-sure-are-we-that-the-universe-is-13-8-billion-years-old/#60859d8060ac
25/10/2017: This is really moving. Watch a colour blind man see for the first time: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/once-was-colour-blind-now-can-see/news-story/b18dddb1f148beb5c658adf713601ac1
25/10/2017: Marise Payne (another
Turnbull clone) just keeps showing herself to be a dead head. Compare her
take on the danger of returning jihadists with her British counterpart: Rory
Stewart: ‘We have to be serious about the fact these people are a serious
danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in
almost every case, to kill them.’ Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne:
‘Australians who have joined Daesh are subjected to the same risks as any other
member of the criminal organisation and should expect to perish on the
battlefield.’ Tip: Learn the difference between active and passive voice,
Marise. I know you will think this sounds awfully sexist too, but I would like
it if our Defence Minister looks like s/he could take on one or two baddies
himself/herself (and the same goes for cops). Even Julie looks like she could
knock a couple of head together, but Marise (like Kim Beazley before her) looks
like she might pose a danger to baddies is s/he sat on them - supposing they
were slow-moving enough!
25/10/2017: CO2: The Culprit: Some things you might NOT know: Ice core expert Jaworowski states, ‘The basis of most of the IPCC conclusions on anthropogenic causes and on projections of climatic change is the assumption of low level of CO2 in the pre-industrial atmosphere. This assumption, based on glaciological studies, is false.’ http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/10/17/deconstruction-of-the-anthropogenic-global-warming-agw-hypothesis-2/
25/10/2017: Energy Crisis: It's
amazing that over a century after Einstein's 'e=mc2' that some folks are still
worried about 'The Energy Crisis'. Controlled nuclear fusion (not such a long
way off now < twenty years?) will end all such concerns. Progress will also
be made on understanding such spectacular energy phenomena as ball lightning,
sprites, 'cosmic rays', neutrinos, gravity & etc. It will be a much better
world in the future. Fear not!
24/10/2017: Our largest army: Fortunately, despite huge Government interference before (and after) Port Arthur, Australia's hunters still represent a larger 'army' than our official army, and as demonstrated in two World Wars & etc, can be relied on to bolster its numbers with well-qualified soldiers if/when the need ever arises. https://shariaunveiled.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/a-tribute-to-the-worlds-largest-army-americas-hunters/
24/10/2017: Green Fracking: You may think it odd that the green movement opposes fracking for natural gas but support hot fracture rock geothermal technology, which is clearly also fracking but you see, the first works whilst the latter does not – so it’s quite simple really!
24/10/2017: The
madness that is
23/10/2017: Hein’s Taxidermy: Della
just loves stuffed animals which is maybe why she has kept this particular
stuffed old animal around for nearly fifty years! It may be a family trait. We
have this wonderful family photo circa 1903 of her grandfather as an apprentice
hairdresser in
If you need fine taxidermy services in
23/10/2017: Two great points by Alan Moran: ‘In 1901 the Commonwealth spent 3 per cent of national income. Today it taxes and spends a whopping quarter of the income that firms and individuals earn…The Commonwealth Government in 1901 had 258 pages of regulatory Acts. Today it has more than 100,000 pages’ http://ipa.org.au/news/2769/regulations-that-worked-in-1901-do-not-work-now
23/10/2017: His wife is even battier
than he is: Lucy Turnbull, the ‘Greater Sydney Commissioner: ‘It’s only
taken us 230 years to catch up with a vision that our indigenous ancestors
always had for this city’. Away with them both!
23/10/2017: Bernie Sanders’ Economics #101: ‘Sure, You'll All Pay More Taxes... But You'll Get More Free Stuff’. Bernie was clearly singing from the same hymn book as Labor and the Greens here. Listen up peeps: ‘There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch’: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-19/bernie-americans-sure-youll-all-pay-more-taxes-youll-get-more-free-stuff & https://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2017/10/19/more-honesty-from-the-left-the-goal-is-big-tax-increases-for-the-middle-class/
22/10/2017: Hein's Taxidermy:
Some of Hein’s many interesting pieces:
And finally our dear little Rusty the Dusky Lorikeet:
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rusty-the-dusky-lorikeet/
While you are at Port Albert you should check out the Old Port Walking trail too, as well as its many other attractions: caravan park, hotel, restaurant, fish and chip shop, fishing charter, boat hire, etc: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/there-is-simply-nothing-like-an-old-port-walking-trail/ We had a brilliant (cheap) meal in the Customs Inn hotel while we were there – best fish’nchips I’ve had in a long while.
22/10/2017: Oradour, the French town
the Nazis murdered. Lest we forget, the entire town has been preserved in
memory of this terrible event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre & http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/articles/Oradour-sur-Glane-France-moments-of-Nazi-massacre-frozen-in-time/
22/10/2017: From an atheist: So, you
think Christianity has nothing to offer: 20 things you should stop doing in
your 20s – or never start: https://relevantmagazine.com/article/the-5-things-20-somethings-need-to-stop-doing/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=10192017__RELEVANT_This_Week&utm_medium=email
08/11/2017: Four more down: Five altogether (Joyce out until after Dec 2nd) Hawke, Banks, Frydenberg and Alexander. This means Turnbull does not have a majority when the Parliament sits on 27th November. Clearly Shorten will call a quick election straightaway. (Obviously he is not going to agree to a deal which saves Malcolm!) Abbott will be Opposition leader on 28th November. The election will be held just before Xmas, probably 16th December.
08/11/2017: Adjustable Hammock Ridgeline: A Great Idea: It adds 6 grams to my hammock set-up but improves comfort much more than that by allowing a flatter ‘hang’ – and it allows for somewhere to hang your gear. It works on the same principle as the Whoopie Sling. Genius. I bought mine from this guy for A$16.95 (Nov 2017). http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/adjustable-hammock-ridgeline
Mine was red. Here it is in action in the garden with Spot supervising:
A variety of Ridgeline Gear Organisers exist to stow various overnight items in (eg phone, glasses, drink bottle, head torch, hearing aids). For example: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/hammock-storage-systemsand http://www.hammockgear.com/hammock-gear-ridgeline-organizer/
These little guys are very handy too. Just add a mini carabiner: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/prussik-loops-pair
Some other ideas here: https://hennessyhammock.com/pages/tips-from-users-1#
Instructions for DIY here: http://www.tiergear.com.au/25/diy-hammock-ridgeline-organiser
Some other good ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlCvHtSDAM (better if you place the cordlock inside the loop) & here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2-rfD-VA6s
Shown is my Hummingbird
Hammock which weighs a mere 147 grams, and which kept me safe in one of the
wettest places on the planet the Dusky Track,
Fiordland
You could use either tarp as an on-ground shelter and the hammock as a groundsheet if you wanted to – as I explained here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-deer-hunter/
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
I have many other posts about hammocking, as a search at the top of the page will reveal.
08/11/2017: Astonishing? ‘By 2001...a chicken reached the weight at which it would be killed in one-third of the time and after eating one-third of the food compared with the 1957 breed...represents...reduction in waste and in the..land devoted to growing feed per chicken’ http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/genetics-bigger-chickens
08/11/2017: ‘Save the Planet’, the ‘great unwashed’
scream, yet we may have already done so (and by the unlikely means of the
Industrial Revolution’). Let me explain: Plants need @ 200ppm of CO2 to
survive. If the percentage drops below that (ie .02%) life will pretty much
cease – yet the pre-Industrial world tilted perilously close to that. The
percentage has varied from upwards of 20,000ppm in the time of the dinosaurs
for example, down to just over 200ppm over time, during which warm, tropical
periods and ice ages came and went completely uncorrelated to its percentage. However,
steadily the percentage of CO2 being liberated by vulcanism and other processes
eg from the carboniferous rocks, coal & peat deposits etc where it
‘ultimately’ becomes ‘locked up’, declined until just before the Industrial
Revolution its percentage was such that the cessation of life on earth was
imminent. The forests shrank and great plains and deserts spread across much of
the globe as there was not enough CO2 to build any more forests, and much of
life had to retreat to what were really oases to survive. Just in the nick of
time (folks of a religious persuasion will see this as predestined) as a result
of the Industrial Revolution personkind began to liberate vast quantities of
carbon in the form of CO2 and a wonderful profusion of life was the result. The
forests spread, the deserts and grasslands retreated and once more a profusion
of life saturated the planet: We have added a continent the size of
07/11/2017: Dino Paleo Diet:
Supposing that the science of ‘
07/11/2017: 'The Scam from
07/11/2017: Censorship: Once I was opposed
to it when its targets were innocuous publications like ‘Lady Chatterly’ and
Tropic of Cancer’…then along came various anarchist/terrorist instruction
manuals (beginning with eg ‘The Anarchist’s Cookbook’), but things just got
worse and worse. Now, I agree with this lady’s call to remove this publication
– although I fear that such opposition may soon, if it is not already, be
illegal: http://moonbattery.com/?p=89456
06/11/2017: Turnbull is just nuts: Now he proposes that everyone should bring a note saying it’s OK for them to be in Parliament. Who wouldn’t pass that test? http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/11/06/turnbull-announces-citizenship--resolution-.html
06/11/2017: A
friend I have known for 40 years wrote this yesterday: ‘I reckon I am as Australian as anyone and a
Turk and a Moslem as well. Do I need to be an anti islamic racist to be
Australian? Is that what it takes? I
don't think so.’ This was my reply: It's not about 'race' ‘Mohamed’ . It's
about nationality. Our Australian nationality has always been as a descendant
of Western civilisation, and especially as a member of the English speaking
nations - along with all the huge pluses that involves: democracy, the rule of
law, private property, free enterprise, support for the disadvantaged &
etc. In contrast the Moslem world is decadent and barbaric. It is worth noting
that a single college at
06/11/2017: It sure was hot in 1932: we have never seen anything like it since. See here: http://www.warwickhughes.com/agri/bird%20deaths%201932.pdf
06/11/2017: If renewables
can’t provide cheaper electricity on a small windy island with no cheap
competitor, where can it compete? What a rort it always is: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/11/abc-renewables-fantasy-island-farewells-diesel-except-for-40-of-its-power/
06/11/2017: The Saudis have paid to
put English language copies of ‘The Noble Quran’ everywhere – at airports,
prayer rooms, public libraries, etc. It is an evil text which preaches violent
jihad, death and enslavement to any who are not Moslems. Plenty of excerpts here
for those who are unconvinced. We must ban and expel this vile creed from
05/11/2017: Seems like Malcolm is down yet another member this
morning. Now Hawke and Frydenberg, who
simply cannot play the anti-semitic card to escape. His mother clearly entered
05/11/2017: Things to come…How high can it go: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/11/04/surge-of-support-in-qld-for-one-nation--poll.html
05/11/2017: Some chicks are nuts: Oh? Yeah: Andrea Dworkin, ‘Woman Hating’: ‘The incest taboo does the worst work of the culture: it teaches us the mechanisms of repressing and internalizing erotic feeling…The destruction of the incest taboo is essential to the development of cooperative human community based on the free-flow of natural androgynous eroticism…The incest taboo can be destroyed only by destroying the nuclear family as the primary institution of the culture. The nuclear family is the school of values in a sexist, sexually repressed society.’ Thinking like this will bring progress?
05/11/2017: Maybe men are on the way out though: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/masculinity-is-toxic/news-story/6e42c8c5a6db42280f78e2f738767fc7
04/11/2017: Ultralight Compact Hiking Pole: We have used GG’s LT4 poles for many years. In just the last year mine have been to Everest and back, and many other places besides, such as the Dusky Track, and Mt Bartle Frère for example. The LT4s are a little long to fit in your pack when you are not using them, though GG packs have attachment points on the outside they can be lashed to. I have a pair of shortened (2’) two section poles which will fit in my pack, but these LT5s will do so right from the store. These would make a great Xmas present for your hiking other if you order them now. https://www.gossamergear.com/products/lt5-three-piece-carbon-trekking-poles-pair US$195 per pair.
The collapsed poles have a short profile
Weight
Pole with strap and basket - 5.3 oz / 150 g
Pole - 4.6 oz / 130 g
Strap and screw - .4 oz / 12 g
Basket - .3 oz / 8 g
Adjust from
23.5" / 60 cm when closed to 51" 130 cm when fully extended for hiking
Section Lengths
Top section 19.5" / 49.53 cm
Middle section 19.25" / 48.98 cm
Tip section 18.75" / 47.62 cm
(Sections are replaceable separately should you break one - unlikely, though I have managed to cut one of my LT4s in half with a machete - don't ask!)
04/11/2017: Undivided Loyalty: Of
course there should be an audit and those MPs who are fakes kicked out (and
required to pay back moneys illicitly gained). I don’t think ‘dual citizenship
should exist at all. (Why should one ‘man’ get two votes yet another only one –
or none?) I certainly do not think MPs should be allowed to be dual citizens.
Then, If you seek to represent
04/11/2017: We will fight them on the
beaches…we will never surrender, by George: ‘the same repulsive strategy
seen in Paris and London and Manchester, dignifying as ‘resilience’ what is
really an enfeebled passivity no better than the Eloi in H G Wells' The Time
Machine, who even as their neighbors are stolen by the Morlocks in the night
forget them instantly and gather in the dawn to dance and arrange flowers as if
nothing has happened. Free peoples need to recover some righteous anger, or
they will lose their futures - and deserve to’. Mark Steyn. Headline: ‘Muslims Fear Backlash from Tomorrow's
Terror Attack’
04/11/2017: ‘I, Pencil.’ Essential
reading: https://fee.org/resources/i-pencil-audio-pdf-and-html/
03/11/2017: Ultralight Rain Jackets: I am looking around for a new rain jacket of both of us. People’s raincoats often weigh as much as 500 grams. Try weighing yours. So there is nearly a day’s worth of food (weight) to be saved in exploring a change to this item alone.
For many years I hunted deer in winter in the Victorian mountains carrying only a bum-bag or one of those poacher’s vests to keep all my gear down to a minimum. If it was not raining when I started out so that I was wearing my raincoat (which I would tie around my waist - as you do) if it stopped, all I ever carried was one of those 50 gram emergency ponchos (orange is a good colour in case you need to be found!). Often it rained all day. Admittedly I shredded them completely in the rough bush, but they even then they did keep me substantially dry. If you are track walking only, (and are careful with them - and have a bit of emergency repair tape besides) you can keep one going for several days. The best part is they cost only $1-3! You would be even better carrying one of Coghlans Emergency Survival Ponchos (mylar) at 88 grams and approx $10 as they will also keep you warm – even overnight in an emergency.
PS: Waterproofness and Breathability: I doubt very much of a raincoat ever needs to be over 1500mm of waterproofness. What this means ois that the fabric will support a column of water 1500mmm height (That’s 5’ in English!) before it begins to leak. Unless you are planning to use your raincoat as a boat, that will be quite enough. I doubt it can ver rain hard enough to exceed the weight of 5’ of water pressing onto it. Mind you, where there is also other pressure (eg your shoulder straps, that will have to be added to the waterproofness, so maybe, just maybe. Most every raincoat is over 10,000mmm of waterproofness, so I think you can probably ignore any figure over this. They will all keep out the rain!
As to breathability. I admit I was awestruck when Goretex first came along and wasted lots of good money on their rain jackets. I never found they were any better than my old oiled or waxed japaras. Under the right (or wrong) conditions of humidity you would get soaked to the skin in either! I have thought Event was a little better, but I have since been utterly drenched in that too – so I don’t know. A girl reviewing the Arcteyx below claims utterly superior breathability – perhaps I need to try that out!
We have a number of reasonably lightweight raincoats, some of which have
done us sterling service in pretty wet places like Fiordland or
Naturally I would want a raincoat Mens Size (eg Large) which is at least under 200 grams and preferably under 150, and one in Womens Size (eg Small) for Della which is under 150 and preferably under 120. Available colour can be a problem for some people. For example, I have a white raincoat, which is fine except I want it to be green. Probably neither of us wants to own another blue one – and so on. Price can also be an important factor. I have been looking at some possible choices:
Zpacks Vertice Rain Jacket 176 grams (Mens Medium) US$299 http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/wpb_jacket.shtml The white raincoat I have is one of Joe’s. I accidentally ordered it in the wrong lengths (sleeves and coat) so that it doesn’t quite suit me, though it keeps me quite dry enough (and weighs under 150 grams in Men’s Large). This (white) material is his old material which is clearly lighter than his new one. I personally don’t like the ‘sticky’ feel of it, though there is nothing wrong with it. I dislike running my fingernails over felt too, but I can’t explain why. We both have rain pants in his new fabric and they feel fine and work excellently. You may want something cheaper though…
Montane Minimus 230 grams (Mens) grams: https://www.montane.co.uk/mens-c1/minimus-jacket-p57 Della has a Montane jacket in Event which she just loves. This one would be a lightweight replacement for it. They used to make a jacket known as the H2O which would have been even lighter (around 150 grams) but it is no longer available. I am seeing this jacket from around A$170 which is pretty good value for a well-made product.
Montbell Versalite Jacket. I really like this one in Green, my favourite colour! We have lots of Montbell products which are lightweight and very functional, so this one has to be a likely candidate for me. It is good value for money from a well-known brand: https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=25013&p_id=2328167&gen_cd=2 189 grams (Mens M) A$189
Arcteryx Norvan: This Arcteryx jacket has to be worthy of consideration. This lady has given it an impressive review here. https://www.switchbacktravel.com/reviews/arcteryx-norvan-sl-hoody $299 (215 grams in Mens large - 100grams (XS Womens?) US$299
Lukes Micro 10 Jacket 4.1 oz (Large) US$179: https://lukesultralite.com/products/raingear I really like the sound of this jacket. I just received a pair of Luke’s shorts. They actually weighed less tha his listed weight (25/28 grams). The legs are quite long too, so I will probably hem them up a bit shorter so that they come in at about 22 grams which would be hard to beat for an item of clothing to wear when mixed bathing or doing the laundry on the trail. Luke’s jacket seems to be the lightest and relatively the cheapest. I am tempted to order one and see how it goes. A sub 120 gram jacket in my size (Men’s Large) is pretty awesome.
Two others I should mention:
DriDucks: These are both ultralight and ultra-cheap (as well as being probably the most breathable available. if you are very careful with them, they will keep you quite dry. They also feel beautiful. The jacket alone is (from memory under 150 grams. The jacket plus pants costs around US$25! https://www.froggtoggsraingear.com/DriDucks.shtm
DIY Tyvek: As usual, you can make your own out of Tyvek. We are talking 150 grams and around US$10 here: Here is the link to do so: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultra-cheap-ultralight-rain-gear/
Good Luck and Happy Shopping!
PS: Looking at the pics above I am reminded of Henry Ford's comment: You can have any colour you like as long as it's black!'
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-deer-hunter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rain-skirt/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-avoid-being-wet-cold-while-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/vapor-barrier/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-shorts-28-grams/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/
03/11/2017: The Family
03/11/2017: Ayer’s Rock: This will go down well. Be interesting to see how well they get on without the tourists. Oh well, there are always even more Govt handouts and more victimhood and identity to claim: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/11/01/tourists-to-be-banned-from-climbing-uluru.html
03/11/2017: ‘Attempting to transform
children into transsexuals is an appalling form of child abuse and should be
regarded as such by the law’; Dr. Cretella is President of the
03/11/2017: World’s most employable
human parrot: Colourful, but unaffordable: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3859680/Human-parrot-57-admits-spends-pension-money-tattoos-surgery-look-like-favourite-bird-having-EARS-chopped-off.html
02/11/2017: Why tax fraud is a moral imperative: Sometimes you have to ask yourself what is the alternative, before you realise what the morally correct decision is. At present the great bulk of our wealth as a nation is being stolen from us by people being able to vote to do so, and is then transferred over eg to what ‘Pygmalion’ calls ‘the deserving poor’ who squander it outrageously on ‘bad’ things - so occasioning the need for even further ‘welfare’ spending, whilst the ‘undeserving poor’ (ie those condemned to work for a meagre living) ‘deserve’ and are ‘given’ nothing. . Of course it would be much better for the ‘deserving poor’ (and everyone else) if such folk were gainfully employed in physical labour – but that is not to be! Such a requirement would be ‘unjust’ and ‘unfair’. Therefore, it is everyone else’s duty to ‘steal’ back from the Government every cent of the illicitly gained taxes one can in order eg to pass them on to one’s children whose money it was, or ought to be. Mind you I have never understood why anyone pays any tax. Misplaced altruism perhaps? The rich long since worked out how not to. It only requires a little work and study to cheat the tax man out of every last cent! It is also a much more interesting game than any of the silly computer games the young seem obsessed with! An aside: Robin Hood did not 'Steal from the rich and give to the poor'. He stole the people's money back from the government and returned it to them!
02/11/2017: Despatches from The Fifth Column: ‘French police and intelligence services are surveilling around 15,000 jihadists living on French soil, Le Journal du Dimanche reported on October 9. Of these, some 4,000 are at "the top of the spectrum" and most likely to carry out an attack. Of the 1,900 French jihadists fighting with the Islamic State, as many as one-fifth have received as much as €500,000 ($580,000) in social welfare payments from the French state’, Figaro October 26, 2017 Meanwhile in Kabul a 13 year old suicide bomber: http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/31895 and in New York: http://abcnews.go.com/US/york-city-officers-responding-reports-shots-fired-lower/story?id=50842052
02/11/2017: Blurring ‘Reality’: All these images have been generated by AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOxxPcy5Gr4
01/11/2017: Confucian Academia: I have long railed against the ridiculous waste of providing everyone with a (pretend) university education, when most (not to mention society) would be much better served with a technical education. Nothing underlines this more than the fact that these academics are churning out vast tracts of garbage which no-one at all reads! ‘82 percent of articles published in the humanities are not even cited once - Of those articles that are cited, only 20 percent have actually been read.’ meaning that less than 3% have ever been read by anyone. Presumably even the person assessing them for a 'Higher' Degree! Compare that to my blog for example (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/) where often 1,000+ people have read a post within an hour of my posting it! Is it any wonder I gave up academia over 40 years ago! Yes, there are lots of savings governments could make. Slashing the so-called ‘education’ budget (which is just disguised welfare/unemployment ‘benefits’) is a case in point. Young folk would be ‘improved’ much more by being required to be outdoors doing some meaningful physical work – creating hiking paths or eradicating weeds on public lands, for example. http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/why-professors-are-writing-crap-nobody-reads
01/11/2017: The
environmental costs of electric cars: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/10/britain-can-have-electric-cars-or-turn-scotland-into-a-wind-farm-which-will-it-be-then/
See also: Who would have thought someone
as ‘mainstream’ as Alan Kohler would advocate banning the internal combustion
engine in
01/11/2017: Great quotes: T.B. Macaulay (1800-59): ‘We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who tell us that society has reached a turning point, that we have seen our best days. But so said all before us, and with just as much apparent reason ... On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us.’
31/10/2017: First Confirmed Interstellar Visitor: https://newatlas.com/object-beyond-solar-system/51936/
31/10/2017: I know it is slow
going, but you need to know why the AGW ‘theory’ is fallacious – and hence
everything which is done in its name is unnecessary, or worse. For example,
Kininmonth challenges the term “heat trapping gases” because: “There is sufficient CO2 in the atmosphere
such that across the CO2 wavebands all the IR emission from the surface is
completely absorbed within the first few tens of metres of the boundary layer;
the CO2 cannot ‘trap’ any more of the surface IR emission.” Please, read
on:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/29/weekly-climate-and-energy-news-roundup-289/
31/10/2017: An Interesting observation. It certainly happened in teaching; now it is the Boy Scouts’ turn: As Martin van Creveld, the Israeli military historian noted, ‘the more women enter any professional field, the more men leave it. And as the men depart, so to do the prestige and the economic rewards provided by the field. This creates a vicious cycle that both expels existing men from the field while repelling new men from entering it.’ The upsides and downsides of feminism: http://voxday.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/the-boy-scouts-converged.html Mind you, with around 25% of working age men actually unemployed now (and for the last c.20 years - and more and more women working hard to support them) , you have to ask yourself where the costs of feminism have fallen, and who if anyone benefits.
31/10/2017: Why are people poor?
I think there are a lot of people who would benefit from this advice (if they
were willing to take it!). Every day I see folks around me making the most
spectacularly bad financial decisions (only later to lament them as a form of
victimhood - eg ‘Why/Poor me?’). The decision to not be poor can be as simple
as deciding to grow/cook your own food (instead of take-aways/restaurants) or
realising you don’t need a new shirt/pair of shoes; you don’t need to buy a new
car, when yours has only done (eg) 150K, ie it is newer than any car I have
bought in the last 30 years! You don’t need that large house; you don’t need
someone else to build it; you don’t need that expensive overseas holiday when
you have not even seen 1% of
30/10/2017: 100th
Anniversary of
30/10/2017: The Ultralight Deer Hunter: You will definitely see more deer if you spend longer deep in the bush where they live, and especially if you can spend the night out with them. I prefer to 'get away from it all' and camp out far from anyone else rather than hunting the fringes of private land where I admit there are lots of deer.
Here are some suggestions for an ultralight deer hunter’s ‘Gear List’. In any case it is worthwhile reducing your overall hunting pack weight as it will mean you can walk further (and more quietly). The further you walk, and the harder you look, listen and smell, the more deer you will encounter. See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
Pack: First of all, as I suggested here (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/best-hunting-daypack/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-daypack/), you need to reduce your pack weight. The ‘MLD Burn’ is an excellent choice for a rugged hunting overnight or day pack at 370 grams. You might also consider Zpacks’ 38 litre Nero at 309 grams: http://www.zpacks.com/backpacks/nero.shtml though the fabric is a little lighter. It may nonetheless be just as strong - or even stronger. It is adjustable.
What would I put in it for an overnight stop?
Tent: Of course I would have my ‘Pocket Poncho Tent’ (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-pocket-poncho-tent/)
at 185 grams – and you may be lucky to have one too if I can manage to organize
manufacturing them in
If you prefer a tent, you could either make your own as I do, perhaps starting with this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/ for approx $10 (try a search for 'Tent' above) eg the Forester Tent (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-tyvek-forestertent-design/), or there are quite a few 500 gram (ish) tents now available, such as this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/500-gram-tents/, or Six Moon Designs eg https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/collections/tarps/products/gatewood-capen at 340 grams, or Mountain Laurel Designs eg:
https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/trailstar/ from 340 grams, or Zpacks eg http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/solplex.shtml 439 grams (this one includes floor/bug net), etc.
Pegs/Guys: Of course you will need some pegs (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tent-stakes-and-tricks/ )and guys (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-perfect-guy-line-for-a-hiking-tenttarp/), say about 70-80 grams worth..
Groundsheet: I might use a space blanket as a ground sheet if I thought I needed one; I usually carry one anyway for safety/first aid (50 grams) – but I will soon have my Bathtub Groundsheet Chair (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bathtub-groundsheet-chair/) when I get around to making it - at approx 85 grams (I estimate). A little comfort never went astray! There are lots of ultralight options including polycryo: https://www.gossamergear.com/products/polycryo-tent-footprint-ground-cloths which would work out at 23 grams. If you yearn for something a little tougher, I guess you could opt for a piece of sinylon, eg http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/xenon-sil-11 which will still likely be under 50 grams depending on size (eg 2' X 7'). You can drape the edges over some fallen timber to create a bathtub floor effect if it is raining heavily and you anticipate flooding.
Mat: You could use a 4’ Thermarest Neoair X-Lite (ie Small https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/neoair-xlite-2 ) as a mat, and put your feet on your pack for a bit of insulation – 230 grams. For more comfort I usually opt for the ‘Womens’ size at 340 grams and 5'6" http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/.
If/when it becomes available I would try the Big Agnes AXL Air: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/big-agnes-axl-air-pad/ (300 grams for the 6’ long by 3” thick model which I would shorten by about 6” – 270 grams - as I am somewhat vertically challenged! Anyway I usually sleep on my side curled up a bit so I can fit comfortably on a 5' mat).
Sleeping Bag: My favourite sleeping bag is the Montbell UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #3 now at 624 grams http://www.theultralighthiker.com/montbell/ though my own older model is lighter (<600). I would also carry some other Montbell clothes (See ‘Clothes’ below) for warmth such as the ‘Superior Down’ coat (200 grams) and vest (150 grams). If it is a particularly cold night I put the coat on my upper body and the vest on my lower. This reduces the temperature of the down bag from -1c to approx -10C.
Zpacks makes an even lighter model (which Della has). Her 5'9" bag warm to -7C weighs 499 grams inc compression sack: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-zpacks-sleeping-bag/
Pillow: You should try this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/exped-ultralight-pillow/ at 45 grams or this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-super-ultralight-pillow/ . Say 10 grams.
Of course Bonnie Prince Charlie (somewhat effeminately) used just a stone as a pillow when he was camping out in the snow in a Scottish winter in just his kilt and cloak. Those Scots are/were tough!
Dry Socks & Shoes: If you suffer from cold feet, you might consider a pair of Goosefeet Gear down sox https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-socks/ – 50 grams (and of course I carry my home-made Dyneema slippers for a dry change of shoes: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/ - 24 grams.
Another option is a pair of Sealskin Socks https://www.sealskinz.com/walking-thin-ankle-socks-dark-grey-black.htm (mine weigh approx 80 grams but they may not be the lightest model) which enable you to wear wet shoes - or just carry dry socks and maybe some Crocs.
Cookset: I outlined my minimum cookset here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-windscreen/ 60 grams. A slightly larger model here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cookset-woes/ Of course you will need a 9 gram (12 long) spoon to go with that: http://www.seatosummit.com.au/products/kitchen/alpha-light/ and maybe some Esbits - or you could be carrying your egg-ring stove (as I do) and just burn some twigs: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/
Rainwear: Try to keep the weight of this down. If you weigh your raincoat don’t be surprised if it is over 500 grams. Choice here is a bit more difficult for hunting where significant abrasion might be a factor. (Much moreso if you are a hound hunter rather than a stalker). Raincoats range down to around 150 grams or less, (Luke's Ultralight/Zpacks) - again see Montbell’s range.
If you are careful with a lightweight coat it will serve you well. If you are trying to be very quiet it is unlikely you will tear your raincoat; besides it isn't always raining.
Soon (I hope) you will be able to take advantage of my Pocket Poncho tent which will keep you dry both during the day and at night (with a minimum weight of about 185 grams.
Raincoat: Lightest and best value for money are probably Montbell’s offerings, eg the Versalite https://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=25013&p_id=2328276&gen_cd=1 at 189 grams.
The cheapest fully breathable waterproof jacket (not very durable – but very light) is the DriDucks by Frogg Toggs. I personally like an ‘Event’ Raincoat; I have two which have kept me very dry in trying conditions. I also like Zpack’s new raincoat.
Hat: If you really want to have a warm head of a night, I have one of Ray Jardine’s ‘Bomber’ hats my wife Della made for me years ago at 30 grams. I doubt she will make one for you. A number of people offer down balaclavas, eg: http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/goosehood.shtml at 37 grams or https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-balaclava/.
I also use a ‘Buff’ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/are-you-beautiful-in-the-buff/ to keep my neck and particularly my nose warm (37.5 grams) This is the very acme of luxury! During the day I have my Icebreaker wool cap (now alas, deleted): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/best-deer-hunters-cap-best-ultralight-cap/ fortunately I have a number of them!
Gloves: If it is really freezing, I have the MLD Rain Mittens http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-mitts-and-gaiters/ 42 grams. (I also have their ultralight gaiters – I find they work wonderfully to keep rubbish out of your shoes). The mittens work really well on very cold wet days when otherwise your hands would freeze – of course they do interfere just a bit with your trigger finger!
Under the mitts I can wear a pair of ultralight polypropylene or wool gloves, such as Icebreaker’s Oasis Glove Liners http://au.icebreaker.com/en/accessories/oasis-glove-liners/IBM207.html?dwvar_IBM207_color=001 at 24 grams.
Dry Clothes: Dry clothes (and a raincoat) are options if it is likely to rain. (Otherwise you might just carry a disposable poncho and risk having to dry your clothes out with your body heat). Keep these as light as possible. Again Montbell are hard to beat with their windpants 53/75 grams and windshirts 55 grams https://www.montbell.us/products/list.php?cat_id=25048&gen_cd=1, or you could just take some Icebreaker of Kathmandu wool thermals as your dry change – and for extra night insulation.
Clothes: Start from the skin out. Weigh your clothes. Most of those proprietary ‘hunting’ clothes and shoes are heavy as lead, particularly when wet. I always wear wool socks. The lightweight Holeproof Heroes (now rebadged as Bonds) in summer, and Explorers in winter have been long-term stand-bys for me, durable and cheap.
Wigwam are, arguably better but much more expensive. I have not tried them yet, but these folk guarantee their (hunting) socks for life: https://darntough.com Unbelievable! http://www.theultralighthiker.com/warranties-on-outdoor-gear/
Then I would wear lightweight trousers such as the Columbia Silver Ridge. (I have yet to find anything as light and as durable for their weight). To counter the smelliness which can develop in nylon clothing I recommend wearing Icebreaker wool knickers such as these underneath: http://au.icebreaker.com/en/mens-layering-underwear/anatomica-briefs/103031.html?dwvar_103031_color=401
Since you will normally be hunting in the winter months wear a long sleeve
wool shirt such as the Tomar from
Anyway always wool if you don't want to stink - and remember if you stink the deer will smell you too! . For layering, I also recommend wool: an Icebreaker/Kathmandu tee, long top and/or longjohns. I also wear an Icebreaker wool cap: which unfortunately for you are no longer available.
NB: These folk now have wool camo hunting clothes: https://www.firstlite.com/products.html just as Icebreaker used to have: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/camo-merino-wool-for-deer-hunting/
For insulated layers in really cold weather and of a night, I choose Montbell again. Their Thermawrap series are one of the lightest synthetic insulated garments. You might chose a vest in this material for an extra layer if needed in the daytime (when it might get wet) and a Montbell down coat of a night. I own their Superior Down coat (and vest, as well as the Thermawrap vest). I see they now have a 1000 fill power down (Plasma) jacket – but it is much more expensive.
Larry Adler is the Australian supplier: https://www.montbelloutdoor.com.au/
There are some items which they do not stock, but they might get them in...Ask
them. If it is still unavailable it is possible to order it from the
Shoes: I suggest some ultralight shoes such as the Topos I reviewed here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/topo-terraventure-shoes/ or some Keens: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/keen-shoes/ If you have wide feet like me. There are other lightweight options such as Inov-8s if you have narrower feet.
Guns and Knives: I have posted about the lightest effective knife I have found (at 16 grams ea) here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultimate-blades-for-the-ultralight-hunter/
Another heavier choice which might interest you (if you don't fancy sharpening your knife) is here:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/never-have-to-sharpen-your-knife-again/
If you do like to sharpen it, you might still want an ultralight sharpener: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-knife-sharpener/
You probably know I use a lever action .308 in take-down (so I can put it in my canoe bag or pack): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/308s/. You probably also know that the short action round makes for a lighter gun than the long action. I realise a lever action (and a take-down) both outweigh a standard bolt action, but I have my reasons.
Also, sambar are not really 'big game' animal. A .308 is quite adequate to stop them. If you want something 'bigger' try the WSM. Obviously iron sights (which I chose for ethical reasons) are much lighter too than telescopic sights.
There are people who specialise in 'sporterising' rifles to make them lighter (as everyone, including me), used to do with their old .303s! You could probably get your deer rifle down to perhaps 2.5kg, so still it is clearly the single heaviest thing you are carrying.
Electronics:
Torch: I use a AAA torch. I confess I am outrageous and often carry two of them (one for use as a lantern and one as a headlamp), but they only weigh at most 14-16 grams each (inc some string a micro cord lock and a couple of O-rings to turn them into a head torch): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lighter-brighter-better/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/ Clearly you also need a few spare batteries at 10 grams each.
Phone: I take my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini phone with me (at 120 grams inc battery) as (in Flight Mode) I can get nearly a week's use out of it just every now and then using the mapping App, or reading a book, listening to music, etc. It also makes a good back-up camera.
Camera: The camera I am using at the moment is this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-camera/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/camera-glassing/ at 160 grams inc battery/card (and it has taken some good shots - I'm sure you'll agree!), but I know there are now models with better optics (eg 30-40 X zoom) and programming which are not a lot heavier, and which will secure some better long-distance/poor light etc shots. The Sony XXX is a case in point.
PLB: I think you should carry some safety equipment (apart from your First Aid kit). If you are on a budget the Spot Messenger http://www.theultralighthiker.com/get-lost-get-found-plbepirb/ at 114 grams is the way to go. If you are a bit better heeled then you might go for an Inreach http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/ at 191 grams or even an Iridium Extreme Sat Phone at 247 grams: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-not-so-poor-mans-sat-phone/
Saw: You will need something perhaps to get those antlers off (or you may choose to carry out the whole head and cape out if you are very strong). You can make an ultralight bow saw (eg using a 15" bone saw blade) as discussed here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-saws/ The lightest thing I know for this purpose is a length of embryo wire (available from veterinarians).
First Aid: You certainly should carry a small kit. It is a matter of personal taste what you carry really. I carried an elastic bandage and a sling (for example) for over twenty years and never needed them - but when I did (della dislocated her shoulder) I needed them in the worst way! I carry a number of drugs: Panadeine Forte, some anti-inflammatories, anti-nausea, Imodium, antihistamine, band-aids, bandages, blister pads... I would allow at least 100 grams for this vital component.
Essentials Tally (Gun and Ammo + worn clothing plus):
Pack:370 grams
Tent: 340 grams
Pegs/Guys: 80 grams
Groundsheet: 50 grams
Mat: 340 grams
Pillow: 45 grams
Sealskin Socks: 80 grams
Cookset: 69 grams
Dry top/bottom: 108 grams
Insulated vest & coat: 156 + 208
Knife: 32 grams
Saw: 20 grams
Phone: 120 grams
PLB: 114 grams
Torch and batteries: 56 grams
First Aid, say 100 grams
Cumulative Total:2218 grams
Add Food: approx 500 grams/ day.
I'm sure you can see that my total is probably less than the weight of your day pack (empty).
PS: I have usually gone for a higher number here than I actually carry (eg so that it is something you can currently buy), so that for example my tent weighs 185 grams, my current pack 230 grams...so, I could probably shave 300+ grams off this total, say to a max of 1.9kg!
Spot and I stop for lunch by the river. That small pack has everything I need for over a week's hunting - including Spot's bed and rations, and he is a bigger eater than I am! And you can see I had brought my machete along in case I needed to do some clearing, and my hiking poles in case my knees or back gave trouble - which fortunately they did not.
If you would like to get an encyclopedic idea of my multi-day hiking list, you might find this interesting: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sambar-stalking-101/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lure-of-the-moose/
29/10/2017: The Fast Hiker: I know I certainly don't look it (and I confess I am not), but the site had been dreadfully slow. Didn't bother me - I am in no hurry to meet my maker. But I know many of you have better things to do than waiting for pages to load...so i am working on speeding things up.
As I work on it some speed problems are intermitently getting worse, but I/we are tackling the issue, and it will get enormously better!
So far the Home Page has shrunk from over 16 megabytes to 1.3 (mainly by removing photos. I compressed all 14,500 photographs (by 69%!) with Short Pixel Optimiser. This saves people a lot of data! I updated PHP to version 7.1 which sped things up by about 50%. I have updated teh Cron job -whatever that is! I also installed WP Super Cache which stores pages which have already been accessed and so speeds up loading them.
The speed to load a page should already have come down from something like 10 seconds (Sorry!) to something like 2 seconds. I hope I can get it under 1 second without any loss of functionality/quality, etc. Of course I am no computer expert. i am a retired farmer (who still has a lot of thistles to spray and other odd jobs) and who would like to be off hiking/canoeing, etc.
These were the easy fixes. Getting down from around 2 seconds to under 1 second will involve a whole lot of quite cunning computer programming wrinkles where I will no doubt need some professional help, but I will keep hammering away at it over the next few weeks until i achieve that goal. The list is incredibly long and complicated! Thanks for being patient!
28/10/2017: The Lure of the Moose:
Oh, the
enchantments of Fiordland: Again and again I have returned to this lush green
Eden searching for one of these surviving giants of the Pleistocene, which
though deported from their ancient homeland in the vast Boreal forests of the
North, yet linger there today. For me it is a tale which began when I picked up
a copy of Australian Deer back in the 1990s on whose cover this wonderful
grainy image gazed out at me:
Instantly I wanted to put myself in that picture. My daughter Merrin even Photoshopped me into it as a birthday present! The article which accompanied it introduced me to this man, Eddie Herrick whose quest for this gentle giant in the vastness of Fiordland with his guide Jim Muir consumed so much of his life. Every year for thirty years he spent three months there, searching for them: ten whole years of their lives! Even more of Muir's. On three occasions he was rewarded with such an experience as the photo above shows: two bulls and a three-legged cow!
The one above was the bull moose he took in 1934 in what is now eponymously Herrick Creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound. I guess it is about the top of the small lake in the lower section of the creek. You can see he was about the age (50-ish) I was when I began my search, so I had no feeling that what I was to undertake was impossible. Though I have found that it is very nearly so, and anyway supremely difficult, every year a powerful magnetism draws me thither.
Jim Macintosh's cow moose 1950s:
Shortly after I read the article I acquired Ken Tustin’s wonderful book and video ‘A Wild Moose Chase’, Max Curtis’ ‘Beyond the River’s Bend’ and Ray Tinsley’s ‘Call of the Moose,’ each being about NZ’s famous or fantastic moose herd - and all of which I devoured eagerly. I was hooked.
At the same time I read several other books about moose in general. I was
soon becoming an armchair expert on these giant creatures. Of course I wanted
to journey to
My fiftieth birthday came and went. My wife, Della purchased me the first brand new deer caliber rifle I had ever owned, a Browning Lever Action (BLR) in .308 calibre. What a wife! She also encouraged me to make the trip as soon as I could before I was too old to do so. Hang the expense! I planned to go in the New Year 2000; it ended up getting pushed out to nearly the end of February. Still an excellent time to be in Fiordland. Two sambar hunting mates, Brett and Michael got wind that I was going (originally by myself) and decided they needed to chaperone me!
Lots of planning, particularly of gear ensued. You would think we were C18th
century explorers heading off for darkest
Cow moose snapped by Max Curtis, Herrick Creek, Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound 1950s
We
landed in
We had organised to fly in with the 'Wings on Water' float plane to Supper Cove and so begin our search from there. This was the first time Michael or I had ever been in a small plane. As I have a problem with heights (even to changing lightbulbs!) I felt that I would have to close my eyes, grit my teeth and endure, but as it turned out I loved it, and would pay to do it again and again!
The high flight over Lakes Te Anau and then Manapouroi, glimpses into icy sunless valleys to the north, a panorama of Doubtful Sound, then the plunge through Centre Pass and a slow descent down the mighty Seaforth valley over towering Tripod Hill and the perched Lochs (Gair & Maree), past the southern home of the moose (the Henry Burn) and on to the glittering expanse of the vast Dusky fiord is a journey worth a million dollars (but only costs NZ$330 - 2017!)
Percy Lyes NZ bull moose 1950s
We had
all been hunting sambar deer in (what we thought of as) rough country in
Gippsland for years, so reckoned we could tour the Fiordland forests in much
the same way. For example, It is just a handful of kilometres ('as the bird
flies') from Supper Cove over the range to the mouth of Herrick Creek. We
foresaw that as a day hunt. In fact it is an arduous trip of at least four days
return which I am yet to complete. Being just shy of 70 now, I am doubtful I
ever will, but next autumn I know I will feel differently once more!
Supper Cove is at the head of Dusky Sound, the largest fiord in NZ. It was discovered and named by the same Captain Cook as the East Coast of Australia. The first European structures in NZ were built there - even the first house, surprisingly by the shipwrecked crew of another ship also (like Cook's) called the 'Endeavour'.
The Supper Cove hut is adjacent to a lovely little beach where the Hilda Burn flows into the top of the fiord just South of Supper Cove itself - which is formed by the mighty Seaforth River flowing into the head of the fiord, creating a shallow semicircular cove perfect for flatfish. You can walk across this cove at low tide from the northern end of this little beach just past the helipad, but there is a deep gut formed by the Hilda Burn flowing in, so if you want a drier crossing you are better to walk up the track past the Hilda Burn before you cross.
Brett walking across Supper Cove on a low-ish tide:
If you wish to look for moose (or red deer eg during the Roar) along the Seaforth the three huts (Supper Cove, Loch Maree and Kintail) are good bases from which you can make daily forays up the many 'Burns' and onto the slips searching for these elusive monsters which (especially in the warmest days of summer) I believe often lie cooling themselves in the deeper pools. At other times they are likely to be too widely dispersed for you to ever encounter one, but they do particularly like the fuchsia regrowth on slips. If you are there at the end of February as we were on this occasion, you might even hear a bull moose call (as we did on the last day of February 2000), or perhaps even a cow answer him.
Initially at least Michael decided he would make the Henry Burn his own, whilst Brett and I focused our attentions on the Hilda and 'Waterfall' Burns. We arrived around lunchtime and reckoned impetuously we had enough time to check out the Hilda Burn quite thoroughly that afternoon. Of course we had not gone more than 300 metres before we realised that our times/distances would be very different than we had imagined.
If you try to follow the Hilda Burn upwards you realise quite soon that your way is blocked by a vast angry cataract that it is impossible to pass or climb. You have to go up one side or the other. The first afternoon we ascended on the true right bank (looking downstream - that is the convention). About 200 yards above the existing hut there is the ruins of an earlier hut. The first thing I knew about it was that I had tripped over a barbed wire 'fence' hiding in the undergrowth badly tearing my shin- something which you most certainly are not expecting in the enormous wilderness of Fiordland. No-one I have encountered seems to know anything at all about this ruin, but there is some wire, netting and sheets of iron there which might come in handy sometime if you know they exist.
The cataract in the Hilda Burn
Here are the remains of the old hut.
Even only traveling this far up the ridge you need to be alert to keeping the position in mind of the roar of the water falling in the Burn, as when you turn to descend you will swiftly realise that the country fissures and falls away in all directions with very steep, narrow guts which it is well-nigh impossible to traverse laterally, something which the deliberate focusing on ascent is likely to lead you to ignore. It is incredibly easy to become 'bluffed out' in Fiordland - meaning that you may relatively easily ascend but when descending not be able to find or see a way down at all. You have to pay incredibly close attention to the route you took on the way up.
We climbed above the second hut, hauling ourselves over rocks and tree roots
through vastly wet, dense terrain until the roar of the water diminished so we
judged we could safely descend into the upper Hilda Burn. As we angled down
into it at one point we had to climb a monstrous fallen log about the height of
my nose (say about 5'), so that I could not actually see the top of it. When I
had clambered my way up onto it, I was astonished to find right on top of it
fresh moose droppings! Boy, they are big beasts! It was completely obvious what
they were, as everywhere in the forest there were
The enormous moose droppings centre and normal sized
These moose droppings were nearly as large as my thumb in comparison. Brett
picked up some
Above is a photo of those fewmets. My apologies for the quality of the photos in this post. In 2000 I had the latest 'Advantix' film camera, but technology sure marches on. I thought the snaps I took back then were just brilliant, but I am embarrassed by their poor quality now, as I am also becoming embarrassed by the present quality of my digital camera compared with the results from Della's Samsung Galaxy 7's. Mind you the forests are so dark, it is very difficult indeed to get good photos. Maybe if you are an expert (and can afford to lug along a few kilos of photography kit), as I am neither...
We beat our way down towards the river following the tracks I guess of a
large
The clearing on the true left side of the Hilda Burn.
Eddie Herrick shot an ancient three-legged cow moose (I think) in the Hilda Burn in the 1930s. She was likely the one who clearly broke its leg when they were tipped out off the boat in Supper Cove. You can see that one has a broken leg in the photo of the herd standing in Supper Cove looking mournful - poor things had been raised on lucerne and such! Amazingly, though she must have lost the leg (to gangrene?), she had survived in that most moose inhospitable terrain for nigh on thirty years. Knowing that they were that tough I had many doubts that they had somehow mysteriously died out sometime after 1950. Here was one who had walked across this clearing in the last day or two, clearly making this valley and its surrounds its home!
Brett in the Hilda Burn.
Also on this clearing there was a small tree or sapling (I suppose 3" in diameter) which had clearly been pushed over and stripped by something, the bark on the top also having been chewed away. I remember wondering why the tree had 'fallen' at such a strange angle, as if an immense wind had pushed it over, so that its top was no more than a metre above the ground. I guess it was nearly twenty years before I was informed by (Ken Tustin) that this behaviour of walking trees down is a favourite moose feeding strategy. On this trip I saw it again and again - and I have seen it many more times since. It is unmistakable moose 'sign'.
By the time we had descended to the stream it was becoming sufficiently dark that we needed to turn right round and head back unless we wanted to spend our first night in Fiordland sitting around in our raincoats in cold, wet bush. For advice about that, see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/ You should definitely avoid that situation. My advice is to carry a hammock and tarp so you can spend a dry night in the bush.
Looking down from the Hilda Burn.
I guess it was the next day we decided, (it having been too difficult scrambling up the true right bank) that we would find a way up the true left bank. Let me tell you, it was no better, if not worse. There is some very steep going, a huge tangle of fallen trees, at least one waterfall to traverse - just to get above the cataract. And you had better remember just how you got there, as when you are coming back down you will find that the way up was the only way! Just that happened to us. It was only that when we became 'bluffed' we sat down for a smoke or a bite to eat, to 'study' on our dilemma, and when we sat down that we realised that the last little bit we had had to crawl up - a reality which became apparent when we got low enough to see where we had come. A cup of tea or a smoke (or sleep on it) are always good strategies if in doubt.
We saw a few
On this or another occasion Brett was walking up the true right bank as I walked up the true left. At one point I wanted to attract his attention, so I whistled. No response. Then I blew a blast on my ultra loud Fox 40 whistle which the manufacturers reckon you can hear up to a mile away! No response. He was perhaps 40 metres away. The sound was just soaked up by the forest. And he is not deaf like I am. You can see how, the folks who have shot a moose in Fiordland pretty much universally just stumbled on it (usually very close to a creek) when it stood up, they went, 'Crack!' and down it went. End of hunting story.
Walking high up in the Hilda Burn:
There is a section of morass to cross (on the true left bank). It is quite difficult going, and remains so. These morasses are ubiquitous in Fiordland and very dangerous. I can well believe you can get stuck in them and be unable to extricate yourself. You can very suddenly plunge (right on the edge) up to your hips - as I have done many times. If you can throw yourself backwards as you fall in it is easier to get out. Another grave danger of walking in the Fiordland bush is that all these large gullies are actually the moraines of ancient glaciers. Underneath they are boulder fields. And in many places not very far underneath. You need to test each step before you put your weight on it to ensure that you are not going to plunge downwards into a huge crevasse - as I did on the fourth day trying to ascend the 'Waterfall Burn'. Downwards over my head in an instant. Fortunately I did not break anything except my dignity and I was able to climb back out again. Probably the gullies are worst for this than the ridges.
I cannot now remember whether on the particular day I am relating I was alone in the valley - as I have been several times since - or if Brett was somewhere else in the valley. Anyway, I had dropped down into the stream by myself and was wading along in it - as that was the easiest going, Every now and then getting out, then getting back in again. I'm sure you know what thick difficult going is like. There came a point where as I was rounding a bend in the stream, (the banks being nearly as high as I am) something very large and dark surged up and thundered off in a cloud of spray further up the stream, giving me just the barest glimpse of it. All I could say was that it was not a bull, as I would have been able to see its antlers above the banks of the stream.
I followed it (as quietly as I could - spooked things will often halt to look back and see what it was which frightened them) when shortly the stream split in two. Where the two streams joined there was a large patch of sand, and clear as day in the sand were the unmistakable prints of a moose. They were very nearly as large as a cow's prints, and they had the 'signature' dew claw marks a couple of inches behind the main hoof prints such as only moose amongst deer kind have. I would have a photo of them only when I was coming back down again some time later, the rain had all but blurred them clear away - it does rain lots in Fiordland. Expect to get very, very wet, even in Goretex such as I was wearing.
It had crept off upwards into a large swampy area lying between the two streams which did not show up on the topographic map. It must have been very difficult to get good (and accurately interpret) aerial photography in Fiordland. I followed the beast around in this swampy area for I guess about an hour, each circling the other trying to get a look, sometimes seeing a bit of leg perhaps. The water was ankle to knee deep, and there were many small islands each with a vast tree protruding from its centre and surrounded by lowish bushes. The cloud cover came half-way down the trunks of the trees. A prehistoric landscape for a prehistoric creature. I could have taken a shot at it through vegetation - it was often clear just where it was - but I never (nor should you) ever do such a thing. A deer missed is one thing; a dead mate is missed a long time!
Alas, once again light was going to beat me. I had to break off the chase or I would be spending a terrible night out in this saturated forest. There is just no way you could make your way down in failing light or darkness. Having had so little trouble 'putting up' a moose, I was also optimistic that I might do it again. There is no end to human folly!
It disappeared somewhere up there into the head of the burn, and it is no doubt there yet!
After breakfast next morning we were all standing on the edge of the
verandah of the hut looking up the Cove, enjoying a smoke or a cup of coffee
when a large animal started calling. I thought it sounded something like a
cross between a koala bear and a camel. It was definitely not a
Even though we had been there then for a couple of days, we had still not
(instinctively) adjusted our hearing's ability to pinpoint where a sound came
from to Fiordland's conditions (I have already mentioned the episode of the
whistle). It takes a while for perception to adjust. Another example is one's
ability to actually focus on these NZ mountains. They are so much steeper
than ours in
So I guess we can be forgiven for being unable to work out exactly where the moose was (we were quite sure that was what it must be - and we were right). Our Australian senses made us overlook a flat area near the mouth of the Hilda Burn nearby (too close). It was clearly coming from the next valley over, what we called the 'Waterfall Burn' both because of the waterfall at the bottom, and the even larger one at the top of it. Here is a photo of the lower one, which you can see would be very difficult and dangerous to climb, and which would be death to descend if the stream rose very much in heavy rain. I do not have a photograph, though I have 'seen' the upper one: It is 160 metres, falling straight down from the clouds the day I was there so that one could not see the top. It was as if it just fell from the sky, and so impossible to photograph! There are lots of things like that in the world. I have a fine collection of snaps where you can't make anything out at all!
The Waterfall Burn:
We decided we would somehow climb the Waterfall Burn to find the calling moose. Now, as this was the only time we heard the call (on our second or third day there I think) I might conclude that this was the end of the moose 'Roar' rather than the beginning. You should know that wherever they be in the world, the 'roar' (or mating) of the moose lasts only one week - but it is the very same week each year. Anyway it was the last day of February.
When we returned we searched the net for moose calls. The first one we played was (unknowingly) the sound of a cow moose. When we played that we were disappointed. Fooled again. you know the sort of thing. Then we played the call of the bull moose. Kapow! That was what we heard all right. So, there had been a cow moose in the Hilda Burn and a bull moose just a kilometre from it - clearly a breeding pair. There must be a few more of them even by now!
The first day we tried to ascend the Waterfall Burn we crossed the stream and tried (all day as it turned out) to beat our way up the true left side of the stream. Utterly unsuccessfully. I doubt it was possible, so don't even try! As we were crossing the stream in the morning (just between the waterfall and the walk wire), we were able to wade across, the stream it being only about mid-calf deep. I was not particularly conscious that it was raining heavily all day, but it was certainly raining. It often does in Fiordland you know. Every year at least ten metres of rain, sometimes several times that!
On this occasion when we returned to the crossing about 4:00pm in the
afternoon, the stream had swollen monstrously. The walk wire was very nearly
submerged. My memory is that we waited for a large tree to roll along under it
before we (very trepidatiously) crossed. There is a lesson here: Never expect
to be able to get to your destination when walking in Fiordland - or anywhere
else for that matter. 'Be Prepared' is actually a good motto. Thanks
The Waterfall Burn in flood:
Some of the trees which came thundering down the waterfall.
It does rain a lot and streams can easily rise so much (or morasses expand - you get the picture), that movement either way becomes impossible. You will just have to stop and wait it out. Fortunately as soon as it does stop raining, because of the steepness of the terrain, the streams etc drop as quickly as they rose. The Seaforth for example is reputed to be able to rise 16 metres in a single day! Eddie Herrick himself relates a story wherein he and Jim Muir his guide almost lost their lives because of their inability to return to camp down the Seaforth, or to cross the Henry Burn.
Next day we tried again walking up a little gully between the Hilda and the Waterfall Burn. It was mostly really dreadful going through thick tree fern, boulders etc and with much broken ground underfoot. This is where/when I fell down the moraine hole. When we finally broke out onto the Burn above the waterfall we immediately tied something (a shopping bag I think) to a tree so we could find our way back down again. We were quite anxious. It had been a trying trip of...maybe a kilometre! Then we walked up the stream as far as we could get before we would have to turn around so we would be back at Supper Cove before dark.
In the top of the Waterfall Burn (You can see the shopping bag tied to the tree):
It is quite a large stream, still two-three metres wide up there I guess, and very pretty, though dark. I have been there on a later occasion, perhaps 2006, 2012 or 2013 (I know I was alone; I usually am) and walked as far as the top waterfall. There had been a moose in this valley recently. There were fresh-ish footprints - given the amount of rain the day before they had to have been no more than a day old, and there was quite a lot of browse. We did not see a moose, or any deer but after all, the hunt is what it's all about. That and seeing fresh sights, some of which maybe no man has seen before, or will again!
A morass in the Waterfall Burn.
I can remember seeing sign there again on a subsequent trip, but what exactly I cannot remember. Browse, marks, droppings...they all blur a bit with time. This year (2017) I realised I had seldom (if ever) actually photographed the browse so I could point it out to people later on (I did not have this blog before, so I had no reason!) There was plenty of old browse in the Hauroko (which I snapped some examples of), then a little barking as I descended into Loch Maree (which I forgot to snap). After that again along the Seaforth there was browse, but by then I had forgotten to take pictures altogether. You just get to enjoying the experience, thinking about other things etc. Last year I walked almost all the way back down from Everest without taking a single photo, though I saw many things I had not noticed on the way up. I had pneumonia is my excuse, but I doubt I will be going back to capture those missing snaps.
For example, in 2006 I took this snap of a couple of ducks. Look behind them though and you can see the height of the browse line on the shiny leaved tree on the right.
We walked back towards the Hilda Burn. The walk wire was out when we were there in 2000 so we had to walk down along the stream to the bottom, cross there and walk along the beach to the hut if the tide was high. If it was a bit lower, we would cross as much of Supper Cove as we could, then cut inland towards the mouth of the Hilda Burn, so our route was a bit different each time, always walking off-track. And that afternoon, in the fading light we found where the bull had been when we heard him call! And he had clearly been camped there for a couple of days, pretty much in sight of the hut - so much closer than we had estimated. But he was not there now. Probably he had gone up to join the cow at the head of the Burn! So much country. And it is utterly impossible to 'track' anything in that country. All you ever see is the odd print. The eternal moss swallows everything up, including sound.
There is this, though. That was 17 years ago now: a pair of moose within a
stone's throw of the Supper Cove hut. If you imagine that they managed to breed
every year, even if the mortality rate is very high or the fertility rate very
low there have to still be a number of moose within cooee of the mouth of the
Seaforth. There is still food for them there, and every time I go I can see
browse I did not see the time before. Every time I go, I find 'fresh' moose
tracks. Conditions in Fiordland are such that you just won't see prints that
are a week old. There are just so many places they can easily travel with their
long legs and wonderfully constructed feet where no man could possibly go.
Because they are so tall they can reach food on precipitously steep slopes
where
I think it was not until the second day on that first trip that I began to
notice the moose browse, despite having found moose droppings and spied some
moose footprints - and having been looking hard. It was not until I came down
with an itchy back probably from a sandfly my shirt had failed to stop, and had
sidled up to a tree to scratch the middle of my back that, as I did so, my neck
craned up and I began to see this characteristic branch breaking and snapping,
oh - so far up! Being used to sambar or
Brett pointing out some moose browse:
Another day on that trip (there were not many more, worse luck) I walked around the point of land on the other side of Supper Cove against the river before the Waterfall Burn. Many of the coprosma trees on the point had been snapped off at just the height moose love to browse 8+ feet. There was no other sign. I thought at the time maybe they were driven lower down like this in the coldest weather as sambar can be somewhat in our mountains, (There are even times that Supper Cove freezes over!) but I have since found plenty of fresh browse lower down and misdoubt now that moose suffer at all from cold. It was just a silly thought really. With moose the opposite is the case, I suspect. They suffer more from hotter weather. NZ summers of 24C or the like can perhaps be quite uncomfortable for a large Arctic animal. It is then, I suspect they spend a greater part of the day lying up in cool deep pools in the burns where the few that have been shot over the years were invariably taken.
That day we continued up as far as the ladder just above the McFarlane Burn looking for Michael who had stayed out overnight without explaining himself, so we were a bit worried - but he is an old bushman. He had a small tent (we knew) and his sleeping bag. So, of course he was fine. He had even managed to light a small fire. Well done indeed. On the way up in the middle of the track we saw an old mark we thought might have been a moose, but it could have been just several deer prints over each other some time past.
In just about the same spot quite near the Old Supper Cove hut site (which is where the track rejoins the Seaforth above the Henry Burn) I have on a number of occasions seen a relatively fresh moose track: once I would say that morning's - if it had been a sambar we would have tried to start the hounds on it once - and on another occasion about a day old, I guess. So the moose do still hang around their old haunt, the Henry Burn, or 'Moose Creek' as Herrick and the other old-time hunters used to call it.
Brett and Michael meet near the McFarlane Burn:
Old Supper Cove Hut site - you can still see the tree fern trunks which formed its floor. A pity they did not leave it standing as it was an important survival shelter - and of historical interest!
I was quite hooked by Fiordland and the Dusky after this trip and vowed to
return as often as I could, an ambition with which Della fortunately concurred.
It is not every man who has such a splendid wife, I know. What I have done to
deserve such good fortune is a mystery to me - may it long be so. Well, it has.
But circumstances (and finances) intervened to mean that it would be six years
before I could make the trip again. I had returned from the first trip with a
reasonable 8-point
In 2006, I decided I could get away for a short trip (a week - if you are a farmer, a week away is an eternity). I decided I would fly in to Supper Cove, stay a couple of days then walk out. I had no idea even if I could do this at all at the grand old age of 56! The track brochures warned how hard it would be, and recommended only fit young folk should try it, & etc. Some of them even die. Fortunately I am young at heart, as I was still able to complete the trip this year at 68!
This was to be my introduction to 'ultralight hiking'. I knew that the weather could make a short trip much longer. Also I did not know whether at my age I would be able to make the distances between the huts, and might have to camp out most nights if I was going to be safe. I had already reasoned that a hammock and tarp would be the safest thing to camp in in Fiordland, so we had been busy making prototypes and had come up with a home-made 2 oz/yd2 hammock and a 1.3 oz'yd2 silnylon tarp to go with it. This arrangement then weighed around 7-800 grams altogether, less than half the weight of any tent I owned or could have bought I must say, and much lighter than anything then commercially available as well - even if they did look a bit amateurish. I had camped out in it lots of times in the Gippsland bush, so i was quite confident in it.
This is the wonderful ultralight hammock I am now using, a Hummingbird: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/ Photo is on the beach between the boat shed and the helipad, Supper Cove. You see what I mean about being able to just camp anywhere (If there are trees) with a hammock!
I bought a Gossamer Gear G4 pack at 450 grams (which I still use sometimes), and I think back then I was still using a Snugpack or Vango synthetic bag which weighed around 8-900 grams (not my sub 600 gram Montbell I use now). I had discovered metho stoves by then, so that was down to a 7 gram model from Minibull plus home-made aluminium flashing windscreen. Back then I used to make fried bread (or Johnny Cakes) every night for lunch on the trail the next day, so I had figured a way to make the stove simmer though I can't remember now what it was! Though quite tasty, it is a bit of a tedious process making 'bread' which I have since then largely abandoned. I will do a post about it in the future though, as it is an important skill. I had moved up to a new digital camera, a Pentax Optio S40 with a 3X zoom which only weighed about 100 grams (saving at least 400 grams on my old film camera).
Back then I was still wearing either Redback Alpine Hiker leather boots (or
their Blundstone equivalent) which weighed 600-650 grams dry and about another
50-100 wet, so actually much better than most boots folk still wear today. They
are a good, tough boot and if you want a leather boot, I swear by them. I had
earlier moved down from ex-army wool shirts and trousers to
When the weather is sufficiently cool (which it almost always is in NZ), I would now wear either an Icebreaker of a Kathmandu light woolen shirt which you can wear for a week without washing (yourself or it) and never mind getting downwind of yourself, though others may disagree! I think back then I still used my lovely Snugpack synthetic coat which probably weighed as much as 600 grams. I was stronger then. I was probably using one of Big Agnes excellent inflatable mats which weighed just under 600 grams from memory, but I might ave skimped and taken a Thermarest self-inflater I suppose which weighed a little less - and was a lot less comfortable besides. And a lot colder in colder weather I might add. I have a lighter, better kit now I think. See eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/
On the first day up from Supper Cove to Loch Maree, just as I was about to pass opposite the Roa Stream which is on the other side of the river heading upriver (ie on the true left bank), I heard something in the water like a deer clattering across (going I'm not sure which way) and which given the prevalence of red deer there it often is. I have rarely managed to get a photo of them as they usually make off pretty smartly just like sambar in the dense bush. By the same token a hundred metres or so later on at about the point that the noise in the river was, there were very fresh prints of a huge animal crossing the track. It had clearly come out of the Roa stream, and crossed the river and passed just in front of me, and gone very obviously around the edge of the swampy bit on the true right bank (not a bad place to camp actually) and then up into the bush on my left. And not very long ago.
You might think a swampy bit like this would be attractive to a moose, but they are a forest creature. This one skirted this particular swamp opposite the Roa Stream.
I could not really tell whether the splashing and the tracks were one and the same. I did have a bit of a look around for it for maybe an hour, but as I could not be sure whether the tracks might have been made earlier that morning or just as I approached, I did not spend a lot of time on it. It wasn't just standing around waiting for me to take a pic of it at any rate. It is a seven hours plus walk for me (then) to Loch Maree, so I pressed on, still arriving after dark in fact, as I have done on a couple of occasions.
It is a long walk, particularly if the tide is in and you can't take the 'short-cut' across the Cove. Later on I was talking to Ken Tustin on the phone. He told me that he and his wife Marg were on that very day high in the Roa stream finding lots of fresh moose browse, so I think it is very likely they pushed this guy out the bottom of the valley and across the track in front of me. This suggests a strategy to me of how a couple of very fit young people might get a snap of a moose - but it would be a pretty wild chance, I guess - and depend on there being more moose there than may be the case.
My purpose on this trip was merely to see if I could walk the Supper Cove to Manapouri 'leg' of the Dusky Track which I was very pleased to have managed in four long days when I finished, even managing a cold beer (and a much needed shower) on the evening of the fourth day! I saw no-one the whole trip, something which I always find very pleasant!
I really enjoyed the trip and purposed to take my oldest daughter Irralee with me the following year, which I did. In 2007, when we arrived at the Supper Cove hut we found that we had missed the resident moose by about a week. There was an awful lot of moose browse all around the hut, trees snapped over all around and some barking behind the hut, just in back of the toilet. Another hunter who had arrived the day before in fact pointed the barking out to us. We had no need to have the other browse pointed out. It was right in front of the hut. The tracks were all washed away and the droppings were falling apart - which is how I arrived at the conclusion of being a week late.
Some of the moose browse in front of the hut: Can you spot the twigs which have been bitten right off 8-9' up?
It would be truly awesome to wake up at the Supper Cove hut and be greeted by a moose outside the window whilst you were eating your muesli for breakfast! That year there was also quite a bit of moose browse on the fuchsia coming down from the slip above the Kenneth Burn to the Gair Loch (on the second day out from Supper Cove), but again it was over a week old.
Irralee is pointing out some Fuchsia browse near the Gair Loch.
Some old barking encountered on the way:
I again walked the track with my son, Bryn in 2008. There were a couple of spots where we found old tracks ('old' in Fiordland probably means at most a day) - anyway the animal wasn't standing in them. From memory again they were near the Old Supper Cove Hut site (ie near the Henry Burn) and near the Kintail Hut as we were crossing the walk wire over the Seaforth there - quite fresh tracks on the sand there, probably from that morning.
Of course you are always on the lookout for whatever made them, and you make forays off into the bush in the direction they appear to be heading, but the bush is so vast (and so thick) and the moose so sparse that it is a hopeless task, really. All that I can say is that you won't see a moose standing in the main street in town back home. if you want to see a Fiordland moose, you will have to be tramping around in the vastness of that wonderful forest. I would hope you shoot one only with a camera really. I have grown quite fond of them - from a distance anyway!
A couple of examples of some barking we found.
This looks like it is probably only a week old at most. Usually/oftenthe barking is much higher, 7 or 8 feet.
The browse around the Supper Cove hut (and the barking) from the year before were still clearly visible (and identifiable) a year later, by the way. In fact two years later, as my daughter was able to point it out to me on our second trip there together in 2009.
You can still see it here in 2009 with a fantail sitting on it.
Bryn and I watched this
I canoed
the Seaforth in 2009, probably one of the silliest things I have ever done.
As I was portaging around the shores of Loch Maree - I was walking along the
shoreline so I might see any prints rather than walking the track; the water
level was low enough to do so that year - they were having a drought in
Fiordland. It didn't rain for the whole 13 days we were in the
I was at Supper Cove again in 2011 with Della, but we had to leave precipitously only about an hour after we arrived as Della managed to dislocate her shoulder slipping off a rock. Ouch! Thank goodness for helicopters! No moose that year!
I walked the track again in 2012 in company with a young American, Steve Hutcheson I met at Supper Cove and an Israeli, named Renan Tsorin. Steve and I had about five days at Supper Cove, him fishing and me tramping around in the bush looking for moose. I remember I found some old tracks on the ridge above the Supper Cove hut and in the Hilda Burn - and obviously some browse. I found the same thing along the Henry Burn. I guess I walked nearly half way up it to the fork you must follow if you are to walk over into Herrick Creek - so probably to about the place a couple of the Fiordland moose were shot, long ago. No sign of them now of course.
Here is a (very) old print (the triangular indentation above the glasses case) all filled in with leaves. This would have to be about as old as you are going to be able to see a print in Fiordland - say over a week. This one was over a kilometre up on the ridge behind the hut
Looking down towards the fiord coming down from way up there. The going is pretty steep:
Particularly above Loch Maree along the river on the true left bank there was a lot of moose sign, mainly older browse - say up to a year old. I walked along the river for about three kilometres by myself above the Loch Maree hut and up the Deadwood Stream a bit before crossing over to the track. The young fellows following the track were quite surprised at how I managed to get ahead of them! The river level that year was again very low, so I could do this (and avoid a slow, nasty section of track for the first hour upriver out of Loch Maree). I figured this moose was a resident of the Deadwood Stream which looks big enough to hold a number of them! There was old browse here and there along the river that year - but no tracks.
However as we walked up through the huge slip above the Kenneth Burn, a moose had walked along ahead of us barking the trees quite obviously. I remember pointing this out to Renan, using my fingernails to mimic the action of his giant teeth, and angling my head to indicate how he must have made the bites. I must look a circus sometimes. I wish I had taken photographs! Then, just about where the saddle is before you start to go down again to the Gair Loch, there was a patch of fuchsia on our right which had been the home of a moose for I'd say the best part of a week. S/he had had a really good feed on I guess and acre or two of fuchsia. Anyone who doubted the continued existence of moose in Fiordland would be hard put to explain the extent of its high foraging activity there. I remember a couple of days later I was walking with Steve in the Upper Spey and also pointing out to him some very old moose browse there - in the vicinity of the Dashwood Stream.
This is part of the huge Fuchsia filled slip above the Kenneth Burn where a moose had been browsing for days in 2012. Plenty of food here.
It is a huge area of Fuchsia. There are many such in Fiordland - few as easy of access though.
I had a back operation in 2013 so any Fiordland trips were out that year.
I spent a few days by myself at Supper Cove in 2014 (flying both in and out on that occasion). It was lovely to have the hut to myself for a few days, to go out in the morning exploring the bush around about and in the afternoon catching myself some blue cod for my supper. The most delicious fish anywhere, trust me. Do bring a hand line and a fry pan if you venture that way. I was going to walk out, but on the very last night before the day I would have to leave the next morning of, a party of twelve young people arrived even though none had been there for a month! Of course I tried to persuade them to stay a day and do some fishing (even offering them my line, etc), but they insisted on starting out the next day as well.
All alone in the Supper Cove Hut
I could spread out.
And enjoy some tasty blue cod for tea.
Well one night in a crowded hut with people whose heads were filled with the usual certain certainties of the young was enough for me, so I called up Alan from Wings on Water (who had brought me in) and flew out again. I used the couple of spare days so gained to go have a look at the start of the South Coast Track (out of Tuatapere) walking out to Port Craig and back whilst I was there. I confess I was hurrying along this section - and even walked the beach 'track' all the way from the Hoka Stream. I was not looking for moose sign as I thought this was too far from their 'normal' haunts. I was just checking out the track thinking it was probably easy enough to take Della on the next year. (it was). I was surprised therefore when I spied (on the return trip of course) a small example of moose browse quite close the the shore after the Track Burn - before you begin the climb up the innumerable steps to the Rowallan.
Della and I attempted to walk out to Westies Hut along the South Coast Track
in 2015, but got only as far as the
We headed back out on the
When we were walking out from the Wairaurahiri with Pete Baldwin from the wonderful Waitutu Lodge at the Wairaurahiri Mouth, I was explaining to him what he should look for if he ever had the chance to get 'into' the Seaforth country. Right near the Edwin Burn trestle crossing there was an obvious patch of old moose browse, the branches snapped over and stripped in their characteristic way about 8' up, but maybe 1-2 years old. Nothing else could possibly do such a thing. So, there are moose that far East in Fiordland yet.
I have now realised that I smelled a moose in the Hauroko Burn last trip
(back in April 2017) and I am really kicking myself for not having stopped,
camped and investigated See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/follow-your-nose/).
As I said there: 'I have a confession (of stupidity) to make.
Somewhere during this section between the two upper walk wires on the Hauroko
Burn, Fiordland, NZ (You can imagine it is in the photo below) I encountered
quite a strong ‘animal’ smell not unlike a goat. I thought to myself at
the time, ‘Well, it’s not a deer’. Then I thought, ‘Could it be a plant?’ You
know how Dogwood in
There is a sweet cloying honey-like smell you sometimes encounter in these Fiordland forests I have never been able to identify, nor has anyone else I have spoken to been able to pick it for me. (it is not the flower of the ubiquitous tiny epiphytic orchid). It was not that though. I am pretty good on scents having been a hunter all my life. I instantly galvanise to a whiff of fox, roo, wombat, stag, goat, etc.
I scanned the forest about. Saw nothing. Thought to myself, ‘I do not want
to arrive at
There was a moose not 200 metres upwind from me, and I walked on. Despite having a tarp and hammock and more than a week of food, so that I could have spent days hunting it! And I would have doubtless ‘put it up’ withing ten minutes! Dream on! Despite the fact that one of the important reasons I go there is to see a moose. Despite the fact that I had photographed fairly fresh moose barking just back there a little (as you can see below). Despite the fact there is a $100,000 reward for a photo of a NZ moose, I walked on! Lesson: Trust your nose!’
My knee is still not right from an injury in the Hilda Burn on that trip which brought an early end to my off-track explorations then (there was still old browse in the Hilda), so I am wondering about my future ability to do so again, but I am working on it – an hour every morning in the gym and an hour every afternoon walking - on top of my normal farming activities, but at just shy of 70 it takes longer to heal and to get fitter again. Every day though I feel stronger, and have just completed a six day off-trail hike in the Vic mountains, and climbed Qld's tallest mountain, so there is hope!
It was interesting that the Hauroko was nearly eaten out, but with lots of
old sign (and clearly a resident moose!) And that there was a 'bloom' of new
plants coming up I had not seen in Fiordland before) Yet coming down from Lake
Roe to Loch Marie for example, there was oodles of moose plants without much
moose sign at all - though some barking. Clearly the moose are fairly light on
the ground. Each likely has an enormous territory, perhaps 2-500 hectares, but
that still adds up to a lot of moose in
I had this note about the moose on the first of my posts about my 2017 trip: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/
The Elusive Fiordland Moose: Along the way there is sporadic moose sign if you are alert and keen eyed. Nothing else could reach up 2.5-2.7 metres (8-9'), break off branches as thick as your thumb and strip them, or devour all the lower vegetation of their favourite broadleaf plants, or systematically bark trees, or leave footprints as big as a cow's.These solitary leviathans yet roam these forests unseen. I took these shots in an arbitrary few hundred yards walking up the Hauroko.
This coprosma has been systematically broken off about 2.5 metres up.
And this.
Broadleafs have commonly been stripped to this height.
They like to snack on nutritious bark as they amble along.
Leaving footprints as long as my glasses case. Like this:
Or this.
Someday someone will stumble round a corner onto one and snap its pic. A
girl from
I don't know at this stage whether I will be doing a lot more 'moose hunting' in Fiordland. Mostly these days we go there for the walk anyway and because it is just so beautiful. Any moose we see would no doubt be a bonus - and we surely won't see them elsewhere! I do have a couple of 'new' ideas on how we might find further proof of the continued existence of the NZ moose herd. More about that later.
And oh, I have been thinking about Ken Tustin's theory that the
I have noticed that in the areas which appear more eaten out (by moose and everything) that the moose browse seems to consist of more branches actually broken off completely whereas in the less eaten out areas, they tend to be just broken over. I need to spend more time there to confirm this, something which may not happen in this lifetime.
I realise I do not know how this 'boom and crash' population dynamics works (with any creature) though, so maybe I am wrong. I am not a wildlife biologist, but I have been a farmer and hunter for a long while. Some places look very eaten out by deer, particularly along river banks and near huts and other clearings, yet in other steeper places there is little sign of any grazing animals. Another interesting observation: along the Hauroko for example, there is this shiny leaf tree which moose obviously like. In many places it was browsed lower from the river bottom than it was from the river bank (but in each case as high as a moose could reach ie 8'+ up) giving it a lopsided appearance. I had not noticed this before. No doubt there are lots of other ‘signs’ which escape one’s attention for years.
Here is a tree moose quite like, (I don't know what it is called). You can
see that this one which is hanging out over a precipice (in the Hauroko) has
still been browsed ( a long time ago) as far as a moose can reach out, and
certainty further than anything else could.
Here the moose has been walking along in the stream reaching up and has mown
these trees to a precise height. They have even managed to strip some of the
branches hanging down. You see this everywhere. We went down the
In 17 years I have not been able to get back to Fiordland in the summer. By the time we have been able to stop watering our garden and watching out for the 'bushfires' that a ratbag collection of maniacs have taken to lighting every summer in our part of the world it is at best late March, usually April, sometimes May. And of course I am often there when the 'Roar' is on so every moose has been scared well away from the valley bottoms by ubiquitous deer hunters. It's like always going sambar stalking on a full moon, or in early Spring when the deer have moved back from the valley bottoms (as fresh feed pops out from under the snow - and the young are born. Not such a good time for hunting.
I do always find old sign though, sometimes not that old even. I am convinced if i could spend several summers walking along in the streams there I would put up another moose. I'm not sure whether at my age I can do such hard work in hot, steamy weather, and I don't know whether I will ever be able to get away at such a time or not.
Perhaps!
PS: I wrote this article at Ken Tustin's request, as he is preparing a new edition of his book/a new book about the Fiiordland moose. He and he wife are the true moose experts and heroes of this interesting saga. More about them here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/nz-moose/
PS: The 'Cover' photo was sent to me from
29/10/2017: A Year Ago Today, I was walking up to Everest with Steve Hutcheson: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-followed-my-footsteps/
29/10/2017: Bacon Sandwich Anyone: Betsy Booren Vice President of Scientific Affairs North American Meat Institute, ‘They tortured the data to ensure a specific outcome…Red and processed meat are among 940 agents reviewed by IARC and found to pose some level of theoretical ‘hazard.’ Only one substance, a chemical in yoga pants, has been declared by IARC not to cause cancer.’ YES, Seriously: YOGA PANTS! I eat a lot of them! 40 out of 50 common foods also pose a cancer ‘risk’ according to this study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23193004/ What ARE we to eat?
29/10/2017: Freedom and Death: One of my favourite books when I was a teenager was Nikos Kazantzakis’ wonderful ‘Freedom and Death’ whose sentiment echoed Patrick Henry’s famous statement: ‘Give me liberty, or give me death’. Of course, with liberty we need to expect a certain amount of collateral damage: freedom is ever paid for with the blood of patriots. Such folk might just be our own children maybe skinning their knee or breaking the odd bone as they are allowed (nay encouraged) to ‘Go outside and play’ and ‘Don’t bother mummy’ – You remember that? Our children (and grandchildren) need much more of that, and much less of the cossetting, lest they grow up to be like the fragile flowers we see all about us today: https://reason.com/archives/2017/10/26/the-fragile-generation
28/10/2017: The Good News: The World's Poorest People Are Getting Richer Faster than Anyone Else: ‘In 1820, 94 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty (less than $1.90 per day adjusted for purchasing power). In 1990 this figure was 34.8 percent, and in 2015, just 9.6 percent. In the last quarter century, more than 1.25 billion people escaped extreme poverty.’ Thank You Capitalism: https://fee.org/articles/the-worlds-poorest-people-are-getting-richer-faster-than-anyone-else/
28/10/2017: Update of my 2012 post:
‘It's a little worse than 'The dog ate my homework'! Someone has stolen
both the file at Slater & Gordon and the file at the WA Corporate Affairs
which would prove Gillard's criminal complicity in the 'Wilson Affair' - but,
remember this: someone still has them!’ Well, now Michael Smith clearly has
them. Very day he is publishing great gobs of incriminating stuff about her and
Wilson. Remember, she could sue him for defamation but she would lose that too,
because what he says is true. She is/was one of
28/10/2017: Private Property: How we need a ‘Boneta Bill’ here too! One of the few ‘rights’ in our constitution is the right to private property (and its converse) that Government may not confiscate it without (paying) just compensation. Yet the examples of Government doing just that are legion; from simple idiotic ordinances such as the children’s birthday party planning permit which provoked Boneta, to large scale confiscation of farmland for ‘environmental’ reasons… Frankly it frightens me to realise what most people (leftists) consider to be ‘rights’. Their ‘rights, almost invariably mean the confiscation of someone else’s property for the ‘good’ of someone else (themselves?). The right to work, free speech, freedom of assembly, bear arms, self protection, justice, national defence…etc are low down on their list. Do they even make their list? http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/10/virginia_farmer_starts_property_rights_legal_revolution.html
27/10/2017: A British adventurer has
flown 25km (15.5 miles) across
27/10/2017: So, you thought Trump was
starting a war against
27/10/2017: Yet Another Silent Spring: ‘There is no credible evidence whatsoever that glyphosate – or RoundUp – is carcinogenic. The only reason some people believe otherwise is because of scaremongering articles like this, derived from misinformation which originates from this UN agency, the IARC. How do we know it’s untrue? Thanks to a special investigation by Reuters, which found that the IARC had completely misrepresented the available research on glyphosate.’ http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/10/23/delingpole-science-establishment-rocked-scandal-un-cancer-chemical/ This is just another example of Green evil. You remember when they did this with DDT, and 100 million people died as a result? They also did so with neonicotinoids: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/12/05/investigation-how-green-activist-scientists-rigged-an-eu-pesticide-ban-costing-farmers-and-businesses-billions/
26/10/2017: Western civilization
heading over a cliff; thanks Frau Merkel: http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/268214/germany-terror-cases-quadruple-900-daniel-greenfield
26/10/2017: Global Warming going over a cliff too: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/25/so-far-this-year-400-scientific-papers-debunk-climate-change-alarm/
26/10/2017: Toughen Up: Why Don’t People Understand What It Is To Be a Soldier: (The Trump ‘Telephone Incident’): http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/10/24/ex-green-beret-says-what-special-forces-really-think-about-niger-goes-viral-on-twitter/ & https://fee.org/articles/trump-s-general-is-right-soldiering-is-not-a-normal-job/ & http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/19/the-general-speaks-kelly-urges-americans-to-remember-what-is-sacred/
26/10/2017: How Sure Are We That The
Universe Is 13.8 Billion Years Old? https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/10/21/ask-ethan-how-sure-are-we-that-the-universe-is-13-8-billion-years-old/#60859d8060ac
25/10/2017: This is really moving. Watch a colour blind man see for the first time: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/once-was-colour-blind-now-can-see/news-story/b18dddb1f148beb5c658adf713601ac1
25/10/2017: Marise Payne (another
Turnbull clone) just keeps showing herself to be a dead head. Compare her
take on the danger of returning jihadists with her British counterpart: Rory
Stewart: ‘We have to be serious about the fact these people are a serious
danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in almost
every case, to kill them.’ Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne:
‘Australians who have joined Daesh are subjected to the same risks as any other
member of the criminal organisation and should expect to perish on the
battlefield.’ Tip: Learn the difference between active and passive voice,
Marise. I know you will think this sounds awfully sexist too, but I would like
it if our Defence Minister looks like s/he could take on one or two baddies
himself/herself (and the same goes for cops). Even Julie looks like she could
knock a couple of head together, but Marise (like Kim Beazley before her) looks
like she might pose a danger to baddies is s/he sat on them - supposing they
were slow-moving enough!
25/10/2017: CO2: The Culprit: Some things you might NOT know: Ice core expert Jaworowski states, ‘The basis of most of the IPCC conclusions on anthropogenic causes and on projections of climatic change is the assumption of low level of CO2 in the pre-industrial atmosphere. This assumption, based on glaciological studies, is false.’ http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/10/17/deconstruction-of-the-anthropogenic-global-warming-agw-hypothesis-2/
25/10/2017: Energy Crisis: It's
amazing that over a century after Einstein's 'e=mc2' that some folks are still
worried about 'The Energy Crisis'. Controlled nuclear fusion (not such a long
way off now < twenty years?) will end all such concerns. Progress will also
be made on understanding such spectacular energy phenomena as ball lightning,
sprites, 'cosmic rays', neutrinos, gravity & etc. It will be a much better
world in the future. Fear not!
24/10/2017: Our largest army: Fortunately, despite huge Government interference before (and after) Port Arthur, Australia's hunters still represent a larger 'army' than our official army, and as demonstrated in two World Wars & etc, can be relied on to bolster its numbers with well-qualified soldiers if/when the need ever arises. https://shariaunveiled.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/a-tribute-to-the-worlds-largest-army-americas-hunters/
24/10/2017: Green Fracking: You may think it odd that the green movement opposes fracking for natural gas but support hot fracture rock geothermal technology, which is clearly also fracking but you see, the first works whilst the latter does not – so it’s quite simple really!
24/10/2017: The
madness that is
23/10/2017: Hein’s Taxidermy: Della
just loves stuffed animals which is maybe why she has kept this particular
stuffed old animal around for nearly fifty years! It may be a family trait. We
have this wonderful family photo circa 1903 of her grandfather as an apprentice
hairdresser in
If you need fine taxidermy services in
23/10/2017: Two great points by Alan Moran: ‘In 1901 the Commonwealth spent 3 per cent of national income. Today it taxes and spends a whopping quarter of the income that firms and individuals earn…The Commonwealth Government in 1901 had 258 pages of regulatory Acts. Today it has more than 100,000 pages’ http://ipa.org.au/news/2769/regulations-that-worked-in-1901-do-not-work-now
23/10/2017: His wife is even battier
than he is: Lucy Turnbull, the ‘Greater Sydney Commissioner: ‘It’s only
taken us 230 years to catch up with a vision that our indigenous ancestors
always had for this city’. Away with them both!
23/10/2017: Bernie Sanders’ Economics #101: ‘Sure, You'll All Pay More Taxes... But You'll Get More Free Stuff’. Bernie was clearly singing from the same hymn book as Labor and the Greens here. Listen up peeps: ‘There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch’: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-19/bernie-americans-sure-youll-all-pay-more-taxes-youll-get-more-free-stuff & https://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2017/10/19/more-honesty-from-the-left-the-goal-is-big-tax-increases-for-the-middle-class/
22/10/2017: Hein's Taxidermy:
Some of Hein’s many interesting pieces:
And finally our dear little Rusty the Dusky Lorikeet:
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rusty-the-dusky-lorikeet/
While you are at Port Albert you should check out the Old Port Walking trail too, as well as its many other attractions: caravan park, hotel, restaurant, fish and chip shop, fishing charter, boat hire, etc: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/there-is-simply-nothing-like-an-old-port-walking-trail/ We had a brilliant (cheap) meal in the Customs Inn hotel while we were there – best fish’nchips I’ve had in a long while.
22/10/2017: Oradour, the French town
the Nazis murdered. Lest we forget, the entire town has been preserved in
memory of this terrible event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre & http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/articles/Oradour-sur-Glane-France-moments-of-Nazi-massacre-frozen-in-time/
22/10/2017: From an atheist: So, you
think Christianity has nothing to offer: 20 things you should stop doing in
your 20s – or never start: https://relevantmagazine.com/article/the-5-things-20-somethings-need-to-stop-doing/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=10192017__RELEVANT_This_Week&utm_medium=email
21/10/2017: The latest ‘equality’: https://www.bearmageddonnews.com/2017/03/09/should-inclusive-restrooms-really-include-bears/
21/10/2017: MH370: I am almost
willing to bet on these guys. Might have been better to employ them on this
basis in the first place before ‘employing’ public servants to spend $160
million mostly looking in huge areas where the plane could not be (ie it had
already passed over them): http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/malaysia-has-entered-into-a-no-find-no-fee-arrangement-with-ocean-infinity-to-find-mh370/news-story/5ee001fb114604c3d2d16b78b7031712
21/10/2017: The Road to Hell: I am so
over ‘virtue signalling’. Give me, ‘deeds, not words’ every time, please: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/virtue-signalling/
20/10/2017:
Basin Flat is 20 minutes by road above
I have included a lot of photos to give you a reasonable idea of what the whole trip looks like. Yesterday it took me 5 3/4 hours (at age 68) but with frequent stops to take photos, have a look around , meal beaks etc. I used to be able to do the trip in under 4 hours - but that was before the fires and floods made the river wider and shallower, as well as stealing most of its summer water, so that it is difficult now to get a 30C day with enough water (above say 1.63 on the Licola gauge - yesterday it was 1.72 = perfect).
The river is canoeable (at least) from the Caledonoia Confluence downstream
though the section down to the Barkly (4 hours of Grade 2 and 3) would best
suit packrafts (locked gate.) From the
Ready to begin at Basin Flat:
This trip is a great canoe training trip as it begins with a long flat section with just a few pebble races, gradually you encounter the odd grade 2 rapid. After Burgoynes track there are two grade 3 rapids and quite a number of Grade 2 as well. The last hour is once again on reasonable flat water with mainly just pebble races. There are many, many wonderful spots to camp, swim etc along the way. It is really ideal as a very leisurely 2-4 day canoeing/fishing/hunting trip.
Pebble race
The first Grade 2 rapid at just about the end of the flat (after nearly 1/2 an hour has an overhanging tree at the moment. You could chance being able to duck under it I suppose. I didn't.
About 3/4 of an hour from the start (on the true left bank - at the end of a large flat) there is an old pioneer hut which someone has lovingly restored lately
They have done such an excellent job. I particularly admired their bush ladder.
About an hour in the river splits. I took the right fork with this entertaining drop. The left fork used to have a fun chute, but there may not be enough water going down it now. At the bottom of this drop there is a vast swimming hole on a right hand bend (complete with this turtle). A lovely spot to camp.
Swimming hole: this is the spot whee someone stole my paddle many years ago: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister/
If you are going to camp overnight I suggest you bring all your gear up off
the river and out of sight. Strange people sometimes camp at
There are lots of grassy flats along the way.
The one on the left bank after the large hole is quite vast. There used to be the remains of an old shepherd's hut underneath an ancient quince. Since the fires it is no more. I came down the river just after the dreadful fires. At this spot there was an old doe who had given her life to save her twin fauns who were lying by her side under the quince where her body was quite mummified; they had so dehydrated her. They ran away as I approached, but quietly crept back again. I hope they survived.
I usually stop for lunch (after about 1 1/2 hours) opposite it at a place I used to call 'The Willows' where you could sit in the shade and enjoy your lunch plus a cold beer or two.
Yesterday I had to chase half a dozen sambar deer off the sandbank before I could sit down, the descendants of that old doe perhaps. They did not stay long enough for a photo though I did see them.
Dingoes had been busy here having killed a black wallaby.
Lunch over, I am off again.
You have to watch out for snags (and rocks). Stick to the inside curves. If in any doubt, get out and walk. Lots of people have died on this section of river over the years. Do not get side on to a log (this can easily mean death), or to the current in general. Generally follow the centre course in rapids, but on bends try to stay on the inside of curves so you do not get forced onto the outside edge and overturned. Rocks will often try to tip you out; you often have to lean in towards them to prevent this.
The
straight just above Burgoynes, and a lovely valley on your right. 
Burgoynes
Track off the 
Just below Burgoynes you come to the first Grade 3 rapid. it has had a log stuck in it for some time making it even more dangerous. i portaged it on the right hand side.
There are a number of lovely campsites below Burgoynes (if you are vehicle camping). If you are canoeing you have many other choices - and greater privacy.
Another spot: you can drive right down to the beach.
Just below is an entertaining one metre drop on a right hand bend. Many folk have had an impromptu swim here.
This is the 'Morning Glory' Hut - quite a palatial establishment, even boasting a bar and hut book!
This beautiful cliff on the right bank follows soon after. This is about half way through your trip. Keep an eye out here. A Grade 3 rapid is just around the left hand corner. Stay on the left hand side to check it out or portage it if you have any doubts about your ability:
You can see it needs to be approached cautiously. I once fell out here and lost my 30:06 in the rapid. It must have taken me an hour to retrieve it from where it was lodged amongst the rocks in the bottom of the rapid.
This goes on for a long way. If you fall out here you can be swimming for a while particularly if the river is higher.
Shortly after the Mt Useful Creek comes in on your right. It is a very large, steep valley rising on the eastern side of Mt Useful
There are some pleasant Grade 2 rapids along here.
A couple of promising gullies come in from the
There are fine beaches and lovely swimming holes.
And the odd entertaining drop.
The locals peer out at you as you drift past.
Somewhere along here I stopped for a snack and a spell yesterday. And to admire the view upstream.
And downstream. No-one else in sight for 10 km either way. That suits me just fine.
This is the last straight (and beautiful valley on your right) before Warabinda (a 'wilderness' youth camp). There are two dwellings here built with the help of the street kids being helped here: the first on your left just around the far bend, the second on your right.
I saw lots of ducks and shags. The river has many giant carp. You often see a sea eagle eating them. But also it has excellent trout, eels as long as your legs and the occasional redfin perch.
The Warabinda 'Flying Fox'. It is 45 minutes from here to the bridge, mainly on flattish water.
One of the last rapids.
You are into cattle country now.
This is the very last rapid. Surprisingly I have fallen out more often here than anywhere else!
And the very last straight
Then here you are at
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister-river/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/silver-river-endless-sky/
20/10/2017: Like everything he does, Turnbull’s new energy scheme is rubbish: Bring back Tony (and Hazelwood) before it is too late: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/turnbulls-electricity-plan-just-died/news-story/61d08888328c56b264ee517b2594d157
20/10/2017: About those
‘unprecedented’
20/10/2017: In its just-released report on the 5G mobile network, scheduled
to launch in 2020, Deloitte Access Economics observes: ‘5G networks are also expected to improve speeds. They are expected to
reach speeds of up to 10 Gbps, providing a more seamless user experience.
This is over 100 times the advertised data rates for 4G networks in
20/10/2017: What the ‘Me Too’ brigade
miss: A larger percentage of men than women are victims of rape: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/abuse-of-young-boys-rife-in-hollywood-after-cocaine-fuelled-parties-held-by-gang-of-hollywood-paedophiles/news-story/d17e1e1b924183cd70e41862e343ae7e
19/10/2017:
Nooramunga: On Sunday we spent a few
hours in preliminary exploration between Port Albert and Welshpool. It seems
like it will be possible to walk from Welshpool to the track at the edge of the
private land which runs down from
You could either walk along the high tide 'track' or make use of the many sand tracks in the park itself. If you have a look first on Google Earth, you will see what I mean. The 'high tide track' is blocked off (poorly as it turns out) by large concrete obstacles to (ineffectively) stop the many hog deer poachers. There is a lot of evidence of these beautiful little deer (and we saw three of them in broad daylight), so no doubt the poachers have a wonderful time of a night.
If, rather than their ineffective attempts to close off the area, the relevant department were to sell very expensive access permits, they would have a ready supply of persons very willing to police these illegal elements. This would work well in many similar situations, as well as raising funds for park maintenance, etc.
This walk would form part of this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-great-gippsland-circuit/
Wilsons Prom rising above the sea mist:
Gulls and shear-waters hunting the littoral:
And a cormorant spearing a tiddler:
And drifting with the tide:
It is a pleasant walk along the high tide line, millions of tiny crabs.
But in many places churned up by the many poachers; Spot 'points' a hog deer:
19/10/2017: The AEMO shows that even
today
18/10/2017: And I am off white water
canoeing on the Macalister for the day: See post here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/silver-river-endless-sky/
18/10/2017: From my news feed today; It’s all happening in Jeeralang Junction: 74 Year Old Jeeralang Junction Grandma Shocks Doctors: $5 Trick To Remove Lip Lines Jeeralang Junction Mum Shocks Doctors: Do This Daily To Burn Belly Fat While You Sleep! Jeeralang Junction Millionaire Exposes How She Earns $472/Hour. Strangely there are only about six people live here, so some of these folks must be us!
18/10/2017: This mass death/ice event
has happened now twice in five years: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41608722
and meanwhile in the Northern hemisphere more sea ice too: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/17/fast-regrowth-in-arctic-sea-ice-outpaces-recent-years/
Where is that ‘global warming’? Or was it the sun all along? Have you been
noticing too over the last decade or so that there have been enormously fewer
sun-spots and that solar experts have opined that this would presage a
multi-decade cooling? Oh dear!
18/10/2017: Even Angela is learning.
When will we: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-09/germanys-open-doors-are-closing-merkel-seeks-new-limits-refugees Also see: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/09/mass-immigration-suffocating-europe/
‘130,000 women in
17/10/2017: Moose versus Wolf. Who wins? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=akGWOpcWfrQ
17/10/2017:
Good News from
17/10/2017:
Happy 100th Birthday
Communism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxMWs8RyLLI
17/10/2017: The new
tyranny of the offensive word: https://www.academia.org/the-origins-of-political-correctness/
16/10/2017: For millions of years it
was a struggle to get enough to eat, then along came Western agriculture: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/10/11/child-and-teen-obesity-rates-soar-globally-who-reports.html
16/10/2017: Why should the innocent
die when the guilty can die for them? To me this is not just an ethical
imperative but just sound commerce: Heart, lungs, liver, two kidneys = 4 lives
(minimum) plus two people who can be given their sight back in one eye - plus
sundry other useful bits and pieces I have missed. Four innocent lives for one
guilty one seems like a deal too good to be missed to me. 400% return! You'd
put your money on that! If you sometimes accidentally get the wrong offender,
society is still well ahead as compared with where it is now ie spending
millions each year keeping each guilty one alive whilst condemning thousands of
innocents to death. And if they are not fit to harvest organs from (diseased or
whatever) then surely they can still benefit society by being used for medical
experimentation which would otherwise be considered too dangerous to be
ethical. Such research could also end up saving the lives of thousands of
innocents. Let's start on this now!
