Category Archives: Ramblings

Decorative GPS Track

I saw something like this in a Camino Facebook group and thought it would be fun to try for the 4 Rivers. It was way more work than expected. If anyone wants their own, download the SVG base file below [editable in the open source Inkscape] with layers in place. You can switch out your own GPS tracks [the hardest part] and edit the text, graphics, print and frame it for your office, den, whatever. It makes a nice conversation piece to go along with your certificates and what not.

Download Zip: 4R-S2B

Zip file includes editable SVG file, and all individual elements including fonts except Garamond which I used for the smallest type . Feel free to use your own.

You’ll need to install open source Inkscape unless you already have Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. The hardest part is bringing the GPS track into Inkscape. Here are the instructions for that:

  1. Download and install open source QGIS;
  2. Create a New Project;
  3. Add Vector Layer;
  4. Choose your GPX or KLM file and select tracks only on the import dialogue;
  5. Export to Adobe PDF;
  6. Import that PDF into a new layer in Inkscape, hiding or deleting the old layer;
  7. Add styling to the imported GIS Track and resize proportionally by holding down the control key while dragging a corner.

Free Canadian Topographic Maps

Canada’s topographic maps are now available for download, free of charge, from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). Since April 1, 2007 high resolution scans of many different cartographical datasets can be found at Geogratis, the distribution portal operated by NRCan. Of particular interest to outdoor recreation enthusiasts will be the 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 topographic series.

Unfortunately, the Canadian Hydrographic Service’s (CHS) nautical charts are not yet available. Though not as detailed as the CHS charts from a maritime perspective, the Geogratis topo maps should still be quite adequate for most of the kayaking routes described in BC Car-Free. Use charts from the main branch of the Vancouver public library to add in critical details like tidal rapids, campable beaches and so on.

Since the Geogratis portal is not particularly easy to navigate follow a direct link here. If you already know the index number of the map you want it’s just a matter of digging down until you reach the map or maps you are after.

Topo maps are available in both TIF and PDF format.The former are good for annotating and printing in high resolution while the latter can be imported directly to your device.

So for example to find the trailhead for the Mid-Coast Trail you will need map 92 E/10. Navigate first of all to folder “92”. From there choose folder “E” and then move on to the appropriate downloadable zip file: canmatrix2_092e10_tif.zip. These can be rather large, often on the order of 30 MB or more.

Detail showing the trailhead of the Mid-Coast Trail.

Frequently a route will skirt the edges of several such maps. The Mid-Coast Trail is a case in point, requiring both 1:50,000 sheets 92 E/8 and 92 E/10. Using editing software these can be ganged up with extraneous details cropped out. Annotations like planned route, known hazards, water sources, safety information and so on can be added, then the whole thing can be printed tabloid-sized [11×17] for ease of use in the field.

Another option is to add a wider view in the 1:250,000 topographic series on the reverse to give a greater sense of the lay of the land.

Whenever resizing any of these maps be sure to copy and paste in an image of the scale at the same resolution so that this can be accurately resized along with the rest of the map. Also include the magnetic declination if available.

Lowe-Tek

You’re all fleeced up in Patagonia. You’ve donned Gore-Tex gaiters and those low top Hi-Tec’s. Hoist up that high tech Lowe pack and, damn, you look good. You look the part. But do you look your very best?

What about personal grooming for the rugged outdoors man or woman? Uncommonly tough males may want to limber up each morning with a vigorous rub down using a cedar bark sponge soaked in octopus broth. That should get the old blood moving. Or so thought coastal native groups who used this very treatment on young sons to ensure they grew up dauntless. Those who practice no trace camping may even be tempted to drink the bath water.

And what about for the ladies? Stand aside Oil of Olay: native herbalism offers more support than a cosmetics counter. Want soft, supple skin while out in the elements? Simple. Concoct a skin cream out of deer belly fat and cottonwood resin. Melt the two ingredients together and pour into a hollow bull kelp bulb. Once it sets, peel away the kelp and smear it on: Voila! Eternal youth.

