Pat and I traveled  early in the morning of January 8, 2011, to Fairlee, Vermont on snowy roads. We chatted in the warm car cocoon, primed with a good feeling about the weekend’s activities awaiting us. Turns out it was a wonderful weekend, as Pat tells you here.

The long blades with rounded fronts on Nordic Ice Skates make gliding over uneven ice easy and the simple binding system turns nordic boots into an ice blade. (Barbara Thomke photo)

First on the agenda was Nordic Skating.  Nordic what?  You heard it right – a kind of long distance skating on natural ice. This nifty sport started in Sweden in the old days and has found its advocates in Europe, Canada and now New England. Jamie Hess is the ringleader in Vermont and owns a shop in Norwich called, appropriately, Nordic Skater. We met him at the Lake Morey Resort that is beautifully situated on the water’s edge. He explained about the 17″ steel blades that give you stability on the ice, the widely curved tips that lift you up and over uneven ice surfaces (unlike conventional figure skates or hockey skates that grab in these conditions), and the warm, supportive cross-country ski boots. Nordic Skating, otherwise  known as “Wild Skating” or “Tour Skating” lets you explore places you normally see only by boat in the summer.

As Jamie talked, Pat and I sat lacing a pair of Nordic ski boots to our feet. Then we stepped outside to a bench on the lake and locked our boots into the bindings on the blades.  Soooo easy!

We stood up . . . shakily. . . and grinned at each other. We struggled to find our balance. It was too long since we had skated! With baby steps we reached the cleared track on the lake. Then bit by bit we developed a skating rhythm that is similar to cross-country skate-skiing. It felt soooo good!

The wind whipped sharply into our faces so we opted for the 2.5 mile trail rather than the 4.5 mile one that circles the entire lake. The Lake Morey Resort together with the Upper Valley Trails Alliance and the Hulbert Outdoor Center maintain the skating trail with various special equipment and the trail is the longest one in the United States! As it smoothed out we opened up our pace and glided along.

After 15 minutes of practice on Nordic Skates, you, too, could be swishing confidently around Lake Morey on the 4.5 mile trail. (Pat Lyon-Surrey photo).

Back on the bench in front of the Resort we clicked out of the blades and headed towards the Inn, passing a couple of smaller rinks where kids were playing ice hockey and a broom ball session was just forming. Guests staying overnight at the Inn receive complimentary use of skates for up to three hours daily. Anyone may stop by to rent nordic skates, hockey and figure skates at the Skate Shack. You can check ice conditions on the Lake Morey Resort website.

Room with a view! We could see people enjoying the ice from our comfy room at the Lake Morey Resort. (Barbara Thomke photo)

Although it was still forenoon we checked into our spacious and handsomely decorated room at the Inn overlooking the lake. Small figures dotted the nordic skating trail while the hills around the lake stood solidly, white. The scene reminded Pat and me of The Mountain Top Inn near Rutland, VT, another lovely inn with a similar view where we had enjoyed swimming, kayaking and horseback riding during the summer. You can read about our adventures here.

The Mountain Top Inn also offers cross-country skiing, though  the Lake Morey Inn is the place to go for Nordic Skating. Other locations for nordic skating could be the lake nearest you, a frozen river, in Quebec or on the canals in Ottawa, Canada. Many are the destination options, and I can see how easily you can become addicted to this fun new sport!

When it's raining, set up a tarp first, then pitch your tent underneath it to keep the tent interior dry. (Tim Jones photo)

The monsoon has set in again this year. New England and the whole Northeast seem in danger of becoming a rainforest.

Let’s just assume, for the sake of argument, that it’s going to continue. It rained often last summer and the summer before that. If you plan an overnight hike,  it’s safe to assume it’s going to rain at least part of the time.

You could decide not to go—which wouldn’t be any fun at all. Or, you could pretend it isn’t going to rain, get totally soaked and live with it—which also doesn’t sound like much fun.

Believe it or not, some rain can actually add to the pleasure of camping. There’s something absolutely decadent about snuggling down in a dry sleeping bag in a watertight shelter listening to rain falling

Here are a couple of tricks for enjoying camping in the rain.

Pack Right:

When the tent body is up but the rainfly isn't, the inside of your tent can get wet in a hurry . . . pitching it under a tarp keeps things drier.(Tim Jones photo)

Just as you dress in layers to stay comfortable in bad weather, you have to pack in layers to keep dry. Any one layer of protection can fail, so double or even triple up.

Pack anything you absolutely need to keep dry—sleeping bag, clothing, food, GPS, in the dry bags originally designed for canoeing. There are lots of good ones on the market; I like the siliconized Cordura Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks from Sea to Summit. Never had one fail.