16/10/2017: Free speech is so important; our laws against it must be abolished:
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” - George Washington
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” - Benjamin Franklin
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” - George Orwell
“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.” - Harry S. Truman
“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” - James Madison
“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.” - Salman Rushdie
15/10/2017: Ultralight Saws: Particularly when track hiking (which I mostly avoid) I have found that I need to clear a small spot to erect my tent. Often the track times do not suit such retired folks as ourselves (and many other much younger people!) so that you find yourself needing to camp where there is no campsite, or this can happen for some other reason (flooded river, injury, etc. No doubt sometimes this is illegal, but on our recent Bartle Frère walk for example, it was not – and we did.
Nonetheless, it is often necessary, eg if you are walking the South Coast Track in Tasmania where there are far too few ‘official’ camp sites. Usually it is just a matter of removing a couple of very small branches or saplings to fit the tent in, surely something which should not trouble anyone. Of course I often carry a machete, and I have recommended these tools for eg canoe clearing, but on long hikes where I am really trying to shave weight I need something lighter which will still do this job when necessary.
Here is a selsection of ideas ranked from heaviest to lightest:
160 grams: Felco 600 160mm Folding Saw: 160mm straight blade folding saw. Rust resistant hard chromed blade made from high quality steel. Impulse hardened teeth for long life. Comfortable non-slip handle. Cuts on pull stroke. Weight 161g: https://www.forestrytools.com.au/index.php?id=23
The 120 grams:
110 grams: The 15” ‘Little Buck’ is a folding ultalight buck saw which also take a bone saw blade if you are a hunter. It folds up into a small enough packjage to fit in your back pocket: .http://www.qiwiz.net/saws.html
71 grams: This guy has found a drywall saw with a plastic handle which weighs 71 grams (without blade protector): https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/drywall-saw-as-a-cheap-ultralight-wood-saw/
30-100 grams: In this post I talk about making an improvised bow saw which weighs from a saw blad and a couple of split rings. You would need to add a blade protector: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/improvised-bow-saw/
48 grams: Buck saw blade cut down with light wooden handle (no blade protection): https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/84465/
18 grams: This guy has cut a pruning saw blade down. No handle, no blade protection: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/58401/
34 grams: This is a darlac mini folding prinung saw with a 3 ½” blade capable of cutting wood to approx 2” http://darlac.com/?product=dp818-mini-pocket-folding-saw
8 grams: The Dermasafe ultralight saw at 8 grams is the lightest saw I have found, and might work in an emergency: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dermasafe-ultralight-knives-and-saws/ You can replace the blade with a jig saw blade better suited to wood cutting as shown in the second photo:
I notice that the plastic clip from a stationery folder makes a near-perfect saw protector. The photos show a 1’ buck saw blade. A couple of rubber bands would secure this saw in yor pack for speedy efabrication with a length of green wood.
I already own the Dermasafe but I will switch it. I am going to be buying the Darlac saw at 34 grams. I figure it as an ‘everyday carry’. The saving in weight by switching to the ultralight containers I wrote about recenty will cover 8 grams of its weight. I am only ‘off’ about 18 grams once I subtract the Dermasafe. I’m sure I can find that saving somewhere.
The Darlac was recently on eBay for
15/10/2017: Two men
were sitting at the bar on the top floor of the
One man says to the other, "You know, if you jump out the window here, the force of the wind will blow you back in through the window on the 90th floor."
The other man says "Get outta here, you're joking aren't you?"
The first man says "No, here, I'll prove it!" He stands on the window ledge, jumps out and comes back in through the 90th floor window.
The other man says. "That was just a one off. Do it again!" So the first man does it again and comes through on the 90th floor. He runs back up and says "See, I'm telling the truth!"
The second man says, "Wow, I'm gonna do it too then." He stands on the window ledge, jumps out and falls to his death.
The barman, who just caught the end of this says to the first man, "You know, Superman, you're a real jerk when you're drunk!"
15/10/2017: Chevron, BP pull out: The
Greens are trumpeting their triumph over this decision, but to my mind when
huge infrastructure projects start heading west it means
15/10/2017: Pie in the Sky: 4 out of
5 Australians want to pay Nothing for ‘clean energy’, a survey which shows
the appalling state of logic education in
15/10/2017: Conservatives
will decide the issue in the next election, it seems. The Reachtel poll
from Qld shows a LNP victory on One Nation preferences for example. This is
even before Bernardi’s votes are counted. And, surely it is certain that by the
next Federal election Malcolm will be gone, surely replaced by someone with a
more conservative streak, and more backbone (like Tony). As we saw with the
return of Rudd, things can turn around very quickly in Oz politics nowadays: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/one-nation-to-decide-queensland-election/news-story/c4bf3774786e855341160893365d54e0
14/10/2017: Firefly -
The Ultimate Swiss Army Knife Accessory
Firefly is a tailor made fire starter for your Swiss Army Knife https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/740457940/firefly-the-ultimate-swiss-army-knife-accessory
What is the Firefly?
The Firefly is a custom sparking-steel fire starting tool designed to work seamlessly with a large variety of Swiss Army knives.
The Firefly is tailor made to replace the toothpick in a Swiss Army knife or tool, it is plug-and-play, and no knife modifications are required.
14/10/2017: Suppose you had some time
on yor hands, a pair of scissors and some paper – could you do this: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2017/10/miniature-paper-plants-by-raya-sader-bujana/
14/10/2017: Swedish Death Cleaning –
when should you start? Probably too late for me: http://nypost.com/2017/10/05/swedish-death-cleaning-is-the-morbid-new-way-to-de-clutter-your-life/
14/10/2017: More from
13/10/2017:
13/10/2017: Malcolm 8% behind. Time to get off the potty: http://www.essentialvision.com.au/category/essentialreport
13/10/2017: ‘The
average human being has one breast and one testicle.’
13/10/2017: The
slippery slope; well the slippery bridge anyway: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2356774/Australian-woman-Jodi-Rose-marries-bridge-France--gets-mayors-blessing.html#ixzz4vF4XdGVt
12/10/2017: Topo Terraventure Shoes: We bought a pair each of these remarkable shoes about six weeks ago. I guess we have by now worn them a few hundred kilometres including in our ascent of Mt Bartle Frere in Qld back on 1st September, and of course we have been wearing them around the farm on our steep wet slippery slopes. We have never fallen over once. These are just about the grippiest, most comfortable and certainly the lightest shoes we have ever owned. Mine weigh 290 grams and Della's were under 230 grams.
They need a good wash but are completely unmarked and have no sign of wear at all. I was a little worried about their 'flimsiness' in rough going, but they make you so light on your feet it is so much easier to put your feet where they should go, you do not hurt your feet at all. Heavy boots need all that cushioning because you have so much less control when wearing them. As a hunting shoe they are excellent because you can walk so softly and quietly in light shoes.
Probably one of the best features of these shoes for us is that they are a wide fit. Pretty much the only other shoes I can wear are Keens in a half size. These Topos are if anything even more comfortable for our wide feet than the Keens. They are particularly gentle on our feet when going downhill when you suffer the most damage to your toes in poorly fitting shoes.
These shoes have a fully welded construction such as I discuss here. In
the case of these shoes it works out much better than sewn construction. So far
these shoes are bulletproof. You must understand this: I have a huge box of
completely unsatisfactory shoes I have bought over the years and have been able
to wear approximately once. These shoes are so vastly different I extremely
doubt that you will be wasting your money on a pair. If you are in
We bought them from Injinji (below), whose delivery and customer relations are unsurpassed. Highly recommended. We chose shoes size exactly the same as we would have worn in Keen and they fitted perfectly. The thinner material of these shoes mean they have more give than the majority of shoes, so they are dramatically comfortable.
Specs:
'The Terraventure pushes the limits of lightweight performance and rugged durability. This platform features an aggressive lug design providing better traction and mid-foot stability. A flexible ESS forefoot rock plate protects the foot from stone-bruising while the ghillie lacing system insures a secure midfoot fit.
The Terraventure runs true to size, so you can select your normal running shoe size.
Technology/Specifications
- // 6 mm rubber outsole
- // 14 mm (heel) // 11 mm (ball) midsole
- // 5 mm footbed
- // Total stack height 25 mm x 22 mm (3 mm drop)
- // Weight: 294g. (size 9)'
If you really ‘need’ a waterproof shoe, Topo have such a model: https://www.injinjiperformanceshop.com.au/collections/topo-athletic-footwear/products/topo-hydroventure-mens
- and it only weighs275 grams (Mens
PS: I have tried a couple of other brands of ultralight shoes, for example a pair of Inov8s which weighed less than 200 grams. They were incredibly grippy but did not give the same amount of cushioning as my Topos. They may work quite well for you but they were much too narrow for me. My feet overlapped them which caused considerable discomfort so I had to abandon them.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-shoes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/foot-care/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/why-you-should-get-your-feet-wet-when-hiking/
12/10/2017: Let’s put the brakes on immigration: Is there really anyone who wants all these godawful people swamping us? Other similar natons have woken up and are throttling back, whilst we still have the foot firmly on the accelerator. Therein lies our doom: ‘Australia’s population surged by a staggering 21.5 per cent between 2003 and 2015 … According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 28 per cent of the population in 2016 was not born in Australia… the Asian-born population has eclipsed the number of residents born in Europe…When judged through the prism of the interests of existing citizens, there is no economic case that can justify the transformative changes that current policy is inflicting on Australia.’ https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/09/great-immigration-non-debate-australia/
12/10/2017: Every tenant in
11/10/2017: Rusty the Dusky Lorikeet: Della:
'‘Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty’ (Romeo and Juliet).
Welcome home to our Rusty, the dusky lorikeet! You were our special, devoted clown, and have earned your 'Forever Home' with us. We will never again hear your voice saying ‘I love you’ and ‘Kiss Kiss’ or your trilling imitation of the sound of water from a tap, but your beauty has been wonderfully preserved by the skillful art of Hein’s Taxidermy, Port Albert. I know that resting in peace would not have suited you, so you are back with us, watching majestically over our daily chaos.’
Hein has done a beautiful job with him. We can recommend his services if you need some skillful taxidermy done: https://www.facebook.com/Heins-Taxidermy-port-albert-1549231728642024/
He was such a wonderful companion in life though he was so fast-moving I regret we haven’t got more beautiful photographs of him. He is survived by his wife Goldy and his son, Rufus both of whom learned much of his repertoire from him. Every morning when we walk out the front door we are greeted by, ‘Hello. How are you?’ from their aviary on the verandah.
A Toast to Rusty:
Water play. You will have to imagine his cheerful water noise: ‘Diddle. Diddle Diddle.’
Celebrating the birth of his son, Rufus.
Enjoying a ‘Cupatea’ with Della.
Lord of all he surveyed.
Whispering ‘I love you’ in my ear.
Hein’s taxidermy, Port Albert.
PS: While you are in Port Albert take a walk on the Old Port Trail and enjoy some delicious fish and chips at the end of your walk: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/there-is-simply-nothing-like-an-old-port-walking-trail/
11/10/2017: Posted this day in 2012: ‘Lying abed this morn waiting for my beloved to wake, I was doing mental arithmetic: I calculated that on about 11 Dec this year she and I will have been together for 15,000 days - which is half a lifetime thereabouts and about 2/3rds of our lives so far. What did I do with the other third? I can't imagine - or how I survived it without her. Hoping to get to 3/4s of a lifetime. I suppose 4/5ths is too much to hope for, but we shall see. When she woke & I informed her of the results of my calculations her answer was, 'Is that all?' Shucks, she surely is wonderful!’ 2192 days later and nothing else has changed!
11/10/2017: Michael Smith’s private
prosecution of Julia Gillard has been delayed by his receiving a vast amount of
new incriminating evidence from files which were long thought ‘lost’ or
destroyed. He is publishing this material bit by bit as he sifts through it.
Yesterday he published evidence which implicates a judge (Murphy) as well as
Gillard and
11/10/2017: It’s the sun, stupid!’ Strange how there are so many folk who vie to ignore this important advice. Imagine searching for water in the Victorian mountains and concentrating your efforts on the North-West slopes instead of the South-East ones. Anyone who has wandered around in the bush for just a little while (unless they are exceedingly dull) will surely have noticed that the areas which are most shaded are also cooler and moister. The very instant you venture outside your air-conditioned holt, the Sun is obviously what dominates the weather (particularly temperature!). How can folk have failed to notice just how much colder it is at night than in daytime - nearly 20C difference on average, or how much cooler it is in the shadiest parts of the yards than on the sunny patio? Yet such is the attraction of ‘the butterfly effect’ that folk come to believe that a minuscule quantum of their exhalation shakes the world!
11/10/2017: More than one way to
think about ‘marriage equality’: ‘Membership in a culture best noted for
offering oral sexual services to strangers in public lavatories entitles you to
have the government invent a parody version of marriage just for you…If
indulgence in vice makes you special and gives you status and privileges, why
are only sodomites being so favoured?... If sodomy is worthy of federal
recognition, approval, and protection, why not polygamy, bestiality, and
incest? There are doubtless people in
10/10/2017: Bravo Tony. Please come back: ‘Environmentalism has managed to combine a post-socialist instinct for big government with a post-Christian nostalgia for making sacrifices in a good cause…Primitive people once killed goats to appease the volcano gods.' ‘Former prime minister Tony Abbott has told British climate change sceptics that a 'gradual lift in global temperatures' may be beneficial and likened climate scientists to the 'thought police'.’ http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/10/10/tony-abbott-doubles-down-on-climate-position.html
10/10/2017:
I am thinking one might be able to make this or a coracle with withes (other than willow) a tarp and some cable ties which I could leave in a drum at one of my hunting camps upriver so that I could float down stream if I wanted/needed to.
PS: They also have these really excellent tarp clips: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/best-tarp-clips-link/
10/10/2017: Gays have had a duplicitous and wicked agenda for a long while. I can remember back in the 90s the state sponsored newsletter ‘Outrage’ advocated having anal sex with (very) small children. I am talking infants here. I was ‘outraged’ enough to work at getting state funding to such a dreadful idea ended; if that make me a ‘homophobe’, so be it! ‘They’ did not give up though but redoubled their efforts. Mark my words, if you vote ‘Yes’ the next ‘equality’ being sought will be the ‘right’ of children to have sex, the ‘right’ of folk to marry close relatives, multiple partners, and the ‘right’ to have sex with animals. The perverse and aberrant are never-ending in the wickedness they demand as a ‘right’ PS: If it is not already illegal for me to say such things it soon will be: https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/09/tying-the-gordian-knot/
09/10/2017: ‘Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.’ (Shakespeare Sonnet 116) It is these ‘timeless’ values which ‘civilised society has ever been at pains to define eg in the American Declaration of Independence, viz: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’. Similarly, British society has ever striven to define the natures of ‘good’, ‘duty’, etc in the Law and in public morals. If we cast aside the history and contribution of the English speaking peoples, we abandon ourselves to the chaos of relativism, to multiculturalism at our extreme peril…( Hosea 8:7: ‘they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind’)
09/10/2017: ‘The rich get rich and
the poor get poorer.’ You hear the Left intoning this pointless mantra ad
nauseum, as if Redistribution was the answer, as if you could carve up the pie
into ever smaller pieces until everyone gets their fair share – but after they
have eaten their share, all starve. You do not ‘make the poor richer by making
the rich poorer’ as Abe Lincoln was reputed to have said. You have to make a
bigger pie if all are going to have a bigger slice, and next day you need to
bake an even bigger pie, and so on. You have to
grow the economy in order that everyone will be richer. Far from being a greedy
and mercenary goal (which the pious Left may blithely and willfully disdain),
this is the only way to make the world a better place. It has been happening
for a few hundred years now thanks to capitalism, and it need to continue at
least until all have a decent living.
08/10/2017: A Really Big ‘Whoops’ from Vostok, a really important scientific paper: ‘General CO2-lag in ice-core records and the lack of warming over the last 8000 years of extraordinary increase in CO2 show that the hypothesis of significant warming of the atmosphere by CO2 over the last century is absurd. Attribution of derivative effects (i.e. “climate change”) to CO2 is, therefore, ridiculous. These fictions, the dire prophecies that attend them and the disparagement of those that question them, however, are vigorously promoted and widely accepted. They seem to be as important socially as they are false scientifically.’ https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/10/06/news-from-vostok-ice-cores/
08/10/2017: Crazy! Remember when we
used to say, Sticks and stones…’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/words-are-hell/news-story/7dfc693980096724a75e13c214e9b917
08/10/2017: The next ‘equality’: An interesting ‘solution’ to the ‘marriage equality’ ‘problem’: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/10/04/Woman-who-married-herself-admits-friends-found-wedding-a-bit-narcissistic
08/10/2017: Illegal guns #2: After Port Arthur and Howard’s gun buy back I was frequently offered illegal guns to purchase. This was because many of the guns were not destroyed by police, far from it – as I observed when I handed two old firearms in which Howard had made illegal. Some guns went into the press to be ‘destroyed. Typically police crushed either the action, or the end of the barrel (usually the latter), so one gun could later easily be made out of two. The fact that some actions were not being crushed on the day filled me with some dismay, I can assure you. I observed some however were taken immediately to a back room without any damage. Not long after (as I said) I was offered a list of over one hundred illegal guns by a bent policeman (a distant acquaintance), an offer which I did not take up as I would never trust such a person. If you are going to buy an illegal firearm, trust maybe ‘honest’ criminals, but bent cops? You have to be kidding. Around the time I saw nothing odd about someone who simply wished to continue to own a type of firearm which they had owned most of their lives and which they had bought legally prior to there being any permits required. To my memory the 1970s are not so long ago when you could buy a semi-automatic rifle from Kmart! Since then there has been a huge increase in the importation and trade in illegal firearms, particularly pistols. There has also (much more worryingly) been a huge importation of undesirable people! More than any other thing, it is these people who are the problem. You could (unlikely) rid society of every gun, yet these people would still be an immense (and increasing) danger. There are lots of other means of killing people and causing vast destruction other than guns. We need immediately to begin ridding our society of such people. There are plenty of simply awful countries where they can be sent!
07/10/2017: Turnbull is all gas:
In just the last week we have had his idiotic gas deal which steals already
contracted gas from foreign customers (causing who knows what harm to our
foreign trade and investment prospects) instead of biting the bullet, utilising
the foreign affairs powers in the constitution (as Hawke did over Gordon below Franklin)
and taking over the regulation of gas mining and electricity production eg Restart Hazelwood before this summer’s
blackouts hit the East Coast. Now we have his bizarre ID idea which would not
work anyway and does not include banning the burka! This oaf must go before
Xmas and be replaced by someone who will save
07/10/2017: JC would have made a lousy businessman: Matthew 20:1-16 The nonsense folk believe in!
20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
20:2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
20:3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
20:4 and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went.
20:5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same.
20:6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?'
20:7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.'
20:8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.'
20:9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.
20:10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.
20:11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,
20:12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
20:13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
20:14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.
20:15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
20:16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
07/10/2017: Back from the dead? If
so, big news surely? A couple of days ago the
07/10/2017: On average, there is mass
killing bigger than Vegas in
06/10/2017: 1000th Post: This is quite a milestone here at http://www.theultralighthiker.com/. I never imagined when I started this blog just over two years ago that I would be so loquacious, but there you go! There are over 5,000 pages about hiking and hunting etc here now for (I hope) your enjoyment!
When I wrote my 900th post back in May I was just back from my walk on the fabulous Dusky Track in Fiordland, New Zealand http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/, something which you must put on your ‘bucket list’ – and don’t wait until you are well over 50 before you do it for the first time as I did, as I don’t doubt you will want to repeat the experience as I have (at just under 70!)
Most
of the things which I planned to do since then have not been finished, but a
number of others have been begun or achieved. Such is the nature of making
plans really. For example, I have not completed the final version of my Deer
Hunter’s Tent (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-deer-hunters-tent/
) yet, but I was working on it yesterday and have calculated its final ‘roof’
weight at 200 grams material only in silnylon (100 in cuben!) – which is
outstanding for a two person tent!
I am sure it will be complete before the end of the year, as will my final version of my Mini-Decagon tent which is probably a three person tent (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/come-with-old-khayyam/). I only have a bit over an hour’s work to go on it really, so you can expect a post about it soon. I am pleased that the roof section weighs 375 grams!
However, I have pretty much completed my Pocket Poncho Tent which (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-pocket-poncho-tent/) came in at 185 grams in silnylon. I have a little more work to do on the hood and on the storm flap. I also have an idea for converting it into a two person tent. I hope to finish the Bathtub Groundsheet Chair (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bathtub-groundsheet-chair/) for it (and the Mini decagon) in the near future and to make them available to be purchased.
I think my Fire Umbrella should be a useful addition to dry, warm stress-free camping: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-umbrella/
We have had a few ‘adventures’ in the meantime, including some hunting trips eg http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wild-river-stag/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-spot-of-solitude/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-silence-of-the-deer/
And some interesting walks, eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/east-tyers-walking-track/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-walk-on-the-wild-side/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/on-the-tip-of-the-tongue-2/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/avon-river-walking-track/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/you-can-do-it/ - a journey up Qld’s highest mountain, Mt Bartle Frere.
I have come up with some fishing ideas (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/), and some fine recipes, such as: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-coconut-fish-curry/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-simple-backpacking-dahl/.
As usual there have been some good survival ideas and practical advice: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/man-is-the-measure-of-all-things-pythagoras-some-handy-estimation-tricks/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/naismiths-rule/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-lore/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/follow-your-nose/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-long-till-sundown/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/walking-the-line/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lie-of-the-land/.
And heaps of ideas for ultralight gear and reviews, such as: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/best-hunting-daypack/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/big-agnes-axl-air-pad/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-shoes/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultimate-blades-for-the-ultralight-hunter/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/black-diamond-storm-waterproof-headlamp/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lighter-brighter-better/, http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-thumbtack-reflectors/
I put all my food idea into a single post: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hiking-food-compendium/ and my gear ‘inventions' in a similar one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/
Around the farm we have made some progress. The bottom dam is fixed, and the new pump house is up and working but still needs some finishing off. We have nearly a kilometer of new vermin-proof fence (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/vermin-proof-fence/) along our Northern boundary which is keeping a veritable plague of eastern grey kangaroos and common wombats at bay. Our neighbours are close to not being able to run any livestock at all due to the depredations of these ubiquitous pests. We have planted a lot of new trees and hope that there will be better than a hundred new ones growing before the end of the spring planting season. As usual we have concentrated solely on the useful and the beautiful. There will be plenty more food here for native birds, possums etc in the future though few of the trees we plant are themselves natives. We hope to complete the renewal of the boundary fence with fox-proof fencing over the next two years as we are tired of seeing our lambs go down the ravenous gullets of these vulpine marauders.
Over the next 100 posts I hope to be able to report on a canoe trip down the
Wonnangatta from the Humffray to the
06/10/2017: Sewn-free construction: Or welded fabric construction. My new shoes, the Topo Terraventure are made this way, and let me say they are excellent. There is not a seam in them to come undone or fray. I have only recently learned that this method of construction is in fact readily available to the hobbyist, though it will be a little more difficult for most projects to get a good finish as compared with the trusty sewing machine.
This excellent video explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne2J01h1tZ0&spfreload=10
The tape makes it very easy to do. It is double sided, so you just pull off the backing and stick it to one side of the material to be joined, then you pull off the other backing and lay the other piece of material in place. T The tape is mildly sticky both sides to allow this to be done, but it can be repositioned. Then you position the teflon sheet over the section to be welded (to prevent harming the material), get the iron up to the right temperature, then press firmly as you iron, and Voila! You have fully welded seam.
This would be a very good method for people to use who want to eg make one of my Tyvek tents but don't have a sewing machine.
You need three things: a Custom Sealing Iron,Teflon Ironing Sheets and E-Z Steam 2 Tape.
I have ordered all three. I have a number of projects in mind which I had long ago conceived but did not have the ability to make, for example my inflatable ground sheet, inflatable mylar quilt and mylar vest. (I was minded to try contact adhesive (messy and perhaps not air/watertight) but I had put them in abeyance. Now I will be having a crack at them, so you can expect to see some posts soonish...
06/10/2017: ‘His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork’ - Mae West
06/10/2017: Illegal
guns: A few years’ ago out hunting a friend brought along his new (legal)
Glock pistol to show me. It had cost him over $2,000 not including the
necessary licences, memberships etc. What a beauty it was! And, naturally we
all had a shot with it! At about the same time I was offered the identical
pistol in a
06/10/2017: There you go puss: https://twitter.com/sfiGesreveR/status/914574887381061633
05/10/2017:
05/10/2017: More ‘Big
Brother’: Whenever there is a terrible mass murder such as Port Arthur or
Las Vegas, governments use it as an excuse to further restrict our freedoms and
increase government control. Actually this does not make me feel safer – as I
recollect that the greatest mass murderers by far have been and are governments
themselves. If you leave religious fanatics aside, such individuals
perpetrators are really quite rare and account for very few deaths compared
with the 100 million plus that I can easily tally up to governments in the
C20th alone! I strongly suspect that our government already had quite enough
powers to protect us before
04/10/2017: Trail Pea and Ham Soup: I am always thinking about ways to avoid depending on simple carbs on the trail (and get some veggies in there) yet have recipes which can be made up from products readily available in supermarkets such as you might be able to put together eg into snap-lock bags at resupply points. This one uses just four ingredients:
To a litre of water add:
I x 40 gram packet Contintental Spring vegetable Simmer Soup 460 kj (112 calories)
1 x 100 gram packet Continental Surprise Peas 1200 kj (288 calories)
Approx 42 grams Hormel Real Bacon Pieces 656 KJ (157 calories)
Approx 8 Teaspoons Continental Deb Mashed Potato (for thickening at the end) 133 kj (32 calories)
Total 2449 kj (589 calories)
Bring the first four above to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes then add enough mashed potato to thicken.
If you have access to a food processor you may be able to smash up the peas a little which will make them cook more quickly and make the soup thicker, otherwise cook longer and smash them up with your spoon in the pot when they are cooked.
Remark: This makes a surprisingly tasty faux pea and ham soup, and a welcome change from pasta dishes! I made it just for a side dish for my main meal last night, so I had all this left over for Della to try when she comes back from her craft conference on Saturday.
04/10/2017: ‘Paddock
calls’ – you remember your Macbeth? The
‘Arm, arm, and out!—
If this which he avouches does appear,
There is nor flying hence nor tarrying here.
I 'gin to be aweary of the sun,
And wish th' estate o' th' world were now undone.—
Ring the alarum-bell!—Blow, wind! Come, wrack!
At least we’ll die with harness on our back.’
I wonder what ever can be done about that awful mentality.
Some have argued that the gun laws are at fault, not the man. The right to bear
arms was abolished in
However, having the stricter firearms laws we have in
Mind you, most people murdered by firearms in the world are
killed by police or the armed forces. Preventing citizens from defending
themselves against the Government is deemed an important right in
I notice
A ‘cowardly attack’ Theresa May describes it. Why? – because of his willingness to strike the innocent at a distance? This from a woman who commands the third largest collection of nuclear weapons on the planet, whose very existence is based on no other morality than that! I fear potential emulators (and they exist) will not view his actions, particularly his disregard for his own life as cowardly. As Macbeth said,
‘Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it. He died
As one that had been studied in his death
To throw away the dearest thing he owed
As ’twere a careless trifle.’
A truly terrifying event, but probably not the last, alas!
04/10/2017: "For...ten years, false doctrines...nurtured the illusions of the working classes. They are...convinced that the state is obliged to provide bread, work, and education to all. The...government has...promise(d) to do so; it will...be obliged to increase taxes...to keep this promise, and in spite of this it will not keep it...How much disillusionment is in store...It would have been so simple and so just to ease their burden by decreasing taxes...they cannot see that (it) consists in taking away ten to give back eight, not to mention the true freedom that will be destroyed". Bastiat 1848
02/10/2017: Gillard will go down: Seems like Julia did not manage to have all the evidence against her destroyed. A whole new file has just emerged which will confirm some of her crimes. It will be interesting to see how Michael’s private prosecution goes. The TURC really should have gone in much harder against her and Wilson. Still, much of this stuff will come out also at Blewitt’s trial which is already timetabled: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/
02/10/2017: Ultralight Shorts: 28 grams: This is probably a problem all of us have faced at some time - what to wear when needing to wash our trail clothes (or go for a swim when there are others around). At just 28 grams, Luke Stegner has come up with a solution, his ultralight laundry Shorts at US$ 34.99 (Oct 2017)
He also has a lot of other interesting ultralight gear, including practically the lightest raincoat around. Check out his website:
https://lukesultralite.com/thru-hiker-laundry-shorts
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-pants/ at 75 grams
02/10/2017: Just love the Coyote: The Conservatism of Progressives: ‘In fact, here is a sure fire test for a progressive. If given a choice between two worlds: A capitalist society where the overall levels of wealth and technology continue to increase, though in a pattern that is dynamic, chaotic, generally unpredictable, and whose rewards are unevenly distributed, or...A "progressive" society where everyone is poorer, but income is generally more evenly distributed. In this society, jobs and pay and industries change only very slowly, and people have good assurances that they will continue to have what they have today, with little downside but also with very little upside. Progressives will choose #2. Even if it means everyone is poorer.’ http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2017/09/the-conservatism-of-progressives.html
02/10/2017: I used to like women, but
I dunno any more: PS: I must say the gender disparity currently at Uni
(60:40) is awfully disquieting. Seems to me like more and more talented men
(who ought to become brain surgeons or nuclear physicists) will just go into
the trades from where they will be able to charge female (arts) graduates vast
fees for changing their tap washers: https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/09/bad-sex/
02/10/2017: You want this? https://www.weaselzippers.us/357813-mohammed-top-baby-name-in-uk-for-fifth-straight-year/
01/10/2017: I’m afraid I am just as
worried as Matt Ridley, yet we have both been long known for our optimism. A
pall of intellectual darkness looms over all. Perhaps the worst thing to fear
from the success of the ‘Yes’ campaign is that speech itself will be a victim.
We will no longer be able to espouse our moral points of view on a wide variety
of topics, or to disagree with the views of others. As the Antifa indicates,
our fate may eventually become that of Hipatia: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/endarkenment/
01/10/2017: Mugshot of the month winner: http://kaching.tumblr.com/post/165270673923/geordie-viking-antifa-mugshot-portland
01/10/2017: Remember ‘Crooked Hillary’? Pocketed $172 million in just one year; nice work if you can get it: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/30581-How-the-crooked-Clinton-Foundation-worked.html
30/09/2017: Truly
Horrifying: France to Have Muslim Majority in 40 Years ‘Combine massive
Islamic immigration with the destruction of the family brought about by
feminism, degeneracy, perversion, abortion, and the welfare state, wait a few
decades, et voilà: no more France…even in the extremely unlikely event that
Muslim immigration is shut off completely and immediately,
30/09/2017: The Quality of Evidence (and of the Judiciary): The odd case of Cathy Kezelman (and others) causes me great disquiet. The victimhood ‘industry’ is unfortunately replete with people whose memories/narratives are questionable, as in the case against Pell or the strange story behind Sally Morgan’s ‘My Place’. This is not the only Royal Commission to be diverted into such spurious imaginings: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/why-has-the-royal-commission-promoted-this-victim/news-story/487c6deef521a0cf59f64c1050f3d151 PS: For a critique of ‘My Place’ read: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/history-wars/2010/05/my-place-fabricating-family-history/
30/09/2017: Bastiat was just wonderful, eg: ‘Whatever you do, sirs, you can give money to some only by taking it from others. If you genuinely wish to drain taxpayers dry, go ahead, but at least do not mock them and say to them, ‘I am taking from you to compensate you for what I have already taken from you.’’ http://www.libertylawsite.org/2017/09/14/bastiat-common-sense-personified/
29/09/2017: Something you’ve always wanted to know: Where did syphilis come from: http://archive.archaeology.org/9701/newsbriefs/syphilis.html
29/09/2017: Who’d have thought: ‘The present day warm period is 1 to 2° C cooler than the past four interglacial periods’. So, when is the next ice age: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/09/21/climate-model-projections-significantly-diverge-from-paleoclimate-analogs/
29/09/2017: Listen to the oldest melody in the world — 3400 years old. ‘The hymn was discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, now part of modern-day Syria, and is dedicated the Hurrians’ goddess of the orchards Nikkal...The clay tablet text, which was discovered alongside around 30 other tablet fragments, specifies 9 lyre strings and the intervals between those strings – kind of like an ancient guitar tab..... The notation here is essentially a set of instructions for intervals and tuning based around a heptatonic diatonic scale’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6v0t5I5SM
27/09/2017: We need to end this ‘renewables’ baloney now before we completely destroy our country: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/09/rooftop-solar-destroying-baseload-profitability-and-proud-of-it/ & https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/09/24/reasons-for-optimism-about-climate-hysteria/
27/09/2017: Meanwhile
remember Bill Clinton Threatened
27/09/2017: What a treasure: http://www.openculture.com/2017/08/hear-debussy-play-debussy-a-vintage-recording-from-1913.html
25/09/2017: A great ad in today’s Australian:
25/09/2017: Probably
the best political essay about the best political speech of the year, perhaps
the decade: https://amgreatness.com/2017/09/19/trumps-un-speech-triumph/
25/09/2017: Remember, it started as a referendum: To pass a referendum, the bill must ordinarily achieve a double majority: a majority of those voting nationwide, as well as separate majorities in a majority of states (i.e., 4 out of 6 states). In circumstances where a state is affected by a referendum, a majority of voters in that state must also agree to the change. This is often referred to as a ‘triple majority’. Will these ‘normal’ rules apply to the gay marriage postal vote – as citizens would normally expect?
25/09/2017: Leftist Groupthink. This doesn’t surprise me at all. So many people can be read like a book (only quicker!). Unfortunately as soon as they open their mouths to say one thing, I know everything else they think – which essentially makes them very boring to be around. Maybe that’s why I prefer conservatives and eccentrics of all sorts. Leftists and ‘progressives’ just all seem to have been made in exactly the same mould: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550617729410?journalCode=sppa&
24/09/2017: The Isthmus: We spent
the afternoon poking around on the Wilsons Prom Isthmus, an area easily ignored
as you roar down from Foster to the National Park, but in many ways it is
scenically superior to the park itself. We had time only to drive down four
roads to the sea, and take a peek:
A view from
Red Billed Shearwaters amongst the mangroves
Mangrove crab
A close up of the above - so easy and pleasant walking along most of Corner Inlet particularly at low tide.
Close up of the above. Red Bluffs centre.
Della beachcombing
There are plenty of spots you can do a bit of beach camping along here, as
someone has near the stream below. You can also easily walk from here along the
beach all the way to the
This is the view towards the Shallow Inlet entrance. There is plenty of firewood here.
Close up of the same view. Wilsons Prom in the background. There are many freshwater streams such as this one. Perhaps filter the water with your Sawyer Mini filter as there is run-off from paddocks containing stock such as sheep. Mind you, I never have.
A gull enjoys the sunset
Until Spot scares him off
Leaving the sunset over Shallow Inlet for us alone to enjoy
I think there will be some places on this long walk where a packraft such as
the Klymit LWD (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/)
will be needed, eg for crossing Shallow Inlet. The same apples at Andersons
Inlet (Inverloch),
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/advanced-elements-ultralight-paddle/
24/09/2017: Unsung hero: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/09/peter-ryans-patrol/
24/09/2017:
Capitalism is the greatest force for good the world has ever seen: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2017/09/wealth-is-the-new-normal.html
23/09/2017: Ultralight Windscreen: And,
here is the titanium windscreen to go with your esbit stove http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-esbit-stove/
– or maybe your egg-ring stove (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/)
and your ultralight cookpot (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-cookpot/)
to complete your ultralight cookset. Weight: 0.5oz (14g) Dimensions: 22 7/8" (580mm) x 4
3/4" (120mm) https://www.toaksoutdoor.com/products/wsc
Cookpot 39 grams, Esbit stove 11.5 grams, windscreen much less than (you
would cut it down) 14 grams = total weight < 64.5, or say 60 grams! Not a
lot of weight for a warm meal or a cuppa in the wilds.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-esbit-stove/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-cookpot/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hot-lips/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-windscreen/
23/09/2017: No
doubt many of you have seen footage of the interview with the low-life (Mr
Astro Labe) who head-butted our last PM? The streets are crawling with such
scum. Something must be done. This has
been going on for 25 years now. It has to stop. ‘More than one in five working-age males are out of work,
with a work-to-population ratio of just 79 per cent among men between 20 and
54, according the most recently-available census data. This is a sharp drop
from a rate of over 96 per cent in the 1950s.’ In
23/09/2017: Just one of the awful places we are going with this (Sorry about the spelling):
23/09/2017: Ban on
2-stroke engines is sexist. Four strokes are much heavier, and therefore
harder for women to manage. Della loves her old 125cc Victa I bought her for
her 23rd birthday, and her Husqvarna brushcutter. I will have to get
in quick and buy her new ones as she won’t be able to manage the new green
mandated four stroke ones. What is wrong with this government? Conservatives
need to distance themselves from this leftist groupthink: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/silence-of-the-strokers/news-story/7758370473a41f5fc4792f1af8a8fcb9
23/09/2017: The BOM just get worse
and worse. The stations which they use to ‘establish’ their absurd records
are clearly broken, but they don’t bother to fix them. I mean 0C Maximum in the
Pilbara! They didn’t spot that, but still used this station’s data to record
the warmest event ever! https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/09/21/welcome-to-australia-where-its-always-warmer-somewhere/
23/09/2017: Whitlam: For all the
romanticism, he and his colleagues were a bunch of crooks whom I am ashamed
to once have admired. Their heirs are if anything even worse: http://pickeringpost.com/story/a-murphy-malady-is-not-a-nice-tune/7580
22/09/2017: Ultralight Esbit Stove: In
case you want an ultralight stove (including pot stand) to go with your
ultralight pot (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-cookpot/)
you should try this mini titanium esbit stove which weighs a mere 11.5 grams.
Esbit is the gram cracker’s fuel of choice containing more BTUs per gram than
any other fuel (and needing no container). It also makes a great fire starter.
It burns at approx 1300C, but it is a little slow. A windscreen is a good idea.
Available eg here: http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/esbit_stove.shtml or
https://www.amazon.com/Esbit-Ultralight-Folding-Titanium-Tablets/dp/B002AQET2C
From US$11.64 (September 2017)
22/09/2017: The Antifa: Progressives and the Left generally are ever so keen to resort to bullying and violence, demonstrating that they are exactly what they claim to oppose, ie the true fascists http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/abbott-attacked/news-story/33a636dae86bec109c962c25ed6b2175 . The ‘gay rights’ one who just head-butted Tony Abbott is a case in point, and demonstrates just what delights are still to come if the ‘yes’ vote wins. Some more fine examples here: http://pickeringpost.com/story/time-for-a-short-intelligence-test-/7581 PS: There has to be a ‘new’ part of speech for this phenomenon: ie words that mean exactly the opposite of what they state. We are getting more and more examples of this. (I know it might have started with the ‘Progressive Party’ being a Luddite party or the ‘Liberal Party’ being a conservative party & etc.
22/09/2017: Who would have thought the state of our climate ‘knowledge’ was so poor – far too poor for us to tbe taking any ‘action’ anyway: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/09/16/climate-models-cant-even-approximate-reality-because-atmospheric-structure-and-movements-are-virtually-unknown/ And that climate alarmists would admit they were wrong all along: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/19/delingpole-climate-alarmists-finally-admit-we-were-wrong-about-global-warming/ Why oh why did we have to waste countless billions on such nonsense to the extent that now we no longer have a reliable energy system or any manufacturing industry?
22/09/2017: So, you were worried you were (becoming) a tad ‘racist’? You were in good company: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/09/14/global-study-more-people-say-immigration-negative-biggest-change-sweden/
22/09/2017: A great recommendation from the Coyote: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2017/09/the-teaching-company-also-known-as-great-courses.html
21/09/2017: MLD Supermid: We have owned this excellent large tent for quite a few years now. We bought it for our cross-Tasmania walk in 2011 (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/south-west-track-tasmania/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tasmanias-south-coast-track-hells-holiday/) way down in the Roaring 40s, the often awful conditions of wind and rain of which it stood up to admirably. We needed a three person (plus lots of gear) tent for that trip which it was more than roomy enough for. The tent is 9’ x 9’ and over 6’ high at the centre. We could have squeezed another very good friend in too, if pressed.
Here we are with it at Freeney Lagoon on Cox’s Bight, enjoying a cuppa:
And at the
In the photo above you will notice Della is wearing a pair of MLD waterproof chaps (https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/rain-chaps/) which weigh a mere 65 grams. We also carried (and used) MLD ultralight gaiters and event mittens (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-mitts-and-gaiters/) which we also highly recommend:
I double-waterproofed the floor using this method (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/waterproofing-tent-floors-and-ground-sheets/), which worked well, but was probably overkill. (It also no doubt added some additional weight). We also carried a lot more pegs and tie-outs than you would normally ever need, but winds down there are only too often hurricane force and can flatten a tent or blow it clean away!
Even in terrifying wind and torrential rain the tent never looked like
letting us down. Erin McKittrick & Bretwood Higman (http://groundtruthtrekking.org/)
used this tent on their 4,000 mile journey along the Pacidfiic rim from
Here are some of its specs:
- 70+ sq/ft of usable floor
space perfect for four or a palace for two or three
• ONE oversized peak vent design is best: pitch the rear of the SuperMid into the wind to prevent rain and snow from blowing into the vent and to create a mini Venturi Effect, pulling condensation out the oversize vent on the downwind side
• Oversized peak vent that can be easily closed during hard wind, blowing rain, and snow, by pulling out the wand and Velcro-ing the vent tightly shut
• Plenty of room to stand up
• Side walls shed snow well
• Main seams are triple rolled, stitched, and flat felled (an MLD Exclusive.)
• Interior Apex hang loop
• Apex/Peak reinforced with Dyneema X
• 2 Doors: Both doors roll open and tie back
• Mid-height zipper door snaps allow doors to be partially opened
• A total of 17 tie-outs!
• 8 ground level perimeter tie-outs with LineLocks for easy adjustment: LineLocks make cold weather and winter use (buried snow anchors) MUCH easier. LineLocks can be removed to save about 1.0 oz
• Extra center side panel tie-outs on all sides for really high winds.
• Use a short length of guyline to tie two trek poles together for center pole support
And the floor’s:
- Waterproof Pro SilNylon
and Cuben Fiber- Very High Hydrostatic Rating
• Cuben Version is made with Ultimate Lightweight .75 oz Cuben Fiber
• 5 in | 12.7 cm bathtub walls
• Corner Struts keep the floor upright and tight
• Center Pole Floor Reinforcement of Dyneema X (Silnylon Version) or Thick Cuben Fiber (Cuben Version) on Duo + Super Floors
• Extra center tie-outs on the long sides
• Same size as the floors of the Pyramid InnerNets
• Use four separate stakes, or use the supplied 3/32″ bungee cord to connect to the Pyramids corner tie-outs or to the same stakes as your Mid Pyramid Shelter
• SILNYLON VERSION: Use SilNet silicone seam sealer on the inside corner seams and on any floor stitching for maximum waterproofness
•CUBEN VERSION: is seam taped and does not need any additional seam sealing
Such a large tent makes an excellent base camp in cold, wet weather such as
you are likely to encounter in Southern Tasmania or Fiordland New
21/09/2017: Six years ago today Claude Choules passed into history. Lest we forget. Our Govt should have made a fuss too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Choules . Our (and the world's) last soldier of WW1 &WW2
21/09/2017: Abbott has promised to
cross the floor on ‘renewables’ and to build Hazelwood #2. I’m sure the
majority of Australians are with him on this. I am sick and tired of paying
through the nose for a dribble of electricity and having my lifestyle
threatened at every step by yet another green tyranny. Bring back Tony:
http://joannenova.com.au/2017/09/abbott-vows-to-cross-the-floor-against-any-new-renewables-subsidies-most-of-parliament-should-be-with-him/
& http://www.skynews.com.au/video/program/program_featured/2017/09/19/-let-s-build-hazelwood-2-0---tony-abbott.html
21/09/2017:
Personally I am not so interested in ‘equality’ as protecting women and
children against such monsters as these, eg by shortening the latter by a
head: http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/rapists-adrian-attwater-and-paul-maris-had-long-history-of-violence-avos-and-drug-related-crimes/news-story/bdce534ca05d8a6ae8503d85ff4ebed3
21/09/2017: The way ahead? ESL students learn new gender pronouns: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/09/english-2nd-language-students-learn-new-gender-pro-nouns-youre-not-learning-english-to-be-a-bigot-ar.html Forget ‘he’ and ‘she’. They should be banned right now!
20/09/2017: Best Hunting Daypack: If your day or overnight hunting pack weighs more than 400 grams you are carrying too much. The pack below is a great option (in Wasabi Green would be my choice). Remember this: every unnecessary gram you carry makes it just that much harder to make your footfalls quiet. It would make a really great weekend hiking pack too.
If you really want to have your quarry hear you clomping around from a couple of hundred metres away, go ahead: wear those immense waterproof (what?) ‘hunting’ boots (which almost certainly weigh over a kilogram each wet – you thought you could have dry feet hunting? Get real!) instead of something really light and comfy such as Topo’s Terraventure at 290 grams (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-shoes/), a shoe which you can float over the ground in without ever breaking a single twig!
Being able to hunt energetically (and inconspicuously – no, I don’t mean wearing camo: that is unfair chase) begins at your feet and continues on to your pack and the contents of your pack. I imagine I could swap your current pack for the above one, include a sleeping bag (600 grams), mat (230 grams), shelter (250 grams) and cookset (100 grams) and have all these items weigh no more than your current pack does empty (1550 grams)! Am I right? This means you can plan to stay out overnight – which is what you really need to do if you are going to take advantage of twilight’s best hunting opportunities!
I have bought a number of items from Ron at Mountain Laurel Designs over the years. They have all been extremely intelligently thought out, very carefully and expertly made (by him) and enormously functional. This pack will be no different. The fact that it will sit right in the small of your back will also make it the most comfy pack you have ever worn too I don’t doubt.
Check it out here: https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/burn-38l/
‘WEIGHT: 13 oz | 370 gm
CAPACITY: 38L | 2300 CI
FEATURES
- NEW FOR 2017: Curved Side Panels: A slight curve from the waist to the shoulders moves the load closer to the upper back for more comfort. This also creates a slightly larger main compartment higher in the pack that helps load control by moving the heavier and higher packed gear higher to reduces shoulder stress.
- S-shaped unisex comfort shoulder straps are 2.5″ wide X 0.8″ thick and are SuperWick mesh lined with full-length highest quality 1/2″ thick EVA foam padding. Our shoulder straps are thicker and wider than most lightweight packs. Half length daisy chain saves weight and accepts all Shoulder Strap Pouches.
- Hybrid Mesh/Dyneema X Side and Rear Pockets. The leading edge of the side pockets are Dyneema X to prevent snagging when moving through the bush. The lower 5″ of the rear pocket is Dyneema X to prevent abrasion from sharp contents or butt sliding accidents. The 4 oz sq/yd open hole non-stretch water and drains fast to allow contents to dry faster than a tight stretch mesh or solid fabric. Dyneema X elastic top sleeves for long term Durability and elastic replacement.
- Large un-padded lightweight Dyneema X hip-belt wings with 3/4″ webbing and ultra lightweight buckle. Optional removable Hip Pocket can be attached.
- Large, slanted mesh side pockets are deep enough for a 2 L Platypus. Top bungee sleeves of Dyneema X for long term durability vs. cheaper style wrapped tops of uncovered elastic bands. Pocket adjusts by pulling the bungee closed through the cord lock. Bungee is 1/8″ thick 40 below rated elastic in a nylon sheath style bungee. Many lower priced packs simply bind over the top of the raw mesh with regular garment type elastic that loses it’s stretch in a few years and does not do well in deep cold weather.
- 12 bungee attachment web loops with 7 mm glide rings for multiple attachment points for load compression and gear lashing. A short loop of 3 mm line can be attached to the lower loops for trekking pole and ice ax attachment
- Left shoulder hydration ports
- Internal hang clip loops for Optional .75 Hydration Sleeve or Stow Pouch. The Hydration Sleeve also converts to a 1.1 oz summit day pack.
- Removable Multi-position “Most Awesome Sternum Strap In The World” with Black Whistle-Lock Buckle 0.5 oz (not included in base pack weight)
- Dry Bag roll top closure with V-top compression strap.
- Long shoulder straps terminate in hand/finger rest loops.
INCLUDES
- 10″ of black 1/8″ bungee cord
- 2 mini cord clips and 3 cord locks’
20/09/2017: Gay Rights or Human Rights: The Government refuses to present or frame a bill which would protect our ‘rights’ to free speech, religious liberty, employment and etc if the ‘yes’ vote succeeds. Such a bill would also have to pass the Senate (unlikely). Therefore if we vote ‘yes’ we will have no idea what awful outcomes may ensue. Better to draw a line in the sand and vote ‘No’ now – after all homosexual people already have the right to a civil union, the same inheritance, superannuation, adoption etc rights as other citizens. What is the point of reducing other human rights by supporting the ‘No’ case? And, the warning is: the ‘Yes’ folks are such bullies: http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/its-not-okay-to-be-homophobic-canberra-contractor-sacked-for-vote-no-facebook-post/news-story/4ed027f47b5810e87036450054a8b6dd I suspect sacking this young woman because she said she will vote ‘No’ on account of her Cghristain beliefs is only the beginning of th ‘Gay’ tyranny. How can a tiny minority (1 ½%) force their views on everyone else. It is mind-boggling! http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/gay-marriage/no-voter-fires-back-after-getting-the-sack/news-story/cebbf3ff4a85c80b01c842f271b9f604
20/09/2017: Virtually
an epidemic of cannibalism. In
20/09/2017: Useless
objects: https://www.theuncomfortable.com/
19/09/2017: Who would
have believed you can draw on water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=42&v=3NZ-cAf8Bbw
19/09/2017: Remember just a little while ago when the Government decided to make all codeine products prescription only? Here are some very sound thoughts about just such nonsense: ‘If you want to convince me of the need for restrictions on any substances, such as narcotics, you have to convince me of three things:
- That incarcerating users is somehow better for them than their addiction
- That ethically abusers of the substance are more worthy of our attention and intervention than legitimate users who benefit from the substance and whose access will likely be restricted
- That the negative social costs of the substance's use are higher than the inevitable social costs of the criminal black market (including the freedom-reducing policing laws implemented in response) that will emerge when its use or purchase is banned’ http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2017/09/yep-i-was-right-opioid-proposals-going-forward-with-no-discussion-of-their-effect-on-legitimate-users.html
19/09/2017: Ultralight Cookpot: Mountain Laurel Designs’ Titanium Mug (https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/titanium-mug/) has to come close to winning the prize at 39 grams for a 475 ml mug which is at least sturdy enough to carry around without its crushing. I would recommend this for ultralight overnight trips such as an ultralight hunter might undertake, for example. You could cook a simple meal in it such as two minute noodles combined with a cup-a-soup.
You might combine it with an egg-ring stove (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/) from 12.5 grams, and a titanium windscreen (https://www.toaksoutdoor.com/products/wsc) 14 grams for a total cookset weight of 65.5 grams.
I have boiled a cup of water (on a 13 gram esbit stove), made coffee and drunk it from a 375 ml beer can I had cut the lid out of with a can opener. You need something to insulate it, perhaps a large rubber band fashioned from a cycle inner tube, but it works and is extraordinarily light.
Trail Designs offer a Caldera set-up which utilizes a large Heineken can as the cookpot, but again it needs a plastic jar to protect it from crushing, so you have to be very careful: https://www.traildesigns.com/products/caldera-keg-f-stove-system The weight of the pot + cone + stove is 77 grams!
If you want to cook a substantial meal and have a set-up which is pretty near indestructible in your pack, this Toaks pot at 146 grams including the frypan lid is hard to beat: https://www.traildesigns.com/products/toaks-titanium-1100ml-pot-ckw1100 I have a one piece titanium cone (also from Trail Designs) which fits inside it perfectly so that I can cook with an alcohol stove or esbit or with a small wood fire. It also works with the Evernew 900 ml pot at 123 grams includuing frypan lid: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cookset-woes/
18/09/2017: Ultralight Crockery
I have found it impossible to find a lighter serviceable dish than this one at 15 grams which comes free eg with a packet of Sirena Tuna & Rice. It holds just over 250 ml making it just big enough for my (hiking) cereal in the mornings, or can be used when you are sharing a meal. It is well nigh indestructible - I always carry a couple for Spot (the dog's) food and water too!
I always use a pot with a frypan lid (such as this one http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-cookware/) so I have two cookpots or a pot and a plate. Sometimes it is handy to have another plate such as the one above (eg if you are cooking two dishes (such as fried sausages and mashed potato, or: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/he-hiked-with-a-falafel-in-his-hand/)
The blue cup on the scales below is one that I bought several of from a $1 store years' ago. It weighs 29 grams. I am yet to find a better. It has been with me now for 18 years, and has done great service! The other blue one is a 'Neverrfail' water cup I took home from the doctor's surgery the other day. It seems very flexible and not at all inclined to break. It weighs 5 grams. I think you would have to be careful drinking coffee out of it, but it would be possible. It would be fine for the traditional hiking drink of Bacardi 151 and water though!
18/09/2017: CRKT PDK Replacement Blades
Ultimate Blades for the Ultralight Hunter #2: You can buy #60 scalpel blades on eBay from US$23.95 per 100 (eg here) and you can change the blades on these CRKT PDKs with a locking forceps as shown (which weigh 24 grams - as the photo shows)
You change them just the same as any other scalpel blade (Carefully!) and using eg the tool above, by lifting up the handle end slightly then sliding the blade forward. Reinstalling the new one is the reverse of the process. Dispose of the spent blades safely eg in a hard container with a screw lid.
I know this is a somewhat stingy option given that the knives only cost about $7 each (and weigh 16 grams each including the sheath) when you buy the set of four, but it might be a useful tip. A friend who works in surgery gave me the forceps - as they dispose of thousands of them every year to waste. Astonishing - such a useful tool for fishing too! Well, they both are!
PS: I would imagine you could change the blades in the field with this too ie a Leatherman Squirt: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/leatherman_squirt/
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultimate-blades-for-the-ultralight-hunter/
18/09/2017: Scott Sumner: ‘perhaps…there is no such thing as ‘public opinion’. People are like electrons; you can't measure them without changing their positions…Most people don't have views that are internally consistent, so their ‘views’ on public policy issues are strongly shaped by the wording of the polls’. Certainly, the ‘gay marriage’ poll is like this!
18/09/2017: Dump the RET: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/09/our-electricity-crisis-is-the-cost-of-virtue-signalling/
18/09/2017: Before you start feeling sorry for the Rohingya (and maybe think we should take a few of them in). Think again: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/09/we-should-choose-our-friends-in-the-rohingya-versus-burma-battles-wisely.html & http://pickeringpost.com/story/the-rohingya-s-plight-will-test-our-moral-compass/7571
17/09/2017: Ultralight Chair: the Litesmith Qwikback: I don’t know which came first, the ‘Jerry Chair’ I posted about here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-chairgrounsheet/ or this one. Whichever, this is an interesting idea for an ultralight chair for the trail if you are not handy enough to make your own. I don’t think it would be as comfy as the Big Agnes Cyclone, but at 75 grams it is less than half the weight, so might be an option. http://www.litesmith.com/qwikback-ul-chair/
It also makes a very small package. I imagine you could substitute bush sticks for the carbon fibre rods to further reduce the weight. US$59.95 (September 2017) It can be coupled with a closed cell foan pad for extra comfort.
- ‘Ultralight - just 2.65 oz (75 g)
- Durable ripstop nylon seat
- Strong yet light carbon fiber poles
- Integrated pole storage
- Folds into a compact, self-contained package
After several days of hiking, one thing we miss in the backcountry is a chair. But most are too heavy and bulky to even consider carrying as a luxury item. The QwikBack™ UL Chair changed our thinking and made backpacking more relaxing. At just 2.65 oz (75 g), it's hard to leave at home. "What's wrong with a log?", you say. Well, nothing, but after a long day of hiking or even at a lunch stop, something comfortable to lean back on just makes life more enjoyable.
The QwikBack UL Chair is made of durable materials - ripstop nylon seat and twill carbon fiber poles - for years of backcountry enjoyment. Heck, you could even take it with you to the park or outdoor concert.
The design is super simple but it takes a little getting used to because unlike most chairs, this one doesn't stand on its own. First you insert the poles in the reinforced pockets on the chair back, crossing them in an X pattern. Next you sit on the wide end of the seat on the ground with the poles under the fabric. Then prop up the poles behind you and lean back on the chair. Large diameter rubber feet keep the poles from sinking into the ground. To make adjustments, just reach back and grab the poles, lean forward a little, and move them to a better position. Now lean back and relax.’
When its time to pack up, the chair folds into a compact, self-contained package. Simply remove the poles from the seat and fold them in half. The poles are shockcorded and connected in an assembly so they're easy to pack without loosing any pieces. Starting at the top with the dirty side in, roll the poles inside the seat. When you reach the bottom, tuck the roll into the integrated pouch. No extra bag to keep track of.’
Litesmith also have some other really neat gear, such as orifice reducers (you will have to click on that one): http://www.litesmith.com/orifice-reducers/, Tottles: http://www.litesmith.com/tottles-hdpe/, Alien Cord Winders (Yes!): http://www.litesmith.com/alien-cord-winders/, Whoopies Slings, etc. Check them out!
17/09/2017: Prehistory has so much yet to teach us: http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/evolution/footprint-find-on-crete-may-push-back-date-humans-began-to-walk-upright/news-story/2e60cbd7386573dd2a45c5cc9d79297d
17/09/2017:
17/09/2017: The BOM is a disgrace: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/09/too-late-bureau-of-met-buys-time-with-another-major-revision-of-data-that-was-best-quality-five-years-ago/
17/09/2017: Turnbull is such a ‘do-nothing’ guy. Please, Liberals, give us our proper PM, Tony back soon! http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/turnbulls-two-years-lets-compare-to-abbotts/news-story/7e318301658a4f39d54b9c901710b484
16/09/2017: Fire Umbrella: How to prevent the rain from putting out your fire? I have been toying with this idea for some time. This week I decided to try out an 'ultralight' method. I constructed this 1 metre x 1 metre square of tyvek for that purpose, sewing gross grain ribbon tie outs on each of four corners. It weighed less than 2 ounces (60 grams) including the 1mm (pink!) dyneema suspension 'rope'. This is not much weight to carry for the benefit of a warm fire out the front of your tyvek tent or shelter.
Before:
The 'apprentice' seems very pleased with the arrangement.
When I was up the bush on a training trip this week with a new 'apprentice' (you can expect a future post 'The Deer Hunter's Apprentice') some decent (?) rain set in so I thought I would give it a try. To begin with it worked a treat, so the 'proof of concept' is definitely 'in'. After a little while someone became a little enthusiastic about putting too much wood on the fire (and ignoring it) so that the flames were actually 'licking' the tyvek (well 'devouring' might be a better word), which didn't like that so much. Clearly naked flame exceeds the melting point of the tyvek so that it now has a large hole melted in its centre. This could have been prevented by having it suspended about two feet higher and/or not building the fire up so much. The tyvek did not ignite! An important point. Also importantly, the 'string did not melt, only the hottest centre bit of the 'umbrella'. I belatedly shifted it higher and left it there and it melted no more, yet still prevented the fire from going out - which it probably otherwise would have.
The other strategy to use would be to source some more fireproof (though heavier) material. The stuff that 'fire blankets' are made of would be very good, though also very heavy 427 grams. The fire blanket must be made of approx 13 oz cloth. I see that they (https://www.auburnmfg.com/product-category/mro/heat-resistant-cloth/) also make a 9 oz product which would bring the weight down under 300 grams (still too heavy for my liking). Of course both heavier materials would be fine for car-based camping. More to come...
After:
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-tent/
A reader responds: ‘Interesting idea. I'll warn you that the column of hot air -- hot enough air to melt synthetic fabrics -- extends an alarming height from any fire large enough to keep you "warm" without having to sit so close to it that the embers won't make you and your stuff Swiss cheese. I see many possible failure modes for this plan, and most of them involve picking molten plastic off of yourself and/or your gear. The current conditions including wind, etc. are going to make the performance of what that hot air is doing extremely unpredictable, as well. It wouldn't take much of a breeze for the heat to be shifted enough to take out one of your guylines. You are also in a catch-22 situation: The higher you hang the tarp to keep it away from the heat the less effective it is versus rain blowing in from the sides. So the bigger you make it to mitigate this the more heat it captures, so the higher you have to hang it, so the bigger you have to make it... et cetera.
Flame retardant fabric is an idea, but you also need flame retardant suspension lines. And the fire canopy, if it's not designed to just be disposable, is going to be just covered in soot after the first time you use it. So you probably also want something to stuff it into when you're done using it.
If you really need to keep a small fire going in the rain it's probably easier to just stick a half-pyramid of aluminum foil over it. Then you don't need any suspension lines or anything of that ilk. Keeping the tinder and kindling dry when you're getting started is the important part. A good bed of coals can survive a pretty substantial downpour all by itself. And if the prevailing conditions mean that you can't get your hands on dry kindling in the first place then you're probably not having a fire tonight, mini-canopy or not.
(I would further propose that if you are relying on a fire for warmth in your shelter outside of an emergency survival situation you are, in fact, doing it wrong. That's what your shelter and insulation are for. A fire is nice to have [and those marshmallows ain't going to toast themselves], but it should by no means be essential to your safety or comfort -- especially when rain is in the forecast.)’
And my response: Thank you for your input. I camp out mostly in the e colder months, so I usually have a fire for warmth, but you are right – one should not rely on it. I have been doing this for nearly 60 years. These days I usually use one of my tyvek shelters which embers don't affect. The 'fire canopy' (good term - thank you for that) worked very well in the rain except I had it too low. Most of the wind-driven rain is moderated by the structure of the shelter itself, and the wind is kept away from the fire, and of course the embers blow away from the shelter as well. I had it only about 4' above the fire, then someone made the fire too large. It needed to be 6-7' above the fire and the fire needed to be kept small enough so flames never went 4' into the air. This is actually quite easy to do. I would recommend that others use a fireproof material such as the blankets are made of, or the lighter one I provided the link for (which would weigh about 300 grams). I will have yet another go with the tyvek because I have lots of it and am careful, and just see how I go. I never walk tracks or trails, so I hardly ever toast marshmallows. The track walking brigade probably have little bush sense and should definitely be guided by your advice. I am thinking of this idea mostly for backpacking deer hunters - which is what we were doing in the photographs. Thank you also for the idea about the aluminium foil shelter idea for a small fire. I usually recommend people carry some aluminium foil (though not that much) for roasting fish, but your idea is another good option.
16/09/2017: So, the Sumerians discovered trigonometry a thousand years before anyone else and in a better form which had not yet been rediscovered: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/48604 & http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0315086017300691
16/09/2017: More
about
16/09/2017: New
coal-fired generators being built:
World: 621
The data was requested by Nationals senator and party whip
John Williams, who has argued that the carbon emissions produced by the new
plants worldwide would eclipse
Very soon, it will be too late to act on Hazelwood. Quit
running around in citcles crying ‘The sky is falling!’David Uren in the
Australian: Other countries are wrestling with the same problems as climate
change policies force greater adoption of intermittent renewable sources. As a
new report from the Grattan Institute notes,
10/09/2017: Boadicea, Joan of Arc, Pope Joan…More evidence of medieval women’s lib: http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/famous-viking-warrior-burial-revealed-to-be-that-of-a-woman/news-story/7c1a4c0053f4cc167676af1bcffa5e37
10/09/2017:
Personally, I would trust Aung Sun Suu Kyi to be in the right on this issue, but
as usual Mal and Jules get it completely wrong: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/09/julie-bishop-gives-another-5-million-for-a-total-of-50m-to-help-out-islamists-in-burmas-rakhine-stat.html
10/09/2017: The BOM’s records are now nothing but political statements instead of being historical weather records. First we had the change back in the 80s from minimax thermometers to digital ones which took the temperature constantly. Naturallly, this change produced a warming of the average temperature of nearly a degree. Now we notice that incredibly transient (warm) temperatures lasting less than 1/20th of a second eg from jet engine exhausts - most of the stations today have been moved to airports (!) are entering the records. A mercury thermometer took minutes to change and so ignored such incidentals. Now we find that the BOM has set up their systemn so that colder temperatures (than they would like to exist) are not recorded at all. You can see in the graph belw how this is distorting the instrumental record. The surface station record is now so unreliable it should probably be completely ignored: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/09/bom-review-finds-skeptics-were-right-but-say-trust-us-it-doesnt-matter/
09/09/2017: I would
like to see many referenda (eg on capital punishment, banning fireworks, access
to public lands, one law for all Australians, gay marriage, & etc, etc…)
but most of all, I would like us to be
able to abolish the Senate: I think it is absolutely disgusting that this
vile institution still exists which denies this basic right: one person, one
vote! It is disgraceful that a voter in
09/09/2017: I can live without such glass: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/08/the-odd-case-of-spontaneously-shattering-glass/
09/09/2017: Howard is perfectly right: You can’t vote for a ‘pig in a poke’ (bag). We must see the legislation first! He is also right that the change will have manifold other ramifications which we would never vote for (such as has been happening in the UK – and here. This may be our last best chance to halt the march of ‘progressivist’ tyranny.
09/09/2017: How could
a country with huge resources of coal, gas and uranium (and thorium) run short
of electricity? Except that the lunatics are running the asylum: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/a-totally-idiotmade-electricity-disaster/news-story/86a2172e094577dce3edbaa0ba4ba1d2
08/09/2017: Given that water vapour is responsible for 99% of the so-called greenhouse effect, ‘If we’re worried about CO2 causing global warming, wouldn’t it be much worse if we were all driving cars that had water vapor as their exhaust?’ If only there are/were more students like this one: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/09/07/the-making-of-a-climate-skeptic-at-university/
08/09/2017: What
happens when you mix aluminium and mercury: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrdYueB9pY4&feature=youtu.be
08/09/2017: The next tyranny, ecosexuality: “You don’t look at the Earth as your mother, you look at it as your lover.” http://davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/2017/09/a-rustling-in-the-bushes.html
07/09/2017: Man punches a bear trap! Don’t try this at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4fznINyU-U
07/09/2017: Holy Cow! SSDs are the way to go. Take a look at these results: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/30372-Docs-Computin-Tips-The-solid-state-drive.html#extended
07/09/2017: A Slap in the Face to the Iconoclasts (aka statue smashers): https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/too-good-to-not-quote/ PS: And Cecil Rhodes was the only man in history to have two counties named after himself – yet he died in his forties!
06/09/2017: Della: Winging home to chilly
05/09/2017: The soul of the octopus: a truly fascinating read: https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n17/amia-srinivasan/the-sucker-the-sucker
04/09/2017: Della
always gets to print way before me, but here
are some of the things I found interesting about the last couple of days
wandering around what folks would normally consider the less picturesque places
in far
The native kapok tree is quite a stunner.
What a beautiful little guy this agile wallaby was.
You do have to watch out for these guys - and the immense dust cloud they trail.
The light in this Mungana cave was delicious.
According to the locals you should never buy termite country because it is low in phosphorus - this patch must be particularly low!
Many grand spider's webs around Chillago
And this interesting paper wasp's nest.
So many wonderful pigeons up here. Della is in seventh heaven.
Love these dry riverbeds - they look like great spots to camp, particularly if you love birdlife.
These wonderful Qld cows seem to love them too.
A prosaic farm dam can be a thing of great beauty.
Don't you wish you loved a bath as much as this?
I really liked the
04/09/2017: Della: So we have spent the last 3 days exploring from Atherton across to the old mining towns on the edge of the savannah lands: Innot Hot Springs, Herberton, Chillagoe and Mungana. The land changes so quickly from rainforest to savannah and the old mining towns were well worth a look! With Steve Jones.
So many dry creek beds on the way.
Dry creek bed on the road from
Herberton. Cows, brumbies...lots of road hazards with unfenced stations.
Inside one of the limestone caves at
Chillagoe Creek - quite a respite from the heat of the day.
Remnants of the old Chillagoe copper smelter.
Snapped this guy inside a very dry cave!
View from old Chillagoe copper smelter across the savannah.
Steve inside the Archways,
04/09/2017: Great climate change myths. Corals survive for 500 million years, but are about to go extinct any day now: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/09/corals-survive-542m-years-of-supervolcano-asteroids-125m-sea-level-change-only-to-go-extinct-in-2034/
03/09/2017: A tale of
2 waterfalls: The first one,
03/09/2017: Oh dear! Such sensitivity: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451013/banana-peel-frightens-ole-miss-fraternity-retreat-canceled-mississippi
03/09/2017: You Can Do It: If we
have been quiet it is because we are busy doing. The last two days we spent
climbing Mt Bartle Frere, the tallest mountain in
Up we go
A beautiful cloud forest
Our trusty deer hunter's tent in the clouds near the summit .
Morning view from our front door
One of the boulder fields we had to traverse
A view from near the summit
The helipad at the summit.
More to follow. Be patient.
01/09/2017: Della: Victory! Mount Bartle Frere done and dusted. In a motel in Innisfail tonight too tired to even contemplate a champagne....Tomorrow night may be a different story! We reached the top in cloud forest mist this morning after an amazingly challenging climb. The approach to the top involved negotiating a formidable boulder field that felt like a mountain climber's nightmare. Some of the leg ups were far wider than my short limbs could possibly reach so I was very grateful for Steve's assistance in hauling me over the yawning chasms! The view from the top was non-existent, due to the heavy mist, but Bartle Frere was all about the journey rather than the destination. The steep descent that took us all of today was cruel on our overstretched leg muscles so I may be hobbling for a day or two! With Steve Jones
Cloud forest this morning
Last night's camp: Tent in the mist!
Hanging out with some bracket fungi this morning.
The boulder field begins.
Half way up the boulder field, looking down the route. No pictures can quite capture the steepness of the climb!
View, such as it was, from the top.
31/08/2017: Della: Tonight we are
camped just near the summit of
One of the stream crossings.
Delightful bracket fungi!
Lots of tree-root ladder work...in fact most of the track has been constantly vertical.
31/08/2017:
30/08/2017: Della: A
lovely day acclimatising to sunny
Stony Creek Weir Track
Croc basking on the bank of
Kim Henry - Stony Creek Weir Track
Cattana wetlands
Cattana wetlands
29/08/2017:
28/08/2017: Understand this: Government is force; it is not charity, avuncular,
earth mother. Its role is not to succour and support. It is to control and
defend. To think otherwise is perversion. This is our prime duty: ‘Support
yourself’. Crying out to Government for ‘support’ is always babyish - just some
ghastly selfish theft, an insisting that one’s fellow men and women ought
support you because you won’t support yourself. Whence comes this ‘owing’, this
‘debt’? I can understand it in relation to care for the elderly (perhaps) as
they (surely?) can be expected to have spent a lifetime working, maybe building
up some ‘social credit’ (but might they not also have been expected to have put
away a little for a rainy day – for just such a certain eventuality as old
age)? But the great majority of those who clamour for ‘support’ just want to
suck at the public teat because it is there and it is easy, while ‘work’ is a
four letter word best not discussed. They are ‘owed’ nothing. A debt presumes a
corresponding credit which they have not built up. Indeed the ‘great’
dependent unwashed clamourers have it the wrong way around: having been raised
on a lifetime diet of dependency, eg free education, health care, welfare,
public housing, all sorts of publicly provided services and checks and
balances, law and order, defence, museums, public transport…the list is almost
endless…they have a debt to repay: eg by service to their society: by joining
our defence forces, working for the dole, caring for the disabled, child
minding, cleaning working folks’ homes, or etc…They have already been well paid
for doing nought! Our dusky brethren who clamour for more are the least
deserving in this line-up. ‘They’ have enjoyed better than two and a quarter
centuries of dependency, of living off the public teat. Way past time they
started paying off that debt, instead of shreking for more!
28/08/2017: I am in the mood for poetry today. This is one of my favourites
too:
Waiting for the Barbarians C.P Cavafy
(Translated by
Why are we all assembled and waiting in the market place?
It is the barbarians; they will be here today.
Why is there nothing being done in the senate
house?
Why are the senators in session but are not passing
laws?
Because the barbarians are coming today.
Why should the senators make laws any more?
The barbarians will make the laws when they get
here.
Why has our emperor got up so early
and sits there at the biggest gate of the city
high on his throne, in state, and with his crown
on?
Because the barbarians are coming today
and the emperor is waiting to receive them
and their general. And he has even made ready
a parchment to present them, and thereon
he has written many names and many titles.
Why have our two consuls and our praetors
Come out today in their red embroidered togas?
Why have they put on their bracelets with all those
amethysts
and rings shining with the glitter of emeralds?
Why will they carry their precious staves today
which are decorated with figures of gold and
silver?
Because the barbarians are coming today
And things like that impress the barbarians.
Why do our good orators not put in any appearance
and make public speeches, and do what they
generally do?
Because the barbarians are coming today
and they get bored with eloquent public speeches.
Why is everybody beginning to be so uneasy?
Why so disordered? (See how grave all the faces
have
become!) Why do the streets and the squares empty
so quickly,
and they are all anxiously going home to their
houses?
Because it is night, and the barbarians have not
got here,
and some people have come in from the frontier
and say that there aren’t any more barbarians.
What are we going to do now without the barbarians?
In a way, those people were a solution.
28/08/2017: Oh Come With Old Khayyam
Oh, come with old Khayyám, and leave the Wise
To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies;
One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown for ever dies...
Khayyam too was a tentmaker from Nishapur
My Pocket Poncho tent http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-pocket-poncho-tent/ will make an adequate floor for it (at 185 grams). To that I will have to add about a dozen shepherd's crook titanium stakes and a couple of guys with line locks, say 75 grams together, making the vast quantity of 635 grams in toto. There is nothing quite like it anywhere. I simply do not know what today's tentmakers are doing, any more than Khayyam would have done.
Perhaps (sadly) you do not know Khayyam or this magnificent poem at all? My favourite really. The 'Bible of Scepticism' folks used to call it, but there is nothing at all wrong with scepticism (the converse is the case).
He goes on:
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it...
And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky,
Whereunder crawling coop't we live and die,
Lift not thy hands to It for help—for It
Rolls impotently on as Thou or I....
Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse—and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness—
And Wilderness is
You like that taste, I hope? Here is the complete first 1859 edition of Fitzgerald's translation of the Rubaiyat, (in my opinion the best - footnotes at bottom):
The Rubayyat of Omar Khayyam Translated into English in 1859 by Edward FitzGerald
[page 1]
RUBÁIYÁT OF OMAR KHAYYÁM OF NAISHÁPÚR.
———————
I.
AWAKE! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:{1}
And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultán's Turret in a Noose of Light.
II.
Dreaming when Dawn's Left Hand was in the Sky{2}
I heard a Voice within the Tavern cry,
"Awake, my Little ones, and fill the Cup
"Before Life's Liquor in its Cup be dry."
III.
And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted—"Open then the Door!
"You know how little while we have to stay,
"And, once departed, may return no more."
[page 2]
IV.
Now the New Year{3} reviving old Desires,
The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires,
Where the WHITE HAND OF MOSES on the Bough
Puts out,{4} and Jesus from the Ground suspires.
V.
Irám indeed is gone with all its Rose,{5}
And Jamshýd's Sev'n-ring'd Cup where no one knows;
But still the Vine her ancient Ruby yields,
And still a Garden by the Water blows.
VI.
And David's Lips are lock't; but in divine
High piping Péhlevi,{6} with "Wine! Wine! Wine!
"Red Wine!"—the Nightingale cries to the Rose
That yellow Cheek{7} of her's to'incarnadine.
VII.
Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly—and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.
VIII.
And look—a thousand Blossoms with the Day
Woke—and a thousand scatter'd into Clay:
And this first Summer Month that brings the Rose
Shall take Jamshýd and Kaikobád away.
[page 3]
IX.
But come with old Khayyám, and leave the
Of Kaikobád and Kaikhosrú forgot:
Let Rustum lay about him as he will,{8}
Or Hátim Tai cry Supper—heed them not.
X.
With me along some Strip of Herbage strown
That just divides the desert from the sown,
Where name of Slave and Sultán scarce is known,
And pity Sultán Mahmúd on his Throne.
XI.
Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse—and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness—
And Wilderness is
XII.
"How sweet is mortal Sovranty!"—think some:
Others—"How blest the
Ah, take the Cash in hand and wave the Rest;
Oh, the brave Music of a distant Drum!{9}
XIII.
Look to the Rose that blows about us—"Lo,
"Laughing," she says, "into the World I blow:
"At once the silken Tassel of my Purse
"Tear, and its Treasure{10} on the Garden throw."
[page 4]
XIV.
The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
Turns Ashes—or it prospers; and anon,
Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face
Lighting a little Hour or two—is gone.
XV.
And those who husbanded the Golden Grain,
And those who flung it to the Winds like Rain,
Alike to no such aureate Earth are turn'd
As, buried once, Men want dug up again.
XVI.
Think, in this batter'd Caravanserai
Whose Doorways are alternate Night and Day,
How Sultán after Sultán with his Pomp
Abode his Hour or two, and went his way.
XVII.
They say the Lion and the Lizard keep
The Courts where Jamshýd gloried and drank deep:{11}
And Bahrám, that great Hunter—the Wild Ass
Stamps o'er his Head, and he lies fast asleep.
XVIII.
I sometimes think that never blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Cæsar bled;
That every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head.
[page 5]
XIX.
And this delightful Herb whose tender Green
Fledges the River's Lip on which we lean—
Ah, lean upon it lightly! for who knows
From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen!
XX.
Ah! my Belovéd, fill the Cup that clears
TO-DAY of past Regrets and future Fears—
To-morrow?—Why, To-morrow I may be
Myself with Yesterday's Sev'n Thousand Years.{12}
XXI.
Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and the best
That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest,
Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,
And one by one crept silently to Rest.
XXII.
And we, that now make merry in the Room
They left, and Summer dresses in new Bloom,
Ourselves must we beneath the Couch of Earth
Descend, ourselves to make a Couch—for whom?
XXIII.
Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,
Before we too into the Dust Descend;
Dust into Dust, and under Dust, to lie,
Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer and—sans End!
[page 6]
XXIV.
Alike for those who for TO-DAY prepare,
And those that after a TO-MORROW stare,
A Muezzín from the
"Fools! your Reward is neither Here nor There."
XXV.
Why, all the Saints and Sages who discuss'd
Of the Two Worlds so learnedly, are thrust
Like foolish Prophets forth; their Words to Scorn
Are scatter'd, and their Mouths are stopt with Dust.
XXVI.
Oh, come with old Khayyám, and leave the Wise
To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies;
One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies;
The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.
XXVII.
Myself when young did eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint, and heard great Argument
About it and about: but evermore
Came out by the same Door as in I went.
XXVIII.
With them the Seed of Wisdom did I sow,
And with my own hand labour'd it to grow:
And this was all the Harvest that I reap'd—
"I came like Water, and like Wind I go."
[page 7]
XXIX.
Into this Universe, and why not knowing,
Nor whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing:
And out of it, as Wind along the Waste,
I know not whither, willy-nilly blowing.
XXX.
What, without asking, hither hurried whence?
And, without asking, whither hurried hence!
Another and another Cup to drown
The Memory of this Impertinence!
XXXI.
Up from Earth's Centre through the Seventh Gate
I rose, and on the Throne of Saturn sate,{13}
And many Knots unravel'd by the Road;
But not the Knot of Human Death and Fate.
XXXII.
There was a Door to which I found no Key:
There was a Veil past which I could not see:
Some little Talk awhile of ME and THEE
There seemed—and then no more of THEE and ME.{15}
XXXIII.
Then to the rolling Heav'n itself I cried,
Asking, "What Lamp had Destiny to guide
"Her little Children stumbling in the Dark?"
And—"A blind understanding!" Heav'n replied.
[page 8]
XXXIV.
Then to this earthen Bowl did I adjourn
My Lip the secret Well of Life to learn:
And Lip to Lip it murmur'd—"While you live,
"Drink!—for once dead you never shall return."
XXXV.
I think the Vessel, that with fugitive
Articulation answer'd, once did live,
And merry-make; and the cold Lip I kiss'd
How many Kisses might it take—and give.
XXXVI.
For in the Market-place, one Dusk of Day,
I watch'd the Potter thumping his wet Clay:
And with its all obliterated Tongue
It murmur'd—"Gently, Brother, gently, pray!"
XXXVII.
Ah, fill the Cup:—what boots it to repeat
How Time is slipping underneath our Feet:
Unborn TO-MORROW and dead YESTERDAY,
Why fret about them if TO-DAY be sweet!
XXXVIII.
One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,
One moment, of the Well of Life to taste—
The Stars are setting, and the Caravan
Starts for the dawn of Nothing{16}—Oh, make haste!
[page 9]
XXXIX.
How long, how long, in infinite Pursuit
Of This and That endeavour and dispute?
Better be merry with the fruitful Grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, Fruit.
XL.
You know, my Friends, how long since in my House
For a new Marriage I did make Carouse:
Divorced old barren Reason from my Bed,
And took the Daughter of the Vine to Spouse.
XLI.
For "IS" and "IS-NOT" though with Rule and Line,
And, "UP-AND-DOWN" without, I could define,{14}
I yet in all I only cared to know,
Was never deep in anything but—Wine.
XLII.
And lately, by the Tavern Door agape,
Came stealing through the Dusk an Angel Shape,
Bearing a vessel on his Shoulder; and
He bid me taste of it; and 'twas—the Grape!
XLIII.
The Grape that can with Logic absolute
The Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects{17} confute:
The subtle Alchemist that in a Trice
Life's leaden Metal into Gold transmute.
[page 10]
XLIV.
The mighty Mahmúd, the victorious Lord,
That all the misbelieving and black Horde{18}
Of Fears and Sorrows that infest the Soul
Scatters and slays with his enchanted Sword.
XLV.
But leave the Wise to wrangle, and with me
The Quarrel of the Universe let be:
And, in some corner of the Hubbub coucht,
Make Game of that which makes as much of Thee.
XLVI.
For in and out, above, about, below,
'Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show,
Play'd in a Box whose Candle is the Sun,
Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.{19}
XLVII.
And if the Wine you drink, the Lip you press,
End in the Nothing all Things end in—Yes—
Then fancy while Thou art, Thou art but what
Thou shalt be—Nothing—Thou shalt not be less.
XLVIII.
While the Rose blows along the River Brink,
With old Khayyám the Ruby Vintage drink:
And when the Angel with his darker Draught
Draws up to thee—take that, and do not shrink.
[page 11]
XLVIX.
'Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days
Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:
Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,
And one by one back in the Closet lays.
L.
The Ball no Question makes of Ayes and Noes,
But Right or Left as strikes the Player goes;
And He that toss'd Thee down into the Field,
He knows about it all—HE knows—HE knows!{20}
LI.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
LII.
And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky,
Whereunder crawling coop't we live and die,
Lift not thy hands to It for help—for It
Rolls impotently on as Thou or I.
LIII.
With Earth's first Clay They did the Last Man's knead,
And then of the Last Harvest sow'd the Seed:
Yea, the first Morning of Creation wrote
What the Last Dawn of Reckoning shall read.
[page 12]
LIV.
I tell Thee this—When, starting from the Goal,
Over the shoulders of the flaming Foal
Of Heav'n Parwín and Mushtara they flung,{21}
In my predestin'd Plot of Dust and Soul
The Vine had struck a Fibre; which about
If clings my Being—let the Súfi flout;
Of my Base Metal may be filed a Key,
That shall unlock the Door he howls without.
LVI.
And this I know: whether the one True Light,
Kindle to Love, or Wrathconsume me quite,
One Glimpse of It within the Tavern caught
Better than in the
LVII.
Oh Thou who didst with Pitfall and with Gin
Beset the Road I was to wander in,
Thou wilt not with Predestination round
Enmesh me, and impute my Fall to Sin?
LVIII.
Oh Thou, who Man of baser Earth didst make,
And who with
For all the Sin wherewith the Face of Man
Is blacken'd, Man's Forgiveness give—and take!
* * * * * * * * *
[page 13]
KÚZA-NÁMA.
LIX.
Listen again. One Evening at the Close
Of Ramazán, ere the better Moon arose,
In that old Potter's Shop I stood alone
With the clay Population round in Rows.
LX.
And strange to tell, among that Earthen
Some could articulate, while others not:
And suddenly one more impatient cried—
"Who is the Potter, pray, and who the Pot?"
LXI.
Then said another—"Surely not in vain
"My substance from the common Earth was ta'en,
"That He who subtly wrought me into Shape
"Should stamp me back to common Earth again."
LXII.
Another said—"Why, ne'er a peevish Boy
"Would break the Bowl from which he drank in Joy;
"Shall He that made the Vessel in pure Love
"And Fansy, in an after Rage destroy!"
[page 14]
LXIII.
None answer'd this; but after Silence spake
A Vessel of a more ungainly Make:
"They sneer at me for leaning all awry;
"What? did the Hand then of the Potter shake?"
LXIV.
Said one—"Folks of a surly Tapster tell,
"And daub his Visage with the Smoke of Hell;
"They talk of some strict Testing of us—Pish!
"He's a Good Fellow, and 'twill all be well."
LXV.
Then said another with a long-drawn Sigh,
"My Clay with long oblivion is gone dry:
"But, fill me with the old familiar Juice,
"Methinks I might recover by-and-bye!"
LXVI.
So, while the Vessels one by one were speaking,
One spied the little Crescent all were seeking:
And then they jogg'd each other, "Brother! Brother!
"Hark to the Porter's Shoulder-knot a-creaking!"
* * * * * * * * *
[page 15]
LXVII.
Ah, with the Grape my fading Life provide,
And wash my Body whence the life has died,
And in a Windingsheet of Vine-leaf wrapt,
So bury me by some sweet Gardenside.
LXVIII.
That ev'n my buried Ashes such a Snare
Of Perfume shall fling up into the Air,
As not a True Believer passing by
But shall be overtaken unaware.
LXIX.
Indeed the Idols I have loved so long
Have done my Credit in Men's Eye much wrong:
Have drown'd my Honour in a shallow Cup,
And sold my Reputation for a Song.
LXX.
Indeed, indeed, Repentance oft before
I swore—but was I sober when I swore?
And then and then came Spring, and Rose-in-hand
My thread-bare Penitence a-pieces tore.
LXXI.
And much as Wine has play'd the Infidel,
And robb'd me of my Robe of Honour—well,
I often wonder what the Vintners buy
One half so precious as the Goods they sell.
[page 16]
LXXII.
Alas, that Spring should vanish with the Rose!
That Youth's sweet-scented Manuscript should close!
The Nightingale that in the Branches sang,
Ah, whence, and whither flown again, who knows!
LXXIII.
Ah, Love! could thou and I with Fate conspire
To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
Would not we shatter it to bits—and then
Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire!
LXXIV.
Ah, Moon of my Delight who know'st no wane,
The Moon of Heav'n is rising once again:
How oft hereafter rising shall she look
Through this same Garden after me—in vain!
LXXV.
And when Thyself with shining Foot shall pass
Among the Guests Star-scatter'd on The Grass,
And in Thy joyous Errand reach the Spot
Where I made one—turn down an empty Glass!
TAMÁM SHUD.
[page 17]
NOTES
———
{1} Flinging a Stone into the Cup was the Signal for "To
Horse!" in the Desert.
{2} The "False Dawn;" Subhi Kházib, a transient Light
on the Horizon about an hour before the Subhi sâdhik, or
True Dawn; a well known Phenomenon in the East. The
Persians call the Morning Gray, or Dusk, "Wolf-and-Sheep-
While." "Almost at odds with, which is which."
{3} New Year. Beginning with the Vernal Equinox, it
must be remembered; and (howsoever the old Solar Year is
practically superseded by the clumsy Lunar Year that dates
from the Mohammedan Hijra) still commemorated by a
Festival that is said to have been appointed by the very
Jamshyd whom Omar so often talks of, and whose yearly
Calendar he helped to rectify.
"The sudden approach and rapid advance of the Spring,"
(says a late Traveller in
the Snow is well off the Ground, the Trees burst into Blos-
som, and the Flowers start from the Soil. At Now Rooz
(their New Year's Day) the Snow was lying in patches on
the Hills and in the shaded Vallies, while the Fruit-trees in
the Garden were budding beautifully, and green Plants and
Flowers springing upon the Plains on every side—
'And on old Hyem's Chin and icy Crown
'An odorous Chaplet of sweet Summer buds
'Is, as in mockery, set — ' —
[page 18]
Among the Plants newly appear'd I recognized some old
Acquaintances I had not seen for many a Year: among these,
two varieties of the Thistle; a coarse species of the Daisy,
like the Horse-gowan; red and white Clover; the Dock; the
blue Corn-flower; and that vulgar Herb the Dandelion rear-
ing its yellow crest on the Banks of the Watercourses." The
Nightingale was not yet heard, for the Rose was not
yet blown: but an almost identical Blackbird and Wood-
pecker helped to make up something of a North-country
Spring.
{4} Exodus iv. 6; where Moses draws forth his Hand—not,
according to the Persians, "leprous as Snow,"—but white
as
our May-Blossom in Spring perhaps! According to them
also the Healing Power of Jesus resided in his Breath.
{5} Irám, planted by King Schedad, and now sunk some-
where in the Sands of Arabia. Jamshyd's Seven-ring'd Cup
was typical of the Seven Heavens, 7 Planets, 7 Seas, &c.
and was a Divining Cup.
{6} Péhlevi, the old Heroic Sanskrit of
speaks of the Nightingale's Pehlevi, which did not change
with the People's.
{7} I am not sure if this refers to the Red Rose looking
sickly, or the Yellow Rose that ought to be Red; Red,
White, and Yellow Roses all common in
{8} Rustum, the "Hercules" of
among the most celebrated in the Shah-náma. Hátim Tai,
a well-known Type of Oriental Generosity.
{9} A Drum—beaten outside a Palace.
{10} That is, the Rose's Golden Centre.
[page 19]
{11} Persepolis: call'd also Takht'i Jamshyd—THE THRONE
OF JAMSHYD, "King-Splendid," of the mythical Peeshdádian
Dynasty, and supposed (with Shah-náma Authority) to
have been founded and built by him, though others refer it
to the Work of the Genie King, Ján Ibn Jann, who also
built the Pyramids before the time of Adam. It is also
called Chehl-minar— Forty-column; which is Persian, pro-
bably, for Column-countless; the Hall they adorned or
supported with their Lotus Base and taurine Capital
indicating double that Number, though now counted down
to less than half by Earthquake and other Inroad. By
whomsoever built, unquestionably the Monument of a long
extinguished Dynasty and Mythology; its Halls, Chambers
and Galleries, inscribed with Arrow-head Characters, and
sculptured with colossal, wing'd, half human Figures like
those of Nimroud; Processions of Priests and Warriors
—(doubtful if any where a Woman)—and Kings sitting on
Thrones or in Chariots, Staff or Lotus-flower in hand, and the
Ferooher—Symbol of Existence—with his wing'd Globe,
common also to Assyria and Ægypt—over their heads. All
this, together with Aqueduct and Cistern, and other Appur-
tenance of a Royal Palace, upon a Terrace-platform, ascended
by a double Flight of Stairs that may be gallop'd up, and
cut out of and into the Rock-side of the Koh'i Ráhmet,
Mountain of Mercy, where the old Fire-worshiping Sove-
reigns are buried, and overlooking the Plain of Merdasht.
Persians, like some other People, it seems, love to
write their own Names, with sometimes a Verse or two, on
their Country's Monuments. Mr. Binning (from whose
sensible Travels the foregoing Account is mainly condens't)
[page 20]
found several such in
of Háfiz: in another "an original, no doubt," he says, "by
no great Poet," however "right in his Sentiment." The
Words somehow looked to us, and the "halting metre"
sounded, familiar; and on looking back at last among the
500 Rubáiyát of the Calcutta Omar MS.—there it is: old
Omar quoted by one of his Countrymen, and here turned
into hasty Rhyme, at any rate—
"This Palace that its Top to Heaven threw,
And Kings their Forehead on its Threshold drew—
I saw a Ring-dove sitting there alone.
And 'Coo, Coo, Coo,' she cried, and ' Coo, Coo, Coo.' "
So as it seems the Persian speaks the English Ring-dove's
Péhlevi, which is also articulate Persian for "Where?"
BAHRÁM GÚR— Bahrám of the Wild Ass, from his Fame
in hunting it— a Sassanian Sovereign, had also his Seven
Castles (like the King of Bohemia!) each of a different Colour;
each with a Royal Mistress within side; each of whom
recounts to Bahrám a Romance, according to one of the
most famous Poems of Persia, written by Amír Khusraw:
these Sevens also figuring (according to Eastern Mysticism)
the Seven Heavens, and perhaps the Book itself that
Eighth, into which the mystical Seven transcend, and
within which they revolve. The Ruins of Three of these
Towers are yet shown by the Peasantry; as also the Swamp
in which Bahrám sunk, like the Master of Ravenswood,
while pursuing his Gúr.
{12} A Thousand Years to each Planet.
{13} Saturn, Lord of the Seventh Heaven.
{14} A Laugh at his Mathematics perhaps.
[page 21]
{15} ME AND THEE; that is, some Dividual Existence or
Personality apart from the Whole.
{16} The Caravan travelling by Night (after their New
Year's Day of the Vernal Equinox) by command of Mo-
hammed, I believe.
{17} The 72 Sects into which Islamism so soon split.
{18} This alludes to Mahmúd's Conquest of India and its
swarthy Idolaters.
{19} Fanúsi khiyál, a Magic-lanthorn still used in India;
the cylindrical Interior being painted with various Figures,
and so lightly poised and ventilated as to revolve round the
Candle lighted within.
{20} A very mysterious Line in the original;
U dánad u dánad u dánad u —
breaking off something like our Wood-pigeon's Note, which
she is said to take up just where she left off.
{21} Parwín and Mushtara—The Pleiads and Jupiter.
{22} At the Close of the Fasting Month, Ramazán (which
makes the Musulman unhealthy and unamiable), the first
Glimpse of the New Moon (who rules their Division of the
Year) is looked for with the utmost Anxiety, and hailed
with all Acclamation. Then it is that the Porter's Knot
may be heard toward the Cellar, perhaps. Old Omar has
elsewhere a pretty Quatrain about this same Moon—
"Be of Good Cheer—the sullen Month will die,
"And a young Moon requite us by and bye:
"Look how the Old one meagre, bent, and wan
"With Age and Fast, is fainting from the Sky!"
FINIS.
OMAR KHAYYÁM was born at Naishápúr in Khorassán
in the latter half of our Eleventh, and died within the First
Quarter of our Twelfth, Century. The slender Story of his
Life is curiously twined about that of two others very consi-
derable Figures in their Time and Country: one of them,
Hasan al Sabbáh, whose very Name has lengthen'd down to
us a terrible Synonym for Murder: and the other (who
also tells the Story of all Three) Nizám al Mulk, Vizyr to
Alp the Lion and Malik Shah, Son and Grandson of Tog-
hrul Beg the Tartar, who had wrested Persia from the fee-
ble Successor of Mahmúd the Great, and founded that Sel-
jukian Dynasty which finally roused Europe into the Cru-
sades. This Nizám al Mulk, in his Wasýat—or Testament
—which he wrote and left as a Memorial for future States-
men—relates the following, as quoted in the Calcutta Review,
No. 59, from Mirkhond's History of the Assassins.
[page iv]
" 'One of the greatest of the wise men of Khorassan was
'the Imám Mowaffak of Naishápur, a man highly honoured
'and reverenced,—may God rejoice his soul; his illustrious
'years exceeded eighty-five, and it was the universal belief
'that every boy who read the Koran or studied the tradi-
'tions in his presence, would assuredly attain to honour
'and happiness. For this cause did my father send me from
'Tús to Naishápur with Abd-u-samad, the doctor of law,
'that I might employ myself in study and learning under
'the guidance of that illustrious teacher. Towards me he
'ever turned an eye of favour and kindness, and as his pupil
'I felt for him extreme affection and devotion, so that I
'passed four years in his service. When I first came there,
'I found two other pupils of mine own age newly arrived,
'Hakim Omar Khayyám, and the ill- fated Ben Sabbáh.
'Both were endowed with sharpness of wit and the highest
'natural powers; and we three formed a close friendship
'together. When the Imám rose from his lectures, they
'used to join me, and we repeated to each other the lessons
'we had heard. Now Omar was a native of Naishápur,
'while Hasan Ben Sabbah's father was one Ali, a man of
'austere life and practise, but heretical in his creed and
'doctrine. One day Hasan said to me and to Khayyám, 'It
'is a universal belief that the pupils of the Imám Mowaffak
'will attain to fortune. Now, even if we all do not attain
'thereto, without doubt one of us will; what then shall be
'our mutual pledge and bond?' We answered 'Be it
'what you please.' 'Well,' he said, 'let us make a vow,
'that to whomsoever this fortune falls, he shall share it
'equally with the rest, and reserve no pre-eminence for him-
[page v]
'self.' 'Be it so,' we both replied, and on those terms we
'mutually pledged our words. Years rolled on, and I went
'from Khorassan to Transoxiana, and wandered to Ghazni
'and Cabul; and when I returned, I was invested with
'office, and rose to be administrator of affairs during the
'Sultanate of Sultan Alp Arslan.' "
"He goes on to state, that years passed by, and both his
old school- friends found him out, and came and claimed a
share in his good fortune, according to the school-day vow.
The Vizier was generous and kept his word. Hasan de-
manded a place in the government, which the Sultan granted
at the Vizier's request; but discontented with a gradual
rise, he plunged into the maze of intrigue of an oriental
court, and, failing in a base attempt to supplant his bene-
factor, he was disgraced and fell. After many mishaps and
wanderings, Hasan became the head of the Persian sect of
the Ismailians,—a party of fanatics who had long murmured
in obscurity, but rose to an evil eminence under the guidance
of his strong and evil will. In A.B. 1090, he seized the
castle of Alamút, in the province of Rúdbar, which lies in
the mountainous tract, south of the Caspian Sea; and it was
from this mountain home he obtained that evil celebrity
among the Crusaders as the OLD MAN OF THE MOUN-
TAINS, and spread terror through the Mohammedan world;
and it is yet disputed where the word Assassin, which
they have left in the language of modern Europe as their
dark memorial, is derived from the hashish, or opiate of
hemp-leaves (the Indian bhang,) with which they maddened
themselves to the sullen pitch of oriental desperation, or from
the name of the founder of the dynasty, whom we have seen
[page vi]
in his quiet collegiate days, at Naishápur. One of the count-
less victims of the Assassin's dagger was Nizám-ul-Mulk
himself, the old school-boy friend."
"Omar Khayyám also came to the Vizier to claim his
share; but not to ask for title or office. 'The greatest boon
'you can confer on me,' he said, 'is to let me live in a
'corner under the shadow of your fortune, to spread wide
'the advantages of Science, and pray for your long life and
'prosperity.' The Vizier tells us, that, when he found
Omar was really sincere in his refusal, he pressed him no
further, but granted him a yearly pension of 1,200 mithkals
of gold, from the treasury of Naishápur."