A similar mixture of deer fat and hemlock resin makes for a quick and dandy sun screen. Who needs pink zinc anyhow? Since those prehistoric-looking horsetails contain silica they make for a perfectly ecofriendly manicure. Native women on Vancouver Island are said to have added a little salmon slime for lubrication to buff fingernails to a gleaming lustre.

To keep dandruff, mites and other pests at bay, boil a little cow parsnip with chokecherry, red willow branches (and eye of newt if you have it.) This traditional scalp rinsing solution is even said to prevent grey hair.

When that little visitor arrives on the trail finely pounded red cedar bark, tree lichen and sphagnum moss can all be used for feminine protection.

And for fresh backcountry breath try chewing on the rhizomes or roots of the common licorice fern. Or, in its place, the resin of hemlock trees is reputed to make a fine chewing gum. Like Trident, it has no added sugar.

Labrador Tea <<->> Buntzen Lake Introduction

Blisters & Footcare

By Steve Grover

Boots have to fit well. When buying new boots try on several brands, looking for a fit that is comfortable and appropriate for the type of hiking intended. Feel inside for thick seams or irregularities that will rub against your foot. If boots are too loose or too tight they will cause problems as your foot moves or swells during the hike. Boots should be big enough to accommodate an insole and two pairs of socks. A steep uphill grade will cause heel movement in the boot while a downhill grade will cause pressure on the toes. Both actions can cause blisters. The latter can splinter toenails, cut them short before the trip.

Good hiking boots will have a locking cleat by the ankle to allow for tight lacing in one part of the boot and flexibility in the other. For uphills the upper part should be tight. The toe end of bootlaces should be tight to prevent slippage on downgrades. New boots have to be broken in before you start a big trip. Wear them about town for progressively longer periods each day until they feel comfortable for the whole day. Starting a major hike with brand new boots could ruin not only your trip, but that of your companions.

Sock It To ‘Em

Socks should be clean and dry. Sand or debris in socks will rub against the foot causing blisters. Wet socks make skin soft and prone to blisters. Hikers should wear a clean pair of socks every day on the trail. That means either bringing enough to last on long trips or washing and drying socks every few days. Inner socks should be ultra-thin and made of polypropolene, a fabric which wicks moisture away from the feet. Outer socks should be moderately thick and be made of wool which insulates even when wet.

At the end of a day’s hiking it is a good idea to don a pair of light camp shoes to give feet a rest and boots a chance to dry out. Sandals are nice but may not be the best backup choice if boots become unwearable. Hiking out in sandals or flip-flops could expose your feet to many hazards in especially rough terrain.

Blisters can be prevented by protecting tender spots or pressure points with Dr. Scholl’s Moleskin, slippery adhesive tape or adhesive foam padding. Application of tincture of benzoin (Friar’s Balsam) to the skin will ensure that adhesive protection will not work loose even under wet conditions. Loose or bunched up coverings can add to problems.

When a hot spot or blister has already formed, Friar’s Balsam or adhesive protection should not come into direct contact with the damaged skin. Rather the blister should be allowed to poke through a “doughnut” cut in moleskin to alleviate pressure. Once enough layers are built up, the doughnut hole should be covered with adhesive or a final layer of moleskin for protection.

Prevention The Key

Water blisters, once formed, should not be drained as they will then be open sores susceptible to infection. If blisters break the area must be kept clean and the sterile dressing covering the wound must be changed daily.

Once a blister forms, treatment and protection of the dressing becomes more complicated. Prevention should always be the goal.

Bear Attack <<->> Blog

Tongue Twisters

Place names of First Nations extraction are common enough hereabouts that localities like Tsawwassen, Nanaimo, Sechelt and Squamish immediately leap to mind. The skunk, raccoon and moose all owe their handles to the original inhabitants of eastern North America.