Even though it’s probably made of waterproof material, your backpack isn’t waterproof. It has too many seams and openings. So if you want all the contents to stay dry, use a pack rain cover, a waterproof pack liner, or better yet, both are absolutely necessary. I’ve used pack covers  from REI and they worked great, but newer siliconized nylon pack covers from Sea to Summit are lighter and more compact when they aren’t deployed to cover your pack.

Heavy duty trash bags make pretty good pack liners—but water always seems to find its way into that big top opening, so I’ve switched to a huge Sea to Summit Ultra-sil pack liner with a roll-down top that seals completely. It keeps everything dry no matter what. Get one that completely fills the main pocket of your pack.

It doesn’t matter if everything in your packs stays dry only to get wet when you take it out. So here’s the real trick to setting up a dry camp even in a downpour:

On the outside of your pack, somewhere easily accessible carry a large lightweight tarp and lots of nylon cord. I use an excellent  27 oz. S2 8.5×10.5 foot ripstop WXTex tarp from Pacific Outdoors.  Bigger is better. This tarp is heavier (and probably more durable)  than the new siliconized nylon versions, but it’s served me well and I probably won’t replace it with a lighter version until it fails a decade or two from now.

When I get to my campsite, I  lean my pack against a a tree (so the pack cover still protects it, and grab the tarp. I then choose the spot to set my tent and hang the tarp directly over it, trying to pitch it so the water runs off to the downhill side.  With enough cord, it’s almost always possible . . .

A freestanding tent can then be set wherever you want it, leaving the tarp set up for a dry cooking space. With the fly on, the tent interior stays dry. (Tim Jones photo)

Then,  I carry my pack under the shelter of the tarp before I open it and the packliner in it. I set up my tent and rainfly under the tarp, so the tent’s interior stays dry. Some tents can be pitched so the fly goes up first, then you add the tent body—nifty trick if you have someplace to keep the tent body dry while you pitch the rain fly for added protection if the wind blows rain under the tarp.

In the morning, do everything in reverse order, taking down the tarp only after your still-dry tent and contents are safely stowed. Using this system you can keep your gear dry even through an extended rain. The wet tarp  and wet tent fly add weight, of course, but it’s lighter than a pack full of rain-soaked gear.

HARD-TOP OPTIONS

Shelters like this one are common along the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, and throughout the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains. Perfect for a rainy night. (Tim Jones photo)

This kind of weather makes hard-top camping a real option. Throughout the hills of New England you can find cabins, lean-tos huts and yurts, all of which allow you to camp out without having to worry (much) about the rain. You do still have to worry about mosquitoes . . .

The Appalachian Mountain Club, has a system of high huts in the White Mountains, e are perfect options for an overnight, whether it’s raining or not. If you’ve never been backpacking, this is a great way to start since you don’t have to worry about shelter or food. Their cabins such as High Cabin on Cardigan Mountain in New Hampshire and Goose Pond Camp in Mass., are another option.

There’s also a new system of 12 hike-to huts being developed by Maine Huts. Two have been completed.

The lean-tos and shelters along the Appalachian Trail in CT, MA and NH and Vermont’s Long Trail are often crowded in the summer, though that may not be the case when it seems to rain constantly. Mid-week is an especially wonderful time to go and explore.

The Randolph Mountain Club has four shelters: Gray Knob, Crag Camp, The Log Cabin and The Perch, with bunks available on a first-come, first-served basis

The White Mountain National Forest (www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/camping) has lean-to shelters in some backcountry campsites and several hike-to cabins, some of which can be reserved. Download their “On Foot” brochure for an (almost) complete listing.

Merck Forest & Farmland Center (www.merckforest.org) in Rupert, VT has several cabins that look like they’d be perfect for a rainy-night getaway.

There are several Yurts for rent at Tenney Mountain in Plymouth NH, (www.whitemountainexploration.com/yurts.html), and another one at Maple Wind Farm (www.maplewindfarm.com) in Huntington Vermont.

If you know of any other hard-top shelters open to the general public that I’ve missed, please drop me an email.

If you want to rail your turns, your boots have to be able to tell your skis what to do...fast! (Mount Sunapee photo)

Boots are the single most important piece of the skiing puzzle.  With the wrong boots or the wrong size boots, even the best ski won’t turn. With the right boots, any ski works fairly well and the best skis sing.