"At Naishápur thus lived and died Omar Khayyám,
'busied,' adds the Vizier, 'in winning knowledge of every
'kind, and especially in Astronomy, wherein he attained to a
'very high pre-eminence. Under the Sultanate of Malik
'Shah, he came to Merv, and obtained great praise for his
'proficiency in science, and the Sultan showered favours
'upon him.' "
"When the Malik Shah determined to reform the calendar,
Omar was one of the eight learned men employed to do it;
the result was the Jaláli era, (so called from Jalal-ul-din,
one of the king's names,)—'a computation of time,' says
Gibbon, 'which surpasses the Julian, and approaches the
accuracy of the Gregorian style.' He is also the author
of some astronomical tables, entitled Ziji-Malikshahi," and
the French have lately republished and translated an Arabic
Treatise of his on Algebra.
These severer Studies, and his Verses, which, though hap-
pily fewer than any Persian Poet's, and, though perhaps
[page vii]
fugitively composed, the Result of no fugitive Emotion or
Thought, are probably the Work and Event of his Life,
leaving little else to record. Perhaps he liked a little Farm-
ing too, so often as he speaks of the "Edge of the Tilth"
on which he loved to rest with his Diwán of Verse, his Loaf
—and his wine.
"His Takhallus or poetical name (Khayyám) signifies a
Tent-maker, and he is said to have at one time exercised
that trade, perhaps before Nizám-ul-Mulk's generosity raised
him to independence. Many Persian poets similarly derive
their names from their occupations; thus we have Attár, "a
druggist," Assar, "an oil presser," &c. (Though all these,
like our Smiths, Archers, Millers, Fletchers, &c. may simply
retain the Sirname of an hereditary calling.) "Omar him-
self alludes to his name in the following whimsical lines:—
'Khayyám, who stitched the tents of science,
has fallen in grief's furnace and been suddenly burned;
The shears of Fate have cut the tent ropes of his life,
And the broker of Hope has sold him for nothing!'
"We have only one more anecdote to give of his Life, and
that relates to the close; it is told in the anonymous preface
which is sometimes prefixed to his poems; it has been printed
in the Persian in the appendix to Hyde's Veterum Persarum
Religio, p. 499; and D'Herbelot alludes to it in his Biblio-
théque, under Khiam:— *
* Though he attributes the story to a Khiam, "Philosophe
Musulman
qui a vecu en Odeur de Sainteté dans la Fin du premier et le Commence-
ment du second Siècle," no part of which, except the
"Philosophe," can
apply to our Khayyám, who, however, may claim the story as his,
on the
[footnote continues on p. viii, bottom:]
Score of Rubáiyát, 77 and 78 of the present Version. The Rashness
of the Words, according to D'Herbelot, consisted in being so op-
posed to those in the Koran: "No Man knows where he shall
die."
[page viii]
'It is written in the chronicles of the ancients that this
'King of the Wise, Omar Khayyám, died at Naishápur in
'the year of the Hegira, 517 (A.D. 1123); in science he was
'unrivaled,—the very paragon of his age. Khwájah Nizámi
'of Samarcand, who was one of his pupils, relates the follow-
'ing story: 'I often used to hold conversations with my
'teacher, Omar Khayyám, in a garden; and one day he said
'to me, 'my tomb shall be in a spot, where the north wind
'may scatter roses over it.' I wondered at the words he
'spake, but I knew that his were no idle words. Years after,
'when I chanced to revisit Naishápur, I went to his final
'resting-place, and lo! it was just outside a garden, and trees
'laden with fruit stretched their boughs over the garden
'wall, and dropped their flowers upon his tomb, so that the
'stone was hidden under them.' "
Thus far—without fear of Trespass—from the
Review.
Though the Sultan "shower'd Favours upon him," Omar's
Epicurean Audacity of Thought and Speech caused him to
be regarded askance in his own Time and Country. He is
said to have been especially hated and dreaded by the Súfis,
whose Practise he ridiculed, and whose Faith amounts to
little more than his own when stript of the Mysticism aud
formal Compliment to Islamism which Omar would not
hide under. Their Poets, including Hafiz, who are (with
[page ix]
the exception of Firdúsi) the most considerable in Persia,
borrowed largely, indeed, of Omar's material, but turning
it to a mystical Use more convenient to Themselves
and the People they address'd; a People quite as quick
of Doubt as of Belief; quite as keen of Bodily Senses as
of the Intellectual; and delighting in a cloudy Element com-
pounded of all, in which they could float luxuriously between
Heaven and Earth, and this World and the Next, on the wings
of a poetical expression, that could be recited indifferently
whether at the Mosque or the Tavern. Omar was too honest
of Heart as well of Head for this. Having failed
(however mistakenly) of finding any Providence but Destiny,
and any World but This, he set about making the most of it;
preferring rather to soothe the Soul through the Senses into
Acquiescence with Things as they were, than to perplex it
with vain mortification after what they might be. It has
been seen that his Worldly Desires, however, were not exor-
bitant; and he very likely takes a humorous pleasure in
exaggerating them above that Intellect in whose exercise he
must have found great pleasure, though not in a Theological
direction. However this may be, his Worldly Pleasures are
what they profess to be without any Pretence at divine Alle-
gory: his Wine is the veritable Juice of the Grape: his
Tavern, where it was to be had: his Sáki, the Flesh and
Blood that poured it out for him: all which, and where the
Roses were in Bloom, was all he profess'd to want of this
World or to expect of Paradise.
The Mathematic Faculty, too, which regulated his Fansy,
and condensed his Verse to a Quality and Quantity un-
known in Persian, perhaps in Oriental, Poetry, help'd
[page x]
by its very virtue perhaps to render him less popular with
his countrymen. If the Greeks were Children in Gossip,
what does Persian Literature imply by a Second Childishness
of Garrulity? And certainly if no ungeometric Greek was
to enter Plato's
Persian should enter on the Race of Persian Verse, with its
"fatal Facility" of running on long after Thought is winded!
But Omar was not only the single Mathematician of his
Country's Poets; he was also of that older Time and stouter
Temper, before the native Soul of Persia was quite broke by
a foreign Creed as well as foreign Conquest. Like his great
Predecessor Firdúsi, who was as little of a Mystic; who
scorned to use even a Word of the very language in which the
New Faith came clothed; and who was suspected, not of
Omar's Irreligion indeed, but of secretly clinging to the
ancient Fire-Religion of Zerdusht, of which so many of the
Kings he sang were worshippers.
For whatever Reason, however, Omar, as before said, has
never been popular in his own Country, and therefore has
been but scantily transmitted abroad. The MSS. of his
Poems, mutilated beyond the average Casualties of Oriental
Transcription, are so rare in the East as scarce to have
reacht Westward at all, in spite of all that Arms and Science
have brought us. There is none at the India House, none
at the Bibliothêque Imperiále of
in
written at
báiyát. One in the Asiatic Society's Library at
(of which we have a Copy) contains (and yet incomplete)
516, though swelled to that by all kinds of Repetition and
[page xi]
Corruption. So Von Hammer speaks of his Copy as contain-
ing about 200, while Dr. Sprenger catalogues the Lucknow
MS. at double that Number. The Scribes, too, of the Oxford
and Calcutta MSS. seem to do their Work under a sort of
Protest; each beginning with a Tetrastich (whether genuine
or not) taken out of its alphabetic order; the Oxford with
one of Apology; the Calcutta with one of Execration too
stupid for Omar's, even had Omar been stupid enough to
execrate himself. *
The Reviewer, to whom I owe the foregoing Particulars of
Omar's Life, and some of his Verse into Prose, concludes
by comparing him with Lucretius, both in natural Temper and
Genius, and as acted upon by the Circumstances in which he
lived. Both indeed were men of subtle Intellect and high Imagi-
nation, instructed in Learning beyond their day, and of Hearts
passionate for Truth and Justice; who justly revolted from
their Country's false Religion, and false, or foolish, Devotion
to it; but who yet fell short of replacing what they subverted
by any such better Hope as others, with no better Faith
had dawned, had yet made a Law to themselves. Lucretius,
indeed, with such material as Epicurus furnished, consoled
himself with the construction of a Machine that needed no
Constructor, and acting by a Law that implied no Lawgiver;
and so composing himself into a Stoical rather than Epicu-
rean severity of Attitude, sat down to contemplate the me-
chanical Drama of the Universe of which he was part Actor;
* "Since this Paper was written" (adds the Reviewer in a note),
"we
have met with a Copy of a very rare Edition, printed at
This contains 438 Tetrastichs, with an Appendix containing 54 others
not found in some MSS."
[page xii]
himself and all about him, (as in his own sublime Description
of the Roman Theater,) coloured with the lurid reflex of the
Curtain that was suspended between them and the outer
Sun. Omar, more desperate, or more careless, of any such
laborious System as resulted in nothing more than hopeless
Necessity, flung his own Genius and Learning with a bitter
jest into the general Ruin which their insufficient glimpses
only served to reveal; and, yielding his Senses to the actual
Rose and Vine, only diverted his thoughts by balancing ideal
possibilities of Fate, Freewill, Existence and Annihilation;
with an oscillation that so generally inclined to the negative
and lower side, as to make such Stanzas as the following ex-
ceptions to his general Philosophy—
Oh, if my Soul can fling his Dust aside,
And naked on the Air of Heaven ride,
It's not a Shame, it's not a Shame for Him
So long in this Clay Suburb to abide!
Or is that but a Tent, where rests anon
A Sultán to his Kingdom passing on,
And which the swarthy Chamberlain shall strike
Then when the Sultán rises to be gone?
With regard to the present Translation. The original
Rubáiyát (as, missing an Arabic Guttural, these Tetrastichs
are more musically called), are independent Stanzas, con-
sisting each of four Lines of equal, though varied, Prosody.
sometimes all rhyming, but oftener (as here attampted)
the third line suspending the Cadence by which the last
atones with the former Two. Something as in the Greek
Alcaic, where the third line seems to lift and suspend the
[page xiii]
Wave that falls over in the last. As usual with such kind of
Oriental Verse, the Rubáiyát follow one another according
to Alphabetic Rhyme—a strange Farrago of Grave and Gay.
Those here selected are strung into something of an Eclogue,
with perhaps a less than equal proportion of the "Drink and
make-merry," which (genuine or not) recurs over-frequently
in the Original. For Lucretian as Omar's Genius might be,
he cross'd that darker Mood with much of Oliver de Basselin
Humour. Any way, the Result is sad enough: saddest per-
haps when most ostentatiously merry: any way, fitter to
move Sorrow than Anger toward the old Tentmaker, who,
after vainly endeavoring to unshackle his Steps from Des-
tiny, and to catch some authentic Glimpse of TO-MORROW,
fell back upon TO-DAY (which has outlasted so many To-
morrows!) as the only Ground he had got to stand upon, how-
ever momentarily slipping from under his Feet.
27/08/2017: Should we end the awful discrimination which exists against ‘odd’ numbers? For far too long they have suffered from this denigrating misnomer whilst there cousins have been elevated indeed praised for their ‘evenness’. This must stop. There should be crowds in the street rioting and setting fire to automobiles (eg those with even numbered plates) over this terrible injustice. For far too long those with odd numbered birthdays have laboured under a stigma. I have one child who is entirely odd, poor thing – and one who is only partially so. Della and I have been fortunately all our lives quite even and free from this stigmata. Clearly we should be able to change our birthdays by deed poll. It is a liberation too long in coming. Computer chips and other electronic devices have long suffered under this binary tyranny, but I am glad that with the introduction of quantum computers such fascism will end. Probably the best way to go is to legislate to make all ‘odd’ numbers ‘even’. This will ensure a complete democracy amongst the numbers. I would go so far as perhaps to allow odd numbered folk to marry - under strictly controlled supervision, of course. I do not want to seem too radical!
27/08/2017: The
destruction of history is spreading everywhere. In
27/08/2017: Back in 1941 Ford could REALLY cut it: The B-24 ‘Liberator’ heavy bomber – built in 55 minutes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKlt6rNciTo#t=131 Interesting fact: more than half of US bomber casualties/deaths were other than in combat eg crashes etc. Maybe Ford didn’t build them so well after all! I refuse to enter into any discussion of whether they are superior to Holdens!
26/08/2017: DIY Super Ultralight Pillow: These approx17 grams (small) & 27 gram (large) Graham Medical Flexair Pillows are excellent for hiking and backpacking. The two sizes measure 14.5″x10.5″ & 19″x12.5″ They cost pennies: US $35.16 for the small & $43.41 for the large per box of 50! 70 cents each. Seriously!
Unmodified large pillow and glue heat gun top, two chamber version middle and cut-down two chamber version bottom:
It is possible to modify them with scissors and a with eg a hot glue gun (without squeezing the glue trigger – very carefully with a soldering iron). You can cut one down and re-seal it, or make it into a double or multi-chamber pillow, eg something like Klymit’s ultralight pillow http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-ultralight-pillow/ (which weighs 48 grams). My own modified ones weigh about 15 grams. With a strategic ‘valley’ moulded into them they will be much more comfortable. You will get a superb (and cheap) night’s sleep.
I am also going to cut two down and use each of them for side insulation and arm support for my (too narrow) sleeping pad. I will make sleeves (as I have mentioned before) in this http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bathtub-groundsheet-chair/ to fit them in. Each side cushion will weigh about 10 grams. They should work just perfectly, keeping my arms both warm and at the correct height from the ground for when sleeping on my back, and effectively widening my sleeping mat by approx 8” (20cm).
They store flat for easy transport and space-saving. They save on laundry costs being disposable products which only cost about $1 each. They have an adjustable valve for ease of use and comfort – but do not lose the straw which inflates/deflates them. They are made from a soft and quiet material which is pleasant to the touch and does not ‘strike cold’.
Available here: https://www.grahammedical.com/product/pillows/
If you only want a small number, they are also available from Jacksrbetter for US2 each in large size: http://www.jacksrbetter.com/shop/graham-flexair-pillow/
I used to use these pillows all the time when they came in a dual chamber version like the one in the centre, but when I could only purchase the single chamber ones I found them not so comfy so I opted for a heavier pillow such as the exped here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/exped-ultralight-pillow/ but I may well go back to these little guys which (in the cut-down form bottom) will save me an whole ounce 30 grams. A saving not to be sneezed at
26/08/2017: Time the State Bowed out
of Marriage Altogether I think. Mostly in the early C19th it decided that
it should nationalise this historic institution and virtually monopolise it,
leaving religions and contract law with only the crumbs of it. Like so many extensions
of the State into matters better handled by the private sector it merely
represented an excess of state power which we have been overly slow to wind
back. Indeed, to me it seems to still be increasing - against all sense and
desirability. When I look at those areas the State squanders over 25% (in some
places 50%) of our hard-earned money on, I am rarely convinced that I want
them, or that even if I did that the State manages them better than would
otherwise be the case, or that the cause of human freedom is much advanced by
such heavy-handed methods. I strongly suspect that contract law in personal
relationships (should we want to ‘formalise’ them) is a far more desirable
alternative to ‘marriage’. Maybe this should be the question the plebiscite ought
ask: ‘Should people be able to enter into legally binding contracts of their
personal relationships (irrespective of gender, class or number?), and should
all other ‘contracts’ eg ‘marriage’ or ‘de facto’ etc be abolished’? When I was
married nearly 50 years ago I understood we were entering into a legally
binding contract which covered certain defined things (the vows) and perhaps
ought to have covered others such as the distribution of property/children in
the event of the breaking or dissolution of the contract. Recently the State
Government has legislated to give a de facto relationship (of more than 3
months duration I understand) exactly the same legal force as the ‘contract’ of
marriage. I thought this change was reprehensible at the time, as such folk
clearly had not entered into any such contract. There had been no affixing of
signatures, no swearing of oaths/vows, etc. I believe written contracts should
always take precedence over unwritten or implied contracts. This vast societal
change whose consequences have not yet hit the courts in sufficient numbers to
alarm us overly will in time have enormous consequences. Men and women will be
virtually unable to cohabit for fear of losing their property – and who knows
what other rights? Of course, if the same-sex marriage proposal is passed, then
people of the same sex will be unable to cohabit for fear of exactly the same
penalties. There will be a legal assumption that any two people who live
together are a couple – and that this is a matter to be settled by litigation!
26/08/2017: A Pox on the Enemies of ‘Divisiveness’: Those who speak out, who ‘deny,’ who warn us ‘the emperor has no clothes’, who challenge our certainties and introduce us to new ideas, who show courage in the face of the ‘system’ or the ‘orthodoxy’ are not being ‘divisive’. Every Thomas was quite right to ‘doubt’. They are an essential part of the creative process, of the progress of ideas. Indeed the very invention of the term ‘divisiveness’ is a symptom of a new totalitarianism. Those who bandy such words about (I also abhor the word ‘progressive’ which has come to mean, like so many words, exactly its opposite) should be watched carefully. They mean us no good. They mean only the triumph of power over ideas. Folks should feel energized and pleased to create, voice or encounter differing ideas. Without such a process there really is no social, technical or moral ‘progress’. Of course, I abhor bad-mannered speech. People should not need to shout or bully, and other folks should be polite enough to listen. If you are afraid of ideas, a time will come not long afterwards when you have even more to fear, I fear.
26/08/2017: Were
there white slaves in the
25/08/2017: Transparent Tarp Instructions: David Gardner over at Backpackinglight has these excellent instructions for building a see through tent from polycryo window insulation film which is freely and cheaply available for winterising your home. It is such a great idea. I hope he does not mind my sharing it here. The complete instructions are available here: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/how-to-make-a-polycryo-a-frame-tarp/ It may not be the lightest or the most durable tent in existence, but it is one of the most interesting, and excellent for voyeurs. It is also a genius idea. Some of these techniques are excellent and imaginative – and would also work with cuben fibre which would enable you to make a ‘no-sew’ tent/tarp out of that material which might weigh under 100 grams!
Here is all you need:
I’ve been making and selling “polycro” (cross-linked polyolefin heat-shrink plastic) tarps/tents for a few years now and have learned a lot in the process about what works well and how to construct them, so I thought I would share what I have learned.
Materials & Tools:
Duck Double-Thick Patio Door Insulation Kit
Uline double-sided tape
Scotch “Tough” Transparent Duct Tape (their glow-in-the-dark duct tape works
well too)
150 lb. 1 mm Spectra cord from http://www.ultralightdesigns.com
Ten 7/8″ nylon washers (1″ works well too)
1/8″ shock cord
Blue masking tape
X-acto or utility knife
Sharpie pen
Measuring tape
Scissors
1/8″ steel rod or tent stake
Propane or butane torch or stove
I use Duck’s double-thick patio door insulation kits because as far as I know Duck is the only manufacturer which makes it in 1.5 mil thickness instead of .75 mil.
I use Uline double-sided tape to “hem” the edges because it has far better adhesion and durability than the double-sided tape that comes with the kits.
I use Scotch “Tough” transparent duct tape because it has excellent adhesion and weather resistance. Colored tapes, especially dark colored tape, get hot in the sun and “creep.” In the past I used ripstop nylon sail repair tape, which is lighter and stronger than duct tape, but it doesn’t adhere well enough over the long run.
I use Ultralight Design’s 150 lb. Spectra-core cord because it is bright yellow, knots well, and is plenty strong enough. I attached a fishing scale to the end of the ridge line cord of a tarp I had set up, pulled harder than I usually do to pitch the tarp, and it measured 25 lbs. of tension.
Step 1 is to clear a large, hard floor area to work on and vacuum it thoroughly. The polycro is static-y out of the box and attracts the smallest motes of dust and pet hair. Then unpack the Duck kit, unfold the polycryo, and spread it carefully on the floor. Use blue masking tape to tape down the corners. You will want to put the tape about 1.5″ from the edge and parallel to the direction of the long edge, to hold the polycryo firmly while you “hem” the edge with double-sided tape.
Next apply the double-sided tape as close to the edge as you can get it. The Uline tape comes with one side covered, so you can press down firmly to make it adhere fully while laying it down. I start about an inch past the edge of the tarp so that the edge will stay put as you pull while laying down the tape. When I’m done applying the tape to the edge I trim off the extra inch.
The next photo shows the polycryo spread out and taped down to the floor, with about half of one long edge taped.
Next peel the cover off the first couple of inches of tape and fold the edge over so the tape is sandwiched between. I like to work from right to left while making the hem.
Start pulling the cover strip off with your left hand while following closely with your right hand. You should peel the cover strip straight off so that you get a running fold. Plant your right pinkie, ring finger and middle finger firmly on the folded portion to hold it in place while following the fold with your index finger and pushing down firmly to adhere the tape. When your fingers are spread as wide as they will go, move your right hand closer to the peeling/folding point, as shown in the next three photos:
When you’re finished with one long edge do the other. When both long edges are done, move the blue masking tape holding down the corners so they are parallel to the end. Proceed to apply tape and hem the ends of the tarp.
When all four edges are hemmed you’re ready to start putting on the tie-outs. Use a tape measure and Sharpie pen to mark the middle of the ends, and to mark the long sides in 1/3 intervals (about 40″). Take 8 of the 7/8″ nylon washers and use the scissors to cut one side of each to make a flat edge that will go into the fold of the tape for the tie-outs, to spread out the forces. Smooth the cut edge with a file or sand paper. The remaining two washers will be used at the ridge line tie-outs and don’t need to be trimmed.
I like to do the corner tie-outs first, then the ones on the long edges. Cut about 10″ of duct tape for each corner and side tie-out. Lift the polycryo and insert the tape sticky side up under the tarp, then press down firmly on the polycryo and rub and smooth it to get good adhesion and eliminate bubbles. Place a washer on the tape right by the corner or edge, with the flat side of the washer away from the tarp, then fold the tape back over on top of the polycryo:
The technique is the same for all the corner and side tie-outs. Once all the corner and side tie-outs are done you’re ready to do the ridge line tie-outs.
The ridge line tie-outs are built up from several layers of overlapping and crossing duct tape because they are more highly stressed than the corners and sides. Start by cutting two 14″ pieces of duct tape. Lift the center of the tarp and insert the tape sticky side up about half its length under the tarp, press firmly on the tarp and adhere it to the tape and remove any bubbles.
Now it gets a little tricky. You’ll need to take one of the two round washers and tie one end of the Spectra cord around the washer, then place the washer on the tape at the edge of the tarp while placing the cord straight down the center of the tape under the tarp:
Finally, fold the tape back over the washer and on top of the tape underneath. Press and rub to adhere the tape and eliminate bubbles. Now place blue masking tape on the tie out so it will be held firmly while you construct the ridge line tie-out at the other end.
At the other end of the cord you’ll need to trim it and tie on the last round washer at just the right length. The right length is a hair shorter than the length of the tarp, so that when tension is applied to the ridge line tie-outs they will pull the tarp taut. Cut another 14″ piece of tape, lift the tarp, and insert the tape sticky side up about half its length under the tarp. Press and smooth. Then place the washer on the tape at the edge of the tarp while pulling gently on the cord. After the washer is in place fold the tape back over the washer on top of the tape underneath.
Once the two ridge line tie-outs are fabricated, you are done with the underside of the tarp. Turn the whole thing over so the ridge line cord is now underneath. Cut two 10″ pieces of duct tape and place them cross-wise centered over the ridge line tie outs you have just made. Press and smooth.
Next cut four 8″ pieces of tape, two for each end. Lift the ridge line tie out, place two tape pieces sticky side up under the tarp on either side of the tie out:
Finally, fold the two pieces of tape back over the tarp on top of the tape below.
With the tie-outs all done you are now ready to melt holes through the tape in the center of the washers. Heat the 1/8″ steel rod/tent stake with a torch or stove, and carefully push it through the center of the washers in the tie-outs:
In the pictures the tie outs are sitting on the floor because I had my camera in the other hand. In practice, lift the tie outs up and hold while pushing the hot steel rod through.
Finally, cut eight 10″ pieces of shock cord and knot them in little circles through the corner and side tie outs. The shock cord loops give a nice tight pitch, but also act as a shock absorbers in windy conditions.
Final weight: 11.2 ounces.
You’ll need to tie another 10 feet or so of the Spectra cord to the ridge line tie outs so you can pitch the tarp. Also, since I often camp in the high Sierra on flat rocks or shallow sand where tent stakes are useless, I also attach about 3 feet of Spectra cord at each corner and side tie out with a little knotted loop at the end, so I can make big adjustable loops to put around rock anchors that I have collected.
The finished product (an earlier version with different tape) pitched:
It is truly amazing to be able to fall asleep while looking up through your shelter at the starry sky. It’s also nice to know whether that critter sniffing around your shelter in the middle of the night is a bear or just something small like a skunk.
Total cost: About $30-$40, depending on where you get your materials.
Total time to construct (including taking pictures): Two hours
25/08/2017: Greens are such nice people: Child miners aged four living a hell on Earth so you can drive an electric car: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4764208/Child-miners-aged-four-living-hell-Earth.html#ixzz4qZRkp6DD
25/08/2017: The
Australian Conservatives are shaping up to be Number One choice at the next
election. Interesting times: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/08/turnbulls-creation-australian-conservatives/
In addition Bob Katter has deserted Turnbull and is backing Abbott for PM!
25/08/2017: Study
shows gut bacteria could improve aging: http://www.skynews.com.au/culture/offbeat/2017/08/22/study-shows-gut-bacteria-could-improve-aging.html
24/08/2017: So no AGW then: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/08/22/delingpole-global-warming-is-almost-entirely-natural-study-confirms/ & All of Recent U.S. Warming Has Been Faked by NOAA; move one, move on: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/08/23/delingpole-all-of-recent-u-s-warming-has-been-faked-by-noaa/
It is very easy to decide. I have posted this reasoning before. Even if CO2 exerted a linear effect (and it does not - it diminishes with each doubling, so adding more has less and less effect, because water vapour is the main greenhouse gas) suppose we have had a half a doubling of 'Anthropic' CO2 since 'records began', the 'Industrial Revolution' (whatever, and doubtful), and we agree that we have had eg 1C of warming (doubtful - cooling is more likely), then we could say a half a doubling 'equates' to 1C of warming. Therefore another half a doubling would (at most) equate to another 1c - in reality much less. We could not get to 2C. This would still not get us to the Medieval Warm Period let alone the Holocene (when there were no ill effects to speak of). So, no problem. Forget about it!
24/08/2017: Every man has a theory which will not work: http://www.mdedge.com/clinicalpsychiatrynews/article/144608/pain/cannabis-shows-inconsistent-benefits-pain-ptsd
24/08/2017: Profit is a price paid for efficiency: ‘While capitalism has a visible cost – profit – that does not exist under socialism, socialism has an invisible cost – inefficiency – that gets weeded out by losses and bankruptcy under capitalism. The fact that most goods are more widely affordable in a capitalist economy implies that profit is less costly than inefficiency. Put differently, profit is a price paid for efficiency’: Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics (5th Ed, p114, 2015). If you have ever wondered why the unit cost of everything that remains in private enterprise hands continues to fall whilst the cost of everything in Government hands (Think: Education, Health, Welfare, Defence, Public Service, etc) continues to rise, just remember the above. Ergo: Socialism is NOT a good idea; Reject it!
23/08/2017: Advanced Elements Ultralight Paddle
Check this out on Massdrop this morning for US$29.99 each (08/2018). You would be foolish not to buy a couple. I bought two. It will go very well with the Klymit packraft you should have bought from them some time back for US$99 (I bought two as well): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/
Here's
me and Spot trying it out on the farm dam: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-laid-schemes/
4-Piece Breakdown Paddle
Designed for maximum portability, the Advanced Elements Ultralight Pack Paddle weighs 23.6 ounces, measures 88.2 inches when assembled, and breaks down to a travel-ready 23.6 inches. The durable aluminum shaft features a four-part construction with drip rings on either end that prevent the water on your paddle blades from reaching your hands or lap. For an even more compact setup that’ll cut 3.6 ounces off your pack weight, use only one middle shaft section between the two blades. A great pairing for the Advanced Elements PackLite or Klymit Lite Water Dinghy, this is among the most affordable solutions for light packrafting.
Specs
- Advanced Elements
- Material, shaft: Aluminum
- Assembled length, full setup: 88.2 in (224 cm)
- Packed length, full setup: 23.6 in (60 cm)
- Weight, full setup: 23.6 oz (669 g)
- Assembled length, minimalist setup: 66.5 in (169 cm)
- Packed length, minimalist setup: 23.6 in (60 cm)
- Weight, minimalist setup: 20 oz (567 g)
Because sometimes an ultralight paddle and an ultralight packraft (such as Klymit's) are just what you need -eg for river/lake crossings on long hikes. You can put the two things together for just over 1.5kg! A great paddle for the kids. If nothing else these would make a great backup paddle for remote trips. They could just save your bacon should you find your primary paddle floating downstream or worse.
http://www.advancedelements.com/accessories/paddles/?b=12935
23/08/2017: Hope you enjoy this easy cheap delicious meal: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-simple-backpacking-dahl/. I also have a Facebook page with has a lot of info about hiking and hiking gear as well as canoeing, hunting, gardening…which might be of interest. If you 'like' it, Facebook will let you know whenever I do a fresh post. Cheers: https://www.facebook.com/theultralighthiker/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
23/08/2017: How
things have changed since De Toqueville’s time, ‘Every central government
worships uniformity: uniformity relieves it from inquiry into an infinity of
details. … After having thus successively taken each member of the community in
its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the government then extends its
arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network
of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most
original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise
above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and
guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained
from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence: it does
not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a
people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and
industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd…In the American
townships power has been distributed with admirable skill, for the purpose of
interesting the greatest possible number of persons in the common weal. … The
existence of the townships … is, in general, a happy one. Their government is
suited to their tastes, and chosen by themselves. In the midst of the profound
peace and general comfort that reign in
23/08/2017: The constitutional crisis is worse than we think. I have no doubt that no party has a majority of legally elected members and that the laws enacted by the illegally elected ones are invalid – and how long has this been going on? Clearly all the pollies knew about this situation since the High Court decided a similar case (in the negative!) way back in 1999: http://pickeringpost.com/story/trouble-ahead-uk-was-already-deemed-a-foreign-power-in-1918/7484 11 more pollies identified this morning whose legitimacy is doubtful: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/11-mps-wont-release-documents-knowing-dual-citizenship-can-never-be-proven/news-story/c870407596fb7d2ec49617569425bd0c
22/08/2017: A Simple Backpacking Dahl: This simple dahl uses only dry ingredients you can buy very cheaply from any supermarket and store in a snaplock bag. It will make a litre of tasty nutritious dahl which will probably be more than you can eat. You should try this at home tonight before you head out to the backcountry. Simply delicious!
Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils 2730kj
3 ½ cups water
20 grams Hormel dried bacon pieces 300kj
1 table milk powder 250 kj
½ packet Tasty Tomato CupaSoup 230 kj
1/2 pack Continental French Onion Simmer soup (Salt Reduced) 270 kj
3 or 4 teas curry powder (to taste)
Optional: Add 1 table Surprise Peas to taste say 6 teas 100 kj
Total 3880 kj = 1000 calories.
Instructions:
Soak lentils 10 + minutes - the longer you soak the less you have toi simmer.
Add ingredients
Bring to boil, then simmer 15-20 minutes.
This makes up to approx 1 litre of quite thick soup. It was delicious, much preferable to any bought hiking meal you have ever eaten. The quantity would definitely have been enough for Della and me both for a main meal.
22/08/2017: A Great Read: The Grand Illusion by Theodore Dalrymple: ‘In a pure meritocracy, there would be no paranoid defense against one’s own nullity—one could blame only oneself for it and no one else. That is why the concept of equality of opportunity, besides implying a kind of Brave New World world, is so deeply vicious, and why so many people who promote it are obviously hate-filled. They do not want to serve humanity but torture it...Though we are enjoined—less and less frequently, to be sure—to count our blessings, it is far easier and more gratifying to count our curses. It accords with our desire to explain, or explain away, our failure.
http://takimag.com/article/the_grand_illusion_theodore_dalrymple/print#ixzz4qQkyn4ww
22/08/2017: One of
the greatest poems of the C20th: Dylan Thomas: The force that through the green
fuse drives the flower
The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever.
The force that drives the water through the rocks
Drives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streams
Turns mine to wax.
And I am dumb to mouth unto my veins
How at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks.
The hand that whirls the water in the pool
Stirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing wind
Hauls my shroud sail.
And I am dumb to tell the hanging man
How of my clay is made the hangman's lime.
The lips of time leech to the fountain head;
Love drips and gathers, but the fallen blood
Shall calm her sores.
And I am dumb to tell a weather's wind
How time has ticked a heaven round the stars.
And I am dumb to tell the lover's tomb
How at my sheet goes the same crooked worm.
22/08/2017: The pot calling the
kettle Green: Senator
Hanson-Young calling out Pauline Hanson:
“next attack in Australia will be on your head…Acts and stunts like this only
serve to incite more violence and hatred from extremists on both sides, and I
think that is extremely dangerous and not fit for somebody who wants to sit in
parliament…You really need to reflect on the fact that security experts,
foreign policy experts, have said that what you did last week will now be used
as the recent kind of fodder for promoting extremism…You are doing ISIS’s work
for them. It is extremely dangerous; you are putting the entire country at
risk.” What an idiot Hanson-Young is!
21/08/2017: DIY Dry Back Hiking Pack: Yes, you can have a dry back when hiking (and for pennies!) I saw this genius idea posted by AnticitizenPrime on the Reddit forum MYOG back in July. I have to admit I scrolled right past it then , but I had a little more time to kill in the shop this afternoon so I paid a bit more attention. I thank him/her very much for the idea. It will work.
You can use one of those cheap lumbar support devices (for car seats etc) you see everywhere (I bought mine for A$4 from Cheap as Chips Morwell) as a back cushioning device for your back pack which keeps the pack comfortably off your back on a mesh panel, thus keeping it dry. It weighed about 155 grams out of the bag (left) and about 110 after I cut a few bits off it (right). You could delete the two pieces of webbing which create the tension and thus the curve and replace them with eg 1mm Dyneema twine, which you could then tension to your exact specifications with two clam cleats http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-perfect-guy-line-for-a-hiking-tenttarp/. This would save approx 8 grams, making the device weigh about 100 grams. I use a Sitlight or an Airbeam pad at the moment for the same purpose, so this device will add perhaps 30 grams to my current pack weight, not much of a price for a dry back.
I would simply tie the frame of the cushion to my backpack. I may have to sew four-six loops of gross grain ribbon to it to effect this. No doubt you could tie it vertically with four more clam cleats (the smallest only weigh approx 1 gram each) so that you could adjust its position up/down till it's just right. I know the mesh on the back panel will eventually wear out, but you can replace the whole thing easily in just a couple of minutes.
In the photo below I have simply slipped it in behind my new Montane pack (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-stout-hikers-pack-2/), but I will be adding a more permanent setup:
I think this is the single best idea I have seen in years!
See Also:http://www.theultralighthiker.com/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/
21/08/2017: 46-54-9: Turnbull (and the Greens) are finished. The only question is, ‘Will Pauline replace them?’ Her star is rising whilst the Liberals and the greens are crashing. Interestingly her party’s vote went up 10% after her wearing the burkha in Parliament – doesn’t that tell you something Malcolm? I’m sure the message is not lost on Tony: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/newspoll-turnbull-government-drops-to-just-46-to-labors-54/news-story/1b13d2f872607cd78a53318011955039
21/08/2017: This says it all really, ‘Renewable Energy Is a Corrupt Scam, Go Nuclear!’ Says Green Guru James Lovelock: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/08/18/delingpole-renewable-energy-is-a-corrupt-scam-go-nuclear-says-green-guru-james-lovelock/
20/08/2017: Budding Slartibartfasts may enjoy THIS website which allows you to design planets. Yes, really. (cf Douglas Adams; 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slartibartfast): http://www.solarvoyager.com/tutorials.asp
20/08/2017: The worst thing about Pauline’s speech was that only 6 senators were present in the chamber to hear it. Now, did the others provide a medical certificate or were they docked pay? We pay these lousy bastards to at least attend parliament. If they can’t at least do that, they deserve to be sacked! They do not have to agree with what other members say, but at least they have to listen to it and then argue against it if they wish.
20/08/2017: The Hidden Agenda: Arguably the worst aspect of the same-sex issue is the destruction of the right of children not to be commodities to be bought and sold. The reinstitution of such child slavery is perhaps the most reprehensible decision in my lifetime. Whatever happened to the right of children to be born and raised in a traditional (heterosexual) loving marriage which all the evidence shows is in their best interest? We have thrown that right, and the baby out with the bathwater. By advocating same sex marriage we are condemning perhaps millions of future children to suffering and harm. This must not be allowed to happen: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/08/childrens-welfare-sex-families/
19/08/2017: Raincoat Shelter: How to make your raincoat into a shelter.
I realise this is important as people die
because they keep on wearing their raincoat instead of sheltering under it.
For example, there was this European guy who died on the Dusky a few years ago when I was there. It rained and rained as it does. The river came up, flooding the track. He couldn't go forward or back and had no shelter other than his raincoat.
He also clearly had no idea how to refind the track if he once left it, so he was stuck down on the flats with the river coming up when he could easily have walked up a ridge a bit to a drier spot. Pleasant enough spot to camp too! But he died. Loss of body heat. Water strips heat 25 times quicker than air. You must have a roof. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/
Not far away hanging under a tarp in my hammock (total weight of both and including the weight of my raincoat, say 450 grams) probably less than his raincoat, I was having a good enough time high and dry watching and listening to the rain and admiring the wet bush, cooking meals and having hot cuppas, reading a book, listening to some music, talking to my wife on my sat phone, etc unaware of his plight!
If he had been with me, he could have sheltered under my tarp and been quite comfortable, instead of dead! Still we might have had a political disagreement and I would have donged him on the head with a rock. Who knows?
I have been thinking about ways sheltering under your raincoat even if/when you don't have a length of string. I know if you don't, you don't deserve to live - but still. I think there is a way, probably several. You can look forward to a number of silly photos of an old man huddling under a bright yellow raincoat, perhaps!
Well, as it turned out it was a green raincoat, and my camera wasn't working well. I had to lean forward to take the photo so it is not clear just how much shelter is provided (enough!). However, you get the idea. A piece of string can often save your life. As Sam Gamgee says, don't leave home without one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rope-dont-leave-home-without-it/
I have often come across cold, wet people. Some I have even saved their lives by bundling them into my dry clothes - which they mostly went away in, and never returned! Such folks may not deserve to live!
I can remember a time in my youth when I was a surf life saver. You were always pulling people out of the waves who were in trouble, some needing resuscitation. More often than not you got no thanks from them – which shows how much they valued their lives I guess. One chap, who also needed resuscitating even king hit me after he had recovered, then stalked off. Lord knows why!
Anyway, the easiest way to shelter under your raincoat is definitely if there is a tree. I guess if there are no trees it is less likely to be raining, but you may have to do something else in that eventuality. Try to build a sort of wall I guess. If you can get your back to the lee side of a tree that is at least as wide as your shoulders half your problems are already solved.
The next thing is that most every raincoat has a draw cord at the waist and the neck. If you don’t have that piece of string you may have to break this out to tie one end of the coat to the tree. Or you may be able to tie the arms around the rtree if it is small enough. Then you will probably have to hold the other two ends of the coat out over your knees. I have measured my raincoat and I can assure you that your own will be big enough to keep you completely dry when erected over your head as a shelter. Try tying yours to the back of one of the kitchen chairs as I did to reassure yourself just how to do this if even you need to.
I know you are probably going to be sitting cross-legged under that raincoat all night while the rain spills off it. You might want to place a piece of bark or similar on your head (and behind your back) to insulate yourself from the cold water on the other face of the raincoat. When you first take the raincoat off it is going to be just a bit colder (because it is no longer stopping wind chill), but after a while as you shiver yourself dry, you will be warmer without the rainwater stripping your body heat. Even if it falls below zero you will survive, just as this unprepared guy did: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/thrilling-tales-37-days-of-peril/ If you stay in your raincoat you will probably die of hypothermia just like the European guy on the Dusky Track I talked about earlier.
Of course you won't have a bit of blue poly tarp as I have in the photo to keep your bum warm. Find as much bark and other debris as you can, say 18" (or 40 cm) high, as you can. The further your bum is off the ground the closer to the tree you are going to be and the warmer and drier you will be. Enjoy!
You can have an even comfier night in the wild if you can build a debris shelter of some sort. I have done this a number of times. You do not need any tools or materials other than what you find in the bush, but you need at least a couple of hours to build a decent shelter, so it needs preparation. I will have a future post about this. Whatever type of debris shelter you build, you will need at least 40cm of debris both over you and under you if you are going to be half decently warm!
The reason for posting about using your raincoat as a shelter is that folks always think they have enough time to do something else – get to the hut, find help, divine intervention…So, they wander on and on until it is too late to do anything else than shelter under their raincoat, or sit there wearing it in the rain and maybe die. Some folks haven’t even got sense enough to seek shelter, eg in/under a log or in a hollow tree when they realise they are going to be in trouble. I have spent at least one night in each – lots of critters, but dry, and I am still here! Not having enough bush skills to go off trail is a serious impediment. People ought really to understand how to find their way with their senses they were born with before they venture into the wilds. Some tips below:
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rope-dont-leave-home-without-it/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/finding-your-way/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lie-of-the-land/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/carry-a-knife/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/if-you-could-only-carry-two-things-in-the-bush-what-would-they-be/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-poncho-tent/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-pocket-poncho-tent/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/naismiths-rule/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-lore/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/walking-the-line/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/follow-your-nose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-long-till-sundown/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-avoid-being-wet-cold-while-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/river-crossings/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/an-open-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/raincoat-shelter/
19/08/2017: How to avoid site blocking: https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/bypass-vpn-blocks-with-ease/ & https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/12/how-to-bypass-isp-blocking-of-the-pirate-bay-and-other-torrent-sites-for-free/
19/08/2017: Well done
19/08/2017: Who has
the dearest electricity? This green madness must stop. Look down to the
bottom, the
19/08/2017: Good heavens. This ‘dual citizenship thing just got even worse. Apparently New Zealand made every Australian a dual citizen some time back so that no-one is eligible to be an MP, our constitution can only be changed by a referendum and the present government (all being dual citizens) are disallowed from calling such a referendum! http://joannenova.com.au/2017/08/handy-guide-for-foreign-nation-to-remove-any-australian-politican-give-them-entitlements-of-dual-citizenship/
19/08/2017: Trump’s
Pershing Tweet in Response to
18/08/2017: Vikings have had such a bad press. It’s nice to know at least that they were clean: http://www.ancientpages.com/2017/08/12/viking-fashion-men-women-vain-clean-viking-age/
18/08/2017: When
President Trump said there was massive vote rigging, he was clearly right.
I wonder how confident we can be in
18/08/2017: Ban the
Burqa: I was listening to Pauline’s speech whilst driving back from my walk
yesterday afternoon. Her speech has (as usual) been woefully misreported.
Though she is not an educated woman I thought she gave a fine, brave,
well-argued speech about a matter of serious national importance. As she
pointed out, recently people disguised in burqas detonated a bomb in the
Iranian parliament killing over a dozen people. The Burqa is not a requirement
of Islamic religious practice and is banned in many islamic countries, and many
non-islamic countries. There really can be no moral argument for banning people
from wearing balaclavas and full-face helmets in public places yet permitting
burqas. She also argued for a five year moratorium on all Islamic immigration,
until we see how well it is working out - as step which is long overdue.
Senator Brandis claimed in reply that
17/08/2017: On the Tip of the Tongue:
A magical 20C winter's day yesterday, so time to try out Della's new heart and
my new pack
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-stout-hikers-pack-2/ with a walk in
Wilson's Prom NP, Gippsland, Victoria. I will let her begin: 'Return to fitness
#2: Beautiful winter day and further heart progress - Steve and I did a 10 km
walk at Wilson's Prom, Darby River to Tongue Point, including a side trip to
the delightful Fairy Cove. Daily workouts of an hour's fitness class plus an
hour of walking have boosted my heart stamina. More progress planned: Perhaps a
trip to
NB: The walk from
PS: Pack update on a 10km walk yesterday (14/07/2017) with a load (5-7kg). It was brilliant. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-stout-hikers-pack-2/ Did not need the chest strap at all. The shoulder straps had zero inclination to slide off my shoulders. Also with the waist belt done up quite loosely, the load still just wanted to rest in the small of my back. There was no weight at all on my shoulders. I could slip my fingers in the behind the shoulder straps any time. There was no load pressure there at all. I did get a wet back (expected) – it was a warm day (approx 20C. I will be trying a Sitlight pad attached like this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sleeping-pad-pack-frame/ . I will also try taking a wad cutter to the Sitlight pad and filling it with holes (eg on every dent) so that water vapor has somewhere to go. I will report back about this innovation later. With the addition of some sewn on pockets, I think this is going to be a great pack!
View of
It is a well-formed track. Mostly sand and gravel with walkways over any wet sectiions
Plenty of hog deer sign
Many interesting menhirs along the way
View south Fairy Cove, Tongue Point,
Fairy Cove, Tongue Point
View North along the coast to Shallow Inlet
Tongue Point,
Steps down to Fairy Cove
Fairy Cove,
View north past
A funnel mermaid
Fairy Cove
Island in Fairy Cove
Fairy Cove monolith
Seagulls Fairy Cove
Tongue Point
Painted rocks Tongue Point
Tongue Point
Monolith Tongue Point
Steve Tongue Point
Tongue Point
Wildflowers along the way
And wildlife: swamp wallaby
Spur winged plover
17/08/2017: Google and the triumph of the left: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-11/james-damore-explains-why-i-was-fired-google & https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/08/dont-like-our-diversity-agenda-youre-fired/
17/08/2017: Ok folks,
here’s what REALLY happened in
17/08/2017: Both
solar and wind kill countless birds (and bats in the case of wind) yet they
produce little or no cheap or reliable power. You can watch birds being
incinerated at the Ivanopah, Solar Thermal Plant,
15/08/2017: The Next Moon Landing Is Near—Thanks to These Pioneering Engineers: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/08/space-race-moon-google-lunar-xprize/
15/08/2017: The Wheel and the Starship: I imagine that to the ancient Egyptians, seeing the Hyksos riding in their chariots was very much like us seeing our first Centauran would/will be: http://www.docmercury.com/rainy/what-goes-around
15/08/2017: This is
Nietzche. Fortunately we do not have a right wing side of politics like
this in
14/08/2017: Big Agnes AXL Air Pad. Big Agnes were showcasing a new pad at the Outdoor Retailer show recently. The one on show was a full-length pad (20x72x3 inches thick – 50 x 180 x 7.5cm) weighing only 9 ounces (270 grams). It will be available in uninsulated (US$140) and insulated with Primaloft Silver (10 ounces- 300 grams, US$180) versions. The fabric is 20 denier with random ripstop, and the pad has a large inflation valve that seals as you blow.
There is no information about it on the Big Agnes site as yet, but it will no doubt be available soon. If it is available in their usual size choices, then one should be able to get it in 5’6‘ length (me) at approx 270 grams, and 5’ length (Della) at approx 250 grams and 4’ length at approx 200 grams, a real game changer. This will shave 160 grams off our combined pack weight with Thermarest’s excellent Neoair Womens http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/ (2 at 340 grams each). (given the savings I have been making lately with tents, our packs will soon be carrying themselves! In any case you would be able to cut it down yourself to these dimensions: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/modifyingshortening-hiking-mats/.
I have always been a big supporter of Big Agnes’ excellent products, so I can’t wait really to get my hands (back) on one: http://www.bigagnes.com/Gear/Sleeping-Pads
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sleeping-pad-reinvented-big-agnes-q-core-slx/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cyclone-chair/
14/08/2017: The
Windhover: No danger to pigeons or lambs from this beautiful little guy
spotted yesterday in the paddock. A knave’s bird, Gerald Manley Hopkins 1844-89
I CAUGHT this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, 5
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion 10
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.
14/08/2017: ‘To see ourselves as others see us’ (Burns, ‘To a Louse’) There is an amazing trick you can do (with mirrors, of course) which allows one to do just that, or even more…It is this: ‘A simple experiment can show how. Try looking at yourself in a double-reflecting mirror – two mirrors facing each other such that the second reflects the image in the first. Then raise your right arm. The first reflection is a normal mirror image, but the second is inversed, which we are not used to seeing. “So when you raise your right hand, it raises its right hand. It’s a doppelgänger, miming your behaviour, Keep looking and something odd can happen to your sense of self. “You start experiencing that you are out there. What’s more, if you watch your arm moving in the second mirror, you may see a slight delay...it’s slowed down as if your hand is moving through treacle. Exactly why this happens is something he and his team are working on, but we know that neurons in your brain telling your hand to move fire milliseconds before you consciously decide to move it. To avoid the sensation of being a puppet, your brain smoothes things out so that everything feels simultaneous. Ramachandran suspects that when you see this doppelgänger in the mirror, your brain doesn’t compute it as you – so the correction isn’t applied. In essence, you are seeing the unconscious machinery of the brain laid bare.’ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23531360-600-the-fragility-of-you-and-what-it-says-about-consciousness/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS
13/08/2017: For and Against an Indigenous Referendum: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/07/constitutional-recognition-indigenous-peoples/
13/08/2017: Some
of
13/08/2017: The worst wind farm scam: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/08/uk-wind-farms-paid-to-not-make-sausages/
13/08/2017: Thrilling Tales: 37 Days of Peril : You can
survive: Truly alone in the wilderness: Lost in
Available here: https://archive.org/stream/thirtysevendayso30924gut/pg30924.txt Free downloads: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30924.mobile
12/08/2017: Fascinating: Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy. PS: Not what you thought: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/tim-harford-review/
12/08/2017:
12/08/2017: An important book on American Indians highlights some important truths about identity politics and segregation in our own society, eg: ‘Americans Indians on reservations live like many Black Americans live in urban areas. It can easily be a soul-destroying life where everything for survival is free because the powers that be have written them off as people without productive potential and figure that the sensible route is to give them stuff and get their votes. Everybody admires those who escape any Indian government plantation. The worst thing about the Indians' plantation: No work at all to be done. No food needs to be produced, no buffalo left to kill, no enemy tribes to fight. Nothing. Escape is the only way to salvage a life. Government treats blacks and Indians as if they were helpless children. Give them stuff and they will shut up. Maybe they - not the government - will figure that out someday but I do not see it happening anytime soon. https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594038538/manhattaninstitu/
11/08/2017: Disquieting - Percentage of Europeans Who Are Willing To Fight A War For Their Country: PS: At least we have gals willing to fight for us: http://brilliantmaps.com/europe-fight-war/
11/08/2017: Whose country has the highest IQ? No wonder some of these ‘nations’ are ‘basket cases’ PS: We need to lift our game. We have slid down several points: https://iq-research.info/en/page/average-iq-by-country
10/08/2017: The Pocket Poncho Tent: I have completed my poncho tent in 1 oz/yd2 silnylon. It weighs a mere 185 grams - as you can see, and fits in my pocket - as the name suggests and the pictures show! This may be the smallest tent in the world unless I make it out of .32oz/yd2 cuben fibre, in which case it will weigh about 75 grams and probably fit in my fob pocket! It requires 9 pegs (54 grams) and two guys to set it up in front of a warm fire. I will be making the zip-in front door soon which will allow it to be shut down for storm mode (approx 50 grams), and I will be making my Bathtub Groundsheet Lounger Chair for it which will weigh under 100 grams http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bathtub-groundsheet-chair/. This complete shelter/groundsheet/chair will then weigh approx 380 grams (but will also double as your raincoat) making it probably the lightest tent in existence. I still have a bit of work to do around the hood, hood reinforcing and some pockets to hold the pegs, a mylar poncho and maybe a couple of space blankets.
This will clearly keep me dry in the heaviest of rain:
The mylar poncho will weigh about 25 grams but you will want one so that you can go to the toilet or put some wood on the fire when it is raining. The prototype is here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-fun-with-sticky-tape-ultralight-mylar-vest/
I will be having the tent and chair made in
Fits in a pocket as I said:
Or the front one:
185 grams as you can see:
Fits in the palm of your hand - hard to believe it is a tent, isn't it?
But here it is, much to Spot's delight! Plenty of room for someone 6'6" plus, and a dog!
And with room to sit up in front of a toasty winter fire. And lots of room for gear.
The prototype was here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-poncho-tent/ & here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poncho-tent-update/ and this was the original which we made for my first visit to Fiordland (moose hunting) in 2000: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/
10/08/2017: It is a
strange sentence, ‘Everyone has the right to…’ fill in the blanks as you
wish, eg free medical care, free old age pensions, free dental care, free
housing, free child care, free transport, free food…all of this without any
work needing to be done, without any contribution from ‘the good self’! It is
such a wonderful idea. So Utopian. Listen up, rights are a nonsense: at best a
pathetic attempt at highway robbery. The only rights you are ever likely to get
are those you pay for with your own blood, sweat
and tears. It has always been thus, and should always be thus. Those who expect
others to provide should be left holding their beggar’s bowl on the street
corner till they drop! A belief in ‘free stuff’ is utterly infantile:
ultimately someone must pay, not necessarily those who should pay (eg those who
receive). Similarly, no society can afford any infinity of free things. Any
such redistributive principle bangs up against the iron law of necessity, ie
there is only ever a finite amount of stuff, so you just can’t eg spend
infinite sums on any individual’s maybe really horrid health problem before the
kitty is wholly empty and all must suffer.
10/08/2017: What about the right to
be a husband and wife? They could have their own form of marriage. That is
not enough apparently. What they want is that we change ours. ‘The homosexual
argument is a vote to make the Marriage Act gender-neutral! They want we
straight people to consent to being neither male nor female when it comes to
marriage’. (
10/08/2017: This will not end well: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/07/21/almost-no-educated-migrants-want-attend-school-sweden/ & http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/one-on-two-german-turks-dont-work/news-story/a7e664eee8986e9e90884cb8e4aacafe
09/08/2017: Dual Action Survival Fish Hooks: Fishing in a hiking or survival situation is more about getting something to eat than fishing ethics or legality so you may want to make quite sure you do secure that piscine repast. These dual action fish hooks lock onto the fish with a pincer action once it has taken the bait.
https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Janders-Inc-Utilizing-mechanism/dp/B01GT3Z3GM
http://www.shomer-tec.com/product/survival-fish-hooks-1660.cfm
The Speedhooks can catch a fish for you even when you are resting or asleep - so you can wake up to regale yourself with a wondrous fish breakfast, or an excellent fish soup.
See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bcb-fishing-kit/
Both would be good to use with this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/steves-ultralight-fish-chowder/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-crayfish-bisque/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-coconut-fish-curry/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-ball-of-string-and-a-feed-of-cray/
09/08/2017: The awesome power of ‘Big Brother’. I will probably rid myself of dependence on these folk after this dreadful action against Jordan Peterson: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/08/08/down-with-internet-gatekeepers/
09/08/2017: Some folks worry about these stats, but I would like the choice personally of when it’s time to go, I can go. I do not want to wait until I am in awful pain and only have weeks to live. Pretty soon after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's would suit me, or after being left alone and unhappy with pretty much nothing I want to do. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/08/03/euthanasia-responsible-for-4-5-per-cent-of-deaths-in-the-netherlands/
08/08/2017: Humping Your Bluey: This post comes from Richard Graves, Australian Bushcraft: ‘The swag is the proverbial means of carrying a load and it is one of the best methods in existence. It has the advantage of being extremely well balanced, two-thirds of the weight being carried behind the body and about one-third in front. The result of this balance is that the carrier walks completely upright: Clothes, tent, bedding and the gear not wanted for the day's walk are carried in the swag at the back, while the food and cooking utensils and the day's needs are in the 'dilly' bag in front. Because of this the swag is not opened during the day but the dilly bag attached to the front is immediately accessible.
The only materials necessary to make a swag are a strap, two
binding straps and the dilly bag. The swag strap, preferably of soft leather or
light webbing, should be about 1 metre long and about 5 cm or more wide. The
two binding strips The rolled swag, containing bedding and other gear, is
carried on the back while the dilly bag, containing the day's needs, is carried
on the front.
The swag is
Half the knack of carrying a swag consists in knowing how to swing it. Lay the roll, with the dilly bag extended, in front of you. Put the arm farthest away from the dilly bag through the swag strap. Heave the roll towards your back and swing the body towards the swag, so that the dilly bag flies up and out. Duck the opposite shoulder and catch the dilly bag on it. The strap will then lie over one shoulder and the dilly bag over the other with the swag roll carried at an angle across the back.
An alternative method of carrying the swag is to use two straps, one about 1 metre long and the other about 2 metres. Both straps should be about 3 cm wide and made of strong material, although it should be soft. The roll is made for the swag and the long strap tied securely about 15 cm from one end of the roll. Fifteen cm from the other end of the roll the other strap is fastened, with the dilly bag held in position by this binding. The swag is lifted to the left shoulder with the dilly bag in front and the roll at the back, the neck of the dilly bag hanging over the left shoulder. The long strap is passed on top of the right shoulder and then under the armpit and around the back. Then it is tied to a loop at the bottom corner of the dilly bag. This type of swag prevents the dilly bag from swaying.
To pack and roll the swag itself, lay your groundsheet or swag cover (traditionally a blanket) on the ground and then fold your other blankets to a width of about 80 cm. Lay spare clothes lengthways on top with your other gear. Fold in the sides of the groundsheet and roll the whole from the blanket end to the free side so that it is tight. If a tent is being carried, this 'inner swag' is then rolled in it. The two binding cords are passed through the swag strap to stop slipping. The dilly bag is then attached to one of the binding straps at its junction with the swag strap.’
Recommended reading: Diary of a Welsh Swagman, Joseph Jenkins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jenkins
A couple of poems about swagmen will not go awry:
C.J. Dennis
Oh, he was old and he was spare;
His bushy whiskers and his hair
Were all fussed up and very grey
He said he'd come a long, long way
And had a long, long way to go.
Each boot was broken at the toe,
And he'd a swag upon his back.
His billy-can, as black as black,
Was just the thing for making tea
At picnics, so it seemed to
He told me. Then he shook his head,
And all the little corks that hung
Around his hat-brim danced and swung
And bobbed about his face; and when
I laughed he made them dance again.
He said they were for keeping flies -
"The pesky varmints" - from his eyes.
He called me "Codger". . . "Now you see
The best days of your life," said he.
"But days will come to bend your back,
And, when they come, keep off the track.
Keep off, young codger, if you can.
He seemed a funny sort of man.He told me that he wanted work,
But jobs were scarce this side of Bourke,
And he supposed he'd have to go
Another fifty mile or so.
"Nigh all my life the track I've walked,"
He said. I liked the way he talked.
And oh, the places he had seen!
I don't know where he had not been -
On every road, in every town,
All through the country, up and down.
"Young codger, shun the track," he said.
And put his hand upon my head.
I noticed, then, that his old eyes
Were very blue and very wise.
"Ay, once I was a little lad,"
He said, and seemed to grow quite sad.
I
sometimes think: When I'm a man,
I'll get a good black billy-can
And hang some corks around my hat,
And lead a jolly life like that.
Waltzing Matilda
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled,
you'll
come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
he
sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
you'll
come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
you'll
come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
he
sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Up rode the troopers, one, two, three,
With the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll
come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
With the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, you scoundrel with me.
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
You'll never catch me alive, said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
you'll
come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
his
ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
Oh, you'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
13/11/2016:
Deconstructing Waltzing
Waltzing Matilda is an Australian icon. It is quite likely that more Australians know the words to this song than even their national anthem. There is probably no other song that is more easily recognised by a populace: young or old: native or a newly arrived immigrant.
The lyrics to Waltzing Matilda were (allegedly) written in 1895 by Banjo Paterson, an Australian bush poet, while holidaying on a huge cattle and sheep station (ranch) in the Australian Outback. He was inspired by a tune he heard being played by Christina Macpherson the daughter of the owner of the property. Banjo and Christina worked together composing the song. Whether they also got it away is left to your imagination. She set the music for Waltzing Matilda. The song was an instant hit. The words were written to a tune played on a zither or autoharp by 31‑year‑old Christina, one of the family members at the station. 31? Old for such high jinks!
Macpherson
had heard the tune ‘The Craigielee March’ played by a military band while attending
the Warrnambool steeplechase horse racing in Victoria in April 1894, and played
it back by ear at Dagworth.
As with so many icons of the Left, there is a degree of dishonesty at its heart. For example, the tune was stolen: The march was based on the Scottish Celtic folk tune ‘Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea’, written by Robert Tannahill and first published in 1806, with James Barr composing the music in 1818. In the early 1890s it was arranged as the ‘The Craigielee’ march music for brass band by Thomas Bulch. This tune, in turn, was possibly based on the old melody of ‘Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO1DPWLumvw), composed by John Field (1782–1837) sometime before 1812. Banjo’s song was first recorded by John Collinson in 1926. You can listen to it here: http://aso.gov.au/titles/music/waltzing-matilda/clip1/ I think I prefer the original title, ‘Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself’!
Of
course
First read the song Waltzing Matilda (below) again , then I will begin to ‘decontruct’ it for you:
Waltzing Matilda, Lyrics to Song
1Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
2Under the shade of a coolibah tree
3And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
4Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me?
5Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
6Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me
7And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
8Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me?
9Along came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong
10Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
11And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag
12You'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.
13Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
14Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me
15And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
16Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me?
17Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred
18Down came the troopers, one, two, three
19Whose is that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
20You'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.
21Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
22Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me
23And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
24Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me?
25Up jumped the swagman, leapt into the billabong,
26You'll never catch me alive, said he
27And his ghost may be heard as you pass by the billabong
28Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.
29Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
30Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me
31And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
32Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me?
Just some key words: First ‘camped’ (Line 1) rather than ‘trespassed’. This innocuous word sets the scene for who is in the right and who in the wrong in this interchange of ideas and clash of social classes. The swagman is innocently ‘camping’ amid a benevolent nature which will provide him with all its largesse (food, drink peace) as his ‘right’. The tranquillity and ‘appropriateness’ of the scene is emphasized over and over again by the choice of words ‘waltzing’ and ‘singing’ for example (Lines 11,12,13,14,15,16!). There is no indication that he is a ruffian who has no business being where he is. In reality the swagman is a shiftless idle derelict, illegally trespassing on someone else’s private property which the owner has paid good money for and spent considerable effort and work building up, eg creating mobs of (highly edible) sheep, which the swagman wantonly kills and steals.
The ‘class’ difference between the protagonists (and the role of the Government in reinforcing this class system) is emphasized by the choice of word to describe them their conveyances and possessions. The swagman is on foot (‘waltzing) whereas the owner (described disphemistically) as a ‘squatter’ (as if he had no right to the land -though he had actually paid for it!) is ‘mounted’ (to stress his ‘
High falutin’ nature, and not just on any common nag (it would in reality have been a ‘whaler’) but on a ‘thoroughbred’ (which would in fact have been little use for mustering sheep - it would break its legs!) His actions are backed up by the full force of the establishment and the law by the presence of not just one but by a whole bevy of gendarmes (three) so that at the outset the ‘poor’ swagman is outnumbered (four to one) by the onerous forces of capital and the law – O, the injustice of it all!
Of course the poem was written in response to the Great Shearer's Strike (it became almost a civil war) and led to many gaolings and deaths, and the burning of many shearing sheds - and also to the founding of the 'New Australia' colony in Paraguay and incidentally to the founding of the Labor Party, not far from where it was written - by just such leftists as Paterson. In those days Bourke was a centre of culture. Many people wanted to form a socialist republic West of the Darling where 100,000 people dwelt then (but no-one does today- after the drought of 1890 failed to go away - climate change!) Today Bourke has the highest crime rate in the world!
Let’s look at how that crime is dealt with: The ‘jumbuck’ (‘sheep’ = Line 9) is obviously innocently coming to the stream for its evening drink when the swagman ‘grabs’ him and ‘stows’ him. The violence of this encounter is glossed over and the swagman places the remains of the sheep in his food bag as if it were his own property. There is no hint in the song though of ‘blood upon the wattle’. There is no indication even that the action was ‘unkind’. The sheep might almost later on extricate itself from the offending bag after having had a peaceful nap, and saunter on its way as if the whole episode had been a friendly jape! Performed after all, with ‘glee’. I’m not sure however if the wether appreciated the jest! He is a bloody mess of meat after all, hacked to pieces. It is astonishing to what an extent the passivity of the crime is glossed over. The swagman just ‘watches and waits’; it is the squatter and his troopers who are the actors. They ‘ride up’ and ‘come down’, etc.
The
squatter at least comes straight to the point, ‘Whose is that jumbuck’? He
says. Every event in
It
was clearly quite mad to drown yourself simply over the theft of some mutton
anyway, a crime which would most likely only have met with a small fine in
those days. If this event is supposed to have taken place before Samuel Mort
invented refrigerated transport (c1883 and therefore likely - Now Elders
incidentally), then you should know that meat was practically free up until
then as the only usable products of the grazing industry were tallow (fat),
hides and wool as anyone who has played the board game ‘Squatter’, an
Australian version of ‘Monopoly’ ought to know. Meat was simply a waste
product. At one time for example they used to tip up to 4 million sheep
carcasses into the
You will note that the cops (troopers) do nothing. Just like cops of every age, they are just in it for the take, eg their fat horses. They do nothing to prevent crime or to solve it.
I also like the morsel of moral advice that you should ‘pass by this billabong’. Its pollution by dead swagmen and sheep is bad enough. I think there is also the suggestion that ‘you’ should eschew a like fate. Whether this means you should desist from rustling, drinking meths, bathing, having anything to do with the police or etc is left to your own imagination – as it should be!
The constant refrain ‘Who’ll’? and its answering chorus, ‘You’ll’ is just too obvious to require explanation. If you have been sucked in by leftist gibberish, no doubt you are totally ignorant and might as well be off ‘waltzing matilda’ with the fairies or lying somewhere (dare I say ‘unlamented’?) on the bottom of some Billabong or other suitable receptacle for the disposal of dead bodies!
The swagman will have his revenge. We are doomed to be haunted by his ghost – just as we are haunted by the ghosts of Whitlam and Keating! Wait a moment! Keating is not dead. He just always looks dead. His is the undead hand of capitalism! Or socialism. Well, something like that.
08/08/2017: The entitlement culture triumphs over education. The average mark today is an ‘A’: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/half-class-2016-are-students-even-though-their-sat-scores-stink
08/08/2017: TWO great quotes today: Arthur C. Clarke, ‘I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.’ & John Kenneth Galbraith, ‘The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.’
08/08/2017: Best Possible Thing for Low-Skilled Workers: Having Others Get Rich off Their Labor: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2015/07/best-possible-thing-for-low-skilled-workers-having-others-get-rich-off-their-labor.html
07/08/2017: Ultralight Shoes: I have been trying out a pair of Topo brand trail shoes. The ones I wanted were the Terraventure but the shop did not have them in my size so I bought a pair of Athletic Mountain MT2s for A$130. The Terraventures would have been 290 grams. These guys are 230 grams which sounds like an insane weight for something you are going to venture into the backcountry in, I know.
I have been going around the lambs in them of a morning. We have a really steep hill behind the house (over 30 degrees - too steep for any vehicle or tractor). At this time of the year the frost, wet grass and clay soils are very slippery, so I often slide or fall over. I have to say that these shoes are hanging on to the surface better than anything else I have ever worn. Some days I do ten kilometres on this hillside!
They are also very comfortable. I have been wearing them all week on our evening walks. They handle rough gravel tracks fine. I think they exercise the foot a bit more than heavier shoes. You feel as if your foot is flexing and gripping in them more. They are also a lot easier to walk in though, being so light. It feels like being barefoot, only with more grip actually. This may contribute to my feeling of confidence in my grip and balance when wearing them.
Apparently the main difference between them and the Terraventures is that the sole has about 2mm more tread and a little more cushion in the insole. That is about it. They also have a waterproof model theTtopo Hydroventure which is much the same as the ones I have except for the waterproof layer. They weigh around 275 grams. I generally don't favour waterproof shoes. You are going to get your feet wet anyway. The waterproof layer is just going to make them dry out more slowly.
I
really like the laces. They are oval in shape and seem to hold a knot better than
just about any laces I have ever used. You may remember I discovered some other
laces when I was looking for a vendor in
I also really like the no-sew construction and the wide foot box. I have a very wide foot - the result of never wearing shoes until I left school pretty much. I used to take an 8E through G when I could get them, so I am pretty hard to fit shoes to. They are also very kind and soft on the toes. I notice this particularly with all the hillsiding and downhilling I am doing with the lambs.
As
it turns out I was able to try them on and buy them from my favourite
I may yet buy a pair of the Terraventures. I have discovered that Will Rietveld thinks very highly of them for both on and off trail use, and he seems to be a pretty genuine guy. He has a useful review here: http://ultralightinsights.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/gear-review-topo-terraventure-trail-shoe.html He has a very interesting website there actually, so you will probably be staying quite some time.
He recently wore a pair on the trail for 48 days (which I doubt was a lot less than a couple of thousand kilometres!) I have 'borrowed his photo of what they looked like at the end of that trip. Thanks Will. He says: 'the uppers look like new and the outsoles are only lightly worn. The only evidence of use is some scuffing on the edges of the outsole.'
Most other much heavier shoes would probably be starting to come apart after such punishment. Why not try a pair next time your need a new pair of shoes. I will keep you posted on how well these 230 gram shoes last me. I am petty happy with them so far.
PS: They do come in different colours than in the photos.
07/08/2017:
07/08/2017: This BOM
scandal won’t go away. If the temperature record is not accurate, open and
above board any climate science becomes impossible: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/08/bom-had-smart-cards-to-filter-out-coldest-temperatures-full-audit-needed-asap/
07/08/2017: The EPA
is evil. I know you won’t believe this, but this has happened to us and friends
of ours, and is maybe coming for you too. Once I was dragged down to the local
police station by the gendarmes to be ‘interviewed’ by these busybodying
bastards (for plowing!). Read the article: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/the-potus-and-the-wotus/
07/08/2017: You just
hope that socialist fellow traveller’s here are getting the lessons from
06/08/2017: A Conversation we don’t much see nowadays, but we should: Hector and Achilles: Two Paths to Manliness: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/11/14/hector-achilles-two-paths-manliness/
06/08/2017: Just some
of the bad points about this century’s cars: http://www.theospark.net/2017/08/being-taken-for-ridefrom-rico.html Since push rods disappeared and
electronics took over cars they have become well-nigh unfixable – certainly for
the home handyman!
06/08/2017: ‘A culture, like a person, is born, lives and then it dies. Like a person, its youth is a chaotic becoming, while its maturing is what it became. Its death is romanticizing what it was and then, it is gone. That’s the American Left now. It is a thing for old people and young romantics, but the death certificate has been filled out with everything but the date. The radical culture that was born in the 60’s and flourished for two generations is about to expire.’ Sincerely hope so! http://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=11045
05/08/2017: A Fair Chase: I see it is two years since I first posted this. As a result of my experiences of the last two weeks (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-silence-of-the-deer/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/avon-river-walking-track/), I feel that it needs a revisit:
Moose
Country, Fiordland NZ: Looking down over the Jane Burn into the
Seems to me too many hunters long since crossed the boundary between hunting and vermin eradication/culling. In many cases the latter is what is called for (eg with foxes at lambing time) but with game animals we move to such behaviour with the risk that they will thereby lose their status as game animals, resulting in the Government legislating for their extermination. Then poisoning might prove to be more efficient than shooting. Think on that!
More importantly still, from an ethical perspective, we lose all respect for them as an animal worthy of our endeavours. The hunter’s prey should have these rights: to be able effectively to employ its senses, intelligence and ability to flee from danger. If we degrade them to the extent that they no longer have these rights then we are not hunting them; we are culling. Sometimes culling may have to be done – but there is no honour in it. It is an (unpleasant) job! Unfortunately much of what many hunters do is simply that.
Long-range shooting with a telescopic sight deprives the animal of any opportunity to see, hear, smell or flee the hunter. It is culling. It is no different from spotlighting, which has the same effect as well as paralysing the prey. Similarly employing trail cameras (a wildlife biologist’s research tool surely?) to locate, monitor and predict an animal, then to await it camouflaged or perched in a tree above it is not hunting. No deer has camouflaged natural predators which it could expect to strike it from a distance from high above. A deer is not camouflaged, yet it is a master of blending into its surrounding and using cover and topography, and moving silently. So should the hunter try to be.
The possession and display of a vast array of clearly ‘unfair’ gadgets and pieces of equipment which inform the passer-by only that you intend to control and dominate your prey, only advises those who don’t like hunting already that they should act to prevent your hunting. It would be far better for the sport if all hunters wore a tweed jacket and tie (as they used to do in the past), as this would at least indicate you were not rednecks and yobbos! At least ditch the awful camo. It sends the wrong message. A wool check shirt is far better, and more comfortable.
There are any number of technological means I can imagine of killing animals, but neither would they be hunting. Employing drones, for example. Traps and deadfalls. Poisoned baits and waterholes. Helicopter shooting. Shooting from vehicles or horseback. Why not go ‘whole hog’ as ‘hunters’ and employ helicopter gunships, machine guns, bombs and napalm? People need to wake up to themselves and what they are doing. To be able to hunt is a privilege too easily lost for us to tolerate the macho antics of such a ‘hunting brigade’ with all their showy appurtenances.
Having been evicted from a number of hunting groups for expressing the opinion that hunters need to behave more ethically here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sambar-deer-stalking-103/, I may put this idea on Kickstarter: I call it the Trophy Acquisition System. It is designed for the time poor but well-heeled, overweight sportsman. The idea is that a trail cam will be connected to a small PC which has a Target Identification System. You will be able to programme it: eg Sambar Stag. When the target comes in view the camera will begin filming, then a .30 calibre rifle will cleanly shoot it through the heart. More photos of the trophy will follow of it in its chosen death pose. Then the system will communicate with the remote hunter, sending him SMS messages, co-ordinates, snapshots, etc.
The system can even be programmed to Photoshop the hunter into the scene, eg with the dead deer. If the absent hunter does not wish to retrieve the trophy, he can purchase the optional Carcass Disposal System which will tow it away into the bushes somewhere, at which point the Trophy Acquisition System will re-set itself to await the next trophy.
For the price of a stamped return-addressed envelope I will be offering a ‘hack’ for the system which allows the target ‘trophy’ to be re-set to an image of the person who purchased and deployed the system.
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sambar-deer-stalking-103/
and http://www.theultralighthiker.com/thrilling-tales-sir-samuel-baker/
05/08/2017: ‘However beautiful the
strategy, you should occasionally look at the results’. Sir Winston
Churchill
05/08/2017: Blue lives matter: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/when-arrests-go-bad/
05/08/2017: This fraud just keeps getting worse. The public should not have to finance or put up with stuff like this: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/08/bom-had-smart-cards-to-filter-out-coldest-temperatures-full-audit-needed-asap/
04/08/2017: Wonnangatta-Moroka Trip Cut Short: Orinally posted 2/08/2011: 'Back early from three days' hunting/hiking in Wonnangatta-Moroka NP due to sore toes (Have to do more research into boots) and accidentally taking the three-quarter length Neoair mat which was a bit harsh on my bad back. However saw lots of deer, some of whom visited me during the night.' (This is all I wrote back then)
Sore feet can spoil a trip ( http://www.theultralighthiker.com/foot-care/). I had clearly not trimmed my toenails well beforehand, but unless you can get the correct size boot (for me a half size = 8 1/2) and especially if you are doing a lot of hill-siding or down-hilling this is likely to happen. Preparation is all.
I am now better able to use a 3/4 length mat, having had a back operation in 2013 though I usually use the Neoair Women's (340 grams - http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/) which did not exist then. They had also not then trimmed the extra 30 grams from their 3/4 length model back then so it weighed 260 grams instead of the current 230. You can put something under your feet to lift them a little. I would now use my Airbeam Pad (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/air-beam-pad/), or a Graham Medical pillow (watch for future post) with my http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bathtub-groundsheet-chair/.
My camera choice has improved since then. I had only a 4 megapixel camera with 3X zoom back then - and was still not in the habit of taking many photos - having grown up with film cameras which were so expensive, and made one positively stingy. I have found some snaps I took however, and have added them to this update. My current camera has 20x zoom ( http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-camera/) and there are even better (though not lighter) ones available. Sony now have a pocket camera which weighs 245 grams and has a 30X zoom https://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/compacts/sony_dschx80. Another great choice is the Canon SX730 with 40x zoom though it weighs 300 grams: https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_sx730hs Coupled with eg this http://www.theultralighthiker.com/4-gram-string-reverse-tripod/,
These were about as good a photo as you could get with my old camera. I told you I saw 'lots of deer'!
Top: A doe and fawn crossing the river at dusk. Below a very nice stag thrashing just to the right of the centre. He is just to the left of the 'vee' of the twig from the tree on the right.
They do not compare well to the photo of the doe I took last Saturday ( http://www.theultralighthiker.com/avon-river-walking-track/):
Or this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ethical-hunter/
Back then I see I was still using my ancient 7'x7' (210x210cm) 2oz/yd2 home-made polyester-nylon tarp as a shelter. I have made some improvements since then, but it did keep me warm and dry, and was the inspiration for many better models. I used to have to drop this one down when I wanted to go to sleep, and sleep diagonally - but it did use to work. In the new 1 oz/yd2 Membrane Silpoly it would have weighed about 160 grams including tie-outs. An 8' x 8' (240x240cm) tarp would work a bit better. It would weigh about 210 grams. I am thinking of making a larger version of my poncho tarp ( http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poncho-tent-update/) in these dimensions. To be announced. It would then also be great as a hammock tarp.
Here is my old 7x7 tarp.
And here is my 8'x8' cuben tarp (weight <150 grams):
Mind you there were some good stags about:
You will note that you can walk up and shoot a quite satisfactory stag wearing a blue tee shirt!
Of course in future I will be using this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poncho-tent-update/
In silnylon it will be a tent which fits in a breast pocket and which weighs
under 180 grams! I will be calling it The Pocket Poncho Tent. I may be selling
them. I am investigating manufacturing in
I have long since worn out my original 53 litre cuben fibre zpacks Zero/Blast pack you can see in the photo. I replaced it with a 4.8 oz/yd2 Dyneema model. The latter is still under 400 grams instead of 230 grams, but is much much more durable. I hope I do wear it out actually! I am still using the same Big Agnes Cyclone Chair (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cyclone-chair/ - since 2006!) My blue $1 5 and 10 store cup has been going for over 20 years now. I am yet to find a lighter one
I only wish I was still as young now as I was in 2011 - but I am still going, which is the main thing!
04/08/2017: Isn’t it
a disgrace that the Senate can block the people being ‘allowed’ to vote in a
referendum? Surely the executive (ie the PM) should be able to call a
referendum without recourse to the Parliament at all? After all, a democracy is
supposed to be ‘government by the people’.
Indeed, it seems to me that if enough citizens petition for a referendum on
an issue, then one must be held. But we live instead in a fake democracy where
all sorts of objectionable stuff can be foisted on us against our will. I think
of decimal currency, the metric system, ‘renewables’, gay ‘marriage’, Islamic
immigration, abolition of the death penalty, the current ‘apartheid’ system,
affirmative action, and so on. How many of these would have been passed by a
referendum? We should have more of them, rather than fewer. I would prefer the
cost of referenda to the cost of the pollies anyday!
0408/2017: A
synangogue banned: Soon Jews will be leaving
0408/2017: ‘Put bluntly, failure attracts more money
than success. Politically, failure becomes a reason to demand more money’,
(Thomas Sowell, http://www.tsowell.com/speducat.html)
Hence the ‘need’ for Gonskis, the NDIS, more money for ‘renewables’, Depts of
‘indigenous’ affairs, the ‘welfare’ system & so on ad nauseum… Meanwhile
(eg) in the
03/08/2017: Fizan Compact Trekking Poles: These
are not the lightest trekking poles, but they are amongst the shortest when
folded which can be important when you want to fit them inside luggage or
inside your pack. At US$59.99 (July 2017) they are one of the cheapest.Add
shipping to
Founded
in 1947 by Domenico Fincati, Fizan pioneered the use of aluminum in ski poles
when the rest of world was still using steel or bamboo. Since then, the company
has become a leader in the market, widely known in
Features
- 7001 aluminum construction
- Proprietary Flexy internal locking system
- Ergonomic EVA foam grip with rounded plastic top
- 1.35” (3.4 cm) wide nylon straps
- Replaceable carbide tips
- Metal-reinforced rubber tip covers
- 3 sets of removable baskets: 35, 50, and 95 mm
- Made in
Specs
Massdrop x Fizan Compact 3
- Sections: 3
- Adjustable length: 22.8–52 in (58–132 cm)
- Pole section diameters: 17, 16, and 14 mm
- Weight per pole: 5.6 oz (158 g)
Massdrop x Fizan Compact 4
- Sections: 4
- Adjustable length: 19.3–49.2 in (49–125 cm)
- Pole section diameters: 17, 16, 14, and 12 mm
- Weight per pole: 6 oz (169 g)
Straps, Tips & Baskets
- Weight per strap: 0.4 oz (10 g)
- Weight per hiking tip: 0.4 oz (12 g)
- Weight per 35mm basket: 0.07 oz (2 g)
- Weight per 50mm basket: 0.1 oz (4 g)
- Weight per 95mm basket: 0.5 oz (14 g)
Included
- Pair of poles
- Pair of straps
- Pair of hiking tip covers
- 3 sets of hiking baskets
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-fizan-compact?mode=guest_open
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-poles-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-poles/
03/08/2017: We have a right to be thugs. We will not obey the law: ACTU secretary Sally McManus ‘You can sack us. You can outlaw us. You can vilify us every single day with your friends in the media. You can set up royal commissions. You can tap our phones, you can raid our offices. You can vilify and punish our leaders. You can bring in laws to police us. You can support laws that make our work hard. You can fine us, and jail us. But you will never defeat us.’ Of course, this also goes as far as calling general strikes in wartime, such as the ‘1917 General Strike’ they are celebrating today, just a few days afrter the centenary of Paschendale where so many Australians lost their lives or were forever maimed! I just wonder what those troops were fighting for? These thugs it seems! When will this commie class-war gibberish ever end? http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/the-great-fail-of-1917/news-story/48d3c35935ec34c5013e71d5655adea5
03/08/2017: So,
Prince Phil is to retire today at 96. This has to be about twice the
average working life. Presumably he did not belong to a trade union (see above).
We have a customer at the Yinnar General Store, John Brown who is also an
active WW2 veteran who is so full of amazing stories. Such folks are wonderful
treasures. What a generation they were. They humble me completely. I was
fortunate enough to have been raised by such people, and to have at least begun
my education when WW1 men were still senior teachers. How times have changed!
03/08/2017: Surely time for same-pronunciation marriage: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/31/the-homophone-menace/
02/08/2017: Jennifer and I caught the BOM out faking station data years ago, and they are still at it. You could falsify data to prove anything, but I’m not paying for it. Sack the bastards: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/08/scandal-australian-bureau-of-meteorology-caught-erasing-cold-temperatures/
02/08/2017: It may
not actually be the stupidest (though it surely goes close), but certainly
underlines the reality that savings can be made. Other people’s money: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/07/28/the-stupidest-thing-the-federal-government-does/
02/08/2017: The real
cost of going solar: these are US calculations, but first you would have to
cover an area of @ 250,000 square miles with solar panels (this is 2 ½
01/08/2017: Massdrop Shipping
Some time ago the shipping calculator disappeared from the main page of this wonderful site, so I have not been game to make a purchase because I did not know how much I would be charged for shipping. Eventually I contacted them and received this useful reply: 'At this time the site is only able to show the Shipping cost through the Payment/Shipping information page on a drop. Having said this, you do not have to agree to buy in order to see the shipping cost. Once you hit the green "Join Drop" button on a drop, you will be directed to the Payment/Shipping information page. From here, need only input your shipping information and the site will automatically update to show the shipping cost before you confirm payment or even input payment information.' I have checked and this works, as you will see from my post about the excellent Fizan Trekking Poles this morning: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fizan-compact-trekking-poles/ These poles will fit entirely inside your pack available there for river crossings, use as tent poles or for heavy carry-outs etc.
I have recommended purchases from these folks again and again. I suggest you
bookmark them too. It will be a little more advantageous if you happen to live
in the
Some of my other Massdrop recommendations:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/massdrop/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fizan-compact-trekking-poles/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/500-gram-tents/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-umbrella-redesigned/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-vorso-mark-ii-spinning-top/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-ultralight-survival-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-insulated-static-v-lite-sleeping-pad/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/miniature-weapons-the-toothpick-crossbow/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/black-diamond-storm-waterproof-headlamp/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/vargo-titanium-knives/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/super-aaa-torch-145-lumens/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/miniature-pens/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-inertia-o-zone-ultralight/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-rolls-royce-of-back-country-trowels/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-ultralight-pillow/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/smallest-rechargeable-flashlight/
01/08/2017: Over 500 sulphuric
acid attacks in
01/08/2017: What is
Labor's vision? Exactly: ‘To have the many bludge off the few? In which
case we'll all be equally poor: Labor’s assault on higher income taxpayers
would raise $10.8 billion over the next four years and $76bn over the next
decade, but the policies have sparked an attack from business leaders over
Bill Shorten’s focus on income redistribution at the expense of growth.The 3 per cent of taxpayers paying the top
marginal tax rate already provide 30 per cent of tax revenue, a share
Labor’s policies and bracket creep would push towards 35 per cent.’ Andrew
Bolt
01/08/2017: Good God in his Great Green Heaven: these folks are evil bastards: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/07/forget-geoengineering-planet-lets-drug-and-modify-humans-instead-shrink-your-kids/
31/07/2017: A Hiking Food Compendium: Folks are always asking me, 'What do you eat on the trail?' I have posted about this again and again, but I just thought I would bring all my posts about this together as one compendium. When you get tired of eating all these you could just quit life or hiking I guess.
A couple of these are to enjoy at home, but most are dry ingredients which make the meal as light as possible )calories per gram is all!) and use supermarket bought rather than specialty hiking meals as they are both cheaper and tastier in my opinion.
Enjoy:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dellas-coconut-rice-hiking-food/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lunch-on-the-trail/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/steves-nepali-dahl-soup/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-food-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tasty-hiking-meals/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/porridge/
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31/07/2017: Strange the things you forget! From July 31, 2013 Back from the dead: the massive heart attack which has kept me silent for a couple of days turned out to be a freaky infection on the outside of my heart now (hopefully) completely cured by antibiotics…still a very scary and bizarre experience especially coming as it did on the 50th anniversary of my own father’s death!
31/07/2017: Having No Brains: Most of us have been
there: ‘How far left was I? So far left my beloved uncle was a
card-carrying member of the Communist Party in a Communist country. When I
returned to his Slovak village to buy him a mass card, the priest refused to
sell me one. So far left that a self-identified terrorist proposed marriage to
me. So far left I was a two-time Peace Corps volunteer and I have a degree from
UC Berkeley. So far left that my Teamster mother used to tell anyone who would
listen that she voted for Gus Hall, Communist Party chairman, for president. I
wore a button saying "Eat the Rich." To me it wasn't a metaphor. I
voted Republican in the last presidential election. Below are the top ten
reasons I am no longer a leftist’: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/07/ten_reasons_i_am_no_longer_a_leftist.html
31/07/2017: ‘Behind every clean electric car there is
cobalt, And behind cobalt is the Democratic Republic of Congo. And when the
30/07/2017: Avon River Walking Track: Good News: Della: 'My steady return to fitness: After 5 weeks of cardiac rehab and a couple of weeks of mainstream fitness training (on top of our usual daily walks), today I tackled my first real bushwalk in 5 months. We checked out part of the Avon River Walking Track in the balmy, albeit blustery weather. Not a long walk, only about a three hour round trip; a bit of a goat track with some gentle uphill climbs, so a mild test for the angina. Once my heart warmed up it was pretty plain sailing, I am pleased to report. The scenery was lovely and we will return to do the whole walk on another occasion. Lots more exercising in front of me before I get back to my previous fitness, but I am now convinced that it is achievable. Feeling heartened!'
The sun was just in the right place to cast lots of golden reflection off the river. I took dozens of snaps especially from high up, but you know how you are supposed to never take photos into the sun but you do anyway because sometimes they turn pout spectacularly? Well, pretty much all but this one were duds!
And this one of Della with the beautiful silver mirror of the river snaking behind her. In the distance you can see Mt Ben Cruachan.
And here am I taking the photograph above.
There are some interesting rock formations.
Beautiful beetling pink cliffs.
And
then around a corner this doe came swimming and wading in the river. 
She nearly came right up to us!
But I suspect she detected this rascal!
There
is oodles of camping at Huggets Crossing on the
Here
are the times. You can camp at Dermody's or Wombat Crossing and walk back (or
vice versa). There are also lots of places along the way where you can camp.
You have to be careful of the
The trip was spoiled somewhat by encountering not one but two teams of knuckleheaded hound hunters (the reason the deer was walkingand swimming up the middle of the stream after all)! It is illegal to hunt in the vicinity of roads and walking tracks, because of the danger to the public, to use illegal radio channels and radio tracking during the hunt yet these idiots were (offences which would lose them their licences if apprehended - Huggets is regularly patrolled). Then, they proceeded to camp at Huggets just to disgust other campers with their vast numbers of dogs some of them illegal, public display of deer carcasses and so on.
Anyone
could see that each team was operating many more than the allowable legal
numbers of hounds, and that the bloodhound crosses were just that, not pure
bloodhounds! At the end of the hunt they were still waiting for more hounds
than they are legally allowed to let out in the first place - why the deer we
saw looked so harried, and had been savaged on the right flank some time during
the day, as you can see from its photo. People witnessing such crimes needs to
file a report (with photos) to the Game Management Unit, DEPI,
30/07/2017: French Philosopher Anne Dufourmantelle Dies Attempting to Save Drowning Children: http://neveryetmelted.com/2017/07/26/french-philosopher-anne-dufourmantelle-dies-attempting-to-save-drowning-children/ Philosopher and Psychoanalyst. An advocate of taking risks in life. Good for her. She died well, valiantly, in action and not in deep thought. ‘When there really is a danger that must be faced in order to survive…there is a strong incentive for action, dedication and surpassing oneself,’ she said in a 2015 interview.
30/07/2017: So, Khalil Eideh was not allowed to enter
the
30/07/2017: In a similar vein: Mohamed Elmouelhy is
currently head of the Halal Certification Authority. Smile if you agree with
him:
29/07/2017: Yes! ‘President Trump just did – again – what literally no other leader in the world is doing right now. He took a step towards saving Western Civilization’: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/07/27/delingpole-trumps-transgender-military-ban-is-the-best-thing-ever/ & http://www.qando.net/2017/07/26/the-military-isnt-about-social-engineering-its-about-lethality-and-protecting-the-us/
29/07/2017: Misunderstanding common English words #101: ‘should’ and ‘ought’, ‘may’ and ‘might’. These pairs are not interchangeable. If you do so you are blurring a range of nuances and possibilities. You ’should’ do something if it is ‘good’ and ‘right’ to do so – more about that pair another time! You ‘ought’ to do something because you have an ‘obligation’ – either a moral one, or a debt. Thus, if you have incurred a debt, you should and ought pay it off. It makes no sense to say, ‘We ought to do more for the poor’. We owe the poor no debt, almost certainly not even a moral one. That would imply they had already done something for us and we had put ourselves in their debt. The converse is actually true. ‘We’ have been doing something for ‘them’ (often for a long while). Many folks have lived completely on the public purse to school leaving age (or later), for example. They have incurred an enormous debt. ‘They’ owe ‘us’, and ought to be doing something about it forthwith. In the case of some duskier folk ‘they’ have been doing this for over 200 years. Nothing is owed them but they ought to be paying off their enormous debt to society – not adding to it! You ‘may’ do something because you have permission to do so. You ‘might’ do something because there is a possibility you will. I ‘might’ climb Mt Everest, but I ‘may’ not, as I have not even applied for a permit to do so. More about these matters later. Addendum: It is possible the ‘old’ have created an obligation (eg by working hard at low wages for 50 years), but at present I would have to say they (we?) lived through the best years this country has ever seen, so they should (saving misfortune) mostly have long since been able to provide for themselves.
29/07/2017: More about that debt and obligation. This has been going on for a very long time indeed: http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2017/07/four-thousand-year-old-bond.html
29/07/2017: On the one hand we have State Aid to
Sectarian schools funding a heap of Islamic fundamentalism whilst our
government pours more and more of these undesirable folk into our community,
and on the other hand the State of
29/07/2017: I am a senior myself, so I take this to
heart a bit: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/07/modest-proposal-managing-seniors/
28/07/2017: My father,
PS: I guess long before that day I came to understand all should, and since
that day (I) needs must shift for myself, stand on my own two feet, blame
no-one or nothing, but make of the world what I might. So, for example I
completed High School at 15 with the aid of scholarships which I earned from
just that, then I completed a number of full-time degrees at university whilst
also working full-time, the first four years seven day roster shift work in a
heavy metal refinery. I have worked from that day to this probably hardly ever
earning today's 'minimum wage', but we have been able to provide for ourselves
and our family and set aside savings which we can continue to live on. I am
wholly against the 'entitlement' society. I also think it is tantamount to a
crime against humanity that so many today are growing up without a father - or
with the State as their family. At least I had one, if only for a short,
precious time.
People have been posting here recently about what is the most important thing
in life. Wealth, success, love...Character is all!
Thanks Della: While I never had the privilege of knowing your
father, he is legendary amongst your extended family. He was undoubtedly a man
of both fine and entertaining character who lives on vividly in the memories of
all who knew and loved him. This, I know, is small comfort to a son who sorely
missed the company, guidance, support and praise of the man he loved
unreservedly. How tragic it must have been for you to lose him, and for him to
know that he was being torn from his young family so early in their lives. Such
pain does not fade, but, like the sand in an oyster shell, is coated with the
pearly lustre of your memories and your fine character to become the jewel that
is a perpetual tribute to a treasured life.
28/07/2017:
If you haven't yet walked this wonderful track, think about doing so soon. Being winter at present you will want to follow the 'Winter Route' I have outlined in the track Instructions: http://www.finnsheep.com/Track%20Instructions.htm
as the route across the Baw Baw Plateau will be too dangerous because of snow and cold - though very experienced people with snowshoes and skis have done it.
PS: Thanks to Thomas Osburg for the map. It is available here: http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/media/2059/slv-county-of-evelyn-map.jpg I had to copy it with Paint. From the website, or with Paint you can zoom in and see the detail. Perhaps there is a another way of getting better copy.
28/07/2017: The
28/07/2017: Speak louder and clearer, God: It may
surprise those who understand the depth of my atheistic ‘faith’ to learn that
God infrequently 'talks' to me. I am not honoured with miniatures of Jesus in
my nasal mucosa or portraits of Mother Theresa in my burnt toast, alas, but
twice in widely separated incidents when I have hit my fingernail with a
hammer, the resulting blackening has formed itself into letters, not just any
letters but capital letters - hence, inevitably Godspeak! I think one of the letters was a 'B' and one and 'H'. I would
have preferred that they were 'B' and 'S' as it would have been nice if this
compulsive destroyer of millions of small children in earthquakes, plagues and
tsunamis was indicating to me his non-existence. I will stick with the former
anyway, which I took to indicate two things: First that it was the Jewish God
speaking as there were no vowels. This is nice for the Old Testament folk.
Second, that I needed to believe harder. And hit my fingers with a hammer much
more often. Ouch! I would have to really practice this a lot before I was
convinced I think, especially in the face of those millions of Godmade tiny
corpses, but who knows?
28/07/2017: An optimist believes we live in ‘the best
of all possible worlds’. A pessimist fears this is true!
28/07/2017: Ultimate camo: Just
washed my camo hunting gear... now waiting for it to dry.
27/07/2017: Turnbull is stupid (and must go). On Sunday he rang Shorten to discuss the issue of fixed four year terms - something which could only be decided by an unwinnable referendum anyway!
27/07/2017: Judith Sloan, ‘Successive Australian
governments have been keen to boost population growth through excessive
immigration intakes and have been able to disguise two recessions by not
measuring changes in GDP per capita.’ You need to read this article: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/07/great-immigration-non-debate/
Frankly this is what immigration has been doing to us all the way back to the
fifties: Forcing us to share our wealth amongst more and more people – too many
of whom have no sense of loyalty to our country. We need to put a stop to large
scale immigration – as well as choosing what immigrants we do take much, much
more carefully: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/victoria-most-immigrants-least-wealth-growth/news-story/6305cb41cd07d9ca361e3d0b1dc751a6
27/07/2017: If you decry all religions, you can hardly be disparaged as ‘islamophobic’ for criticizing Islam, arguably the worst of them: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/dawkins-loses-the-love-of-the-left/news-story/13f98a46259b47942a2945eca3a34c30
27/07/2017: On a similar note, Justine Damond: A Casualty of Islamophobia http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2017/07/justine-damond-she-was-not-suffering.html#more
26/07/2017: The Silence of the Deer: Sambar deer do not have a voice. When they are wantonly murdered en masse with no regard to ethics or the law, the survivors cannot speak out. We have to be their voice.
Understand this, I am not some namby-pamby greenie do-gooder. I have hunted deer in the Gippsland mountains for nigh on forty years, and many other creatures before that for another twenty plus years besides. I suppose the last twenty years whilst others took another path I have become naïve.
Because I have been busy farming and when I get away choose to hunt and travel the bush by myself, and during the week, and go almost always to places which have no vehicle access - because I deeply love the wildest places - I had not experienced the rogue element that has taken over too much of the hunting community.
These people have developed and practised techniques and methods which will see hunting banned outright if they are not stopped in their tracks post haste. We will all be the losers for that. We cannot choose to ignore them because we don’t want to get involved, or because we fear what they will do to us in revenge for urging that what they do should be outlawed and punished. I have no doubt what such vile people would do to me if they caught me (or my vehicle) alone in the bush after they realise I have spoken out against them and am their enemy. But, 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing' as Edmund Bourke said. I refuse to be cowed.
Hunters should understand that the great bulk of people do not share their desire to practise this sport. Indeed many find it at best distasteful, if not mean, evil and disgusting. They are the majority. We cannot afford to have them proven right by such louts and villains as are roaming the bush unchecked at present.
I rarely ever go up the bush on a weekend but I did again on Saturday as I wanted to have a look around before the sheep lambed. They have now started, so that will be that for me for a while. Plenty of jobs around the farm to do anyway, particularly tree planting. I returned to a location quite near this place: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-spot-of-solitude/ and wandered a little further along the river than I had ever been before.
As we set out Spot and I watched this swamp wallaby trying to get across this fording point for a while. He had three sterling goes at it but the snow and rain the night before had put the river up about 4" (100mm) and he kept on getting swept away. Eventually he decided that the grass was just as green on his side of the river and gave up.
Spot surveyed the crossing with some trepidation after that, but nonetheless we managed to get across without mishap, him riding as always on my back.
There had been a cold wind off the snow earlier, but as it warmed up the wind dropped and it turned into quite a nice day. The kookaburras were in full cry alerting all and sundry that we were afoot in their territory. Likewise there were a lot of currawongs about with their joyful cries. The wood swallows and bee eaters have recovered somewhat from the awful fires of a few years back, and are everywhere, cutting delightful arcs across the sky. A lone azure kingfisher drew lines on the pallid waters of the river. 'Wally' wombat has also bred up again and is out and about, even in broad daylight. I do so love the sights and sounds of the bush.