On the west coast of British Columbia sockeye and chinook, delicious smoked, baked or broiled, swam into the lexicon from Chinook Jargon. Sockeye or suka meant literally: the fish of fishes. Chum salmon — originally pronounced tzum samum — came from the Sne Nay Muxw language. Salal also arrived via the lingua franca called Chinook Jargon. Bushwacker’s bane might have been a more appropriate name. The geoduck, meaning “neck-attached,” is not a gooey duck. Gooey yes but the etymology is strictly Chinook Jargon. Neither is that camp robber, the whisky-jack, a souse after a hard day of pilfering peanuts. From the original Cree, wiskatjan got the misappellation through a case of mispronunciation, Whisky John, with the diminutive being misapplied.

Chinook Jargon, incidentally, was a trading language that developed to facilitate communication among the diverse original inhabitants of western Canada and later, those who showed up to barter blankets, bullets and booze. Chinook Jargon was a pidgin comprised mainly of the Chinook language of Oregon, the Nuu-cha-nulth language of Vancouver Island’s west coast and French and English. Apart from being a fish name and that of both a language and a pidgin, chinook has the added meaning of a warm winter wind.

Rogue Waves

Backpackers following the intertidal shelf should be aware of something known as “rogue waves”. Unless seismic in origin, waves are usually created by the transference of energy from wind to water. Three factors, wind speed, duration and fetch or the distance which a wind can blow, unimpeded, contribute to wave size. The energy moves wave-like through the water, displacing that water but not in fact transporting it. In other words the energy moves but the water doesn’t.

Long wave-trains, waves marching in succession, can travel over great distances across the water. At any given time the waves from several wave-trains from disparate origins may come crashing on any particular beach. Rogue waves occur when the crests of individual waves from different wave-trains momentarily coincide. In short rogue waves occur when two or more waves displace the same water at the same time. When two wave crests come together they create a bigger than average wave. When a crest and trough coincide the result is a smaller than average wave.

Rogue waves occur when the crests of individual waves from different wave-trains momentarily coincide. Hokusai’s famous woodblock print Kanagawa-oki Nami Ura, pictured here, is actually not a tsunami as is commonly thought but rather a rogue wave or okinami.

Statistically the coincidence of two waves doubling up is thought to occur as frequently as one in 23 normal-sized waves. Certainly often enough to warrant caution whenever mucking about at the very edge of rocky shelves. When walking along the edge of metre high surf the margin of safety will rapidly disappear whenever a two metre wave hits the beach. Backpacker and knapsack may very well disappear as well if three crests overlap. Fortunately triple-sized waves are predicted to occur only once out of 1, 175 while four crests meeting simultaneously is as rare as one in three hundred thousand.

A further dynamic, not fully understood yet, occurs when coinciding waves are further pumped up by ocean currents. Though not a frequent occurrence off the B.C. coast, waves on steroids have been measured as high as a 10-story building from crest to trough. Coinciding troughs are known to create momentary liquid black holes from which an unlucky freighter or tanker would be unlikely to reappear. Every year a handful of cargo ships vanish from the oceans of the earth. At least a few of these are thought to have fallen prey to rogue waves.

Rafting in Whistler <<->> Salal

Bear Attack

You are far more likely to be maimed or killed in an auto accident while driving to the trailhead than from the charge of a marauding bear while recreating. The fear of bear attack far outstrips the reality. Such attacks are rare and the causes of most attacks, when they happen, are often preventable. In a typical year we can expect between 3 – 5 attacks. In the 15 years from 1985 to 2000 there were just 10 deaths attributed to bears in British Columbia. Annually in excess of 200 people die on BC roads. That’s more than 3000 fatalities for the same time period. Incidentally, statistics show those using public transportation have a greatly reduced risk of traffic accident.

Bears Live Here, Not You: Show a little respect.

Since bears are more than happy to avoid contact with humans, accidental confrontations should be a primary concern. On the trail staying alert, scrutinizing the trail that lays ahead of you and travelling in a group of four or more will usually be enough to avoid stumbling upon a bear. With the wind at your back most bears should be forewarned of your approach, giving them ample time to vanish into the forest. A head wind on the other hand will eliminate a bear’s most important sense. A particularly blustery wind could also hamper a bear’s ability to hear your approach. That leaves sight, touch and taste and bears are the original Mr. Magoo. Under these conditions or when fresh bear sign is evident assist the bear by making noise.