Choosing boots is a nightmare: myriad options, meaningless descriptions, flashy colors and advertising, no chance to try before you buy, and some very high prices; it’s easy to end up walking out of the store with the wrong boots–and that means your lift ticket money is going down the drain.

Here are some tips from our own explorations into choosing boots:

1. Start from what you know

If you’ve already got boots, take them with you to the store and do a direct comparison.  You already know what you like and don’t like about your old boots, so put one on one foot and a new boot on the other.  Buckle both down,  then  compare.  How does the flex feel?  Does your heel move? Does the new boot do the things you like about your old boots as well or better…and not do the things you didn’t like?  Make sure your new boots hold your foot tight.

Always take your own ski socks; a quality sock from Darn Tough, Smartwool, or Thor-Lo, for instance, will last longer and fit better than a cheapie, and will help your boots continue to fit right. If you use the same socks consistently, your boots will always fit right.

A top-quality sock provides the right connection between you and your boot...and your performance improves. (Darn Tough photo)

2.  Know yourself

Bode Miller’s favorite downhill boot may look hot, but if you’re a freeskier,  they’ll make you miserable.  A stiff plug boot is great if you like to race on steep, icy downhills, but  excruciatingly painful for recreational skiing. Know your own skiing style, and then read the manufacturer’s literature for clues as to what THEY think is the best boot for that style, then start with those.  Don’t let advertising overcome common sense.

3.  Mine’s stiffer than yours…or not?

Manufacturers like to put numbers on their boots…and guess what?  They are only comparisons to other boots in that line, not  rating on an absolute scale.  105 in one brand could be 90 in another.  So, that number is just a general guide. Plus, it only relates to forward flex, not lateral stiffness.  So, worry less about the number and more about how the boots feel on you.

Step on a scale (sorry!).  If you weigh 240, you need a stiffer boot than if you weigh 140 and vice versa.  Hint: most people choose boots that are way too stiff.  Stiff boots are a holdover from racing on straight skis.  And boots are stiffer when it’s cold, so if the boot feels stiff in the store, it’ll be too stiff on the slopes.  Shaped skis need lateral stiffness; you don’t need to pressure the tips to get them to turn. With shaped skis you  want your boot to work with the ski, not against it.  Be honest with yourself.  Most people don’t hammer steep ice that much, so don’t buy a stiff boot for the 5% of the time that you do it; choose something that works with the skiing you typically enjoy.

4.  Three things matter: Fit, Fit, And FIT!!!

I’ve been on a quest for better boots and will detail that in another story. But the single most important lesson is that fit trumps everything else.  Any boot that fits you perfectly will outperform the “best” boot on the market that doesn’t fit, period.

The right boot fits VERY snugly around your entire foot and ankle without buckling the boot.  Unless you are pushing hard, you can ski surprisingly well with your boots unbuckled–if they fit correctly.

Use a THIN sock, like the ones in the links above.  A boot that fits correctly with a thin sock won’t have to be buckled down as hard to control the ski, which means more blood flowing to your toes, which means you’re warmer with a thin sock and a snug boot than you are with a larger boot and a thick socks.  Counterintuitive, but true.  And you’ll ski better, as a thin sock won’t allow your foot to move around in the boot.

5.  Fit by shell size, then by feel.

At least 75% of the skiers on any hill are in boots that are anywhere from a half size to two sizes too large for them. That’s because a boot that actually fits feels much too small in the store.  And your feet shrink when it’s cold…like on the slopes.  Think small.

If the shell’s too big, you’ve lost before you start.  Shells can be expanded to allow for your foot shape, but they can’t be made smaller.  When you’re about to try on a boot, first pull out the liner, put your insole back into the shell and put your foot inside.  With your toes firmly touching the front of the shell, you should be able to slide a pencil (about 3/8-inch) down between your heel and the back of shell–and not much more.  If there’s room for 2 pencils (3/4-inch) down there, try the next shell size smaller.  If that one is too small for the pencil test, move on to another brand!

6.  Try a moldable or foamed liner

The “best” boot with a standard liner can’t fit you as well as a  boot with a liner that is molded to YOUR foot and ankle.  You simply can’t imagine (until you try it) how much this will improve your skiing.  Better to buy a “lesser” boot with a formable liner than a “better” boot with a conventional one.

7.  Work with a boot fitter

The best boot and even the best liner on the planet can’t make up fully for little variations in your body.  If one leg is 1/8 inch longer than the other, it will affect your skiing.  If you pronate or supinate 1/2 degree, it’ll change how quickly your edges engage when you initiate a turn.  That’s where a bootfitter comes in. Ideally, choose your bootfitter before you go boot shopping; let him/her recommend brands and models that are likely to fit you best.