We came to a huge patch of solanums of some sort (a relative of tomatoes and potatoes). Frequently the leaves of such plants are poisonous to stock or at least bitter, so nothing much was eating them. Dogs just love to practise their balancing. There was an excellent dry wallow right in the midst of this patch - a fine and private place. It contained no cast antlers - as they often do. It was also a haven for wombats.
Something had been eating the fruit however. Frequently members of this family have palatable fruit, but I did not know about this particular one, so did not try it.
You can easily see what is beautiful but inedible, can't you?
Lunch and time for a cuddle. You can see that what is edible has been well munched down.
A poor attempt at a selfie, Spot getting in on the act! This is the clothing
I think hunters should be wearing. An Icebreaker wool cap. This is a Tomar
merino wool shirt from
What a beautiful valley it is.
Right on top of that stone ridge (above left) I came across this chair, which Spot just had to sit in. I guess it had been a good place to wait for a deer crossing down to the river in the fading afternoon light some time back, or maybe someone just wanted to sit and watch the golden river gliding slowly by. A quite reasonable pastime.
Then, unexpectedly, on the next flat downstream I came upon this horror. A true shambles. A charnel house of deer which had clearly taken place within the last week. I hesitate to say how many there were just like this - more than twenty though! Look at this beautiful little doe, last year's drop, savaged by dogs, shot and left to rot. Why would you do this?
And here is another just twenty yards away with her throat torn out. Again you can see where the dogs have savaged her flanks. This wasn't the work of any beagle I have ever seen or owned. Any normal scent trailing hound for that matter. What sort of evil mongrels such folks are using is beyond me. As is 'Why?'
A few yards further on this fine young stag, again savaged by the dogs,
antlers hewn off at least. Still, a total waste by my reckoning. 
Another few steps and there was another, and another and another. Not an
ounce of venison had been taken. 
And there were wallabies just like the one we watched earlier also torn to pieces by the dogs.
Such barbaric behaviour is not hunting. It is just wanton rapaciousness. What other base things are such sub-human creatures as perpetrated this outrage capable of? In order to simultaneously kill a half dozen large deer in a circle probably fifty yards in radius, how many dogs had been let out on this hunt? Certainly not the five beagles allowed by law!
These guys are doing everything they can wrong. Everything they can to ensure our sport is banned. You could not blame members of the public who stumbled upon such horror (canoeists for example - this is a lovely river to canoe), or heaven help them if they had become mixed up in it, if they then demanded that hound hunting, yea deer hunting entirely be banned forthwith. And they would be right!
If we cannot stamp out this sort of behavior, we deserve to lose our sport. There are people who are reading this who know who the people are who do such things. Some of you witnessed it, or were in the bush thereabouts on the day it happened which I was not (else the police would have all their number plates I can assure you!) and have a pretty good idea who was involved.
Week after week such vile idiots as this come home with a swag of antlers and an awesome tally of dead deer to boast about, having spent the weekend practising the vilest animal cruelty. Young yahoos edging each other on to acts of greater barbarism. People who would do this are capable of anything - or nothing! One thing I have heard about is folk who cruelly wound a deer, eg gut shooting it and breaking its legs so that they can drive the poor agonised creature back to their car rather than carrying the meat out! I have heard a vile thug boasting at his skill at this unbelievable abhorrent practice. God alone knows what further despicable acts of animal cruelty they are capable of.
And, they are slaughtering deer with vast packs of slavering dogs in our National Parks too. They have absolutely no respect for law or morality. They have no human values. Tiny and I were hunted by a pack of just such feral dogs which had been left behind by such a crew as this a few years ago. I could not believe they were baying on our trail. Dingoes certainly never bark on trail, or hunt in packs. I have now put two and two together after seeing this slaughterhouse. A client of mine, near Omeo years ago lost 800 sheep in a single night to such packs of wild dogs. A pack of feral dogs left behind by such hunters will tear some hiker or camper to pieces one day. If they can rip the throat out of a full-grown deer what chance do you think an unarmed person would have? I certainly never camp in the forest since that experience without a weapon handy.
(PS: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-the-wonnangatta-moroka/ Tiny is my older Jack Russell - she is still going at 17 1/2, but she is too deaf and poorly sighted to be taken into the wilderness now. I would lose her, but she would still dearly love to come. She gets a five km walk in the forest behind us every afternoon though, and gets to smell lots of interesting things there, and can come home afterwards and sleep in her basket next to a warm fire. It is not a bad evening to her long life during which she spent a great deal of time in the bush ‘hunting’ and never laid a tooth on anything).
Here she is in retirement in front of her fire:
I will outline what has apparently become the normal modus operandi of too many hound hunters today. I have no idea what percentage but it may well be the majority. Most if not all practise some of the illegal or unethical things I will go on to explain. I was myself a hound hunter for over thirty years. My father, his father and his father too all hunted with hounds in the Australian bush. 175 years of hound hunting. But we never did anything like this. First of all we had a small number of hounds, often only one or two - what need large numbers anyway? One good dog with a superb nose and a good voice is enough actually - ah, but getting such a dog is hard! . For many years I had Harpoon, Belle, Poono, Mike and Marsh. They were foxhound-bloodhound crosses. What a dog Harpoon was. Better than most packs of dogs. Many people will have encountered them or me in the bush in years past. A young reader recently wrote to me that he could still just about hear my call on the wind, 'Harpoon, Come!' They are just a part of the earth of my orchard and of my memories today, after the dreadful foxhound ban - which alas, did no good!
I spent more time hunting for the hounds than I did hunting for deer. My friend the late Arthur Meyers used to call us 'the last of the hound hunters', and maybe that was about right. We hunted always on foot, without the benefit of a vehicle (as the law mandates). For much of that time we never owned a 4WD. We had feet. Two of them each usually, though a mate of mine, Jock had only one and used to get about in the bush pretty well besides. Still does actually.
Aside: We were going to walk into the Wonnangatta together this winter for a week or ten days, two silly septuagenarians, a spot of fishing and hunting and yarning by the fire, but he eventually could not make it, and I have not yet either. Still, eventually the sheep will finish lambing and I can get away again, so maybe yet...I do so adore the Wonnangatta valley in winter. On the horizon you are ringed with majestic snow-capped peaks. The frost crunches under foot in the morning as you go to do the dishes, the river fringed with ice crystals. Still the trout come to the lure and taste specially sweet straight from the coals. I see many deer coming down to drink of an evening and admire them quietly. They have little to fear from me in such a place. The air is clear and cold. Birdsong hangs bright and far on such frigid air. A Tyvek shelter and a cheery fire at day's end bring such a wondrous sense of peace and serenity.
We talked on the radio only at the end of the hunt or to locate each other as the law also mandates. The dogs never attacked wildlife. We carried out every morsel of the deer we harvested (not many). Some of these louts today are individually killing as many deer in a day as our team of 3-5 took in a whole year. These young blokes are the worst sort of tally hunters. They expect to shoot twenty or thirty deer apiece each year. Some would like to do so each week. What is the point? We never left a dog in the bush - if we had, it would have starved to death. We treated the deer and other bush users with respect.
So what is different about the 'modern' hound hunter? First the huge number of dogs. Each member of the 'team' might have the legal five dogs and three pups in training in the dog box on the back of their ubiquitous 4WD utes . A typical 'team' is well in excess of the mandated maximum of ten. So there are likely to be as many as 100 dogs present on a given day! Each has a vehicle and the vehicle is used extensively in the hunt to get in front of the deer, being moved again and again during the hunt. Often there are multiple hunts going on actually, because of the vast numbers of dogs. They hunt on roads, not in the bush. Each member has a radio operating on an illegal channel affixed to their breast. This alone invites a fine of $20,000 - but these clowns think they are invulnerable. Right next to it is a GPS tracker which they use constantly to follow the hunt and get a wickedly unfair advantage over the deer. Many of their dogs do not voice.
I have witnessed packs of 30-40 hounds just let out higgly-piggly in a valley (not after walking them in on a leash as we used to do on fresh sign until they began to bay, not releasing them until they did) and these whole vast packs were making far less noise than my old foxhound, Harpoon would have been making all by himself. This is because largely such folks are not using scent trailing hounds, though they might mostly have a superficial resemblance to them. It matters not to them whether their dogs have a 'good voice' because they are simply tracking the hunt in real time with their GPS units. When such electronic devices (including CB radios) became legal it was understood that they would not be used in the actual hunt. Nor is it ethical to do so. Having a team of up to 10 hunters with guns and five dogs is advantage enough! But of course they almost never restrict themselves like that. With such a vast amount of pressure on them, the deer are soon forced to 'bail' and if a hunter does not arrive swiftly to dispatch them, the dogs will harry them until they fall, or pull them down and kill them.
In over thirty years of hound hunting I walked in on hundreds of bail-ups. Mostly I arrived too late, if at all. The dogs had become bored that the deer was no longer moving, and had wandered away. Sometimes (not often) if I was lucky I arrived when the dogs were still 'holding' the deer. Sometimes I shot it, and sometimes I did not. Does with young were usually spared, for example. I never witnessed a dog harrying a deer. My scent trailing hounds would just stand around howling at it from a safe distance. I never had a dog injured by a deer as they never came close enough. I never found hair floating on the river water which would have indicated harrying activity. Owning such dogs as attack wildlife was illegal and unethical and properly remains so. If you had owned a dog which showed any sign of such aggression you would have put it down straightaway no matter how attached you were to it. You should always be able to shoot your own dog. Straight away. You just cannot trust a dog which attacks things. We all have loved ones. Imagine what might happen if a pack of such dogs came across a couple of women and children innocently playing (perhaps near their canoes) in the forest! It really is only a matter of time before such large, dangerous, poorly controlled packs kill domestic stock, companion animals or human beings.
There are other elements of the deer hunting scene I also disagree with, and have mentioned before. For example I abhor the practice of glassing the opposite slope and shooting deer long range with telescopic sights. Such conduct is appropriate only for cullers, not hunters. The quarry should have something like 'fair chase'. It should at least be able to use its senses to escape the hunter. I would prefer to see every hunter required to use only iron sights. They would have to have a lot more skill for one thing, and learn to get much closer to their quarry as bow hunters do. Again, I would rather that only cullers and perhaps bow hunters were allowed to use camo. This would give the deer a better chance and make it safer for everyone. I am not in favour of being an ambush predator, especially if the ambush has been informed by trail cameras which are properly a scientific tool. Deer are creatures of habit, and such means are really quite unfair. I think hunters should just have to 'walk them up. This is really the only fair way of taking them ie bush stalking.
Deer are sentient creatures. It is our privilege to be able to humanely harvest them to prevent their breeding out of control and becoming a menace. They deserve our respect and understanding. I think the worst aspect (for me) about the nightmare display I witnessed on Saturday was that when I first spied the first little doe, her mother and younger sister were standing over her, their noses still touching her. I thought at first she was asleep. I was initially quite enchanted, and far too slow to get my camera out. I guess they saw Spot move and they left (as you can imagine) in an almighty hurry. They were grieving - as well they might be. I am grieving too. I really do not know whether I will ever shoot another deer after seeing this.
It will not keep me out of the bush that I love though, but I will be heading for more remote areas - and I guess I will need my gun to defend myself against those awful feral dogs these 'hound hunters' have left behind and allowed to breed up. Thankfully the Government conducts annual baiting (including aerial baiting) in many areas to try and reduce their numbers. This is very annoying when you want to take your Jack Russell for a walk in the bush. You need to check very carefully beforehand that there are no viable baits in the area you are heading for. Fortunately Spot is such a fussy eater he will touch practically nothing, but I would sorely hate to lose him and his companionship in the wilderness: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/not-quite-alone-in-the-wilderness/
Yes! Of course I reported this matter to the Game Management Unit DPI Traralgon as I would encourage all to do who know of similar awful deeds by evil clowns who claim to be hunters. We need to get these vile cretins out of the bush before their actions drive us all from our chosen recreation. Unsurprisingly the officer I spoke to had numerous similar dreadful incidents on his desk. I think the most chilling thing he said to me was, 'You would not believe the cruelty'...Game Management may be understaffed and work slowly, but they are coming for you. And good riddance!
Post Script: I remember folks used to claim they could 'sex' a deer by its footprints. Here are two sets of deer feet. One is a stag, the other a doe. They look just the same to me. I agree that older, heavier animals may have worn their toes down at the front, but those rounded toes definitely do not indicate a stag - whereas a rub line certainly does!
26/07/2017: Miniature Weapons – The Toothpick Crossbow: Miniature weapons are great fun for young and old. You might start your collection with this delightful ‘toothpick crossbow’ which is bound to annoy your friends and fellow workers: https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/toothpick-crossbow/ Also avaailable Massdrop now (July 2017 https://www.massdrop.com/buy/bowman-toothpick-crossbow?utm_source=Iterable&iterableCampaignId=144137&iterableTemplateId=208034&utm_campaign=cco_fresh_finds_2&mode=guest_open&referer=EJ89BQ&utm_medium=email).
You might also like this: Micro BB Crossbow: http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/gear/gadgets/micro-bb-crossbow.asp
Or this: Marshmallow Crossbow: http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/gear/gadgets/marshmallow-crossbow.asp
Or this: Micro Blaster Q-Tip X-Bow: http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/gear/gadgets/micro-blaster-q-tip-x-bow.asp
Then of course there are the many rubber band guns such as this: http://www.rubberbandguns.com/pistols/western-pistols/colt-derringer-pistol
26/07/2017: It seems clear that Gillard lied to the Royal Commission and provided it with a forged document. Whether she will ever be charged (given complicit Labor Govts in Vic and WA) is unclear: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/07/reader-pegasus-asks-some-potentially-revelatory-questions.html
26/07/2017: The Public Good: We have a similar problem with public land management In Australia. Stock are frequently killed by wild dogs, eagles, foxes, etc which are rife on public land. At the same time farmers cannot claim half the cost of fencing them out from the public land manager (as with other neighbours) nor clear more than four metres in toto for a fence (making the fence impossible to maintain). This is not even enough to get a 4WD or a slasher along each side of the fence, let alone protect it from wildfire. Nor can you claim damages from the state for stock killed by the state’s predatory native or feral animals. Perhaps we should reintroduce Devils or Thylacines: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/23/bear-chases-200-sheep-over-cliff-edge-france-spain
25/07/2017: EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker: This great little device is available here http://www.eyeque.com/home from US$29.99 (July 2017)
You can use this device to ascertain your correct eyeglass prescription. Repeated self-tests will make you more and more accurate. Users report it gives as good or better result than their optometrist. It is very handy for on-line ordering eg from http://www.zennioptical.com/ where you can buy a pair of flexible titanium progressive glasses for $US50 or less.
I have been buying my glasses from Zenni for years. The only time I have had a bad result is when the prescription was wrong. This device should allow me to check my optometrist’s prescription before I order. I will still be having a regular eye check up to make sure I am not developing any other eye problems – such as glaucoma, which blinds you before you are aware of it unless you have a regular visual field test and use it to keep track of your visual field index. Be warned. My wife lost more than half her eyesight before her glaucoma was diagnosed.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=fDGBQ1lN_aA[/embed]
I have ordered one of these devices and will download the App to go with it.
PS: You can do the same thing with your hearing aids to save even more money.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/zenni-the-hearing-company/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-glasses-case/
Here is a good way to prevent you losing your hearing aids in the bush. It has saved me thousands: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/securing-hearing-aids/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=fDGBQ1lN_aA
25/07/2017: There is absolutely no point in pouring
water down the
25/07/2017: ‘The RET is the fundamental reason that power prices across the nation have more than doubled to now be among the highest in the world in a country awash with the coal that used to give us the cheapest and most reliable power in the world.’ Terry McCrann. Of course it should be abolished, Hazelwood re-opened and refurbished with C21st ‘clean coal’ technology before it is too late and the current parlous state of affairs becomes permanent.
24/07/2017: Pocket Slingshot: The Pocket Shot might be a good choice if you want to add a bunny, pigeon or duck to your hiking menu and you have found perfecting your skill with a conventional sling too hard (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-make-a-sling/)
'With up to 350 feet per second, equals 350 km/h, double to triple the airspeed of conventional slingshots
With 12 Joule by using the original Pocket-Shot Ammo of hardened carbon steel six times the penetration power than with a conventional slingshot. Also much stronger than almost all Airsoft, Paintball or Air-Rifles
High Precision and high rate of fire. Allows quick aiming and shooting
Minimum weight of just 55 grams and extremely compact at 6cm x 2 cm'
I might not be 'legal' in your particular locale, so you should check I guess.
It can also fire arrows and/or be used to take fish. I would say it might also be useful for driving away dingoes which might be following you and thinking about you as a snack.
From around $A40 (July 2017)
http://www.thepocketshot.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
http://www.thepocketshot.com/store/p66/The_Pocket_HAMMER_%28Full_Kit%29.html
https://www.outdoorswarehouse.com.au/pocket-shot-quick-load-slingshot/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEYmpE4b7Ik
24/07/2017: The enormous difference
between private enterprise and public enterprise: http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2017/07/whose-complacent-arbitrage-ontario.html
24/07/2017: We learned algebra in
primary school. Now they are finding it is too hard for college students: http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/20/california-college-chancellor-wants-to-abolish-algebra-requirement-calls-it-a-civil-rights-issue/
24/07/2017: The ancient Roman
democracy had a government term of one year before the public had another say,
which is more than long enough. Extended terms of office are the antithesis
of democracy. If politicians fear the people it is because they deserve to: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/politicians-are-doing-such-a-bad-job-in-three-years-dont/news-story/4921d88a7b8638a95803445df869ea16
23/07/2017: Don't understand economics? Read this. I specially liked: ‘for someone to grow wealthy in a free market economy, they must be providing something that others value more...’ http://www.fundanomics.org/chapter_first_pages.htm
23/07/2017: What’s the opposite of diversity?
University.
23/07/2017: ‘Delete Liberal voters from
22/07/2017: I know there have been many changes for the better but there have also been too many changes for the worse: http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/07/13/times-change-us/
21/07/2017: Apollo 11! Still thrills me 48 years later.
These were the rocket engines which took those three brave men to the moon back
when
20/07/2017: Humans Arrived Earlier – this is not
actually news.
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/nt/2017/07/20/aboriginals-pre-dated-megafauna-exctinction.html
We already knew from pollen deposits in lake sediments etc that human burning
started much earlier than we (still) have artifacts for. What would be news (if
only such research was not forbidden here) is how the people’s DNA (whose
skeletons were found) fit with human DNA generally. For example, were such folk
more closely related to modern humans from say
20/07/2017: About That Iceberg: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/07/there-have-been-far-bigger-antarctic-icebergs-than-the-latest-a68-larson-c-berg/
20/07/2017:
19/07/2017: You heard it here first: http://www.smh.com.au/world/student-gets-stuck-in-giant-stone-vagina-in-germany-20140623-zsiet.html
19/07/2017: Poor Fellow My Country. The ‘elites’
continue our course to ‘mutually assured destruction’: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/07/16/insanity-and-hypocrisy-down-under/
19/07/2017: What a plane: http://www.stratolaunch.com
18/07/2017: Delightful, Murphy’s Cat: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/15/a-new-quantum-species/
18/07/2017: A Declaration
by Robert Fulghum @ 80
1. I declare that I shall release the vice-grip of urgency and let go of Must Do, Must Get, Must Have, and Must Be. Compulsion doesn’t increase the quality of life.
2. I declare that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence – it’s greenest where it’s watered – so when climbing daily fences, I will carry water. Or save the next fence for another day and just lie down on the grass I’ve got.
3. I declare that speed does not improve the quality of life, and the Way On
is not the
4. I declare that it is true that life turns out best for the one who makes the best of the way life turns out. The key is improvisation in the face of the unexpected, which is always to be expected. A better name for that is surprise.
5. I declare that not knowing is the doorway into surprise and amazement. Ignorance is not a failing, it’s a ticket to ride.
6. I declare the truth that if there’s no rain, there’s no rainbows – that the lotus blossom only grows out of the mud – and that if there’s no shit, there’s no shinola.
7. I declare that what I have and what I am is what I would have wanted if I had thought this was possible long ago when I didn’t know what I wanted or who I was. Now I know what has become of me. I can laugh and keep going.
8. I declare a moratorium on worrying about how things will finally turn out – soon enough I will be what I once was – no one and nowhere – and I have been there before. No problem.
9. I declare the truth of the contradiction that I am forever alone and also forever as much a part of the universe as the most distant star. And I am not alone alone.
10. I declare that I finally accept the reality that the universe is working itself out as it should, and even if I never can comprehend that, it’s ok.
18/07/2017: G20 Success Story: ‘
17/07/2017: A Hands Free Umbrella: What
a good idea that would be, especially if you need to use both hands for
trekking poles on rough or steep terrain. When the weather is really humid, you
really need a roof to keep you dry (and warm). A raincoat in such circumstances
will just see you soaked and frozen.
See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
& http://www.theultralighthiker.com/?s=rain)
In such circumstances my ultralight
poncho tent may save your life: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-poncho-tent/
& http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poncho-tent-update/
There are several possibilities. For
example Antigravity Gear has a model featuring clips which attach your trekking
umbrella to your back pack. https://www.antigravitygear.com/shop/rain-gear/swing-handsfree-backpack-umbrella/
There are several other possibilities,
such as:
A search for ‘hands free umbrellas’ will provide you with
lots of fun and amusement!
One I particularly like is the Ufocap: http://ufocap.tradekorea.com/product/detail/P280367/UFOCAP---Innovative-Umbrella.html?minisiteprodgroupno=32229 These little guys cost about $10 on eBay and weigh about 170 grams. Even if they look a bit silly they should do the job. The ones with transparent panels (at least at the front) would help you see where you were going.
17/07/2017: I've Worked with Refugees
for Decades.
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/concentration-camps-reveal-nature-modern-state
17/07/2017: Wonderful - Russell
Redenbaugh's 'Shift the Narrative': ‘Other than my eyesight, I was a
perfectly healthy teenage boy who still had one year of high school to
complete…being blind did not mean I would be poor, dependent and homebound…To
read Redenbaugh’s inspiring story about overcoming physical obstacles in
concert with even greater ones of perception is to question all this sympathy
for prosperity’s so-called victims.’ http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2017/07/13/book_review_russell_redenbaughs_shift_the_narrative_102787.html
17/07/2017:
16/07/2017: Naismith's Rule
'Is a rule of thumb that helps in the planning of a walking or hiking expedition by calculating how long it will take to walk the route, including the extra time taken when walking uphill. It was devised by William W. Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer, in 1892. A modern version of this rule can be formulated i.e. as follows: Allow 1 hour for every 3 mi (5 km) forward, plus 1 hour for every 2000 ft (600 m) of ascent.' Clearly the 'rule' is about young, fit people walking on clear flat terrain. If you are older or 'bush-bashing' you will have to apply some corrections.
'It does not account for delays, such as extended breaks for rest or sightseeing, or for navigational obstacles...Over the years several adjustments have been formulated in an attempt to make the rule more accurate. The simplest correction is to add 25 or 50% to the time predicted using Naismith's rule.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naismith%27s_rule
I think the rule is a reasonable guide for 'track walkers'. Those of us who prefer more remote places will no doubt have worked out other ways of estimating. Doubling the time in much of the Victorian bush is reasonable. In off-track walks in Fiordland, forget it. There it will take you longer than you can believe to traverse a couple of kilometres!
The most important consideration is life is not a race. I have often encountered folks hurrying to their destination (ultimately death) who take no time to observe the wonders along the way. One of the advantages of being old is that it imposes a restraint such that you do have time 'to smell the roses'.
16/07/2017: Lessons from Kim Jong-un and Saddam Hussein: Why do those North Koreans evince such obvious
love for their ‘glorious leader’? Because in his country ‘transgressions’ are
punished unto the fourth generation! Saddam too used to eradicate the entire
family of such folk. Such harsh punishments certainly give a salutary lesson in
‘proper’ behaviour. I would not advocate anything quite so harsh here, but
nonetheless I think it is long since time that we understood that the family
ought be the first recourse in matters of welfare and moral behaviour, for
example – not the State. By pushing everything onto the State which quite
properly belonged in the private realm we have on the one hand created a
monster, and on the other hand encouraged people to simply opt out of their
responsibilities. The ‘absent father’ syndrome is an obvious case in point, as
is generational welfare, family violence and inter-generational criminality. We
need to reprise the social primacy of the family in our society and support it,
rather than attempt to further undermine it. And Yes, I do think that a
judicial review of how the family can be harnessed to promote and enhance good
behaviour is sorely overlooked. If, for example, the family has ignored or
supported anti-social behaviour amongst its members at least some of the blame
(and indeed the punishment) should fall on them. I would not go so far as Kim
(and execute everyone out to the fourth generation), but close relatives eg
parents, siblings and children who ought to be and are aware of what is going
on (and do nothing) ought to bear some legal responsibility.
16/07/2017: The Carbon-Fed ‘Sixth Mass Genesis’ – An Anthropocene Success Story! So, the rate of species creation far exceeds the rate of species extinction (as I have long suspected). All the woe is just another ‘green’ lie. https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/07/14/the-carbon-fed-sixth-mass-genesis-an-anthropocene-success-story/
15/07/2017: 60 DIY Ultralight Hiker
Ideas: I have been posting my DIY things for quite some time now. Thought
you might like to see a collection of my ‘creations’. http://www.theultralighthiker.com/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/
15/07/2017: Fascists have won: The plastic bag ban shows exactly the same modus operandi as Hitler and Mussolini employed and makes me very angry. An extremist group allied to big business or government tramples on the public. We have been seeing the same sort of outcomes in energy policy, conservation, etc. It makes one feel so powerless. All hope is lost! Of course, if only one of the big two supermarket chains had adopted this we would all have switched to the other. I will be doing lots of my shopping at IGA. I expect many folk will adopt the strategy of stealing the baskets - as with Bunnings. They are very handy baskets, I must say! https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2017/07/electricity-hope-lost/ & also: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/robbing-shoppers-of-handy-plastic-bags/news-story/70c948157ad109b5f03ac535be7a3b5d
15/07/2017: Child ‘marriage’: ‘Those who spread the culture of opposition to early marriage in our society are unknowingly serving Satan’ – and you think these folk will just ‘fit in’? http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/support-child-marriage-says-hezbollah/news-story/d9cb39db37e4e67a16c00506576392c3 & it gets worse: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/australias-sharia-university/news-story/4247218fc501f6f97266a51205a7d4af
15/07/2017: Women and girls should not have to put up with such sickos sharing their showers and toilets. They certainly should not be prosecuted for trying to cover themselves when such folks enter! Besides, what use such folks could possibly be in our militaries is beyond me: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/07/07/transgender-men-womens-showers-must-get-dignity-respect-u-s-army/
14/07/2017:
‘Happy’ Bastille Day: http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/12/france-unveils-plan-to-systematically-deport-illegal-migrants/
14/07/2017: If you thought the welfare state was out of
control in Oz, you should try
14/07/2017: How dare You Liken Yourself, or Your
Government, to that of Menzies – this from someone who knew the great man
for more a than a quarter of a century? http://pickeringpost.com/story/how-dare-you-liken-yourself-or-your-government-to-that-of-menzies-/7349
14/07/2017: Cut out the subsidy and Tesla doesn’t sell a single vehicle. Good luck with that ban on petrol/diesel vehicles, Macron: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/from-2939-to-zero-in-one-incentive-cut/news-story/a0d0be8d28d425354b53eaaac29006ff Mind you, they burn easily: https://gearheads.org/tesla-model-s-is-a-total-loss-due-to-an-unexplained-fire/
13/07/2017: ‘City where heroin is
cheaper than beer: Melbourne’s heroin scourge is spiralling out of
control as the killer narcotic’s cheap price fuels an open-air drug market on
the streets. The Herald Sun
reports heroin as cheap as just $17 a hit is leading to a crisis not seen since
the 1990s, and has sparked renewed calls for safe injecting rooms. A hit is now
cheaper than a sixpack of beer or a packet of cigarettes. Residents in the
epicentre of the crisis —
13/07/2017: Genyornis
- A 2 metre tall duck!
How come more folks haven’t seen one of these: https://cosmosmagazine.com/palaeontology/what-killed-the-giant-wombats
13/07/2017: Some say, ‘Tolerance is a virtue’ but I
say, 'Poppycock!' There may be a million religions and at least as many
‘gods’. Clearly not all can be true, but all can (indeed must) be false. I
would say, ‘There is no God’ (not Allah, Jahweh, Ba’al,
13/07/2017: So, another cup of java would be a good idea: and a couple of glasses of wine too! http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coffee-casualties-idUSKBN19V2PK
12/07/2017: If only
that was the solution…well, at least it would be more fun: ‘Mr
Kennett said he was so disillusioned about the state of the modern Liberal
Party under Mr Turnbull that he wanted to drink whisky before 9am’
12/07/2017: Something new for chocoholics, snortable chocolate: http://nypost.com/2017/07/04/you-can-now-snort-chocolate-to-get-high/
12/07/2017: Waffle is king: The world gone mad: ‘Job description: You design and engineer component-form devices within extremely limited geometric and dimensional parameters, particularly as those parameters relate to approximate prolate spheroids…You also have a deep knowledge of plastics and related polymers, including their tensile strength to mass and area ratios, durability under repeated stress applications, post-fabrication thermal conductivity and chill resistance. What it means: You make Kinder Surprise toys.’
11/07/2017: Human
evolution surprises: ‘Here is what they found. A skeleton of a boy who died
2,000 years ago at a place called
11/07/2017: What proponents of
the ‘minimum wage’ and like social experiments forget: the minimum wage is always zero!
11/07/2017: I have ‘enjoyed’ a couple
or three fairly bumpy airline trips (and have flown into and out of Lukla
(the world’s most dangerous airport) but I’m kind of glad I wasn’t on any of
these planes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJzDRsEKDa0
10/07/2017: The Don
on the West. Great Speech: ‘There is nothing like our community of nations.
The world has never known anything like our community of nations. We write
symphonies. We pursue innovation. We celebrate our ancient heroes, embrace our
timeless traditions and customs, and always seek to explore and discover
brand-new frontiers. We reward brilliance. We strive for excellence, and
cherish inspiring works of art that honor God. We treasure the rule of law and
protect the right to free speech and free expression. We empower women as
pillars of our society and of our success. We put faith and family, not
government and bureaucracy, at the center of our lives. And we debate everything.
We challenge everything. We seek to know everything so that we can better know
ourselves. And above all, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the
rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to live in freedom.
That is who we are. Those are the priceless ties that bind us together as
nations, as allies, and as a civilization… We can have the largest economies
and the most lethal weapons anywhere on Earth, but if we do not have strong
families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive. If
anyone forgets the critical importance of these things, let them come to one
country that never has. Let them come to
10/07/2017: The Anthropocene: ‘The number of species
living in virtually every country or island has already increased during the
period of human influence, and numbers continue to increase…More new plant species have come into hybrid existence in Britain in
the last 300 years than are listed as having died out in the whole of Europe.’ No doubt you
have heard how humankind is causing a mass extinction event like to the Permian
extinction, but what if we were causing a mass speciation event where the
number of species was just about exploding: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/mass-speciation/
10/07/2017: Has your
electricity gone up? A very instructive article about how the electricity
system actually works by two renowned experts; (important fact: No new base
load generator has been built in
10/07/2017: Good Grief: The madness just gets worse: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/07/08/france-will-ban-all-petrol-and-diesel-vehicles-by-2040/
09/07/2017: Bathtub Groundsheet Chair: As you
can see I have completed the first prototype of this project which I have long
threatened. I learned a lot in the process, so that there will be substantial
changes between where it is at now and the completed project. Still, you can
see that it works. I created four ‘sleeves’ along the sides of the chair, back
and seat) which you can slip lengths of dead sticks in for stiffening. I used
some slats I had lying around from a broken door. You can see the end of one
sticking up on the top right of the third photo.
There are three horizontal pieces of fabric which hold the infated pad in the two positions, one at each end and one (nearly) in the centre. I sewed the centre one at each end but I think I will unpick one line of stitching (as it might not be necessary, then when I want to configure the chair as a bed I can slip the mattress underneath it which will pull the sides up more to create a bathtub effect. If I make the two webbing straps a little longer they can also be clicked together criss-crossed to accentuate this effect. I think I will need a piece of elastic around about where my knees are in the second photo to firm up the ‘bathtub’ effect there.
I am thinking 3.5 oz Dyneema for the sleeves and triangular tie-outs the webbing is attached to. A lighter Robic material might work well here. The bottoms of the back sleeves may need some reinforcing as that seems to be where the most stress occurs. I am thinking 1.3 oz silnylon for the floor. I know that this will wear through over time, but should last for many nights until then. You can also re-waterproof the silicon side as explained here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/waterproofing-tent-floors-and-ground-sheets/ I am thinking that the completed chair will weigh perhaps less then 90 grams! As you can see the prototype weighs 138 (but that is with 1.85 oz/yd2 Tyvek and 3/4″ buckles and webbing instead of 1/2″).
Ready for bed:
Detailed view:
Prototype size and weight:
You can see how unpicking the middle horizontal (which made no difference to
the performance of the chair) pulls the sides up in groundsheet mode. Clipping
the webbing diagonally will also help. 
It’s quite comfy too if you configure it as a lounger like this. The Klymit Ultralight Pillow (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-ultralight-pillow/) can be used as a seat to boost height if required:
PS: Only the back sticks seem to be necessary, though the bottom sticks may add some minimal comfort. I will experiment with this. If so, I can reduce the weight by omitting the bottom sleeves.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/inflatable-bathtub-groundsheet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-chairgrounsheet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tarp-bathtub-groundsheet/
09/07/2017: Hitler the Last Ten Days 1973: Sir Alec
Guinness made a brilliant Fuhrer in this bleak film. So often we almost
believed that it was a Monty Python sketch; it was so surreal. Hitler’s
anti-smoking policy showed him to be a true leader, as with so many things – eg
his green credentials. His determination to fight (and party!) on despite the
world crumbling around him reminds me of
09/07/2017: Eli Wiesel dies at 87: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/02/world/elie-wiesel-dies/index.html
09/07/2017: More Fake News: ‘If the media
cannot accurately report something you can see with your own eyes - something
caught on tape - then how can you trust a single thing it says about Trump?’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/more-fake-news-trump-snubbed-in-poland/news-story/a0cc7993c1cc4bab95c0888859fcdb6c
09/07/2017: A couple of days ago we had the coldest temperatures ever recorded (East Sale was -10C, over 5C colder than the previous record)…Just suppose the ‘Little Ice Age’ is on its way back…what effect would a growing season which was ie one month late and only 2.5C cooler have? Answer: harvest down over 50%! Result: billions starve. And some folks are still worrying about global warming? http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/07/05/further-to-a-1740-type-event/
08/07/2017: Leatherman Juice B2: Leatherman just keep coming up with entrancing products to separate us from our hard-earned. Here's a nice example, the Leatherman Juice B2:
'Sometimes, all you need is a knife. The Juice B2 has one serrated and one straight-edge knife made from high quality steel and backed by our 25 year warranty.
- Closed Length 3.2 in | 8.2 cm
- Weight 1.3 oz | 36.8 g
- Blade
Length 2.2 in | 5.6 cm'
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/leatherman-micra-multitool/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/leatherman_squirt/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/my-top-five-knives/
08/07/2017: Never buy clothes again! These
folks are making garments they reckon you can’t wear out (from Kevlar). For
example their 100 Year Hoodie: They’ve
taken aramid fibres with a strength to weight ratio five times stronger than
steel and spun them into a super soft knit to make the most indestructible
hoodie you’ve ever worn.
They also sell undergarments: https://www.vollebak.com/product/100-year-hoodie-raw/
Pair them with these dyneema jeans
and you will never need to buy clothes again: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/791166183/backcountry-denim-cotm-most-durable-jeans-ever-mad
08/07/2017: It will be a long time before this species is listed as ‘endangered’:
08/07/2017: There
are always savings you can make: http://www.news.com.au/finance/money/budgeting/money-blogger-feeds-family-for-42-a-week/news-story/576f6c63eb11943fd2ed1758eede9b0c
& http://www.news.com.au/news/money-blogger-who-feeds-family-for-42-a-week-responds-to-trolls-by-making-meals-cheaper/news-story/c7f59cd5b5824bd11d2a85191afcf5d2
08/07/2017: Poser: If climate change is real, whether the world is heating/cooling, would it be sane to reduce our energy resources & therefore ability to deal with it: we may need a lot more heaters and greenhouses or a lot more air conditioners in the future...Of course greens are not sane.
07/07/2017: Poncho Tent Update: Today my waterproof zippers arrived so I sewed them on (and they work a treat!) I also made up the small extra piece which can be used to close the tent up completely. This piece will weigh just less than 30 grams in silnylon on the completed tent bringing its total weight to approx 180 grams or about 240 grams with titanium stakes, guys etc. You have to admit that this is pretty good for a tent which is also a raincoat! With the extra piece sewn in and zipped up the tent would make emergency accommodation for two (lying down) or probably four sitting up, so it could certainly save lives in unexpected bad weather.
Spot helping me measure and cut out the extra door piece:
And here it is with the almost invisible #3 waterproof zips sewn on:
And zipped in:
Della sitting in the tent - to give you some idea of how roomy it is:
The tent is plenty big enough for her to sit up with legs stretched out.
I admit I could have pitched it a bit tauter. I may put large ribber bands on each of the tie-outs to facilitate this. My sole concern with a tent actually is that it goes up easily, stays up and keeps you dry. prettiness is not part of my lexicon:
You can stake the door flap out like this to create even more space:
And it works as a raincoat:
It is 8' long at the widest point, so a large person can sleep in it without touching any of the sides - and you can have a fire out the front to warm it. Dogs love it!
Now to move on to the silnylon version - and complete my <100 gram bathtub-groundsheet-chair to use with it.
See Also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-poncho-tent/
07/07/2017: More
incredible crookedness from the climate mafia, but the Don will fix it: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/07/05/delingpole-climate-mafia-caught-tampering-with-the-evidence-again/ & http://joannenova.com.au/2017/07/on-sunday-goulburn-got-colder-than-the-bom-thought-was-scientificially-possible-and-a-raw-data-record-was-adjusted/
07/07/2017: Another mystery of WW2: I can’t imagine
why some of these things are still secrets. For example, a Japanese plane (off
a submarine in
07/07/2017: Fascinating C19th Photos of
06/07/2017: The Turnbull Jihad:
There are now 15 Federal seats with ‘significant’ Moslem populations, 13
held by Labor. Hence Labor’s distinct move towards anti-semitism eg in relation
to its changed policy on
06/07/2017: Menzies’ Twilight: ‘The main trouble in my state is that we have the State Executive of the Liberal party, which is dominated by what they now call ‘Liberals with a small l’ — that is to say, Liberals who believe in nothing but who still believe in anything if they think it worth a few votes. The whole thing is tragic.’ 8 April 1974. I think you can see where Bob would have come down in the contest between Malcolm and Tony! And he would have been right! https://www.spectator.co.uk/2011/09/ming-was-no-wet/#
06/07/2017: Last Revolutionary War
Veteran: The most astonishing thing about this story is the proportion of
the small numbers who fought eg compared with WW1 who were still alive nearly a
hundred years after the event – and that in a world without all the wondrous
advances in ‘health care’ we enjoy today: https://library.sc.edu/blogs/newspaper/2013/06/04/last-man-standing/
06/07/2017: George Washington.
Extraordinary
06/07/2017: Just some of the problems of ‘renewables’: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/07/05/monumental-unsustainable-environmental-impacts/
05/07/2017: Well done
lads: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/626577/SAS-Soldiers-last-stand-IS-Islamic-State-fight-British-troops
05/07/2017: The real problem with labor-lite is the failure to articulate the benefits of conservatism and (dare I say it?) capitalism: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/accept-no-imitations/news-story/5db8ea332e5b15dcabf7b5054ba58c0b
05/07/2017: Other folk live like this: ‘My check didn’t come.’ There are so many ‘people who appear to live without a sense of personal agency…full of excuses for their disappointing and feckless lives…the passive voice reveals that these are people who lack the inner resources to act affirmatively or planfully, to adapt to change or bad luck, adjust, or to learn from experience. It is sad to see, and there is no cure for it. Lots of boats, and lives, end up on the rocks’: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/447292/underclass-character-eviction-court-native-born-americans-entrepreneurial-immigrants
04/07/2017: Black Diamond Storm Waterproof Headlamp: A year ago I though this was the greatest head torch ever: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/let-there-be-light-great-new-head-torch/
Now, Black Diamond has a new model which blows it out of the water literally – being waterproof! their new model boasts an incredible 350 lumens though it uses an extra AAA battery (4 rather than 3). It still has superb run time and functionality though. This should be a good head torch for a bit of nighttime bunny busting (with a range on High of 80 metres). It lasts on High for 22 hours, and on Low for 160 – a full week, and weighs 110 grams including batteries! It is available on Massdrop at the moment for US$35.95 and I have found it on eBay this morning for US$39.95 (free shipping) which is about the same. Isn’t it ‘Xmas in July’ just now?
'Specs
- Black Diamond
- Lumens: 350
- LED types: 1 QuadPower, 2 DoublePower, 3 SinglePower
- Settings: Full strength in proximity and distance modes; dimming; strobe; red, green, and blue night vision; lock mode
- Rated IPX67: Tested to operate up to 3.3 ft (1 m) underwater for 30 mins
- Maximum distance, high: 262.5 ft (80 m)
- Maximum distance, low: 36 ft (11 m)
- Maximum burn time, high: 22 hrs
- Maximum burn time, low: 160 hrs
- Batteries: 4 AAA (included)
- PowerTap technology
- Brightness Memory
- Waterproof and dustproof
- Weight with batteries: 3.9 oz (110 g)’
04/07/2017: Independence Day: "We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life,
04/07/2017: The Fate of the
04/07/2017: The most beautiful nuclear bomb: http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2010/07/01/128170775/a-very-scary-light-show-exploding-h-bombs-in-space
03/07/2017: Hardtack: A recipe for folks who want to experience just how hard life was in the past. I think you should try it. I used to eat it with relish when I was a kid, but back then kids were always hungry and would eat just about anything. You only have to notice how much taller youths are today than the average height of folks over 60 to see that this was true! The virtue that it certainly has is that it lasts in storage for years as the photo below amply illustrates.
If you want to eat flour based food (which is quite economic weight and space wise), maybe ‘Johnny Cakes’ (or fried scones) a traditional Australian favourite is more ‘for you’. I used to make these all the time when I was hiking, but I have come up with so many other recipes over the years that I usually don’t bother any more, mostly as they were a bit fiddly. You need to carry some fat for the frying for one thing. Once this had leaked all over my pack once or twice it put me off. Using dripping or tallow (as explained in yesterday’s post) would obviate this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/out-of-the-frying-pan/ I developed a recipe wihich was a bit more interesting than the traditional water, flour, salt one. The addition of eg some milk powder, some desiccated cocnut, a little sugar, some slivered almonds – even a few sultanas – makes the cakes into something quite pleasant and entertaining to enjoy. Here are a couple of recipes you might try from: http://thesurvivalmom.com/hardtack/ & http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hardtack
03/07/2017: Malcolm is worried. He threatens to take his bat and ball and walk: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/07/02/pm-vows-to-quit-politics-if-he-loses-election.html
03/07/2017: ‘The deal we seem to have come to in
03/07/2017: 100,000 ‘new’ aboriginals
since the last census five years ago! Now there are more than twice
as many as used to be calculated inhabited the entire continent before European
settlement. Ergo, there has to be some pretty good incentives for claiming
‘aboriginality’ considering folks are always spruiking ‘aboriginal
disadvantage’. If ‘they’ keep increasing at this rate ‘they’ will outnumber
everyone else in about fifty years! It is hard to see how the transfer payments
to ‘them’ can continue much longer. Certainly not longer than that! O woes,
there is an end to the gravy train! http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/choosing-to-be-aboriginal/news-story/9110174ad29849d50a5afdbd6d3888e6 Bizarrely there is now a larger proportion of
Tasmanians who identify as ‘aboriginal’ (4.6%) than mainlanders (2.8%) Take a
look at what is happening in ‘indigenous affairs’ in
03/07/2017: Death is probably cheaper than divorce, but it is still completely unaffordable: ‘In that Medicare spending, between one-fourth and one-third goes to medical bills for a patient's final year of life, most of it in the last 30 days’. Most of this could be avoided if people accepted they should die quietly at home. We should get over it. We are not so unique and precious that others should have to pay over most of their taxes just to keep us alive (without even interesting bon mots as a reward in most cases! I DID like the General whose final words were reputedly, ‘They couldn’t hit an elephant from th…’). Face it, some really big savings could be made for all of us in the Health, Education and Welfare budgets. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765555271/How-will-I-die-The-high-cost-of-death.html
02/07/2017: First Bag Your Omelet: Long ago I
noticed that powdered eggs are once again available in
It’s a bit like noticing that dehydrated French Onion Soup ought to be a great resource and meal base but then never getting around to inventing a meal which uses it. Well I did with the onion soup, see for example: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-crayfish-bisque/
Now it is the powdered eggs’ turn. Of course I have already tried them out as reconstituted scrambled eggs and they make a fine breakfast, particularly if you fry some Chinese sausage with them (it doesn’t require refrigeration until after the packet is opened, so you have to eat itall. Oh Dear! It comes in approx 155 gram packets, so it’s not too much) The sausage also gives you the oil to cook the eggs in. A little bit of powdered milk in with the powdered eggs makes them fluffier and tastier, just like with fresh ingredients at home!
You can bring along some tallow to fry your omelet in (as described here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/out-of-the-frying-pan/) or you can bring along the omelet ingredients mixed together in a ziplock bag, add enough water to reconstitute them then simmer the bag in your cookpot - which means you don’t need oil, and you don’t have to wash up either!
I would definitely want some onion and garlic powder in my omelet, and some bacon pieces. If you have brought some dried tomatoes, they would go well too. There are a number of other interesting dried herbs you might add, eg thyme, basil, oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. I also enjoy curried eggs. I’m sure you have your own favourite omelet recipes. Oh, I always have some cheese along (for lunches). A little bit of shaved cheese always goes nicely on an omelet. As I have some salami (also for lunch) ditto!
Some
other recipes from folks who find it easier to find dehydrated vegies than we
do in
http://honeyvillefarms.blogspot.com/2012/04/omelet-in-bag-recipe.html#.WVh_oVFLfcs
http://www.carolinafoodstorage.com/2012/02/powdered-egg-omelet.html
https://atablespoonofoil.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/dried-herb-omelet/
Or you can cook your at home then dehydrate it, eg: http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/homesteading-gardening/146087-dehydrated-omelette.html
02/07/2017: Tesla car battery production releases as
much CO2 as 8 years of gasoline driving (and that’s before it is even
fitted to the car): Given that it will likely last less than 8 years before
needing to be replaced, it seems unlikely that it could ever be ‘greener’ than
eg a Suzuki Alto: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/06/20/tesla-car-battery-production-releases-as-much-co2-as-8-years-of-gasoline-driving/
02/07/2017: "Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) –
A system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least
capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain
themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the
confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers."
02/07/2017: Why fruit makes you fat: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/30085-Why-fruit-makes-you-fat.html
02/07/2017:
‘That civilisation may not sink, Its
great battle lost…’ (Yeats: Long legged Fly). I would add the election of
the Abbott Government to Melanie’s list. The Anglosphere is the best thing
which has occurred in a millennium, indeed in all history. It is worth
defending, Yea, even dying for. Yet it is fragile and endangered everywhere by
its enemies ‘ideologies such as moral and cultural relativism, feminism and
multiculturalism’…Read on: http://www.melaniephillips.com/open-door-swinging-anglosphere/
01/07/2017: Life found a very early
way indeed: http://www.messagetoeagle.com/worlds-oldest-fossil-almost-old-earth-life-present-earth-much-longer-previously-thought/
01/07/2017: A Matter of Conscience? I feared this
would happen. The awful tyranny of the Left. Again, and again: Sweden Will
Force Priests to Perform Gay Marriages Against Their Will, just as nurses are
already forced to assist with abortions: http://moonbattery.com/?p=85537
01/07/2017: Terrorists finding it hard to get jobs:
http://nypost.com/2017/06/28/isis-fighters-returning-to-europe-are-struggling-to-get-jobs/ So let’s give them new fake identities: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/231707 Now that’s a great idea!
30/06/2017: Multiple Use: There is no doubt that one of the best ways to achieve ultralight hiking weight savings is if gear you carry serves several purposes. Thus for example, the Poncho tent I am working on (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-poncho-tent/ and likewise the bathtub floor groundsheet/chair I am also working on below (coming soon).
However, I finished these 12 gram (ea) shoes way back in April. They worked wonderfully well for my Fiordland Moose Hunting expedition on this year's Dusky Track walk (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/ & ff), and I had already posted a photo of what they weighed with and without the shoe inserts, yet somehow it had not occurred to me that I need not carry inserts specially for them when I could use the inserts from my shoes which I had definitely tested to make sure they absorbed no water after last year's shoe disaster on the South Coast track walk with Della: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/westies-hut/.
Clearly though, all I need to do is dry my shoes' inserts put them inside my hut booties and I have saved an ounce! Twice as much as I could save by switching to the lighter containers I wrote about in my last post: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/small-is-beautiful/ Still, every gram makes a difference.
PS: You will notice that in the second photo the draw string tightens only around the heel. The reason for this is to allow maximum air flow out the top of the shoe so that it doesn't get clammy. I chose waterproof material so that I could walk through wet grass (as you need to do in camp, eg to put wood on the fire). It is really nice to have dry feet at the end of a day's walking, but you don't need to carry a brick around to make it so.
Weight of the shoe bare:
With blue foam inserts. (Not very serviceable):
With proprietary urethane inserts:
The shoe in the photo has been used for over a week on the trail so that you can see how tough the material is. You could make them last longer by painting some liquid latex on the sole (for wear) every so often, but this would increase the weight too.
See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/
PS: I know I haven't finished posting the patterns, instructions, etc. Please be patient. I am busy. I still have kilometres of fencing to build (another awful section through a dreadful slip completed yesterday) - and it is cold and wet, and I am old!
30/06/2017: ‘Ignorance more frequently begets
confidence than does knowledge.’ Charles Darwin.
30/06/2017: This is the way for ‘nation building’ projects. No feasibility study? No problems: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/06/chairman-mals-snowy-scheme-20-feasibility-study-ready-fireaim.html
30/06/2017: Saudi man and his 17 year old wife leave their 8 month old baby in the car whilst they take their 4 year old to the cinema. See anything wrong with this? Of course not. Fortunately they were prosecuted for this, but he was not gaoled for paedophilia: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/06/saudi-arabian-couple-convince-us-police-its-culturally-normal-to-leave-baby-in-the-car-while-they-we.html
30/06/2017: Industry is already beginning to fold all
over
29/06/2017: I have trouble finding my glasses yet Mars
Rover
29/06/2017:
Paul Murray: ‘You know you are in trouble when fewer
people trust you to mind their pets than babysit their kids’:
29/06/2017: Lord knows I am not much of a footie fan, but it sickens me when I learn that Malcolm barracks for Bachar Houli’s ‘good character’ and gains him a lesser penalty than other players would receive on account of his wonderful, peaceful religion: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/such-a-fine-character/news-story/788135a4f86e46a42c92a4829fa089d0 & http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/no-mates-rates-for-the-left-in-footy/news-story/7451b94aea41938279b9544d3374f43a
29/06/2017: Seems we really needed those #illridewithyou bollards during Ramadan.
Here’s the ‘Ramadan’ score for that wonderful, peaceful religion: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/06/ramadan-bombathon-final-tally-for-2017.html
28/06/2017:
We have thrown our country
away. It may be too late to save it. Our Census results are alarming. We
have had 1.3 million ‘new Australians’ in the last ten years alone. Now, those
born overseas are over a quarter of us. Half of them are from
28/06/2017: ‘The Dead Sea and the
28/06/2017: About
those ‘Breatharians’ or ‘Airarians’ as they used to be called before
‘Vegetarians’ became ‘Vegans’ – if you can realistically give up food and
water, couldn’t you further reduce your environmental footprint by giving up
breathing? After all, every breath you exhale is just full of that nasty CO2
stuff which is really ruining the planet, isn’t it? Why if this goes on, we
might one day have as much of it as we had in the Holocene 8,000 years ago, or
even in the Jurassic when there was 50 times as much of it, and the planet was
simply replete with life: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/things-need-to-change-for-no-reason-at-all/news-story/402aa9a0b36625c04c286228ff4e0e12
27/06/2017: A Spot of Solitude: My back and knee are still giving me trouble but the Meniers which has plagued me for the last fortnight seems to have taken a holiday, so I wanted to get away for a couple of days to see whether I was still up to some gentler country. I may need another back operation and I don't look forward to that. The knee I hurt looking for moose back in April in the Henry Burn near Supper Cove, Dusky Sound Fiordland NZ (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/ & ff. The tyranny of aging really.
This is a new spot for me, so I did not know what to expect, for example would there be few deer as it had been badly burned out a few years ago? It might have been too thick or would it be impossibly crowded being relatively easy to access, and only gentle walking? Usually I would need my pack raft to get across this river to where I intended to camp and hunt but it has been so dry this winter I could simply walk across with Spot the Jack Russell riding on my pack, of course! I guess most people don't do much canoe hunting (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/you-take-the-high-road-and-ill-take-the-low/) and don't pay attention to the BOM's River Heights http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDV60154.html as there was no-one at all about, even though it was a lovely sunny weekend in the High Country. Suits me!
I was surprised at once by how chewed out the bush was along the river. All the available grass and forbs were chewed right down to the ground, and they had been gnawing at this nasty prickly wattle.
And the many stags are smashing them to bits! Good riddance!
This tiny gully had been thoroughly scoured. There are too many deer here actually. It is wonderful though how the large herbivores create the clearings, isn't it? Did you realise that tens of millions of years ago grass made an alliance with the herbivores and declared war on the forests? The result is the pattern of great plains and receding forests we see on the planet today. Once the word for world was 'forest'. Now it is 'earth'. Grasslands store several times as much carbon (in their soil) per acre as forests do in total. They do this to prevent the trees from having it. They feed the herbivores and the herbivores keep the forest at bay and nourish the grasslands with their dung and dead bodies. A tiny part of that great battle is what we see in this small valley.
I only had a little time to look around as I needed to make camp and gather some firewood. This trip had been a 'spur of the moment' decision. I had not decided to go until well after breakfast or started out much before lunch - and I needed to be back tomorrow night! Still, little trips are sweet! I very hastily erected my tent, as it was getting dark. No great wind was expected so I did not peg it out properly. It would still keep what little rain was expected off me. A large tree had fallen and shattered so I had more than a ute load of firewood ready in no time - and I needed it. The night was cold! Spot chased a stag away through the wattles as I was gathering wood. I could hear his antlers clattering against the saplings.
Spot enjoys the fire, and my sleeping bag. Always hard to get him off/out of it and into his own at bedtime.
A fire is such a lovely thing!
It's
certainly warm enough inside though in that lovely warm yellow glow. I hope you
like my new Deerhunter's Shirt.
Spledid to just stretch your feet out towards the fire and watch the greatest show in town:
Isn't it grand?
[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DSCN4685.mp4"][/video]
I
also finished the fourteenth volume of Poul Anderson's 'Flandry' ebooks on my
phone while listening to some soothing music. What a cracker of a read they all
are. So long as you love Sci-Fi as I do, anyway.
In the morning Spot's bowl was quite iced up. It is the container of one of those Sirena Tuna meals, probably the Mexican Beans which are my favourite. It makes for a good ultralight cereal bowl, if you are looking for one! You will have to fight the dog for this one!
I just love watching the mist rising from the river in the dawn when I am doing the dishes:
Like this. Just so magical!
[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DSCN4705.mp4"][/video]
Looking
back at my peaceful camp among the wattles. What an idyllic scene! In other
countries you would have to pay thousands to find such peace and tranquility.
So far in
But, time to take a look around...It is easy and instructive to follow a game trail like this:
It will lead you past preaching trees such as this and deer bedding areas, sometimes a wallow. As you can see, as soon as you get away from the river, the fire regrowth is pretty thick - and already starting to die from overmuch competition. You will not be able to see a deer far off in this sort of country. A telescopic site, (a culler's tool really) would be no use here. This is the sort of country where the lever action comes into its own. You can carry it unloaded (as you should any gun) but you can quickly throw it to your shoulder as you load for a quick snap shot at a fleeing deer. You must always be aware of what is behind the deer though. There must be solid earth or else you must not fire. A .30 calibre round can easily kill someone a couple of kms away!
This deer path up this small valley is pretty easy to follow. 'They went thataway' says Spot. Well, actually they came from thataway. I am hoping they circled around back to where they came from, and will be looking the other way! Sometimes this is a better strategy than following them. There is a cold wind blowing from that way, and the sun is shining from this way, so they will be bedded in a warm spot out of the wind over there.
You can see it gets quite thick. Plenty of private bedding areas, but you will not see a deer faraway. Very chewed out - both a good and bad sign.
Here are a couple of nice fresh rubs. The path between them marks the edge of this stag's territory. He will prowl this regularly scent marking and thrashing like this to warn others off his hinds. I will follow his line and see where it leads. He is along it somewhere.
And it leads into very thick stuff indeed with just the occasional small clearing and bedding spot. This old doe had just lain down here and never got back up. She might have starved, died from old age - or worse still carried a bullet all the way from the road perhaps. On this occasion a herd of other deer (doubtless her relatives) had been sleeping contentedly beside her remains. I have seen this before. I canoed down the Macalister after the devastating fires there a few years ago when the river was still full of dead eels as thick as your legs and as long as you are, and the banks still strewn with the carcasses of innumerable wallabies etc which had starved.The place reeked and the river water was nearly one-half mud by volume. I filled an empty drink bottle which stood on our window ledge for many years to illustrate this. It's no wonder all the fish died.
There is a spot in the bush there (on the true left bank) where there is an ancient quince tree, a reminder folks lived there once long ago - during the gold rushes perhaps. Such wonderfully productive trees can live for 800 years and produce over a tonne of fruit each year. How much better than gum trees is that? Right under the tree was the mummified body of a hind, and camping right next to her were her twins who yelped an raced off as I approached. She had died trying to keep them alive and they had stayed with her body for weeks. I noticed that a few minutes after they thought the coast was clear they crept back to be by her side. And 'they' say that animals don't have souls or (human) feelings! I hoped they would survive to carry on her legacy.
The deer had even been chewing at this inedible stuff, doing a good job of clearing it perhaps, but getting little nutrition. A group of deer was bedded here. One honked at me and several others exploded off in all directions. It was just too thick to see any of them.
This drier ridge downhill provides a little further viewing than the thick stuff. This particular trail is incredibly well traveled. It has a raised edge nearly six inches high! A deer highway!
I wanted to get a good photo of Spot, the rubs and the pronounced deer trail. I was concentrating on that, whilst Spot was looking at something else. I guess you could see about thirty metres through this stuff.
What he could see was a young stag's legs. After a while I saw them too. By this time unfortunately my back was starting to kill me again (not to mention my knee) so I was not wanting to carry out a mess of dead deer anyway. I thought I would just sling my gun and see if I could get a photo of the bit of the deer you could see for illustrative purposes. If you are looking for a whole deer, you will likely not see one in such thick bush. An ankle, an ear, a nose, a bright eye, a tail going up (How the eye is attracted to movement!). That is what you see.
Unfortunately, as I moved the gun, he saw that movement, and giving me a very loud 'Hello' or 'Goodbye' he was off. I could have knocked him over with a snap shot chancing that the bullet would not be deflected by such whippy undergrowth, but that is certainly the way to produce a wounded deer such as the skeleton I had found before. He would be there (and bigger) another day. Mostly, for me, deer hunting is an excuse to be wandering around in our wonderful bush. I certainly don't need the meat - I have a flock of sheep, and I prefer lamb anyway.
I walked back down to the river. I was probably less than 200 yards from it. The deer in this place are not retreating very far at night from their favourite feeding grounds, but they are having to travel more and more each night for a feed. Along the river the going is flatter and it is generally much clearer. Most places you would get a shot up to 100 yards. Ideal country for hammock hunting really: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/ You could wander along the river flats until just before dark, noting spots where there are two suitable trees (or a flat enough spot for your tent) and plenty of firewood (and access to the river for water for your billy). Or, if you were hunting it regularly, you could mark a route along the river back to your pre-chosen camping spots with these sweet little thumbtack reflectors which would allow you to find your way easily with your head torch in the total darkness: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-thumbtack-reflectors/
I have all these fences to build at home, so I headed home. Unfortunately, on my way, I saw the butchered carcass of a deer not ten foot off the main road, a road which hundreds of tourist vehicles traveled each day. Obviously shot in the lights! So completely unnecessary. The country is crawling with deer. But how many photos have you seen of guys with whole deer carcasses on the back of their trucks in hunting magazines? How far do you think they could have carried a whole sambar? Of course I was disgusted, and of course I moved it further back into the bush. But you see this sort of thing too often. You have to think what folks who aren't hunters will think. 'Expletive deleted Hunters!' is what. And right after that that 'hunting' should be banned! Despite the fact that then there would be a plague of deer, and tens of thousands of them would starve, and the bush be wholly devastated by their presence. We have to eliminate the rogue element.
As hunters we need to be much more careful about the ethics of what we do, or we will lose our sport. People do not need to see hunters wearing lots of camo, carrying great big guns. You can wear much more suitable wool clothing as I do, which will attract no attention. You can carry a take down gun which is in your pack when you leave and arrive at your car so that people will not be the least alarmed. Any bits of deer you bring back can be discreetly inside your pack. And you can give the deer a chance by not using telescopic sights or shooting deer which cannot see you. Your quarry ought to be able to use the senses nature provided it with to avoid being killed. You have all the unfair advantage you need by being able to use a gun instead of a spear or knife. You need to use just your own senses and knowledge (plus hard work) to harvest the deer you take. You should not be relying on any electronic aids such as deer finders, radios or trail cameras. Just your eyes and ears, especially your nose - and your strong legs and back - which I wish mine were at the moment! Still I have had nearly seventy quite good years, and I imagine the neurologist will be able to tweak my back a bit so I can have a few more years wandering around the bush. I must ring him this morning.
27/06/2017: Small is Beautiful: Tiny Containers: The search for small receptacles to stow various necessities is ongoing. My friend Meg loaned me these lovely aluminium ‘tins’ to evaluate. She uses them for some of her tiny art works such as her fabulous ear-rings & etc. The smallest one here is perhaps a 10 ml model (and weighs less than 2 grams). There is a 5 ml model which no doubt weighs even less, probably not much more than 1 gram. Either of these would be very good for small quantities of cream such as heel balm, hand cream, sunblock, etc – or for fish hooks, swivels, sinkers, etc. You can find them for sale on eBay if you do a search such as ‘5 ml cosmetic containers’ priced from probably about 50 cents each.
I usually carry about four similar small Coghlans plastic containers which weigh 6 grams each, so I have a saving of 8 grams (or half an ounce) in switching to these ones. Every little bit helps.
The three pictured Sizes are: 1. 3.7 wide x 1.6 = 17 ml, 2. 5 x 1.8 = 35ml, 3. 7.1 x3.65 = 150 ml. They weigh 2, 5 and 13 grams respectively. Various sizes are available apart from those shown above: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 50, 100, 150, 250 etc. There may even be one big enough to use as a cook pot!
Of course they look better with Meg’s hand-made ear-rings in them:
I have tried using drinking straws as containers (as here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/single-use-antibiotic-packs/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-further-use-for-drinking-straws/ - an even better use!) but have not found them very satisfactory, especially if you need to reseal them. They probably do suit for one-offs such as single doses of iodine.
‘Micro dropper bottles’ such as eye drops come in are handy for all sorts of things – a small quantity of ‘wilderness wash’ type soap for example. You will find plenty available for sale from about 3 ml up to say 20 ml if you search. They weigh from about 3 grams.
One of these vials is ideal for your sewing needle. You can wind some thread around them. They weigh about 2 grams. I am still searching for lighter - meanwhile my needle lives in my fishing hand line bottle.
https://www.survivalresources.com/3-mini-plastic-vials.html?category_id=133 They have many other useful containers – as well as other neat stuff!
If you wear glasses (as I do), you could slip a needle into your eyeglass repair kit: https://www.survivalresources.com/eyeglass-repair-kit.html?category_id=139
PS: These are the best needles: https://www.survivalresources.com/eyeglass-repair-kit.html?category_id=139 And this is the most useful thread http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dyneema-braid/ (just last weekend I affected a repair on my daypack somewhere in the Gippsland forest with some). If you wind some onto a small plastic (medicine) bottle you will have a handy ultralight (fly) fishing kit: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/ Of course you always need a blade too. It doesn’t get much better than this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-ultra-sharp-knives-3-grams/
See Meg: For fancy ear-rings and other beaut stuff: https://www.facebook.com/madebyemegbye/ & https://www.instagram.com/p/BVd48naHWex/
26/06/2017: Fire from a Can of Coke and a Chocolate Bar: This is just about my favourite fire starting tip: It is surprising the out of the way places you can find a humble aluminium can and beleive it or not, you can polish the bottom brightly enough that it will focus the sun’s rays hot enough to ignite combustible material. Full instructions here (and many other interesting things): http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/cokeandchocolatebar/
26/06/2017: How to Get Offended by Anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-mju_gW3c8
26/06/2017: This is happening in Melbourne (and now Gippsland): http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/andrew-rule-how-i-escaped-carjack-terror-on-the-geelong-road/news-story/382842dad3a68571d37f5a540ffd0cbd And this is how to do something about ti: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/how-one-woman-beat-off-three-carjackers-a-gun-helps/news-story/ac17946c127b10062e4ea2050edfbfc7 The right of licensed law abiding citizens to carry forearms for their own protection should ever have been removed. In the century since it was attacks on the person have gone up over 1,000%. Time to bring back the right of concealed carry.
26/06/2017: The ‘average’ man’s shoe size has increased (since 1970) from Size 8 (me) to size 10. I make THAT 25%. When truly alarming changes (eg of the climate or environmental ‘toxicity & etc kind) are measured in picograms and such, such a profound change in only a generation should start such enormous panic that we should ALL be running away (presumably 25% faster, now). But really, what CAN have prompted such a profound alteration (and WHERE will it end?) We look set pretty soon to be very like ducks. At least many swimming records will continue to be broken. I note that an excess of human growth hormone will cause this sort of change in an individual – but if that’s the cause, where IS this hormone coming from? Growth promoters in poultry perhaps? I thought they had been banned. Anyway, something else to worry about!
26/06/2017: Why Government Always
fails on Welfare: ‘
24/06/2017: #illridewithyou friendship bollards: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/taking-the-ram-out-of-ramadan/news-story/a8b61713a04256553c219da629aed9ff
24/06/2017: James
Russell Lowell (1819-1891):
And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays:
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
Every clod feels a stir of might,
An instinct within it that reaches and towers,
And, grasping blindly above it for light,
Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;
The flush of life may well be seen
Thrilling back over hills and valleys;
The cowslip startles in meadows green,
The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,
And there is never a leaf or a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace;
The little bird sits at his door in the sun,
Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,
And lets his illumined being o'errun
With the deluge of summer it receives;
His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings,
And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings;
He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest...
24/06/2017: Equality: Even JC admitted it, ‘for the poor ye always have with
you, but ye shall not always have me’. We
will never have an equal society. People are not born equal and will not
stay that way even if they are. Neither is it the Government’s or anyone else’s
job to make it so. Some societal effort towards an ‘equality of opportunity’;
‘equality before the law;’ Yes. But transformations such as Harrison Bergeron
are just as absurdist as Vonnegut elucidates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4-hEfqpxIg) …It’s important to keep in mind the distinction between
inequality and poverty. To confuse the two (as is common today) risks
addressing the wrong malady. Just as we do not blame a cancer victim’s suffering
on an unequal distribution of good health - that is, just as we recognize that
a cancer victim’s illness is not caused by the good health of others and cannot
be cured by making healthy people less healthy - we should recognize that a
poor person’s poverty is not caused by the prosperity of others and cannot be
cured by making wealthy people less wealthy.’ http://cafehayek.com/…/why-is-this-distinction-so-difficult…
&: ‘I recently read that there are only 1 million Americans with net worth of
$5-25 million, and only 142,000 Americans with over $25 million in net worth.
There are so many millionaires in NYC, you would think it's normal and end up
with a distorted view of life. All inequality statistics could be solved by
confiscating all of these wealthy assets. However, it would not even put a dent
in American's debt to
24/06/2017: The Green and the Black: Many Australians (maybe even the
majority?) have some Irish ancestry. For example I am 3/8ths Irish (willy
nilly) having three Great-Grandparents originating from the ‘emerald isle’.
Even 3/8ths Irish ancestry is not enough to claim Irish nationality, nor is my
½ English or 1/8th French the basis for any claim. Yet one can claim
‘Aboriginality’ on the basis of 1/32 (or less)! I never knew any of my great
grandparents, so I can’t properly say I have any
allegiance to them, (indeed even after much research I still know little about
them) and have only been able to work out the names of 17/32 Great Great Great
Grandparents let alone their nationalities, so clearly some of them could have
been ‘Aboriginal’ – or anything else, but probably not extra-terrestrial, much
as you may think otherwise! This is despite extensive research over many years,
quite expensive document searches and the fact that my European ancestors came
from countries at least where records have generally been kept for a long while
(though the Irish destroyed a lot of their records early in the C20th!) To
claim ‘membership’ or ‘belonging’ on such slender evidence (as 1/32) is just
utterly absurd – and clearly racist in itself. Very many ‘Aborigines’ (perhaps
the majority) also have Irish ancestry. Many would have more than 1/32 Irish,
indeed probably more often than not more Irish than ‘Aboriginal’ ancestry, yet
we are enjoined to accept their quite racist claim to be ‘Aboriginal’ without
demur – indeed to question it (as I do here) is no doubt actionable as
offending against some one of our latest ‘Big Brother’ laws. I would hardly
cause any offence at all for referring to ‘aboriginals’ of Irish ancestry (or
anyone else) as ‘damned paddies’, but imagine if I uttered a similar expletive
about their assumed ‘aboriginality’! Like me, they can neither claim nor
benefit from their Irish ancestry even if they might wish to celebrate it
sometimes with hearty draughts of green beer – as we all do whether we have any
or not! It is simply long past time such ‘racial identification’ stopped
permanently. We are all simply human beings and citizens of
23/06/2017: Sure, more Gonski cash will solve this, while a big stick would not: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/visiting-primary-school-kids-caught-up-in-willunga-high-lockdown-after-student-fight-police-called-to-control-foulmouthed-teens/news-story/b83876d4ffa642dbc6e57ca93829c894
23/06/2017: Hard to decide whether this is a tragedy or not. Cairns man Feared dead
After Attempting to have Sex with a Crocodile: http://www.cairnstimes.com/cairns-man-binged-ice-feared-dead-attempting-sex-crocodile/
23/06/2017: Is There Such a Thing as ‘The Truth’? An Excellent Explanation: http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/facts-feelings-and-filters/
22/06/2017: Adventures in Stoving: I really liked the title of this guy's website, apart from the interesting information it contains. Two selections: the world's smallest, lightest gas stove, and how to refill hiking gas canisters:
World’s Lightest Gas Stove – 25 grams: You can find this little guy available in a variety of places under different pseudonyms. I don't know whether they are all the same. it has had mixed reviews. Folks who haven't stressed it out too much seem satisfied it will do the job.
https://www.amazon.com/Ubens-Ultralight-Camping-Outdoor-Cooking/dp/B00NNMF70U
https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/the-brs-3000t-worlds-lightest-stove.html
Refilling gas canisters: https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/the-g-works-r1-gas-saver-refilling.html
The
gadget which will do this is probably illegal in
For most trips the weight of teh emty gas canister, (and not knowing how much fuel it has left) precludes using them at all. Esbit is the most weight efficient system (and I have pointed out a way to simmer with it here: ). My personal choice is meths (aka alcohol stoves). If you are only boiling then Minibull's 'Elite' stove is impossible to beat. Mine weighs <7 grams (https://www.minibulldesign.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=195&idcategory=2 ). Otherwise you can try the 'Supercat stove ( ). The advantage of meths is that you can calculate (before you leave exactly how much fuel you will need to cook all the things you are taking and only take that amount of fuel (I usually carry it in a small platypus bottle).
Minibull Elite Stove
Supercat
Stove
Also worth considering is a wood fuelled stove. I have both the Bushbuddy and the Suluk (as you will see here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bushbuddy-stove/ and here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/suluk-stove/. I also have a Caldera Cone: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cookset-woes/
You could try making my Egg-Ring Stove http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/as it only weighs 7 grams and makes a stable emergency stove in case you ever run out of fuel (or your jet blocks up if you are using a canister stove).
Bushbuddy Stove:
Caldera Cone:
Suluk Stove:
Egg Ring Stove:
22/06/2017: DIY Glasses. You don’t even need an eye test! http://optifocus.ecommroad.com/
22/06/2017: One response woth considering to the
spate of Islamist attacks: Don’t be a
victim - 100 Deadly Skills - An Evening with Navy SEAL Clint Emerson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJTKVqZ_wFs
21/06/2017: World's tallest tree: who would have believed that this 154 metre
mountain ash felled at Healesville in 1872 was 40 metres taller than the
largest Californian redwood ever recorded: http://baddevelopers.nfshost.com/Docs/talltrees.htm
21/06/2017: The Red Pill (2016): This is just about the best documentary we
have watched in a long while. It follows the journey of a feminist who decides
to investigate the ‘Men’s Rights’ movement and who is transformed by the
experience into a supporter of many of its ideas. Cassie Jaye deserves enormous
credit for her courage, intellectual rigour and honesty in making and screening
this documentary (which has been vociferously banned by ‘activists’ all over
21/06/2017: An
Australian who rises to the position of Cardinal would normally be celebrated
and admired. George Pell’s other achievements also single him out for
adulation rather than condemnation. Yet this dreadful litany of false,
scurrilous and vile accusations continues. I do not condone those who sexually
abuse children, Quite the contrary. I think it is dreadful that someone who
repeatedly raped children twenty years ago can receive a lesser sentence than
someone who raped a grown woman last year. This does not seem to me to be
justice. I would have thought that the offences are so disproportionate that
the former could not have deserved less than the most hideous death. On the
other hand, Cardinal Pell has been instrumental throughout in identifying,
eliminating and punishing those in his
church who abused children in the past or at any time, yet he is singled out by
the hate media as an evil monster. I just don’t get it: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/priest-i-was-with-pell-and-know-hes-innocent/news-story/e21670da6fe6b1c195fa957d95506435
20/06/2017: Seems like it, Mark Latham:
20/06/2017: Who were the ‘First Nations’? http://pickeringpost.com/story/rock-art-that-says-aborigines-were-not-the-first-here/7265
& (even more mind boggling) https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/history-wars/2002/06/the-extinction-of-the-australian-pygmies/
20/06/2017: Weather Lore: An infallible weather forecast,
if a change of weather is coming up:
'Wind then rain. No pain.
Rain then wind, stay in!'
In plain words this says that when rain comes first without wind then expect a long period of bad weather with high winds and heavy rain. But when wind comes first and is followed immediately by rain, then fine weather will follow at short notice.
Many people are trapped by bad weather in the bush every year, and if they but knew of this simple weather sign they could be prepared, and get out to a position of safety before really bad weather sets in.
Another infallible weather signal is the appearance of cumulus nimbus cloud, a foreteller of thunderstorms. While a greenish light in the sky preceding a thunderstorm is an almost certain sign of heavy hail. Halos (or circles) around the sun or moon also almost invariably mean rain is on its way.
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight.
Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.
A red sky - in the morning or evening, is a result of high pressure air in the atmosphere trapping particles of dust or soot. Air molecules scatter the shorter blue wavelengths of sunlight, but particles of dust, soot and other aerosols scatter the longer red wavelength of sunlight in a process called Rayleigh scattering. At sunrise and sunset, the sun is lower in the sky causing the sunlight to travel through more of the atmosphere so scattering more light.This effect is further enhanced when there are at least some high level clouds to reflect this light back to the ground.
When weather systems predominantly move from west to east. A red sky at night indicates that the high pressure air (and better weather) is westwards. In the morning the light is eastwards, and so a red sky then indicates the high pressure (and better weather) has already passed, and an area of low pressure is following behind.
Clouds
And Their Reading
Cirrus: This is the "mare's tail" sky of the landsman, shows as long threads or wisps of cloud. This is the highest of all cloud formations, and is a sign of a "high" barometric pressure, which means fine weather.
Cirro Stratus, and Cirro Cumulus: In these clouds the former is long wispy, cloud, and in the latter rounded small cloud the typical "mackerel" sky. Both are indicators of a high barometric pressure, and fine weather.
Cumulus and Cumulus Nimbus: Cumulus is the high white piled-up masses of cloud seen in summer. When streaked with horizontal bands it is Cumulus Nimbus, or thunder cloud, a sign of coming storms, which may be of short duration, or may indicate a change in the weather generally.
Nimbus: This is the grey ragged cloud which uniformly covers the sky. It is the true rain cloud, and an indication of low barometric pressure and rainy weather.
Storm Scud: This is formless masses of very low cloud driven fast before the wind. It is a sign of very low barometric pressure, and continuing bad weather.
A light-weight radio (such as this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/backcountry-radio/) might be a good way to keep up with the weather forecast as well as providing other entertainment. I have not been able to find a better than this one at 91 grams.
Tip: When heading up the bush it is particularly important to check the wind forecast. You need to know which way the prevailing wind is going to be coming from (You can't just rely on the observation that it 'always' comes from the West - no matter that this is true most of the time). A sudden change to0 the east will mean your tent is pitched the wrong way around. This is particularly important if the wind change is going to occur in the middle of the night in which case you need to pitch it so that it suits both wind directions - if possible. (it usually is!)
19/06/2017: Working on my
next ultralight project. This time it is a bathtub goundsheet which doubles
as a chair. In Tyvek this will weigh around 120 grams. I am hopeful I can
duplicate it in a lighter material at around 80 grams. Add this to my poncho
tent at 160 grams and you have a wonderful camping combo!
19/06/2017:
Maher's Landing:
You
will see more birds than you thought was possible anywhere in
Straw Necked Ibis hunt the shallows
There are more bait worms and bivalves in these mud flats than you can imagine!
The inlet is also a great fishing spot. Key species are Australian salmon and garfish.
Tarwin Lower Jetty:
Fishermans
Rd Boat ramp
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/george-bass-coastal-walk/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/george-bass-coastal-walk-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-walk-on-the-wild-side/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/venus-bay-no-4-beach-gippsland-victoria/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/to-the-lighthouse/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/blond-bay-roseneath-reserve-hollands-landing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/there-is-simply-nothing-like-an-old-port-walking-trail/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sale-common/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/blond-bay-lake-tyers/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/beautiful-east-gippsland/
19/06/2017: 2053: Who would have guessed there had been this many atomic bombs detonated (not that I am much in favour of them) and that there are still several billion healthy people on Earth. Mind you, they are very pretty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGFkw0hzW1c&spfreload=10 & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz6eHI_XM5k
19/06/2017: Turnbull is
toast! Still 47:53. Pauline up 2%: http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/newspoll-turnbull-fails-to-turn-corner/news-story/1e4873711d79a154e4b1b4f76b8b80a9
18/06/2017: Lighter, Brighter, Better: Three great new Maratac flashlights:
Anodized Aluminium Tactical Personal Flood TPF AAA Light by Maratac 160 lumens - US$40.95 (June 2017).
A 14-15 gram head torch which produces 160 lumens will be hard to beat!
'The Maratac™ AAA Stainless Steel flashlight was so popular, we had it made in a right angle varient. The same great light in a right angle form factor, featuring a 105 degree beam of projected light for increased field of use and a glow in the dark reflector. Checkout this AAA powerhouse now with many new upgrades:
The reflector glows after the light turns off so it's easy to find in the night.
Specifications:
- Length: 2.65"
- Diameter: .57"
- Weight 14 Grams / .35 Ounces without battery ( Incredibly lightweight )
- Stainless Steel Pocket Clip ( Easy to clip onto a hat, MOLLE gear or shirt pocket )
- Glow In the Dark Built In reflector ( Easy to find in the dark )
- LED Type: Cree G2 Emitter ( High Output ) with a life span up to 50,000 hours.
- Flashlight body is made of Aircraft Grade Aluminum
- Stainless Steel ring around the dome lens for added durability
- The dome lens has been treated with an AR (Anti-Reflective) coating.
- Proprietary circuit design features reverse polarity protection and runs off of one AAA battery that provides 3 levels of brightness ( Low /Medium / High).
Using a single Duracell AAA battery we got the following results:
- Low Mode, 5 lumen output for up to 60 Hours ( Diffused Light )
- Medium Mode, 48 lumen output for up to 4 Hours
- High Mode, 160 lumen output for up to 75 Minutes'
Inspection : AAAx2 Extreme - Tactical Light by Maratac 385 lumens - US$ 42.50 June 2917)
'The Maratac™ Inspection AAAx2 Extreme LED flashlight is made to be both tactical and practical. The light is straightforward to use and has friendly ergonomics. The Maratac AAAx2 Extreme features an advance Cree XP-G2(R5) LED for greater brightness and efficiency.
- Medium 45 Lumens / Low 5 lumens / High 385 lumens mode brightness control (Simple 3 mode switching)
- Operation:
- Press and click the back thumb switch to turn on the light into Medium mode. Lightly press again for Low mode and once more for High. Press and click anytime to turn the light off.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- 22.8 grams or .8 oz (without battery)
- 5.0" O.A.L. x .58" inch width
- Type 3 Military Grade Anodizing ( Matte Finish )
- Utilizes 2 Standard AA Batteries ( 1.2-1.7 Volts each )
- Standard Modes ( Pressing Tail Cap Through Modes )
·
- Medium ( 6 Hours )
- Low ( 90 hours )
- High ( 1.65 hours )'
Anodized Aluminum AAA Flashlight by Maratac™ Rev 4 now 145 lumens - US$41.50
'Worlds
first production LED
Check out this AAA powerhouse.
After thousands of Request ( Medium / Low / High )
Specifications:
- Premier Series
- Glow in the dark Diffuser ( New for Rev 4 )
- Glow in the Dark front o-ring around reflector ( New for Rev 4 )
- Each light is hand finished.
- Length: 2.6" ( Smaller than Rev 1 )
- Diameter: .5"
- Weight with battery is 37.3 grams ( 28.1 grams without battery )
- LED Type: Cree XP-G2 S4 with a life span up to 50,000 hours. ( Newest & Brightest Emitter REV 4 )
- with a life span up to 50,000 hours. ( Newest & Brightest Emitter )
- The New Orange Peel Reflector is aluminum alloy.
- Flashlight body is machined of Aircraft Grade Aluminum
- The lens has been treated with an AR (anti-reflective) coating.
- Its proprietary circuit design features reverse polarity protection and runs off of one AAA battery that provides
- Now with 3 levels of brightness ( Medium / Low / High ).
- Comes with clip & o-rings
- Clip installed from factory to preserve finish
- New Stronger Clip
Using a single Duracell AAA battery we got the following results:
- Medium mode, 40 lumens output for up to 7 hours
- Low mode, 1.5 lumens output for up to 55 hours
- High mode, 145 lumens output for up to 70 minutes
- ( Rev 1 model was 80 Lumens and 48 minutes) ( Rev 2 model was 115 Lumens and 60 minutes)'
Of course each of them can easily be made into a head torch with two o rings, a bit of cord and a micro cord lock:
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/
18/06/2017: It just keeps
getting better and better: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/09/08/i-am-so-tired-of-malthus/
18/06/2017: If you
believe this, you will believe anything: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/wtf/breatharian-couple-claim-they-have-barely-eaten-for-nine-years/news-story/9ebeed4e68031f11c3b02b0db8c0100a PS: I notice she seems to have found a
slightly higher calorie air than he has!
18/06/2017: Well said, Harry: http://pickeringpost.com/story/teaching-stuff-we-know-doesn-t-work/7243
17/06/2017: With this App and
Zenni, the optometrist is dead. Other professions may quickly follow suit.
I am all for abolishing the lawyers first: https://www.opternative.com/ & http://www.zennioptical.com/
17/06/2017: Poor Tweetie!
Forget about feral cats. Let’s ban windows: http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/
17/06/2017: If we all became
vegetarians would there be more food? No! There would be less: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/animal-vegetable-or-e-o-wilson/
16/06/2017:
16/06/2017: Are
Alexander and Elizabeth the best ever children’s names? Can you think of
any other names which have so many interesting variants, eg, Al, Alex, Lex,
Lexy, Xander, Sandy, Andy? Why burden your child with a name which has none, or
which (worst still) is mis-spelled? I know several people who have had to
change their names by deed poll because their parents could not spell. How
embarrassing! There are also for too many ‘h’s and ‘y’s creeping into spelling
nomenclature!
16/06/2017: Malcolm has once again shown his appalling judgement and unsuitability to be PM by lampooning the
16/06/2017: The problem with young voters seems to be they do not know yet that
the Left and Greens are pure evil. Tim Blair
suggests some interesting home remedies: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/give-the-kids-what-they-want/news-story/04ff6706414e2b25ff6db7f969cce5eb
15/06/2017: NZ Moose: Ken & Marg Tustin have been hunting these beasts in Fiordland's forests since the 1970s. The creatures are enormously elusive. Of course there are lots of browse, prints, droppings but so far they have managed to come up with a single cast antler, two positive DNA samples and a couple of (unfortunately) poor quality photos of them. Not much return for a lifetime of hard work, but an enormous, 'Well Done Ken & Marg!' for such a Herculean effort. They must have spent literally years of their lives living in these remote sodden forests!
For example, when I talked to them in Te Anau in April 2017, Ken had just come back from a six week stint in Herrick Creek, Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound. Like me, Ken is nearly 70! No-one who has never ventured into these wet, cold, dense, dangerous forests (as I have - though much more briefly) has any idea of the effort involved. They could be literally swarming with moose yet it would be unlikely you would ever find one.
Here
is a link to an interesting article about them, and the
I
suspect the moose are quite widespread throughout
Books
by Ken Tustin: 'A Wild Moose Chas'e & 'A Nearly Complete History of the
Moose in
Other
books about Fiordland Moose: Ken Tinsley 'Call of the Moose'. Max Curtis
'Around the River's
This is Jim Mackintosh beside a female moose he shot at Herrick Creek in 1951. Other moose were shot and photographed in the area in 1952, the last certain sightings. Only about a dozen moose have ever been taken in NZ, three of them by the 'legendary' Eddie Herrick who spent nearly ten years of his life in toto hunting them!
PS: The type of river flat forest Jim has shot this moose in is quite rare in Fiordland. There is some (for example) across Supper Cove from the hut, at the mouth of the Seaforth River and then along the river to the Henry Burn and here and there all the way up to the Kintail, but it was mostly all well eaten out by moose a long time ago. All the same you can see old broken branches about 8-9' up where they have been, and they may still use such patches for shelter in dreadful weather. I have stalked through some of it many times. Sometimes you even find a recent print. Considering that it rains on average over 25mm (1") per day in Fiordland, a print does not last long!
Mostly you would be looking for them in much worse terrain than this, up the steep valleys and along the incredibly precipitous forested sides. PS: Even in this sort of country you would have to be very watchful for the dangers of morasses! PPS: 'Normally' when moose hunting you are looking for their 'signature' branch breaking at that 8-9' height, but you should also make yourself aware of their 'browse line' at that height - where they have eaten practically every leaf they can eat of their favourite food plants. This is far more ubiquitous, but perhaps less obvious.
PPS: AS I say in the first link below, I believe I had a close encounter with a moose back in April 2017 in the upper Hauroko Burn, yet there was very little available moose browse in the Hauroko, (but plentiful old moose sign), whereas coming down the slope from Lake Roe to Loch Marie for example there were lots of 'moose plants', but much less moose sign. Moose are where you find them!
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/follow-your-nose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
15/06/2017: Shoelace Reinvented: I went to this site looking for a new pair of shoes. The Men's Topo Terradventure has been recommended to me as a wide-fit ultralight shoe with superior grip and wear characteristics weighing 294 grams. I am keen to try out a pair, but I need to see whether they fit first. However I was struck by the offer on the site of a new, superior lacing system. Also note they sell Aloksak waterproof bags: https://www.injinjiperformanceshop.com.au/collections/topo-athletic-footwear
'The Terraventure pushes the limits of lightweight performance and rugged durability. This platform features an aggressive lug design providing better traction and mid-foot stability. A flexible ESS forefoot rock plate protects the foot from stone-bruising while the ghillie lacing system insures a secure midfoot fit.
The Terraventure runs half a size small, so we recommend sizing up half a size from your current running shoe fit. ~15mm of room around the outside of the toebox is a perfect fit, allowing your foot to splay naturally. A full size chart is available below.
Technology/Specifications
- // 6 mm rubber outsole
- // 14 mm (heel) // 11 mm (ball) midsole
- // 5 mm footbed
- // Total stack height 25 mm x 22 mm (3 mm drop)
- // Weight: 294g. (size 9)
Slacklaces are flat elastic shoelaces that you truly have to try to believe. You will feel the difference with your very first step. Slacklaces are perfectly designed to eliminate any tight spots, banding, and pressure points that can improve circulation, comfort and performance . They are flat, wide, very light and have the perfect combination of stretch and stability. SLACKLACES are so simple to use and are great for triathletes, kids, elderly and even more useful for individuals with disabilities. SLACKLACES are designed with the ability to change with the constantly changing contours of your feet and they look as good as they feel! Slacklaces come in a variety of bright colors, and lengths to fit every shoe and every style! https://www.injinjiperformanceshop.com.au/collections/yankz/products/yankz-slacklace
Surelace
System: A Better Fit that You Never Have to Tie Again Yankz! Sure Lace
System is the most comfortable and innovative lacing system available.
The unique design is ideal for walking, running, hiking, gym class, biking and
other athletic activities.
Expandable cords provide an unsurpassed level of fit and comfort. No more tying, retying, double knots or frazzled dirty laces. Slip on your shoe with Yankz!
Many important factors make the Yankz! Sure Lace distinct:
- A personalized fit with two different points of adjustment on the shoe, creating the most comfortable fit.
- Expandable lace cords form to your foot and reduce blistering and bruising.
- Available in many color combinations, including reflective colors for early morning and night activity.
- Uniquely designed for many different sports such as walking, running, aerobics, biking and other sports.
- And finally, you never tie laces again https://www.injinjiperformanceshop.com.au/collections/yankz/products/yankz-surelace-system?variant=6051490947
15/06/2017: Londonistan burns: I know this one may
not be a terrorist ‘incident’ (as its mayor describes it), but the next one and
the next…will be. Folks will have learned how to ignite high rise apartment
buildings. Heaven know where we will house the residents when we have to
abandon them, or who will pay the compensation to their owners & etc.
Clearly the market value of apartments everywhere will crash.
15/06/2017: When is Killed by a Moslem Terrorist Week? Unfortunately, every
week! Bravo, Peter Smith: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/06/monsters-faith-faith-monsters/
15/06/2017: On a
happier note, Malcolm must go: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/whats-the-point-of-liberals-led-by-turnbull/news-story/035c5ffa7770fda6bc4bf5e80c1f60b5
15/06/2017: As
15/06/2017: Those who think we will still be shoveling coal in 100 years will be dismayed that Steve Bramwell of Uni College London has made and stored magnetic monopoles. There exist vast forces which we cannot as yet either detect or control, but we will... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2548880/Scientists-create-ONE-poled-magnet-unlock-secrets-surrounding-birth-universe.html
14/06/2017: Drop Bear:
Found this poor little fellow dead in the paddock this morning. Looks to be a
victim of the dread Chlamydia (They also call it, 'Wet Bum') which is so
prevalent amongst them, though s/he had also been fighting and had a number of
nasty scratches - unsurprising when you see the size of their claws. I had
noticed it roaming from blue gum to blue gum just the other day but had
taken no notice as they are quite prevalent here, though not in epidemic
proportions yet as they are in so many places, poor things. It is horrific to
see them starving to death en masse, as they are/were eg at
Rear claw - quite a thumb:
Front claw - imagine being slashed by that. Those claws are over an inch (2.5cm) long!:
If
you catch one that is in distress (eg after being hit by a car) it is quite
difficult to handle them (you need a thick blanket or coat which you have no
further use for!) as they will attach themselves firmly to your arm, those
claws penetrating quite clear through your biceps etc, so that very soon you
will be sorry you had picked it up. I saw a man in this state one day at Tarwin
Lower one Sunday when we were out fox hunting along the
I do prefer seeing them alive, like this one, though he has pretty much eaten out his tree too, as you can see. Apparently once you start to see them, they are already too numerous for the good of the forest, like the little guy above. It was nearly thirty years before anyone first saw one after the First Fleet!
Curiously the foxes had not touched him. They must not taste anywhere near as good as sheep. A dead sheep would be scattered all over the paddock by the next day! This guy had been there about three days. He was a bit too far gone for me to try! I am not 'Bear' Grylls! No doubt so named because he usually eats them!
Interestingly enough, we used to skin all the foxes we shot, (we usually had a few dozen after a day's hunt - the proceeds paid for everyone's family's Xmas presents) and throw their skun corpses into the blackberry patches. Nothing ever ate a fox. I am certainly never going to start if even crows eschew them. They are vilely malodourous - as are koalas actually!
Apparently long ago there was a marsupial lion very much larger than these little guys. Thylacoleo Carnifex (http://www.megafauna.com.au/view/megafauna/thylacoleo-carnifex & http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/scratch-marks-in-a-wa-cave-show-the-drop-bear-thylacoleo-carnifex-could-climb-particularly-well/news-story/5f6af36d077aa792e55239c41a814ecd). Some cryptozoolgical types (or not so logical types) avow that these critters were arboreal (indeed that they still exist!) and that there is some danger of them dropping from trees and devouring you. I have spent a lot of time under trees and it has not happened to me yet. Neither is irt stopping me from heading 'up the bush' this week - though some much needed fencing is, Alas!
14/06/2017: What a hoot: The conceptual penis as a social construct: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/mocking-gender-studies/
14/06/2017: Balls to Mr Finkelstein: We could replace all our coal fired power stations with brand new super-critical ones (as the rest of the world is doing) at a fraction of the cost of these mad green schemes and have electricity production at under 4 cents per kilowatt hour practically forever (we have hundreds of years of brown coal here in Victoria - we have used less than 2% of the reserve!): http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/sloan-malcolm-i-bet-your-plan-drives-up-our-bills/news-story/05fe62a38681ca5884b41207b599eeff The figures just don’t add up: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/finkel-reports-funny-figures/news-story/204fbe1332d3b02f23897a4d1bd85925
14/06/2017: Comey was a proven liar anyway, but he
is also a criminal and should receive the appropriate criminal sanctions
instead of being lionized by the Left: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/09/your-work-product-isnt-yours/
13/06/2017: There is just ‘one’ thing wrong with all this ‘global warming’
stuff; well 58 actually: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/06/delingpole-global-warming-is-myth-58-scientific-papers-2017/
13/06/2017: We need more H.L.Menckens today: Doesn’t
this remind you of professional leftist agitators and other assorted worryworts
who yet abound: ‘I hope no one will be upset and alarmed by the fact that
various bishops, college presidents, Rotary lecturers and other such
professional damned fools are breaking into print with high-falutin discussions
of the alleged wave of student suicides. Such men, it must be manifest, seldom
deal with realities. Their whole lives are devoted to inventing bugaboos, and
then laying them. Like the news editors, they will tire of this bogus wave
after a while, and go yelling after some other phantasm. Meanwhile, the world
will go staggering on. Their notions are never to be taken seriously. Their one
visible function on earth is to stand as living proofs that education is by no
means synonymous with intelligence.’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/henrys-greatest-hit/news-story/cbe5891724cba0ee59a3959498d32bd7
13/06/2017: Mufti thinks jihad is funny: ‘Our’ Grand
Mufti, a man who refuses to learn English and who would not be granted
citizenship under the ‘new’ rules can joke about ‘jihad’ and ‘terrorism’ while
all about him
13/06/2017: ‘Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world’ (Yeats, ‘Second Coming’) The lunacy is all just happening too quickly for me to even comment on. This week alone: The Fink Finkelstein and more mad schemes to make us all poorer and ‘save the planet’. What Tosh! Huge concrete blocks appearing everywhere to ‘save us from terrorism’. Whilst young Somalis who smash and rob jewellery stores are given no sentence. The Mufti jokes about terrorism. There is to be a new gaol for terrorists which the ABC reports is for IRA offenders! The Left get all the Queens Birthday honours when they have done nothing deserving at all – earning at best more custard tarts in their faces! I despair…At least you can read my hiking blog to return a little sanity to your lives: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/
13/06/2017: A Walk on
the Wild Side: You can set off from
Of course I was lucky enough to be accompanied by this beautiful lady (as I have been for 47 wonderful years) and her astonishing dog:
Here is that outstanding dog, Spot again. How he loves the beach!
A blue crane was busy fishing in the lagoon:
A pair of delightful sandpipers let us get very close to them:
As did this red-billed shearwater:
Even
on a holiday weekend the deserted beach stretched on and on towards
Looking back into the sunset towards Kilcunda:
Della managed to take an even better photograph:
And again:
So many enchanting skerries:
And other beauties bathed in the golden light of dusk:
And here is another beauty - as my mother used to say, 'A frog's pretty in a cat's eye'!
Twilight combs the skerries:
The last blush of day to the east:
After
Screw Creek you need to get across or around Andersons Inlet (I am working on
that - I hunted foxes ) whence you can walk all the way along
12/06/2017: Follow Your Nose: I have failed to follow my own advice on this one more than once to my regret as you can read in my account of my recent Dusky walk below. Trust your nose, Somewhere upwind possibly just in sight is something important you need to pay attention to. For example, you may wonder how ancient mariners unerringly managed to find remote islands when a failure to do so might have meant all would perish. At sea there is little scent. The great variety of scents comes instead from land animals and flowering plants whose varied odours drift on the wind detectable many kilometres downwind. Our mariners, knowing from their pennants the direction of the wind, and using their nose could tack back and forth heading infallibly for the source of the endless wonder that assailed their noses.
Of course at sea there are other clues to indicate the direction of the land. The wind and tides drive floating objects outwards in a pre-determined direction which you can follow back. Leaves, grass, flowers, spiders etc are a giveaway. The story of Noah and his dove is a charming metaphor (and of course it is unlikely a dove would bring back a twig unless it was nesting - but pigeons and doves do, so who knows?), but clearly the presence of a floating twig (or one in a bird's maw) certainly does indicate the proximity of land. Again, clouds build up against islands. The Maori did not call NZ 'The Land of the Long White Cloud' for no reason. Islands also disturb the movement of waves and currents. This disturbance can be detected by the observant mariner.
Similarly, in the desert there are few scents - again because of the scarcity of life. Where there is life in profusion is near water sources in such arid wildernesses. The scents from all the life around such oases wafts on the wind and can be detected 10, 20 kilometres away. It is how desert dwellers found them in the first place.
If you are out hunting and you smell an unusual odour (eg your quarry) don't ignore it. Investigate. And get to know the peculiar scents of the animals you hunt. Knowing the musky stench of a stag in rut is a valuable piece of information. Your nose can lead you to many other food sources. The scent of honey is unmistakable. A wild bees' hive is a treasure if you know how to safely rob it. If you do not the scent of the honey (or nectar) in bottle brushes can lead you to a sweet treat particularly in the morning. Ripe fruit, such as lily-pilies wafts out a delectable fragrance that should earn you a feast in some cool valley.