Metallic noise is not found in nature and is thought by some to be the best. Gabbing and guffawing among your companions runs a close second. Liven up the chatter with a few bear mauling anecdotes. That ought to add a shrill, excited edge to the conversation. Keep the group together by placing the slowest person in the lead. Even just stumbling through the bush, a group of four or five makes appreciably more noise than groups of one or two strung out all along the trail. Be extra alert also when hiking early in the morning or late in the afternoon when most creatures are more active. Huckleberry or salal berry patches too are a great place to break out the noise makers.

Everyone knows that a sow with cubs could spell trouble particularly if the she-bear perceives a threat to her offspring. A bear guarding a kill or a scavenged bag of bones can also be a particularly lethal situation. If you ever see the carcass of an animal do not stop to investigate. Clear out immediately or you too could be dead meat.

No Trace Camping

No Trace Camping is not just an aesthetic, it is a safety measure. Food should be hung where no bear can reach it. Your camp cooking area and utensils must be kept spotless and refrain from slipping a few granola bars under your pillow for a midnight snack or the snack might be on you.

Upon meeting a bear never turn and run. The eyes of bears, like those of most predators, are cued in to movement. Run and so will the bear, right after you. Talk to the bear in calm, reassuring tones while backing away from the situation. A bear may rear up on its hind legs, not as a prelude to attack but, to sniff the air and get a better sense of what kind of oddballs confront it.

Even if the bear decides to charge stay cool. Chances are the bear is bluffing, such behaviour is common in bear society. Keep backing away and keep up to chatter. If it is a grizzly confronting you, back towards a stout, climbable tree as these bears are not good climbers. By remaining calm you may avoid making one of two very unsavoury choices: fighting or playing dead.

In the event of a full-blown attack which option you choose will depend on the kind of bear is involved. If a black bear attacks that obviously has cubs or a meat cache then the bear may be satisfied if it can eliminate the threat. In such a situation playing dead is preferable to fighting back as the latter will only serve to antagonize the bear. If the black bear is obviously old or injured or otherwise motivated by hunger then fight for your life as this bear views you as a food source.

Grizzly bears are simply too big and powerful to fight off and they know it. If climbing a tree is out of the question, play dead. Keep your backpack on and lay face down on the ground, spread-eagled, hands clasped behind your neck for additional protection. Brace your legs to avoid being flipped over but if flipped, roll with the momentum and try to land face down again to protect vulnerable parts such as abdomen and throat. If the bear manages to move you onto your side assume the fetal position, hands still clasped behind the neck with elbows and knees protecting chest and belly. Otherwise do not move until well after the bear has decamped, then clear out in the opposite direction.

Ding-a-ling

Wearing bear bells in the backcountry may be a good idea but in those areas frequented by hikers, bears may come to associate the sound with food. Particularly in areas frequented by those overlooking the commandments of no-trace camping, a standard-issue ding-a-ling may come to be regarded as a dinner bell. Try a bell with a tone different from those purchased from outdoor stores.

An increasingly common practice among bearanoid rookies is to squirt a defensive circle of pepper spray around their tent. Field research, however, has shown that far from being a deterrent, such a practice can actually draw bears to the site. In some cases bears have been seen rolling on the pepper-scented ground like a catnip-crazed feline.

The Tree to Sea Loop <<->> Blisters & Footcare

Preventing Hypothermia

If you’ve ever been so cold that your teeth started chattering and your body began to shiver uncontrollably then you’ve experienced mild hypothermia. Most of us have been there, particularly when we were kids for indeed children are particularly prone to this potentially deadly condition.

Simply put, hypothermia occurs when heat loss from the body outstrips heat production. Even during mild weather hypothermia can occur for outside temperature is just one of a number of factors which contribute to the onset of the condition.