Years ago, I was lucky enough to ski with World Cup racer Harald Harb when he was rolling out his new instruction system.  He skied behind me, then stopped me and put a 1 degree wedge under my right boot and a 1/2 degree under my left boot…and changed my skiing forever.  I then went to Paul Richelson of Feet First, one of the top bootfitters in America, and he fitted me with custom insoles and liners.  Wow.  Black diamonds started to feel like blue squares instantaneously!  Seriously, having your skis  flat and perfectly aligned makes good technique easy, and that’s done by the boot, not by the ski or binding.  If you already have your boots, there’s still one more step you can take, and that’s a stance alignment; it can take your new high-tech boots and your skiing to entirely different levels!

If you follow the steps above, I can’t guarantee that you’ll find the perfect boot the first time…but you will come a lot closer to it than if you just go into a store, look at the  blingy boots and pick one because it looks cool.  Happy skiing!

A Sven Saw and a Gerber Camp Axe make short work of the chore of gathering firewood where there are dead branches and downed trees. Photo by David Shedd

Most roadside campgrounds generate a thriving cottage industry with locals selling little bundles of firewood to campers. That’s good for the local economy. You also have to be careful about transporting firewood these days, when invasive and highly damaging species like the Asian longhorn beetle can get a free ride

But for campsites  more than a mile from the road and hauling in firewood makes absolutely no sense, especially  when you are camped in a forest where there are dead and downed branches and trees around. Don’t ever cut living trees for firewood. First, it’s illegal unless you are on private land and have permission. Second, green wood doesn’t burn well or give off much heat if it does burn.

Turning dead trees  and limbs into firewood takes some manual labor and tools. With the right saws and axes, we can cut, split, and stack a fairly serious pile of wood in short order and have a ball doing it. Over the years, we’ve tested about every variety of woodcutting implement and have settled on what we think is the best.

To cut wood up to the diameter of your fist (which is plenty large enough for campfire use) we use a folding Sven Saw, the original model with the 21” blade  folds to 24″ x 1 3/4″ x 5/8″  with the frame acting as a sheath for the blade, and weighs less than a pound. If you need to save a few ounces you can try the 15” model. A sharp Sven saw feels good in the hand and cuts wood amazingly well. Just make sure to get the blade resharpened professionally, or replace it every couple of years,

To split our campfire wood and pound in our support stakes for fire building (to learn how to build a campfire go here), we’ve settled on the Sport Axe from Gerber. At 22 oz. with sheath, this little axe features a razor-sharp Fiskars steel head and a virtually-unbreakable 14” nylon handle. It’s simply perfect—infinitely stronger, lighter, sharper, better than any hardware-store hatchet.  They also make smaller and larger versions if your needs are different, and one version comes with a pretty good saw hidden in the hollow handle.

Whether it's your 1st outing or your 500th, Autumn in the northeast is a wonderful time for backpacking. Photo by Rich Weir

Late September and October are the best time of year for backpacking: Warm days, nights cool enough to make a campfire and a warm sleeping bag welcome, few bugs around to bug you . . . And with kids in school and many adults out of vacation days, campsites that are popular on weekends can seem like ghost towns on weekdays.

Walking with a backpack beneath a canopy of bright leaves on a carpet of color can be a magical experience. Sure, the weather is trending cooler but most folks don’t need to carry the weight and bulk of winter clothes and sleeping bag–yet. Fall camping is as good as it gets.

My sweetheart Marilyn and I recently reconnected with our friend Rich, who suggested a camping adventure. I think it’s every outdoor guy’s dream to find a woman who will share his passions, and Rich is no exception. His girlfriend, Suzanne, did a lot of car camping as a kid,. She and Rich had done some camping together (“car camping in a state park which felt like an apartment building without walls–loud families and barking dogs surrounding ‘our’ 500 square feet of dirt with a fire pit.”) But she’d never actually put on a pack and deliberately walked away from the so-called “comforts” of civilization.

A sunny fall day is the perfect time to hit the trail . . . photo by Rich Weir

We researched options, including private campgrounds, state parks, and roadside campsites on the White Mountains National Forest. But they all had the same problem—people.

So I suggested a backpack trek to one of my secret getaway spots. Rich and  Marilyn jumped at the idea; Suzanne was not so eager. She appeared to have two major concerns: being cold or uncomfortable sleeping on the ground and, uh, bathroom facilities . . . Outhouses were definitely out.