On our afternoon walks around Yinnar and Jeeralang, I am forever saying to Della, 'Smell that fox, wallaby, deer, pig', etc. It has taken her a while to learn to pay attention to her nose. She grew up in the city, and hasn't been a hunter all her life like me, but she is now noticing those most pungent odours at least. Pig and fox scent are very strong. We have seen four sambar deer on our afternoon walks just in the last week. The pig sign is becoming very prevalent. Another season of breeding and I fear they will be invading the local backyards and stealing babies from their prams!
Note:
I have a confession (of stupidity) to make. Somewhere during this
section between the two upper walk wires on the Hauroko Burn Fiordland NZ (You
can imagine it is in the photo above) I encountered quite a strong
'animal' smell not unlike a goat. I thought to myself at the time, 'Well, it's
not a deer'. Then I thought, 'Could it be a plant'. You know how Dogwood in
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
11/06/2017: Interesting DIY 3D Printing Project:
https://i.redd.it/zgnriuut23ny.gif
https://laughingsquid.com/3d-printed-open-closed-sign/
10/06/2017: Walking in a Straight Line: You have one leg slightly shorter than the other. Therefore if you are blindfolded you will walk in a circle. Clearly you need some other clue to stop yourself from doing this in the wild. There are a number of ‘tricks’ to learn. I have already mentioned how to use your observations of the ‘lie of the land’ to find your way: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-lie-of-the-land/.
I have mentioned before many times how you should train the tools you were born with (which you can count on having with you, hopefully in a working condition) whereas artificial aids (such as GPS, PLB and etc) can all too easily fail. Using the outstanding features of the landscape as a guide to your location is an obvious and necessary skill to develop.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked by a person with a GPS in their hand where they are (were), to which my reply has always been (simply looking around), ‘Isn’t it obvious?’
As I have mentioned before it is especially important every time you stop for a breather (at least every fifteen minutes let’s say) to spend that time looking behind you so as to memorise the prominent features of the landscape in your return direction.
Of course there are times when the prominent features of the landscape are not visible (or there simply aren’t many). This can happen in flatter terrain (even on plateaus, in heavily wooded areas, in fog or cloud, etc. Then you need to keep s a sequence of smaller features in mind in order to keep to a chosen route (eg I want to continue in a generally North-Easterly direction until I hit the ‘Divide’).
The most common method used to keep to a straight course is to note a particular tree in the correct direction of travel, and head towards this (Below, top left).
When it is reached a new tree is selected, and so on (above top right).
Although this will lead to a straight line between the trees sighted, it can also lead to a wrong course as shown in figure A
Having arrived at the first tree it is possible for the traveler to sight the next tree incorrectly and so gradually proceed to lose your correct direction.
You can avoid this error as shown in figure B. Moving from point 1 you sight tree 2 and head for it. However before reaching it you line up tree 3. Similarly you sight up tree 4 when you is part way between points 2 and 3, and in this way your line is always correct.
This method is good for open forest country, but does not work on featureless plains. There are two systems that have been common eg among the Aborigines for centuries.
In the first method, one person would always go ahead of the others, heading in the direction of travel indicated. No matter how featureless the country might appear to be, there would always be some small feature, perhaps just a particular clump of grass, beyond the leading person, and as soon as he appeared to be veering off course it would become obvious to those following and they would then signal him back to the correct line.
Many
‘primitive’ people (such as those from the eponymous ‘Canary’
It is interesting is it not, that ever since the invention of farming (approx 9,000 years ago) the average human brain has been shrinking. The less intelligent can be feather-bedded by the food surplus, whereas in a hunting culture they would simply have failed to reproduce. As they would have starved to death!
The second method could be used by a lone traveler, and consisted of lighting two small fires which would give off a quantity of smoke for some time. The first would be lit at the camp site and you would set out in the required direction. After a short time, and before there was any chance of having altered direction, you would select a clearing and light another fire.
You could now proceed with confidence, knowing that as long as you kept the two smokes in line then you were going in a straight line. If you had a long way to travel you might light more fires as you went on, so that as the original smoke died down you would be able to continue with the directions maintained by the newer ones. Lots of early Australian explorers observed such lines of fires - then began to implement the strategy themselves.
You should also read:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/finding-your-way/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/carry-a-knife/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/river-crossings/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/an-open-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-long-till-sundown/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-avoid-being-wet-cold-while-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-ultralight-survival-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/survival-still/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/collecting-water/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dehydrated-water/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-twelve-woodlores-ray-mears/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/if-you-could-only-carry-two-things-in-the-bush-what-would-they-be/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/inflatable-insulated-clothing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pitching-the-poncho-warning-this-may-save-your-life/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fun-with-sticky-tape-mylar-poncho/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/worlds-lightest-tarp-clip/
10/06/2017: You look at the graphic and think, ‘Why did May not win an historic victory’. Just a couple of
reasons, ‘When she announced that she would asset strip the houses of
the elderly to make them pay for domiciliary care, I asked here whether she was actually trying to
lose the election…The reason Labour has done so well is that for once young
people turned out to vote. Young people generally don’t bother to vote. They
did this time for one reason: they were captivated and energised by Jeremy
Corbyn. No matter that Corbyn’s agenda would destroy the country, that he would
empower bad people, that he would extinguish freedom. With the collapse of
10/06/2017: Conservatives need to completely end all ‘welfare’ type payments to taxpayers and hand all that money back to them as tax cuts. This way they will get back $10 in tax cuts for every $5 in payments. After that it will be clear to taxpayers that what the socialists always offer is to take money from their pockets and splurge it on someone else – who does not pay tax, indeed who refuses to shift for themselves at all! At present whenever anyone proposes ‘budget savings’ which involve cutting spending, taxpayers who see $5 disappearing from their child care, education , health etc are alarmed because that money is not obviously being returned to them as tax cuts – so they become pawns of the socialist pied pipers.
Answer to a reply: You are missing my point. I am not saying cut out all 'welfare benefits'. I am saying cut out the ones handed back to taxpayers. Just the accounting exercise of doing so must waste a substantial amount of cash. However, in answer to some at least of your other points. I maintain that marriage and the family should form the basis of 'welfare', not the Government. It is because (since 1974) people have been able to treat the Government as their parents, husbands, wives etc - instead of relying on themselves and their support networks, that we have developed a vast disaffected cohort of 'dependent' people. This is not good for them and it is certainly not good for society. People must learn to stand on their own two feet and 'shift' for themselves, no matter how hard that lesson is for them. otherwise society will fail utterly! One of the best things about a 'support network' is that it is a two-way street. You get back as you put in. In the Government model, you can just help yourself to the trough without ever putting in. This is at best very poor moral (and economic) training.
09/06/2017: Ultralight Poncho Tent: This is going to be a 160 gram poncho which is also an excellent single person tent. It doesn't get much better than that. This is my second prototype of this wonderful piece of equipment. I have altered the dimensions slightly and changed the taper so it is long enough to lie out in without touching the sides. It is (usually) open at the front so you can enjoy a warming fire. There is plenty enough overhang so you are going to stay dry in a heavy downpour. Its dimensions are approximately 5' x 8'.
All the sides are catenary cut so it pitches tight and easily, and stands up to any weather. I have added a hood which centres the single pole (which can be a bush stick) and which acts as verandah and vent. There will be a small reinforcing patch inside it which will double as a pocket to take the two guys when not in use. There will be a couple of breast pockets to take the tent stake bag (11 stakes will make it well-nigh impregnable) and a couple of emergency mylar space blankets and a mini bic lighter in case you have no other preparation for your night outdoors.
My prototype is made of Tyvek as usual. I will be replacing the zips with waterproof ones as soon as they arrive. I will be adding another (optional) triangle of silnylon material which will zip in to completely close the front in the event of extreme wet weather - adding about 50 grams to the weight. I will be creating a groundsheet with a bathtub floor which can be modified with an inflatable mat and four short sticks to make a comfy chair from which you can watch your campfire. At a pinch you could shelter two people so there is ample room for one plus all gear and a dog (as you can see)!
The final model may be a couple more weeks in the making, likewise the chair. When I have completed these two projects I will be offering to sell patterns. There will also be an alternative model which has an extra approx 3' x 8' added which will add 75 grams. Though it can still be worn as a poncho it will be big enough for a shelter for two. Its dimensions are approximately 8' x 8'. It can also double as a hammock tarp.
This poncho will also form the floor of either/both of my final models of my Deer Hunter's tent and my 'Honey I Shrank' Tent or for the double model of this tent. If a couple carry one of these each they will have two raincoats plus a tent and a groundsheet for a total weight of 472 grams. Also coming soon!
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-deer-hunters-tent/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-last-of-the-mountain-men/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/honey-i-shrank-the-tent/
298 grams in Tyvek, smaller than a shoe or box of tissues. The silnylon model will be about the size of a small bottle of coke.
It may be an ungainly looking poncho but it will keep you and your pack completely dry. Spot thinks it will keep him dry too if he stays close.
This was my first attempt at pitching it before i added the hood. I hastily put it up in the dark the night before. It rained and blew all night but it was taut and sound the following morning.
Side view.
You can see all the ridges stay taut.
Plenty of room to stretch out.
And room for a dog or two!
I will be making this out of 1 oz/yd2 silnylon with a 4,000mm head. It will weigh 160 grams plus 77 grams for the tent stakes, so a total tent and raincoat combo of 237 grams. If I made it out of .35oz/yd2 cuben fibre and used 1 gram pegs for every second one, it would sneak in at 100 grams total weight! To my mind it would be too fragile then, but might interest some people. I will opt for the more durable model which (with the addition of a bit of Tenacious tape in case of emergencies should last me many years.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pitching-the-poncho-warning-this-may-save-your-life/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-chairgrounsheet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gear-repairs-tape/
09/06/2017: Dutch Treat: You have to give it to Andrew Bolt: he sure can mix it:
three against one, and he won: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/dutch-treat-in-lygon-street-directors-cut/news-story/f088f5ec16b0770f9aea5188f97bfa4e
09/06/2017: Certainly, time to rename it the Margaret Court Defence of Traditional Marriage Arena. Gadzooks! Once sporting fields were named eg after great players. The demand it be renamed after Yvonne (as Google already has!) glosses over her obvious overt racism in firstly claiming to belong to a ‘different’ race, and then demanding special treatment of people based on race. This is no different than the Nazis and the KKK really. Should it be named after her because she was a great player? Well, perhaps, unless we are going to ban competitive sport because it is elitist. Or women’s sport because it is sexist. After all neither women would have won a single game against perhaps even the 200th male seed if there had really been a ‘level playing field’! And how unfair is all that 'winning' to mediocre players?
09/06/2017: Whatever
happened to Christian Fletcher: ‘The Bounty’ (1984) is an excellent film,
but what happened to the mutineers after they stranded themselves on the
tropical paradise,
08/06/2017: 'One way
to make sure crime doesn’t pay would be to let the government run it.' Ronald
Reagan
08/06/2017:
07/06/2017: I just do not get it that folk continue to be fooled by this CO2 nonsense. There is no correlation between CO2 and temperature. I repeat: None! And none of the attempts to reconstruct past temperatures and CO2 percentages shows any such causative relationships as the proponents of this weird ‘green’ religion posit. Indeed, ice core and (stromata) sediment CO2 and temperature data show CO2 lags temperature by aprox 800 years ie Temperature changes bring about changes in CO2 a very long time afterwards, and not the other way around. Just taking the brief period of my own lifetime, you can see large chunks of time when eg temperatures were lower than now but CO2 higher, the 1940s for example. (There were over 100,000 direct measurements of CO2 over 400 ppm in the 1940s!) Going back further we can see whole ice ages where CO2 was higher than today, and warm periods when it was lower. People are now invited to ‘like’ the proposition, ‘Don’t you believe in climate change?’ as if it were axiomatic. Well, as ‘climate’ pretty much means ‘change’ over long periods of time, it is well-nigh impossible to ‘deny’ it.
However, two points: the prevailing ‘climate change’ ie the one which has been
operational now for at least the last 8,000 years is downwards towards the next
ice age. We have been in an inter-glacial for nearly 15,000 years. For the last
several million years there has been a well-nigh endless succession of ice ages
and inter-glacials (Timed something like 100,000: 15,000 years alternatively).
As there is no clear and unequivocal explanation of this phenomenon (even
though it did not pertain to the great majority of life’s time on earth), the
greatest probability is that such a sequence is 99%+ likely to repeat. Ergo, we
are well on our way (at least 12,000 years (!)) towards the next ice age when a
blanket of the frozen stuff will cover most of Europe, North America and
Central Asia a mile deep.
The other point is that such periods as we have been able to ‘observe’ with
anywhere near ‘reliable’ records (say the last 100 years or so), shows no clear
pattern which is different from normal variation – meaning that short-term data
shows none of the signature which would indicate ‘climate change’ especially of
the ‘anthropic’ kind.
If there is nothing negative about CO2, is there anything positive? You’d
better bet there is. CO2 is simply wonderful plant food. The increase in CO2
which has occurred in the last few decades (whether down to man’s outpourings
or some other ‘natural’ phenomenon – such as a response to the Medieval Warm
period’ of approx 800 years ago – remember that lag I mentioned before?) has
produced an abundance of life. There has been a massive increase in ‘greening’
all over the world. The world has added a couple of areas the size of
07/06/2017: Al
Jazeera: Why is so much of our news on the ABC and even moreso on SBS
syndicated from Al Jazeera the Qatari news service, a known backer of Islamic
terrorism and even banned in
07/06/2017: How long
before our own NDIS finds someone like Mr Eric C Conn? $600 million fraud.
Wow: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/06/eric-conn-social-security-and-disability-lawyer-disappears-after-ripping-off-600m-from-taxpayers.html
06/06/2017: If only our
pollies could perform magic as well as this guy. Don’t blink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDl7VE8xL8c
06/06/2017: Churchill 77 years ago today: ‘Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.’
06/06/2017: It is
unfortunate that more folk no longer read the Classics. Homer’s Iliad and
Odyssey are perhaps mainly moral allegories on the virtue of hospitality, and
the punishment which ought to befall an unworthy ‘guest’ Paris stole Menelaus’
wife, Helen (thus provoking the Trojan War), as you might remember from Brad
Pitt’s ‘Troy’; his fate was to have his whole city razed to the gound, his
people killed or enslaved. Odysseus similarly punished the unwanted (suitor)
guests who had been preying on his wife Penelope with violent and sudden death.
And a right good thing too! We have had many unpleasant ‘guests’ in our country
who perhaps ought to read more Homer – or be treated to his ‘remedies’! When in
05/06/2017: Where will it end? French ‘academic’ self-identifies as a hippo: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/we-can-be-hippos-just-for-one-day/news-story/659a83065a9245b35d373a56426440df
05/06/2017: Tier Gear Catenary Cut Hex Tarp: Thanks to Aussie Outfitter and hammock maker Tier Gear http://www.tiergear.com.au/ for allowing me to repost DIY instructions for this excellent tarp. You can purchase all the items you need to build it and the 'Netless Hammock' http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-netless-hammock/ from them at a very good price with excellent service and speedy delivery. These instructions detail one way to make a light weight hex shaped tarp with catenary cut sides. It incorporates a ridge line which is sewn using polyester binding tape. The binding tape ridge line is strong, should not need seam sealing, and adds very little extra weight. If you cannot sew you can buy the tarp ready-made from them for a very reasonable A$160 (2017): http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/torrent-hammock-tarps
Length of ridgeline is 335cm
Weight is 324grams
Fabric used: Xenon Sil fabric - 7 metres needed
Hardware used: Split rings (4), and Silkworms (4).
Ridgeline binding: 25mm Polyester binding tape - approx 4 metres needed
Tie outs: 13mm grosgrain ribbon and Silkworms.
Thread used: Serafil 60 continuous filament polyester thread but most good
quality outdoor threads will do the job.
Needle: Size 12
Step
1:
Lay out your fabric on a large flat surface, measure and cut two pieces 3460mm
long.
Step
2:
On bottom long edge measure in 900mm at either end, and mark. Draw a line from
these marks to the top corner. Repeat at both ends of each piece of fabric.
Step
3:
Now we are going to mark out the catenary cuts. On the lines you have just drawn,
measure and mark the mid-point. Also do this on the bottom edge.
Step
4:
Using a set square measure from the mid-point up 100mm and draw a line. Repeat
on all sides and bottom edge.
Step
5:
Now using a length of 6mm dowel (or some other equivalent), and some heavy
weights to keep it in place position the dowel so that it intersects the two
corners and the mid catenary cut mark, and draw a line along the dowel. Repeat
on all sides
Step
6:
Cut out the catenary cuts.
Step
7:
Sew a rolled hem along 3 sides of each piece of fabric but not the ridgeline.
Pin where needed. Double stitched is preferable so a sew another line of
stitching on the outer edge of the hem. Due to the cat cuts you will find the
material will want to twist in places but work carefully and manipulate it as
best you can. It won't be perfect.
The width of my rolled hem is about 12-13mm which is needed due to my tie out configuration. If you choose to go with a different tie out configuration you may use a narrower hem width.
Step
8:
Now take both pieces and pin the ridgeline together, making sure that the ends
line up, and the sewn rolled hem is oriented to the inside.
Step
9:
Sew one line of stitching about 6mm from the edge along the length of the
ridgeline. This is used just to hold the fabric prior to binding the ridgeline.
Step
10:
Using the polyester binding tape bind the ridgeline either by hand folding or
utilising a binding attachment suited to your machine. Make sure you leave
about 100mm at either end, though I recommend cutting it longer than needed now
and you can trim to size later. You can also double stitch the ridgeline if you
choose - which is what I did.
Step
11:
Fold the ends of the binding tape over, and stitch back onto itself on the
ridgeline, leaving a loop of about 25-30mm at each end. I use a basic straight
stitch bar tack with a z pattern which I have found to be more than strong
enough. I measure and mark 10mm lines for the bar tacks, and sew a few times
back and forth with a shorter stitch length than used on the tarp hem.
Also make sure you melt the ends of the binding tape to prevent it from fraying later on.
I use 2 split rings but you can use whichever hardware you like, or none at all.
Step
12:
For the tie outs I chose a minimal lightweight design which incorporates no
extra reinforcing as the stitching is kept within the hemmed edge of the tarp
material only.
Firstly I folded back a small section of the corner and stitched it down with a
basting stitch - just to hold it in place.
Step
13:
I then used 13mm grosgrain which was cut to a length of 120mm, and sewn to each
corner using the same bar tack z stitch pattern as used on the ridgeline with
10mm spacing. These were sewn on the inside of the tarp, and a loop left in the
middle which your hardware is attached to or you can tie your guylines straight
to this loop. Repeat on all 4 corners.
In this instance I used Silkworm hardware which are extremely lightweight but again you can use what ever you choose or nothing at all.
Step
14:
Once both sides of the tie out are sewn, its important to lay down a
reinforcing stitch along edge of the corner. Flip the material over, with the
grosgrain situated on the bottom and make sure you capture the grosgrain on the
under side. A few stitches back and forth should do it. Repeat on all 4 corners
and you are done.
Step
15:
Go hang it and admire your handy work.
05/06/2017: The Guinea Pig
Club. Watch out for it: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/the-town-that-didnt-stare/news-story/d39ee46514b59e0adce938b8e48735d8
05/06/2017: If any other political movement (eg the Nazi or Communist Party) had been responsible for, supportive of, and had as its inspitation a core central text as was the case with the three recent terrorist attacks in Britain (or elsewhere) the demand that those movements and those texts be banned and their adherents either deported or banned from entering our countries would have been unstoppable. What is it about disguising yourself as a religion (albeit an evil and murderous one - from the very core exemplar up) that graces your vile tenets in such an aura of sanctity that we are unable to act against you? State protections for all religions have to stop. Anything which preaches such patent falsehoods (and I include the new ‘green’ and ‘climate’ religions in this) must at very least receive no support from the State (ie no tax breaks, no education subsidies, etc). Indeed all such organizations ought to be actively opposed by the state with a view to ultimately eliminating them from our societies.
04/06/2017: Three more
Attacks in
04/06/2017: Continuous
The hook you see in the photo is a 3.4 gram 'whoopie hook' another genius idea for simplified hammock set-up. Also available from Tier Gear: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/whoopie-hooks
The continuous loop should be used in conjunction with the 'whoopie slings: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/whoopie-slings-what-a-great-idea/
See
also: Titanium Dutch Hook for attaching your tarp ridgeline: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/titanium-dutch-hook
04/06/2017: The Wonderful
Clive James on that climate nonsense: ‘You can just about see how a
bunch of grant-dependent climate scientists might go on saying that there was
never a Medieval Warm Period even after it has been pointed out to them that
any old corpse dug up from the permafrost could never have been buried in it… a
more illustrative starting point for the theme of the permanently imminent
climatic apocalypse might be taken as August 3, 1971, when The Sydney Morning
Herald announced that the Great Barrier Reef would be dead in six months. After
six months the reef had not died, but it has been going to die almost as soon
as that ever since, making it a strangely durable emblem for all those who have
wedded themselves to the notion of climate catastrophe…Personally, I don’t even
like the idea of Trump changing a light bulb, but we ought to remember that
this dimwitted period in the history of the West began with exactly that: a
change of light bulbs. Suddenly, 100 watts were too much. For as long as the
climate change fad lasted, it always depended on poppycock; and it would surely
be unwise to believe that mankind’s capacity to believe in fashionable nonsense
could be cured by the disproportionately high cost of a temporary
embarrassment.’ Clive is as always, just great. How sad that he won’t be with
us much longer. A ‘must read’: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/western-climate-change-alarmists-wont-admit-they-are-wrong/news-story/892c0088ec01f9186e068f55f2ca6794 This link is behind a paywall, but you can
read the story by copying the first sentence into Google and hitting ‘Enter’.
One of life’s great mysteries…
04/06/2017: Meanwhile
Noel Pearson wants a treaty. Can you guess why: ‘No Aboriginal leader has
been given such lavish funds to show he can fix what these white politicians
can’t — more than $150 million over eight years to help just 3000 people at
03/06/2017: Whoopie Slings - Great Hammock Idea! Hummingbird Hammocks have one of the lightest suspension systems around (2.3 oz - 66 grams per hammock). The genius idea about them is the whoopie sling tension adjustment system. Here's a little video I took showing how they work. Setting up your hammock just perfectly is literally a breeze and the work of a minute: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/whoopie-slings-what-a-great-idea/
It is a little hard to see how they work, but basically the end of the rope is passed up through the hollow centre of itself, forming a loop at one end) so that it can slide fairly freely through when there is no tension but as the tension increases the outside of the rope (tube) holds on harder and harder to the length that is passing through it. It is an ingenious idea (probably familiar to riggers), and would also work well for tent guys. In the pictured example there is a handy knot at one end to hold on to whilst pulling the end through and so tightening up the 'hang' of the hammock. These would work with any kind of hammock, and can be bought separately from them (see below)
Tier gear also a make an adjustable centre line (using the whoopie sling principle) which helps your hammock to hang flat. They certainly do that, and only add 6 grams to the weight of your set up Well worth it as it also gives you somewhere to hang a few things. You can make a small silnylon bag (like a miniature saddle bag) to hang from the centre line so that you can easily reach things like your glasses or head torch in the middle of the night.
I usually add a gear hook at each end of my hammock(s) so I can attach things out of the weather at the ends of my hammock.This only adds a couple of grams too.
Available here:
https://hummingbirdhammocks.com/tree-straps/
http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/products/adjustable-hammock-ridgeline
see Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/australian-outfitter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-netless-hammock/
03/06/2017: Menzies again:
‘I do not believe that the real life of this nation is to be found either in
great luxury hotels and the petty gossip of so-called fashionable suburbs, or
in the officialdom of the organised masses. It is to be found in the homes of
people who are nameless and unadvertised, and who, whatever their individual
religious conviction or dogma, see in their children their greatest
contribution to the immortality of their race. The home is the foundation of
sanity and sobriety; it is the indispensable condition of continuity; its
health determines the health of society as a whole’
03/06/2017: Too many people today have never learned to have pride in themselves. As a consequence we are turning into a nation of beggars whose only sense of pride comes from ever louder demands that someone else, eg ‘the Government’ ‘should’ do something more for them. The only pride many people seem to have is in ‘crying poor’, (They are the ‘battlers’, you see) as if it is their ‘right’ that the correct response to this quite pathetic display was to shower them with even more free things. However, the really correct response to all such temper tantrums, is ignore them; when they have quietened down advise them to stand on their own two feet and shift for themselves! These are the two most important rights: the right to work (I do not mean the ‘right’ to a job); & the right to own private property. All such ‘leaners’ should just get on with it!
02/06/2017: The Lie of
the Land:
If you want to move around in the bush with confidence without getting lost (and without artificial aids (except for noting the general northerly direction from the sun (or its shadow - eg on your thumbnail: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/finding-your-way/) You should always take note of the 'fall' of the country. The fall is the slope of the country; if you follows this slope, however slight, you will come to a watercourse in time, even if it is only a small dry gully. This in turn will lead down, getting larger as it is joined by other gullies and creeks until it reaches the river, and the fall of the land will continue until the sea is reached.
So as you move about you always have this fall as a reference point in the back of you mind. You might say you are on the 'southern fall of Rocky Creek' or the 'west fall of Little Sandy'. Starting from a known point you will move about quite freely,confident that all the little gullies and creeks that you may cross lead back to the river system that you are using as a reference.
Whichever way you move, whether up or down, or in any direction, you are always conscious of being in a sort of bowl, and at the very bottom of the bowl is the river.
If you move on to higher ground, when you reach the highest point you will look for a change in the fall of the land. The next slope will lead to a different creek, and this may join the earlier river that you are using as a point of reference, or it may run into a totally different river system. If you can deduce this information then you can move around this basin with the same confidence that you used to traverse the first.
Suppose you are travelling from A to C below
While you are moving around A you should be conscious of the fact that all the fall of the land is towards creek A, and know that this will eventually join the main river.
As you move up to the highest point, you should realise that as this is the highest point it must be the divide between area A and area B. Usually this is called simply the 'divide'. You should then try and establish a mental picture of the new system which you have to cross. Is the fall in the same general direction? If so then it may well be a creek system that will in turn join back to the main river. If not then what is its general direction?
Having established the general direction of the fall, the you will be able to proceed with confidence. In this case you will have noted that the general direction of the main creek is the same as the previous one, and will therefore assume that they are both tributaries of the same river.
As you proceed you will also be taking into account the fact that the small gullies feeding into the main creek do so at an angle to that creek, and you will also use this to help you keep your directions. Because you have formed a mental picture of the creek system A and have related this to the new creek system B, you can now move across this new creek system with confidence, secure in the knowledge that as long as you continue to keep the fall of the land to your right side, then you will be travelling in the correct general direction.
In time you begins to climb, and once more reaches a new divide. Before moving on you establishe that in this case the new creek system is running at an angle to the previous one, and in order to keep to the correct course you must travel in the same direction as the small tributaries of this creek. In this way yoou will arrive at the general position of your objective.
Usually you only attempt to travel in such a straight line if the country is gently undulating. If you encounters steep gullies and deep creeks you would simply follow the divide itself, following the course indicated by the heavy dotted line. You would still locate yourself mentally by comparing the direction of the creek A with creek B, and in turn their relation to creek C, but will have the added advantage of being able to keep two creek systems in sight all the time, thus allowing greater precision in your pathfinding.
Notice
how the early explorers used this system to move with confidence over unknown
territory. Kennedy for instance made constant reference to the ‘Divide’ when he
explored
NB: So that your return jouney will be easy and you will not ‘get bushed’ you should fall into the habit of taking a brief spell every few minutes and turn and face your rstarting point while you ‘catch your breath’ observing carefull what the country looks like from that direction and particularly how your route proceeded in comparison to the lie of the land. This way you will easily be able to make your way back. This is even the case if you do not return by the same route, but usually walk a circuit (as I normally do when hunting in order to cover the most country). If you have looked back and noted where your starting point was and how you got where you are you should have no difficulty returning to your starting point even by a different route. Usually following the ridges (or the divides) is the easiest route.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/finding-your-way/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/carry-a-knife/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-ultralight-survival-shelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/survival-still/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/collecting-water/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-twelve-woodlores-ray-mears/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/if-you-could-only-carry-two-things-in-the-bush-what-would-they-be/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/inflatable-insulated-clothing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pitching-the-poncho-warning-this-may-save-your-life/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fun-with-sticky-tape-mylar-poncho/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/worlds-lightest-tarp-clip/
02/06/2017: Astonishing
light show: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2017/05/light-barrier-kimchi-and-chips/
02/06/2017: Congratulations
to Donald Trump for exposing the world’s nakedness! It is at best absurd,
but more likely evil that climate change is taught as axiomatic (even though he
majority of the population disagrees with it), but schools may not teach the
Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount (which used to be central moral
statements) because a tiny portion of the population has some other sick and
aberrant view! And what a great line: ‘I
care more about
02/06/2017: As soon as
02/06/2017: This from the
latest edition of the Islamic State's magazine: ‘As the Crusaders continue
to wage their vicious campaign on the lands of Islam they are constantly
reminded that this honorable ummah has men – heroes - who gallantly demonstrate
with their operations that (Westerners, ie us) will be met with blades that
plunge into their bodies, vehicles that unexpectedly mount their busy
sidewalks, smashing into crowds, crushing bones, and severing limbs, and
bullets that pierce their filthy bodies while they are in the midst of their foul
enjoyment. The likes of Man Haron Monis, Numan Haider, and Farhad Khalil
Mohammad Jabar in
01/06/2017: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/suicidal-murderers/
01/06/2017: MH128: At least this incident ended ‘happily’. Well done those brave folks who tackled this person. A question remains however: ‘Why do we let them in?’
01/06/2017: Quote of the week, Enoch Powell, from his famous ‘rivers of blood’ speech, 1968: ‘It almost passes belief that at this moment 20 or 30 additional immigrant children are arriving from overseas in Wolverhampton alone every week - and that means 15 or 20 additional families a decade or two hence. Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. We must be mad, literally mad, as a nation to be permitting the annual inflow of some 50,000 dependants, who are for the most part the material of the future growth of the immigrant-descended population. It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre.’ The whole speech is to be found below. You DON”T have to be a rocket scientist to be gifted with a certain degree of prescience or to see that a current policy is leading the nation to future certain disaster: if you read the whole speech (in today’s context) I feel that you will find it hard to believe (as I do) that Enoch Powell has been long vilified for making it: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3643823/Enoch-Powells-Rivers-of-Blood-speech.html
01/06/2017: Less Government. More freedom: In so many ways the anarchists had it right! Government over-reach is more than problematic. It is stealing the very last of our freedoms, drowning us in a maze of red, green and black tape, destroying our economy, handing our nation over to foreigners, turning our education ‘system’ into an agency of extreme leftist indoctrination, bankrupting us with massive debt…’
I just hope that you are able to see that life is generally better
when government is reduced to the proper size and scope.
We should be able to say what we want to say without fear of
retribution.
We should be able to live out our convictions and worship as we
please.
We should be able to protect our own homes and do what we want with
our own property.
We should be able to raise our own children and make our own health
decisions.
We should be able to be free from the fear that the government is
watching, tracking and monitoring all of our electronic communications.
In every human heart there is a hunger to live free, and big
government is the enemy of freedom.
The dreams that our forefathers once had for this nation may have
faded, but they aren’t dead just yet.
A new generation of patriots is rising, and we are determined to
take our country back.’ http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-29/less-government-more-freedom
This
is the most frightening statistic: Today, there are less Americans that
are self-employed than there were 27 years ago. In April 1990, 8.7
million Americans worked for themselves, but in April 2017 only 8.4 million
Americans were working for themselves. That may not sound that bad until you
realize how much our population grew over that time frame. In 1990, the
population of the
31/05/2017: Things that keep you from hiking, hunting…
I am really keen to return to my beloved Gippsland mountains for some hiking, fishing, hunting but I still have so many jobs to do around the farm. We have been 'fixing' two dams damaged by last year's floods (hopefully they will hold now); we have a new boundary fence with two neighbours to construct in a terribly difficult situation; we have had sheep to sell and transport; we have hundreds more trees to plant; sometimes we have a bit of baby-sitting to do, and we have done a 'Spot' of burning off (just like this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/repurposing-camping-gear/) as you can see. Life is such a serious business! Must stock that dam behind me with some fish at least!
31/05/2017: Venery is certainly not dead: My post yesterday ‘A Wild River Stag’ has already been ‘shared’ by over a thousand people and ‘liked’ by even more. Maybe the vegetarians aren’t winning after all!
31/05/2017: Meetings: I have a friend who is really
good at attending meetings (which I am not!) If only having meetings was
really a way of actually getting things done, how much work would be achieved!
I am much more archaic, clinging to the ‘old scientific’ definition of work ie
that it is a measure of moving mass over distance. Oh well, I had better get on
with it. There is no-one else to meet with here, saving Della, and she treats
my excuses with the scorn they deserve!
31/05/2017: ‘Beerenomics’: Every day, ten men go
out for beer and the bill comes to $100. They pay their bill the way
progressive taxes work. The poorest four pay nothing. The fifth pays $1. The
sixth $3. The seventh $7. The eighth $12. The ninth $18. The tenth man (the
richest) pays $59. The ten men are content, until the bar owner says he wants
to reward their custom by reducing their bill by $20. How will they divide the
$20 windfall so everyone gets a fair share? The owner suggests reducing each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer
he is, to follow the principle of the tax system. So the fifth man, like the
first four, now pays nothing (100% saving). The sixth pays $2 (33% saving). The
seventh $5 (28% saving). The eighth $9 (25% saving). The ninth $14 (22%
saving). And the tenth now pays $49 (16% saving). Each of the six is better off
and the first four still get free beer. But outside the bar they compare their
savings. “I only got a dollar,” says the sixth man. He points at the tenth man,
“but he got $10!” The others agree. “Why should he get $10 back, when I got
only $2?” yells the seventh man. “We didn’t get anything at all,” yell the
first four. “This new tax system exploits the poor!” So they beat up the tenth
man. The next night he doesn’t show up at the bar so the other nine drink
without him. But when it comes time to pay the bill, they discover they don’t
have enough money between them to pay even half!
30/05/2017: A
I live two hours from the city, yet I had had over four hours of comfortable driving in the old Land Rover Defender and then a couple more of rough 4WD scrambling to arrive at the end of the track where a relatively popular vehicle hunter's camp was to be found. There would be no point in hunting anywhere within half a day's walk of it if I wanted to see undisturbed deer. There was no-one there - one of the advantages of being a shift worker, farmer or retired is that you can hunt during the week when pretty much no-one else is about. It takes the deer a couple of days to settle down after they have been quite stirred up by the weekend warriors - even longer now that so many are wearing the dreadful camo clothing which is so impractical, unnecessary, even dangerous unless it is blaze orange, which looks just as silly though.
Other folk had pretty much pushed and broken a path up along the river through the predominantly black wattle regrowth to the intersection with a small river flowing in on the true right bank where most had turned off. I was enlarging this with my machete in case I wanted to bring my wife with me on a future expedition as she is partially sighted, so needing a pretty clear path to follow. I had this small river to cross on the first day and a number of side gullies. The little river looked promising, and was clearly where most people go to hunt, as their paths led that way - but I was heading up the main one.
This is what the side river looked like a little further up after you had cleared the thicker stuff. Worth some exploration on another occasion perhaps, except that was where most folk were going. The lie of the land tells me there are some good flats up there somewhere, mostly where those big side gullies you can see come in. It is much more gentle country than where I was going. I have always preferred the harder country because of the lack of company you can enjoy there. 'No company is better than bad company,' I always say. And there are so many good books still to read - which are so light now that the e-book has been invented! I now read them on my phone.
Those bluffs you can see mean you would have to cross and recross the river or climb deer paths over them. Of course, this is a very easy river to cross. (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/river-crossings/) Still, a lesson is in order: Can you see where you should cross this river? No, you don't try boulder hopping eg top centre. Forget about having dry feet if you are hiking, fishing or deer hunting. You can make a pair of ultralight camp shoes so you will have dry feet of a night (such as these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/); that is all you need. Or a pair of Crocs if you aren't handy.
Boulder hopping or log walking will just get you a nasty fall sometime far from help, perhaps a broken leg or fractured skull, or even death if you get swept away under a log jam. You should cross where the current is least (not necessarily where it is shallowest - do not worry about getting your thermometer wet; it will still work!), and where the bottom is not rock, but sand and gravel so you don't slip - so step between the two large boulders centre left and work your way across above the two small rocks centre. That is where the water is slowest and you can see soft bottom between the rocks. You should try to cross facing upriver or downriver to minimise being knocked off your feet by the current. I find upriver best.
A stout stick (or hiking poles) will provide you with a third or fourth leg to help with balance. Many people say you should hold the pole upstream, but I favour downstream. Always undo your chest and hip belt, no matter how small the crossing. It is a good habit which will one day save your life. If you are swept away with your pack cinched up, you are in dire trouble. If the current is clearly such that you will likely be swept off your feet, either don't cross at all or find a very long straight section where you can paddle across using your inflated sleeping mat as a kick board with your pack tied on top. You may have to walk quite a ways up or down a river to find such a spot. I have sometimes spent most of a day about finding just such a suitable crossing point in swollen rivers. And I have camped out for the better part of a week, waiting. So, don't you be impatient with your life! You may not get another! Certainly you would be lucky to get another half so good as the one we have!
After the crossing there were a number of flats and bluffy ridges to cross, an interesting anabranch with numerous wallows, one containing a large stag which fled noisily and precipitously, his klaxon on full volume. It was a fine warm day in late autumn and I was walking into the westering sun so that the sun winked endless reflections off the rippling water. I do love the echoic roar of fast white water. There were numerous rapids but nothing above Grade 2 and there was plenty of water for a future packrafting trip, which I have subsequently made. Delightful. I wish I had had my Klymit pack raft with me on this occasion: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/ (but...'If wishes were fishes...')
The autumn break had long since arrived, so there was feed aplenty in the bush, such that any game was like to be in good condition. The wombats and wallabies were fat enough you had nearly to kick them out of the way. The air was alive with the beat of bronze-wing pigeon's wings, wood swallows' curving flight, currawongs calling. Wrens and sitellas crept along every branch rattling the bark. The tree fern gullies rang with lyrebird song... Below, a honeyeater taking the sun:
And above, a wood swallow, such a lambent grey:
As you push along a river, you scatter the riverfolk before you. Time and again a blue crane croaks and rises awkwardly to claw his way pterodactyl-like upstream. Black and wood ducks scatter or loudly clap away around a bend. Every so often there is the soft dipping graceful flight of a blue jay, my favourite. And then I hear the whistle and click and I see the painted beauty of a bee-eater scything through the sky. Water dragons flop into the river; every so often a water rat glides off a wet bank otter-like. You can sometimes see the painted shards on the shingle where they have feasted on molluscs or small crustaceans.
This first trip here I only got about as far the first day as you could get in a half day if you were vehicle camping (way back there) and the track was already clear. I camped the night on the ground under my old home made 7' by 7' two ounce weight nylon tarp (below), as I was tired and there just weren't any suitable trees in the only suitable spot close to water. This is sometimes the case with hammock camping, so you should be flexible enough that you can camp on the ground. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/. This tarp cost me $7 a metre to make many years ago, so it cost less than $30 intoto , and I have had about a thousand dollars use out of it!
A tarp of these dimensions is pretty much the minimum for shelter for one person. For two you need something slightly bigger, such as my 8' x 8' 'winged' 200 gram cuben tarp I have mentioned many times. You can sleep sideways in it under the overhang and stay quite dry unless the weather circles the compass, in which case you will have to swing it round too - but that just about never happens. You worry too much!. You can have a nice cheery fire out the front, like this. You can instead use it as a hammock tarp and it will still keep you quite dry. In silnylon it would weigh about 220 grams. In cuben even less. I am going to make up my poncho in this 7'x7' configuration soon, as it will be even handier if it is your raincoat too: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/. The waterproof zios now available are quite magical.
I cooked my meal on the Bushbuddy stove (shown): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bushbuddy-stove/, some Chinese sausage with mash and Surprise peas. A fair meal, but I have better. (Try a search above for 'Food')
The cuben tarp with one 'wing' closed. You can see it again here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/
I can tell you are thinking I haven't got enough gear for a few night's camping in the bush when temperatures may fall to freezing. That (230 gram cuben fibre) pack looks just too small to contain a change of (warm) clothes, a raincoat, sleeping bag, food, etc. However, I can see that I even had enough space for a small quantity of Bacardi 151 rum in case the nights got just too cold! You take too much! By the time I was sitting down to tea in the tarp (as you see me) the temperature was already falling down to 5C or less, but I am still in my shirtsleeves. This is what having a warm open shelter with a fire out the front is all about! You really need one of those Big Agnes Cyclone chairs I have got (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cyclone-chair/) and the Thermarest Neoair mat if you haven't already got one to be really comfy. I see from the photo that this was before they came up with the women's model (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/), or perhaps I took the one with the rectangular corners as it is more suitable for hammock camping. I have not bothered with a ground sheet as the ground was nice and dry after that warm sunny day. I had an emergency space blanket I could use ( 50 grams - as above) if it rained. If you want an idea of what I carry for a fair expedition, have a look at the list here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/
I had stopped at this spot where a tree-choked blackberry gully entered the river because the way ahead was closed by bluffs on each side of the river and a hugely dense blackberry thicket. There were good numbers of deer up the side gully and a dozen or so came down just after dusk to serenade me as I cooked my supper. You could see their eyes winking like fireflies in the light of my head torch just outside the circle of the firelight. They usually vent their disapproval like busy traffic for five minutes or so, then move on about their own cervine business.
It looked too thick to hunt up the side gully though. Perhaps it opens up further up. On the map it is many kilometres long, and carries a lot of water in a wet season judging by the debris where it joins the river. This is sometimes the case. I still haven't checked it out. There are many such stream bends to peer around whose surprises I may never see. The far horizon retreats just as quickly as your footsteps advance. And time waits for no man.
In
the morning I put off work long enough to snag a trout for my breakfast on a
hand line (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/)
Alfoil grilled trout with muesli might not be everyone's view of ambrosia, but
I felt they were pretty good. These
The next day I had nearly 200 metres of blackberry regrowth to hack a tunnel through almost straightaway. In places it was 12' high and thick as your wrist, so it was hard going., and as a result I did not get very far the second day. Not even a deer had penetrated this thicket. It was a narrow gorgy section both sides of the river at this point so it was clear no-one had penetrated further for some years either. Of course I was using this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-worlds-greatest-machete/ You should get one(or two). Up to this point, the first day and a half's hacking had seemed pretty unpromising. Sure, there were deer about. I had several honk at me and a few others crash away into the bush. One had even ploughed across the swollen river, unseen because of the thick regrowth, but you have to be able to actually see them if you are going to take one home.
The bush is sprinkled with scenes of great beauty, yet it can be improved: here a bower bird has scoured the bush to find blue coloured objects (as they do). No other colour stands out quite so well in our forests. He has made a pretty spot for himself underneath the blackberry and dogwood fronds and amongst the wild marshmallow. You hope his efforts were rewarded with a doting mate!
I guess other people had expected that the thick stuff would go on forever and had given up on this particular valley which is why I had it pretty much to myself. I was beginning to think so too, I must confess but once clear of this horror patch of blackberries the river flats on both sides started to open up a bit. Sometimes you could see a hundred yards through the trees, plenty enough to encourage me further on. Also, the deer I was beginning to see were now much less spooky. Instead of honking and crashing off, I was at least getting to see them for a bit. After lunch (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lunch-on-the-trail/) I watched a doe with twin poddies (very unusual) for a few minutes before she grazed off around the corner of a side gully.
If you are watching deer, or any other animal never look them in the eye. Indeed, when they look at you, lower your gaze, or even bend double as if grazing. If you continue to ignore them in this way, they will usually ignore you too so long as you don't move quickly. Just watch one of Attenborough's documentaries how slowly a tiger for example stalks his prey even though he is always in broad daylight. You can stalk right up to a black wallaby, for example like this without spooking them. I have often demonstrated this to disbelievers, usually concluding the demonstration by snatching the startled hopper up by his tail, something which I do not recommend with a full size kangaroo - or a sambar deer! I have tried - both!
I love to watch the does gliding with their young, and the young gamboling like little lambs, running in circles, climbing and jumping from anthills, while the does move.ever.so.slowly - almost like wind-up deer, always with a front hoof poised quivering in the air, ready for a warning stomp telling the small flock: 'Fly. Danger! And, in the wink of an eye they all disappear into the hushed silence of the bush.
Kookaburras delight in warning you that deer are moving just ahead: 'Up this side gully. Quickly!' Their raucous cries echo off the ridges. Of course they have their dawn and evening chorus. That's not what I mean. How often have they alerted me to a big doe or stag just out of sight, but which I can then stalk. When I am chain-sawing firewood at home they will swoop between my face and the saw, their wings almost beating against my nose to snatch a grub or a wood roach my sawing has just revealed. Maybe they have feasted oft enough on venison, they are encouraging us onwards, 'Feed me' they call. Anyway, their daytime chorus ought not be ignored. I have followed their advice successfully many times.
As dusk swiftly approached the clearings on the other side of the river at this point were becoming a little more interesting, whereas I was walking along a narrow strip beside the river on mine, with just a thin string of spindly bushes along the river bank. I admit I was concentrating on the other side (though I had no intention of shooting something on the far side) as it seemed there was no cover to hide a deer on mine - only a bit of tussock and the low bushes. Yet suddenly this lovely stag stood right up from among the tussock, appearing as if from nowhere under the overhanging branches of a large bedraggled gum. There he stood glowing with robust health in his glory, framed by the westering sun and the succulent native willow. There was no skillful stalk or triumph of trick shooting in this encounter. It was just a second's effort to throw my lever action up and send a bullet into his chest.
Somehow, no matter how many times you do this, you always expect that the loud report will drop them like a stone - and perhaps half the time this is so, but this guy just steamed off through the river like a locomotive. The water was shoulder high, yet he must have made a bow-wave three feet high as he clove the torrent. I drove another round into his chest as he crossed the river, but he showed no slackening. When he hit the other bank he turned 90 degrees and ran up it at a gallop, quickly disappearing from sight round a slight bend through the thick undergrowth. You always think, 'Damn. Another miss', but your confidence in your practiced skill tells you that both those rounds went soundly home, and this big guy has to be lying dead just around the corner very soon.
It doesn't pay to rush ahead to check though, as likely this will just spook him further if he has any puff left at all, making him just that much harder to find if he manages to run off further, maybe into an acre or two of thick man-ferns. If you give him a spell, he will stop to try and understand what all the noise was, but when he stops he will just lie down quietly and die. So, that's how I found him, just around the corner: he had crashed through that thick stuff behind him, and as soon as he was free and clear he paused an instant, crumpled and was gone. I always feel a terrible sense of loss when I kill anything. I will probably just stop someday when the pain of spoiled beauty becomes too great. But it was not this day!
And there he lies, still. In the photo the river doesn't look all that deep,or the current very great, but it is and it was. It was getting along at quite a fast walking pace here, so would have bowled me over like a straw man had I tried to cross, and swept me over rapids and what I would describe as 'an entertaining drop' if I was white water canoeing! And of course the water was icy. I had also seen nowhere I could have crossed safely either the previous day or this. And there was only a little over an hour of daylight left, as there usually is.
I
headed upriver, hoping for a crossing, but I soon concluded I would have to
camp and find a way across on the next day. I found a couple of suitable
saplings to swing my hammock right next to a splendid sandy beach on the
riverbank. Here it is in the morning light. Nothing better than this on the
If you have not tried hammock camping, you should. I was using a homemade hammock back then made of the same 2 oz stuff (coated ripstop nylon) as the tarp. It weighed around 350 grams including the dyneema suspension 'ropes'. I am currently trialing one of these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/ which weighs less than 150. They are truly splendid hammocks.
Here is a snap of me taking the sun in one on the shores of Dusky Sound Fiordland last month (April, 2017) while I watched some miniature (Hector's) dolphins playing and frolicking in the limpid waters of the fiord. If you have not yet been there, put it on your 'bucket list'. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/ BTW: I have now realised that I just missed a moose in the Hauroko Burn on my second day out. A photo would have been rewarded by a $100,000 prize, but would have been worth far more in achievement and memory than any money. Whether I will live to have another such opportunity, who can tell? Never ignore your sense of smell! - see Dusky 2.
The moving light-play over the embers in the fire, the soft roar of the river, the mournful note of the mopoke and the moonlight creeping low over the frosty mountains are better than any entertainment on TV. What need is there of other company? You can safely give your heart to the mountains, knowing you will need no other friend. The awesome stillness of solitude is all the balm the troubled soul hearkens for. You can still fairly feel the warmth glowing out at you from the colas of my modest campfire. It was a colder night than my first and quickly fell to freezing, yet I was warm, sheltered in my hammock by the tarp, listening to some pleasant music and enjoying a quiet tipple of rum, some macadamias, beef jerky - and a hearty trail soup, such as this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-coconut-fish-curry/
I always sleep on my back in the hammock (insulated by my Neoair sleeping mat and a couple of small pieces of closed cell foam for my elbows. I have a small pillow which I put under my knees, not under my head; this is necessary: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/exped-ultralight-pillow/. It is more comfortable than any bed. There are no lumps or sticks to poke at you, and no creepy-crawlies running over your face as sometimes happens on the ground. A gentle, rhythmic sway quickly eases you to sleep, and you wake free of aches and pains which hard ground sometimes brings. There is also no danger your bed will get inundated if it rains in torrents, and you don't need a flat spot. There is also no danger of being struck by lightning!
I was moving in the dawn after a breakfast just of muesli chased down with a cup of black coffee next morning. Not long afterwards I tripped over this heavy hunting stand in the long tussocks. It had clearly lain there these twenty years or more. What an incredible thing to have lugged so far through the wild bush! The placid bend where I had camped had it seems many times before been the camp of others - as it will doubtless be in future when I too am dust. In Fiordland, moose hunting I had tripped over a barbed wire fence deep in the near impenetrable jungle. There are few places others have not trod before, yet it is the feeling of solitude, of being the first, of being quite alone in the wilderness which leads us back again and again to push on and explore the wild places by ourselves.
There were plenty of other deer about in the dawn, as indeed there had been in the gathering dusk the night before. I had watched a pair of does with their young frolicking and grazing not 200 yards from where I had shot the stag, and not half an hour afterwards! This is quite normal in undisturbed country. I passed a much better stag busy in a wallow right out in the open on the river margin next morning, again something you frequently see in undisturbed habitat, but not so much elsewhere. I had pretty much walked right by him (no more than twenty metres away) before he deigned to abandon his joyful smelly excesses, let forth a desultory bugle at me and rush off into the whippy undergrowth. Soon I discovered a truly beautiful flat, and clearly an old route once 'properly' blazed. Look at that feed! Note also the coprosma have been stripped of berries, yet it is fruit time! A promising sign. Deer do love mast.
Many
wild fruits are edible (some even palatable). Both prickly (shown here) and
sweet coprosma are quite pleasant. Also lillypilly, pittosporum and wild
cherry. (I doubt deer get many wild cherry as they usually browse it as high as
they can reach - if you are ever in Fiordland 'moose hunting' as I am fond of
doing, you will notice the browse line is nearly 3' higher. Those guys really
are monsters!). Contrary to popular belief plants which ooze white sap are not
universally poisonous (though the sap may be) . Figs are a case in point,
though there are not many wild figs in
These fruits are fine (providing you have correctly identified them), but if you are tempted to try an unfamiliar fruit, you should first split it and touch the damp flesh to your lip, then wait five minutes. If nothing untoward happens, then touch it to your tongue and wait again. Next chew it a couple of times, then spit it out. If nothing at all has happened it is almost certainly fine to eat, though some things can make you scour especially in large doses. Interestingly enough, we know a lot about the edibility of many Australian plants from the likes of Sir Joseph Banks who was always keen to try eating new things. Again, the colony nearly starved a number of times (particularly 1791), so lots of plants were tried perforce, sea purslane and pigface for example. Europeans rapidly discovered just about as many edible plants in a decade as the previous inhabitants had in a much longer time. The latter were masters though at extracting poisons from otherwise inedible things, like cycads. Don't even try.
As the morning wore on, the river continued deep and swift with nothing in the way of a single safe crossing. The flats on the other side were truly beautiful though. Like a manicured park sprinkled with ash and peppermint gums. They would make good hunting once I discovered the fords the deer used. Fords are one of the best spots to lie in wait for them actually (if you are an ambush predator, which I am not; I get bored waiting, ever eager for new sights and sounds, and not much worried whether I ever take another deer). You can use the westering sun as a kind of spotlight to get a clear shot at the deer as they tiptoe across. This way you can (legally) take them quite close to dark. You need to position yourself though so that your shot will impact a river bank upstream and not skate along the river perhaps endangering someone else kilometres away. And, ideally you need to have already established a campsite quite close by. At least there will be plenty of water for your billy. There is also plenty of fallen timber for your campfire opposite. You could camp there for a year without using it all up, by the looks. Notice the animal drinking spot, centre. That would be a great side gully beyond. I bet there are many adventures to be had there.
Look at this beautiful wallow I found. You can see how the stag has been using the trunks of the trees as his towel. They are well coated with malodourous mud. Here would be a good spot to search for a cast antler, or to wait for him to return as dusk or dawn. You should drag a branch through the bottom if you want to find one,as they are usually found rolled into it. If you find one it will give you a good indication of the size of the resident stag.
Finally I found just such a crossing: the water is slower and shallower here, but still waist deep. You can just make out a deer path on the opposite bank. The bracken flats opposite would make a sheltered 'nursery' area. It had taken nearly half a day to find a suitable crossing. I still needed a stout branch as a prop to prevent myself from being toppled over. I took another three hours to walk back to 'my' stag by which time I was long dry. Unfortunately he had now been lying there for a full twenty-four hours, all day in quite hot sun. His skin would 'slip' and I could not trust the meat would not have begun to spoil since he had not even been gutted. A sad waste really.
I deeply regretted my precipitate action in shooting him in the first place now. So often it is just much better to admire and wonder. I have done so many times since. Deer hunting is mostly an excuse for me to get out hiking and camping (sometimes into places you otherwise could not go, such as our 'National Parks' which are being saved for future generations, rather than ourselves).
And here he is, lying as he fell (with my gun tangled in his rack!) I know the river looks as if you might cross there, but I can assure you I would have been swept away - and there were some particularly nasty rapids downstream. You just can't take such a chance particularly when you are all alone in the wilderness. He was, as you can see, as fat as mud!
On another trip I found these (two) beautiful crossing points a further hour's walk up the river. If only they had been a bit closer to where the stag had fallen, I could have had his meat and cape in the cold water of the river overnight, and back to my car before mid-day the next day if I had hurried - or if I had had my pack raft with me. Life is replete with 'what-ifs'. You just can't let them trouble you. The dice falls as it falls. That is all. You should have 'no regrets', as Edith Piaf said so mellifluously. We are just passing quietly through life. We arrive with nothing, and leave with nothing. Hopefully, you accumulate a few special memories along the way, such as the photo below, taken by my lovely wife Della on my next trip.
And mine of her: There she is, taking her ease on the riverbank opposite me. While we were camping there, a platypus swam around and around this huge pool for half an hour i guess. Such an enchanting sight.
On an even later trip, the river came down in an awesome torrent, and did this whilst I was there. This was just around the corner from the photo above. I just had to wait it out. It pays to have a cache of food in a canoe drum (or similar) against such eventualities; anyway to have enough spare tucker. Tie it under a log well out of reach of any potential floodwaters, so the wombats and possums don't p[lay games with it! You can easily see you could be trapped by floodwaters for a week or more. Half the forest must have ended up at this spot. I know the roar and grinding of the river overnight and sounds like gunshots as vast logs snapped like kindling when this happened was ominous in the extreme
We have explored much further up the river since on a number of trips - and of course, now we can take the dogs. There are many splendors further up. We have gone five more days up. I know most folks find one day's walk away from their vehicle quite enough, mainly because they carry too much, but the further you go the more fascinating things you see. Always, the Victorian bush is a riot of wildflowers, even in winter when I most love to enjoy ot. That's why we have so many honeyeaters such that our State bird is one - I have even seen a little 'helmeted' guy here, though I never tell 'the powers that be' anything they don't need to know! On this occasion every gully was bedecked with snowy clematis, and there were any number of parti-coloured wild peas in bloom.
We have found a truly splendid flat on a magnificent sweeping bend. It must be close to 100 hectares (as square kilometre) where we love to camp. the fishing and swimming is even good in summer. It resembles one of those beauteous English parks, the deer have done such a fine job manicuring it. Further on there is a wonderful hidden valley which you would just about step across without even noticing, but a day's exploration up it will bring many delights: waterfalls, orchids, postcard-perfect clearings...Further on a second small river joins this one. It has a small plain a kilometre or so up which in the summer is a riot of everlasting daisies.
The best part is that when we want to head back to the car we can just blow up the packrafts and enjoy a delightful day or two (like Huck and Tom - or Ratty and Mole) just drifting and 'mucking about' on the river.
Of course this was not the end even of this trip. I was in no hurry to get back and had two days' walk in any case, so I took my ease for a couple or three of delightful days lying about in my hammock in the sun, fishing, nosing up a side gully or two... Just in general really enjoying our beautiful Australian bush - and my solitude!
Alas, this is pretty much all I managed to recover from the stag. This was also just about the only time I have left meat in the bush. I had forgotten to pack my 'embryo wire' or even a folding meat saw, so I had to take the antlers off one at a time (I could not even remove the skull cap whole). I only managed to do this by standing back a ways and putting a couple of shots into his skull so I could recover each antler with a shard of broken bone. Sometimes I am not so well organised either! Still, at least I have the antlers, arranged decoratively in a vase by Della as a reminder of a mountain adventure years ago. Hopefully, even at 68 there will yet be many more...
Unfortunately others have followed our trail, though most only travel one day upriver camping approximately where I crossed on this occasion, so that the deer thereabouts are much more skittish nowadays. Sometimes I venture a further five days upriver (as I said) where in winter there is never anyone about, and the deer are as common as rabbits!
30/05/2017: Nothing to
do with Islam. Move on. Move on: ‘“Many experts, including professionals in
our intelligence and security services, have pointed to the connections between
wars our government has supported or fought in other countries and terrorism
here at home,” Corbyn said, which explains all those post-WWII terror missions
by offended Germans and Japanese.’ Tim Blair. Then too there are the more than
30,000 Presbyterian terrorist attacks after September 11, 2001: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/lets-talk-about-the-fridges-and-the-bees/news-story/cc4f0a2b03ffb981b159f7c2a309e6b3
This chap (a Moslem himself – I fear for his life, actually)
actually blames it on the Moslem ‘holy’ books. Who would have guessed? http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/muslim-leaders-clash-in-fiery-debate-on-sunrise/news-story/6b12d1ea61b82dca878d702e2fcba7e9
30/05/2017: The
Catholic education system has declared war on the Turnbull government: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/catholics-declare-war-on-turnbull-govt/news-story/392770112f9b09f1cec09302affe54f6
Add to that the fact the Budget
estimates just don’t add up. Morrison and Turnbull fail the most elementary
of arithmetic tests.
29/05/2017: Punish the
Dead: I have long advocated this as a preventative to much of the evil
which inflicts us. When we still had hanging as a punishment, the condemned
were buried in unsanctified ground and their corpses were ‘buried’ in quick
lime so that their dead bodies would continue to suffer agony and would be
wholly consumed, leaving nothing for ‘Resurrection Day!’ Once Moslem miscreants
would likewise have their corpses mutilated and be buried wrapped in a pig’s
skin, so that they remained unclean and unable to enjoy the benefits of the manifold
virgins promised in their ‘heaven’. A punishment which attacks the core beliefs
of the evil simpletons who are the usual perpetrators of such dastardly acts is
long overdue. In the C19th in
29/05/2017: Making it up as
they go along, like so many today, eg the ‘indigenous’ lobby: http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2017/5/24/end-the-propaganda-myth-that-jerusalem-is-holy-to-muslims#.WSXIJ1KZNE4=
29/05/2017: This is a REALLY great article; to paraphrase: ‘(Leftists) have a new word for what normal people call “success”. They call it “privilege,” as if a happy, prosperous life is the result of some magic process…We can’t have the (Australian) people thinking that hard work leads to success; people might start asking why (Labor) constituencies don’t just work harder instead of demanding more money from those who actually produce something…What they say is privilege is what we say is a reward for doing more with our lives than waiting for Uncle Sucker to refill our EBT cards. “Privilege” is a result of not being a human sloth, of not doing drugs, of not having kids we can’t afford them, and of not living our lives as a practical exercise in chaos theory.’ http://no-pasaran.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/we-cant-have-american-people-thinking.html
28/05/2017: Thomas Jefferson: A good government is one ‘which shall restrain men from injuring one another (and) shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits.’ And that is all! Let’s leave out the rest, shall we?
28/05/2017: What Menzies would have said about the Budget, and the Liberal Party of today: https://spectator.com.au/2017/05/the-forgotten-people-speech/
27/05/2017: Hunting Thumbtack Reflectors: Thumbtack reflectors such as ‘Fire Tacks’ are a great way to mark any route you may need to travel after dark – eg after sitting up over a wallow or game trail for a sambar deer until the light fades and then wanting to get back safely and quickly to your camp. NB the Stealth ones visible only at night or in UV light. A search for ‘hunting relectors’ or ‘reflective thumbtacks’ will find you quite a range. They are usually only a few dollars for a pack of 25, so you can economically mark quite a long trail. Of course they have a million and one uses other than for hunting. See eg: https://www.firetacks.com/
At night they look like this. You shouldn't have any trouble following them!
27/05/2017: I Love to Go A’Wandering: Hiking Songs: Songs to maintain your walking tempo, if your spirits begin to flag or when hiking with children.
Since time immemorial people have walked (and marched) to the accompaniment of songs, and oft with fife and drum, so when we took our infant grandson for a walk around to the weir the other day (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/invisible-worlds-the-weir/) and we needed to jolly him along a bit, we quickly ran through our rather short repertoire of readily remembered tunes.
When we got home I naturally thought I would try the internet for some more suggestions but Google drew (relatively) a blank on this one, no matter how I searched. Yet I am sure that when Alexander crossed the Hellespont or Caesar the Rubicon, or Napoleon marched on Marengo or Washington on Valley Forge (& etc) it seems vanishingly unlikely that the troops did not swing along with a rousing chorus on their lips – maybe their last words: ‘Once more into the valley of death…’ & so on.
The secret of (winning) infantry is to move large numbers of men (often along a narrow course) quickly and unexpectedly. The ‘Little Drummer Boy’ had several tempos in his repertoire: the slow march (often reserved today for ceremonial occasions – but more normally a resting beat), normal time and double time for example. As hikers we can add a few more to this list: skipping and polka for example, which might look a bit silly with a column of troops in full accoutrements!
Here are just a few which come to mind. You might use the first letter of the last word to 'trigger' the memory of which song to sing next. The first one is particularly evocative: it was sung by our brave First AIF as they went into battle at Gallipoli, Fromelles & etc.
A
Long Way to
Be Kind to Your Web Footed Friends
Clip Clop My little Horse
Down
by the
Five Hundred Miles
Found a Peanut
Frere Jacques
Grand
Old Duke of
Hey Let's Go
Hi Ho It’s Off to Work We Go
I Want to Go Home
If I Had A Hammer
If You're Happy And You Know It
Irene Goodnight
John Browns Body
Kum Ba Yah
Mares Eat oats and Does Eat Oats
My Grandfather's Clock
Pack up your Troubles
Popeye
The Ants Go Marching
The British Grenadiers,
The Happy Wanderer
There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor
When Johnny Comes marching Home Again
When the Saints Go Marching In
You are My Sunshine
27/05/2017: Treaty: The
so-called ‘Constituttional Convention’ (which no-one else could attend) meeting
at Ayer’s Rock has decided on a Treaty, no doubt to be followed quickly by
freehold title, compensation and compulsory repatriation of ‘non-aboriginals’.
Such divisiveness must be overwhelmingly rejected. We are and must remain one
people ‘under the Southern Cross’. That is all: ‘We should recognise that any constitutional recognition would be
extremely bad in principle because it would create two classes of citizen…
More than a decade of government-funded activism has now resulted in most of
the officially recognised Aboriginal leadership wanting much bigger
constitutional changes, ranging from a treaty between the Australian nation and
the Aboriginal nation, through to compensation for dispossession and much
more…This is all madness. The whole thrust of liberalism in the 20th century
was to abolish all civic distinctions arising out of race, culture or
inheritance. Your father may have been a beast, but you start with a clean
slate. Your father may have been a
prince, but you must establish your own character through your actions. Neither
virtue nor vice, or any kind of civic distinction, goes to one citizen over
another on the basis of race…If you are a Sri Lankan refugee who arrived in
a boat and got your citizenship yesterday, you are just as good a citizen as me
or as any other Australian...In principle and in practice, this is a recipe for
conflict and disaster... Within this powerfully destructive paradigm there is
an overwhelming incentive to create, celebrate and, above all, preserve
grievance.... Because the grievance arises out of identity, it can never be
adequately addressed. Conflict and complaint go forever…It is destructive,
divisive and immensely dangerous for a multi-ethnic society such as
27/05/2017: This man,
Norman Borlaug is responsible for saving the lives of over a billion people.
If the climate becomes colder as was predicted in the 1970's (& some
current predictions, see eg: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/05/25/the-cia-documents-the-global-cooling-research-of-the-1970s/#more-64229
) we will need several of his kind to prevent catastrophe. Remember this, the
Little Ice Age killed something like 1/3rd of
26/05/2017: Happy Birthday Ultralight Hiker: My blog is two years old today. Many thanks to my daughter, Merrin for helping create and maintain it, and to my many readers and supporters for enjoying it. There are now 924 posts here, so plenty of things to enjoy! My post about canoeing the Seaforth River Fiordland is also two today, so I have moved it up the list so you could enjoy it again: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
I also could not resist reposting two of my most popular photos, this wilderness river stag:
and
this snap of us on Cox's Bight from our 2011 trans
26/05/2017: Dusky
Track: Canoeing the Seaforth: Some folks are just downright suicidal, and
sometimes I am one of them! In 2009 I had conceived a plan to be the first
person (I think) to canoe the mighty remote
That
year I walked in from
Most of the river is deep and wide and consists of pebble races or Grade 1-2 rapids at most. Unfortunately, there are 2-3 rapids which come up on you pretty quickly, which it would be death to attempt, and which are quite difficult to portage. The worst was in the general vicinity of the old Supper Cove Hut. Suddenly on a left-hand bend, there it was: with perpendicular river banks both sides, but no other option but to grasp a tree root on the right bank and hang on for dear life! I did manage to climb 5 metres up that vertical bank pulling myself up by the tree root, then haul up my pack and the raft (both of which I had tied to a line) after me. There was one other nasty rapid below this - which I had never seen even though I had walked that section near the mouth of the Henry Burn (Moose Creek) extensively.
Once I was in the flat water below I thought I was home safe. By then it was getting pretty cold and daylight was fading. I had realised that there were oodles of sharks in the Fiord but I thought to avoid them by paddling the shallows on the margins of Supper Cove. I had forgotten the 2-3 kilometres of tidal deep river above the Fiord, which teemed with them! They were mighty curious too, repeatedly cruising underneath the raft, gently lifting it as they rubbed underneath. It was a little unnerving!
Steve
must not have been on their menu that day! I had this experience about twenty
times before I made Supper Cove where you can be sure I hugged its margins like
a drunken sailor! However, as you can see I made it – much to the astonishment
of the (few) onlookers, including my daughter Irralee, who had been anxiously
awaiting me there for three days! The
I have been back for other looks though, as recently as a month ago. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/ & ff.
Thousands
of beautiful tarns on the way across from
A very steep descent to Loch Marie
First
view of the Seaforth coming across from
Putting in to cross Loch Marie
Some beautiful serene stretches of river along the way
Some awesome views
One of those vertical banks I had to climb
Quite a few log jams along the way
Some beautiful views along the river
One of those 'killer' rapids i avoided
Sunset over Supper Cove Hut
My daughter Irralee waiting for me on the Boat Shed beach at Supper Cove
Supper Cove Hut loomed a welcome sight after such a river journey
Packraft and Big Agnes mattress/floor inside Supper Cove Hut
Great fishing for Blue Cod at Supper Cove
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
25/05/2017: How Long Till Sundown? Here is another neat trick. If you hold your hand out at arm's length, the width of your fingers approximates to 15 minutes. You can use this to judge how long it is till sundown (and remember you have approx half to an hour of usable light after sundown). Using this you can judge whether you will likely make your destination, or whether you need to make camp sooner.
25/05/2017: I Love to Go A’Wandering:
Hiking Songs: Songs to maintain your walking tempo, if your spirits begin
to flag or when hiking with children.
Since time immemorial people have walked (and marched) to the accompaniment of songs, and oft with fife and drum, so I when I took my infant grandson for a walk around to the weir the other day (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/invisible-worlds-the-weir/) and we needed to jolly him along a bit, we quickly ran through our rather short repertoire of readily remembered tunes.
When we got home I naturally thought I would try the internet for some more suggestions but Google drew (relatively) a blank on this one, no matter how I searched. Yet I am sure that when Alexander crossed the Hellespont or Caesar the Rubicon, or Napoleon marched on Marengo or Washington on Valley Forge (& etc) it seems vanishingly unlikely that the troops did not swing along with a rousing chorus on their lips – maybe their last words: ‘Once more into the valley of death…’ & so on.
The secret of (winning) infantry is to move large numbers of men (often along a narrow course) quickly and unexpectedly. The ‘Little Drummer Boy’ had several tempos in his repertoire: the slow march (often reserved today for ceremonial occasions – but more normally a resting beat), normal time and double time for example. As hikers we can add a few more to this list: skipping and polka for example, which might look a bit silly with a column of troops in full accoutrements!
Here are just a few which come to mind. You might use the first letter of the last word to 'trigger' the memory of which song to sing next. The first one is particularly evocative: it was sung by our brave First AIF as they went into battle at Gallipoli, Frommelles & etc.
A
Long Way to
Be Kind to Your Web Footed Friends
Clip Clop My little Horse
Down
by the
Five Hundred Miles
Found a Peanut
Frere Jacques
Grand
Old Duke of
Hey Let's Go
Hi Ho It’s Off to Work We Go
I Want to Go Home
If I Had A Hammer
If You're Happy And You Know It
Irene Goodnight
John Browns Body
Kum Ba Yah
Mares Eat oats and Does Eat Oats
My Grandfather's Clock
Pack up your Troubles
Popeye
The Ants Go Marching
The British Grenadiers,
The Happy Wanderer
There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor
When Johnny Comes marching Home Again
When the Saints Go Marching In
You are My Sunshine
25/05/2017: The
25/05/2017: I agree.
Long since time to shut the gate. If we need to become a police state to
protect ourselves, then we let the wrong people live here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/shut-the-gates/news-story/d3de80ad22f10164e02b56421293e355
25/05/2017: But not necessarily for the better: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/6-statistics-show-how-much-america-has-changed-half-century
24/05/2017: Man is the
Measure of All Things (Protagoras) Some handy estimation tricks.
This astonishing Pre-Socratic was a brilliant mind. I guess everyone knows his 'Theorem" about right angle triangles. The saying above might not be quite so well known (or his enjoiner, 'Eschew beans'! I think I know why!), but we can use some of the proportions of the human body and the a property of an Isosceles Triangle (ie one with two equal sides) to do some pretty handy estimations.
You hold a stick at arm's length as shown in the drawing on the left so that the top of the branch exactly aligns with the top of the object whose height you want to measure. You can do one of two things: drop the stick over as in the drawing on the right, or pace the distance between you and the object. The height of the tree will be exactly the same as the distance from you to the object (Isosceles triangle, you see) Or the point on the ground where the stick on the right indicates.
You have formed a little isosceles triangle with your eye, your arm and the stick This triangle projects forward to the larger isosceles triangle formed by your feet, the distance to the base of the tree and the height of the tree itself, so the height of the tree is always exactly the distance from you to the tree..
Here is an interesting proportion. The distance between your eyes is almost exactly 1/9th of the length of your arm to the tip of your thumb (as shown below). By alternatively closing one eye and then the other, and estimating how far the object aimed at with your thumb 'jumps' sideways, then multiplying that estimated distance by 9 (it might be easier to multiply by ten which is close enough really) you can get a pretty good estimate of the distance to that remote object (ie it will be distant roughly ten times the distance your thumb jumps!) Neat eh?
This can be useful if you are taking a long shot (eg at a deer) with a rest, or eg if the object is your destination and you wish to know how far away it is, or if you need to cross a river and you want to know how wide it is so that you can judge how far upstream you need to start swimming or paddling (on your Thermarest Neoair mat) to safely get across. Always cross at the deepest, slowest straightest spot. You will already have measured the speed of the current by throwing s floating twig in and timing it.
If you dropped the stick to the side as in the right hand drawing in the first illustration, you can use the approximate number of tree lengths to estimate how far your thumb has jumped. If you assume that a similar tree near you which you measured by pacing is the same height as the one on the far bank, you will have a very clear idea of the distance to the remote object in tree lengths. From then on, it’s only a matter of simple multiplication.
The featured image is Da Vinci's famous 'Vitruvian Man' where Da Vinci sets out his ideas of the ideal human proportion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man
24/05/2017: ‘Only on the ABC. The night before the
24/05/2017: I am glad this solar scheme crashed as it would have killed lots of birds (like wind turbines) but I do regret the ‘lost’ $100 million which I would have preferred was in my bank account! Thanks again Jules: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/05/another-glorious-solar-scheme-fails-ignominiously-fast-clouds-rusty-pipes-dumb-decisions/
23/05/2017: Epirbs are not Taxi Hailers: Lots of people are misusing these tiny devices. I guess because they are (relatively) cheap, but really if you want to spend time in the wilds, spend some money to get a decent communication system eg either a satellite messenger or a satellite phone – or both.
So many people are pressing the panic button because they have a sniffle or ran out of Oreos occasioning hugely expensive search and rescue operations for them that eventually governments are going to have to charge everyone for the thoughtlessness of the few. Mostly people just want a specific thing eg a helicopter pick-up from a specific point (which will be an extra for a search and rescue operation) but which is relatively inexpensive (say $1-2,000) and ought to come out of your own pocket. Often such a pick-up is non-urgent as well.
Val from Hauroko Tours related to me an example from a few years back. He had dropped a group off at the Hauroko Hut to begin the Dusky Track (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/). Later the very same day they hit their Epirb. Within an hour of starting out on the Dusky, they found the Hauroko Burn flooded. In my opinion they could have proceeded, but in any case it would likely have gone down by the next day (and they had a lovely dry hut to stay in whilst waiting it out).
Any walk on the Dusky is likely to encounter flooding/ waiting etc. Such is wilderness experience. Also, Val would have been back in three days, so they only had to wait. Clearly they had food for 8-10 days if walking the Dusky. Instead they hit the Epirb occasioning an urgent and expensive search which in my opinion they should have been charged for! Such ‘Crying Wolf’ behaviour is likely to cause the authorities to become less interested in launching into such wasteful exercises. The public purse is not infinite.
PS: Over reliance on electronic knick-knacks is problematic at best. before folks venture into the wild, they ought first have properly equipped themselves with a functioning set of the equipment they were born with: brain, eyes, ears, hand feet, back etc. The first of these needs some training. I will be posting some ideas about this soon, but in the meantime you might review this http://finnsheep.com/HIKING.htm
23/05/2017: The ABC condemns
an Imam who wants Islam reformed (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/abc-condemns-imam-wanting-islam-reformed/news-story/b73785d358069ff3a879843341da2534)
; meanwhile in
23/05/2017: Abbott and
Newman are utterly right: under the current leadership the Liberal Party has
completely lost its way. If this continues there is no hope for
23/05/2017: How tastes
evolve. Interesting: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/meat-eating/ I
doubt either hunting or meat eating will be gone soon though.
21/05/2017: Are Men
with beards more desirable? A non-sequitur really. Of course we are: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/well/family/are-men-with-beards-more-desirable.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&mtrref=undefined&_r=0
21/05/2017: Astonishing Headlines: Colleges Are Putting Tampons In Men’s Bathrooms Because Men Can Have Vaginas Too! And it may actually be illegal for me to post this – ‘hate speech’ perhaps? Surely though, it is just quite mad: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/colleges-putting-tampons-mens-bathrooms-men-can-vaginas/ & http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/05/us-universities-place-tampons-in-mens-toilets-gender-equity-for-men-who-menstruate.html
21/05/2017: The big
tax steal: income tax receipts are expected to rise from $179 billion
currently to $230bn in 2020-21and company tax is forecast to rise from $68bn to
$95bn in 2020-21; so $78 billion of tax increases per annum right there
(leaving aside the disastrous bank tax and Medicare levy increase) yet still
this Government cannot live within its means. Unfortunately much of the
projected tax increases are cloud cuckoo land yet all of the spending increases
are set in concrete – despite their representing scandalous waste and
overspending.
20/05/2017: Ultralight
Ultra-Sharp Knives: Ceramic knives are sharper than metal ones and their
edge can last 10 times longer. They can also be lighter. I have been thinking
that this ‘ceramic escape knife’ would fit well in an ultralight fishing kit
such as this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/
This little guy weighs only 3 grams, has a blade 1.25” (3.175cm) and is 1.75”
long x .4” wide (4.445 cm x 1.016 cm) It
may be illegal to import or sell this product in Australia. There is a metal
version which weighs a colossal 8 grams: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dermasafe-ultralight-knives-and-saws/
Some options:
http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/tools/ceramic-escape-knife.asp
http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/tools/covert-non-dulling-razor-blade.asp
http://www.derma-safe.com/product/the-derma-safe-folding-utility-knife/
This guy has an enchanting range of ceramic knives: http://ceramicknife.org/
20/05/2017: Sound
advice for your kids: Just scroll down the ‘contents’ section and you will see
this is the real McCoy: https://www.amazon.com/Things-Young-Adults-Should-Know/dp/1632991330#reader_1632991330
20/05/2017: If you
have an autistic kid, the government will mow your lawn. The NDIS is just a
giant Ponzi scheme and rip-off and should be scrapped. The percentage of people
who are ‘disabled’ is now nearly ten times the percentage it was at the end of
WW2 when so many genuine cases existed as a result of the war. It is now 10% of
the adult population (and growing) and fueled by a costly lifestyle which none
of the recipients would even have been able to earn through their own efforts
(supposing they would make them) even if they were ‘able’. No, of course there
should be no increase in the Medicare levy. Half the nation’s ‘health’ care
costs should likewise be scrapped. We should not be paying for self-inflicted
‘health’ costs. For example, if the problem can be fixed by sewing the person’s
lips together or forcing them to walk 20 km a day, they should just be left to
fend for themselves and cease bludging on the rest of us. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/ndis-were-paying-now-for-gardeners/news-story/59842a19fce68f36ca44c49550d2b6ba & http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/garden-nanny/news-story/2ab52294dd1bbb64110750e1a2ece5df
19/05/2017: She’s Buried Chest High: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOIbgd5qcrg
19/05/2017: Antarctic Flights
from $1199: Well $1999 if you want a better view, but really not bad for
the visual feast of a lifetime. I know it’s a lot of money to spend for a 12
hour flight where you end up right back in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=9qS_ShexHd0
19/05/2017: Tony Abbott says there is “no doubt the 2014 budget was the gold standard in terms
of budget repair and economic reform”. Well, he is not quite right Arthur
Fadden’s gazumped him utterly by doing it all in one year. Still and all, our
country won’t wait another year before we begin to heal ourselves from the
looming disaster of becoming another
19/05/2017: Glowing plants (eg to replace street lights). I think this is a really cool idea and would like some seeds. Della would definitely want the glowing rose, I’m sure. Of course there will be many leftist nutjobs who oppose all genetic modification (no doubt even if it saves their own life – well, duh!) who will be horrified at the idea, but ‘Go suck!’ guys: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antonyevans/glowing-plants-natural-lighting-with-no-electricit
18/05/2017: Wings and Water: My
favourite airline operates out of Te Anau Fiordland,
Their pilot, Kylie ready to take you on the flight of your life at the lake’s edge, Te Anau.
Here is their plane at beautiful Supper Cove, Dusky Sound. The DOC hut is just a few steps up the path behind the plane.
And here it is taking off at Supper Cove
View of the Fiord
How steep the edges of the fiords are - notice all the fuschia regrowth (light green): this is a favourite moose food.
View
of supper Cove Hut from the air.
Me
at Supper Cove.
Leaving Supper Cove - view down the fiord.
A little further down the fiord.
Wet Jacket Arm.
Tarns in one of the passes probably Pillans.
Just look at this patch of fuschia regrowth - how many moose could such feed support? And how hard would it be to ever see one?
Pass.
Probably Doubtful Sound.
These new slips will regrow with Fuschia. Moose can travel around these steep sides, but I doubt you or I can!
Look at this wonderful perched lake. So many beautiful secret spots in Fiordland where no man's foot has ever trod.
Fiord after fiord after fiord.
Those mountains are certainly steep.
Looking
up the
Trampers Transport : Supper Cove - Dusky Track. Take the easy way to the Dusky Track at 9am daily. Fly from Te Anau to Supper Cove or return. They can also ferry stores to and from Supper Cove. Duration: 30 Minutes flight time approximately - $330.00 per person (2017).
They
also do a range of wonderful ‘joy’ or scenic flights. There are numerous places
they can take you into the
Here are just some of their destinations: Blanket Bay (Doubtful Sound), Bligh Sound, Breaksea Sound, Caswell Sound, Chalky Inlet, Charles Sound, Charles Sound – Helipad, Dagg Sound, Deep Cove, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound / Supper Cove, Dusky Sound / Cascade / Luncheon, Earshell Cove, George Sound, Glade House, Te Anau Downs to Glade House, Glasinoch River, Gorge Burn, Junction Burn Hut, Lake Alabaster, Lake Hakapoua, Lake Hankinson, Lake Hauroko, Lake McIvor, Lake McKerrow, Lake Manapouri, Lake Marchant, Lake Mavora, Lake Monowai, Lake Poteriteri, Lake Rakatu, Lake Wapiti, Lake Wilmot, Long Sound, Martins Bay, Milford Sound, Nancy Sound, Preservation Inlet, Stewart Island, Sutherland Sound,Te Anau Downs, West Arm, Wet Jacket Arm, Worsley Arm,,Queenstown.
18/05/2017: Worldwide, forests are booming – due to CO2 fertilisation. Up 25%+: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/05/16/study-earth-is-becoming-greener-not-browner-due-to-climate-change/
18/05/2017: Food for thought: ‘It's a fact that the earth, right now, is about as cold as it has ever been in the past half-billion years…the Eemian Interglacial… lasted around 15,000 years, beginning about 130,000 years ago…The Hippopotamus was distributed as far north as the rivers Rhine and Thames…Trees grew as far north as southern Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago instead of only as far north as Kuujjuaq in northern Quebec, and the prairie-forest boundary in the Great Plains of the United States lay further west — near Lubbock, Texas, instead of near Dallas, Texas, where the boundary now exists: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/21704-The-Eemian-period,-with-the-Hippos-of-Britain.html
17/05/2017: Water from thin air: A New Dehumidifier: This device pulls water from dry air, powered only by the sun. It is still a long way off being available, but it may someday make long desert journeys much more possible: ‘Imagine a future in which every home has an appliance that pulls all the water the household needs out of the air, even in dry or desert climates, using only the power of the sun...
The prototype, under conditions of 20-30 percent humidity, was able to pull 2.8 liters (3 quarts) of water from the air over a 12-hour period, using one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of MOF. Rooftop tests at MIT confirmed that the device works in real-world conditions.'
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-04-device-air-powered-sun.html
17/05/2017:
http://dilbert.com/strip/2017-05-14
17/05/2017: Your ABC:
Is having a loving family an unfair advantage? http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/philosopherszone/new-family-values/6437058
How Left is this- and should we have to pay for it? Shades of Harrison
Bergeron: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron_(film)
17/05/2017: Well said: ‘A balanced budget is not necessarily good. Most of the dreary comrade societies aimed at a balanced budget – ‘We take 100% of your income and spend it all’. There is only one tax on the people and that is government spending. The treasurer needs to slash that big tax. All else is flummery.’ Viv Forbes.
16/05/2017: Hiking Crayfish Bisque
First catch your crayfish...Once again here's a delicious soup to cook in the wild after you have been doing a spot of fishing. Naturally it uses only dried, concentrated and lightweight ingredients. I based it on a traditional bisque recipe we have eaten for years but with ultralight ingredients. My tastes run to peppery and my wife is a lover of tomato flavour, so at just these proportions the dish may be a little intense for you (or not enough), so you can play with the proportions a bit until you get it just right. I hope you enjoy it.
To 1 Litre of water add:
10 teaspoons of milk powder (add cold and stir in - it mixes better)
1 x 40 gram packet Continental French Onion Soup (NB low salt is good)
1-2 50 gram sachets of tomato puree (to taste)
1-2 small cubes or teaspoons of chicken stock
1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
1 Teaspoon (to taste) of sweet paprika.
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Bring to the boil. Simmer 3-4 minutes Stir oiccasionally. Add:
200 gram can of shrimp (if you don't have a cray) A 100 gram can of tuna will do in a pinch!
1 x 85 gram packet of Magi 2 minute noodles well broken up (into 1 cm lengths)
Simmer a further 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy.
For other hiking food ideas, try a search for 'food' in the search bar at the top right hand corner of the page.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/steves-ultralight-fish-chowder/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-crayfish-bisque/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-coconut-fish-curry/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-ball-of-string-and-a-feed-of-cray/
If you enjoyed this post and would like to make a small donation to the upkeep of this page, you can do so by clicking the PayPal button below. Even a small amount would be appreciated.
Other Posts:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lightweight-fishing-rods-reels/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pen-fishing-rods/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/3d-fishing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/four-gram-fishing-handlines/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fishing-with-floss/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bcb-fishing-kit/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bcb-fishing-kit-as-good-as-it-gets/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lightweight-fishing-rods-reels/
08/05/2017: Libertarianism:
‘The central tenet of Libertarianism is freedom. It is the right to choose. Not
just choose 'stuff' while shopping, but everything. Where to live, who you
associate with, who you do business with, who you work for or who works for
you, and what you want to do with your life. While it is often contrasted with
Socialism and Communism, this commentator points out there is a third thread
which is often overlooked, but cuts across the philosophical spectrum -
bureaucratic centralism. It's my belief that Conservatives are essentially
libertarians (small "l") who like having, or believing in, the
direction that centralized government can provide. Which is why Libertarians,
more often than not, are lumped in with Republicans. In my recent past, I've
learned to distrust and, whenever possible, avoid anything government claims to
provide, or that people believe it should provide. If I could avoid, or it was
practical to avoid, all things the government provides, I would. Unfortunately
I don't have that freedom, since it's been taken either by vote or by
bureaucratic diktat.’ (Bulldog) See also: https://fee.org/articles/capitalism-versus-the-philosophers/ & http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/chris-berg/the-libertarian-alternative-how-freedom-and-markets-can-rejuvenate-australia-9780522868456.aspx
08/05/2017: ‘If you were a visitor from a distant solar system come to our nation or even a time traveler from our own nineteenth century, I submit you would be perplexed. This Trump person (being?) doesn't seem to be all that different from many leaders who have come before him. I mean, what has he done exactly? Enforced some immigration laws that were enacted by the Congress over several administrations? Tried to fix a mediocre healthcare plan with another plan that may or may not be as mediocre? Called for a tax reduction similar to those enacted by previous Republican and Democratic administrations? Cut back on some regulations that became overly burdensome? Called for a temporary halt to immigration from a half-dozen countries his predecessor had already cited as dangerous hotbeds of terrorism? Shot off a few dozen cruise missiles at the airfield of a dictator who was gassing his own people, but didn't harm a single person in the process? I could go on, but you get the point.’ Roger Simon.
07/05/2017: Exercise in a Pill: This is for me: http://www.salk.edu/news-release/exercise-pill-boosts-athletic-endurance-70-percent/
07/05/2017: Thanks Capitalism: How about the 78% percent reduction in extreme world poverty from 1981 to 2015: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2017/05/wow-thanks-capitalism.html
07/05/2017: Affordable
Housing is a Supply Problem: If I were a Government seriously interested in
reducing the cost of housing, I would bulldoze some of the nearby ‘national
parks’, buy a giant 3D printer and ‘print’ concrete houses en masse for pennies
and dump them on the market: http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/affordable-housing-is-a-supply-problem/
07/05/2017: From Dawn
to Dusky # 8:
The
mountain which hangs over Upper Spey resembles one of the
The colours are beautiful.
Leaving
Detail of the orbs and fruit.
Lots of duckboards at the beginning. This used to be quite swampy patch in years past.
All
day is just a gentle incline following the
With some hobbity bits.
The Spey is a pretty little river. You can walk along in it for kilometres instead of on the track when the level is low. Good trout fishing too!
Bryn just could not resist the temptation to revel in some Fiordland mud one last time!
Eventually I tire of walkwires. There are three this day. The very last one over the Dashwood Stream I chose to wade.
But as I have said before, Bryn just loves them! That stream is really steaming...
A light in the forest.
Still a few muddy patches.
Spey river scene.
Lunch
by the
Easy fishing.
The very last walkwire over the Dashwood Stream.
One last glimpse of the Spey River
And
we are out on the
Bryn 2008.
An
enigmatic Kiwi sign on the
Just in time to catch the Doubtful Sound bus - you wish!
View
of Doubtful Sound from
The Mica Burn.
Likewise.
Here we are at West Arm. Methinks they have cold beer on that 'real journeys' boat.
Inside the Manapouri Power Station hundreds of metres underground at West Arm. Unfortunately you can no longer see this.
I
was right: A well-earned beer on the boat across
Heading back to 'civilisation'.
It is a beautiful lake.
Hitching back to Te Anau from Manapouri 2012.
Fiordland
Birds: An Aside: If you thought it was quiet (and peaceful) walking
the Dusky track and that you don not see anything but a handful of birds as you
traversed it, that's because New Zealand has lost 99% of 99% of its birds. Most
were eaten by stoats or possums. This is a stoat trap along the
You are lucky to get snaps of more than a handful of birds, such as these:
It is such an awful change from what I am used to in the Gippsland bush, Victoria where you are likely to see up to 500 bird species, and at any time walking =in the bush there are probably fifty birds visible and audible of probably upwards of a dozen species - almost more than you are likely to see in a lifetime in Fiordland. They have a plan t recover their bird life. I hope they succeed with it.
06/05/2017: Think Poor, Be Rich: There are lots of folks like this. A friend of mine who endlessly espouses handfuls of commie gobbledygook has just inherited $3 million, but I misdoubt it will change his/her ideology one iota. How many such folk in our capital cities live in ‘millionaire’s mansions’? Whilst here at Jeeralang Junction we eke out a living in much more modest accommodation they would demean though we built it ourselves, every brick and stick – but I would not swap it for half a dozen of their urban prisons, no matter that ‘they sing in their chains like the sea’ (‘Fern Hill’). Seeming is the new doing: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/think-poor-be-rich/news-story/db466867a0d53469bf91ab46d2bb66b5
06/05/2017: A very fine speech on Australian values, and the way forward: An example‘Australians have every justification for pride…and we should equally be proud of the broader Western civilisation of which we are part.Australia is the world’s 12th largest economy. We’re close to being the world’s largest exporter of coal, iron ore and gas; and the third largest exporter of education. We’re one of the world’s top re-settlers of refugees…We enjoy a combination of freedom, fairness and prosperity that rightly makes us the envy of the earth.We are part of a civilisation which has exported scientific learning, material prosperity, and concepts of democracy, justice and freedom to the entire world. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, creed or gender. We do our best to judge people by the content of their character…we are convinced that every human being has…equal rights and responsibilities; and our basic rule of conduct is to treat others as we would have them treat us.The modern world is unimaginable without this legacy of Western civilisation.’ http://tonyabbott.com.au/2017/05/transcript-hon-tony-abbott-mp-address-west-australian-liberal-party-harry-perkins-institute-medical-research-nedlands-perth/?COLLCC=2330785408&COLLCC=3792593161
06/05/2017: Where’s
the Plan? The worst thing about Turnbull’s Gonski 2.1 squandering $18
billion on ‘education’ (whilst making students pay more), is that there is no
focus on how this will turn around the decline in
05/05/2017: Jelly, The Smallest 4G Smartphone. This is a neat little phone – fits in your fob pocket, but has all the functionality of your regular smart phone. Only 60 grams, less than $100. It would be excellent for ultralight hiking. You might also consider it as a spare phone – if only you could have duplicate sim cards. Well, you can illegally, actually. Try Google. Personally, I am tired of phones being too big, and getting lost, broken or in the way. This is the solution: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/jelly-the-smallest-4g-smartphone?_ga=2.148572213.380118193.1493830329-1204359062.1493816838
05/05/2017: Wonderful: ‘My struggle is real, and my male-identifying genitalia will no longer be silent! As a person of absolutely no color who embodies an intersectional reality that includes my utter lack of genderfluidity and my unemployment-questioning, differently-veteraned, and non-pagan experiences, I am totally oppressed by progressivism’s hegemonic power structure. I am also the victim of a systemic system of hostile paradigms that denies my truth regarding my phallo-possessory identity.’ Kurt Schlichter: https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2017/04/27/i-am-a-victim-of-your-hateful-hate-crimes-you-hatecriminals-n2318543
05/05/2017: Under Howard the Australian Government got by with about 17 cents out of your every dollar. That amount is closer to 26 cents now after Rudd, Gillard and Turnbull (Abbott was reducing it). Any more than a tithe I hold to be onerous taxation and public waste. It is not their money. It is ours. Give it back and stop wasting it. You and I can name a hundred things the Government can stop funding or reduce spending on – why can’t they?
05/05/2017: Richard Lindzen, one of the world's most famous climate scientists: ‘Although I have presented evidence as to why the issue is not a catastrophe and may likely be beneficial, the response [from most audiences] is puzzlement. I am typically asked how this is possible. After all, 97% of scientists agree, several of the hottest years on record have occurred during the past 18 years, all sorts of extremes have become more common, polar bears are disappearing, as is arctic ice, etc. In brief, there is overwhelming evidence of warming, etc. I tended to be surprised that anyone could get away with such sophistry or even downright dishonesty, but it is, unfortunately, the case that this was not evident to many of my listeners...
The accumulation of false and/or misleading claims is often referred to as the ‘overwhelming evidence’ for forthcoming catastrophe. Without these claims, one might legitimately ask whether there is any evidence at all.
Despite this, climate change has been the alleged motivation for numerous policies, which, for the most part, seem to have done more harm than the purported climate change, and have the obvious capacity to do much more. Perhaps the best that can be said for these efforts is that they are acknowledged to have little impact on either CO2 levels or temperatures despite their immense cost. This is relatively good news since there is ample evidence that both changes are likely to be beneficial although the immense waste of money is not.’ http://merionwest.com/2017/04/25/richard-lindzen-thoughts-on-the-public-discourse-over-climate-change/
04/05/2017: Malcolm
despises the Catholic vote and decreases spending on the education of their
students with his ‘new Gonski 2.1’ both directly by reducing the per capita
spend on schools and indirectly by increasing their children’s university fees.
No doubt the per capita spend on Islamic school students has increased. As I
have seen no news about this conundrum I am almost certain of it. He would have
done much better at the polls to have completely cut out the latter (which just
increases the risk to
04/05/2017: 900th Post: Another milestone today: my 900th post here at the Ultralight Hiker. I am just back from walking the Dusky Track in Fiordland as my recent posts no doubt inform you. It is getting harder and longer as I age, but I am just glad to be able to be there and other wonderful places, and doing it. Plenty of time for the easier walks later on, I hope!
In my Hummingbird Hammock, (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/) Supper Cove, Fiordland New Zealand 2017.
It's been a busy 5ive and one half months! What are some of the highlights of the last one hundred posts?
Well...Trekking
in
And a much more modest walk on the Mirboo North Rail Trail: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-birthday-treat-mirboo-north-rail-trail/
Some ideas for pack rafting in Gippsland: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
and canoe hunting: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/you-take-the-high-road-and-ill-take-the-low/
A
visit to the 'lost'
A week canoeing the Wonnangatta/Mitchell: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
A new $10 tent: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/
Some thoughts on hunting: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ethical-hunter/
A trip to Mt Horsefall: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/escaping-the-heat/
Camper Mods: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/found-space/
A new ground sheet idea: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/inflatable-bathtub-groundsheet/
An excellent ultralight hiking soup: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/steves-nepali-dahl-soup/
At last a map for the Upper Yarra Track: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/upper-yarra-track-map/
A canoe/motorbike trailer insert: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-motorbike-trailer/
A
visit to
and much more...
What have I planned ahead: well, I aim to complete a last prototype of my Deer Hunter's Tent http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-deer-hunters-tent/and make a cuben fibre version with a poncho floor http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/. I will be going into the Victorian High Country with a one-legged friend fishing and hunting for a week at least. I hope to complete the 'Four Rivers Circuit' I have mentioned several times before, to canoe the Wonnangatta from Hearnes Spur to Kingwell Bridge, to canoe/clear the Hawthorn Creek section of the Latrobe, walk some of Victoria's Wilderness Coast, complete a circuit in Wilsons Prom, take a trip to Western Vic and walk some of the hundreds of kilometres of coast walks there, get some more work done on my idea of a Gippsland hiking circuit, make a motorcycle carrier for the Discovery/Defender...I will be busy. And of course there are jobs around the farm that get in the way of such pleasures too! Today I am working on completing the pump house move so we can finish repairing the lower dam before winter. There is one shed to re-roof, one to demolish and rebuild. Many fences to build and many trees to plant...Life just gets in the way of making plans!
04/05/2017: The Swiss show Malcolm the way forward for his new citizenship test: http://readflicks.com/muslim-girls-refuse-class-with-boys/ They are right to reject such folks as the Norwegian experience for example shows that migrants fattened on welfare tend to assimilate less well over the years: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/04/27/migrants-less-integrated-norway/
04/05/2017: Singapore too
shows the way, deports inflammatory imam: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/04/singapore-deports-imam-for-insulting-jews-in-aust-ismail-wahwah-says-kill-jews-no-action-is-taken-wh.html After Bourke Street and London…if you were
in any doubt we are in danger, our own home-grown ‘religion of peace’ group
declares ‘death to the apostates,’ Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman, Uthman Badar. This
group is so extreme it is banned in Muslim-majority nations like
04/05/2017: In similar news, when a reformist imam visits Lakemba he is hassled and jeered. My uncle Leo used to be Post Master at Lakemba back in the 70’s when I used to travel through the peerless middle class Aussie suburb each day on my way to work at nearby Punchbowl Boys High a white middle class school then with even some Jewish students - but now also a hot-bed of Moslem insurgency. Since that time successive treasonous governments have thrown our wonderful country away: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/on-the-sunni-side-of-the-street/news-story/72d04d83927611558b2c89b636b2ae84
02/05/2017: From Dawn
to Dusky #7: You have a big climb and descent today: over a kilometre up
and then down again from the Kintail Hut to the Upper Spey Hut. You don't have
to worry. Though it takes me longer now, I did this section in 2006 when I was
a mere 58, the first time I walked over
Resting in the Kintail Hut with Steve Hutcheson 2012.
Crossing the Seaforth: I usually walk across the river at this point, but Bryn actually prefers walk wires!
My turn.
Beautiful flat stalking to begin with: one of the denizens seems to have lost something.