A tired cyclist cruising through the countryside on a fine spring day could be a potential hypothermia victim. If tired, the cyclist’s energy reserves are already waning. Being, in all likelihood, sweat-soaked, the cyclist’s garments will be sucking heat away from the body at a rate 240 times faster than at the start of the day when presumably the cyclist was dry. Even on a windless day the speed of the cyclist creates its own wind multiplying the rate of heat loss exponentially. Exertion is also contributing to the cyclist’s quandary by causing dehydration through sweating and breathing.

Dumb is Dumber

All of these factors working in concert, dehydration and fatigue; outside temperature and dampness could spell disaster. The cyclist’s inexperience more than anything else could prove deadly. Ignorance is the number one cause of this number one recreational killer. Armed with knowledge the cyclist can take simple precautions and avoid hypothermia in even its mildest form.

A savvy cyclist will dress in layers, shedding them as body temperature rises, donning them again as it drops. The inside layer will be a thin synthetic such as polypropylene that whisks moisture away from the body. Intermediate, insulative layers will be loose-fitting and made of fleece or wool. A breathable shell made of Gore-Tex will complete the package, acting as a barrier to rain, fog or condensation but at the same time allowing sweat in the form of water vapor to escape. Gloves, possibly in layers, and an insulating helmet liner complete the ensemble of a well-prepared cyclist.

Knowledge will further tell the cyclist that both water and energy will require regular replenishing and by habit the cyclist will frequently consume high-energy foods such as granola bars, trail mix and the like. Such foods contain sugars which provide immediate energy, carbohydrates which release their energy over a moderate period of time and oils and proteins which take the longest to be processed into usable energy by the body. That energy propels the bicycle forward, keeping the cyclist warm at the same time.

The informed cyclist will also recognize that chills and shivering are the earliest signs of hypothermia’s onset. The cyclist will know that decision-making will soon become confused and coordination impaired if the condition is allowed to progress. Immediately the cyclist will switch from recreational mode to a survival-bent one, seeking ways to stabilize net heat loss from the body core.

Stumbles, Fumbles, Mumbles and Grumbles

If hypothermia progresses our cyclist must rely on companions to correctly assess the situation. The inexperienced may fail to notice the violent shivering, slurred speech, clumsiness, even irrationality that indicate their buddy is already suffering from moderate hypothermia. If they fail to intervene and the body core temperature of the victim continues to drop then unconsciousness, coma and finally death, all consequences of late-stage hypothermia, can be expected.

Treatment protocols of moderate to advanced hypothermia are complex and ever-changing. In the normal course of things, when adequate preparation and prevention measures are strictly adhered to, no one should ever get beyond the initial symptoms. Accidents do happen, however and a kayak spill in the west coast surf or a slip into an icy creek while hiking could be just the kind of event to precipitate the rapid onslaught of life-threatening hypothermia. The Wet Coast of British Columbia is aptly nicknamed because the conditions which prevail on Canada’s west coast are ideal for hypothermia. Anyone, even casual recreationists, who venture into the wilderness should consider taking a wilderness first-aid course which includes training in hypothermia prevention and treatment.

Slipstream Wilderness First Aid offers regular, certified training at many levels of proficiency geared specifically for outdoor recreational settings. Contact them as follows:

Slipstream Wilderness First Aid

120 Maddock Avenue East

Victoria, BC V9A 1E2

Canada

1-800-760-3188; (250) 388-0633

Visit Slipstream; info@wildernessfirstaid.ca

Petgill Lake <<->> Privacy Policy

Water and Beaver Fever

All the guide books tell you to boil, filter and chemically treat all water and I will too just to cover my butt in the event of liability issues. I always disregard this good advice, drinking directly from the stream, and thus far have never been sick. If you choose to enjoy the taste of unadulterated stream water too then you did so of your own volition. If the water made you sick then it’s your fault and not the fault of this book or the bear which crapped upstream.

Whatever your choice is get your water from clear running brooks not from lakes or ponds. Water from snow pack is better than water from glaciers. The latter contains too much clay. Carry lots of water, at least 40 litres, whenever kayaking as good water can be surprisingly hard to find on the wet coast of Canada. A green algae bloom in tide pools or wet patches trickling across a beach does not mean something horrible died in the water. It just means the water is brackish. Freshwater will be found up the slope.