The
track follows the Kintail stream upwards towards
The Kintail Stream is quite gorgey. There are many beautiful views of water crashing down.
Like this.
The walkwire across the Kintail Stream. I find this the most frightening of the trip. It is so long, such a long way down and car sized rocks below with water torrenting over them should you fall. Bryn just finds it fun! If the stream is low you can cross in the stream below.
High on the face overlooking Tripod Hill and the Gair Loch there is a huge 'new' slip. You can see plants are beginning to colonise it. look out for moose browse on fuchsia here in 20 years' time!
You
would not want to be here when this slip formed. Unfortunately (or
fortunately if you are a moose - due to the edible regrowth) slips in Fiordland
are very frequent. The '
The
track becomes steeper.
A bit of a scramble in places.
And
steeper. Some places it is so steep you have to climb up a chain for support.
Bryn Jones. But it is nowhere near so bad as the descent from
The mountains tower over you. There are many beautiful views back down along the Seaforth whence you came. if you are like me you will wonder whether you will ever see this view again . In 2006 oI thought I would never see it again, yet as it turns out it has become almost routine. Still i wonder whether I will ever gaze down upon Tripod Hill and the Seaforth ever again - or hear a lonely moose call. As I am quite old now, and ought to go places where Della can accompany me, this may be my last Dusky trip.
The awesome view back down the Seaforth somewhat spoiled by Bryn And me. Tripod Hill on my left shoulder.
Here it is without us. You have followed the Seaforth up from Loch Marie which you can just make out left of centre behind the Tripod Hill to the right of the Gair Loch (at the right base of the hill, then pretty much straight up to where you are now.
Finally
you break free of the leatherwoods and have a view of
The cliffs certainly beetle overhead.
There are many strange plants in these high alpine meadows.
The
last pinch is a bit of a climb - you wonder whether you will ever make it!
Time
for a drink. You will miss that beautiful cystal clear
Now you have all that way down again to go to the Spey.
In Centre Pass in 2008 Bryn and I were visited by a pair of Kea who entertained us for quite some time with their many tricks.
I suspect they would have eaten out of our hands - or nipped our fingers off!
Again the cliffs beetle overhead.
You feel quite small in this grand scenery.
Just
before you enter the leatherwoods you can turn back and view
There
is a substantial slip to cross. You may not be able to see the markers
on the other side - look out for the
Finally
you are down to flat going along the
The Dusky still has the odd muddy patch awaiting you.
Finally
you arrive at the
03/05/2017: Taxing
Time: A timely reminder from Peter Costello” The 20 per cent of Australians
on the lowest incomes pay no net income tax. They are entitled to income support
through the pension, unemployment benefits, parenting benefits and other
allowances. But they don’t pay income tax. The next 25 per cent of Australians
pay hardly any income tax, on average, about $1500 a year or $30 a week. These
two groups, representing 45 per cent of the population who file tax returns,
pay under 4 per cent of the income tax in this country. So who pays income tax?
Middle and higher income earners carry the income tax system. Those earning
above $80,000 pay two-thirds of the income tax collected in this country. The 2
per cent of Australians on incomes above $180,000 really make up the revenue by
paying 26 per cent of the country’s income tax.’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/taxation-gouging-the-rich-to-rob-the-poor/story-fni0cwl5-1227323707285
03/05/2017: Red, green
and black tape have been strangling
03/05/2017: If only the Liberal Party would listen, but under Malcolm that is impossible: ‘The Turnbull government is at war with the people. This is a government which hates their own constituents. The Liberal Party has lost touch with what it stands for’ http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/04/27/liberal-party-insider-speaks-out/ Latest polling from Qld shows that the Libs would lose government on Qld results alone if an election was held today. Even Dutton would lose his seat, so who is to take over from Mal. You guessed it: Tony: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/tick-tick-tick-turnbull-headed-for-queensland-disaster/news-story/f6973cf7207fee7245785155c456232e
02/05/2017: The Six Main Storylines. Vonnegutt was always interesting. Reminds me of Irving Berlin’s comment that there were only six tunes: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/07/the-six-main-arcs-in-storytelling-identified-by-a-computer/490733/
02/05/2017: ‘The government will also be keen to do something about what looks like an incipient disaster in respect of the expanding student loan book (which is held off-budget) and the increasing proportion of bad debts (loans that will never be repaid, at least in full). By 2018, the student loan book will reach $70bn, with perhaps $19bn unrecoverable, ‘Judith Sloan. Clearly there is no point in paying for such ‘university’ education amongst folk who are clearly unable to (ever) earn an income sufficient to repay it. We are pushing far too large a proportion into (worthless) university courses instead of either putting them to work or training them for work. Meantime every year we have to import thousands of people to perform work no Australian will undertake or is qualified to undertake whilst paying close to a million people to be unemployed, another million to imply breed (more like themselves – ie unable or unwilling to work) and close to another million to be ‘disabled’ – a proportion of disabled to able of nearly six times what it was at the end of WW2 when so many really disabled servicemen returned to Australia. Waste. It is all just waste.
02/05/2017: For at
least the last thirty years all the gas you have been using (from
02/05/2017: From Dawn
to Dusky #6: Loch Marie to Kintail is another long section much like coming
up from Supper Cove. It takes me 7-8 hours, but I am not a racer. Much of the
trip is walking along pleasant river flats. Some of the clearings are so big you
have to look out for the (large) triangles on the other side. There would be
pleasant camping along this section, as in similar parts of the trip up from
Supper Cove. I have seen fish in the river above Loch Marie, and there is a
mounted photo on the wall of the Loch Marie hut of one such caught in the upper
reaches of the
The first approx 3/4 of an hour are not so pleasant, hillsiding, rocks and tree roots, etc. this can be avoided if the river is low. You can walk up along the other side (or in the river) and cross once it flattens out on the true right bank as I have done here:
Looking
back towards the
You can avoid this bit of difficult going at the start when the river is low.There are a couple of bits of hobbit country where you climb over tree roots for about an hour I guess, but it is very pretty, and not too bad.
This new bridge is a pleasant spot for a breather. It was not so nice wading across here up to your neck in the past.
There are some quite big clearings (more on the other side of the river - usually easily crossed in this section). this one complete with waterfall.
Hobbit country.
Some places you have to hang on so you don't fall in the river.
This debris gully is a good spot for a morning break.
And to check your map - you should have it laminated (as shown) for Fiordland weather.
You wouldn't want to be here when it was really raining though!
Lunch stop about half way you can get down onto these boulders and have lunch in the sunshine on a nice day.
Tripod Hill and waterfall.
We often stop for a break at the Kenneth Burn walk wire. Bryn taking it easy. Bryn and Irralee are both immune to sandflies. that would be nice!
Kenneth Burn.
After the Kenneth Burn there is a bit of a rocky climb around a giant slip and a bit of tree-root hopping going down to the head of the Gair Loch (which can be quite unpleasantly swampy when it is wet). After that it is easy river flat going to the Kintail Hut which is off the track a bit to the left. It is a very damp spot, so you probably won't be having a fire. You also have to walk back about fifty metres to get a sat phone signal.
The Kenneth Burn 'slip' has regrown with hundreds of acres of fuschia. This is a favourite food plant of the NZ moose, and you will see many examples (mostly old) of moose browse and barking if you keep an eye out. If you are very quiet and lucky you might even snap a photo of one -- there is reputed to still be a $100,000 prize! When I was walking out in 2012 there was one spot in particular to the right of the track just about the top where a moose had obviously stayed and grazed the tops of every plant for several days - just days before I passed, worse luck!
This is the Fuchsia slip I have been talking about. Hundreds of acres. You can imagine thousands such throughout the moose range in Fiordland.
Irralee pointing out some moose browse about 2.5 metres up a fuchsia on the Kenneth Burn slip.
Detail: You can see they have bitten through twigs between 1-2 cm in diameter and broken them off. Nothing else could do this 2.4-2.7 metres (8'-9')off the ground.
A bit of rougher going heading down to the Gair Loch.
A bit of swampy going near the Gair Loch.
Easy to go down to your hips!
Looking
down on the Gair Loch from near Centre Pass. The track has circled
behind the Tripod Hill(from left to right in the photo) then come along the
right hand side of the
And then pleasant walking for an hour or so until you come to the Seaforth walk wire and the Kintail Hut.
Like this.
Seaforth Walk Wire. The hut is a little further along about 200 metres back from the river on the true right bank
Kintail Hut.
01/05/2017: Other
People’s Money: Bandits, swindlers and overlords throughout history have
delighted in the questionable pleasures of squandering other folks’ money;
their activities have also always attracted a host of cronies eager to share in
the largesse. These evils are what today we call ‘government’ and ‘public
service’. Around ‘Budget’ time (or ‘heist’ or’ protection money’ time) our
minds are focused somewhat on what they chose to splash our cash away on. A
rational observer (from the faraway planet Tralfamidore perhaps) would assume
that ‘they’ would at least limit their activities to spending only what
ill-gotten gains had ‘fallen’ into their hands. Our ‘robber barons’ today are
also hell-bent on borrowing even more money than they coud possibly squeeze out
of us (in our name) at usurious interest rates (no doubt intensely supported by
that great moral bank, Westpac) so that we and our descendants will have to
hand over even more of our ‘hard-gotten’ to them in perpetuity. When you are
spending other people’s money you would think there would (at least) be some
moral compunction to spend the money wisely and frugally, to save for a rainy
day & etc – just as honest folk do. The scum who ever inhabit the echelons
of power have no such nicety. They cast our wealth around like confetti,
behaving ever as if there will be no tomorrow. Sadly there may not be if this
goes on in our country much longer. They should at very least ‘live within
their means’, and make savings wherever they can be made, returning all monies
saved to those to whom it rightfully belongs. (The greatest wickedness of the
twentieth century was not making war on civilians – though this is very similar
- it was government’s ‘inventing’ the income tax, whose premise was that
everyone’s money wasn’t their own but properly belonged to government who would
return that small portion of it – to its rightful owners- that they chose we
deserved). If politicians and public servants have to take their own lunch to
‘work’ - to which they travel on the bus - and have the worst ‘working
conditions’ of all in society well, that is only right and proper. Folks who
chose the life of the parasite deserve no better! Now watch what is actually in
the Budget – and weep!
01/05/2017: Westpac: has decided it will bring about an end to our largest export industry – coal mining. If this finally drives Adani away too it will also spell the end of all our export industries, as it will be impossible to persuade anyone that our sovereign risk is not too great for them to venture hither. You expect suck reckless destructiveness from undergraduate nihilists and greens activists, not from one of our largest banks. If I can sell my Westpac shares this morning, I will. I have no desire to support such wickedness! Addendum: all four big banks now ban coal! Only development can ensure prosperity: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/04/28/did-australia-just-make-itself-un-investible/
01/05/2017: What a fascinating essay. Just a sample: ‘Antonio Gramsci was the most formidable Marxist after the founding father. He realised that the proletarian revolution was not enough and that there were other ways forward. He advocated a long march through the institutions: educational, cultural, journalistic, bureaucratic, ecclesiastical. This has been alarmingly successful, thanks in part to widespread naivety among conservatives, who thought they were being hard-headed when they reasoned: “Leave culture to the leftists. What harm can they do?” This is dangerous nonsense. Everyone understands the importance of soft power in international affairs. That is equally true in domestic matters. The Left not only uses its marchers to undermine Western culture. It also uses its power to de-legitimise free enterprise and promote egalitarianism. Lose the culture war, and the economic war is in jeopardy.’ https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/04/donald-trump-can-save-west/
30/04/2017: Why prejudice is a good thing: Amid all the guff about ‘hate speech’ (which clearly only means ‘things you don’t agree with’), the concept of ‘prejudice’ is accepted as axiomatically bad by many folk - yet clearly the converse is the case. If we did not have to ability to pre-judge, we would be wasting an awful lot of time in all sorts of pointless and meaningless exercises. My guess is that the average human being takes sub 2 seconds to pre-judge practically everything, and especially whether someone is dangerous, whether they like them, whether they will talk to them or continue a conversation & etc. If we did not have this terrific ability pretty much hard-wired we would spend most of our lives talking endlessly to bores who button-hole us at coffee machines, on trains, at bus stops, in shopping centres, & etc. The ability to ‘pre-judge’ and its corollary the ability to make quick inferences from insufficient data are essential to our survival and happiness. You jump out of the way of all those falling safes long before your senses tell you there is a danger – that’s mostly why you’re still alive. No doubt prejudice creates some collateral damage such as the odd hurt feeling, but we all know that we have to learn to toughen up against such slights. Most people get really tough at an early age by learning to ignore their parents who are almost always simply terrible at sensitivity and minding their own business, and will without any urging at all drop absolute clangers about our latest hair style, choice of clothes, boyfriend or girlfriend, weight, appearance, etc which we would have simply long ago walked away from absolute strangers if they tried such lines out on us. As a survival tool you simply just have to develop the instant ability to pre-judge what is coming and be ready to slope out of there in an instant when your reflexes alert you. I am simply prejudiced against everyone and everything, so mind your own business! IowaHawk ‘I'll let you ban hate speech when you let me define it. Deal?’ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/04/24/free-speech-first-amendment-hate-howard-dean-glenn-reynolds-column/100815564/
Replies to comments: And you lack the ability to make split-second decisions? I think not. If we could not pre-judge, I doubt we would ever be able to make any decisions.
But I think you are wrong anyway: if prejudice leads to anything it is avoidance, not hate. It is more often love which leads to hate.
30/04/2017: Triage
originated as a battlefield concept (its origins in the French ‘trier’ = to
sort, not necessarily into threes – as in ‘triangle’) where due to scarce resources
and time constraints the wounded were sorted into three groups: those who would
die anyway, those who were unlikely to, and those whose chances of living would
be most helped by immediate assistance. It is an example of the utilitarian
principle (later articulated by John Stuart Mill, ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’ – though it yet has many critics).
In any non-imaginary society resources are always limited, and have to be
allocated according to budgetary considerations. Accordingly keeping people in
prison costs (in Australia) somewhere between $250,000pa and $350,000pa - in
the ACT’s new model ‘human rights’ prison which has been much in the news of
late. The cost of legal aid can easily run to $1 million per case (or higher),
and the cost of ancillaries (eg repatriation of bodies, as in the present case)
can be added to that. In the present case, the ‘Bali Nine’ have incurred (in
equivalent Australian dollars) costs of say $250k per person for ten years =
$22.5 million, to which you can add legal costs of several million, and
ancillary costs – let us say (conservatively) $25 million. In 7/9 these costs
are continuing. The cost of saving a life (in the
30/04/2017: Alexander Van der Bellenthe the Austrian president, (a former Green): ‘the day will come when we have to ask all women to wear a headscarf – all – out of solidarity to those who do it for religious reasons.’ Great stuff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxrSYO9N7AY
28/04/2017: From Dawn to Dusky # 4 & 5: The trip to Supper Cove is a side trip taking two days - but really worth it! The walk up/down from Loch Marie to Supper Cove takes me 7-8 hours. I know you may be younger and in more of a hurry - who know why? Most of the distance is very pleasant, flat walking along a river/lake. There are two exceptions: the hour you have to spend climbing around the giant slip which created Loch Marie until after the Bishop Burn (which is not too bad actually), and the last hour if you cannot cross Supper Cove at low tide before you reach the Supper Cove Hut. It is one of the nastiest tree/rock hopping bits on the whole track, seeming doubly worse as it comes at the end of a long day. Many folks have turned their knee or ankle on this section (including me), so leave early enough you are not hurrying at the end of the day when you are tired.
Supper Cove itself is one of the pleasantest spots on earth, and you should plan to spend a few days there. It has likely got the very best toilet view in the world too! You might be able to prearrange (as I sometimes have) a helicopter or the float plane to leave some supplies tied up in a bag in the rafters of the boat shed so you can extend your stay. You will be able to have fresh fish three times a day if you have a hand line, some sinkers and hooks - or you may be lucky enough to find some there that the DOC has not confiscated. You should plan on this and have some oil/Alfoil (and a little salt to taste) to cook the fish with. The Blue Cod particularly, easily caught in the deeper water off the rocks behind the hut are perhaps the best eating fish in the world. Maybe include a cheap frying pan in that bag.
In 2009 I paddled this section with my Alpacka 'Fiord Explorer'. I am not going to do so again!
There
it is on the shores of
I even paddled across the lake itself though I can't imagine why now.
First the track follows the old miner's track along the edge of the lake. A few rocks, but easy going.
The
loch is beautiful in the dawn.
Everywhere there is the beauty of water moving.
My son Bryn crossing the first walk wire in 2008.
Some
beautiful views of the lake through the ancient trees.
Sometimes when the lake is very low it is easier to walk along the edge of the lake. Look out fro moose tracks in the soft mud and sand. Such tracks have often been seen here.
At one point as you climb around the slip listening to the roar of the water as it crashes over the giant boulders and wondering that trout can find their way past it, you will come upon the remains of the iron tools C19th miners used to make this section of the track. What hardships they must have endured.
Lots of places DOC have put in new steel or wooden bridges (even a new walk wire) since I first walked it nearly twenty years ago. It certainly cuts out some difficult scrambling up and down.
Eventually
you meet up with the
Mind you there were some rapids to avoid!
Real 'Huck Finn' stuff this.
The flat going is split by an unexpected ladder.
Crossing the Mcfarlane Burn 2008.
The Old Supper Cove Hut site. Just before you leave/join the river you will see (if you look carefully) the remains of the old hut. Right in the centre of the photo you can just make out the parallel lines of the tree fern trunks which formed its floor. It was the last point you could get to by boat. It would have been a useful shelter if the river and particularly the Henry Burn swamps were flooded. It would have been a cold, wet camp to have lived in whilst you were building the track in the C19th though!
My son Bryn demonstrating just how swampy it gets between the two arms of the Henry Burn in 2008.
My daughter Irralee crossing the 'Waterfall Burn' in 2007.
The Waterfall Burn. There is a 160 metre waterfall at the top of this unnamed stream. You can climb up with difficulty by following the next gully (ie on the true right down Fiord). in 2000 the top of this higher waterfall was shrouded in mist and it appear4ed to simply fall from the clouds. It was pouring with rain and photography was impossible/disappointing. There was fresh moose sign (tracks/droppings) up this burn then too.
Easy
walking, as you can see. If the tide is not so full you can still cut off
a fair bit of nasty stuff. The track is usually not far from the shore (after
crossing) the first ridge. If you are looking across the Cove facing the hut
you will see some white rocks on the other side. if you aim for the right hand
end of those rocks, you might still see a taped trail leading up to the main
track when you get near. This is the view looking from the hut side towards the
'Waterfall Burn' side. The low tide at Supper Cove is approximately 2 1/2 hours
earlier than Port Craig (so, if Port Craig's low was at 1:30 pm for example (as
it was on 21/04/2017), Supper Cove's was at approximately 11:00 am.. You can
check the tide info at the Met Service NZ before you start on the track to see
whether you will be able to cross Supper Cove.
If the tide is fully low you can walk all the way across the cove. You can just walk out past the boat shed and helipad, cross the Hilda Burn, then head straight across the Supper Cove flats. Only 'thermometer deep' as you can see Bryn crossing in 2008.
This is the first view of Supper Cove looking towards the hut (unfortunately at high tide). The hut (invisible) would be almost exactly centre. See the white rocks on the shore opposite. You would aim just to the right of them if you were walking across at a lowish tide, then walk up (approx 50-100 metres to the true left bank of the Hilda Burn) to intersect with the track. I did mark the low tide trail in 2014 with tape and a buoy hung from a tree on the shore. You might still spot them.
First view of the hut from the air (with Della 2011: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/)
My daughter Irralee crossing the Hilda Burn 2009.
Arriving at the Supper Cove Hut.
This is the beautiful view from the verandah looking up the Seaforth. The moose were released on that sandbar (centre) in 1905. Many delights await at Supper Cove.
Such as fishing off the rocks for blue cod: my son Bryn demonstrates.
A Hummingbird hammock comes in handy at Supper Cove 2017: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/
It is becoming a busy switch over point for tour boat operators.
You can often 'catch a lift' to/from Supper Cove from a a helicopter:
Or a float plane.
About 100 metres behind the Supper Cove Hut there are the remains of another 'mystery' hut guarded by a fantail. You can continue up that ridge (past the cataract) and drop down into the Hilda Burn upstream (if you are intrepid/foolhardy). Just after where the Burn splits in two I glimpsed a cow moose in 2000.
28/04/2017: ‘Human’
prehistory just took a number of big hits. Evidence for hominids in
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/famous-ancestor-may-be-ousted-human-family & https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/21/hobbit-species-did-not-evolve-from-ancestor-of-modern-humans-research-finds
28/04/2017: Bring on the ‘English Solution’: ‘The milestones are impressive: an average of a thousand new jobs a day over five years; unemployment down by almost half a million in a year; a jobless rate half the eurozone’s; more jobs created than in the rest of Europe put together; more people in work, more women in work, more disabled people in work than ever; the highest percentage of the population in work since records began. All this while the public sector has been shedding 300 jobs a day.’ http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/welfare-reform-and-unemployment.aspx
28/04/2017: ‘Shelley Garland’
advances the cause: white men need to be disenfranchised: http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266441/lefts-ultimate-plan-revealed-jack-kerwick
27/04/2017: From Dawn to Dusky # 3: It will take you slightly longer to walk from Lake Roe to Loch Marie than it did from Halfway Hut, though this will come as a surprise when you seem to have walked 3/4 of the way there over pleasant snow-grass tops sprinkled with myriad jewel lakes and you are gazing down on the Loch and its tree trunks just a kilometre below you. That last kilometre is a doozy!
Looking
back towards the hut from
Looking down from the climb in the previous photo.
Last
view of
A myriad jewel lakes.
Mist magic.
Looking up the Seaforth towards Centre Pass.
First view of the Fiord and the sea faraway.
The last tarn before the perilous descent.
But it is not without its beauty.
It is horrendously steep. Not a track at all, but more like some horrific ladder mostly made of tree roots and rocks. Here and there a chain for support.
It is a nightmare descent which seems as if it will go on forever.
But finally it does come to an end (after 3+ hours!)
There is an emergency shelter in case the river is too high.
A
very long, high walk wire if it is not quite so high, or you can cross below
the walk wire if it is low, like this,
A very pretty waterfall to look at.
The lake of course with its many tree trunks.
And
just a quarter hour's stroll from the walk wire the cosy
27/04/2017: I really do not get ‘feminists’ playing down child marriage and genital mutilation (eg amongst the Moslem community) which would make slaves/property of all women and children: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/how-dare-germaine-greer-play-down-child-marriage/news-story/a68d8c246059d68e4614b1daf8b7fef5
27/04/2017: Outlawry.
It was such a good idea: H. L. Mencken explains the ancient punishment of
outlawry, last applied in
27/04/2017: 5 million
more people over the last 15 years: Nearly ¾ of that under Labor. 1 in 5
people living here now is a new arrival during that period. Far too many are
sponging off taxpayers. They have driven up house prices to levels that
Australians cannot afford to buy a home. Our roads, schools and hospitals are
overcrowded near to bursting. Huge chunks of these folk have no loyalty to
27/04/2017: From Dawn to Dusky #2: If it took a little over 6 hours to walk from Hauroko to the Halfway Hut (as it did me this year - I was quicker seven years ago, no surprise), then it will take slightly longer to walk to Lake Roe Hut. Do not time yourself to arrive after dark. The hut would be very difficult to find in poor light as it is off-track to the right.
The view ahead out the front door of the Halfway Hut on a fine sunny Fiordland morning. Deer have kept the lawn well mown.
The same view from the air. It is a large valley. Room for a few moose there.
The trail begins: most of the day is tree root hopping (but it is not bad going) save between the two walk wires and after yoiu break out onto the snow grass tops for the last half hour or so.
Beautiful vistas.
Pretty views of the Hauroko Burn below.
Very
roughly it is about one-third of the journey to the first walk wire, one third
to the next, and the last third to
You could walk along the river fishing between the two walk wires. The track is almost always close by and in sight on the true right bank in this section.
Lunch at the first walk wire. I was in no hurry. My new Icebreaker 'Departure 2' wool shirt (http://au.icebreaker.com/en/midlayers/-departure-ii-long-sleeve-shirt-plaid/103036.html?dwvar_103036_color=301) worked wonderfully in Fiordland. It was soft and comfortable and protected me from sandflies. The breast pocket was just the right size for my pocket camera (Nikon Coolpix S7000). It was a beautiful temperature for the days' walking (about 15C) and had no unpleasant smell to it even after more than a week of wear without washing (it did get wet a couple of times though - as when I fell over in the Jane Burn for example). Once wet it did not strike cold after less than a minute, and dried out completely (from soaking) on my back in less than an hour. Highly recommended. It now comes in a beautiful green and black plaid - something for my Xmas list!
A note on sandflies: Generally they do not bother you when moving or of a night but some places especially near water they can be terrible. It is easy to believe that folks have been driven to suicide by them. Some places they will cover every exposed piece of skin in the blink of an eye. Most folks are allergic to their bites and come up like the surface of the moon in an agony of itching. There is a solution: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/ Come prepared. I always carry extra repellent and ointment as it is easy to lose one from your pockets.
It is relatively easy flat going between the two walk wires; time for a spot of fly-fishing perhaps.
Through a serene and peaceful forest.
Until you come to the second walk wire.
After which the track starts to gradually rise until it eventually breaks out onto the snow grass tops. You know you are about there by the strong smell of deer in the leatherwood forests near this boundary.
You climb up the Hauroko Burn which becomes quite steep in places, falling in small cascades.
You begin to get views of the tops ahead and to the sides.
And the view behind down the valley is quite spectacular.
It is a pleasure though to at last start to break out into snow grass country.
The
way ahead is now clear (if not well marked). it is straight over that hill in
the centre.
Finally
you come to
First view of the hut.
Just
in front of the hut a comfy seat has been provided.
The view in front of the seat is quite spectacular.
You
can walk up the hill behind the hut and get some spectacular views of
26/04/2017: Remember that
‘bee ban’ on neonicotinoids?
Turns out it was all a fake, and that the ban has made things very much worse.
Who would have thought the Green folk could get so much wrong? http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/bad-for-bees/
26/04/2017: Trump is seeking
a 15% corporate tax rate. What a boost to capitalism that will be. Will
26/04/2017: The inability to write clear English should never get in the way of academic success, it seems. This has certainly been the case since (at least) the time of Wittgenstein. The writer of this article ably demonstrates an ability to do so - as well as highlighting a parallel inability amongst his/her opponents that it is a sheer pleasure to read. It is most unfortunate that ‘belonging’ and ‘seeming’ are often judged to be superior to ability. This should never be allowed to happen whatever apparent (numerical) inequalities may seem to be represented by the proportions of various groups (women, blacks, Martians, dogs etc) at the top of successful life’s various arbors. The presence of incompetent ‘representatives’ of such ‘minorities’ at the very acme (such as eg Barack and Michelle Obama and Hilary Clinton) merely diminishes the achievements of the truly able, such as Thomas Sowell, for example. Do read on: http://quillette.com/2017/04/13/de-professionalization-academy/ or http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2017/04/16/the_useless_div.html# Also see: http://www.tsowell.com/
25/04/2017: One
hundred years ago today: the infant in the middle was my father, Lawrence
Jones, so like my own adorable grandson, Milo who is now much of an age as my
father was then. He was born on the very first Anzac Day, so it would have been
his birthday today, had he not been cruelly taken from us when I was just 13.
25/04/2017: ‘Probably
the most extreme form of inequality is between people who are alive and people
who are dead,’ Peter Thiel. So true, yet each has an equal share at
present, ie one life. The marketers of ‘immortality’ however are like to be
promoting a Ponzi scheme of even greater magnitude than the welfare state, as
ever increasing percentages of our lives are dedicated to paying for our own
immortality - just as ancient Egyptians spent so much paying for it till the
lot of the living and the defence of the realm fell into disarray. There is an
old (Jewish?) saying, If the rich could pay someone to die for them, the poor
would have a good living’. This dilemma underlines the inevitability of all
such Ponzi schemes: someone else must be found to come along and pay the Piper.
Yet it is so much fun spending other people’s money, that I doubt its
fascination will ever diminish.
25/04/2017: Civilisation
at the crossroads - The Fall of
‘
Now
it's
Been
a long time gone, ol'
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night...
Why
did
That's nobody's business but the Turks.’(from a song by Jimmy Kennedy)
It
all sounds so innocuous, doesn’t it, but Erdogan has just become immeasurably
more dangerous than Putin, having been handed dictatorial powers last weekend.
If you need a reminder of what the rape of
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/constantinople.htm
Such rapine, slavery or worse yet looms ominously over
25/04/2017: Emmanuel Macron is likely to become president of
25/04/2017: From Dawn
to Dusky #1: Regular readers will know I have just returned once more from
hiking the Dusky Track, Fiordland New Zealand - probably NZ's toughest and most
beautiful. I have now been on the Dusky nine times. For most of its length it
is more a route than a track. Take away the track markers and it would
disappear completely. So many places too it goes where no sane route would take
you: straight down a drop-off in the section from
You
need to beware of kea in the
Most sections take all day, so it pays to get started early (at dawn - as you will need to do on the first day if you are to catch the bus and boat) as many places it would be extremely dangerous to be walking in poor light or at night. Also, being one of the wettest places in the world and with lethal changes of weather, it is essential you have some kind of shelter as you may easily find yourself caught out at night. Rain strips heat from your body 25 times faster than dry air. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/ I chose a hammock and tarp as the often torrential rain may mean that it is impossible to find anywhere dry on the ground. At very least take a hiking umbrella: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/ It might be even more desirable and less tiring to slow your pace and plan to camp put some nights instead of staying in the huts (if the weather is pleasant). Most places, except when journeying across the tops, there are plenty of trees to swing a hammock - and if you are near a stream, there is the likelihood of fresh fish for supper - or breakfast!
Dawn breaks through clouds over Lake Hauroko
I find the Backcountry Navigator App and the NZ Topo maps which are free, really useful for keeping track of just where you are: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/nz-topo-maps-app-for-hiking-in-nz/ You can switch the GPS on on your phone to check this from time to time, leaving it usually in the default GPS off and Flight mode to conserve batteries. This way you would not walk past the hut, and might have a feed of fish as well. The Halfway Hut may be the last hut in NZ which has the old-style open fire places which were so warming and efficient. The new 'green' stoves are absolutely hopeless. I am not convinced they put out any warmth at all for a large expense of effort and fuel. You certainly cannot cook anything on top of them, or even warm it.
You should also download (to your phone) the map here: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/dusky-track/ and the brochure here: http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/dusky-track-brochure.pdf so that you can study them beforehand and refer to them as you go along.
Especially
in autumn there are often long periods of high pressure where you can walk for
days without taking your raincoat out of your pack. I have found Elders 28 day
Rainfall forecast for the bottom of
Finally a beautiful clear day as we chug North towards the Hauroko Hut and the beginning of the Dusky Track.
Most
folk walk from South to North, ie from
Johan & Namu tied up at the mouth of the Hauroko Burn
It
is also possible to do shorter sections of the track by availing oneself of
‘back loads’ on helicopters or the ‘Wings and Water’ float plane (http://www.wingsandwater.co.nz/ )
which operates a ‘regular’ service to Supper Cove at the head of the Fiord. It
can land in many other places in Fiordland too, such as
The Hauroko Hut, a comfortable hut a minute's walk from the lake and the burn.
Boat transport to the Hauroko Hut is usually organised with Johan and Joyce at Lake Haoroko Tours https://www.wjet.co.nz/pages/lake-hauroko-tours/ and bus transport to meet with them at the Clifden suspension bridge with Trips and Tramps https://tripsandtramps.com/product-detail/dusky-track-transport Johna & Joyce also operate a jet boat on the Wairaurahiri River (as does another operator) which has to be just about the best jet boat ride in the world (and a convenient way to begin or end the wonderful South Coast Track (see eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/south-coast-track-fiordland-nz-dellas-version/) You would probably leave your car at the long-term car-park at View St, Pearl Harbour, Manapouri, or you can catch a bus back to Te Anau from there.
The Track begins.
Track
times are pretty fluid as with many NZ tracks. For reasonable fit people of my
age (68) it is rare for a section to take less than six hours, and some will
take more than 8. If you have a late start here, it might be better to wait
until next morning so you won't have to hurry. That way you could also do some
trout fishing in the Burn which the track parallels for many hours. It is
possible to walk along in the stream in many places, then rejoin the track - if
the water levels are low. The sign on leaving the
The Hauroko is a beautiful little trout stream.
With more delights around every corner.
The first 3/4 of an hour after leaving the hut you are walking along on basically river flats quite by the true right bank of the Burn more or less until you come to a walk wire on a side burn. After that the track climbs and the tree hopping begins. Nonetheless it is fairly easy going until you arrive at the walk wire near the junction of the Gardner Burn. After that the track climbs around a gorge and the going gets pretty rough for an hour or so until you come out onto the flats along the Burn again (now the true left). You have nearly two hours walking along here until you come to the hut, set back a little from the stream so that you might not see it if you were walking in the stream fishing, for example.
The track begins to climb after you cross this pretty side burn.
There are some lovely views still down to the river.
And it is not without beautiful 'ents'.
It is a magical path.
Then
you come to the
After
the
Once you break out onto the flats again you could easily walk along in the stream fishing for your tea.
Bracket fungi make excellent fire starters when dry: some fine examples.
My daughter Irralee at the Halfway Hut 2009.
A note on getting lost: From time to time you will lose the track markers. probably about twice a day! There are many deer paths, and many wrong turnings others have taken to follow. As soon as you realise you have lost sight of the markers, Stop. Before ever thinking of panicking, have a cup of tea. My mother Marie always advised this, and it is damned good advice. Spending s a little time doing something else, then being warmed by a refreshing 'cuppa' does wonders to allay fears and settle your thinking. Consult your map. Try to work out where the track must be. Often the track follows one side of a stream or another. Try to remember when you were last on track, and how far back you think you went wrong. Try to remember the last little bit of your path. Mark your current position so you can find it again, eg by a small cairn, breaking branches, etc. Backtrack to where you think you went wrong, marking or at least noting your route as you go (so you don't get even more lost). You shouldn't ever be more than a hundred metres from where the last marker was unless you were really wool gathering and there was a very pronounced deer path (or etc) you have followed.
Sometimes it will be the way ahead that is unclear (even if you have the markers behind you.) Again, try to work out (from your map and the lay of the land) where the track must go. Make little forays forward and back to your marked position along obvious routes until you find the path ahead. If this does not work, try forays (back and forth) a little further off what you thought was the 'line' of the track until you find it. If you are starting to panic, have another cuppa! Unfortunately the 'obvious routes' are not always correct There are a couple of places (eg one below Loch Marie as the track skirts the huge slip which created the Loch) where the track switchbacks unexpectedly, and the markers are missing or hard to see, yet lots of folks have forged straight ahead making a very pronounced path where the real path is just about impossible to see. Remember that whoever fixed the markers ensured that you could always see one before or behind when they nailed them to the trees. I know many will have fallen off, but if you are 'lost' and careful, you should after less than 100 metres find one leading one way or another. You should by now have refound the track.
If you really find it impossible to follow the track in one direction, then follow it in the other. It is better to give up the idea of completing the track than to die! In the (very) unlikely event that you cannot find the track in either direction, go back to the map and try to work out where the track must be (eg it is roughly following the true right bank of a stream. If you follow the stream you will find it again (eg at a walk wire where it crosses). Be very careful walking off-track as the ground often has large holes which can open up beneath you. This whole area is an ancient moraine. You are much better carefully trying to find your own way out of a situation like this than immediately setting off an Epirb/Plb which might not work from the location you find yourself in - or the batteries might be flat! I carry both a satellite phone and a satellite messenger/Epirb hybrid (such as this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/). However both may fail, whilst you should always have your wits about you! You should in any case have let someone know your intentions and when/where to start looking for you. If you have a shelter and warm clothing, and do not stray even further from the general position of the track, you will be found alive, or you will find your own way out.
Perhaps
the worst places to get lost are on the tops (which are often not as well
marked as they might be). Frequently you cannot see the way ahead (especially
in heavy rain, fog or cloud). You need to take extra care in those sections as
it is colder, windier and harder to find shelter. Some folks decide they will
walk all the way from
The Elusive Fiordland Moose: Along the way there is sporadic moose sign if you are alert and keen eyed. Nothing else could reach up 2.5-2.7 metres (8-9'), break off branches as thick as your thumb and strip them, or devour all the lower vegetation of their favourite broadleaf plants, or systematically bark trees, or leave footprints as big as a cow's.These solitary leviathans yet roam these forests unseen.
This coprosma has been systematically broken off about 2.5 metres up.
And this.
Broadleafs have commonly been stripped to this height.
They like to snack on nutritious bark as they amble along.
Leaving footprints as long as my glasses case. Like this:
Or this.
Someday someone will stumble round a corner onto one and snap its pic. Already two confirmed C21st DNA samples have been collected, and one indistinct photo. It is only a matter of time...
You are now one seventh of the way - More installments to come...
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/off-to-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2009/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-nz-with-bryn/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-april-2007/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-for-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-dusky-adventures/
24/04/2017: Astonishing
images of hand-carved food: https://www.instagram.com/gakugakugakugakugaku1/
24/04/2017: The Great Buster
Keaton: 100 years ago this comic genius made his first film, ‘The Butcher
Boy’. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxQveXScnbY Perhaps his greatest ever film was
‘The General’, 1926. If you have never seen it, do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilPk-SCHv30
15/04/2017: A Hummingbird in the Hand: I just took delivery of these fabulous new ultralight hammocks. One, (the lightest of course -147 grams) will be coming with me on my upcoming Dusky Track adventure. I would not be ‘betting my life’ on one for ten days in the wilderness unless I had every confidence they are a superior product.
These
are the cleverest and best engineered hammocks I have seen – and I’ve seen (and
made!) a lot of hammocks. They are made from reserve grade parachute
nylon and are designed, engineered and built to rigging specifications -
meaning you can be confident their weight ratings will not fail you.
Button
End.
The suspension system and button-link connectors are brilliant. The suspension system weighs just two ounces (60 grams) and is easily attached with the button-links. I know I could probably reduce the weight a fraction (maybe 20 grams) by replacing the ultra-light webbing with dyneema, but as this would harm the trees more, I hardly think it is worth it. Chris & Kathy have worked out the design and parameters of these hammocks just about perfectly. They have also ensured that everything packs down into the smallest imaginable packages for stowing in your ultralight pack.
Ultralight Whoopie Sling.
However, you know I can’t stop tinkering: I have already added dyneema gear loops to each end of mine so I can attach bits and pieces there instead of leaving them on the ground overnight – and I have added an adjustable centre line (these added 8 grams) to a see if I can achieve ‘the perfect hang’, though I am pretty sure the folks at ‘Hummingbird’ have so designed the hammock that you lie pretty flat in it, and the sides don’t press in too much – more about that later.
Ultralight Tree Strap Suspension System - 30 grams/1 oz each end!
They have three sizes of ultralight hammocks: Single 147 grams/5.2 oz - weight rated: 136 kg/300lb, Single + 210 grams/7.6oz – weight rated: 158kg/350lb, and Double 289 grams/10.2oz weight rated: 181kg/400lb. I will be using their Single ultralight hammock as emergency sleeping quarters in Fiordland (in case of flooding), and I might do some off-trail camps as well, as I usually do. It will also be excellent (along with my cuben tarp) for eating lunch on those (inevitable) wet days. Look out for a full(er) review on my return home.
Chris & Kathy also sell many hammock accessories (such as tarps eg ‘Heron’ from 243 grams/8.6oz) to complete your hammock home. All their gear is competitively priced given the high quality of their products.
'Heron' tarp.
Check out their page here: https://hummingbirdhammocks.com/
15/04/2017: 19 Gram Dyneema Camp Shoes: I just finished making this pair of ultralight camp shoes for my Dusky track walk which I start on Monday. They are made from 3.6oz/yd2 Dyneema fabric. Paired with a pair of down socks from https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-socks/ (approx 50 grams per pair), I should have nice dry, warm feet at the end of what is usually a fairly wet slog each day. I will post the pattern and instructions when I get back (promise).
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fifteen-gram-blue-foam-flip-flop/
15/04/2017: Kim
Jong-un has about a week to live: You just don’t tangle with ‘The Don’. Watch
him sort out a heap of ‘impossible’ problems left over by the ineffectual,
indeed quisling Clinton/Obama maladministration. Last week he was showing Assad
and Putin who was boss. This week
15/04/2017: Terrorists
are seeking a cost-of-living (dying?)
15/04/2017:
14/04/2017: Camper Crane: As you know we have a slide on camper for our Defender. These usually come with detachable wind-up legs which are quite awkward to operate. I decided to instead suspend the camper on this crane arrangement in the old dairy for easy installation/removal. In addition, I bolted some 4”x4”s to the floor so that the truck would be forced into exactly the right position when I wanted to place the camper on it, then it is a quick and simple matter to bolt it to the deck. A couple of minutes and we are off on our next trip . See you!
Camper suspended above tray height. There
is a crane (red above) at each of four corners.
The camper is connected to the crane with
eye bolts and chain.
Detail from above.
This is quite a simple arrangement and really makes it enormously easier to fit the camper to the truck. I recommend you do something similar. I bought these cranes from eBay for about $150 each.
14/04/2017: Discernment
or Discrimination: Back when I was a teacher, it was easy to see where ‘bad
teachers’ often went wrong: they just could not tell the difference between
‘good students’ and ‘bad students’ and insisted on ‘punishing’ the former and
being lenient to the latter. The result: chaos, lots of discipline problems and
poor learning outcomes for all. You were probably all in such a class at some
time in your school career. Mercifully, usually such teachers usually did not
stay long. Our social policies such as justice, immigration and welfare have
long suffered from the same syndrome. We punished the legal owners of firearms
with draconian laws, for example for the atrocious misdeeds of a tiny minority
of illegal firearm owners, when such upright citizens are the very folk whose
every help society needs most. This lack of discernment by John Howard (and
others) after
14/04/2017: ‘I discovered that much of what the IPCC and
the media were telling us was sheer nonsense and was not even supported by any
scientific facts and measurements.’ https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/04/12/perspective-needed-time-to-identify-variations-in-natural-climate-data-that-exceed-the-claimed-human-co2-warming-effect/
13/04/2017: My post from two
years ago today: Meaningless
Universe: Far too many young folks think so – but they are wrong! I woke in
the night having a philosophical dream, the result of a mis-spent youth at
Sydney Uni perhaps. Its motto, ‘Sidere Mens Eadem Mutato’ (Horace = 'the stars change,
the mind remains the same’) has a deep resonance with me still. What a
privilege it was for Della and I to attend that great institution (in its
heyday!) courtesy perhaps of our and Menzies ‘Commonwealth Scholarship’?) I yet
remember many night-time conversations (I was a
night student all my University studies) with our greatest philosopher the
(late) David Armstrong outside his rooms underneath ‘the tree in the quad’, the
tree which was planted (as was the quad - to mirror Bishop Berkeley’s tree
& Oxford Uni). The tree which remained, as it was ever perceived by God.
David was the C20th greatest Empiricist. A privilege also to have been his
student. Certainly he would not have found the universe meaningless; indeed (as
my dream concluded) such a concept is impossible. Only a hypothetical universe
without an observer would (necessarily) be; ours could not! It may even be ‘the
best of all possible worlds’ as Leibniz maintained. Certainly, despite even
this trick knee, the prospect of a week’s walking (hobbling) in the wondrous
enriching forests of Fiordland leads me to conclude, it is!
12/04/2017:
The chimney. The blue and white "Gentlemen" sign was
found in the debris on the concrete slab and is fired enamel on steel.
The Fireplace.
Tag inside chimney.
Evidence of split timber formwork in chimney construction. Fireplace.
Henry Short and Robert Hoddles oil and water colour paintings
of
Main fall
12/04/2017: The ABC is
seriously out of control. Their contrived ‘stories’ are too often offensive
to intelligent observers, (such as the beat-ups over Donvale or Indonesian
abattoirs) but warning jihadists that Pauline Hanson was soon to visit
Afghanistan is wantonly evil. Our politicians deserve our nation’s protection –
we can decimate them at the polls, not some lunatic in a hijab: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/abc-declared-war-on-hanson-she-now-pulls-gun/news-story/e36b740677fcf6aa7f7da89565db6370
12/04/2017: Expect the
end of women’s sport: If you’re a talented young male athlete and you want
to make absolutely certain you win track and field events, here’s a perfect
strategy http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/run-like-a-girl/news-story/e429b4e1f2fbf64693c144aedce8d369
11/04/2017: More Dusky
Adventures: I start on the track on Monday for ten days. As you travel to
work on Monday, you can imagine me at the same time standing on the deck of a
small boat (Nimu) chugging across beautiful
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/off-to-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2009/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-nz-with-bryn/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-april-2007/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-for-fiordland/
11/04/2017: Ultralight Travel Toothbrush: Not an ultralight hiking toothbrush perhaps. For that most folks cut their standard toothbrush in half, but this one is really good for travel, being very slim, compact and light and giving very nearly as good a result as a rechargeable such as the Braun or OralB, but without needing a power socket or all that extra space/weight. It is also very comfortable and non-slippery to the hand. Colgate® 360°® Optic White™ Battery-Powered Toothbrush: 36 grams inc battery, comes in Soft and Medium. I have tried a heap of battery powered toothbrushes over the years: this one is by far the best, smallest and lightest. At that weight too I have no doubt some people will take it (and some floss) hiking too. The floss can come in handy for repairs, or for fishing: http://www.colgate.com.au/en/au/oc/products/toothbrush/colgate-360-optic-white-battery-powered-toothbrush
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/self-threading-needles/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fishing-with-floss/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/four-gram-fishing-handlines/
11/04/2017: ‘Any
means-tested welfare payment provides an incentive to be poor’. Nick Cater.
Just repeat this over and over to yourself until you get it:. Our Governments
waste most of our money. Mostly they waste it on bludgers whom we would not
give the time of day to, let alone a helping hand. A helping boot up the arse,
maybe! And they throw the money at these wastrels without expecting a sou in
return! Wickedly poor investment strategy. Disastrous moral policy. Government
should be about ensuring that people become their
best selves, not reinforce folks in being their worst selves. If you keep on
rewarding bad behaviour, which is what almost all ‘welfare’ is, you will be
repaid with plenty more of it. Apart from our money being thrown away on
welfare per se (35% of the Budget!), most of the remainder also goes to
‘service’ these same folks; other big ticket items include: Public transport
(2%), Justice (?%), Education (8%), Health (16%), the Public Service (6%),
public Media ($2 billion!), Recreation (seriously, 1%) Housing 2% Interest 5%
(and rising!) Some of these items are even more (mis) represented in State
Government Budgets (particularly, Justice, Education, Public Transport. Less
than 5% is spent on Defence or other worthwhile projects. Over two thirds is
spent on welfare with no meaningful return, not even gratitude. This is charity
gone mad! We need to decrease spending and taxes! Here’s a graphic indicating
totals and percentages from the 2013 Budget: http://www.abc.net.au/…/interactive-budget-2013-whe…/4682404
11/04/2017: How Mad is
the Left?
10/04/2017: You may want to get a pet raccoon after this: https://laughingsquid.com/two-raccoons-hilariously-playing-with-soap-bubbles/
10/04/2017: Guy Builds Water
Cooled, 72,000 Lumen LED Flashlight and Takes it for a Nighttime Stroll: http://twistedsifter.com/videos/water-cooled-72000-lumen-led-flashlight/
10/04/2017: Oh Wow: The Difference Between Sex Change Operations and Severing Spinal Cords: http://moonbattery.com/?p=82894
10/04/2017: This is what happens as a consequence of letting folks flood into your country and ultimately taking it over, as happened in SA – there were no Bantu there when Europeans arrived and for 300 years thereafter, only Bushman and Hottentots who are not responsible for these awful crimes. The Bantu were C19th invaders (Remember ‘Zulu’ – who were one such tribe?) We will face the same sort of horror here in time (apart from losing our country) if we continue with our current indiscriminate immigration policies: http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/bury-them-alive-white-south-africans-fear-for-their-future-as-horrific-farm-attacks-escalate/news-story/3a63389a1b0066b6b0b77522c06d6476
09/04/2017: Super Simple Trail Meal: Take one packet of Ainsley Harriot's Spice Sensation Cous Cous (100 grams) 1492 kj (352 calories) plus ½ packet (65 grams) Craisins Fruit & Nut Trail Mix 1389 kj(332 calories) Totals (165 grams) 2881 kj (684 calories) = 4.14 calories per gram. Just boil 2/3 of a cup of water (approx 6 mls meths) and add to the couscous, stir and wait a couple of minutes for it to fluff up, toss through the trail mix. Eat. Delicious!
09/04/2017: Extraordinary: Falling Sea Level: The Critical Factor in 2016
09/04/2017: ‘One Ring to Bind Them’.
The odious oppression of the ‘elites’: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/a-ring-to-bind-them-to-their-masters-will/news-story/6a710e43b48faea4d49b601cb160cdf2
08/04/2017: The
Thylacine Returns: Here’s hoping that ‘Tassie’ follows the Night Parrot and
other such ‘beasties’ back from extinction. We once tried to hunt ‘The
Inverloch Tiger’ with hounds, but the hounds just would not give chase, and
only behaved very strangely. Perhaps this was because it really was something
different (from the foxes and deer they were used to trailing) - as I
understand hounds have to be specially trained eg to hunt big cats such as
mountain lions in the
08/04/2017: This is a great idea: Before you climb onto the ‘support’ bandwagon for some (new) Government initiative, ask yourself whether the ‘poor taxpayer’, ‘the woman in the street’ really wants her money thrown away on this latest boondoggle: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/the-poor-taxpayer-test/
08/04/2017: A letter to Malcolm: Thanks for the blackouts to come: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/04/turnbull-andrews-achievements-1000-unemployed-prices-up-blackouts-coming/
07/04/2017: Turnbullus Pachdermus: The Liberal Party seems to have found every reason for last year’s election debacle except the two obvious ones: the absence of Tony Abbott and the presence of Malcolm. Conservative voters loathe Turnbull (just as most everyone loathes Shorten). Please, hurry up and give us a proper PM!
07/04/2017: ‘Nihil ex nihilo’
(‘Nothing from nothing’) used to be a popular saying, mostly followed by ‘ergo
Deum’ (‘Therefore God’). For long this approach: the attempt to understand and
explain the ‘Universe’ by reason (once, alone) was supplanted gradually by ‘the
scientific method’ (or ‘epistemology’ in philosophical terms, ie that which
‘we’ can apprehend with the senses). Of course the former reasoning was shown
(reductio ad absurdum) to be fallacious in that, if used as a ‘proof’ of the necessity of a ‘God’ it also required the
existence of prior ‘things’ to create ‘God’ and so on ad infinitum. The
religious mentality resiled at the idea of the ‘Big Bang’ ie the ‘universe’
coming into existence out of ‘nothing’, but there IS definitive scientific proof
of ‘things’ coming into existence out of ‘’nothing’ (as required by Quantum
Theory). In ‘reality’ the exact amount of matter/energy appearing ‘out of
(discrete ‘quantities’) of nothing’ has been measured and quantified by
physicists today (and may even one day provide all our energy needs!) Only so
much can be learned by reason; even then you have to be very careful of the
truth of ‘axioms’ , first principles, premises – and also of the validity of
the argument…
07/04/2017: The concept of natural 'balance' or 'harmony' was always a silly, unsupported quasi-religious concept - I always preferred Shakespeare's 'nature red in tooth and claw' personally. But it is encouraging to see this study showing that without intervention natural systems decline - much like the paucity we see in 'old growth' forests as compared with the profligacy we observe in secondary regrowth: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/balance-of-nature.aspx
06/04/2017: Catching Your Breath - Walking Uphill: I am often gob-smacked by just how bright Willis Eschenbach is, but THIS observation was astonishing. Could breathing OUT more combat the breathlessness you get by strenuous walking uphill. I tried this out on my recent hunting trip, and it’s TRUE. I was able to walk in one go to the top of hills I normally have to pause several times to ascend and arrive completely NOT out of breath. Try it yourself: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/23/catching-my-breath/
The 'Road' to Lobuche.
'He said “You’re not breathing out enough.”
He explained that particularly when we’re swimming, but also with any exercise, people usually end up panting, taking very rapid, shallow breaths. We focus on breathing in, on forcing more air into our lungs. He said that the way to break that habit was simple—when you start running short of air, don’t mess with the in-breath, just breathe out for one count longer.
He pointed out that when we swim or run, we usually fall into a pattern. With me, when I swam I breathed out and then took an in-breath with every alternate stroke of my arms. He said when I ran short of air, there was no need to mess with the in-breath—what I had to do was just add one more beat to the out-breath. So for example, if I was running, I was in the habit of breathing in for two steps and out for two steps. When I started running out of breath, I needed to lengthen my out-breath to three steps … and then if that wasn’t enough, lengthen the out-breath to four steps, and so on.
And that was it. There’s no need to make any alteration to the in-breath, we’re all really good at that part. Filling up the lungs isn’t the problem, it’s emptying the lungs.'
Another useful breathing technique: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/breathing-trick-that-puts-you-to-sleep-in-seconds/
First Published on: Sep 29, 2013
06/04/2017: Breathes
There The
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
'This is my own, my native land!'
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned,
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonoured, and unsung.
06/04/2017: The recent
06/04/2017: Gillian
Triggs. What a monster! More horror from the woman who left her child to
die: “Sadly you can
say what you like around the kitchen table at home,”
If only she could do something to stop it, she would! Our hero! She has a plan:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/first-cartoons-next-your-kitchen/news-story/880bf98cb923a34127a1feca9dec36a4
& http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/triggs-would-turn-your-kids-into-informers/news-story/293d514f077fc12c9a39a61b46f22d22
& http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/numbers-details-concealed/news-story/cf980c9cef9329f6f50dcd05776d9253
05/04/2017: Breathing Trick That Puts You to Sleep in Seconds: I always go straight to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, but I know some people toss and turn, especially in the wilds. Here's how to go out to it just like flicking a switch:
1. Before you begin, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth just above your teeth and keep it there throughout the exercise.
2. Exhale completely through your mouth quite forcefully so you make a "whoosh" sound.
3. Close your mouth and inhale quietly and softly through your nose for a mental count of four.
4. Hold your breath and count to seven.
5. Next, exhale completely through your mouth, making another whoosh sound for eight seconds in one large breath.
6. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three times for a total of four breaths.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to/a15524/sleep-breathing-technique/
A good pillow is a big help. here's one I use:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/exped-ultralight-pillow/
Another useful breathing technique: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/catching-your-breath-walking-uphill/
04/04/2017: A Snowflake apogee: The dreadful oppression of transgender women by pussy hats: http://www.dailywire.com/news/14932/transgender-women-are-oppressed-because-pussy-hats-joseph-curl
04/04/2017: Terrible. Another disaster for free speech. When
will we stop putting up with this tyranny? ‘Internationally renowned author and
anti-Islam campaigner Ayaan Hirsi Ali
has cancelled her upcoming tour of
04/04/2017: Not long before his sudden and premature death, Australian Energy Market Operator chief Matt Zema spoke candidly at a private conference of power-industry executives. The enormous subsidies heaped on renewables, he said, mean one thing and only one thing: "The system must collapse": https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2017/04/dead-man-warns-dying-grid/ First day post Hazelwood – Tassie Hydro props up Eastern electricity grid: http://www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=5055
03/04/2017: An early
morning reflection:
03/04/2017: The more things change: ‘Two blokes and a cocker spaniel don’t make a family,’ Paul Keating. John Slater, ‘I hate to break it to the rainbow fascists, but the cause of diversity is poorly served by quashing dissent and publicly humiliating anyone who dares to stand in your way. Two plus two does not equal five, freedom is not slavery and launching a corporate jihad against those whose views differ to your own does not make you tolerant.’ https://spectator.com.au/2017/03/enough-to-drive-you-to-drink/
03/04/2017: Cursive,
phonics, times tables…when will we return to education as the primary goal
in
03/04/2017: Paul is right Pauline: You can end Halal Certification Now: http://pickeringpost.com/story/a-letter-to-pauline-hanson/7037
02/04/2017: Quote of the day: 'Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys'. P J O'Rourke.
02/04/2017: This guy is right: a ‘lone wolf’ who uses encrypted message service
‘WhatsApp’ minutes before his terrorism is not acting alone. The
self-identified
02/04/2017: Gender expression is basically a fashion choice ‘...enshrining certain sorts of pseudo-scientific presuppositions into law.’ Man Self-Identifies as a Hen: https://www.yahoo.com/news/french-human-hen-artist-crack-hatching-eggs-115513513.html & http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/29722-Gender-expression-is-basically-a-fashion-choice.html
02/04/2017: God, save us from Al Gore!
02/04/2017: This chap can wear his feet backwards. Should come in handy sometime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOmElcLQR38
02/04/2017: Merkel. The woman is mad or evil or both: http://www.wnd.com/2017/03/merkels-secret-migrant-deal-with-turkey/
02/04/2017: Saw my first waterspout today! It was only a small one, about a
metre high, and it appeared suddenly while we were gazing at the
01/04/2017: The guy is just wrong. Doesn’t matter what kids read – as long as they read. If you can get them reading comics, magazines or horror stories, just do it: https://pjmedia.com/parenting/2017/03/28/principal-bans-bad-books-that-kids-actually-want-to-read/
01/04/2017: Weird people: ‘Leftists Attack V.P. Mike Pence For Being Loyal to His
Wife!’ I mean no-one surely goes out on ‘dates’ after they are married –
else what is marriage about? http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/03/disgusting-leftists-attack-v-p-mike-pence-loyal-wife/
01/04/2017:
Spot is mesmerised by it too.
Pelican at
Gulls scour the surface watching for minnows rising.
Then drop and pounce.
A family of divers on their morning swim.
A gull combs the surface: So many birds.
31/03/2017: More Gippsland Secrets: Here are another half dozen beautiful Gippsland places that I love
Macailster
Gorge: You will have to canoe down the Macalister from Basin Flat to
Snowy
Bluff: Again this is a walk into one of our fabled 'wilderness areas'. The Mt
Darling-Snowy Bluff Wilderness was set aside by Joan Kirner back in the 1980s.
Few people visit. You walk in from Dimmock's Lookout on the
Wingan
Inlet: Little Cormorants make their home right at the inlet's mouth. You access
this trip (on good gravel roads) from
Combienbar:
In
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippslands-hidden-secrets/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-great-gippsland-circuit/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/beautiful-east-gippsland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-thomson-river-gippsland-victoria/
30/03/2017: Cooking for men? Or you could try Steve's Nepali Dahl Soup. Now with Della’s ‘seal of approval’!
30/03/2017: Expect more of this as the blackouts hit and increase. No doubt Hazelwood could have been (could still be) saved by just such a similar paltry injection of cash. Meanwhile this morning is likely the last day you could have viewed the eerie mists above the Hazelwood Pondage which were such a feature of the farm we owned for years right across the road from it – such that we called it ‘Brigadoon’. No doubt the Barramundi are already beginning to suffer, and will soon die: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/03/sa-premier-turned-down-a-30m-coal-deal-that-could-have-saved-a-billion-dollars/
30/03/2017: So, not all of the Government waste is down to Labour. Turnbull could find some savings by cutting this little piggie from the public teat: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/why-should-taxpayers-fund-a-turnbull-cheer-squad/news-story/09e4425a0748c06c7288ac74986ab7cf
29/03/2017: Hazelwood’s final
day. The AEMO’s final report now blames renewables for the SA
blackout. Many more to come on account of this absolutely mad energy policy -
and right to the last, Hazelwood produced more power constantly and reliably
than all the useless wind generators in
29/03/2017: From Shirt To Puffy: Imagine a light shirt that automatically puffs out into a jacket when the temperatures drop. A textile lab is working on a fabric to do just that. This is a step upwards from the inflatable clothing I have written about before. I think it still has a way to go before it replaces wonderful down garmens such as Montbell’s, but it sure is an interesting development: https://gearjunkie.com/watch-fabric-transform-t-shirt-puffy
Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-shuegwsrI
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/unbearable-lightness-of-being/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/inflatable-insulated-clothing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/montbell/
29/03/2017: Some good news: Brownie The Town Dog's Grave.
Owned by no one but beloved by all, Brownie was a good dog: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/brownie-the-town-dog-grave
29/03/2017: Erdogan, the
Turkish dictator is a serious concern; He said, ‘If
29/03/2017: Perhaps
you can leave it all to the cat: I thought this had all gone out of the
window long ago (under Whitlam) and that Andrews’ new ‘marriage’ rules had been
the final nail in its coffin, but maybe not so. I won’t be changing my will,
but you might think of consulting a solicitor if you think ‘Tiddles’ needs
more; http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/your-will-your-way-thank-the-judge-who-agrees/news-story/e6f9b9b8baf256c180661759414b2e19
28/03/2017: New Ultralight Survival Shelter: Terra Nova Superlite Bothy Bags. There are occasions when you just may not survive unless you have a roof, even when you are planning to arrive at a hut or paid accommodation (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/) If you are not carrying a tent (or even an umbrella See eg http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/ or http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-umbrella-redesigned/) you should think about one off these. This new model from Terra Nova weighs only 253 grams, shaving 100 grams off the one I own. I carried this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/survival-shelter/ on my Everest Base Camp walk (see eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/)
It weighed 350 grams which may seem a lot to haul 5 ½ kilometers into the sky when I didn’t need it! Then again, I haven’t needed a funeral plan yet either, and I’m not complaining! http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tarps-bivis-bothies/all-bothies-bothy-bags/superlite-bothy-2/
Available at Massdrop right now for US$79.99: Superlite Bothy Bag
Superlite Bothy 2
For 2 people
Fabric: 70gsm polyester with PU coating
Silicone-coated fabrics
Dimensions, packed: 5.1 x 4.3 in (13 x 11 cm)
Weight: 8.9 oz (253 g)
If you were sitting on your Neoair Xlite Women's in there on your CycloneChair you should survive the night in warm clothes even if it gets down well below freezing, and the rain is pouring down - otherwise you would die!
Superlite Bothy 4
For 4 people
Dimensions, packed: 7.9 x 4.7 in (20 x 12 cm)
Weight: 14.1 oz (400 g)
28/03/2017: Snow Goose is Good food: Absolutely. I’m sure there are many interesting ‘bush meats’ might be added to that cornucopia too here in Oz. Throw for koala, echidna, platypus…on the barbie: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/29657-A-Snow-Goose-is-good-food.html Includes recipes!
28/03/2017: Malcolm’s Snowy ‘Thought Bubble’ starts to unravel – not that he will get it through the Senate when the Greens realize there will be less water for the environment and that the three spotted newt may suffer mental disfunction as a result! The $2 billion would be far better spent rescuing Hazelwood and replacing/refurbishing it with up-to-date ‘clean coal’ technology. The first two generators were turned off yesterday. Generator 6 had been running constantly for over 49 years! Three more cease today, another three tomorrow. Last night we had blackouts in Morwell and Traralgon to ‘celebrate’. Many more to come. I am investigating the DIY Junkyard Battery: http://newatlas.com/junkyard-battery-scrap-metals/46273/?li_source=LI&li_medium=default-widget
Ron Pike, retired irrigation farmer and water consultant writes: ‘As a retired executive officer, strategic engineering, from the Snowy Mountains Authority, Max Talbot, told the ABC last week: “This appears to be no more than a thought bubble about something we rejected as too expensive over 20 years ago.”
Talbot explained: “Pumped storage hydro requires about 20 per cent more energy to pump the water than is returned to the system when that water is used to generate electricity...
“Therefore it is only commercial when the differential between peak and off-peak prices (is) far greater than 20 per cent.”....
As Talbot pointed out, this scheme was considered and dismissed in the 1980s...
To generate the additional 2000MW of power the PM claims this scheme could produce would require pumping at least 1000 megalitres of water every day back up to Tantangara Dam from Talbingo Dam, a lift of more than 600m. The power required to do this in the hours of off-peak load is almost 15 per cent of the total NSW baseload production.’ Sack Turnbull Today!
28/03/2017: Safe
nuclear waste disposal: This series on the secrets of nuclear energy have
been just great: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/03/26/fear-of-nuclear-part-3/
28/03/2017: ‘It appears that at least one person has perjured himself over this and that one person is FBI Director Comey. There’s no way to square his testimony with these new revelations. The best he can do is split hairs and claim he was not part of the spying effort. Of course, there’s no way to touch him as he runs the FBI. In fact, there’s no way to investigate any of the intelligence organizations. This is the point where many of the robot historians of the future will say the American political class murdered itself.’ The death throes of American democracy... http://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=9899
27/03/2017: Astronaut
who walked on the moon: ‘why I know aliens haven’t visited Earth’. I
thought it was a great headline too. I really liked his argument. But there is
much more to
27/03/2017: Ultralight
Keyboard Warriors: I took a side-trip to Reddit to re-post some of my
ideas/adventures thinking ‘like minded’ people there might be interested,
people at such sub-reddits as Bushcraft, Ultralight, Wilderness Backpacking,
Camping and Hiking for example. You would think so, wouldn’t you? There was
considerable interest from the readership, as you might imagine.
Unfortunately, like much of the media, these ‘sub-reddits’ are
controlled by a small clique of control-freaks and extremists – by and large
very rude people as well! Even though I sought (and gained) prior approval to
share these posts from their ‘moderators’, nonetheless they were universally
condemned and/or removed by the moderators and their extremist allies even
though clearly the great majority of Reddit readers (ie 19 out of every 20)
just came over for a look and most stayed for a much longer visit –and I thank
them for it! The clique staged a massed campaign of ‘down-voting’ as
well as frivolous, rude and contemptuous commenting – this from folk who have
not a shadow of our bush experience - and much of it carried on in secret (from
the 'community') in that it occurred after my posts were taken down in
contravention of an expressed promise otherwise. I should mention that neither
the moderator at MYOG or Trail Meals acted like this, indeed quite the contrary
(and thank you) - but there are many negative commentators nonetheless who
serve only to alienate people like me from engaging with Reddit.
If such social media is to persist, the 95% need to wrest control
from the 5%, else it will ultimately fail, or society itself will fail. This
extremist ‘cell’ revolutionary method has ever been the means by which
democracy has been overthrown by fascists, communists and other enemies of
society. Evidently much the same behaviour applies also at Twitter. Facebook
(with its emphasis on ‘liking’) seems much friendlier. Pinterest and Instagram
even moreso.
Needless to say, I will be abandoning Reddit. It is (at least as
presently constituted) a quite anti-social ‘social medium’, and I suggest you
also avoid it, as it is likely only to upset you, as it has me. I will
concentrate on improving the acessability of my site.
I noticed, whilst this was going on, that for some mysterious reason
Word Press has shrunk nearly all my photos (some so that they are almost
impossible to make out). It is a mysterious vehicle. Apparently you can click
on them to see a larger version, but I’m sure people would like a larger,
clearer image at the outset – so, I will work my way gradually through the nearly
900 posts and enlarge all the photos, many thousands of them. This may take
some time, and naturally posting will be a bit lighter while I get this done.
I also noticed that the meta tags (at the bottom of each post -
which is what helps the search engine find the post when you do a search for a
particular topic) are missing on most of my posts. A search engine therefore
might not find some of my ‘camp shoe’ or
‘
Oh, and thank you for your continuing support (including many
messages of such) here at ‘The Ultralight Hiker’. So far I have only ever had
one slightly negative comment which was down to poor wording rather than malice
– which is nice. As I’m sure you understand, this blog is ‘a labour of love’.
Such support is appreciated.
Meanwhile, my wonderful new NBN interent connection is playing up
again (as always) and is just so slow. I need to see if I can negotiate with
the ISP/NBN to get this improved. The ‘information super highway’ is just
crawling along here…No doubt others have the same problem.
27/03/2017: Turnbull
is still 10 points behind in the latest Ipsos Poll. He is dead meat. He
must be replaced by Tony Abbott this week so Hazelwood (and our power supplies)
can be saved. Ring a pollie today.
27/03/2017: Control, censor, ban or kill. That is the first recourse of tyrants of the Left and their Moslem ‘allies’, not debate or dialogue You will remember how they successfully banned Geert Wilders’ visit (representing the largest bloc in the Dutch Parliament). Now they seek to ban this lady too who has suffered so much already from Islam, not the least being mutilation. She need to be celebrated, not crucified. Of course she already has a fatwah against her, and must have 24 hour protection: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/against-ayaan/news-story/0da954e3981afca7012038d06b394dc8
See
also: ‘Western intellectuals accuse the liberal from the Muslim world of being
a racist against Muslims, or an Islamophobe, or a “native informant” and a tool
of imperialism. Sometimes they accuse the liberal from the Muslim world of
stupidity, too, or lack of talent. This was Salman Rushdie’s experience in the
years after he came out with The Satanic Verses, back in 1988, which he has
described in his memoir Joseph Anton. The experience of Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
originally from
26/03/2017: Too true:
'With all the many problems facing the biosphere (man being its parasite in
chief), the arrival in the Dutch parliament of the Party for the Animals is a
small step forward—but it is not enough. Everyone knows (or ought to know) that
man could not live for a day, for a second, without bacteria. I therefore hope
and expect before the end of my life to see the emergence of a Bacterial
Liberation Front, to save bacteria from the ravages of antibiotics.' http://takimag.com/article/worms_have_rights_too_theodore_dalrymple#axzz4cL99Dcz7
26/03/2017: Environmentalists Aren’t Just Wrong. They’re Loathsome And Evil Too: I have to agree with Delingpole: Folks who are already responsible for 100 million unnecessary deaths (from malaria) on account of their hyped DDT ban, and who would like to see one third of humanity starve to death or all the remaining wilderness in the world destroyed (which would be the consequence of returning to 'organic' agriculture) are just not nice. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/25/delingpole-environmentalists-arent-just-wrong-theyre-loathsome-and-evil-too/
26/03/2017: I think
folks who vote for Labor & the Greens should have to pay a larger
proportion of their income in tax to help pay for their spendthrift ideas.
So long as I am being forced to pay, I want none of their policies - or their
debts! Problem is, most of the Lefties don't pay any tax, do they? It’s so easy
spending other people’s money.
25/03/2017: A judge in
the
25/03/2017: Lone (or
lobo) wolf attacks. Nothing can be done?
25/03/2017: How do you turn corn into cars? ‘If capitalism – which is to say, human ingenuity set free to follow its own natural course – is a kind of social machine, then politicians are something like children who take apart complex machines without understanding what they do or how to put them back together. (At their worst, they are simply saboteurs.) When they rail against capitalism, automation, trade, and the like, they resemble nothing so much as those hominids at the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey, shrieking hysterically at something that is simply beyond their comprehension.’ This is a truly great essay: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/445938/jobs-prosperity-capitalism-should-focus-latter
24/03/2017: Trump chose well with Rick Perry: From a 2016 interview:
‘Kimmel:
"You once shot a coyote while jogging."
Texas Gov. Rick Perry: "True."
Kimmel: "You jog with a gun?"
Perry: "I do interviews with a gun."’
24/03/2017: Trump
vindicated: Further to Comey’s ‘inadvertent’ admission (22/3) I also notice
one of the
24/03/2017: Save Hazelwood, bring back Abbott: I see this morning Tony backing my idea of the Federal Government taking over our beautiful power station in order to protect us from the many blackouts we are certain to have next summer and in the future generally, maybe even this winter if it is a bad one. Ring a pollie today!
24/03/2017: Heaven knows I don’t much like Malcolm Turnbull, but the piece of scum who is being offered up to us by the Labor Party as his alternative is much more than beneath contempt. A thief, a liar and a rapist – these all figure largely in his CV! See, eg: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/03/afp-not-keen-to-release-details-on-bill-shortens-apparent-perjury-to-the-giles-royal-commission.html & http://pickeringpost.com/topic/shorten/13
24/03/2017: And then there is there piece of scum the Greens have put up, Mr $3.75/hr: Entirely beneath contempt (and laughable to boot): http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/03/eric-abetz-fires-up-on-loony-greens-after-di-natales-press-club-speech-today.html
23/03/2017: Breakfast
this morning: Growlers on the
The river is just outside the window:
View upstream:
View downstream:
23/03/2017: Ultralight Glasses Case: 12 grams: If you have got to my age (or had other bad luck) you no doubt need glasses. I now wear progressive frameless titanium glasses (14 grams) all the time, but I also need a spare pair in case I lose or break them. The quite lightweight case they came in from Zenni weighs 47 grams (blue below). I knew I could do better. Like this:
As you can see I have also managed to fit in a pair of clip on sunglasses, Weight 4.5 grams eg to prevent snow blindness!
This is 350 ml (12 oz) PET drink bottle I cut down with a craft knife (I should have left a tiny bit more of the neck) and some bubble wrap = 12 grams, a saving over over an ounce ie more than the weight of a muesli bar on the trail, or more than enough weight of fuel (metho) to cook a meal. Every little bit of weight saved helps lighten the load and means you can go a little bit further, easier. I could have even cut down on the (used) bubble wrap a little more.
Here it is compared with my old glasses case.
Indeed switching to these frameless glasses (two pairs) also saved me over an ounce (28.5 grams)! I have simply rolled the glasses up in the bubble wrap and squeezed them through the neck. These flexible titanium frames are quite difficult to break anyway: you can just about stand on them, so they will be fine in the ‘possibles’ bag in my pack.
This ultralight glasses case has been safely stowed (without any due care) in my pack now for over a year and maybe a thousand miles. All its contents came out perfectly for a photo this morning.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-spare-glasses/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/zenni-the-hearing-company/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/securing-hearing-aids/
otions.23/03/2017: The blackouts to come: Understand this: the myth of renewable energy is what is getting us into this mess, but renewables cannot produce energy reliably, cheaply or even with as small an environmental impact as fossil fuel or nuclear. (Think of the pollution and misery involved in the Niobium industry, the millions of dead birds and bats, etc) https://wattsupwiththat.com/…/by-the-numbers-lifetime-perf…/ Meanwhile Hazelwood continues to churn out more electricity per day than all Australia’s wind farms combined, but only for three more days http://joannenova.com.au/…/hazelwood-countdown-53-years-ol…/ unless the Federal Government acts now. Ring a pollie today!
22/03/2017: O’Shanessy
Aquaduct Trail:
It starts/ends at the original weir built in 1914 just below the
current large dam which is probably 20 times the original size. Then continues
for about 40 km until it meets up with the aqueduct from Badger weir
Healesville. You can now walk along the decommissioned section. There is an
internet page about the story. http://oshannassyaqueduct.weebly.com/
‘The trail runs in parallel with the Warburton Rail Trail,
however, the O’Shannassy Trail is set into the mountain ranges, and therefore
provides a different perspective to the environment. Surrounded by tall trees,
and ferns, the trail follows the historic open channelled O’Shannassy Aqueduct,
and allows for spectacular views of the
Warburton is in the middle of the trail. The trail is on the north
side of the Yarra. About 700 metres from the Yarra to the aqueduct on a well
marked path. It's a good alternative to the rail trail and you can also access
the weir from the Warburton -
If you finished the Upper Yarra Track at Big Pats Creek, you could
walk into Warburton, then cross the Yarra and go up hill on
If you are exiting the Upper Yarra Track from Big Pat's Creek Road you could instead of walking towards Warburton turn right and head upriver for a couple of kilometres to Cement Creek road and that takes you to the aqueduct via a place called Redwood Forest that has become really popular and has a huge cleared area for camping plus the clear cement creek. Map available here: http://www.visitwarburton.com.au/activity/oshannassy-aqueduct-trail ’
22/03/2017: Suppose
the Federal Government were to compulsorily acquire Hazelwood next week
using the Emergency Reserve powers of the constitution…the lights would stay
on, the economy wouldn’t falter, unemployment wouldn’t increase, the government
would go up in the polls, the Left would be rightly seen as the wreckers and
extremists they are – after all, practically no-one seriously believes that
(through CO2) humanity is doing any serious harm to the planet. No AGW has yet
been detected. All the evidence so far is that the planet benefits from an
increase in CO2, (the 20% increase in greening is pretty much all the evidence
you would need) whether it is caused by people or not (which is still a moot
point), as we continue to exit the ‘Little Ice Age’ and increasing temperatures
liberate huge amounts of CO2 from the oceans where it has been trapped by cold
for centuries (just like the fizz in your soda bottle!). We can pull back from
this catastrophic brink at the 11th hour. Let’s re-nationalise Hazelwood. It
would cost practically nothing, as its present value is entirely negative to
the current owners – they currently have a bill of billions to decommission it
and restore the open cut. So, at no cost to the government something can be
done which will be of immense benefit to the Australian community. What a
‘win-win’ that is.
22/03/2017: Turnbull
seems to have found his mojo the last few days: the attempt to rework 18c,
his defence of the plebiscite and the ‘omnibus’ Bill are cases in point. It is
difficult to see what sort of morality the Labor party can have in opposing
them – particularly as only days ago we buried free speech martyr, Bill Leak.
His son certainly agrees with me: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/hey-bill-tell-johannes-why-your-law-drove-his-dad-to-his-grave/news-story/2af2bdf7ec92b6857243bb81925c4861
22/03/2017: Clearly Trump is right. Obama had him bugged. Comey couldn’t lie straight in bed: When asked in today’s House Intelligence Committee meeting about President Trump’s tweets that the Obama Administration had put Candidate Trump and his campaign under surveillance, FBI Director James Comey said:
“I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components. The department has no information that supports those tweets.”
But also:
“I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts. As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed.
Because it is an open ongoing investigation and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining.”
And the clincher:
It’s
hard to say because I don’t how much longer it will take. But we’ve been doing
this — this investigation began in late
July, so for counterintelligence investigation that’s a fairly short period
of time.
So, they have been investigating since July. It’s classified. They conduct an investigation without any surveillance…
22/03/2017: The World’s Great Religions: You must have heard this phrase. As if there was anything great about any religion! What’s so great about delusion, self-deception, the diversion of immense assets and effort to fantastic goals, the subjugation of billions to falsity and hatred? ‘Good manners should deter us from insulting other people over their faiths on most occasions…But these are not normal times. And the one occasion when good manners should not determine our actions is when others threaten us with death or maiming if our speech offends their faith. We are then under an obligation to defend free speech, if not by blaspheming ourselves, then at least by protecting the right to blaspheme expressed in the speech of fellow citizens. Not only does the right to free speech include the right to offend, moreover; it is largely meaningless without that right. Speech that offends no one requires no protection. Indeed… the right to be offended is also an important right because, even if we are reluctant to admit the fact, it frees us from the prison of unconsidered opinion and the prejudices of our own religious-cum-ideological community’: http://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2015/03/pieties-perils/
21/03/2017: The Ultralight Trail Baker: You can make a baking stand (‘the Flashbaker’) out of aluminium flashing. You just need to cut a circle a little smaller than your pot and leave three approx 1 ½” ‘legs’ on the outside of the disc which you fold down to support whatever you are cooking. (OK, this one has four legs!) This works well with a thick dough. I have often made ‘damper’ in my cook pot with such an arrangement. My original flashing ‘baker’ weighs 13.5 grams.
L to R: Snowpeak 1400 ml Titanium Cook pot Frypan Lid, Brasslite Turbo 1D Stove, Brasslite Traillbaker, ‘Flashbaker’, Evernew Titanium Sierra Cup, Snowpeak 1400 ml Titanium Cook Pot
Or you can also buy Brasslite’s excellent ‘Trailbaker’ here: http://brasslite.com/products/brasslite-trailbaker/ which weighs 50.5 grams. It would be possible to make a suspension system for an Evernew Titanium Sierra Cup (Weight 63.5 grams) which does the same thing – and doubles as a cup (Remember the ‘Hot Lips’ though: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hot-lips/). Some titanium windscreen material (if it had enough holes in it) or lightweight weldmesh rolled into a cylinder ends joined with a paper clip would probably ‘do the trick’ or a circle of thin wire with three attached hooks for suspension from the top of the billy.
I gave up cooking 'bread' on the trail maybe ten years ago - just got so many other recipes happening I guess, and was finding it a bit tedious, especially due to advancing arthritis. I find these good for: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lunch-on-the-trail/ Of course another alternative is 'Johnny Cakes' or 'fried scones' - a great colonial Australian favourite, and a favourite with me for many years too!
The ‘Flashbaker’ just goes in your normal cook pot. This is all you need (except for a simmer stove. I use these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/alcohol-simmer-stoves/) You don't need two pots at all, one inside the other. Of course this only worked with a stiff dough which sits on the baking disc or stand. If you want to bake a cake, or something with a runny dough, you will need something like the Trailbaker or Sierra Cup (above)
PS: Use a wad punch to make the baking disc even lighter. I figure you could take off at least 1/3 of its weight to bring it down to say 8 grams! Or you could make the baking disc (The Meshbaker') out of 1 cm stainless steel weld mesh. The holes would distribute the heat better too when baking bread.
I only ever baked bread (or 'damper' usually) usually to use for my lunch the next day, along with eg a sachet of tuna or some peanut butter. It is actually just as easy (and quicker) to make 'Johnny Cakes' or ‘Bannock’, maybe in the traditional way: on a stick! More about them, later…and my damper recipe!
A Reader Writes: ‘Bread on the trail does not have to be messy. Take a sandwich ziplock back and put in the bag
1.5c flour 1/4tsp salt 1/4tsp sugar 1/4tsp dry yeast
On the day you are going to make fresh bread add 3/4c water to the bag and mix the ingredients by kneading through the bag. Once everything is mixed work all the air out of the bag and seal it.
It will need to set for about 6 to 8 hours so you can put it in the top of your pack or leave it sitting at camp. After which the bag will be puffed up. Simply open the bag and dump it into the greased dish you are going to bake it in. Let it rest for about an hour before baking.
I have put it into an old scout pot inside the scout cook set, closed the set and buried it in coals to cook. Takes around 15 to 20 min to cook and you have fresh bread. I have seen people cook it in a used bean can that is put in there cook pot with a couple of rocks in the bottom to keep the bean can off the bottom.
No mess, no hassle, easy and can be made at the start of the hike to have it ready that night.
21/03/2017: Too True Viv: Greens are not only the enemy of the environment but of
humanity & civilisation too: http://pickeringpost.com/story/green-enemies-of-the-environment/6953
21/03/2017: I have
been waiting long for this: Gillard to face perjury charges: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/03/its-important-you-can-explain-to-your-friends-why-gillard-is-facing-charges-over-the-awu-scandal.html
The prosecutions have begun: http://pickeringpost.com/story/slater-gordon-going-down-with-gillard-/6999
They will (eventually) end with Gillard in gaol and stripped of her
parliamentary pension, and with the public reassured that there is justice yet!
http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/03/why-is-blewitt-taking-the-fall-when-chris-pyne-just-spoke-about-gillards-renos-in-parliament.html
20/03/2017: You can
stop Google tracking your every move: http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/how-to-stop-google-tracking-your-every-move/news-story/6abd14e4746da56b10ee4d58d785df80
20/03/2017: How Trump
is dumber than Bernie Sanders: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/03/oops-msnbc-reveals-trump-paid-25-tax-rate-socialist-bernie-sanders-paid-13-tax-rate/
20/03/2017: ‘Textualism is a formalist theory that primarily interprets the law based on the ordinary meaning of the legal text… and not considering non-textual sources such as intention of the law when passed, the problem it was intended to remedy, or significant questions of the justice and rectitude of the law.’ Wow! I think we need more of the plain speaking I spoke about on 16/03/2017: ‘On the ineffable virtues of monosyllables and portmanteau words’: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/i-yam-what-i-yam/
19/03/2017: 2WD Folding
Motorbike: Here’s just the thing to cut up those bush tracks even more – or
you could think about walking, and saving both your money and the bush! http://www.moto2x2.com/en/ & http://newatlas.com/taurus-2x2-2wd-fat-wheel-motorcycle/44616/?li_source=LI&li_medium=default-widget
See
also; http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rokon-scout-a-2wd-motorbike/
19/03/2017: The Kiwis
have a new sport which might soon go viral: wallaby tossing – what could be
more fun: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/national/wa/2017/03/18/nz-man-charged-with-quokka-cruelty.html
19/03/2017: Once again
18/03/2017: Steve’s Nepali Dahl Soup: I made this dahl entirely with dried ingredients so I could make it on the trail. It made over a litre. I had trouble eating half. Very filling, tasty and nutritious. Do try it at home first. I would put the lentils in one small snap-lock bag and all the other dried ingredients in another. This soup will make a welcome change from whatever you are eating now and is very light and cheap to make.
Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
3 ½ cups water
20 grams Hormel dried bacon pieces
1 table milk powder
2 teaas powdered/dried onion
½ packet Tomato cupasoup
½ teas turmeric
1 teas ground gunger
½ teas hot paprika
½ teas garam masala
½ teas coriander
Pinch groundblack papper
2 teas dried chives
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas cumin
Instructions:
Soak lentils 10 + minutes
Add ingredients
Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes.
Salt/pepper &/or curry powder (not needed) to taste
Thicken continental deb mash (not needed)
Comment: Delicious!
18/03/2017: First the fake news (Wilders lost), then the real
news from
18/03/2017: The great
(Polish!) novelist Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) had such a turn of phrase and
depth of perception (and all this genius in his third language makes me feel
tongue-tied!) eg, From the description of Donkin as he boards the Narcissus:
‘Is there a spot on earth where such a man is unknown, an ominous survival
testifying to the eternal fitness of lies and impudence? . . . He was the man
that cannot steer, that cannot splice, that dodges the work on dark nights;
that, aloft, holds on frantically with both arms
and legs, and swears at the wind, the sleet, the darkness; the man who curses
the sea while others work. The man who is the last out and the first in when
all hands are called. The man who can’t do most things and won’t do the rest.
The pet of philanthropists and self-seeking landlubbers. The sympathetic and
deserving creature that knows all about his rights, but knows nothing of
courage, of endurance, and of the unexpressed faith, of the unspoken loyalty
that knits together a ship’s company. The independent offspring of the ignoble
freedom of the slums full of disdain and hate for the austere servitude of the
sea.’ A wonderful review here: https://www.city-journal.org/html/noble-conrad-13625.html
18/03/2017: I remember when I was ‘working class’ and that meant I worked in a factory, as a shop assistant, cleaner, farm labourer, fruit picker, taxi driver, etc. Now that phrase means ‘welfare class’. Immigrants eagerly flock here to take up that sort of work, but many ‘native born’ and ‘natives’ too often disdain it – or anything else that means work. The raw data shrieks at us that we cannot continue on this course: ‘40 per cent of children from jobless households are on welfare by age 20; 39 per cent of children follow their parents’ footsteps and live off the taxpayer; 12 per cent of children under 14 are growing up in jobless families’. Amongst those identifying as ‘aborigines’ the figures are even worse! Here is an instructive tale of two families, one which works and one which will not: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/a-tale-of-two-families-sydneys-work-and-welfare-divide/news-story/6f0d329c7879a1321beb3ebcd0ee323c
17/03/2017: Hoons: Recently we were up near
Toorongo trying to work out a hiking route from Noojee to Tanjil Bren &/or
to Mt Horsefall. (More about that soon!) We walked along this ‘closed’ road
from the Toorongo No 3 Bridge to ‘Rabbit Flat’ (an interesting part of the
world). The road had been ruined by dozens of these huge bog holes caused
jointly by folks not owning a shovel (with which to drain them), no maintenance
by the DOC, and sub-human 4WD ‘hoons’ entertaining themselves with plowing the
road. The puddles were so deep poor Tiny had to swim them.
This kind of madness has
to end. So does the policy of the DOC closing roads rather than maintaining them
– a situation caused by their employing an army of university ‘educated’
bludgers who want to spend all day in offices having meetings or playing at
computer screens or driving round in Hiluxes. Instead they should employ folks
who actually want to do (physical) work (the only kind really) such as driving
4WD tractors and actually fixing the roads and/or creating and maintaining
firebreaks (we have an out of control fire near Caringal this morning in an
area where the tracks have also become impassable) also spraying noxious weeds
and eradicating pest animals.
Neither the ‘hoons’
behaviour, nor the DOC’s strikes me as ‘conservation’ – if the greenies have
not made that a dirty word for you too!
There was also some
17/03/2017: ‘How often
we’ve seen the kind of mad superstitions that have our politicians this week
struggling to keep on our lights and gas. They aren’t really new, these
taboos on coal and fracking. We’ve seen such things before — irrational taboos
on everything from fish and pigs to uranium and genetically modified crops. The
Nuer people of
17/03/2017:
17/03/2017: Unbelievable: Turnbull’s ‘thought bubbles’ come crashing down: his ‘pumped hydro’scheme will consume 20% more power than it produces – as well as denying the rivers the water that farmers and ‘the environment’ need. Now there’s a ‘win-win’ idea! Unfortunately, such nonsense is Turnbull all over: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/turnbulls-plan-costs-more-power-than-it-adds/news-story/9e39d6913799a80a13f3a3ebe982695a
17/03/2017: Cause and Effect are wonderful: The eruption of the Indonesian island of Tambora in 1816 plunged the world into ‘darkness’ for around a year, causing massive crop failures, the year without a summer, and widespread starvation in Europe for example. It also brought us blood-red sunsets and ‘blue moons’ on account of all the red dust in the sky. Also surprisingly it brought us the wonderful novel ‘Frankenstein’ on account of Mary Wolstencraft (Shelley) having to stay indoors all summer due to the colder than normal weather - and needing something to do
17/03/2017: Meliorism:
Some of you may not be familiar with the ‘philosophical’ term Meliorism (Think:
‘ameliorate’); the meliorist insists that something ought to be done (often
whilst the rest of us run around in circles crying, ‘The sky is falling!’); the
meliorists’ solutions are infrequently any better than ‘Chicken Little’s’! The
Left is particularly fraught with meliorists, (hence the ‘nanny state’), but
the disease has infected Conservative ranks too – (as you can see from
Malcolm’s two bizarre ‘renewable energy thought bubbles this week!). So
pressing has the problem of meliorists become, that I am bound to say that
something must be done about them!
16/03/2017: Weird and wonderful: the Strandbeest, a new life form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbWSx_FW9E & www.strandbeest.com
16/03/2017: Being born
is no great achievement – whatever glory it might represent for your father
and mother! You should have no sense of ‘entitlement’ – how I hate that word -
on account of such an apogee of creativity. May I digress? (‘Entitlement’ ie
that which goes with the ‘title’ eg such as a peerage, land title, patent, etc
or something owned and probably earned and purchased – we seem instead to want
to mean by it today a ‘gratuity’ ie something you get ‘for free’) But, to
continue: nothing much should come as a gratuity for just being born –
certainly not citizenship for example, which should be earned – along with all
its responsibilities and any rights which may fall your way. People might value
it somewhat more if they had perforce to earn it. A pension for example, might
rather devolve to you as a result of a lifetime of contributing to the
enhancement and upkeep of your society, (in other words as an emolument) not on
account only of having been born on a certain day – though it would be better
still (for themselves and their society) if folks endeavoured vigorously and
paid their own way! Instead of that we have a culture where every second person
at least sincerely
16/03/2017: On the
ineffable virtues of monosyllables and portmanteau words. A risky way to
begin this digression…Whitehead had something much like this to critique
Wittgenstein with – and rightly so, in my opinion. If something was worth
saying, it can be said with simple enough terms for the educated layman to
clearly understand – if not, it is probably nonsense, as Wittgenstein mayhap
was! I have wondered about an injuction to make such a form of communication
compulsory: to limit the English language to nothing more than a few hundred
simple Anglo-Saxon roots and portmanteaus constructed from them, so that anyone
could immediately
16/03/2017: A revamped Snowy will probably do little to provide more energy (especially if the rains don’t fall) or if its construction is drowned out by the shrieking of snowflakes, greens etc – but we will need electricity now (in April) , as soon as Hazelwood closes, and for a good many years yet until such a project is completed. What is needed is a new base load coal-fired power station gradually replacing Hazelwood - as one is commissioned, the other is de-commisioned! A boon for fisherfolk too, as the barramundi would survive!
15/03/2017:
15/03/2017: ‘
The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah,
love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Some comments & discussion:
Sophocles was maybe alluding to the limits of reason. Reason
is all fine and good but it comes down to values, context, wisdom/choice etc.
All abstract terms that are the base line of meaning. Materialism has its limit
in that it has no meaning.
Love the last stanza too. Especially ‘has neither
joy, nor love, nor love.’
Need a decent red.
Ole'. 'Another and another cup to drown the memory of this impertinence'! Or more (or less) 'love'!
Yes, I agree, too much love. I take full responsibility for the typos. Over come by love. I'm sorry it wasn't joy. Maybe next time.
"Yea! In the sea of life en'isled
With echoing straits between us thrown
Dotting the boundless watery wild
We mortal millions live alone"...
Eleanore Rigby picks up the rice in the church where her wedding has been; lives in a dream. Welcome to existential loneliness. We all die alone. No one can do it for us.
Unless we fly Malaysian Airlines - then it becomes quite a
social affair. Dying alone sounds nicely private; I don't enjoy vomiting in
company, so I expect dying with others would be similarly uncomfortable.
Living, on the other hand, always seems jollier with a few friends on the side.
😊
Dying with 400 or 40 or on the Titanic, I do not think it
matters. Life is infinitely better than any of the other alternatives. Pour me
another red. In vino veritas. Life is uncertainty. Go interdependency. Go the
courage to be your own person. To be a wise, kind, caring, and as possible a
moral person. I go for Kant and
And some more
We were apart; yet, day by day,
I bade my heart more constant be.
I bade it keep the world away,
And grow a home for only thee;
Nor fear'd but thy love likewise grew,
Like mine, each day, more tried, more true.
The fault was grave! I might have known,
What far too soon, alas! I learn'd—
The heart can bind itself alone,
And faith may oft be unreturn'd.
Self-sway'd our feelings ebb and swell—
Thou lov'st no more;—Farewell! Farewell!
Farewell!—and thou, thou lonely heart,
Which never yet without remorse
Even for a moment didst depart
From thy remote and spher{e}d course
To haunt the place where passions reign—
Back to thy solitude again!
Back! with the conscious thrill of shame
Which Luna felt, that summer-night,
Flash through her pure immortal frame,
When she forsook the starry height
To hang over Endymion's sleep
Upon the pine-grown Latmian steep.
Yet she, chaste queen, had never proved
How vain a thing is mortal love,
Wandering in Heaven, far removed.
But thou hast long had place to prove
This truth—to prove, and make thine own:
"Thou hast been, shalt be, art, alone."
Or, if not quite alone, yet they
Which touch thee are unmating things—
Ocean and clouds and night and day;
Lorn autumns and triumphant springs;
And life, and others' joy and pain,
And love, if love, of happier men.
Of happier men—for they, at least,
Have dream'd two human hearts might blend
In one, and were through faith released
From isolation without end
Prolong'd; nor knew, although not less
Alone than thou, their loneliness.
To Marguerite: Continued
YES!
in the sea of life enisl’d,
With echoing straits between us thrown,
Dotting the shoreless watery wild,
We mortal millions live alone.
The islands feel the enclasping flow,
And then their endless bounds they know.
But
when the moon their hollows lights,
And they are swept by balms of spring,
And in their glens, on starry nights,
The nightingales divinely sing;
And lovely notes, from shore to shore,
Across the sounds and channels pour —
Oh!
then a longing like despair
Is to their farthest caverns sent;
For surely once, they feel, we were
Parts of a single continent!
Now round us spreads the watery plain —
Oh might our marges meet again!
Who
order’d, that their longing’s fire
Should be, as soon as kindled, cool’d?
Who renders vain their deep desire?—
A God, a God their severance rul’d!
And bade betwixt their shores to be
The unplumb’d, salt, estranging sea.
'I came like water, and like wind I go'
Yes... and the words "willy nilly" come to mind, liberally sprinkled about that line somewhere.
Omar Khayyám:
‘Myself when young did eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint, and heard great argument
About it and about: but evermore
Came out by the same door where in I went.
With them the seed of Wisdom did I sow,
And with mine own hand wrought to make it grow;
And this was all the Harvest that I reap'd —
"I came like Water, and like Wind I go"
With them the seed of Wisdom did I sow,
And with mine own hand wrought to make it grow;
And this was all the Harvest that I reap'd —
"I came like Water, and like Wind I go".
Into this Universe, and Why not knowing
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing;
And out of it, as Wind along the Waste,
I know not Whither, willy-nilly blowing.’
15/03/2017: All is not lost: I see Pauline won nearly the same percentage of the vote in WA as the Greens (7.74%/7.86%) – pretty good really starting from nothing a few weeks ago, with a disastrous campaign - and being fatally tainted by an alliance with the Libs: https://www.elections.wa.gov.au/elections/state/sgelection#/sg2017/LCResultsByParty Also some interesting points here: https://spectator.com.au/2017/03/hanson-wot-won/ One thing is clear: Australian politics needs a really big shake up!
15/03/2017: Fantasies
of our times: ‘Greens claim batteries will back up wind power. But the one
promised by Elon Musk would keep
14/03/2017: Upper
Yarra Track Map: Here is a map showing the whole of the (Extended) Upper
Yarra Track from Lilydale all the way to Moe, approximately 250 km and 8-10
days:
14/03/2017: Canoe/
Motorbike Trailer: I modified our ancient 6’ x 4’ ‘box’ trailer to carry
our two Old Town Pack Angler canoes and my 225 cc Yamaha Serow motorcycle. I
achieved this with three simple ‘drop-in’ welded steel sections which come
out/in in a minute when you need the trailer for something else - such as transporting sheep. It may not be
apparent that I have welded four pieces of box section to the corners of the
trailer so that the two end steel pieces simply slide in (and hold down the
motorcycle track). It is a simple and effective arrangement.
I can tie the second canoe right side up on top of the first one (shown). This arrangement proved perfectly sound even on rough 4WD tracks such as we often frequent. It gives us single car access to sections of river which we want to canoe together. I realise some aspects of it could be done much better (and the whole arrangement could be finished (and painted), but I don’t need to ‘get a life’. I already have one!
It was all done somewhat hastily so we could complete our Wonnangatta canoe trip – whilst there was water. See eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
14/03/2017: ‘Welcome
darkness my good friend
it’s good to meet you once again
Because the power grids are stressing,
that’s the reason for load shedding…’
– Shrish Viyas Hargoon
14/03/2017: As usual Willis Eschenbach has it all worked out so lucidly. What is wrong with Islam and what should be done about it. Three brilliant essays. Do read them:
https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/the-problem-with-islam/
https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/11/the-forever-wars/
https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/11/orthodox-hate-speech/
13/03/2017: If there is a God, why does s/he allow evil in the world? The book
of Job may have the answers (some truly great writing there anyway). A thrilling
essay, even for an atheist (like me): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/16/misery-3
13/03/2017: Killer Bees: Yesterday afternoon we took a drive to Yanakie just doing some research for an idea of mind which I will call ‘The Great Gippsland Circuit’, a hiking trail which ‘circumnavigates Gippsland.
We drove down Red Bluffs Road to the beginning of the Marine & Coastal Park, took the track to the right, parked the car at a turning circle about 100 metres in.and got out. We were instantly attacked by these vicious black bees which we at first mistook for March flies. They just wanted to sting and sting for no reason at all. We desperately leapt back into the car. If we had been on foot I hate to think what would have happened – we probably wouldn’t be here to tell the tale!
Not a pretty sight (at best)!
My parents were apiarists, so I have had a lot to do with bees, but I have never encountered anything like this before. They just attacked and attacked – even though we were nowhere near their hive. At least it was not in clear sight of the car. It was just like when you knock a paper wasps’ nest down accidentally and they all go for you – but these were not wasps. They were bees. They left black stings in the bites. I did not notice any gold colour to them at all.
I will report this tomorrow to Parks Victoria. If this is some new type of bee, they need to be curtailed before they spread more widely.
Our bee attack wasn’t quite as bad as this one though: Dangerous Swarms - 'Africanized Bees Attack and Kill Man': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkkUYvn0VPs&spfreload=10
13/03/2017: The Great Gippsland Circuit: A hiking trail which ‘circumnavigates Gippsland. This is an idea I have been turning over in my mind for some time. Much of it is already in place, but someone (me?) needs to ‘join the dots’, work out connection water and resupply points, camping spots, track instructions, times and a map. It will take some time – and may be revised a number of times.
Gippsland
is unquestionable the most beautiful area in
The
Alpine Walking Track (Kosciosko to Mt Whitelaw) and Upper Yarra Track (Mt
Whitelaw to lilydale) constitute one long leg of the trail. Other ‘bits’ in
place include the Bundian Way (Bega to Kosciosko), the Wilderness Coast
Walk (Bemm River to Eden), the Bruthen to Orbost Rail Trail, the Traralgon to
Maffra Rail trail, The Grand Strzelecki Track, The Great Southern and Tarra
Rail Trail (eg Fish Creek to Yarram), the Old Port Walking Track (Port Albert),
various hiking circuits in Wilsons Prom (eg Tidal River to Sealers Cove,
Sealers Cove to Five Mile Beach? Five Mile Beach to Johnny Souey to Tin Mine
Cove, etc), existing beach walks (eg
Clearly
the walk will be over 1,000 km long and will take 2-3 months. There will be
many resupply points and many (public transport) connection points, so that
shorter sections of the track can obviously be undertaken. There will be many
places you can find paid accommodation, restaurants etc as well as camping
spots. It will take some time to work this all out but you will survive and
enjoy even if you just begin tomorrow and carry on following your nose (and a
map of
13/03/2017: Astonishing, Ruckelshaus, a name which should live in infamy as the greatest mass murderer in history with 100 million+ deaths to his ‘credit’ advises Trump to move to the left. More appropriately Ruckelshaus should be tried and convicted for his crimes against humanity as a warning to like folk who have proliferated like a plague for far too long: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/10/delingpole-mass-murdering-bureaucrat-tells-trump-run-epa/
12/03/2017: Hazelwood makes more power than all the wind farms taken together. It makes it cheaper, more reliably, and without killing a single bird. Without Hazelwood there will be electricity rationing or blackouts for years until a decision is made to replace it with new base load power stations. The decision to close it is economic and social madness. Why don’t we have a single political leader with the sense and courage to undo this monstrous wrong before we are doomed to such misery? The Greens and the Left of the Labor party will take us down the road to ruin: https://papundits.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/hazelwood-power-plant-closure/
12/03/2017: One problem proponents of the Welfare State have is they do not believe in the benefits of suffering, but just as it is salutary to have to work hard all day in the hot sun to remind folks where their food comes from (the normal lot of farmers such as I have been these over thirty years anyway!) it is also necessary to remind ‘entitlement’ folks every so often that someone else (who has to do the hard yard for them) is paying their way. Just as Pavlov showed long ago, a little goad now and then can aid learning a whole lot more than continuing to reward bad conduct ever will. The Welfare State was intended as a (small) safety net for those whose suffering could not be condoned (the very elderly, infirm, handicapped, etc). Over the years it has been extended and extended again till it includes over a third of the population (utterly improbable) and is long since totally unaffordable.
There is no way the nation’s finances can afford another generation’s extension of this absurd largesse. It has to be curtailed post haste before it consumes us quite, reverting to its primary role as a safety net for the few – whilst the overwhelming majority support themselves by meaningful work. It should remain a means of averting suffering, not a lifestyle choice: it is obscene and absurd to house welfare recipients (free) in accommodation which a large proportion of the workforce could not afford themselves from their strenuous endeavors – at least partly due to the onerous burden of taxation imposed on them to support the indigent – and like absurd socialist schemes.
Some replies to the above:
Well said! Unfortunately there are now multiple generations who have received such handouts; and will expect them as normal. In systems such as yours and mine those people have a vote. So they will continue to vote for the right to reach into others pockets and take what they feel is their 'right' to take. And we are deemed evil if we complain about such things!
It seems now we have generational welfare recipients, and it seems we are ok with this. Hard work these days is obviously a choice, we have a choice to do whatever. Funny , years ago if you were offered an apprenticeship, you were pushed into it , security and all that , you had no choice, now you are asked" is this something you could find yourself doing?".... sheesh
Government intervention is unsustainable in the long term and it will eventually end in tears. I'm not advocating anarchy. However, money is being frittered away. If there is a problem, then throw money at it. The lack of thought and imagination is not a panacea for finding better sustainable solutions. Money just leads to dependence, and like other addictions in a consumer society leads to soft moral choices, and decline and fall.
Yes X, you are right: it will end in tears, like many similar social experiments. We will end up having been 'cruel to be kind' as for example, when we finally run out of 'other people's money' the 'poor will no longer be with us'; they will needs must simply die. It would be kinder by far to require their active participation in our society (supporting themselves - with all the dignity that brings, no matter how small their means).
12/03/2017: The thing I find astonishing is the ATO's admission that they have
been supplying Centrelink with this data for over 20 years yet no attempt was
ever made to recover these huge overpayments. This measure recovered $300
million in only the last half year. That's $12 billion of overpayment over the
last 20.
11/03/2017: Might as well sack the BOM & CSIRO if they are just political activists who invent data as they go along, as seems to be the case. Of course, as they are in complete charge of the data, they will be unlikely to be caught out (as they have in the past, as above or in the famous Ruthergen Temps case) in the future, which is why we have been having (what the BOM reported as) ‘the angry summer’ whilst anyone living though it would just have observed it as a pretty ordinary summer, perhaps a little cooler and wetter than usual, in fact. Our grass held on right throughout summer this year, what used to be pretty normal for Gippsland prior to the (not quite finished) ‘millennial drought’: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/03/10/australian-bureau-of-meterology-evidence-of-revision-of-solar-exposure-data-for-2013/
11/03/2017:
11/03/2017: In the
10/03/2017: You ‘cannot have both liberty and this type of social justice — under whose aegis one can assert rights to be provided education and health care, not to mention food, housing, etc. Positive rights to receive such things, absent an obligation to earn them, must violate others’ liberty, because a government must take citizens’ resources without their consent to fund them. Providing such government benefits for some forcibly violates others’ rights to themselves and their property.’ Too True: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/justice-and-social-justice-two-very-different-things
10/03/2017: Good
10/03/2017: There is a
way out of our energy mess: I have been railing about the closure of
Hazelwood and the fracking ban for years. Finally folks are beginning to wake
up. A Donald Trump in the Lodge would make a few phone calls (the first to
Engie) and the whole matter would go away. That’s what leadership is about. You
would first offer Engie a deal which was too good to refuse. One the one hand
the stick that if they close Hazelwood they will find it very difficult to do
any business at all in Australia in the future; second the carrot: an offer of
help with rebuilding it into the most modern of power stations. I would also be
using the external affairs power in the constitution to overturn
09/03/2017:
09/03/2017: First it
was eco-friendly: now it is eco-evil. Make up your minds Greenies: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/03/vw-eco-scam-official-corruption-is-killing-diesel/
09/03/2017: Another Andrews Disaster: Today he announced he will legislate to ban fracking. Yesterday he decided he would penalty tax folk with empty houses. The day before he was closing Hazelwood, cancelling East-West link and throwing away a billion doing it, throwing cash at his union mates, destroying the CFA…no wonder his government is crashing.
08/03/2017: Does
Turnbull’s visit to and adoration of Indo strike anyone else as a fatal echo of
Neville Cahmberlain’s visit to
08/03/2017: Hiking With Dogs #1: I am heading up the bush for a week soon with the two JRs, Spot and Tiny. Tiny is now 17, has slowed down a fair bit and has failing eyesight and hearing, so that she gets left behind a bit. She still has a good nose, so she is not going to get lost permanently. As she cannot hear me call, she can be a bit hard to find, so I decided I would buy one (actually three – for US$59!) of these: https://buy.thetrackr.com/ to help me find her.
They
work off Bluetooth and are connected via an App to your phone, so that you can
make them sound a beep when you are looking for them &/or your phone can
also
At
the moment they only have a range of 30-50 metres, but that is better than
nothing (especially when I am deaf too!) Soon there will be a new
Of course the dogs have their own Tyvek raincoats (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/), down beds, groundsheets, ultra light bowls, dehydrated mince, Smackos & etc, etc. So far they have not been called upon to carry any of this gear (They are busy pointing out the deer!), but I could construct little packs for them I suppose. These ;little guys are so small I have to portage them across rivers as they would be swept away. I carry Tiny in an ultralight day pack worn pack to front (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/osprey-ultralight-stuff-pack/), Spot has mastered a trick of riding on my shoulders, like this:
08/03/2017:
08/03/2017: 11 Excuses to eat More bacon: http://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/bacon-recipes-dinner-gallery?mbid=nl_03042017_Daily_CTN_PM%20(1)&CNDID=12844525&spMailingID=10525526&spUserID=MTI5MTM2MDkwMjU1S0&spJobID=1120348227&spReportId=MTEyMDM0ODIyNwS2
07/03/2017: Side Insulation: Gossamer Gear’s Sitlight Pads are just great for this if you cut them in half lengthwise. They can be still used in your pack’s pad sleeve but when it comes time to make your bed, either on the ground or in your hammock, these little fellows will keep your elbows and shoulders toasty warm.
You lay them egg-crate side down to get maximum insulation. The egg-carton shape makes them effectively 2 cm or nearly an inch of foam, and all those little hills and hollows makes them ‘stick’ to your groundsheet or hammock so they don’t move around.
There are three sizes available now. Mine don’t seem to be any of those. Mine are 9 ¾ x 18 ¾ ( 25 x 48 cm) and weigh 34.5 grams. This is a pretty small weight penalty for the comfort they bring – and they still do double duty as a pack frame and a trail seat! Mine are also used as my dog’s mattresses, but you pretty much need to have a JR(as you should) if this is going to work for you.
See also:
http://gossamergear.com/sitlight-sit-pad-group.html
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/does-spot-like-to-hunt-deer/
07/03/2017: Nothing better to spend our money on, but I hope you are grateful that this awesome inequality will soon be addressed – mind you I would like to see lights which don’t discriminate against other sentient beings: sheep, dogs, camels… http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/equal-opportunity-stop-lights-for-melbourne/news-story/1bb7181aa7ee7f97c065e2a1cf6f0253
07/03/2017: Welfarism
in the
06/03/2017: Donald
J. TrumpVerified account @realDonaldTrump :
‘Since November 8th, Election
Day, the Stock Market has posted $3.2 trillion in GAINS and consumer confidence
is at a 15 year high. Jobs!’ Amen to that!
06/03/2017: Interesting observation: “From the point of view of physics, it is a miracle that 7 million New Yorkers are fed each day without any control mechanism other than sheer capitalism.” John Holland, scientist, Santa Fe Institute.
06/03/2017: Article 19 from the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." The UN clearly had not heard of 18C!
05/03/2017: Womens Are Great in Bed: You have probably noticed before how much I have extolled the virtues of Thermarest’s wonderful sleeping pads. I particularly adore this one (the Noeair XLite Womens) as it as light as a feather (340 grams), ‘fits’ me perfectly at 20” x 66” (51 x 168 cm) and is superbly comfortable (moreso I think than my own bed) at 2.5” thick (6.3 cm) and warm enough to sleep on a block of ice (I have) with an R-rating of 3.9! https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/womens-neoair-xlite
You will probably have glimpsed this little piece of yellow in many of my hiking photos, often folded up into a chair, eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-last-of-the-mountain-men/
I am about 5’8” so my heels just hang over the edge, and the rest of my body fits its mummy shape just about perfectly – which is what you want to make an inflatable pad super-comfy. I also think the horizontal tubes have an edge comfort wise over longitudinal ones but this may well be a subjective thing.
The first point is the most important one anyway: If you have surplus mat at the ends, sides or corners your weight will drive the air there and you will sink further into the mat. This means that the mat has to be inflated more to support your weight from sinking to the ground (usually your buttocks or hips) at the heaviest point.
To me a tightly inflated mat is less comfortable than one that is less so. I prefer a softer bed. I realise this may not be so for everyone, just most people, but if you are like me you will want to chose a mummy shaped pad and cut it to just 2” shorter than your actual height (as I explain how to do here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/modifyingshortening-hiking-mats/) so that it is both exquisitely comfortable and the minimum weight!
From Thermarest’s page:
‘Product Details
The women’s NeoAir XLite mattress delivers more warmth and comfort per ounce than any other three-season air mattress available. Cold sleepers will appreciate our Women’s version, featuring an added layer of our reflective ThermaCapture™ technology for added warmth. New softer fabrics bring better next-to-skin comfort and boost in durability with no added weight. For the discerning alpinist, thru-hiker or backcountry minimalist who’s counting every ounce, there is simply no better choice to assure the kind of rest you need to get done what you’ve got planned for tomorrow. Stuff sack and repair kit included.
Ultralight: Advanced fabrics and a tapered design make this the lightest 3-season backpacking air mattresses available, with no peer in its warmth-to-weight ratio.
Warm: Multiple ThermaCapture™ layers trap extra radiant heat for cold sleepers, without the bulk, weight or durability issues of down and synthetic fills.
Comfortable: 2.5” (6 cm)-thickness, soft-touch fabrics and baffled Triangular Core Matrix™ structure provide unrivaled stability and support.
Ultra-Packable: Low-bulk materials make the XLite mattress the most compact NeoAir mattress ever – as packable as a water bottle.’
PS: Repairs: Though they are quite tough you will inevitably manage to puncture your pad. Mine was punctured within a day of my having bought it by a certain puppy (you will have met Spot if you have been here before) grabbing it in his needle teeth and dragging it backwards out the dog door onto the front lawn where he engaged in a full-blown mock battle with it until I intervened. I have found that nothing beats cuben tape (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cuben-tape/) for patching holes in them, The cure is instantaneous, efficacious and has not had to be repeated (Spot is now four years old). This tape is also excellent for a wide range of other repairs (raincoats, tents etc) and should always be carried!
PPS: Thermarest also have a chair which will do this but I own the Big Agnes Cyclone Chair ( I think slightly lighter) which has served me as furniture for many years in many wild places: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cyclone-chair/
PPPS: Another feature of inflatable mats is that you can get yourself and your pack (dry) across swollen rivers relatively safely with them by using them as a kick board. I have had to do this numerous times. Usually it is winter, so it’s not much fun, but if you need to cross...I usually take all my clothes and my shoes off first and put them inside my pack liner.
PPPPS:The RRP for this pad is US$159.95 if you buy it from the States and use (eg) Shipito (https://www.shipito.com/en/?id_affiliate=5249&countrycode=AU) to get it to Oz (Recommended).
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-soft-pillow-and-a-warm-bed-under-the-stars/
05/03/2017: Greenpeace is
(arguably) the most evil, disreputable organisation on the planet: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/03/03/dr-patrick-moore-was-right-greenpeace-is-full-of-shit/
05/03/2017: I know I probably shouldn’t like this, but I do: William
Wordsworth:
‘The World Is Too Much With
Us’
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
05/03/2017: So Trump was
right – there really was a lot of vote rigging: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/us-virginia-voter-rolls-illegal-immigrants/2017/03/02/id/776576/
05/03/2017: The
05/03/2017: Fire Tent:
Further to my post about being able to light a fire in the rain, (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/) I have also long toyed with the idea of carrying/constructing a fire rain hat or raincoat so that heavy rain doesn’t put out your fire.
The two occasions when it is really important to be able to light a fire are when it is very wet and cold and when there is a bushfire approaching (so that you can create burned ground as a refuge!) On such occasions if you don’t have a lighter, or can’t light a fire you’re a dead duck. Smokers clearly have an advantage here over more sanctimonious folk, and even though I gave up smoking more than a generation ago (! – there is an interesting method of measuring time) I still always carry a ‘Mini-Bic’).
Above: Steve Hutcheson and myself Wonnangatta-Moroka Winter 2012
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
We always camp in a shelter which allows a fire outside. A tent is a cold, creeping thing to have to retreat to when you can sit/stand in a warm open shelter, drink rum, play games, read etc in front of a cheery fire – and with a warm back! If you pitch any rectangular tarp high you can have a (small) fire at one end (though the wind tends to catch the tarp if it isn’t pegged to the ground on at least 2/3 sides).
I think it should be possible to suspend over the fire (eg a 1 metre square) diamond of eg ‘Tyvek’ @ 1.75 ounces /square yard and a melting point of 800C. You need to be careful that the fire can’t ignite its ‘roof’ or use it as a wick to ignite your tent, but this shouldn’t be much of a problem in the rain. Set-up obviously needs to be when furled (a couple of rubber bands should achieve this) so you can pitch it over the fire when it is already lit. Weight should be able to be kept to less than 3 ounces (90 grams) including stakes and guys. Tyvek, with its 800C melting point should make a good material for this ‘rain hat’. It might be better to use the material that fire blankets are made from for this purpose.
A ‘Standard’ Australian Fire Blanket (cost approx A$20 such as has lived in our kitchen for 20+ years) appears to be made of woven fibreglass and measures exactly 1 metre by one metre and weighs 427 grams, so it will (pitched diagonally - like the tyvek shelter in the photo) make an excellent small waterproof shelter for a fire. The fact that it will reflect otherwise wasted heat straight back into your tent will also mean you use much less fuel and can have a much smaller, safer fire. I would use a stainless steel fishing ‘leader’ as the guy on that side of the tent (with a ring at an appropriate point on it to secure the top corner of the blanket) and pitch the fire tent over it and pegged to th ground on the other three sides.
I see now that someone is selling just such an idea, the Fire Defender (They even have an 'ultralight' version):
http://theupscout.com/gear/campfire-defender/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4RRYM5?m=A2CWO6R96322MU&ref_=v_sp_widget_detail_page
Above, their 'ultralight' version
You might be interested in buying some flame resistant fabric to make your own. You could look eg here; http://www.auburnmfg.com/product-category/mro/heat-resistant-cloth/
Tyvek
Fire Tent’: We always camp in an open shelter (something like the one above in
he photo) with an open fire out the front. So warm and cozy even on cold,wet
days. This shelter is very easy to make. It consists of a
I have a more compact model (shorter wings) made out of .48oz/yd2 cuben fibre which weighs 200 grams (as seen here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/)! This is my ‘always’ emergency tent which goes with me everywhere – even on day walks: so often these can turn into an overnight trip
I have spent a night sitting (on a piece of thick bark) in front of a fire in the open on frozen ground, in a light snowstorm wrapped only in one of those mylar ‘space blankets which fit inside your breast pocket (Never be without one!). It wasn’t very comfortable, and I didn’t get a lot of sleep – but I am still here to tell the tale. Expect things like this to happen to you, and be prepared!
Two of those ‘blankets’ can make quite a serviceable tent and a sleeping bag. You will need some dental floss or similar to make tie-outs: simply lasso (& capture with the material) a rolled up ball of earth or a gum nut etc with the floss and you can tie out to trees, rocks or sticks driven into the ground. I always carry some dental floss/Dyneema fishing line in my first aid kit (and a self-threading needle – old eyes, you see) for making repairs to my clothes, (hounds sometimes!) – or myself! See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pitching-the-poncho-warning-this-may-save-your-life/
05/03/2017: I think Dick the
Butcher had it about right: From Henry VI, part 2, Act 4, Scene 2:
‘CADE
Be brave, then; for your captain is brave, and vows
reformation. There shall be in
halfpenny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hooped
pot; shall have ten hoops and I will make it felony
to drink small beer: all the realm shall be in
common; and in
grass: and when I am king, as king I will be,--
ALL
God save your majesty!
CADE
I thank you, good people: there shall be no money;
all shall eat and drink on my score; and I will
apparel them all in one livery, that they may agree
like brothers and worship me their lord.
DICK
The first thing we do, let's kill all
the lawyers.
CADE
Nay, that I mean to do. Is not this a lamentable
thing, that of the skin of an innocent lamb should
be made parchment? that parchment, being scribbled
o'er, should undo a man? Some say the bee stings:
but I say, 'tis the bee's wax; for I did but seal
once to a thing, and I was never mine own man
since. How now! who's there?’
05/03/2017: Andrew
Hastie continues his defence of our freedoms in Parliament – a future Prime
Minister there, and the sooner the better: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/andrew-hastie-shames-the-free-speech-quislings/news-story/1f81333ae068f76e98ca8b311effcc1d
04/03/2017: Backcountry
Radio:
Most radios on offer will just not cut it at all once you get a few miles from the broadcast tower. This little gem has amazing sensitivity and will pull in stations from all over the world. I have owned this little guy for over 10 years (and it looks like it). It has been everywhere with me, provided me with countless hours of listening pleasure (I’m not sure whether I have ever changed the two Duracell batteries) and kept me in touch with world affairs, weather & etc. it is the Grundig Mini 300 World band Receiver at 127 grams bare and takes two AA batteries.
It has now been replaced by the 400 mini weighing 91 grams using two AAA batteries, a significant weight saving. Here is its Amazon listing: Pricey at US$129.99 but it works, is durable, so it is worth it. https://www.amazon.com/Grundig-Compact-Shortwave-Digital-Display/dp/B001QTXKFG
I imagine the new model is just as good as the old, but I have had no trouble picking up lots of short wave stations with it at Supper Cove, Dusky Sound, Fiordland - and other remote places. When I can afford its replacement I will have one with a weight saving overall of around 50 grams or two ounces!
Grundig Mini GM400 Super Compact AM/FM Shortwave Radio with Digital Display (NGM400B)
- More details: AM/FM-stereo and shortwave bands
- Analog tuner, with digital display
- Digital display shows frequency, time, and alarm activation
- Clock and alarm function
Product Description
The ETON Mini GM400 Super Compact AM/FM shortwave radio features AM/FM-stereo and shortwave bands and an analog tuner with digital display. The digital display shows frequency, time, and alarm activation.Clock and alarm functions are also included. It runs on two AAA batteries (not included). Other features include: 3.5 mm headphone output; telescopic antenna for FM and SW reception; internal ferrite bar antenna for AM reception; DC input (5V). Includes: owner’s manual, warranty card, carrying case, and earphones. Dimensions: 2.75 inches x 4.3 inches x .472 inches.
From the Manufacturer
A powerful shortwave radio with awesome features!
Super compact and light weight, the Mini 400 features AM/FM and shortwave radio frequencies. The analog tuner and easy-to-read digital display completes the simplicity of enjoying shortwave listening. Extend the telescopic antenna for better FM and SW reception and plug in a pair of headphones (included) to get a personal experience. It even has a clock and alarm function.
It's portable and versatile
The Mini 400 is a super compact radio that is perfect for all your adventures. Small enough to slip into a shirt pocket or backpack you can take it on your world travels or your daily hike. It keeps you informed and entertained with Shortwave as well as AM/FM and includes a sleep timer with alarm so you can wake to your favorite radio station. Digital display shows frequency, time and alarm activation. It even includes a telescopic antenna for FM and SW reception.
Anywhere is your playground with the MINI 400
It has an internal ferrite bar antenna for crisp and clear AM reception, anytime, anywhere. It has dual power sources: 2 AAA batteries (not included) and included DC input (5V). So the MINI 400 is the perfect companion for wild adventures or simple use at home.
Features:
- AM/FM-stereo and shortwave bands
- Analog tuner, with digital display
- Digital display shows frequency, time, and alarm activation
- Clock and alarm function
- 3.5 mm headphone output
- Telescopic antenna for FM and SW reception
- Internal ferrite bar antenna for AM reception
- Power source: 2 AAA batteries (not included)
- DC input (5V)
- Includes: owner's manual, warranty card, carrying case, earphones
- Another offering: https://countycomm.com/collections/radio/products/countycomm-gp-5-ssb-general-purpose-radio 85 grams plus 3 AA batteries.
04/03/2017: A really fascinating conjecture: Could a Single Marine Unit Destroy the
04/03/2017: Watkin Tench on
the First Fleet. Compelling reading. It is one thing to write or invent
history and quite another to live it: http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/ozlit/pdf/p00044.pdf
04/03/2017: Hard to believe this is a CNN poll: Two thirds of Americans believe this and 78% are positive about him. He really will be a great President: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/03/boom-speech-69-americans-say-trumps-policies-will-move-america-forward/
03/03/2017: The Child
Abuse Royal Commission has not found a single case against the three largest
abusing ethnicities: eg Aboriginal, Moslem, Indian…where it is well-known
to be endemic. The children deserve much better protection from those in
authority: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2015/02/child-abuse-royal-commission-ignores-abused-little-girls-if-theyre-muslim.html
02/03/2017: My Top Five Knives
1.
Gerber: 'LST Ultralight'
2. Outdoor Edge: 'Razor Blaze'
3. Deejo: '27g Minimalist 3in'
4. Leatherman: 'Micra'
5. Spyderco 'Honeybee'
I've
purchased and tested numerous pocket knives over the years. This is my current
top five that I use day to day (as you can see from the photo these aren't
brand new and have been used a countless number of times). Each has it's own
advantages depending on your need. You can read more about each of these knives
on my blog by following the links below. All are modesty priced workaday tools
which have served me very well...
1.
Gerber: 'LST Ultralight'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gerber-knives-light-cheap/
2.
Outdoor Edge: 'Razor Blaze'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/never-have-to-sharpen-yo…/
3.
Deejo: '27g Minimalist 3in'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/deejo-minimalist-3in-fol…/
4.
Leatherman: 'Micra'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/leatherman-micra-multito…/
5.
Spyderco 'Honeybee'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-perfect-keychain-kni…/
03/03/2017: What Menzies believed: These are the values, as enunciated by Sir Robert Menzies in 1954 when founding the Liberal Party. Though we might express these ideals somewhat differently today, I misdoubt many Australians would take issue with any of them:
We believe in the crown as the enduring embodiment of our national unity and as the symbol of that other unity which exists between all the nations of the Commonwealth.
We
believe in
We believe in the individual. We stand positively for the free man, his initiative, his individuality and acceptance of responsibility.
We believe in the rule of LAW Under it, there is freedom for the nation and for all men and women, Democracy depends upon self-discipline, obedience to the law, the honest administration of the law.
We believe in the spirit of the volunteer, This does not mean that we reject compulsion in matters in which a uniform obedience is needed by the community. But it does mean that the greatest community efforts can be made only when voluntary co-operation and self-sacrifice come in aid of, and lend character to the performance of legal duties.
We believe that rights connote DUTIES and that sectional and selfish policies are destructive of good citizenship.
We believe that it is the supreme function of government to assist in the development of personality, that today’s dogma may turn out to be tomorrow’s error and that, in consequence, the interests of all legitimate minorities much be protected.
We believe in liberty, not anarchy, but an individual and social liberty based upon, and limited by a civilised conception of social justice.
We believe the real conflict of our time is between the iron discipline of autocracy – whether communist or fascist – and the self imposed discipline of the free man. The spirit of man must prevail.
We believe that liberalism means flexibility and progress. Its principles and its spiritual and intellectual approach enable it to meet and deal with new and changing social and economic circumstances. By elevating the individual, it meets and defeats the terrible doctrine of the all-powerful State: a doctrine at once destructive, reactionary and negative.
We believe that improved living standards depend upon high productivity and efficient SERVICE and that these vital elements can be achieved only by free and competitive enterprise.
We believe that national financial and economic power and policy are to be designed to create a climate in which people may be enabled to work out their own solution in their own way and not to control other people’s lives.
We believe in the great human freedoms: to worship, to think, to speak, to choose, to be ambitious, to be independent, to be industrious, to acquire skill, to seek and earn reward.
We believe in social justice in encouraging the strong and protecting the weak, in widening opportunities for education, in the preservation of family life, in good homes owned by those who live in them.
We believe in religious and racial tolerance among our citizens.
We believe that all forms of industry, primary or secondary of otherwise, depend one upon the other and that their community of interest will be the guarantee of the nation’s growth.
We
believe that under the blessing of divine providence, and given the good-will,
mutual tolerance and understanding, energy and an individual sense of purpose,
there is no task which
02/03/2017: Not Fake News: Ask yourself why this is not on the front page in
02/03/2017: Halal Scam Busted: Kirralee has a big win, and about time too. When
do we start deporting these folk: http://pickeringpost.com/story/liar-liar-prayer-mat-on-fire/6949
02/03/2017: Donald is the best thing since sliced bread: From Maggies Farm today: ‘Is February 28, 2017, 'The Night the Democratic Party Died'?
I'm no longer a Democrat (it's been many years now), and though on the rarest of occasions I worried I'd made a mistake, Tuesday night watching the shell-shocked faces of the Democrats on the floor of Congress while Donald Trump delivered his magnificent speech, I knew I had made no error. I even wondered what was going on in my head in those isolated moments I doubted myself.
The Democratic Party members watching that speech looked like a party of the living dead. They didn't know how to react. They didn't know if they were Americans. They didn't know who they were.
In Congress speech, Trump stood to unify while Democrats sat to divide:
...despite delivering an unquestionably positive message, Democratic members like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi glared, shaking their heads and scowling in apparent anger. Notable were moments when Trump proposed bipartisan positions like extending treatment opportunities for Americans addicted to drugs. Despite the uncontroversial nature of these policies, Democrats sat in defiance.
But
Trump’s message of one
Democrats Refuse To Applaud America Putting Its Own Citizens First’
02/03/2017: Well Done Donald! Our crypto fascists in Councils, Catchment Management Authorities, EPA, water authorities & etc have been up to the same hi-jinks here stealing farmers’ water from their streams, rooftops and dams and forbidding them from digging even the shallowest of wells (no more than 10’ folks) on their land. They have even decreed (via the infamous ‘Drainage Act’ that you have to fence off and (natively) revegetate every drainage line on your property no matter how minor (we are not talking ‘rivers’ here) until you have no land at all left even to put your house – this has actually happened to a friend of mine! This has to stop. http://joannenova.com.au/2017/03/trump-takes-away-epa-right-to-control-every-puddle-in-usa-wotus-order/
02/03/2017: Toss another polie on the bbq: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/01/delingpole-polar-bears-are-a-pest-time-to-end-their-threatened-status/
02/03/2017: Note to Labor: This is the inevitable consequence of your excessive, obsessive wage demands: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-02-27/minimum-wage-massacre-wendys-unleashes-1000-robots-counter-higher-labor-costs
02/03/2017: Deejo Minimalist
3in Folder 27grams
This is the Deejo Minimalist 3 inch Folder weighing 27 grams (as configured). You could probably shave 3-5 grams off that by deleting the pocket clip, but you might also just ruin the knife, so don't. The pocket clip comes in handy anyway as it allows the knife to be worn on the outside of your clothing or pack where it is always ready for immediate use.
There is a bit of a story behind this particular knife. When Della and I traveled to NZ to walk the South Coast Track back in April 2016 (see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-walk-in-fiordland/ and etc: Oh, Wow, It was so good!) when I went through the scanner I had forgotten that I had a credit card knife in my wallet, (one of these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/small-thin-pocket-knives/ and they picked up on it - something which had not happened the last 2-3 times I had flown!
I always carry a knife - i have been a farmer for 40 years). It is just such a normal part of my life, of course I forget that I am carrying it. I just automatically put it on with my trousers every morning. I probably use a knife over ten times a day! When this has happened to me before (twice) they just let me check in my carry on luggage. This time I encountered the Gestapo. The airport police were called and they decided I had a concealed and prohibited weapon and were going to charge me. They kept me stressed out and on tenterhooks for three months over it despite my pointing out to them that they had mistaken a nearly 70 year old retired farmer for someone else entirely: a young thug or a potential terrorist perhaps. I suspect they are afraid to challenge these types and that I was an easy target.
Anyway, I found myself in NZ in the market for an ultralight knife to replace the wonderful Clive Sinclair Cardsharp (recommended, but maybe not legal!) so I just happened to buy the Deejo, and it has been in my pocket ever since. Its only disadvantage is that it is so small and light I sometimes have trouble finding it, but it works really well, and holds an edge brilliantly. Get one.
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/my-top-five-knives/
Some more details:
'Light as a feather with the strength of a pocket sword, the Deejo is wildly efficient in action, in weight, in use and in portability. It's the pleasure of a perfect fit and performance in the service of utility. Select one to suit your specific needs, taste or personality.
The Deejo Naked is the famous ultra-light design in its purest form. Three exclusive weights, 15g, 27g and 37g, in mirror-finished steel or in tinted shades of matte titanium, in three ranges of varying materials. The Deejo Wood comes in 3 species of precious wood with beautiful grain designs. From the deep black of the grenadilla to russet hues of rosewood and the curves of juniper wood, subtly peppery in scent. The Deejo Colors comes in 8 eye-catching hues, one for every style or occasion. Dress the Deejo in bright color and sharp flashes, get it in its minimalist version with the Naked, or it's most luxurious with the Wood.
Ultra-light, ultra-flat, with a 420 stainless steel blade with titanium finish. It has a comfortable Polycarbonate handle, secure liner lock system, belt clip, and ample sized chisel ground blade. Polycarbonate is a thermal-resistant plastic with excellent mechanical properties and able to withstand temperatures of -135° to 135°C. It has a high degree of transparency which filters light better than glass for deep, vibrant colors. Safely slips into any bag or pocket with ease.
Specifications
- Blade Length: 3.0" (7.6 cm)
- Closed Length: 3.5" (8.9 cm)
- Blade Steel: 420 Stainless
- Overall Length: 6.5" (16.5 cm)
- Handle Material: 420 Stainless Steel and Black Polycarbonate
- Weight: 0.95 oz. (27 g)'
- Available: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/DEE9AP001/deejo-knives-color-white-polycarbonate-27g-folding-knife-satin-plain-blade-minimalist-design
01/03/2017:
01/03/2017:
01/03/2017: ‘We have reached a point of diminishing returns in our public life. Hardly anything actually needs doing. We may in fact be past that point; not only does nothing much need doing, but we'd benefit if much of what has been done were to be undone.’ John Derbyshire
01/03/2017: So long ago already: the Soviet union ended
on
28/02/2017: Greenies burn more fossil fuel than
everyone else! Doesn’t surprise me really. Folks who actively advocate
murdering one third of humanity are unlikely to have any good habits: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/02/solar-homes-use-more-grid-electricity-than-non-solar-homes/
28/02/2017: Our energy and economic policies are
turning us into another
28/02/2017: Don’t doubt there is just as much crookedness happening in our own immigration programmes: http://www.weaselzippers.us/323931-secretary-of-state-whistleblower-i-have-seen-first-hand-the-abuse-and-fraud-in-the-u-s-refugee-program/
27/02/2017: Adventure Unlimited: https://gearjunkie.com/mike-horne-pole2pole-expediton
27/02/2017: THIS
guy was great: Henry Louis Mencken
(1880-1956): "I believe that liberty is the only genuinely valuable
thing that men have invented, at least in the field of government, in a
thousand years. I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free,
even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the
finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air – that progress made
under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress, and of no permanent
value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping
is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in
however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave." Also see: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken
27/02/2017: Turnbull is costing $3 million to live in his harbourside mansion. Remember when Tony Abbott bunked in with the troops to save us money? Bring back Tony: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/security-costs-of-malcolm-turnbulls-kirribilli-snub-put-at-3m/news-story/40eaf7fb074d66719c40913a2cb2dae5
26/02/2017: Inflatable Bathtub Groundsheet: The lack of a bathtub floor is one of the chiefest comparative drawbacks of tarp camping vs tenting. I have been toying with this idea for some time. I used to usually collect some suitably lengthed dead branches and drape the edges of the tarp over them on the appropriate uphill side if rain threatened to inundate the ground.
I played with various means of suspending the edges of the tarp with mitten hooks attached to the tarp. This works but is awkward and slow with my arthritic fingers, then I thought, what if I made an inflatable tube which circumnavigates the tarp? I thought this was a genius idea till I Googled it and found someone else had already been there before me. https://www.esvocampingshop.com/en/air-barrier-tent-ground-sheet-inflatable/ Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I did come up with the idea independently though. Theirs is quite heavy and only really suited to car camping not hiking.
Before I ever looked to see if there was such a thing I was thinking mylar or silnylon (both possibilities still – further experimentation needed), then I hit on the DIY packraft site I posted about here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-diy-pack-raft/ and realised they could supply the materials for the tube and valve and that I could simply sew this to the edge of my 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon tarp then seam seal the join.
Unfortunately the lightest heat sealable material (eg from http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html) is (I believe) 3 oz/yd2. I would need a tube 22’ long to circle double (7’ x4’) groundsheet. If I wanted the tube to be 2” in diameter, this would mean the tube would be in excess of 11ft2 or 1.3yds x 3 = 4 oz plus the 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon 3yds x 1.3 = 3.9 Total 7.9oz or approx 240 grams. Good, but too heavy. If I can make the whole thing out of silnylon the first figure will become (1.3 x 1.3) 1.69 oz giving a total of 5.6 oz – or approx 160 grams. Much better.
A silnylon dry bag seems to hold air quite well though it is not designed to, so I suspect that if I glue up a tube of silnylon it will serve quite well, even if I have to add additional silicon as in this post: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/waterproofing-tent-floors-and-ground-sheets/
Why not try it yourself, and get back to me?
PS: This groundsheet will go very well with this tarp:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/henrys-original-tarptent-tarptent-for-2/
I realise this inflatable tube could be added to my Holeless poncho to make it into a better groundsheet: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/ eg for my http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-deer-hunters-tent/
PS: As with my other design ideas, feel free to make one yourself but if you want to manufacture them I would appreciate some credit.
26/02/2017: Waterproofing Tent Floors and Ground Sheets: I have mentioned this brilliant idea before but apparently I had not done a post about it. Jim Woods has this great treatment which dramatically increases the waterproofness of silnylon (or other) tent floors or groundsheets. It simply involves mixing some (tube) silicon with odourless turpentine (ratio approx 1:3), painting it on and waiting for it to dry. I have done this myself and it works well. Simple, but highly effective. More details here: A Treatment for Silnylon Floors: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html as mentioned here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/trapped-by-flood-waters/
26/02/2017: The Silverback: This is the new Gossamer Gear 58 litre pack. Total weight (Medium) 1060 grams with removable options, ie bare = 595 grams (ie without lid, hipbelt pad and frame).
This new pack is the ‘Big Daddy’ of the Gossamer Gear Gorilla (48 litre total) pack which I reviewed some time ago eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-bush/ I also pointed out here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pimping-a-gorilla/ that you could leave the aluminium pack frame at home and attach a much simpler hip belt and switch in the Air Beam pad for the Sitlight pad to reduce the weight to 644 grams, a very acceptable weight for a 48 litre pack.
If you performed the same mod on the Silverback you would have a 58 litre pack (and left the lid at home which weighed 651 grams, meaning the extra approx ten litres has cost you just 10 grams, not very much for all that space! If the Silverback lives up to the wonderful standards of past Gossamer gear packs – I started many years ago with their redoubtable G4 – and I’m sure it will, you will have an outstandingly robust and comfortable ultralight pack at a very reasonable price (from US$215) http://gossamergear.com/silverback.html
If you add some tie outs to this pack (as I did with my Gorilla: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/attaching-tie-downs-to-your-pack/) and you utilise some compression bags ( http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-tardis-folding-space/) this pack will suit you for the longest expedition. I would be able to carry all my gear and supplies for an unsupported month with this pack.
More good news: Gossamer Gear have listened to my suggestion (above) about lowering the weight of the hipbelt and now offer a much lighter, simpler hipbelt with pockets http://gossamergear.com/fast-belt.html at 82 grams and US$21. It looks something like this:
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-hiking-gear/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hip-belts/
PS: If you find some discrepancy between Gossamer Gear’s stated volumes for this pack and mine, note that GG do not state the volume any of its packs above the extension collar ( approx 8 litres) or in some cases the volumes of the pockets (my estimate: 13 litres).
25/02/2017: Ultralight Hiking USB cables, etc: This is my tiny bag of cables and other electronic goodies. The cable (17 grams) is only 6″ (15 cm) long and comes with interchangeable tips (5 grams each). Shown USB, micro USB (x2) and Sat Phone charger plug (comes with, so total = 27 grams) – this will get all my hiking devices charged on the trail: phone, camera, torches http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/, sat phone, sat messenger, or etc). Also see below it a 5 gram white USB/Micro USB SD (& micro SD) card reader – great for sharing files on the trail (eg someone else’s photos. Also a couple of spare micro SD cards and adapter/s and a 3 gram case for extra photo etc storage – just in case I get the opportunity to make a movie about Fiordland moose! Note to self: I can save 4 grams here! The solar set-up below can recharge a couple of AA/AAA batteries and all these devices as I walk along.
NB: Solar charging http://www.theultralighthiker.com/powerfilm-usb-aa-solar-charger/ (well charging in general) did not work at all well at high altitude (as on my Everest Base Camp trip), though it works fine at home in the Victorian mountains (never above 2,000 metres), and usually much less – there will be a future post about this, but to cut a long story short; everyone’s batteries discharged (even when not in use) at at least twice the normal rate in Nepal, eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/
Weights:
Cable inc sat phone tip 17 grams
2 x micro USB tips 5 grams ea
USB/Micro USB reader 5 grams
3 micros SD cards, adapter, case 5 grams
Cuben stuff sack 2 grams
Total 39 grams.
Solar pack setup. See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/attaching-tie-downs-to-your-pack/
I bought the cable and adapter tips from these folk: http://www.tekkeon.com/products.html
Some other Tekkeon tips: Adapter Tips: http://www.tekkeon.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=15
They
also sell this interesting AA charger: http://www.tekkeon.com/products-tekcharge1580.html
125 grams Uses AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries TekCharge MP1580
doubles as a battery charger, so you can charge your rechargeable NiMH or
lithium batteries as needed.
They
also have a number of power banks such as this one: http://www.tekkeon.com/products-tekcharge1820-specs.html
125 grams for 4800 mAh
This is a reasonable weight for a power bank (I will also have a later post about them), but my spare battery for my Samsung Galaxy S4 camera weighs 35 grams for 2900 mAh, so about 15 grams per each amp hour. At that rate of conversion a 4800 mAh power bank should weigh less than 90 grams! I need to walk around the city sometime with an electonic scales in my posket weighing these ubiquitous little guys. I have done very poorly searching eg for ‘lightest power bank’ on the net. Good luck with that! But, if you have better information, please let me know.
I figure you need a minimum of approx. twice the capacity of your phone, so likely over 6000mAh. This would need to weigh (much) less than the above solar setup or this lighter version, the Bushnell Solarwrap Mini: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/charging/ which can be cut down by about 7 grams and still attach to your pack (as above) so will weigh < 80 grams for 1,000 mAh, plus whatever the sun delivers!
25/02/2017:
25/02/2017: Don’t doubt there is just as much crookedness happening in our own immigration programmes: http://www.weaselzippers.us/323931-secretary-of-state-whistleblower-i-have-seen-first-hand-the-abuse-and-fraud-in-the-u-s-refugee-program/
25/02/2017: Frackers have done more than the Sierra
Club ever did: https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/257593/
24/02/2017: The 'Addled Parliament' of 1614 (in the reign of James 1) was so named by him because it would not vote to pass some of his more exorbitant financial measures...MORE 'addled Parliaments', please!
24/02/2017: Fun with condoms: https://twitter.com/ziyatong/status/830222109477584896
24/02/2017: More fun from Joan Rivers: ‘I caused my husband's heart attack. In the middle of lovemaking I took the paper bag off my head. He dropped the Polaroid and keeled over, and so did the hooker. It would have taken me half an hour to untie myself and call 911, but fortunately the Great Dane could dial.’
24/02/2017: So much (still) to learn from Kipling (and from Willis);
‘It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.’ https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/23/paying-the-dane-geld/
23/02/2017: The ‘dangers’ of radiation exposure: There
have been a number of
While a reduction in the expected cancer death rate of, say, five or ten percent is within the range of normal statistical variation, a reduction of nearly 98% verges on the improbable. Similar considerations apply to the 93.5% reduction in birth defects. Almost certainly something intervened in this group to cause these startling reductions, and while one cannot definitively state that it was due to the elevated radiation background, it is difficult to see what else it could have been.
The
23/02/2017: Don’t try this at home: http://heatst.com/life/the-latest-sex-trend-spraying-vaporized-liquid-nitrogen-on-your-genitals/
23/02/2017: Why haven’t all the bees disappeared? It turns out the neonics ban is just another ‘Silent Spring’ scam, this time‘only’ costing a few billion dollars (and some environmental damage) & not the 100 million or so lives lost as a result of the wicked DDT ban: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/neonicotinoids-and-bees/
22/02/2017: You know I’m sure that I consider Larry Pickering a National Treasure and was quite sad when I learned months ago that he had (terminal) lung cancer. I am even more delighted this morning tomearn that he has self-cured it! This is not the sort of stuff I normally believe, so I will just pass it on without comment: http://pickeringpost.com/story/what-works-/6928
22/02/2017: It certainly is questionable giving Indonesia billions which they spend on acquiring submarines and fighter jets – but how much are those subs costing them if they get more than one for $1 billion? Our own submarine programme looks pretty lame beside that: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/02/australia-gives-indonesia-365m-this-year-while-indonesia-is-buying-russian-fighter-jets-why.html http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/02/australia-gives-indonesia-365m-this-year-while-indonesia-is-buying-russian-fighter-jets-why.html
22/02/2017: I agree with Miranda, ‘Something is seriously awry when the guy who is horrified about the gang rape of women is portrayed by the mainstream media as unhinged and is mocked for his concern by a political class that has failed to protect those women.’ I suspect most people will. The left wing media and elites have brought us this ‘refugee problem’ and the majority of the population wants to be rid of it: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/trump-was-right-about-sweden-so-ignore-the-predictable-ridicule/news-story/c05e16875de9bf7ebaff75b64f96b4f2
21/02/2017: All you need to know about oil: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/02/18/oil-where-did-it-come-from/
21/02/2017: The NBN is turning out to be complete economic folly, a loss (of capital) to taxpayers of at least $20 billion for zero gain. The submarines at $50 billion and rising are even worse, yet we could not afford the much more modest cost of an automotive industry or new coal fired power stations – and so much of this debacle is down to that ‘genius’ Turnbull. He has to go: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/nbn-losses-could-hit-20-billion/news-story/b8db5ae76b535bc96400d4ebb108ee79
21/02/2017: An excellent paper by Prof Parkinson in
support of marriage, (such a good idea) noting that the alternative (such
as we have now) is economically and socially unsustainable and that eg 'Action
therefore needs to be taken...to support the goal of promoting safe, stable,
and nurturing relationships between children and adults and to eliminate
perverse incentives to choose family forms that may not be optimal as a context
for raising children' and noting that 'The costs of family instability are not just borne by individuals. They are
to a very significant extent borne by taxpayers, who provide income support for
many parents and their children, pay substantial administrative costs in
ensuring income transfers through the child support system, and bear more of
the costs of caring for the elderly than would be necessary if a greater number
of marital and quasi-marital relationships remained intact' That last point is
so often overlooked; I also like the use of the adjective, 'perverse'. Quite
so: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1992740
20/02/2017: Hip Belts: On packs can often weigh more than the pack I usually carry (a Zpacks Zero in Dyneema with pad sleeves, tent, bottle and back pocket at 300 grams + various other mods such as gear attachment straps, internal pockets, etc) so you need to think carefully about whether you need them, what type you need and how much they weigh.
The first important point: if you are somewhat overweight (as I have been much of my life) you will probably be better off with a reasonably simple thin (say 1” – 25mm) webbing belt which will add maybe 30 grams to your pack weight, such as I added to my Gossamer gear Gorilla. If you are thinner, a wider belt will probably suit you best (whilst a wider belt will slip down and not transfer load at all if you are overweight). Indeed if you try to cinch it in tight enough to do any meaningful load transfer, it will restrict your movement tremendously. Be warned!
Ray Jardine advises having no hipbelt at all on an ultralight pack as they restrict your natural gait and rhythm - and why would you need any load transfer at such weights anyway! For an overnight or weekend pack I'm sure he is quite right!
Here is my Zero with lots of added features all ready for my Everest trip:
You need to think carefully about whether you need pockets in the hipbelt (there are only so many things you need to reach on the trail, surely?) and how much the pockets weigh. If you are a tad overweight it might be quite awkward to access such pockets anyway so that their extra weight will be quite surplus if you can't use them.
The padding and material hipbelts are constructed from also add a lot to their weight. As I said at the start a wider padded hipbelt can easily add 300 grams to your pack weight (or most of a day’s food!) so you need to give this some serious thought. My wife Della is slim as a whip, so she likes a wider padded belt.
We fitted this one from Zpacks Zero options to her pack for a weight gain of around 50 grams. You will note that their belt pouches need add only 21 grams per pouch, so if your padded belt with pockets is adding more than 90 grams, it is just too darned heavy!
Zpacks Ultralight belt pouch:
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/powerfilm-usb-aa-solar-charger/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/to-the-roof-of-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pimping-a-gorilla/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/backpacking-gear-advice/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/attaching-tie-downs-to-your-pack/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-pack/
20/02/2017: ‘The child is a sort of vicious, innately cruel dwarf.’ Michel Houellebecq. I’m glad my kids weren’t like that: http://althouse.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/the-child-is-sort-of-vicious-innately.html
20/02/2017: Interesting facts about whales: ‘There are bowhead whales still alive in arctic that were born long before Moby Dick was written in 1851…Thirty four years ago, scientists counted 1,200 (bowhead) whales. Today there are about 14,000 of the mammals out there.’ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/there-are-whales-alive-today-who-were-born-before-moby-dick-was-written-660944/#.UwFWUVflt8s.twitter
19/02/2017: The
Umbrella Redesigned:
Blunt umbrellas may not be the cheapest umbrellas but they may well be the sturdiest. They have been wind tunnel tested to not fail in Force 9 winds and have a two year warranty. If you are seeking a hiking umbrella which will not fail you in the wilds, this may be the choice. It may be heavier than some of the other choices (eg http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/), but if it never lets you down, the extra weight will be worth it!
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/vapor-barrier/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rain-skirt/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultra-cheap-ultralight-rain-gear/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-cuban-fibre-raincoat/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-avoid-being-wet-cold-while-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/why-you-should-get-your-feet-wet-when-hiking/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wet-weather-pull-on-boots/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/interesting-wet-weather-fire-starter/
‘A Stronger, Safer
Umbrella
Frustrated by the number of umbrellas that end up in landfills, the folks behind New Zealand-based Blunt set out on a mission: to make an umbrella that actually works—one that won’t break in a storm, when you need it most. The result? The Metro, the company’s flagship travel model, made to stand up to wild weather in the city or the great outdoors. It measures 14 inches long when closed and opens to a 37-inch diameter, offering 900 square inches of coverage from rain or sun. Every umbrella is wind-tunnel tested in 55-mile-per-hour (or Force 9) winds. And because you probably won’t carry yours through a wind tunnel, Blunt performs real-world testing, too.
Built-to-Last
Construction
All Blunt umbrellas feature a unique Radial Tensioning System that redirects,transfers, and distributes the effort used in opening the umbrella throughout the entire canopy surface. This robust, aerodynamic structure prevents the wind from throwing your canopy in all directions, and the company’s patented safety tips ensure you’ll never accidentally jab a passerby again. Following a rigorous 38-point quality check, the umbrellas show—as Wired puts it—an “architectural integrity as unbroken as the dome of St. Peter’s.”
Specs
- Blunt
- Material, canopy: Quick-dry polyester, UVR classified
- Material, shaft: Anodized aluminum
- Material, handle: TPR (rubber)
- Diameter: 37 in (94 cm)
- Coverage: 900 sq in (5,806 sq cm)
- Length when closed: 14 in (36 cm)
- Weight: 12.8 oz (363 g)
- Two year Warranty’
Available here: https://www.bluntumbrellas.com/au/xsmetro
On Massdrop at the moment for US$34.99: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/blunt-metro?referer=EJ89BQ
Reviews:
https://www.wired.com/2010/02/pr_blunt_umbrella/
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Umbrella-Reviews/Blunt-XS-Metro
19/02/2017: More and more polies. Polies everywhere: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/fake-warming-scare-polar-bears-actually-increasing/news-story/6444b6031c0eda3129c0fbe616f7228c
19/02/2017: Thomas Sowell on personal responsibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFpY24ldQmU&feature=youtu.be
18/02/2017: Found Space: Underneath our caravan sink was a mess of plumbing. As you can see a large fitting and poorly routed hose stole most of our already limited storage space. I purchased the much shorter and more compact fitting online and installed it myself (rerouting the drain hose in the process) and now have space for another storage box.
Before:
A comparison of the two fittings. The white one is nearly 120 mm tall and the one on the right is 35 mm.
Lots more space now:
The plumbing which remains still leaves much to be desired but it would be lots of work now for little gain (save neatness) but when the caravan was being manufactured it would have been (relatively) easy to install the plumbing in a workmanlike and tidy fashion and to have the caravan delivered with storage containers which actually fitted the space. Every caravan whose cupboards I have opened seems to have just the same issues – yet many folk paid tens of thousands of dollars (more) for their vans than we have.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/girard-tankless-water-heater/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/staircase-for-camper/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tray-top-camper/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tray-back-campers-and-other-heavy-loads/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/twin-shock-absorbers/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/second-air-bead-locks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mobile-phone-antennae/
18/02/2017: Libs may yet save Hazelwood: Be Quick! http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/government-now-wants-to-make-the-coalfired-power-it-ruined/news-story/d3f77703971e59f76d4e3c5d14be79ac
18/02/2017: Use by dates are nuts: We often open and use cream which is weeks, even months out of date. For UHT, dehydrated and canned food, I can’t imagine what folks think could go wrong. Apparently the appearance, smell, taste test is just too dangerous and all this perfectly good food should just be trashed. Something needs to change, that’s for sure: https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2017/02/15/use-by-on-your-milk-may-start-to-actually-mean-something-soon/
18/02/2017: Before you decide that paedophiles should all be killed, meet Zachary who faces 350 years in prison because he was sent five photos of an underage girl in her underwear: http://reason.com/blog/2017/02/14/teen-girl-sends-teen-boy-5-pix-of-self-i
17/02/2017: Vargo
Titanium Knives: Vargo now have a 2.7” (68mm) fixed blade knife which weighs 28 grams (inc
sheath) and a 2 ¼” (57mm) folder at 30 grams. https://www.vargooutdoors.com/titanium-wharn-clip-knife.html
&
https://www.vargooutdoors.com/ti-carbon-folding-knife.html The RRP on these beauties
is US$59.95 (though they are available on Massdrop for US$44.99). These knives
would be hard to beat for the ultralight hiker.
PS: I always carry a fixed
blade knife for its ability to split wet wood for emergency fire lighting. See:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
& http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
Some more specs:
Fixed Blade:
- Material, blade: Japanese titanium alloy
- Single-bevel grind
- Wharncliffe point
- Integrated carrying clip
- Hardness: Rockwell C 50
- Sheath: Kydex
- Blade length: 2.7 in (69 mm)
- Blade thickness: 0.1 in (3 mm)
- Overall length:: 5.4 in (138 mm)
- Knife weight: 0.7 oz (20 g)
- Overall weight: 1 oz (28 g)
Folder:
- Material, blade: Japanese titanium alloy
- Material, handle: Carbon fiber
- Wharncliffe point
- Double-bevel grind
- Liner lock
- Lanyard hole
- Hardness: Rockwell C 50
- Blade length: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
- Blade thickness: 0.1 in (0.25 cm)
- Total length, opened: 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Total length, closed: 3.3 in (8.4 cm)
- Weight: 1 oz (30 g)
17/02/2017:
17/02/2017: The End of Democracy: James Burnham saw
how this would work out back in 1941. It sounds awfully familiar today: ‘The
many nations that are in fact being absolved will remain existent in name; they
can function as administrative subdivisions, but have no sovereignty.’ https://gatestone.eu/the-end-of-european-democracy/
16/02/2017: Henry Shires’ Tarptent: This is one of the best and cheapest DIY tents around. With Henry’s permission I am reprinting his full instructions here: ‘The following document has appeared in print since 1999 and details plans for making your own tarptent. While neither is as easy to set up, nor is as storm and wind resistant as the next generation Tarptents, these tents are excellent do-it-yourself projects for even the first-time sewer. We will be happy to offer tips and suggestions should you decide to make one.
The Tarptent sleeps 1+ (me, gear, +) and weighs 18 ounces complete with poles, stakes, tie lines etc. The Tarptent-for-2 sleeps 2 (or huge for one), weighs 24 ounces complete including generous beak, and has some additional room for gear. Both tents are floor-less, completely screened with zipper opening door and made from 1.1 oz silicone-coated nylon. Here's everything you need to know to make your own.https://www.tarptent.com/tarpdesign.html
|
IntroductionA goal of every ultralight backpacker is to carry a comfortable shelter that offers maximum protection from wet weather and bugs, while minimizing weight, difficulty of setup, and cost. The Tarptent is my solution to the problem.
Shelter ComparisonThere are three traditional shelter types. Here is a summary of their relative performance. My rankings are subjective.
Each shelter type excels in certain categories. The tarp is at or near the top in all categories except bugs. My goal was to create a modified tarp that eliminated the bugs while maintaining excellence in all other categories. The Tarptent weighs about 18 ounces, sleeps one person plus gear, and costs about $60 to make. The Tarptent-for-2 costs costs a few dolllars more. Disclaimer: Snowy, winter conditions create additional shelter needs. The Tarptent will be fine in light snowstorms but is NOT intended for winter use. All in the FabricWhile researching tents for myPacific Crest Trail thru-hike, I found and subsequently purchased a tent from Stephenson (603-293-7016), a producer of very light, high quality, but expensive tents. This bug-tight, 4-season tent weighs just over 3 pounds (less if you don't get the extra window screening), sleeps 2 very comfortably, and offers easy setup. It would rate a "4" in nearly all categories except cost. At 1.5 lbs/person, it's hard to beat, except if you're hiking solo. What really got me thinking about making my own tent was the Stephenson tent material. Stephenson tents are able to achieve their remarkable lightness because they use 1.4 oz./sq. yd. silicone coated ripstop nylon. Urethane coated nylons weigh well over 2 oz./sq. yd, some approaching 3 oz/sq. yd. While this may not sound like much of a savings, it really starts to add up when your tent contains 10+ sq. yds of material. The Stephenson catalog offers the 1.4 oz. fabric for sale. It also references the material that was used in previous model years but discontinued because of an apparent problem with the supplier's ability to meet demand. This material is 1.1-ounce silicone-coated nylon (silnylon). Silnylon is available now from several mail order suppliers, and it is the material I used to make my Tarptent. It is very strong, extremely lightweight and must, of course, be protected from abrasion to withstand extended use. Update 9/5/01: "1.1-ounce" refers to the fabric weight before the coating is applied. Actual fabric weight is variable, depending on manufacturer, and can range from 1.3 to 1.5 ounces/ sq. yd. This variability will impact the final Tarptent weight by up to 1 ounce. Recently I have begun using a silicone-coated, "zero-porosity, high performance rip stop nylon fabric" from Aerodyne Research Corp that is used for parachutes. It's called Zero Porosity Fabric (ZPF) and the company claims that it weighs 1.3 ounces/ sq. yd. On my scale it weighed 1.5 ounces/sq yd. My last batch of "1.1-ounce" silnylon from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics also weighed 1.5 ounces/sq yd. so either my scale is off or the variability is just to be expected. What's great about the ZPF fabric is that it has a smooth, rather than slippery, finish and is MUCH easier to sew than standard 1.1-ounce silnylon. Sort of like the difference between matte and glossy photographic paper. This fabric is extremely strong--you wouldn't want your parachute to be weak--but seems to have a bit more elasticity than standard silnylon. The 3-point rear pullout on the Tarptent-for-2 is designed to eliminate the small amount of extra sag caused by the increased elasticity. Your mileage will vary. Anatomy of a DesignWhen I started working on this design, I began with an Integral Designs 8'x5' 1.1-ounce silicone coated tarp. It weighed about 6 oz, cost $50, and came with all the guyline pullouts already installed. I created a simple a-frame design, using 26" straight poles (I-poles) in the front and back. I sealed the triangular open ends with coated nylon doors, bounded at the apex by small mosquito netting vents for ventilation. I sewed one door edge to the tarp and used Velcro to attach the other edge for easy opening and closing . A groundcloth formed the floor of the enclosure. I attached guylines to the front and back and staked all 4 corners to the ground. There was just enough room to wriggle in and out of the tent and it kept the bugs out. Serviceable, cheap, lightweight, no view and no fun. It also suffered from condensation and showered on me when I brushed the material while exiting the tent. Next I decided to raise one long side of the tent and add mosquito netting along the entire length. This increased ventilation and provided a bit of a view. It also dramatically increased floor space while extending the drip line away from the interior. Original Design Raised Side Modification
I modified the door and added guylines along the edge of the raised side at the corners and in the middle. While testing this tent I discovered that the netting actually blocks most of the driven rain. Small spray that gets through the netting will not reach more than a foot or so into the interior so as long as you keep the groundcloth/sleeping bag away from the netting you will stay dry. Subsequently I changed the front and back doors to all netting to increase ventilation and views with minimal increase to rain exposure. The original 8' x 5' tarp was then transformed into something like this:
I field tested this tent on a '98 JMT hike and it performed quite well. I still got a few drips of condensation when exiting the tent and I couldn't sit up to move around, eat, or put on a shirt. I yearned for more freedom of movement. This time I needed my calculator and a little help from simple trigonometry. I wanted to maintain the floor space but increase the headroom without adding much to the overall weight. By raising the front and lowering the rear I added less than 7 sq. ft. (less than 1 ounce) but increased headroom by 1 foot. I'm 5'11" and can just sit up in the Tarptent. So without further ado, here's how to make your very own 18-ounce Tarptent™.
Materials
A good place to order materials is Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics (1-800-693-7467). Poles can be assembled from sections available at REI and other sources. My local REI did not have the grommet tips when I inquired so I had my poles custom made by TA Enterprises (1-800-266-9527) for about $10. Pole Notes: Adjustable Trekking poles can also be used. If you turn the poles over you should be able to insert the pole tips into the existing grommets. Adjust the poles to match the specs for the front and rear heights (though most trekking poles will not collapse down to 20" and you'll have to get creative to use one for the rear). For those using Glen Van Peski's G4 pack,
the 18" or 20" The PlansThe following designs are intended for 1 person and gear (Tarptent) or 2 people and some gear (Tarptent-for-2). The Tarptent can sleep two in a pinch but the Tarptent-for-2 is intended for extended 2-person use or as a more luxurious shelter for one.
Fabric Dimensions: Cut 2 identical pieces of silnylon. Click here for printable pattern.
Cut 4 pieces of no-see-um netting. Click here for printable pattern. Left Side (raised side)
Right Side (low side)
Front Door
Rear Door
Cut 8 identical pieces of nylon tape or webbing for pullouts.
Cut 1 piece of Velcro tape (both sides) for netting tie or 2 pieces if you're adding a beak.
Some Assembly RequiredPlace the two identical pieces of silicone-coated nylon together and stitch along the long horizontal side. Use a 0.5" inch seam allowance. The Tarptent should now look like this:
Now fold over each edge 3/4" and stitch to form a border. The Tarptent should now look like this:
The PulloutsPullouts are used to attach the Tarptent to the ground, via a stake or guyline.
The areas around the pullouts will be subject to stress and it is imperative that these areas be reinforced to spread the load. Cut scrap nylon and reinforce as shown :
You will need to cut scrap nylon to fit each corner and the midway point of each parallel side (the ridgeline pullouts). You can also add reinforcing patches along the midway point of each long side though those points do not experience much stress. Make each piece several inches wide/long and stitch along the direction of stress.
Front and Rear PulloutsThe front and pullouts are grommeted to support the Tarptent poles. Adjustable Trekking poles can also be used but be sure the grommet and associated webbing is large enough or just affix the trekking pole to the webbing loop and leave out the grommet.
Make two identical grommet loops as follows: Fold a piece of nylon tape in half. Insert a #1 grommet near the end of the loop, through both pieces of tape, and spread the free ends as shown:
Repeat with a second piece of tape. Now, attach the grommet loops to the middle of the front and rear parallel sides. Be sure to spread out the tape so that there is more surface area to sew.
Side pulloutsNow attach the remaining webbing strips to the 4 corners and the two remaining midpoints. Fold each piece in half, turn it so it faces you edge on and then open it like a book to form a loop that looks like this:
Attach the loops to the remaining areas in the same manner as the grommet loops. Your Tarptent should now look like this:
Out, Damned MosquitoesBlessed be the ones inside the netting for they shall remain sane... Before you attach the netting you should determine which long side of your Tarptent you want to raise up. If you sleep on your left side as I do you will want to raise up the left side (as viewed from the front) of the Tarptent so you can see out the side of the tent while lying down. Reverse the instructions for a "right-sided" design. A Velcro closure is nice so that you can prop open the door when the bugs are low. Peel apart the two halves of the Velcro and stick them together again so that they form one long piece with about 1/2" overlap.
Sew the overlap area to the edge of the tarp, about 1/3 of the way up the fabric, so that it forms a right angle to the tarp. Be sure to attach the Velcro to the left side of the Tarptent before you sew the netting. When the netting is held open by the Velcro it will look like this:
Now, sew each of the long pieces of netting to the edges of the Tarptent roof as shown below. Be sure to center each piece of netting so that there is enough material on both ends to overlap with the adjoining netting. For now, do not sew past the center of each corner.
Tip: The netting/nylon interface is slippery. You will want to use a short stitch length to prevent seam puckering. Practice with scrap before you proceed or you will have to rip out your first attempts. I also recommend cutting each long side netting in half and sewing each half separately. Once the tent is set up, pin and re-sew the break in the vertical wall. This will help eliminate the stretch in the netting. You are now ready to set up the Tarptent and adjust the netting for good fit and finish. Be sure the Tarptent is taut before proceeding. Walk to the back of the Tarptent and pull the back window netting flap across until it's taut.
Pin the netting to the edge of the roof Specificationsline. Now go the front of the Tarptent and repeat the sequence with the front door flap but leave a little slack to compensate for the zipper. Draw a line along the netting corresponding to the pins. This is the zipper line and you will need to trim the netting back to this line. Take down the Tarptent and sew the zipper to the right side of the Tarptent You will need to sew one side to the right edge of the roof and the other side to the edge of the netting.
Be sure to block the top of the zipper to prevent complete separation by sewing an extra piece of nylon tape across the zipper. Stitch over the area a few times. Do the same thing to the bottom of the zipper by separately taping each bottom edge and stitch to prevent unraveling. Finish sewing the rear window along the pin line. Set up the tent again and pin the corners of the netting so that they hang straight and slightly inward. Each corner should form a pocket (for placing rocks/shoes/etc. to hold the netting) and the netting should fold to the inside. There should be about 7 inches of netting to the inside of the tent. Trim the netting as desired. In the field, place objects along the netting border, as needed, to complete the bug seal. When you have finished pinning the material, take the Tarptent down and sew the netting along the pin lines. Options (Why? Because we got 'em.)Sorry no moon roofs or 4-speaker stereos. But if it's beaks or floors you want, you came to the right place. Adding a Beak
A beak is an awning that partially covers the front of the tent. I have made it a standard part of the Tarptent-for-2 and consider it optional for the original Tarptent. It adds about 1 ounce to the overall weight of the finished product. In either case, it will not be needed except when the tent front is aimed into the blowing rain. A beak will, however, allow the front netting to be left open during most storms--a benefit for increasing airflow in wet weather--and allow you to scootch up toward the front. Like the door netting, the beak is designed to be rolled up and stored with velcro when not needed. Click here for printable pattern
Adding a FloorThe Tarptent is designed to have an open floor with netting border. Typically a groundcloth forms the interior. I always carry a groundcloth made of Tyvek Housewrap--a very tough and highly water resistant fabric used in building construction--and center it inside the Tarptent. My groundcloth measures 3 x 6 1/2 feet and weighs about 5 ounces.
Another option is to fill the space with a full netting, Tyvek, Silnylon, or combination floor.
A removable floor is the best of all worlds because it gives you flexibility to sleep out or in without having to carry an extra groundcloth. Here's how to make one. Determine the dimensions of your groundcloth. Now cut or piece together a netting floor insert to match the interior dimensions of the "hole" in the Tarptent or Tarptent-for-2 (see above) and create a another hole in the middle of the netting insert that is an inch or two smaller than your groundcloth. Sew velcro to the corners and middle of the long sides as shown.
Sew corresponding velcro patches to your groundcloth as shown.
Sew the netting insert to the netting flaps on the tarptent (except the front door) and press the groundcloth velcro patches onto the netting insert. Your completed floor should now look like this,
A combination netting/removable floor should add 1-1.5 ounces to the overall Tarptent weight (not including the weight of the groundcloth). A full netting floor would add about 4 ounces. Finishing TouchesSet up the Tarptent again and seam seal the main ridge seam and, if you wish, the seams around the pullouts. You may also wish to sew small loops at the front of ridgeline and about 1 foot toward the rear for use as a small clothesline or flashlight holder. An additional benefit of these two loops is that they double as a ridgeline tightener. Click here for additional Tarptent-for-2 finishing touches. But Do I Really Want to Make One...Since I first published this document, many people have asked me if I have any original Tarptents to sell. The answer is no because the new, next generation Tarptents are so much better. If you'd still like an original Tarptent, I've authorized Moonbowgear to produce them. Five Months on the PCT
I put the Tarptent through an extensive field test during my hike. For nearly 5 months on the trail, the Tarptent was truly my home. Overall, it performed like a champ and I stayed exceptionally dry and warm during my walk. I do, however, have a few comments and suggestions for future Tarptent users.
The Tarptent will be forever linked with the most incredible journey of my life. That's it! I hope you enjoy your original Tarptent or Tarptent-for-2 and please feel free to contact me with comments or suggestions.
Henry Shires info@tarptent.comTarptent is a trademark of Henry Shires. I assume no responsibility with regard to the Tarptent's performance or use. © 1999-2016 by Henry Shires. All rights reserved. |
16/02/2017: Seems like Bernardi might be on the right track. Polling 14%: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/bright-start-for-bernardi/news-story/54c985ec9ea41c62d7c3e9bc42ea816d
16/02/2017: Damn! The Greens are really evil: Sure, ‘don't bother knockin' if the van's rockin’ is risqué, but so what? http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2017/02/the-greens-want-to-ban-camper-van-slogans-but-ok-with-behead-those-who-insult-prophet-.html
16/02/2017: ‘It is
easy to forget that the memoirs of a little girl who watched Native Americans
on horseback and saw herds of buffalo on the plains happened within living
memory of my elders when I was born’.
15/02/2017:
15/02/2017: This
is not only false, but wicked: Bill Shorten on Aboriginal disadvantage: ‘We distributed blankets infected with
diseases we knew would kill’. Nothing more is needed to fuel this vile
15/02/2017: Another great idea from Angela. At least
most folks will be able to get on board this one: http://hotair.com/archives/2017/02/12/its-come-to-this-merkel-now-offering-cash-for-migrants-to-leave-the-country/
14/02/2017: An Excursion to the
‘After bathing in the Thompson, which we found about up to our waists, and very cold, we had breakfast, and made another start. We crossed the bridge and ascended the opposite hill. The track was good, and after a time we got among the green saplings and wattles. They were about 9 inches at the butt and about 30 feet high. They grew thickly on each side of the track, and were often fallen across it. So we continued for about 2 miles, apparently keeping near the ridge of a spur. At this point the track turned a little off the ridge to the right, crossing the head of a valley, which ran south, to join the Thompson.
Just as we got across this valley we came to a pile of huge granite holders, and from this spot we got a fine view down the valley, and up the Thompson, with Mount Baw Baw in the back ground. Just beyond there was a heavy fall of dead, timber, which we got past with some difficulty. The track was again clear for a little. It then crossed the ridge, and we got on to a sideling sloping to our left. Here we came to another heavy fall of dead timber. Some logs 100 feet long and several feet through at the butt had fallen across the track, bringing down with them great quantities of the sap-lings and wattles. The track was blocked in this way for 100 yards or more. We had to endeavor to carry our packs over the obstacle, and then find places where the horse would jump the logs, or they were sufficiently broken to enable him to scramble over them, and move the saplings for him to get there.
We
loaded again, and proceeded a few hundred yards. Here we came to a worse block,
and extending a long way ahead. It had taken us two hours hard work to traverse
the eighth of a mile. We were then 12 miles from
On our return to the granite knoll we admired the view at greater leisure. The undulating ridge of the plateau, covered with foliage of diverse tints; the red of the gum saplings contrasting with the deep green of the wattles and the huge black and white trunks that at intervals towered above it. In the back ground were Mt. Baw Baw appearing as an isolated group of rounded pyramids or conical domes rising to a great height above the plateau on the south-east, and that notwithstanding that the granite knoll was 2600 feet above M'Mahon's, or between 3000 and 1000 feet above the sea, and the ground between us and Baw Baw was rising. We returned to the Thompson, and camped a second time upon the same spot.
The
next day we left our camp standing and walked to the Yarra to have another
cooler at the falls. We had a pleasant walk through the beech forest, the dark
shade of which was set off by the straggling gleams of bright sunlight which
found their way between the trees. We had lunch under a small fall. A little
above this was a great fall, which was shaded by the ferns, and very pretty. We
then began to descend the great fall from the top, keeping near the edge of the
creek, and saw a fine series of cascades. Still, we could see but a small
por-tion at once. After getting over 100 or 200 feet, we came to a high rock,
jutting out on the left bank of the stream. To the top of this we climbed, and
were rewarded with a magnificent view. The face of the fall was visible for 300
or 400 feet, the upper and lower portion gleaming through a pale green veil of
ti-tree. Looking outwards, we could see far down the
The
next day we struck our camp on the Thompson, and for the two succeeding days we
proceeded without difficulty till we got to
At
tbe foot of
We were not a little glad when we again made the Excelsior shaft. After this the travelling was easy. On reaching the place where the old track turned off to Alderman's Creek, we thought we would follow it and camp there. But finding the descent would be very great, we turned back and camped on the ridge, which the supply of water in the hut enabled us to do.
The next day we set out for Reefton. Not withstanding the rain which had taken place, the little water holes were quite dry. Going down the thick spur we had a fine view of a nameless mountain mass on the opposite side of the Yarra, whose steep and rugged sides were seamed with an irregular network of foliage. We descended the deep spur, and arrived at Reefton. We had eaten up all our provisions, our boots were nearly worn off our feet, our garments were ragged, but we were in good spirits, for we had seen the falls.
Here
we met Mr. Lewis, and were hospitably entertained by him and his wife, which we
thoroughly appreciated, and next day left for the metropolis. On reaching
When I arrived at the river, I saw cattle tracks along the bank and knew there must be somebody living not far off. After following it down for about three miles, I suddenly came upon a selector's bark mansion. To my surprise there were some girls outside, more surprised than I was, not only as to my state of dress, but as to where I had come from, as there had not been anybody through this part for about five years. After regaling myself with a delicious glass of gooseberry wine, I passed on to the next crossing, where a miner lives, who kindly gave me a good tea and put me on the track to Mount Lookout a distance of two miles, uphill all the way (by the clock), where I arrived at eleven o'clock at night, and was refused a bed till I convinced the proprietor that I was not a sun-downer on the wallaby track.
... It would have taken at least a week to do the four miles after I left you with the pack horse." We saw lyre birds at intervals all the way along the South Dividing Range of the Yarra, and thence as far as we went, and we also saw trace of wombats, and we killed a snake on Mount Horsefall, bnt we neither saw nor heard any other animals, whether birds or beasts. This absence of life made the part we passed through particularly silent, except for the sound of the wind among the trees, or of falling water when we were near the Yarra, Different members of the party drew com-parisons between the Yarra Falls and other waterfalls they had seen— the Stevenson, the Erskine, the Watts, the Eurobbin, the Wentworth, the Wannon.
In
general character the
I saw none of these slides on the Yarra, the fall being broken by short slopes only. While the Yarra falls over the edge of a precipitous and wooded declivity, the Watts rushes down the bottom of a vast and steep gorge between Mount Juliet and Mount Strickland, the wooded sides of which descend to the water's edge in steep unbroken slopes of, I should say, at least 2000 feet. As compared with the Eurobbin Falls in Victoria and the Wentworth in New South Wales, the Yarra Falls were considered to contain more water, but do not present the feature of an unbroken fall of vast height which distinguishes the former. As compared with the Loutit Bay Falls, I do not think I saw on the Yarra any one cascade unbroken by steps as high as the Splitter's Falls, or even as the falls of the Erskine. But both these latter falls are seen from valleys where the view is much shut in, and where consequently, the actual height is not liable to be dwarfed by comparison with greater heights or depths.
A
further question that may arise is how far the
There
is a certain pleasure to be derived from encountering and surmounting
difficulties. The mind is completely taken out of its accustomed train by the
immediate necessity of devoting the whole attention to the passing incidents of
the journey. The extent to which this is the case few people will conceive who
have never taken a trip of the kind. One appears to forget, for the time,
everyday life, as if he had been all his life a wanderer in the wilderness. To
those who look at things in this light I would recommend a trip to the
At the present time settlement is prevented by the inaccessible nature of the country, but this would not be a permanent obstacle ; a little engineering skill would no doubt carry a dray road on to the plateau, after which there would bo no further difficulty, except from vegetation. Some years hence, therefore, there may be a movement to take up this country. Since my return I have been questioned as to the character of the soil; I said it was good, but of course no grass would grow under the timber, "That," the answer was, "is a small matter. If the soil is good it is easy to ring the trees."
It is a matter, therefore, for consideration what ought to be done in anticipation of such a movement. It would add to the colony some square miles of summer pastures and perhaps of cornfields, but it would have other effects of a different character. The snow no longer shaded by the dark foliage of the beech trees would, melt more rapidly. The ground exposed to the summer sun would harden and absorb less water, and there would be a probable diminution of the rainfall, The result would be disastrous floods in the spring when the snow melted, followed by a quickly diminished pe-manent flow of the stream during the summer. It would seem well, therefore, that some steps should be taken permanently to preserve these forests in their present state. How far this is now done incidentally by reason of tbe country being included in auriferous reserves I do not know.’
Turns
out there is still more to find out about the
‘State Party Marooned. Trafalgar and Yarragon Times Friday 8th February 1918.
Tourist Hut Gives Shelter.
Under the above heading the Herald on Monday last says:-
When the storm broke on Saturday a Parliamentary and departmental party led by Mr. Barnes, M.L.A., which was returning on horseback from a trip to the head of the Yarra to inspect the district timber resources took shelter in the tourist hut near Yarra Falls.
"The rain fell in bucketsfull", said one member of the party today in describing his experience.
"Men and horse soon looked as if they had been wading through a stream. Our boots were full of water. When we reached the tourist hut we had to strip off our clothes and dry them at a fire. While our clothes dried we had to be content with less raiment than is ordinarily worn in the busy haunts. We had a Railway Department photographer with us but he refrained from snapshoting us as we wore rags and other coverings, which are stored at the hut. We stayed all Saturday night at the hut, and left on Sunday morning."
The party, in addition to Mr. Barnes consisted of Mr. M. Hannah, M.L.A. vice-chairman, and members of the New Industries Institute.’
Once again I am grateful to Thomas Osburg for finding and sharing these historic treasures.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-trip-to-the-upper-yarra-in-1907-camping-near-mcveighs/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/yarra-falls-shelter-house/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-1925-the-baw-baw-track-notes-of-a-recent-visit/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/secrets-of-the-yarra-walshs-creek-yarra-falls/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/yarra-falls-3/
14/02/2017: Science keeps bringing us new wonders: Cheap plastic film cools whatever it touches up to 10°C. This stuff is so improbable, but it is real. Its very existence calls the whole ‘Greenhouse Effect’ religion into question. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/02/cheap-plastic-film-cools-whatever-it-touches-10-c & https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/02/13/a-reverse-greenhouse-effect/
14/02/2017: Marine Le Pen may well win with this excellent campaign ad. How different the world will be with Trump, May, Wilders, Le Pen & ? at the helm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYWnuQc5mYA
13/02/2017: What could
possibly go wrong: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/freedom-for-the-manitoba-muncher/news-story/bdca0401c9753abe58e8b12e064d40d4
13/02/2017: The eyes have it: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603289/the-tiny-robots-revolutionizing-eye-surgery/
13/02/2017: In
13/02/2017: Don’t like Google’s intrusiveness? You can get most Apps here without a Google account: http://en.uptodown.com/android If you go to their site you will see that each App has already been checked by perhaps 50 Anti Virus programmes to be safe – no doubt you can also run it past your own. This may be the next best thing to outright ‘jailbreaking’ your phone, which you might alos consider if yout are obsessed by privacy issues.
For example you can download the old version of ‘Pdf Maps’ which allows you to open an infinite number of maps. You have to uncheck 'Update' to continue its functionality. This is really good for opening GPS enabled Vicmaps on your mobile phone.
12/02/2017:
I
would estimate it to take at least three hours from Webbs Track to
You can also put in at the intermediate point Burns Track (just a km above the junction). This would be a good place to check the canoeability of the East branch before you try it from Webbs all the way down. Keep an eye on the river heights gauge http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDV60154.html to see if there is enough water. A decent summer shower should provide you with some fun!
View downstream.
View upstream.
A
PS: I had not thought about canoeing the section of the Tanjil downstream from
Blue Rock but apparently they let out 'Environmental Flows' from time to time
which makes this possible. I will post when I know more.
12/02/2017: What
a great poem! Especially the last stanza, and the last line:
Ulysses - Tennyson
It
little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match’d with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d
Greatly, have suffer’d greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro’ scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honour’d of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’
Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!
As tho’ to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.
This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and thro’ soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.
There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toil’d, and wrought, and thought with me—
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
’Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
12/02/2017: Galaxy Poll this morning: One Nation at 23% in Qld, and reputedly ahead of Labor! Interesting times! http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/one-nation-support-soars-to-23-per-cent/news-story/feaa506e5f5e4fe3979814b58826790e
12/02/2017: Should will we build a fence around the
11/02/2017: Strange Stone Circles:
I am sick to death of seeing these ubiquitous idiotic ‘structures’. They do
nothing to contain the campfire – indeed they are likely to harbour smouldering
embers which wind will later re-ignite into conflagrations. They are a tripping
hazard responsible for many burns injuries. They are visual squalor. They are
almost always in the wrong place. They are impossible to see once the grass has
regrown. I hate to think how many times I have srubbed my toes on them or come
close to damaging my vehicle with them. They make it almost impossible to slash
the grass in summer to prevent bushfires and are annually responsible for
thousands of dollars of damage to equipment. It is almost always better not to
have the fire in the same place all the time. Individual small campfires cause
interesting regrowth responsible for the propagation and preservation of many
rare species, particularly orchids. Permanent campfires just sterilize that
spot and create no renewal opportunities. In any case, they are almost always symptomatic
of summer campers who should have no campfire at all given the likely enhanced
wildfire danger, and that it is not cold enough to require a fire. You almost
never see these structures erected by winter campers such as deer hunters.
Let’s stamp them out, please!
11/02/2017: NB:
Fritz
Goers frying egg on pavement, Barossa, 1950s.
11/02/2017: It’s a strange world. When Larry
Pickering said that while "I
can't stand Muslims ... they are not all bad [because] they do chuck
pillow-biters off buildings", Andrew Bolt condemned him for it. Thank
goodness we still have sacriligeous scallywags like
Larry: ‘What did I say that I will not apologise for? It went something like this, “Muslims can’t be all bad, I mean they do chuck pillow biters off buildings don’t they?” I have many homosexual friends who saw it as a joke... it was the sort of bullshit banter exchanged between holes on a golf course. The SMH infiltrated a private dinner where they were determined to find something to offend someone’
10/02/2017: Escaping the Heat: Who needs an air
conditioner? Go up a thousand metres and you lose approx 8C. The Baw Baw
Plateau this week has been beautiful with maximums in the low twenties whilst
folks below in the
There
are lots of spots you can camp all along eg the Forty Mile Break Rd (North of
Noojee) which is mown to a width of nearly two chains all around the
magnificent mountain ash which form a broad avenue along it. Certainly one of
the five most beautiful (2WD) roads in
Here we are set up in a sheltered shady spot atop Mt Horsefall – with even a mobile and internet connection!
The view out our front door.
Spot
takes a closer look at that magnificent view over the
Of
course we were even able to cool off on the way with a quick trip to the
beautiful
Map:
See Rooftop’s ‘
10/02/2017: So, closing Hazelwood is a good idea? http://www.smh.com.au/business/energy/warning-of-nsw-power-shortages-after-soaring-temperatures-stoke-demand-20170208-gu8rv5
10/02/2017: So, Trump was clearly right and Clinton nearly won the Presidency on a wave of fraudulent votes: http://www.americanthinker.com/…/illegal_aliens_really_do_v… In Australia ‘You can use your driver's licence, Australian passport number or have someone who is enrolled confirm your identity.’ http://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/ So I wonder how big voter fraud is here? It has clearly been the case for a long time that the Labor Party seeks to import as many new ‘client’ voters as they can to rely on the taxpayer’s largesse.
10/02/2017: And
now for a Dutch Trump (Will Le Pen be next?): https://pjmedia.com/trending/2017/02/03/shock-poll-in-the-netherlands-geert-wilders-party-smashes-rivals/
08/02/2017: Hammock Pad Extender: Ed Speer hit on this lightweight way to ensure that you stay warm in your hammock many years ago. You could make this yourself in a lightweight nylon (eg .7 oz/yd2, such as this: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/online-shop/argon-67) I don’t need the insulation for my knees as I always sleep on my bnack in a hammock, so mine would weigh half of the one shown in the photo ie less than a square yard of fabric plus two pieces of evazote 1 ½’ x 6”, so less tha 2 ounces anyway.
https://web.archive.org/web/20060115191541/http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm
08/02/2017: The secret of true happiness: Study,
Majority Of Humans Happiest When Rest Of Family Still Asleep: http://www.theonion.com/article/study-majority-humans-happiest-when-rest-family-st-55243
08/02/2017: A Trump Progress Report: In two weeks, he has accomplished 27 things he promised to do. Like it or not, I doubt any previous president can claim as much. If only we had a Prime Minister like this! Perhaps soon we will.
1.
‘Trump erased all mentions on the White House web site of “climate
change.” He did that within ONE HOUR of taking the oath of office.
2. Trump issued an Executive order to “ease the burden of
Obamacare”
3. Trump returned the bust of Winston Churchill to the oval office
4. Trump withdrew
5. Trump erased all Spanish language from the White House web site.
It is now “English Only.”
6. Trump issued an Executive order starting the construction of “THE
WALL.”
7. Trump issued an Executive order banning funding to foreign
pro-abortion groups
8. Trump's new Secretary of Defense, James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis, took
the fight to
9. Trump announced temporary ban on refugees from
10. Trump imposed a media blackout at
the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding new
contracts or grants
11. Trump announced a ban on visas
from dangerous Muslim-majority countries with inadequate screening
12. Trump announced the end of
“Sanctuary cities” and the defunding of federal funds for any city that chooses
to continue breaking the law
13. Trump announced the hiring of
10,000 new border agents
14. Trump signed an Executive order
demanding the Secretary of Homeland Security publish a weekly list of violent
crimes committed by illegal aliens
15. Trump signed an Executive order
freezing the hiring of non-essential federal employees
16. Trump said out loud the words
“radical Islamic terrorism.”
17. Trump stopped payment on Obama’s
final hour giveaway of $220 million to the Palestinian Authority
18. Trump used Executive orders to
give the go-ahead to the long-stalled Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines
19. Trump got the State Department’s
entire senior management team to resign in frustration.
20. Trump announced his intention to
withdraw From Climate & Environmental Accords Along With UN Funding Cuts of
40%
21. Trump tweeted “Ungrateful TRAITOR
Chelsea Manning, who should never have been released from prison, is now
calling President Obama a weak leader. Terrible!”
22. Trump announced he’ll begin a
major investigation into voter fraud in the 2016 election
23. Trump got the chief of the Border
Patrol to leave the agency in frustration at having to actually do his job!
24. State Dept. Arms Control chief
fired while on airplane; Trump, told to turn around and fly back!
25. Miami-Dade mayor orders jails to
comply with Trump crackdown on ‘sanctuary’ counties
26. Trump White House abruptly halts
Obamacare ads.
27. Trump appoints Neil Gorsuch to U.S. Supreme Court, a Justice in
the mold of Antonin Scalia.’
28:
Saves hundreds of millions on purchase of new planes: https://www.dodbuzz.com/2017/02/03/lockheed-credits-trump-price-per-jet-falls-latest-f-35-batch/
And so on it goes…
07/02/2017: So the evidence used to produce the ‘
07/02/2017: DIY Netless hammock: Over the years
we have made lots of hammocks, but we would have made a better job of we had
followed some expert instructions. The following instructions and photos were
kindly provided by Simon McGuire at Tier Gear,
Tier Gear: http://www.tiergear.com.au/
Above: the Goshawk hammock. This is what your completed hammock should look like (minus the insect netting).
‘Part 1 - Sewing the hammock body
Tools
required:
a. Sharp scissors or rotary cutter
b. Fabric marking pencil or similar
c. Measuring tape or ruler
d. Long straight edge
e. Sewing machine
Materials used:
- A good quality polyester or nylon fabric. In this instance I used Argon 1.6 which is a ripstop nylon designed specifically for hammocks.
- Good quality sewing thread. Gutermann's Mara 70 would be a popular choice for the DIYer as would Rasant 75.
Procedure
- Cut your fabric to the length you require, taking into account the end channels and some loss of length when you gather the hammock. For a 3.3metres length hammock I start with 3.6 metres of fabric, as my end channels take up 100mm at each end and there is also some loss when the hammock is gathered. Fabric width is usually around 1500mm.
- Sew a rolled hem along
both long sides. Start by folding the edge over once, and then over again.
My hems are usually around 10mm in width but you can go bigger or smaller.
Start by sewing along the inside edge of your hem. A single line of
stitching is adequate but a second line of stitching adds a professional
touch, and some extra reinforcement to your hem. The second line of
stitching should be just inside the outside edge of the fabric.
- Repeat Step 2 on the
other side of your fabric. Once finished the hem on both sides it's time
for the end channels to be sewn on the short sides of the fabric.4. There
are a number of ways to sew the end channels. I measure down 100mm from
the end of the fabric and mark a line across the width of the fabric. I
then take the end of the fabric and fold it over so that it is a couple of
mm before the marked line. Now I fold the end of the fabric over again to
just past the raw edge and this time right on the marked line. This hides
the raw edge inside the channel, and gives you four layers of fabric
making up your channel at a width of about 25mm. If you are going to use
the end channels to run your suspension directly through then this end
channel may be made larger if required.5. Now you are going to sew the end
channel down. Depending on how you are going to gather the hammock you will
need to sew at least 2 lines of stitching, though 1 would be adequate, or
3 if you are going to run the suspension through the channel and hence
making the stitching on the end channel weight bearing. I do not run the
suspension through the end channel so I only sew 2 lines of stitching.6.
Sew the first line of stitching along the inside edge of the end channel,
and then the second line of stitching 4-5mm inside of the this. This
second line of stitching ensure you capture the raw edge of the fabric
inside the end channel.
- Repeat steps 4-6 at the other end of the fabric.8. Congratulations that is your hammock body sewn. Basically I could have broken it down to: sew a rolled hem on both long sides, then sew a bigger rolled hem along the short sides and then gather - job done! It really is that simple.
Part 2: Gathering the hammock, and attaching the suspension
Once your hammock is sewn the next step is gathering the ends. There are numerous ways to do this, including methods which don't require the sewing of end channels in your fabric but I will leave those methods to people who have experience with them. These methods require the sewing of an end channel as detailed in part 1 of making a net-less camping hammock.
Essentially when gathering the ends of your hammock, you are simply inserting something through the channel and tightening it in order to essentially a ball of fabric.
Method 1:
The first method involves running your suspension directly through the channel e.g. your whoopie sling or continuous loop, and cinching tight. This produces a clean looking finish, and is the method probably most commonly used by camping hammock manufacturers. This method places stress on the end channel stitching so you want to ensure you lay down some solid stitches, and have at least 3 parallel rows using quality sewing thread. It is not recommended for lightweight fabrics, where failures have been known to occur. It also produces a consistent gather of the hammock without much fuss.
If attaching a whoopie sling insert the fixed loop through the end channel
Run the adjustable loop of the whoopie through the fixed loop
Cinch tight and you are done. (Note: in the photo below there is only 2 rows of stitches, 3 are recommended for this method)
Method 2:
This method involves running a cord, or some people use a cable (zip) tie, to gather the ends. Your suspension, e.g. whoopie sling or fixed loop, is then girth hitched over the hammock fabric below the gather you have just created. The gather prevents the suspension from slipping off the end of the hammock. This method does not place any stress on your end channel stitching, and is fine to use on lightweight fabrics as well as heavier fabrics. There is some minor fiddling required when attaching your suspension to ensure a consistent gather of the fabric. If you like being able to change out your suspension quickly or play with different setups this is the method for you.
Insert cord through end channel. In this instance I am using 2mm VB cord.
Next you can tie a knot as per Knotty's method on Hammock Forums, insert a cable (zip) tie, or use a small cord lock as I have done below.
The cord lock method leaves a length of cord, depending on how long you cut it, I use around 600-650mm, which you can attach a mitten hook to the end and this gives you an attachement point for a peak bag, pillow of whatever you want at the ends of the hammock.
Next you need to attach your suspension by girth hitching to the fabric below
the gather. If using a whoopie sling you simply run the adjustable loop of the
whoopie sling through the fixed loop of the whoopie, and cinch tight. You may
need to move the fabric around a little to ensure the fabric is gathered
consistently.
You can run the suspension over the top of the gather as per below,
or run your suspension through the middle of the gather as per the photo below
Rather than attach the whoopie sling directly to the hammock, another option is use a continuous loop which allows you to disconnect your whoopie sling from the hammock, or allows you to easily change between whoopie slings or webbing based suspensions. Another advantage is if the distance between your two anchor points is too close then the loops can be attached directly to your tree straps through the use of a marlin spike hitch.
Whoopie hook spliced onto whoopie sling adjustable bury and attached to
continuous loop.
There are many options when making hammocks, and those options listed above are but a few.
Happy hanging.’
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-netless-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
07/02/2017: ‘I am the baby’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0POXCQp_vA
07/02/2017: I do so enjoy Willis. His tips on writing
are something I must take to heart myself: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/04/on-writing/
06/02/2017: If Bernardi does
quit tomorrow, will there be a spill?
06/02/2017: Time Travellers? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moberly%E2%80%93Jourdain_incident
06/02/2017: Support for ‘others’ now at 29%. Turnbull
is definitely on his way out. The only question is who/what will replace him: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/02/06/one-nation-on-the-rise-as-coalition-slips.html
06/02/2017: 100% Of US
Warming Is Due To NOAA Data Tampering: http://realclimatescience.com/2016/12/100-of-us-warming-is-due-to-noaa-data-tampering/
06/02/2017: Meanwhile, in
05/02/2017: Winners and Losers: a $41,000 bill for winning is too much! Abolish 18C: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/under-18c-even-winners-are-losers/news-story/5f82c43da69c648dcca8a4465eec35f5
05/02/2017:
05/02/2017: I just love the wild places, and have
long ago discovered Teddy’s various books about hunting too; I think I started
with a book about hound hunting mountain lions in what is now
The most memorable photo in the book was of a treed ‘lion’ maybe 100’ up a pinon pine with a huge hound baying at him from about 6’ below: "The encouragement of a proper hunting spirit, a proper love of sport, instead of being incompatible with a love of nature and wild things, offers the best guaranty of their preservation." Theodore Roosevelt. Yes! You might begin your ‘love affair’ with Teddy perhaps with this book, ‘The Wilderness Hunter’ https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Hunter-Classic-Reprint/dp/1332803369
05/02/2017: Why
‘Our political system won't allow such a revolutionary - which means
it's either too safe or too immune to reform. You decide.
We know many who voted for Trump neither liked nor admired him...
Trump won not because it was him, but because he was up against Hillary, the
most obscenely establishment politician to ever have run for President. At its
simplest, Trump is the manifestation of the rejection by a lot of clear
thinking, common sense people of ‘politics as usual’. And Hillary was the
embodiment of ‘politics as usual’.
Why are the people (but not so much the establishment) rejecting
politics as usual? Is it the spin, the broken promises, the talking points and
slogans, the leaking, the annual entitlements scandals, the designer gear, the
white cars? ...
But it’s worse. It is worse because the behaviour is worse. On both
sides. The lack of respect for the office of prime minister - 5 in seven
years...; the appalling treatment of Prime Ministers while in office; the now accepted
idea that we are in perpetual campaign mode; the obsession with polls and
polling; the abject lack of authenticity and of courage; the obscene increase
in the numbers of advisors and their influence; the increasingly pervasive
impact of vested interests. No one likes any of this, but ordinary people hate
it more. Because this does not accord with the way they live their lives.
Add to this the values problem. Identity, outrage and victim
politics has been embraced by Labor and progressive Liberals in a pretty big
way. Many ordinary Australians think it is inappropriate (to say the least)
that we are teaching kids in schools that it is perfectly normal to think that
you might be a boy if you are a girl and vice versa, or that it’s perfectly
standard to be sexually active with multiple partners in your early teens; they
shake their heads when students who make a silly, bolshie remark on facebook or
a political cartoonist is taken to court for being racist... These things are
nuts and totally at odds with the common-sense values of middle
Possibly the most defining difference between insiders and outsiders
here and around the world is their attitudes towards their country. In the
suburbs and regions in Australia people are proud to be Australian; they love
Australia day and ANZAC day; they think it is important to vet all immigrants,
they don’t like immigrants coming here to go on to welfare; they think it is
100% fair for immigrants to integrate – after all, that’s what many of them
have done and that’s what made modern Australia. These are the views of the
mainstream right throughout the western world.
Yet big swathes of those who inhabit and control our institutions;
journalists, CEOs, lawyers, academics and politicians in both major parties think
that these attitudes are base and embarrassing... They have no problem at all
(when it suits them) curtailing the freedoms that our founders assumed (freedom
of speech, of the press, fair trial, property rights, religious freedom) in
favour of their values.
The singular characteristic that propelled Trump was his willingness
to take this on in a way that was unprecedented...
The big question for us is: can someone outside the mainstream
parties emerge as a new knight in shining armour?....
Our innate conservatism, compulsory preferential voting and the
monumental physical and human campaign infrastructure required in every [House
of Representatives] seat leads me to the conclusion that it’s unlikely, at
least in the short term. We’ll get some serious One Nation disruption in
conservative states but it wont change things overnight. We will get more
Clives, more Shooters and Fishers, and we might get a Cory. Absent the majors
coming to their senses, we will get more minority governments and gridlock in the
Senate.
And from within the major parties? We would do well to remember that
the Donald launched himself from within the Republican party. He was a
transplant, a seriously foreign body that nearly got rejected. But he survived,
and emerged victorious from within a mainstream party. The prospect of one of
the major parties in
There’s another huge impediment, and that is
‘Responsible government’ is a
serious bulwark against populism. The requirement that the head of state (be it
a monarch or not) by convention exercises no political power; that the head of
the government is a member of parliament; that he or she leads the executive
council which is entirely comprised of those who sit in the parliament and is merely
the ‘first among equals’; that the executive has both individual and collective
responsibilities to the parliament and to the cabinet.