Giardia cysts can exist under the most pristine, wilderness conditions. Clear running water is not a sure sign that it is drinkable.
Illustration by Manami Kimura

If your source of water is at a popular camping spot then go upstream away from the camp to get your drinking water. Take great pains to clean yourself and your dishes or clothing well away from the bank of any water body or the water will become polluted. Leftover food does not belong in the water. If fires are allowed and it is safe to do so, burn it. Try to avoid using soaps or detergents but when you must only use the biodegradable kind available from outdoor stores.

Fevered Beavers

Beavers have gotten a bad rap, taking most of the blame for spreading a disease that can just as easily be passed into the water system by deer, muskrats, raccoons, coyotes and squirrels. Indeed any mammal including domestic pets, livestock and humans are guilty of carrying the protozoan parasite into the backcountry.

Giardia lambia, as the microbe is called, enters the environment in hardy cyst form where it can survive for weeks at a time. Giardia cysts can exist under the most pristine, wilderness conditions. Clear running water is not a sure sign that it is drinkable. Ingestation of a single cyst is enough to cause infection in humans. The hard, capsule-like shell dissolves, releasing the infectious form of the parasite which multiplies exponentially.

Full-blown giardiasis may take from 5 to 25 days to manifest itself though symptoms typically appear within 10 days. The giardia protozoa latch themselves on to the intestinal tract, severely impairing the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and water. Food and water pass straight through the digestive system instead, appearing as the principal symptom of giardiasis, diarrhea. Infection usually lasts for around two weeks and is usually treated with antibiotics though some individuals may never show symptoms at all and others recover without treatment. Giardiasis has been known to persist for months on end in those with weakened immune systems.

The best treatment of course is prevention and prevention typically means water purification. The surest method of water treatment is boiling. Five minutes at a steady boil will destroy every living organism in the water. Additional time is needed at higher elevations. Boiled water can be bland and dull tasting. Shaking oxygen back into it will help improve the taste.

Expensive, heavy filters are available which claim to strain out giardia lambia. Studies have shown however that not all filters are effective. In order to effectively purify water the filter porousness must be no bigger than 0.2 microns. Such fine filters are hard to pump but produce great tasting water. Chlorine-based water treatments are not effective against giardia cysts. Iodine treatments fare better but studies have shown that a typical 20 minute treatment is not enough to eliminate all cysts. Eight hours is the minimum required for effective iodine treatment. Iodized water tastes horrible however and in rare cases may cause thyroid problems.

Wanderung Hiking Club <<->> Wave Length Paddeling Magazine

Wood Ticks

Coastal British Columbia has no poisonous snakes, deadly spiders or scorpions and plants like poison ivy or poison oak are rare. We do however have ticks. These blood-sucking arachnids are a carrier of a multitude of deadly diseases including Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever and Lyme’s Disease.

At the end of each day pause for a moment to check your body, particularly the hairy bits, for any unusual protrusions. Get a buddy to survey your back. Ticks may vary from pin head size to the size of a huckleberry when engorged with blood.

These blood-sucking arachnids are a carrier of a multitude of deadly diseases including Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever and Lyme’s Disease.
Illustration by Manami Kimura

Spring and early summer see the greatest numbers of ticks but their presence is certainly not limited to this time of year.

The best way to remove a tick is with a pair of inexpensive tick pliers. Outdoor stores carry them. Tweezers will work as well. Do not squeeze the body of the tick, you will only inject more deadly microbes into the wound. Cradle the tick lightly at the neck, below the body and pry up gently, levering against your skin. Doing so may take some time but the tick finds this mild pressure unpleasant and will eventually unclench its mouth parts. Save the tick in a film container for medical analysis upon returning to civilization.

Not all ticks carry contagion but the severity of associated diseases make precaution worthwhile. The same kind of preventative measures that work against mosquitoes will also limit your exposure to tick bites. Insect repellent and long pants and sleeves will all help keep the critters away.

Wild Rose <<->> About the Author: Brian Grover