All these things evolved over
centuries quite deliberately so that
It is very hard therefore, both in
theory and in practice for populism to flourish in an Australian context.
However, the little bit of
05/02/2017: ‘The half-life of medical knowledge is
approximated at seven years. That means that half of what you think you
know about health, illness, and medical practice today will be obsolete in
seven years. It will be replaced by new better science of which, in turn, half
will be obsolete seven years later. That's how it works. Skepticism about
current knowledge is always appropriate. The cholesterol panic is just the most
recent, dramatic example. Big mistake. Not all docs have got the memo yet.
"Never mind." Eat those eggs and bacon and sausages like you always
wanted to, and skip the darn oatmeal unless it's all you can afford. And
imagine that, in seven years, Mr. Science will tell you to eat candy and Dunkin
Donuts for breakfast.’ Dr Joy Bliss
04/02/2017: How to fall and
not break your bones: ‘The other thing to avoid…is “foosh,” an acronym for
“falling onto outstretched hands.” If you do that, all the force of impact will
be concentrated there, raising the risk of breaking your wrist. You similarly
don’t want to come crashing down on your knee so you break your kneecap or do
that manoeuvre where you kind of pedal with your feet to catch yourself, which
can lead to broken bones in your foot and ankle. Instead, if you feel yourself
falling, experts said you should bend your elbows and knees and try to take the
hit on the fleshiest parts of your body, like the side of your thigh, buttocks
and shoulder. “Aim for the meat, not bone,” said Kevin Inouye, a stuntman and
assistant professor of acting, movement and stage combat at the
04/02/2017: Wonderful News: SpaceX has launched its
first Falcon 9 rocket & successfully delivered 10 satellites into orbit
for Iridium Communications Inc. About 10 minutes after Saturday's launch, the
first stage of the rocket, which had separated from the rest of craft,
successfully touched down on a platform in the
04/02/2017: Resilient Coral:
Several vast new coral reefs have been found where no coral ‘should’ grow –
someone should tell it! Others have been found in incredibly acid environments
– or unbelievably hot ones. I have observed them growing happily in the frigid
water s of
03/02/2017: The Ethical Hunter: I really appreciate feedback such as this - and what a stunning photograph:
‘I recently read your sambar stalking articles and really
appreciated your old school view point. I have been
a hunter/bushy for most of my life, but what I haven’t taught myself I learnt
from my old man, who is very much and old school bushy. I've mostly traveled
the bush on my own (in a 4x4) all through the Vic high country.
Although new to sambar stalking as such, ever since I was a kid,
I used to try and stalk rabbits, read their body language, anticipate their
next move, practice moving slowly, quietly, etc. I still need to pull my finger
out and get a decent deer gun, and my game license, but I had a bit of a stalk
while away over the Xmas break, and managed to get this photo of a doe and
fawn.
I don’t have the best camera gear yet so the longest focal
length lens I have is 135mm. I stalked these two up to about 30 yards, got this
one photo, and they bolted (I swear it was the sound of the shutter that set
them off!) Had I had a 270 rather than a camera, I'd probably be butchering now
rather than talking to you.
That said, its always been about the hunt for me, not the kill.
I've taken 50 odd rabbits in a night, and not had the same feeling of
accomplishment as I did after stalking these two deer. I couldn't agree more
with the points you make (camo clothes, trail cameras, 500 yard shots, scopes,
pretty much all of the points you make). I've
always loved the elusive sambar stag, I guess I kind of relate to them, to
their solidarity, the way everybody is gunning for them, the untamed country
they call home, reminds me a lot of myself a bit.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your articles. I have
bookmarked your website, and I will no doubt refer to it many times in the
future. I really appreciated your view, tips, tricks etc. Especially the iron
sights, and no camo. Thank you very much for
putting it out there, very much appreciated from a not so young bloke that’s
just getting into sambar, but trying to do it the right way, the respectful,
ethical way...
Thank you. Thanks heaps mate.
I've spent way more time than I should have reading your articles the past day or so. For me at least, its great to read the ethical hunter point of view, and without firing a shot, I’ve learnt more from reading your website than I have from years of listening to others talk crap about the latest and greatest camo gear, or trail cameras. I genuinely do appreciate the info you have put out for us all. Any ethical, respectful (of the animal) hunter would be well advised to take the advise of blokes like you. Thank you,’ Matt Elder. (And thank you, Matt Elder).
03/02/2017: Amazing Earth: a
lava ‘waterfall’ in
03/02/2017:
03/02/2017: Trump and May
really do represent a bold new dawn which will hopefully presage a better
world than that envisaged by the socialists and bureaucrats. Long live the
Anglosphere: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/29/delingpole-trump-may-and-the-return-of-the-anglosphere-will-make-the-world-a-better-place/
03/02/2017: Did Trump hang up on Turnbull? You’d
better believe it! Trump’s own words: ‘Do you believe it? The Obama
Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from
03/02/2017: This is the Left’s response to the reality of Free Speech: Violence. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/university-in-lockdown-amid-protests/news-story/dcbd6d286caec9e887c5917f3696662b There really is little diference between today’s left and Hitler’s brownshirts. Another Kristallnacht is coming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht
02/02/2017: Poly Tent by The Ultralight Hiker on the Cheap: As part of a series on economy backpacking, I bring you my new poly tent made from a ‘standard 8’ x 10’ poly tarp bought from the local Churchill $2 shop. This one cost me A$7.99 and took only minutes to make. Mark out the tie-out positions as shown. Use Tarp clips or polystyrene balls as tie outs - so actual tie out position will be about 2” inside the fabric edge. Tie Apex to an extended hiking pole (4’ height) as shown. Peg out Rear point, then two End points approx 6” forward. Then loosely toe out two Front points (as shown) then two Side points. Cut slit. Attach tie downs to Flaps for closure. Place ground sheet (and dog) inside. Enjoy.
As
you can see, Spot is now an uncle.
Fully open.
Interior: inside 6’ x 4’ poly tarp ground sheet.
Fully open.
Storm mode.
Rear.
Made in minutes from one of these.
Plan.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-side-burner-metho-stove/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/super-cat-metho-stove/
02/02/2017: ‘This world, which is the same for all, no
one of gods or men has made. But it always was and will be: an ever-living
fire, with measures of it kindling, and measures going out’ (Heraclitus of
‘Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultan’s Turret in a Noose of Light…’
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/omar_khayyam/o54r/
02/02/2017: Is
01/02/2017: Introducing
Telstra’s new 1 gigabyte mobile network: Sounds like the NBN wasn’t such a
good idea – unless you just want to waste money: http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/telstra-tests-incredibly-fast-gigabit-lte-mobile-network/news-story/bf03e77489e2990f0fcf180462804319
01/02/2017:
See: http://finnsheep.com/THE%20UPPER%20YARRA%20WALKING%20TRACK.htm
Early Trips to
Upper Yarra Falls: To the
Editor of the Argus: Sir, Mr. Panton's letter on the discovery of Mount
Donna Buang, that appeared in "the Argus" of the lst inst, brought
back to me recollections of the time-half a century ago when I was one of the
many hardy prospectors who penetrated the dense scrubs and steep mountain
ranges of the Upper Yarra, in search of gold. I have still a vivid recollection
of the night -a most uncomfortable one-I passed with Mr. Panton on Queen's
Birthday Creek, on May 24, 1866; but I think that gentleman makes an error when
he alludes to me as the discoverer of the falls near the head of the river.
I am under the impression that they were visited by a party of
surveyors in the year 1845. I certainly re-discovered them in 1867, and named
the waterfall (there are several) after Mr. Panton. It would be a graceful act
to abandon the present name (
Yarra Falls 1888. This is
the middle part of a 3 part article. Leader (Melbourne, Vic. 1862 - 1918),
Saturday 22 November 1884, page 16 The Contributor: An Excursion to the
We struck camp next morning at half-past nine. Just after starting
we noticed a tree marked W. From this we understood that we had been encamped
on the two mile water. This made our march of the previous day a little over 8
miIes, The height of our camp measured by the barometer was 1700 feet above
McMahon's, We proceeded along the south watershed of the Yarra in a general
easterly direction. The prevailing character of the country was the same as on
the evening before, The track was often perceptible as a sort of avenue through
the scrub, though in the clearest places knee deep in ferns and wire grass and
obstructed by logs.
We passed through several saddles separated by small rills. At about
twelve o'clock we could see a great spur coming in to join the ridge we were
following from the north - that is on our left, This could be nothing else than
the right watershed of Alderman's Creek. We were, therefore, making good
progress, and might hope to reach the Yarra that night. So we went on for
another half hour, when our horse, in getting over a log, slipped and fell. He
could not rise again with the pack and we had to unload him, but he was none
the worse.
As we began to ascend the hill we found the sides and top of it
covered with huge logs hundreds of foot long, as if it had been cleared by a
survey party, The interstices between them were filled with tall bracken and
scrub with white flowers, and the track seemed altogether obliterated. We made
our way very slowly round and over the logs, and presently the horse got
another fall, and we had to unload and reload again.
There was a good look out from many places down the
At about four o'clock we began to descend a little, and get into a
forest, in which the beech tree was the prevailing timber, though largely mixed
with tall gums and messmates. But little vegetation grows under a beech tree;
what there was was the blue gum fern with the crimped frond I have noticed
before. Moreover, the beech tree is seldom uprooted. It slowly decays as it
stands and falls piecemeal, The ground in a beech forest is therefore
encumbered by but little fallen timber.
As soon as we got under the beech trees the track improved very
much. They were mingled, however, with very tall messmates, from which large
quantities of dry bark in strips 4 or 5 inches across and 30 or 40 feet long or
more had fallen to the ground, and lay in large coils. These continually
tangled our feet, and it was difficult to get free of them, One would
continually find one was dragging a tail behind many feet long. On getting
under the beech trees the prevailing tints again changed. The black earth was
bare, and varied shades of brown or dark green met the eye in every direction.
Towards the south and east the slope was so steep that we got a look
out over Gippsland as far as the ranges in the neighbourhood of Baw Baw. The
earth seemed everywhere moist; in places one could hear the water under one's
feet. The track continued slowly to descend, and our view became shut in on all
sides. About six o’clock we found ourselves in a saddle. This we identified
upon our tracing as about 6 miles from our camp of the night before And 4 miles
from the Yarra. It seemed a likely place to find water. There were a few beech
trees and messmates on the saddle, and a forest of white gums, tall, slender
poles like the mast of a ship, 300 feet high at the least, with a tuft of
foliage at the top. There was a fern tree gully coming up to the saddle on each
side. The earth was black and moist, and for the most part bare.
R. found a good stream of water a little way down on the south side
of the saddle, so we determined to camp. We pitched the tent under two beech
trees, whose thick foliage would protect us from any sticks that might be blown
off from the gums, and made our bed of fronds cut from the ferns. When we got
up the next morning a strong north wind was blowing, shaking the tall, white
ferns like corn stalks, bending them as if to break with a great roaring noise.
We did not make a start until about half-past ten, when we at once began to
ascend out of the saddle, and soon came out into the sunshine on to a hill
covered with fallen timber and sword grass, and from which there was a good
view of the opposite ranges. The logs had rotted and broken into fragments, and
were therefore not the obstacle they had been on
After a little we again descended into a beech forest. Here the
track was clearer than we had yet found it. It was obstructed by little else
than small sticks. There was a little of the usual green fern, but except for
that the ground was clear of undergrowth on all sides. The dark foliage of the
beech trees overhead shut out the sky. In order to keep the track it was
necessary to keep a sharp look out for blazes.
After about a couple of miles gum trees again appeared mixed with
the beech trees, and we were again troubled by fallen timber. About the same
time we found growing in the track tall solitary stalks of grass like oats
which shot up with a stem as thick as one's finger, seven or eight feet high.
Finding the horse would eat the two gathered bundles of it, as we went along. A
little after twelve o'clock the horse got another fall getting over a log. We
had to unload, and determined to have lunch.
When we again made a start we found it had been raining heavily, and
that the scrub was very wet. In a little while we got out of the beech forest,
and began to ascend a hill covered with tall standing gums and thick bracken up
to our shoulders. Through this we pushed our way, getting drenched through.
When we gained the top of the hill we found our track appeared to leave the
ridge, and turn down the sideling to the north-east. After turning down on the
sideling we were soon again in a beech forest, and out of the high wet bracken.
In about half a mlle we came to tho creek, which was broad and
shallow, scarcely covering the ground. It crossed the track from left to right-
not from right to left, as marked in our tracing. The descent from the ridge to
this creek was not more than 200 or 300 feet, and not at all steep, considering
it was on a sideling. We crossed the creek and ascended to tho ridge on the
opposite side. Crossing it we descended on a sideling to the Yarra, which we at
once passed over. It was a much smaller stream than that we have left at
McMahon’s, being about 30 feet wide and about up to our ankles, with, however,
a good current.
The scene was a peculiar one. It was still raining hard. Heavy
clouds rested on the tops of the beech trees from 50 to 70 feet above us, which
lined the river banks and covered the slopes, and hung in festoons between
them, but below it was clear. We had no time to stand and watch it, however,
being wet through. We had to get to work and camp at once. In about twenty
minutes we had a fire big enough to roast an ox. Having pitched our tent we
looked about for something to make a bed of, and the best thing we could find
was a heap of bark at the foot of a neighbouring messmate. This we dragged in
front of the fire and dried, after which we had our evening meal round the
fire. We stood up round it for some time drying clothes, while the horse stood
warming his nose on the opposite side of the fire. Finally we turned in.
We were up at six the next morning. There was still a slight rain,
We had breakfast, and at half-past eight we started in search of the falls. Our
camp was shown by the barometer to be 2100 foot above McMahon’s or only 500
feet lower than the top of
We accordingly started down stream, crossing a considerable
tributary on the right bank just below our camp, Tho river ran through a beech
forest, and as nothing will grow under the beech trees, its banks were without
that fringe of peculiar vegetation which is usually such a marked feature in an
Australian river or creek. After a little we went over to the left bank, and
crossed a small creek which joined the river on that bank, we then came upon a
series of small hills, perhaps altogether fifty or sixty, There was, however, a
good indication of something better. We could see a light through the trees
ahead as from a largo clearing. This appearance could only be occasioned by the
edge of an abrupt declivity.
We pushed on and soon began to get glimpses of a valley a long way
below us, and to hear tho roar of a great fall. The beech forest ceased with
the edge of that declivity, and the slopes below, when not too steep and bare
for anything either to grow or stand on, were covered with undergrowth, mostly
ti-tree. To see the fall we must get below it. We accordingly descended as
rapidly as a regard for our necks would permit several hundred feet, and made
our way on to a ledge down to the water. From this point we could see the water
falling above and below us over a face of dark rocks in a series of steps. The
fall was shaded by ti-tree, with occasional tree ferns on the ledges. The spray
fell like rain. We were too close to the face of the fall, and tho ledge we
were on would not permit us getting further out.
We were not the first persons who had viewed the Yarra falls from
this spot, for we saw a tree with a blaze on it, on which was a name, partly
overgrown with bark, which we mado out to be A. Burns. We then crossed over,
scrambled along the face of the cliff and made our way down another hundred
feet or two, and got another view of the falls, with, however, the disadvantage
that we were too close to see far up or down. This point was by the barometer
550 feet below the top of tho fall. We could see the fall for about 50 feet
below it. It was a continuous fall all the way, interrupted only by small
ledges. There is, however, no reason to suppose that the lowest point to which
we could see was anywhere near the bottom of the fall. Judging from the
appearance of the valley it was far from being so. The total height of the fall
therefore, can scarcely be less than 700 feet or 900 feet; it is probably 1000
feet.
We had not seen by any means as much of the falls as we should have
liked, but we were compelled to return. It was Tuesday, and R. had to be In a
distant part of
In returning we got a view of a great cascade, forming the top-most
rip on the fall, which we had not seen going down. By half-past one we had
regained our camp. We then bathed in the Yarra, had lunch, struck our camp, and
started for the Thompson, where we hoped to camp that night. It was shown by
our tracing to be 4 miles distant. The track in the first instance followed the
ridge of the very low spur between the main arm of the Yarra and tho tributary
that joined it just below our camp. After a little the track forked; we took,
the left fork, which took us down to the tributary at a point where two creeks
united to form it; beyond this the track was not apparent.
After a little we found a place where a tent had been pitched, with a
rude platform of round timber to raise it off the ground. We had evidently come
upon an old surveyor's camp. That explained how it was that the track ran out.
We accordingly returned and took tho right hand fork of the track. After we had
gone about three quarters of a mile the track turned down to and crossed the
creek on our left, and shortly afterwards began to ascend a ridge on a
sideling. The top of this ridge was not. more than 100 feet or so above our
camp. On it we found white gum timber. The ridge was narrow, and the track
immediately descended on a sideling on the other side, about 300 feet into a
narrow valley containing a fine stream of water. The sides of the valley were
lined with beech trees, with a few tree ferns. This creek must form the right
fork of the Yarra as laid down on the maps; and as its level appeared lower
than the top of the falls, must join, the left fork below them.
Crossing the creek we ascended on a steep sideling on the other side
to a height somewhat greater than that from which we had descended, and found
ourselves in a forest of white gums mixed with beech trees, with a good deal of
undergrowth. The creek, however, continued tolerably clear. We were now upon
the crest of the dividing range, between the waters of the Yarra and the
Thompson, marked on the maps as Wright's Range. A little before seven o'clock
the track began to descend gently, and we reached a fine stream of water
crossing the track from north to south, spanned by a good log bridge. This
stream, which was much larger than either fork of the Yarra, or, I should say,
than both of them together, we made out to be the Thompson. Here we determined
to camp.
A little way up from the river, to the right of the track we had
come by we found an open glade carpeted with good grass. On this were the
remains of an old survey camp, consisting of log platforms, similar to that we
had noticed on the Yarra. There appeared to be a succession of rich glades
along the river, divided only by low scrub, tall timber not being found till
some little way up the slopes on either side. There was, therefore, a clear
view up and down tho river for some way over the top of the scrub. We could see
the sky, too, overhead and in front of us. All this was a change after the
dense grass through which we had been travelling for the last four days, The
edge of the other valley was lined with large white gums, say 100 foot high,
with straight, thick limbs tapering to the top, and wide spreading arms a
little more than half way up. The slopes behind were covered with a mass of
plants of different kinds. Every here and there above this rose to a great
height huge logs, white with age and black with fire, without limbs, broken at
the top.
Though generally impressed by the view, there was a feeling of
solitude connected with this camp not experienced elsewhere in the course of
this trip. The height of this camp was 2300 feet above McMahon’s, or only 100
feet lower than our camp on the Yarra. We were still, however, above a high
plateau, as high or higher than the top of
01/02/2017: This is truly
astonishing: Images of giant planets orbiting a star 129 light years away.
I do so love progress: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/a-four-planet-system-in-orbit-directly-imaged-and-remarkable/
01/02/2017: The overpowering
and overbearing nature of the leftist orthodoxy is definitively underlined
by this excellent recent movie Alone in
Berlin (which I wholeheartedly recommend) based on the lives of two very
ordinary Germans who stood up to Hitler and his thugs – and were beheaded for
their pains; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_and_Elise_Hampel
Janet Albrechtsen is a similar brave woman. She puts on a Donald
Trump hat and walks the streets of
In fact, three for three in my favour tells its own crazy story. The
second comment is a quick “I’m with you” from a bloke walking towards me.
Later, at the annual Winter Antiques Fair at the Park Avenue Armory, I’m
finishing off lunch at the cafe when two well-dressed upper-middle-class New
Yorkers sit near me. The man asks politely whether my tomato soup is good. Yes,
I say, and he tells me about his vegetarian chilli soup. After a few more sips
of his soup, he motions to the Trump hat. “You’re brave to wear that hat,” he
says quietly. “But I’m with you,” he adds, echoing my two previous
interlocutors. Quietly, his wife says she is with me too.’
So long as you are a
feminist, nothing else matters: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/it-was-a-march-against-women/news-story/78cf214b3835e33fc9a8a5c1d4bcfce4
31/01/2017: Why we should
retain
31/01/2017: Say’s Law: ‘The European economies, and
30/01/2017: Extreme kayaking:
Watch Kayakers Take a Beating In 90-Foot Falls: https://gearjunkie.com/kayakers-take-beating-tomata-two
PS:
This is not for me and
If
you liked this you might also enjoy reading this book: Hell or High Water,
Surviving Tibet’s
30/01/2017: Restore Pdf Maps Functionality: I recommended this App back in Nov ’14: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gps-phone-apps-25k-vicmaps/ Many folks have probably noticed that their Pdf Maps App has updated to Avenza and that now they are only able to open three maps for free instead of an unlimited number of maps, and that Avenza would like them to pay over $30 per year to restore the functionality they had before!
As
I understand it, Pdf Maps (version 1.7.3) is free software –
This Youtube (and others) tells you how to uninstall Avenza and put Pdf Maps in its place. You have to be sure to cancel the ‘Update’ function so this doesn’t happen to you again. Once again you will be able to open an unlimited number of Pdf maps for free - such as can be bought from: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/imf/search/Topo30Front.jsp some of which you may need to walk The Upper Yarra Track, for example: http://finnsheep.com/THE%20UPPER%20YARRA%20WALKING%20TRACK.htm
Happy mapping!
30/01/2017: Oxfam once again
reveals what most of us already knew about do-gooders such as doomsayers,
Greens, charities, world savers and their ilk, ie that they are pretty much all
just unreconstructed communists once you get their gear off them: Actually ‘You
cannot help the poor by destroying the rich,’ else who would there be left to
make us all richer, as the barons of industry have been doing for quite some
time now, two hundred years at the very
least? Thanks for that chaps! Dalrymple puts the lie so neatly to this
pernicious Oxfam pap: http://takimag.com/article/the_wealth_gap_theodore_dalrymple/print#axzz4WugI2FiF
That homily incidentally was written by the Rev William John Henry
Boetcker (1873–1962) and not Abraham Lincoln:
- ‘You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
- You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
- You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
- You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
- You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
- You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
- You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
- You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
- You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.
- And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.’
Boetcker also spoke of the ‘Seven National Crimes’
- ‘I don’t think.
- I don’t know.
- I don’t care.
- I am too busy.
- I leave well enough alone.
- I have no time to read and find out.
- I am not interested.’
Well
said! Sound advice!
30/01/2017: When the raw data has been altered so fantastically, we are entitled to cry, ‘Fake!’ When so-called climate scientists are doing this all over the world, it is hard to believe anything they say: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/01/28/homogenization-of-temperature-data-makes-capetown-south-africa-have-a-warmer-climate-record/ These charts too are worth a look: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/01/28/four-key-charts-for-a-climate-change-skeptic/
30/01/2017: Strangely, when Obama banned ‘Moslem’ immigrants, the left said nothing! http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/muslim-ban-hypocrisy-left-said-nothing-when-obama-also-halted-visas/news-story/17c901096824ecd0a2e3a4d1e5ded377
29/01/2017: Wonnangatta:
The strange circle of foam...
And then, the dawn:
We just could not stop snapping away at it.
Della of course took the best photo with her new birthday Galaxy S7.
Then I looked upstream to try to understand where the foam had come from. There was a weird gyre at the head of the pool.
Here it is in detail.
Della also took this photo of Spot and me examining the gyre. The river was so reflective in the early morning light.
Then a small black diver swirled through the mist.
Upstream the pool had become a magic mirror.
Whilst downstream it was a dream of silver...
Then to check out the first rapid. Churning away in a tumult. I opined I could shoot it with each boat in turn as I had the last but one grade 2 rapid (we had portaged the last). Della urged caution as we were far from help. We checked out an old pack track on the true right bank and decided we could carry the boats the 100 metres around it. So we did.
Then we came to the second 'Surprise rapid. A somewhat shorter portage over mostly flattish rocks. This one would definitely have you out. One rock would hurl you one way whilst instantly another would hurl you the other. Paradoxically it might be better with more water. We portaged three times in all, then after a tricky Grade 2 rapid with a sharp right turn in it we were mostly safe on placid waters. We should have portaged it as well as it gave Della quite a fright.
The calm after the storm.
And so it (mostly) went on.
Past
these beautiful, interesting trees - the greenest, shadiest most luxuriant
native tree I have ever seen in
And these pretty sweet smelling yellow flowers - perhaps a reader can help me out. I would plant some.
Still half a dozen small rapids before Angusvale. Like this one...
And this.
A bee-eater (one of many we saw) atop this dead bush.
Della was still going strong even though she had quite a shock on the tricky Grade 2 rapid (which we ought have portaged)!
The dogs still showed a lot of interest in our progress...
These bushes are what we used to call 'native willow' They will not do such a good job of retaining the riverbanks though!
The second last rapid.
The last small drop (and Angusvale) are just around the bend. What a delightful three days' adventure. The Wonnangatta is certainly a river to dream of...
You can check the river heights here: http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDV67202/IDV67202.084118.tbl.shtml
Check suggested river heights below. If you are unsure whether there is sufficient water, you can canoe the short (half-hour) section from Meyers Flat to the Cobbanah Creek confluence to check it out.
Appropriate Vicmaps: Cobannah North T8322-4-N and Tabberabbera North T8322-1-N available here: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/imf/search/Topo30Front.jsp Use Avenza App.
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
29/01/2017: Meanwhile Trump
does what he said he will do (what a refreshing change from conventional
politics!) For example, this morning Moslems intending to fly to the
29/01/2017: The Secret
Holocaust: Given the resurgence of anti-Semitism (particularly amongst the
Left) in the world today, accompanied by the complete disappearance of Jews
from many countries - particularly in the
29/01/2017: Enjoy life! A
whole heap of ‘food myths’ busted here: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/26929-A-few-persistent-nutrition-myths,-re-posted.html
28/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Waterford to Angusvale Day Two: The second day we ventured as far as the 'Surprise Rapid' which took us five hours (this is including brief halts for lunch, snacks, etc - and at retiree speeds), but mostly speed is related to water flow, and we are canoeing the Wonnangatta this summer with very low flows because of the effects of the bushfires years ago.
We had camped the first night just before the complete end of private property on the right bank. In most cases there is a public margin where you can camp even though there is private property along the river. It was not long before I spied an enormous stag (without antlers) running with two wild cows and calves which I thought an amazing thing. He was too quick for a photo though! Not long afterwards though our passage was blocked by a party of wild bulls which we waited to disburse - as they were not behaving in the most friendly manner! I judged all of these stock to be wild as they were running on public land/National park and had no eartags and they were clearly all sorts of crossbreeds.
They do look daunting, don't they. I was pretty keen to stop Spot barking and antagonising them!
There were a few more interesting rapids in this section.
And we finally came to the end of the dread willow blight! The riverbanks resumed their beauty.
Some of these rapids would disappear at a greater river height - or become more difficult!
Della is hiding behind that island before she comes down this one:
With a very professional style!
Spot
and Tiny look back towards her, most impressed.
After an hour or two a break for a snack.
And then onwards again!
The various herbivores are keeping this national park well mown. There is much more grass on various private properties across the river.
A wedge-tailed eagle combs the cloudy sky.
Another pleasant rapid.
The remains of an old swing bridge I guess.
And Spot investigates a bathtub which may come in handy in case we lose our canoes!
There are some fearsome predators as in these waters (river monsters perhaps - well there are giant carp anyway, nearly a metre long). No carp chewed open this freshwater mussel though.
Paddling on.
You can see the damage the absence of willows creates!
The river has become wider.
Towards the end of the trip there were a couple of Grade 2 rapids, which we checked out before we committed ourselves. This one was OK, but another we portaged. there is no sense in getting yourself injured so far from help - and we are here for a good time.
After five hours we came to the (first of) the Surprise rapids. There are several in quick succession. I reckoned I could get down this one safely. Della demurred, so next day we portaged all of them (there is an old pack track) on the right bank.
Thre is a long languorous deep pool upstream the 'Surprise', a pleasant harbour and a shady spot to rest. We pitched our tent on a little flat about three metres just behind me to my right.
The residents began to come to check us out. Here is a wood duck. Then a giant carp began to repeatedly broach in the deep pool. I tried for an hour to snap a photo of him but to no avail.
You can see how close our tent was to the water. It was a lovely camp. The water was warm enough for a bath (as on the first night). The ground was soft and flat. We enjoyed a pleasant night's rest in the wild.
I went for a little walk back along the river for a couple of kilometres (there are substantial clearings all along it). I saw two does and a stag - again they departed too quickly to get a photo. Della utilised part of one of their relatives to make a 'Clan of the Cave Bear Mask'. Here, she is one of the 'People of the Deer'. Well, she is a dear person anyway to come with me on these wild adventures!
28/01/2017: We have an epidemic of husband beating again today, but no-one calls for action; http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/an-epidemic-of-husband-beating/news-story/2644c63eef26365ee45b811c833f1177
28/01/2017: ‘The face that must have lunched on a thousand chips…how can we waste our compassion on someone who is responsible for her own misfortune? Are there not enough people in the world who are victims of misfortune, injustice and cruelty for us not to bother with those whose misery is self-inflicted?’ https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2017/01-02/dissonance-emotional-cognitive/
27/01/2017: Wonnangatta:
This is our rig. We spent the first night in the camper. I have arranged a simple drop-in frame which carries the motorbike on one side of our 6 x 4 trailer and the two canoes on the other. I will perfect this and do a separate post about it
.
We begin the journey.
Many beautiful European trees in this first third.
The first two days were all just pebble races or Grade 1+ rapids. Really enjoyable. We never had to get out of the boats.
A heron watches us pass. The birdlife on the river is rich and varied. Unfortunately it is not possible to get very good photographs with a waterproof pocket camera.
Cobbanah Creek confluence about half an hour in. It would be easy to put in here. there is also a lovely car camping spot. The dogs enjoy playing in the sand.
Leaving the Cobbanah Creek confluence.
Just cruising.
A splendid long race.
Lots of fun Grade 1 rapids.
These wood ducks were playing 'hide the duckling'.
Some willows needed here.
Spot keeps a close check on Della's progress. Tiny is just' grocking'!
These relict brachychitons (kurrajongs) are a feature of the river (as are bee-eaters!)
Spot wondering whether Della is going to ever make it down this easy race. Here she comes.
The
Della powers along.
Spot surveys with distaste the kilometres of dead willows and wonders, 'Why?'
We usually approached complex rapids (eg this one with its many rocks) carefully, even getting out to check whether it was safe if necessary. This one is fine.
A pair of blue cranes sombrely watch us pass.
A dead tree kangaroo. Possibly a victim of the willow spray!
Just so many beautiful, easy sections of river. You could go to sleep. But don't!
This old-timer had a delightful garden. A good crop of prickly pears there. For the first 5-6 hours there are occasional patches of private land interspersed with bush on either side of the river.
Lichen has taken a lot of trouble to paint these cliffs. The deer are keeping the grass well mown.
I had stopped to look at something when Tiny (faintly) saw Della go past. Thinking she had been abandoned our 17 year old heroine Jack Russell (centre) swam clear across this mighty river to 'save' Della. Six hours in. Time to make camp, perhaps.
And what a delightful river bank camp it is. This is my 'Honey I Shrank' tent (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/honey-i-shrank-the-tent/). Della enjoys a well-deserved cuppa. Spot keeps her company. Tiny hits her bed. I quite agree with Ratty, 'There is simply nothing quite like messing about in boats'!
Right behind our camp (<20 yards away) there was this monstrous wallow, so you can be sure we were serenaded by sambar by moonlight! No cast antlers found unfortunately!
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
27/01/2017: You thought ‘The
Wizard of Oz’ was pure fantasy: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/01/24/a-woman-flew-through-a-tornado-in-a-bathtub-and-survived/?utm_term=.5ab57bfb232d
27/01/2017: Dawn,
Surprise Rapid,
27/01/2017: One
of the most striking features of these photos is the pride the
homesteaders show: http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/american_studies/my_little_old_sod_shanty.php
Christman
Sisters, Sod Shanty on the Plains.
27/01/2017: Trump really can
pick smart women: https://rosebyanyothernameblog.wordpress.com/
27/01/2017: The end of
Malcolm’s refugee deal with Obama. (Trump will get things done!): https://ca.news.yahoo.com/exclusive-trump-expected-sign-executive-orders-immigration-001530555.html
27/01/2017: A trip to the
‘On the morning of the 9th inst. a party of seven, consisting of a councillor (hereafter called " The General"), his two sons (" The Farrier" and "The Baker"), a local chemist (" Dr. Pills") and* his son (" Norme"), a contractor known as "The Champion" (tea drinker), and the son of one of Kew's oldest councillors (known as "Captain Moonlight"), left Kew at 8 P.m. with a caravan drawn by two small horses, and two bicycles, en route to the falls at the source of the Yarra River.
Brushy Creek (16 miles) was reached, and a halt was made for lunch, thence through Lilydale to Worri Yallock (32 miles), where the camp was pitched for the night. Fishing was indulged in at night and shooting in the morning.
January 10 -A start was made at 8.30, but at Oak Hill (a few miles further on) the hames broke, and a .new pair had to be purchased. Another start was proposed, but one of the horses objected; consequently, the services of a draught horse were called into requisition, and the whole caravan was safely towed up to the top of this steep hill. Launching Place was reached at 11.30, where the midday meal was disposed of. One thirty to 2 p.m. was occupied in covering the distance to Yarra Junction, where a halt was made until 4 30 p.m. There negotiations were made for the hire of a pair of heavier horses, which were secured at the exorbitant (save the mark !) fee of 10s per day for two horses, a driver, and the keep of the horses. The party then pushed on to the Little Yarra and camped for the night, and were joined at 9 p.m. by "The Measurer."
January
11 -We were met by the driver with the two hired horses, and a start was made
at 7.40 a.m., and we passed through Old Warburton, the new
Here and there bridges have been thrown across the river to connect the settlers on the far side of the river with civilisation on this. The whole scene is picturesque. The timber trade with this railway station is enormous - timber trains are sprung upon you at nearly every turn of the road, and the cartage from outlying districts by bullock wagons has cut the roads up terribly. For the past two years (so we were informed, and we could readily believe it) no attempt at repairs has been made. The consequence is that from this point onwards you have to keep your eyes open continuously for large holes and deep ruts. The balance of the roadway is covered inches deep in dust.
Having laid in a further supply of provisions, we pushed on to Sunnydale (3 miles), where we camped for dinner. This spot is as pleasant a one as the eye could rest upon. The river is almost horse-shoe shape, the soil is of a chocolate volcanic origin, planted with English grasses, and the cattle grazing thereon were in prime condition. The beautiful green tinge of the grass, contrasted very strongly with the brown, sunburnt, natural grasses hitherto met with. Having refreshed the inner man and consoled ourselves with a game of crib, we set out for Starvation Creek, where we purposed camping for the night.
Some three miles short of our destination we were overtaken by two young men on rather flash horses, from whom we made enquiries as to the distance yet to be covered. They were as deficient in knowledge of the locality (if not more so) as we were ourselves. At the conclusion of our inquiries our "corner man"- mounted on his white charger, wearing blue dungarees and leggings, minus a coat, shirt-sleeves rolled up, and hat well drawn down over his eyes - asked, in sonorous tones, " Have you got any money?" The elder youth laughed, but the younger lad's face blanched, and he edged his horse away quick and lively. Thereafter our corner man was known as "Captain Moonlight."
Starvation Creek was reached about 6 p.m., and immediately on passing over the bridge your eyes were drawn to a signboard affixed to a tree, bearing the name, "Starvation Creek" Fastened on to the sign-board was the dry thigh-bone of a bullock, indicative of miners' results in fossicking for gold at that place. We pitched our camp on the flat, and, after tea, went fishing.
At 10 30, when the last of us were retiring for the night, we were attracted by the sound of bullock teams approaching, and, shortly afterwards, two wagons, loaded with 1500 palings each, and drawn by 16 and 14 bullocks respectively, hove in sight. Here, also, the drivers camped for the night, the bullocks being let loose (each with a bell round its neck) to forage as best they may. The bullock drivers had been at work since 5 a.m. They made their bed on some dozen bags of chaff, under a tarpaulin covering, which had been left there by Mr Buller, of the store at McMahon's Creek, three miles further on. Mr Buller is accustomed to leaving half his load at this point on account of the steep hill between Starvation Creek and McMahon's Creek, and so great is the code of honesty in this part that he has never been known to lose a bag.
January
12 -Up at 5.30 a m., our usual hour, and after bathing, breakfast, and
repairing punctured bicycle tyres, the two cyclists covered the three miles to
McMahon's Creek in 25 minutes, notwithstanding the hills and dust. The
peculiarity of this dust, viz., powdered schist rock was that no matter, what
its depth you could always ride through it. A similar depth of dust around
By
12.30 we reached the old mining town of
McVeigh's hotel, at Walsh's Creek, was reached at 5 p.m., and our camp was pitched about a quarter of a mile beyond his house, at the junction of the Wood's Point and Clear Creek roads. Owing to the kindness of Mr McVeigh, five of our number (now increased to 11) were able to sleep in a tent he has had permanently erected on the roadside on a wooden floor, and under a bark roof instead of a fly. Here we met Jimmy Clark, the man who cut the track to the Falls, and received full instructions as to the route to be taken.
Here
two curious incidents were noted. The whole of this portion of the country has
been permanently reserved for future water supply purposes for
January 13 -After an early breakfast we started to pack our four horses in a peculiarly up-to-date style of our own, and just before starting, at 10.55, a photo was taken of the turnout. It will be interesting to see how they develop. From this point to the Falls Creek (16 miles) a pack track is followed, which for the most part skirts the Yarra. It is good solid plugging following this track up hill and down dale. At first the four horses were led, but "The General" soon became full of "Captain Moonlight's" charger, and practised his 'prentice hand at bullock driving, and was successful in soon reducing his steed to a worthy pack-horse.
At 2.10 (7 miles) we reached Contention Camp (Bromley's Reef Goldmine), but of this you shall hear more later on. After dinner we caught a few fish, and then pushed on with the intention of camping at Fall's Creek, but at Poverty Bend (3 miles short) we were blocked by fallen timber and had to camp for the night on the track. Bed was sought at 9 p.m. About 11.30 p m. one of our number was awakened by a crashing sound, and on investigation it was found that one of the horses had got loose and had fallen off the track. All hands turned out, and until 2 am axes and tomahawks were used in cutting away timber to free the poor brute, who was jammed between two saplings, with his feet hanging over the creek.
After two and a-half hours' solid graft we were able to pull the horse clear and roll him into the creek, about 2ft. deep. Then "The General" and "The Champion," with lantern and axe, proceeded to lead the horse along the bed of the creek to the crossing, about 200 yards up, but being blocked by fallen timber, tethered him on the further bank for the night, and repaired to the camp-fire to dry their boots and socks. A billy of tea was soon brewed, and bed once more sought.
January 14 -A stir was made at 5.15 a.m., and a reconnoitre being made, it was found necessary to cut a zig-zag track up which to lead the horse. The barometer gave the fall of 47ft. down a 1 in 1 slope. At 9.30 a start was made, the horses being left behind with the driver, as the track was blocked. Falls Creek was reached at 10.30, after passing through a forest of beautiful beech trees, the timber previously being black butt and stringy bark. Here we found the brand of Mr A. J. Campbell, of the Mines Department, on a sassafras tree.
Mr Campbell gave the height of the Falls Creek as 1760ft. above sea level. Our barometer gave only 1550ft. From this point there is a steady climb of two miles and a-half up the spur, rising over 1000ft. in that distance. Turning to the right we reached the top of the falls at midday, where we had lunch. Four different photos of the falls were taken. Owing to want of time and shortness of provisions we were unable to climb from the top to the bottom - a distance of 700ft in less than half-a-mile.
The sight was one of exceeding grandeur, double falls, single falls, and cascades following one another in quick succession. The country itself was disappointing-trees there certainly were in plenty, but small plant life was rare. Snow lies on these mountains (2800ft. above sea level) for about eight months of the year. The water which soaks into the schist rock, of which the whole of these mountains are composed, freezes, and, expanding, splits the surface stones along their cleavage planes, thus rendering it exceedingly dangerous when climbing in parties. Once a stone is loosened from its bedding, it thunders down the hill and over the precipices (many of them from 50 to 100ft.), and never ceases until the foot of the falls is reached. One should never die of thirst in this country, but animal and bird life are practically an unknown quantity. At 2.10 p.m. we set out on our return picked up our horses at Poverty Bend at 4.15, had afternoon tea, and pushed on to Bromley's Reef and pitched camp at 7.15.
January 15 - After breakfast, Mr Victor, the manager of the mine, which is the first opened up in this country, very kindly showed us all that there was to be seen. Two reefs have been discovered. No. 1 gave 4580z. from 130 tons; No. 2, about 150ft. west, 17oz from 15 tons. No. 2 is being worked at present. From the side of the hill a tunnel runs 160ft. west, and then the drive turns up north and south along the reef 130ft., which outcrops on the surface 60ft. above. The stone is run out on the trucks, and then sledged down to the 4-head battery worked by waterpower. The cost from first to last works out at 16s. per ton. From the battery a tunnel is being driven on a grade of 4ft. in 100ft. to intercept the No. 1 reef, which outcrops on the surface 670ft south, and has been opened out to a depth of 130ft, showing a reef 2ft. in thickness, carrying good gold the whole way. This tunnel has already been opened out 490ft., and it is expected that in nine weeks the shaft will be reached. Steel rails are being laid for the tram track in this tunnel, and it is the intention to tunnel across to No. reef, which will mean a considerable reduction in working expenses. The mine has been floated into a company of 30,000 shares at 5s. each, half paid up, and today are quoted on the market at 6s. 2d. The Hon. E. Miller is chairman of directors. I believe there is a big future before this district as regards mining. Our camp at McVeigh's was reached at 1.50 pm, and the rest of the day was devoted to fishing.
January
16 - At 10 a.m. a start on the return home was made. We camped for the night at
Big Pat's Creek, and reached Little Yarra at 1 pm. on the 17th. There half the
party returned by the night train, the remainder visited the
23/01/2017: Immigration minister Peter Dutton suggests a new citizenship test for Australian arrivals. At the Daily Telegraph, Rowan Dean is happy to assist.: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/take-the-test/news-story/83551b0e4ce58282cabdba1abbdf22af
23/01/2017: Gun permit holders are only 1/20th as likely to commit an offence as the general population. Why doesn't this surprise me? http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/27/scare-story-about-carry-permit-holders-s
23/01/2017: It’s nice that
22/01/2017: Death Cults: The trouble with cults is they attract adherents and imitators. The Melbourne Mall terrorist self-identified as Islamic. We will have more and more of this horrific violence until we cry, ‘Enough’ and choose to do something about it. A phased, civilised forced emigration of all Moslems out of the country is the best way forward. The other way forward is simply to do nothing, allow their numbers to increase to the point where we have what will be in effect a full-scale civil war on our hands (perhaps in as little as twenty years from now) which will continue until they are eliminated and tens of thousands of people lose their lives. There is no benefit to the second course – and there is no alternative. These leopards will not change their spots! http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/01/20/driver-in-melbourne-car-attack-named-as-greek-islamic-kurd-with-mental-health-issues/
22/01/2017: If you have ever
wondered whether you have a twin somewhere…can two snowflakes be identical:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/01/14/ask-ethan-could-you-have-two-perfectly-identical-snowflakes/#4791143e5d0e
22/01/2017:
22/01/2017: From 1925: The Baw Baw Track: Notes of a Recent Visit By R. H. Croll: This is the track on which so many novices metaphorically lay their bones. For some reason it has caught the popular fancy, with the result that the budding walker, in all the discomfort of improper equipment, frequently makes it his first, and last, essay with the swag. He brings back a tale of trying tracks, of steep gradients, and bleak uplands, often in curious contrast with the accounts of more seasoned trampers.
Freemans Flat between Mts Baw Baw & St Phillack
The truth is that few of the 50 miles between Walsh's Creek (McVeigh's) on the Upper Yarra and the railhead at Walhalla-the 50 miles which constitute the so-called "Baw Baw Track" are easy miles, but they are well within the compass of any pedestrian who is capable of' carrying a 30 pound pack up a fairly graded hill, or has the means to hire a packhorse to do it for him. In other words, the way is open to all who are young, and to any whose maturity has really benefited by experience of such outings. It is time indeed that someone spoke plainly regarding the nonsense so commonly printed that the swag is a destroyer of all pleasure on a country tour.
I bear fardels as unwillingly as the next man, and I recognise the obvious fact that it ii easier and more enjoyable to walk free than loaded, but I protest that the pain of carrying one's bed and board are a very small charge (in this world where everything has its price) for the perfect liberty so gained, and that no one need divorce himself from pleasure in doing so.
The Baw Baw track is so named because at its most picturesque stage it traverses the Baw Baw Plateau and gives cosy access, by it side walk of about a mile and a quarter, to the 5,130ft. summit of Mount Baw Baw itself. Three natural divisions mark the route, the first being the stage up the Yarra Valley - a long, slow rise, the next the irregular, but relatively level going of the uplands, the third the rapid descent into Walhalla.
With the commencement of the bridle track at McVeigh's the way is truly the walkers. For nearly 10 miles it is a sidling pad winding just above and always within sight, or at least sound, of the Yarra, here a bubbling stream running at the foot of a steadily deepening valley. Higher and higher grow the hills, well clothed, particularly on the right bank, with tall timber and luxuriant shrubs. The slopes above the river look primeval and untrodden. But the trail is an old one, as old as the early mining rushes, and doubtless those resolute pioneers, the diggers, left little even of this hilly country unexplored in their search for gold. A reminder of the period is the unusual blaze on the timber a T, to signify the Tanjil track.
Just before the 15-mile post, shown in red on a tree two huts come into the picture. Each is of iron, and each is well constructed to meet the needs of tourists, it being understood that these bring their own food and bedding. The newer structure has a cement chimney and cement floor, a couple of large windows, a table, a form, and some boxes for seats, half a dozen billies, a frying-pan, a bucket, an axe, a broom, four stretchers, with spring mattresses (and there are as many more in the neighbouring hut) and about a dozen mugs and plates. There are two rooms available for visitors, the space, over all, being about 50ft. by 11ft. The old hut is much smaller, but is weatherproof, and at least a shelter in rough weather.
On Falls Creek, which, joins the main stream at this point, six picturesque waterfalls occur within a mile and a half of the camping-ground, They are readily accessible, the track to the main fall (the first) being in good order and of on easy grade. The other five take a little more climbing to see. The second stage of the onward journey opens badly with a determined zigzag which joins on to the lower end of a mile-long spur.
As you climb, the Yarra valley recedes on your left flank; below, on the right, are glimpses of the Falls Creek. The timber is large mountain ash in the main mingled with fine samples of silvertop, and later, woollybutt. In the season long lanes of Christmas bush are flowering here. Some groves of beech through which the track winds suggest a stage setting of fairy land in their still beauty. The variety is endless, now a group of giant gums, now beech or wattle groves, now a young forest, here a marshy spot, there a sparkling stream with its sands aglitter with "new chum gold ' always and ever something to attract and hold the attention.
Fourteen
miles of this including the first crossing of the
The
fact that the next hut, that on the Talbot Peak of Mount Erica, is only eight
miles away should be appreciated for two reasons. The negative one is that
there is much morass to cross, which means slow progress; the positive and
important one is that there is so much to see. A day is all too short in which
to do justice to this section and the surroundings of
The charm of interesting detail gives place to the appeal of great mountains spread as far as sight will carry. That is what one gains from the windows of Talbot hut, for this last and smallest of all the shelter houses is perched on the edge of a great declivity which drops swiftly some four thousand feet. Across the gulf rise endless mountain chains, their scoring valleys clearly indicated in the evening light. Hours may be spent picking out Feathertop and Welington, Ben Cruachan and other giants and speculating over those more difficult of identification, while all the time there sinks into the consciousness the wonderful blues of the high places, the play of light and shadow over unending miles of broken country, the grandeur of lofty peaks and the amazing deeps below them. Speaking as one who has looked from many of the high hills of the State I find this view very difficult to excel.
Now comes the drop to lower levels. The famous descent to Avernus is not swifter than the first three miles when the track begins to dip, which it does directly the point of Erica is passed. In that one league there is a fall of 3,000ft. and in wet weather that can be a true and continuous test of balance. Remarkable rocks are seen, a mill is heard screaming in the forest at the foot of the slide and a bush track leads one by pleasant ways over the 11 1/2 miles into Walhalla, a place well worth visiting in itself, and apparently soon to he numbered with the departed townships. Unless the present ventures revive the gold mining Walhalla in five years may be no more than a blackberry wilderness. Throughout there is no difficulty in following the tracks. They are clearly marked and kept wonderfully free of fallen timber. The department in whose charge they are certainly does its work well.
Thanks to Thomas Osburg, who found this account.
21/01/2017: Trump to cut
federal spending 10%, slash federal workers 20%: This is the sort of action
we need here to fix our Budget, besides do we need all/any of these pesky
overlords: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/boom-trump-eyes-10-spending-cuts-20-slash-of-federal-workers/article/2612037#!
21/01/2017: In reply to the
‘Hottest Year Ever’ ‘news’: On 27th Dec 1790 (measured at a location
just stones-throw from Observatory Hill) the mercury hit 108.5 F (42.5 C)
before peaking at 109 F (42.8 C) . This was BEFORE the Urban Heat Effect (UHI)
so go figure how much HOTTER THAT was than today! See (http://wattsupwiththat.com/…/global-warming-it-was-warmer-…/)
AND (http://wattsupwiththat.com/…/a-follow-up-on-the-it-was-wa…/…)
You will also notice that our own
21/01/2017: Ringling Bros.
circus to close after 146 years: This is awful news, even more awful as it
indicates the Left is winning: https://www.yahoo.com/news/apnewsbreak-ringling-bros-circus-close-031022225.html
20/01/2017: A
20/01/2017: Secrets of the Yarra: Walsh’s
And
this was McVeigh’s Hotel at the junction of the Yarra & Walsh’s Creek, a
transit stop on the way to the famous
And
this was what the (now forbidden)
Here is a more recent photo of the bottom fall:
This
may even be an 1845 painting by Hodddle of the
They
certaoinly are spectacular waterfalls, deserving to once again become one of
And this is an interesting shield of a cycling tour of the Yarra Track in bygone days:
20/01/2017: Quote of the day: Henry Hazlitt’s ‘Marxism
in One Minute’: ‘The whole gospel of Karl Marx can be summed up in a single
sentence: Hate the man who is better off than you are. Never under any
circumstances admit that his success may be due to his own efforts, to the
productive contribution he has made to the whole community. Always attribute
his success to the exploitation, the cheating, the more or less open robbery of
others. [MP: Or according to our Marxist-in-Chief: "If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else
made that happen."] Never under any circumstances admit that your own
failure may be owing to your own weakness, or that the failure of anyone else
may be due to his own defects — his laziness, incompetence, improvidence or
stupidity. Never believe in the honesty or disinterestedness of anyone who
disagrees with you. This basic hatred is the heart of Marxism. This is its
animating force. You can throw away the dialectical materialism, the Hegelian
framework, the technical jargon, the “scientific” analysis, and millions of
pretentious words, and you still have the core: the implacable hatred and envy
that are the raison d’etre for all the rest.’
20/01/2017: So, why aren’t we
talking about replacing Hazelwood with this – instead of shooting ourselves in
the feet? https://www.worldcoal.com/power/18012017/new-coal-technology-could-reduce-emissions/
19/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Hut Creek to
The
section begins with a long, deep race down to the Scorpion Track crossing.
Until closed, there used to be a couple of kilometers of lovely car camping on
grassy flats on both East and the West bank of the river here. Alas, our
masters have decreed, 'no more' - and no more fire access, or pest animal
management access, etc either. Canoe camping though is a different matter!
Outstanding swimming beaches.
Delicious long, placid pools.
Lovely pebble races.
Ducks. Well: birds, lots of birds. This section is a bird watcher's paradise. There were literally flocks of dozens of bee-eaters for example - and enough bell miners to almost deafen one!
And the water is as clear as crystal!
The Rock of Gibraltar looms overhead.
Lots of great Grade 1+ rapids.
A cool shady place to stop for lunch on a hot day.
Look at this wonderful long deep pool.
And this beach!
And
this one: what a majestic gum!
And another vast deep pool. There were giant fish along this section; carp which must have been nearly a metre long!
Spot caused me to sweep under a branch and the boat filled up with long-legged spiders - which had built webs in two minutes!
So that I had to get out on this delightful bar and foist them out.
One of the fords (Scrubby Creek Track) is in the background as Della negotiates this interesting rapid.
Then comes this enchanting labyrinth.
The westering sun is brilliantly glistening off this pebble race.
Suddenly you break out into Guys.
This appeared to be a sandpiper - a long way from the sea.
These spur-winged plovers just took off as I pressed the shutter.
Guys' giant walnuts were loaded with fruit nearly the size of tennis balls!
They, and the weeping willows transform the river into a European landscape.
The blue hills behind Della make a delightful backdrop.
She finishes the very last rapid in a halo of sunlight!
You can drag your boats out on the North-East side of the bridge - or you can go two kilometres downstream (another half an hour) and get them out more easily at Meyers Flat.
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
19/01/2017: Things you may
not know: Bishop handed over a huge slice of Australian territory last week
without a fight, caving in to east
19/01/2017: This too is
really bad news: ‘The Associated Press cites a study based on Federal
Reserve data showing that "millennials
earn 20 percent less than boomers did at the same stage of life, despite
being better educated". They are on
track to be poorer than their parents despite all that progress.’ And, it is
for the same reason, ie Leftist economics: https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2017/01/13/the-second-wall/
18/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Black Snake to Hut Creek:
This is the second section downstream from the
Straightaway you are into a long right-curving chute which goes on for nearly a kilometre. Delightful.
With a couple of pebble races thrown in just for fun. Like this one:
And this:
About a kilometre in there is a splendid swimming hole with a beach on one side and a deep pool complete with diving rock on the other.
Another Grade 1 rapid.
A long deep section.
Spot
is on lookout. What a great swimming hole this is on a right hand bend. The
long flat on the true right bank below it has many possible grassy
campsites if you are planning a lazy, multi-day canoe odyssey from
The river is so clean and clear.
Some of these interesting trees have spring up here and there. I suspect they are weeds and are inedible - at least the birds have been ignoring them. Can anyone identify them? They are not loquats: the fruit have hundreds of tiny seeds like tomatoes.
Here is what the flowers looked like some months ago.
Maguires Flat is on the true left bank here. Scorpion Creek is on the right.
The last straight. At the end of Maguires Flat there is a pebble race (you go down the left hand side). Hut Creek is straight ahead of you on the left bank. It is easy to be swept past, particularly at high water (ie over 1.8 metres) so you should have checked this out before you started at Black Snake Creek when you were leaving your vehicle here. You have to drag your boats about fifty yards back along the bank of the creek to your car, but it is easy. Someone else could clear some of the fallen branches - after all what is the 'Dept of Many Names' for? Well, I wonder...
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
18/01/2017: Absolutely, children should know their place – which is secondary: https://pjmedia.com/parenting/2017/01/10/love-your-spouse-more-than-your-kids-make-sure-the-kids-know-it//?singlepage=true
18/01/2017: The Fifth Column
has/had infiltrated the highest offices in the land. CIA Director Brennan
(like Obama) was/is a Moslem. Is it any wonder that Brennan wants to identify
17/01/2017: Wonnangatta:
Kingwell Bridge
This
section and the next (to Hut Creek) are the best family canoeing opportunities
on the river. When our kids were little (just a quarter century ago) we must
have canoed them a hundred times. In the morning you can drop in at the
The photos that follow are of this first section. (I will post about the second section later). The photos are in sequence so I hope give some indication of what you will encounter (many delights) along the way. Both sections are just pebble races or Grade 1+ rapids. Of course you can fall out. Your kids should be wearing life jackets but I confess that once ours could swim we found it just about impossible to keep them on them.
Every
now and then you might encounter something (a tree down perhaps, or a log
sitting in a dangerous position) where you want to get out and walk the boats
around. Della does not see as well as she used to, so reverts to this strategy
more than I do. Also, sometimes she misses the deepest channel and has to get
out – but she has only 38% vision, so if she can still canoe this river, I’m
sure you can! You need about 1.70 metres at the
Setting
out just above the
There was some heavy roan traffic on the bridge that day!
Some majestic gums line the river.
Mostly, as you see, it is fun pebble races.
And pleasant deep sections just right for a swim. We could never go far before the kids wanted a dip!
A great little rapid.
And another deep section where you can ‘raft up’.
Hawkhurst’s sheep slumbering under their ancient poplars didn’t like the look of us – or our dogs!
What a lovely deep lead!
The gums and European trees get on together just fine.
Some wood ducks enjoying the river.
Della missed the channel here below the willows and poplars.
This gum tree though seems to be trying to avoid these poplars! Neighbours!
A great swimming hole.
And a lovely beach opposite.
Della always loves to have a fossick.
This time she has turned up a treasure!
She wanted to avoid this little rapid though she has canoed it scores of times before.
The dogs Tiny and Spot are all attention.
Some interesting cliffs for climbing.
And around the bend we go!
Another beautiful deep lead.
Looking back at the last little drop, the light catches the water splendidly.
As it does here.
Always some beautiful flowers to see.
This swing bridge is just above the Black Snake Creek. Time to start looking for the small landing beach (left) where the creek joins the river.
What a delightful trip! Hope you enjoy it too.
Nowadays there is a free camping ground (with fire pits, toilet, etc) at Black Snake Creek (which was a town with a PO etc during the Depression). The remaining hut is the home of its last inhabitant, Harry Gee who stayed on here alone for many years. His house used to have a huge walnut tree on the Downstream side and a vast loquat on the upstream side. There was a bridge spike in the walnut tree about 8′ up where he used to hang the carcass of a sheep, etc he was to eat.
The mine which was the purpose of the town lies further up the valley. There is a walking path. We used to park the camper under the deep shade of his walnut tree where the Gang Gangs and Major Mitchells rained down green walnuts on us! Before the kids could swim they would make a wading pool in the creek just behind his house. We had many lovely holidays there – I hope you do too!
17/01/2017: End the Misery of
Insect Bites: After a trip to NZ’s Fiordland all my exposed skin used to
resemble a very angry surface of the moon for weeks afterwards, but one
application of this wonderful cream on any troublesome bite makes it go away
completely (also works on leech bites). For some bizarre reason antihistamine
cream to treat insect bites is banned in
17/01/2017: This decision is so right, vegans are annoying: ‘The resident’s committee argued that if she does not accept Swiss traditions and the Swiss way of life, she should not be able to become an official national.’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/pass-the-dutchy/news-story/ac6fdda21b672c035806379842e3e95e
17/01/2017:
17/01/2017: Rental Property: At one time we toyed with the idea of putting our self-funded superannuation money into some rental property, but after studying the likely returns (less than bank interest at best) we decided against it. We were also warned off by the potential for such an investment to go totally pear-shaped, as happened to this lady with her simply awful tenant. Be warned: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/berkeley-sarah-lawrence-professor-house-rental-saga
16/01/2017: Ten delightful hours so far canoeing the beautiful Wonnangatta River from Kingwell Bridge to Waterford Bridge, as ‘we catch the wave’ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-wonnangatta…/ (See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnang…/) In this section the river journeys for many hours through the most serene and beautiful forest you can imagine – and full of beautiful camping spots! More photos to follow. Here is a foretaste. PS: Delightfully we have found a campsite here where our mobile phones and internet both work!
16/01/2017: Eschew Philosophy:
16/01/2017: As we get ready to ‘celebrate’ communism’s centenerary, we should never forget the one million plus people murdered by this creed every year of its existence – yet on the left of politics we have many yet who have not recognised this salient fact: admirers of Castro’s Cuba or Mao’s China…or those who are still thinking ending the Vietnam war was good, and forget that with it came the 8 million murdered after the fall of Saigon: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/communisms-centenary/
14/01/2017: The Trump Effect:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-to-create-more-than-100000-full-time-jobs-in-the-next-18-months-2017-01-12
14/01/2017: Never too Late: ‘Now
a spry 105, Marchand is still active today…Over the two years before setting
the hour record in January 2014, Marchand cycled around 10,000 kilometers
(roughly 13.7 per day). During that time, he increased his VO2 Max, a measure
of aerobic fitness, by 13 percent. His peak power output also increased by 25
percent. Both results demonstrate that the human body is still capable of
adapting and strengthening past 100’ http://www.realclearscience.com/quick_and_clear_science/2017/01/03/scientists_examine_105-year-old_super_athlete.html
14/01/2017: A Socratic
approach on climate change. Great work Jo. Socrates would have been proud
of you: http://joannenova.com.au/2017/01/socrates-speaks-about-climate-change/
13/01/2017: Over-acting is completely out of control. Are
folks just so saturated by sit-coms that they can no longer tell the difference
between ‘normal’ or ‘genuine’ expression and the faux, glitzy simulacra which
counterfeits them everywhere we look – such as in the indecent adoration for
Hilary and Meryl Streep, for example. Look I enjoyed the movie, ‘The River
Wild’ but Meryl really did not play anywhere near as convincing a part as
‘baddy actor’ Kevin Bacon in it. And, please remember this: it was only acting,
make believe. Often real people are well-nigh expressionless in the face of
similar real experiences, yet they are able to perform with admirable heroism.
You could check out the expressions on the two people attacked by a mad trannie
with an axe in
13/01/2017: They have to go: ‘Four Anzac Day
marches in NSW were cancelled yesterday because nobody could agree on who
should pay to protect crowds from Islamic terrorists…Just arm the diggers.
Problem solved.’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/australia-in-2017/news-story/0eacf432f7dd72adf0ed0739d22dae85
13/01/2017: Frankly I am very annoyed about MLA’s trendy political ads. Having been sheep farmers for 40 years we are required to pay levies to these folks for all manner of things we don’t want, or support – the last three costly ear tagging rule changes, for example. My belief is that 99% of sheep and lamb producers proudly celebrate Australia Day: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/the-day-that-dare-not-speak-its-name/news-story/bd9ab7e95593f00ae2f8720a55874f0a
13/01/2017: The return of
feudalism: This is what the awesome tyranny implicit in ‘basic income’ is
ultimately about. Read on: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-11/what-does-future-hold-average-joes-spoiler-alert-feudalism
13/01/2017: Well, this is
really good news: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-sex/201101/attention-ladies-semen-is-antidepressant
12/01/2017: Canoeing the
Wonnangatta, Catching the Wave: Rainfall at Mt Hotham is a pretty good
analogue for river flow on the Wonnangatta-Mitchell. The river flows at approx
4km/hr. Use that fact to time the canoeability of sections.
On Monday (9 Jan) it rained steadily all afternoon and there was 63
mm of rainfall at Mt Hotham by the time it stopped around 9pm. The whole valley got a good soaking. You can
check this is happening by comparing eg rainfall at Dargo. You can see that it
is raining by checking the radar.
By 2.52am on the 10th the river had started rising at
It rose to 1.84 metres at 21:17pm on the 10th, stayed
there until 8: 52am on the 11th and then began falling. By 19:17 on
the 11th the river had returned to 1.80 at
Since the bushfires summer flows have been deplorably low and will
likely remain that way for many years. You
have to catch the wave! If you started out from
If you anticipated the wave you would be able to start at
Saturday and Sunday the river should be canoeable anywhere from
Eaglevale down and the weather should be fine and about 26C. This should be a
good weekend on the Wonnangatta. Enjoy! I know I will!
|
Station
Date/Time |
Water Level |
|
07/01/2017 02:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 05:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 08:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 11:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 14:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 17:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 18:23 |
1.74 |
|
07/01/2017 20:53 |
1.74 |
|
07/01/2017 23:52 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 02:18 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 02:52 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 05:52 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 08:52 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 09:32 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 09:37 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 10:22 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 11:52 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 14:52 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 16:52 |
1.73 |
|
08/01/2017 17:52 |
1.73 |
|
08/01/2017 20:52 |
1.73 |
|
08/01/2017 23:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 02:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 05:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 08:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 11:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 13:27 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 14:52 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 17:52 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 20:52 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 23:52 |
1.72 |
|
10/01/2017 02:52 |
1.72 |
|
10/01/2017 03:22 |
1.73 |
|
10/01/2017 05:52 |
1.73 |
|
10/01/2017 07:47 |
1.74 |
|
10/01/2017 08:52 |
1.74 |
|
10/01/2017 09:57 |
1.75 |
|
10/01/2017 11:42 |
1.76 |
|
10/01/2017 11:52 |
1.76 |
|
10/01/2017 12:52 |
1.77 |
|
10/01/2017 13:32 |
1.78 |
|
10/01/2017 14:02 |
1.79 |
|
10/01/2017 14:22 |
1.80 |
|
10/01/2017 14:47 |
1.81 |
|
10/01/2017 14:52 |
1.81 |
|
10/01/2017 15:02 |
1.82 |
|
10/01/2017 15:47 |
1.83 |
|
10/01/2017 17:52 |
1.83 |
|
10/01/2017 20:52 |
1.83 |
|
10/01/2017 21:17 |
1.84 |
|
10/01/2017 23:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 02:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 05:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 08:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 10:47 |
1.83 |
|
11/01/2017 11:52 |
1.83 |
|
11/01/2017 13:22 |
1.82 |
|
11/01/2017 14:52 |
1.82 |
|
11/01/2017 16:07 |
1.81 |
|
11/01/2017 17:52 |
1.81 |
|
11/01/2017 19:17 |
1.80 |
|
11/01/2017 20:52 |
1.80 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tue 00:00 EDT |
N |
31 |
41 |
12.3 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 23:50 EDT |
N |
31 |
35 |
12.2 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:40 EDT |
N |
31 |
35 |
12.2 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:30 EDT |
N |
35 |
43 |
12.4 |
- |
9.4 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 23:20 EDT |
N |
33 |
37 |
12.4 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:10 EDT |
N |
39 |
44 |
12.4 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:00 EDT |
N |
35 |
44 |
12.4 |
- |
9.4 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 22:50 EDT |
N |
33 |
37 |
12.4 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:40 EDT |
N |
39 |
44 |
12.4 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:30 EDT |
N |
35 |
46 |
12.3 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 22:20 EDT |
N |
28 |
31 |
12.2 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:10 EDT |
N |
33 |
41 |
12.1 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:00 EDT |
N |
28 |
39 |
12.1 |
- |
9.4 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 21:50 EDT |
N |
37 |
43 |
11.9 |
- |
8.7 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:40 EDT |
- |
33 |
35 |
12.0 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:30 EDT |
NNW |
31 |
39 |
12.0 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 21:24 EDT |
N |
31 |
50 |
12.1 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 21:20 EDT |
N |
28 |
30 |
12.0 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:10 EDT |
N |
37 |
41 |
12.0 |
- |
8.8 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:00 EDT |
N |
30 |
37 |
12.1 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 20:50 EDT |
N |
20 |
30 |
12.1 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:40 EDT |
NNE |
33 |
39 |
12.0 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:30 EDT |
NNW |
26 |
37 |
12.1 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 20:20 EDT |
N |
31 |
41 |
12.0 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:10 EDT |
N |
35 |
39 |
12.0 |
- |
8.9 |
- |
- |
61.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:00 EDT |
N |
28 |
33 |
11.9 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
61.4 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 19:50 EDT |
N |
22 |
26 |
11.9 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
61.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:40 EDT |
NNW |
17 |
22 |
11.6 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
61.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:30 EDT |
N |
24 |
30 |
11.8 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
61.0 |
0.2 |
- |
|
Mon 19:20 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
24 |
11.8 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
60.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:10 EDT |
N |
26 |
30 |
11.8 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
60.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:00 EDT |
NNW |
24 |
33 |
11.7 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
60.0 |
0.6 |
- |
|
Mon 18:50 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
28 |
11.4 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
59.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:40 EDT |
NW |
24 |
28 |
11.0 |
- |
8.3 |
- |
- |
59.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:30 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
35 |
11.1 |
- |
8.6 |
- |
- |
58.8 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 18:20 EDT |
NW |
22 |
24 |
11.4 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
58.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:10 EDT |
NW |
28 |
31 |
11.6 |
- |
8.8 |
- |
- |
57.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:00 EDT |
NW |
26 |
33 |
11.7 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
56.8 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 17:50 EDT |
W |
28 |
33 |
11.4 |
- |
8.5 |
- |
- |
56.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:40 EDT |
W |
30 |
35 |
11.0 |
- |
7.9 |
- |
- |
55.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:30 EDT |
W |
28 |
41 |
10.7 |
- |
7.6 |
- |
- |
54.8 |
1.6 |
- |
|
Mon 17:20 EDT |
W |
35 |
39 |
10.4 |
- |
6.8 |
- |
- |
53.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:10 EDT |
W |
39 |
44 |
11.1 |
- |
7.5 |
- |
- |
50.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:00 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
31 |
12.0 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
46.2 |
2.6 |
- |
|
Mon 16:50 EDT |
N |
22 |
28 |
12.2 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
44.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:40 EDT |
N |
28 |
35 |
12.4 |
- |
9.8 |
- |
- |
43.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:30 EDT |
NNW |
28 |
39 |
12.7 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
42.6 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 16:20 EDT |
NW |
31 |
35 |
12.6 |
- |
9.8 |
- |
- |
42.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:10 EDT |
NW |
26 |
30 |
12.8 |
- |
10.5 |
- |
- |
41.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:00 EDT |
NW |
28 |
43 |
12.6 |
- |
10.1 |
- |
- |
41.4 |
0.6 |
- |
|
Mon 15:50 EDT |
NW |
28 |
35 |
12.7 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
40.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:40 EDT |
NNW |
24 |
28 |
12.6 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
40.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:30 EDT |
NW |
26 |
39 |
12.4 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
39.6 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 15:20 EDT |
WSW |
17 |
20 |
12.9 |
- |
11.3 |
- |
- |
39.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:10 EDT |
NNW |
20 |
24 |
12.9 |
- |
11.0 |
- |
- |
38.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:00 EDT |
NW |
28 |
44 |
12.8 |
- |
10.4 |
- |
- |
37.6 |
0.2 |
- |
|
Mon 14:50 EDT |
NNW |
20 |
28 |
12.8 |
- |
10.9 |
- |
- |
37.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:40 EDT |
NNW |
30 |
35 |
12.9 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
36.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:30 EDT |
NW |
31 |
43 |
12.9 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
34.8 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 14:20 EDT |
NW |
28 |
41 |
12.9 |
- |
10.5 |
- |
- |
34.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:10 EDT |
NW |
35 |
43 |
12.9 |
- |
10.1 |
- |
- |
31.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:00 EDT |
NW |
33 |
44 |
13.0 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
29.0 |
3.8 |
- |
|
Mon 13:50 EDT |
NW |
33 |
41 |
13.0 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
25.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:40 EDT |
N |
35 |
44 |
13.1 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
22.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:30 EDT |
N |
39 |
61 |
13.1 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
20.0 |
1.4 |
- |
|
Mon 13:25 EDT |
N |
35 |
56 |
13.0 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
19.2 |
1.8 |
- |
|
Mon 13:20 EDT |
NNW |
37 |
46 |
13.0 |
- |
10.1 |
- |
- |
18.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:10 EDT |
N |
19 |
24 |
13.0 |
- |
11.2 |
- |
- |
16.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:00 EDT |
N |
39 |
50 |
13.0 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
12.4 |
1.8 |
- |
|
Mon 12:47 EDT |
NNE |
39 |
44 |
12.9 |
- |
9.9 |
- |
- |
10.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 12:37 EDT |
N |
43 |
63 |
12.8 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
6.4 |
1.6 |
- |
|
Mon 12:30 EDT |
N |
37 |
50 |
12.7 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
5.4 |
2.6 |
- |
|
Mon 12:20 EDT |
NNW |
35 |
41 |
12.6 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
3.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 12:00 EDT |
N |
31 |
43 |
12.9 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
0.2 |
0.2 |
- |
|
Mon 11:50 EDT |
N |
33 |
39 |
13.0 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 11:30 EDT |
N |
26 |
33 |
13.3 |
- |
11.1 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 11:20 EDT |
- |
26 |
31 |
13.5 |
- |
11.4 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 11:10 EDT |
N |
37 |
41 |
13.7 |
- |
11.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 11:00 EDT |
N |
39 |
48 |
13.9 |
- |
11.2 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 10:50 EDT |
N |
39 |
43 |
13.7 |
- |
11.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:40 EDT |
N |
37 |
43 |
13.6 |
- |
10.9 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:34 EDT |
N |
33 |
52 |
13.7 |
- |
11.2 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 10:30 EDT |
N |
39 |
52 |
13.8 |
- |
11.1 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 10:20 EDT |
NNW |
35 |
48 |
14.9 |
- |
12.7 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:10 EDT |
N |
39 |
44 |
15.5 |
- |
15.5 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:00 EDT |
N |
33 |
44 |
15.3 |
- |
15.3 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 09:50 EDT |
N |
30 |
35 |
15.7 |
- |
15.7 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 09:36 EDT |
N |
33 |
52 |
16.0 |
- |
16.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 09:30 EDT |
N |
35 |
44 |
16.4 |
- |
16.4 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 09:20 EDT |
N |
33 |
39 |
16.4 |
- |
16.4 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 09:10 EDT |
N |
30 |
37 |
16.5 |
- |
16.5 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 09:00 EDT |
N |
33 |
44 |
16.1 |
- |
16.1 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
12/01/2017: Oh Dear:
‘Remember, friendly fire is as deadly as the other kind…[T]he emission spectrum
of [LEDs] is enriched in blue radiations, known to be potentially
dangerous to the retina. Recent studies showed that light exposure contributes
to the onset of early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)…The data
suggest that the blue component of the white-LED may cause retinal toxicity at
occupational domestic illuminance’: http://www.the-american-interest.com/2017/01/06/blinded-by-green-mania/
12/01/2017: Wow! Bad News!
You will hate this! Some day we might not need dentists: https://www.statnews.com/2017/01/09/stem-cells-tooth-damage/
12/01/2017: Klymit Hammock
Pad:
This new pad from Klymit is definitely worth a look if you are planning on some hammock camping, hunting or fishing: https://www.klymit.com/hammock-v-1.html. Its design tackles the single biggest issue of hammock camping head on, ie how to keep your back, shoulders, elbows, arms & knees comfy and warm.
I find any insulated rectangular pad big enough to keep me warm, but if you are any wider than me, you might want a wider pad (as I have mentioned in earlier posts) or some ‘wings’ to warm up your arms etc where the sleeping bag’s insulation will be compressed against the hammock. Mind you at an R rating of 1.6 this pad would only keep you warm enough in summerish weather - though your sleeping bag insulation would drape into its valleys and add somewhat to its insulative ability.
Speer Hammocks used to make a Segmented Pad Extender which kept your arms and shoulder nice and warm. We made one of these too and it worked well. Here’s a link to making one yourself: http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearSPE.html
I recently posted a number of other hammock items you might also find of interest: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
11/01/2017: Self-Balancing –
The New Way Forward (This is neat!): http://newatlas.com/honda-self-balancing-motorcycle/47257/
& http://newatlas.com/honda-new-uni-cub-personal-mobility-device/29771/
& http://newatlas.com/honda-u3-x-experimental-vehicle/13008/
11/01/2017: When Labour’s William Beveridge ‘invented’ ‘The Welfare State’ in 1942
‘his goal was ‘the abolition of want’. Labor has succeeded beyond his wildest
dreams: Want has all but been abolished: fewer and fewer want to work, want to
marry, want to raise children, want to lead a life of any purpose or dignity’
(Steyn)
11/01/2017: ‘The welfare
state is the oldest con game in the world. First you take people’s money
away quietly then you give some of it back to them flamboyantly,’ Thomas
Sowell.
11/01/2017: I can’t believe
these people survived this vicious attack in
10/01/2017: Why is School Compulsory? An interesting question, one that is particularly important when so many schools are failing their students, or their students are failing to learn: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/why-school-compulsory
10/01/2017: Good character. Something Malcolm horribly lacks: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/tony-tested/news-story/8566cc4686f756d33239f0f8a68f82d7
10/01/2017: And good character is certainly something ‘Sussan Ley’ doesn’t have either: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/todays-daily-telegraph-editorial/news-story/31a2bbbf47f5d71bfb1b92684ef9c6b1
09/01/2017:
Super AAA Torch 145 Lumens:
Maratac have upgraded the Cree emitter in their latest AAA flashlights so they now output a massive 145 lumens. This is one mighty little torch. Available from US$41.25 Special deals regularly on Massdrop: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/aluminium-anodized-aaa-flashlight-by-maratac-rev-3 Also available in Titanium: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/polished-titanium-maratac-aaa-flashlight-rev-4 You can also rig it as a head torch http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mini-super-torch-a-weeks-light-weighs-50-grams/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-head-torches/ The white rubber light diffuser (see photo) turns it into a superb tent lantern. The pocket clip weighs almost nothing and makes carrying and accessing it a breeze.
09/01/2017:
How terrible the ‘human condition’ can
be is dramatically highlighted by this precious ‘new’ history of the siege
of
09/01/2017:
09/01/2017:
08/01/2017: A Mini Rechargeable Aqualung: At under 2 kg with enough air for 6-8 minutes to a recommended depth of 3 metres and rechargeable with a hand pump or car compressor this device is rather cute: https://www.minidive.com/minidive-pro/
08/01/2017:
‘Coral survived the Cretaceous / Paleogene
extinction event which wiped out the dinosaurs, when a 6 mile wide Asteroid
crashed into the
08/01/2017:
The war on Christianity
in the Arab world continues: ‘A
07/01/2017: Making Small Things Smaller to save Weight and Space:
Diane Sioni has some fine advice here. http://gossamergear.com/wp/making-small-things-smaller-to-save-weight-and-space It pays to go through your gear again and again. It is always a game of ‘putting and taking’ (one of the first games we learn and still lots of fun at nearly 70!) What you take and what you leave is matter both of individual choice and dependent on the trip you are doing. Eg; How long. How long between resupply. Likely conditions…
Some time ago I posted about making containers out of straws. If you have tried this, you probably hate yourself, but lots of folks are still reposting it on Pinterest, so I guess it’s cute. My advice: try getting some really small snaplock bags from eBay instead. eBay is also an excellent source for small bottles, test tubes, atomisers, etc. A small plastic test tube can have some Dyneema fishing line wound on it (glue one end, snap the other with the lid). It can contain your needle (a self threader I think, Diane), a few fish hooks and sinkers and still weigh just a few grams. Some polystyrene balls for floats will double as spare tarp clips: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/worlds-lightest-tarp-clip/.A fish for tea one night will generously repay carrying that little extra weight - as will being able to repair gear, or yourself – and not stabbing yourself with that needle!
I did a little ‘show and tell’ a little while back of some of my gear here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/ Some things surprise: eg I would not have thought of taking a musical instrument – but then being deaf, I hate music. Then again, not being a woman I would not have considered a DIY ‘Lady J’, but I have also had my bottom attacked pretty ferociously eg by sandflies in Fiordland. The article is a good starting point for a review of your gear. You can always save a little – but do not jeopardise your safety!
Above: ‘Possibles’ bag contents: on green cuben bag: ulralight fishing kit, 2 handlines containing hooks, sinkers, bait, self threading needle (repairs), two springers, 4 polystyrene balls, alum foil for cooking fish; on green S to S bag, Iridium Sat Phone; on white cuben bag: spare glasses in plastic case, Kabar knife, Adventure Medical Kits space blanket bag (emergency day pack & ground sheet); snaploc with glasses cleaner; Bushnell mini solarwrap charger; on white cuben bag: cuben bag with charging connectors AAA to AA battery converters, in blue bag spare batteries = 6 Eneloop AAA, 2 camera, 2 phone, 2 Photon, 2 hearing aid; USB AA/AAA battery charger; first aid kit: Antisan (bites) ointment, Mylanta (indigestion), earbuds in snaploc, Leucotape on cuben bag containing variety of plasters and blister pads, triangular bandage (sling) below: elastic bandage, cuben bag with variety of tablets eg pain, inflammation, diarrhoea, allergy etc; Toiletries on white cuben bag: wet tissues, 2 pocket Kleenex (enough for a week!); below on small green cuben bag S to S ultralight head net (mozzies – sleep) and microdripper of insect repellent (Deet); magnifier on mirror; square of silnylon for repairs with 2 stickon tie outs on top; spare trekking pole basket; clip on glasses cleaner; bottom row: on snaplocc bag length Dyneema, glasses repair kit, various bits and pieces: 2 safety pins, 3 line locs, 2 tarp tie outs, I carabiner, I mitten hook, 1 cord loc, 1 spare mini compass; on cuben bag, cuben tape (repairs) rubber band, spare bottle cap; on white cuben bag: 2 lightload towels, comb, Aloksack (for camera); on blue cuben bag: microdripper bottles containing: handcream, suncream, deodorant, iodine, wash, anti fungal cream, tube anti inflammatory cream, tub toothpaste, tub heel balm; anti allergy cream.
Some of these things I have cut down substantially since then (eg for my Everest hike see eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/thatendlessskyway/ For example I have made an ultralight glasses case: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-glasses-case/ I have substituted these http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/ for the Photons and reduced the number of batteries needed, and so on. The quest to be 'ultralight' goes ever on and on...
07/01/2017: Renewables are such a great idea, I don’t think! ‘ExxonMobil released its 2017 Outlook for Energy, A View to 2040 in mid-December…the report reveals wind and solar will supply a whopping 4% of global energy by 2040…that wind and solar capacity will grow, but we will only be able to utilize 30% of the wind capacity and 20% of the solar capacity due to their intermittent nature…It is also clear that we are not going to run out of coal, oil and natural gas. These are abundant today and they will still be abundant in 2040. Given the very high quality of available modern emissions control equipment for true pollutants, like sulfur dioxide and mercury, and recent low estimates of equilibrium climate sensitivity to a doubling of carbon dioxide (ECS) there is little evidence that fossil fuels are a problem today or in the foreseeable future.’ https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/01/05/energy-and-society-from-now-until-2040/
07/01.2017:
Meanwhile in
06/01/2017:
Robber Baron (?): John D. Rockefeller:
Standard Oil began in 1870, when kerosene cost 30 cents a gallon. By 1897,
Rockefeller's scientists and managers had driven the price to under 6 cents per
gallon, and many of his less-efficient competitors were out of business-including
companies whose inferior grades of kerosene were prone to explosion and whose
dangerous wares had depressed the demand for the product. Standard Oil did the
same for petroleum: In a single decade, from 1880
to 1890, Rockefeller's consolidations helped drive petroleum prices down 61
percent while increasing output 393 percent. Greenpeace should have a picture
of John D. Rockefeller on the wall of every office. Rockefeller, by driving
down the cost of Kerosene as an illuminant, did more than any other person in
their history to save the whales. By making Kerosene cheap, people were willing
to give up whale oil, dealing a mortal blow to the whaling industry (perhaps
just in time for the Sperm Whale).
06/01/2017:
Give Herod’s temple to the Moslems? Why
not give
06/01.2017:
‘Chinese commandos in a lightning raid
have seized the vast, under-populated, resource-rich lands of
05/01.2017: Pack Rafting the Wonnagatta-Mitchell:
We took a day off today, it being 30C and there being enough water, to revisit one of our favourite spots when our kids were little over 20 years ago…Hot summers then (they were hotter) and there was plenty of water (before the ‘noughty’ fires) we used to camp at one particular spot and either spend the day drifting down to our camp, swimming and playing, or else start off from camp and drift down to another exit point way downriver.
Now most of the campsites are gone – locked off. Our public lands are progressively being stolen from us. Those that remain are crowded, and they now have toilets and ‘designated campsites – both represent the end of freedom! Yet there is no-one on the river. It is just as idyllic as ever…And you can still put in where we used to and get out nearly where we used to – there are tiny snippets of (hidden) public access. You have to look carefully for them, and there may be a little bush-bashing, but not much.
You
can canoe this wonderful river all the way from the Humffray confluence way
inside the Alpine National Park just below the Station, all the way to
Here we are, ready to set off.
As you can see we are one car plus one motorbike.
Della is away first, keen to start.
These two snaps are for the kids: remember this old abandoned orchard and its apricot tree where we used to feast those Xmases past
?
And this swimming hole where you wiled away so much long summertime…
Away we go! Just here the river is like a mirror!
Della prefers to follow because of her eyesight – she has less than 40% vision – and you think you have problems? Nonetheless even in just this last year she has followed me to many places those with two good eyes have seen; the South Coast Track & Westies Hut, NZ for example: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/westies-hut/
And remember this deep, cool swimming hole too?
Nonetheless, she is a champ!
Just to prove I was there too.
This, believe it or not, is a deer path on public land! This would be a good place to be at dusk with a .308 – if you were hungry!
Huck Finn, eat your heart out!
There be monsters here:
And interesting flotsam. This vast length of 1/2″ rope was caught up in a huge pile of flood-wrack. i souvenired it!
Look at that girl go!
Here near the wallows she shot ahead of me eager to find a great antler of her own just as our son did many years ago. All we found today was some very muddy sticks, alas!
Once more she is following faithfully behind down this entertaining little drop.
Here is an interesting historical curio, the cab of an old jinker – and Della!
I have the Alpacka Fiord Explorer, and Della has the Alpacka model, just perfect for someone who is just 5′. Hers has an airtight zip so you can stow your dry bags inside the craft’s tubes. What a clever idea. Or you can tie your packs etc on the bow and stern as I have done with my dry bag above.
And here is a dragon wondering what is going on.
Who we will leave to wait for our next trip to find out – a multi day one, I think. And soon!
PS:
Today there was exactly 1.80 metres on the
Even at this height there will be lots of lovely long deep sections, and anyway lots of beautiful camping spots and cool swimming holes. Have fun! Time was, there was water aplenty every day of the year. There used to be much more water summertime. The bushfires stole the river folks. It will not be back until the forest is all growed back again – by then I will be gone!
The section we canoed today was one which escaped the fires. The birdlife was beautiful and exhuberant. I must have spotted a hundred different species of birds; both the kinds of wood swallows, (very noisy) leather heads, scads of bell miners, many kinds of honey-eaters, many kinds of parrots including gang gangs, three kinds of ducks, two kinds of doves, wagtails, kingfishers, mutton birds, warblers, wrens, currrawongs, sitellas, beautiful purple cuckoo-shrikes with their graceful dipping flight, resplendent bee-eaters, the improbable blue eyes of bower birds…
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-about-diy-pfds/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-pack-rafting-life-vest/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-paddle/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-clearing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-bush/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafts/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-gippslands-rivers/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/home-made-pack-raft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/faux-packraft-vs-alpacka-raft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-thompson-river/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-thomson-river-gippsland-victoria/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/thomson-river-canoe-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tanjil-river-canoe-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tanjil-river-canoe-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tanjil-river-canoeing-update/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tin-canoes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister-river/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hornet-lite-pack-raft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-raft-saves-the-day/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/packraft-video/
05/01.2017: It is just so like the Left to hurt the poor (whom they claim to champion) more than anyone lese: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/01/02/aussie-chief-scientist-renewable-energy-push-hurts-the-poor/
05/01.2017: Thomas Sowell: ‘Liberals imagine that law-abiding citizens do not have any idea how to use a gun responsibly — and that criminals will start following rules.’ http://www.nationalreview.com/article/443189/gun-control-laws-conflict-data-about-gun-owners-crime
04/01.2017: Working hard on a treadmill a human being can produce 100 watts, so a ten hour day of hard work equals about ONE kilowatt hour which is worth about 30 cents - that's the price of slave labour. Question: In this 'poor' country how many slaves can you afford to keep? Cheap energy IS the very basis of civilisation. I look forward to the era of plentiful fusion power. Bring it on!
04/01.2017: Attention Gourmands: You might like to try these historic Tudor dishes: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/45325
04/01.2017:
There is a problem: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/limits-to-tolerance/news-story/10e269c36f632037a0d0b3225c02ef1a
and there is a solution: Moslem emigration.
03/01.2017: The genius of Thomas Sowell: ‘Economics vs. Politics I. Economics and politics confront the same fundamental problem: What everyone wants adds up to more than there is. Market economies deal with this problem by confronting individuals with the costs of producing what they want, and letting those individuals make their own trade-offs when presented with prices that convey those costs. That leads to self-rationing, in the light of each individual’s own circumstances and preferences. Economics vs. Politics II. The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.’ https://fee.org/articles/the-brilliance-of-thomas-sowell-on-his-retirement-from-journalism/?utm_source=zapier&utm_medium=facebook
03/01.2017: New DIY Pack Raft: You have probably caught up with the price of a brand new Alpacka raft (http://www.alpackaraft.com/alpacka-raft-series/) and put your canoeing dreams on hold but there are cheaper options.
There is for example my home made pack raft (which costs less then A$40) that I posted about way back here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/home-made-pack-raft/ for example. I have since thought that it would be better to attach the reinforcing bottom with a circle of tarp clips (such as these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/easyklip/) connected together with a thin rope. It can be easily taken off to dry and put back on again before you re-inflate. And it is easy to replace if it wears out.
I have also mentioned Klymit’s much cheaper rafts (from around US$100: eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/ & here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-laid-schemes/
Now there is an even better option: http://www.diypackraft.com/shop/
What a resource this is! These folk offer a DIY kit from US$125! This is a very good price for a real packraft able
to canoe serious white water! Their rafts start with an ultralight version815
grams!
Their page comes with every bit of useful advice you could possibly
want. The site is positively encyclopaedic. Their DIY seat plan is handy. Even
their blog http://www.diypackraft.com/blog/
is imnpressive. It even includes a DIY paddle! Check them out.
I may start with their fabric sample kit (US$5.99 – free
international shipping) and their http://www.diypackraft.com/2016/07/09/diy-heat-sealing-iron/
(I have some other projects in mind for heat sealable fabrics).
Their fabric prices are quite good. I compared them with a couple of
other suppliers such as Quest: http://www.questoutfitters.com/Coated_2.htm#HEAT%20SEALABLE
and Seattle: http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html
Of course you can get them cheaper if you buy in bulk, eg Rockywoods: http://www.rockywoods.com/Fabrics-Kits/Heat-Sealable-Nylon-Fabrics
You will still need a paddle: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-paddle/
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/faux-packraft-vs-alpacka-raft/
http://blog.hillmap.com/2013/02/raft-valves-and-dreams-of-homemade.html
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-pack-rafting-life-vest/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-about-diy-pfds/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/you-take-the-high-road-and-ill-take-the-low/
PS: I have the Fiord Explorer pack raft from Alpacka, what they call their ‘Moose Boat’, because you can pack a whole moose carcass in it. You need to consider just how much you might carry before you purchase or make your first/next pack raft.
Happy
Paddling!
03/01.2017: ‘It is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil’: I’m sure you would not expect that quote from me an old avowed atheist, but one should always garner truth and wisdom from the past, not just throw it all away as so much old junk. Our Judaeo-Christian tradition has many such important lessons which it would be folly to forget. The pleasure to be found in physical work ought not be missed by anyone. It pains me how many folk are bored and indolent, whereas we never find a minute where we share that feeling. All our moments are busy ones. This is probably my favourite Bible quote. If you are my7 age you may remember it better as being the words of a ‘Peter, Paul & Mary’ song! Read it in full, maybe even paste it on your wall. It is full of wonderful truths: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13:
3:1 ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
3:2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3:3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
3:4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
3:5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
3:7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
3:8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
3:9 What gain have the workers from their toil?
3:10 I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with.
3:11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;
3:13 moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.’
02/01.2017: Thomas Sowell: ‘The Anointed Ones. In their haste to be wiser and nobler than others, the anointed have misconceived two basic issues. They seem to assume: 1) that they have more knowledge than the average member of the benighted, and 2) that this is the relevant comparison. The real comparison, however, is not between the knowledge possessed by the average member of the educated elite versus the average member of the general public, but rather the total direct knowledge brought to bear through social processes (the competition of the marketplace, social sorting, etc.), involving millions of people, versus the secondhand knowledge of generalities possessed by a smaller elite group. The vision of the anointed is one in which ills as poverty, irresponsible sex, and crime derive primarily from ‘society,’ rather than from individual choices and behavior. To believe in personal responsibility would be to destroy the whole special role of the anointed, whose vision casts them in the role of rescuers of people treated unfairly by ‘society.’’
02/01.2017:
Make Your Own Tarp or Hammock: Tier Gear
DIY Guides: Aussie Outfitter Tier Gear has an absolutely wonderful page of
instructables here: http://www.tiergear.com.au/28/diy-guides
which show in profound detail how to eg make your own superb hammock &/or
hammock tarp - amongst other things. You can also buy all the materials from
them. They deliver incredibly fast Australia-wide from their home in
If you don’t feel up to making your own gear (yet) you can order the same item from them already craftsman manufactured right here in Oz! And at a good price. For example, the Torrent 3.3 tarp shown in the photo is currently A$160. It is obviously a wonderful tarp which you could use instead of a tent (with a groundsheet) or as a hammock tarp. Its specs are as follows:
Ridgeline length: 335cm
Width: 280cm
Distance
between bottom corners: 165cm
Panel pulls: None
Weight (in the stuff sack without cords or pegs):
Xenon Sil 1.1 (1500mmHH): 334grams (basic)
You might go on to make the same item later in .5 oz/yd2 perhaps in olive drab or camo. Available eg here: http://www.zpacks.com/materials/waterproof-fabric.shtml ) at about half the weight. Also check out their great range of interesting gear, eg suspension systems & etc For example: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/online-shop/hammock-suspension-and-hardware
02/01.2017:
Simply beautiful: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/it-was-obviously-an-assault-glitter-gun/news-story/b4026fa211450f17f00be87fca888c87
02/01.2017: We are urged to fear ‘global warming’. ‘Global cooling’ is far, far worse: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/12/26/ice-age-survival-threading-the-genetic-and-behavioral-bottleneck/
01/01.2017:
Hammock Camping - Double Bunking:
This is an 8’ x 8’ (2.4 x 2.4 metres) cuben tarp to which we sewed two 4’6” x 8’ (1.35 x 2.4 metres) ‘wings’ so we could close it off as a tarp shelter like this:
It weighs 200 grams. Joe Valesko at zpacks made it for me. You can see what it looked like before we sewed the ‘wings on it here; http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/tarps.shtml. I/we have slept in it many nights. Here I was using a space blanket as a ground sheet. This works well. At this point I had not made my bed. It can also be erected as a hammock tarp like this:
Of course it can be tied/pegged out much tauter than this. I am not expecting to be camping on the verandah (though that is where many ideas are first tried out – as I’m sure you have already noticed!)
As you can see it will provide you with plenty of shelter from rain, and you can peg the downwind side up high enough that you can have a fire slightly to one side and enjoy the fire whilst relaxing on the hammock out of the wind and rain.
Della is reclining on a Nano 7 hammock here (https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/nano-7-hammock) which (with the caribiners removed and with dyneema ropes attached) weighs 187.5 grams. I would just throw one of our Thermarest Neoair Womens mats (340 grams) in it and a Montbell Ultralight Super Spiral #3 down sleeping bag (600 grams) for a perfect night’s sleep (Total: 1327.5 grams). Perhaps you would like to compare that weight to your current tent, sleeping bag and mattress combo! My arrangement is also much more comfortable, safer and drier.
We already know we can sleep in two Nano 7s pitched one above the other. You have to pitch the tarp slightly higher (4’6” instead of 4’). You have to boost the top person in, and then the bottom person (me) is closer to the ground than I would like (so far as getting in/out easily is concerned), but it works!
Now to check out whether we can both sleep head to toe in a double hammock. Side by side definitely doesn’t work! Here’s Della:
And here’s me at the other end:
As you can see, Spot figures there is plenty of room for him too – and he’s comfy! This is a Trek Light Gear Double Hammock (https://www.treklightgear.com/double-hammock.html). We were playing around with mattresses here. Della is lying on a ¾ length Neoair. I am on a Neoair Womens. We are using the new Klymit Ultralight pillows (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-ultralight-pillow/ ) and the Airbeams (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/air-beam-pad/ ) from our packs (both of which we would be carrying anyway) for side insulation on the side where our sleeping bags will be compressed. It is comfy enough.
Hummingbird Hammocks (https://hummingbirdhammocks.com/shop/single/) have a double hammock which weighs 10.2 ounces (289 grams), and a single+ one which weighs 7. 6 ounces (210 grams) which could also be used for two. I should also mention their ultralight single here which weighs 5.2 ounces (146 grams) – even lower than the Nano 7! I need to try their products out!
I think a single wider (possibly longer) mattress would work better. The Klymit Ultralight I ordered from Massdrop is on its way. It is 23” wide. I am also eying some Exped mats which look really good.
So, what is our strategy here. What are we about doing? There are places we go where we may not need a shelter at all (because there are huts a day apart (Fiordland for example). However, you would be a damned fool to have no shelter as you can be very dead (as I have seen) if you don’t make it to a hut in torrential rain, for example. You must have a roof (see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/) There, and other places it might be good to have the option to sleep on the ground, or if the ground is too wet/rough etc, to sleep in the trees.
We are looking at what is the minimum we can jointly take so we can do this. We are pretty close here to the solution. We will be looking into some wider pads which might better suit two people in a double hammock such as Big Agnes Q-core slx, and Exped Synmat UL7 MW & etc.
If you have a (wife or) youngster at home you want to start on camping/hiking/hunting, a double hammock plus tarp shelter such as I have explained here will mean s/he has to carry very little and will be safe in the tree with you - away from nasties such as spiders and snakes!
PS: I don’t know whether you noticed the eye bolts in the verandah posts to which I have attached two lengths of chain and some caribiners so I can quickly swing a hammock on the verandah if one of us wants to have a lazy day (Della actually went to sleep in the Nano 7 whilst I was off cleaning out a sheep trough!) I recommend this arrangement for your consideration.
PPS: If you are considering just a single hammock configuration you might want to know how light you can go with a tarp. This guy has been making cat curve tarps for ages: http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/maccat_tarps.php His Mac Cat Standard is obviously all you would need. In 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon it weighs 270 grams (and costs US$105) which means it would weigh above 104 grams in cuben (let’s say less than 120). For comparison Joe Valesko makes an asym one which weighs 136 grams. Add a hammock at 146 = 266, plus 30 grams dyneema suspension , some pegs and some guylines for the tarp. You are still looking at a hammock/tent at less than 350 grams!
My first homemade hammock and hammock tarp were both fashioned from some green 2.2oz/yd2 nylon ripstop from Spotlight (you can see what it looked like in the 'poncho shelter' link below). We simply cut the required length for the hammock (leaving the full width of the fabric 5' - 150 cm), folded it over and double hemmed it at the ends (to take the rope). The selvage was enough for the sides. For the tarp we used a 7' x 7' (210 x 210 cm) square flat felled at the join and hemmed all round, to which we sewed grossgrain tie-outs at the corners and halfway along the sides. This arrangement worked fine for years and in all kinds of weathers hunting sambar deer in the Victorian mountains. Indeed I have been bone dry under this minimalist tarp when a couple of fellow hunters were soaked to the skin inside a tent pitched under a tarp not ten yards away! I am talking a tarp of 49 square feet here - and some of that area is almos6t certainly superfluous! In cuben 49 ft2 would weigh 2.7 ox or78 grams! Now you see what my 300 gram 'limit' is about!
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/all-in-one-hammock-tent-poncho-backpack-at-1-2-kg/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/laybag/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammocks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sleeping-pad-reinvented-big-agnes-q-core-slx/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-insulated-static-v-lite-sleeping-pad/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/modifyingshortening-hiking-mats/
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