We solved the first problem with my Sherpa zero-degree Down sleeping bag—overkill, perhaps, for a 35-degree night, but it took away any worries about being cold. Beneath it, we put a thick Therm-A-Rest mattress. I certainly have lighter backpacking mattresses, but none cushier. Rich was wiling to carry the extra weight in my BIG old Mountainsmith backpack for her comfort.

For the bathroom issue, we made her a hygiene kit with toilet paper, baby wipes, hand sanitizer and a plastic trowel. That, plus Marilyn’s assurances that she’d been nervous at first, too, and now found it “no big deal” helped Suzanne mentally leap that hurdle.

Since this wasn’t a long expedition, we could afford a leisurely morning of packing and lunch at one of our favorite diners. We hit the trail a little after noon and were at the campsite with several hours of daylight left to set up tents, gather firewood (this site has a long-established firepit), and hike to the spring for water and to a nearby overlook to sip wine and admire the view.

Rich and Suzanne discover the pleasures of cool weather backpacking.

The evening we enjoyed classic campfire cooking and conversation before retiring to the welcome embrace of our sleeping bags. Suzanne must have liked hers—I didn’t hear any complaints about being cold, and she and Rich weren’t in any hurry to wake up at sunrise to watch what I call “The Fog Show” rolling through the valley from the overlook while sipping morning tea.

Eventually, they got up in time to see the last of the fog show, eat breakfast, pack up camp and head for home. Suzanne enjoyed the adventure: “I discovered that I would gladly trade not having bathrooms or running water for the solitude and beauty of the woods. Going for just one night was a great introduction to ‘real camping.’”.

It was, I think, about as perfect an introduction to backpacking as anyone could hope for. So, are you going backpacking this fall? Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!

GOOD MORNING

If there’s any  drawback to fall camping, it’s the shorter days. With miles to travel, you simply can’t lounge the day away. If you are headed out, check when the sun is going to set and make your plans accordingly. Besides, shorter days mean longer evenings for relaxing, watching the campfire or the stars

HUNTING SEASON SAFETY

Hunting seasons are either open or opening throughout the northeast. No big deal, nothing to worry about, and certainly no excuse for not getting out and enjoying the outdoors.

Statistically, you are safer out in the woods in hunting season than you were in your car driving to get there. But for absolute safety, wear a blaze orange hat or vest and tie something brightly colored to your pack. Making yourself extra visible in hunting season is just common sense—like driving with headlights on in the rain.

A daypack big enough to carry all of your other essentials in an important part of hiking safely. (Tim Jones photo)

Take these with you every time you go hiking:

#1 The Right Attitude: The first essential is desire to get up off your butt and out into the real world.  You have to want to feel rocks and earth under your bootsoles instead of pavement, hear the sounds of wind in the trees and bird calls instead of the tunes on your iPod, to see a widescreen view of miles real countryside, not views measured in inches on a TV screen. The right attitude also includes understanding that the sun isn’t always going to shine, the rain isn’t always going to hold off, and that the trail is sometimes going to be rough, slippery, steep and hard to follow.

#2 Common Sense: This is the single most important thing you can pack along on a hike. Common sense tells you, for example, to let someone else know where you are going and when you intend to return. It tells you to slow down when the trail is wet and slippery;  not to try a 20-mile loop on wilderness trails when you’ve only done short dayhikes before; not to head out onto that exposed ridgeline when there’s thunder rumbling in the distance. If you take along only two things on your hikes, the right attitude and a dose of common sense are what you want.

#3 Appropriate footwear: Hikers travel on their feet. Duh. If your feet hurt, or you are slipping with every step, you aren’t going to enjoy hiking. You want your footwear to provide adequate support and protection for whatever hike you are doing and still be as light, flexible and comfortable as possible. There’s helpful information in our treatise  on  choosing boots wisely.

#4 Appropriate clothing. Hiking clothing needs to keep you comfortable not only in the conditions you start in, but anything you might encounter while you’re out. In summer, that means a wicking base layer, long sleeved shirt and zip-off-leg pants for protection from sun and insects, a light fleece top, raingear top and bottom, and a hat. No cotton clothing allowed.

#5 A Good Backpack (that fits you . . .). Makes it a pleasure to carry all the other essentials. Personally, I’d rather put less in a slightly bigger pack than try to cram everything into one that’s too small.

#6 Water and Food. A little more of both than you think you need, in case you are out longer than you plan. Water is more important than food—if you get dehydrated, your common-sense generator stops working. If you need more water than you can carry, carry a filter or water purification tablets. For more tips on staying hydrated see our story here .

#7 Map and Compass and the know-how to use them: In thick woods and on mountainsides, none of the three is as useful alone as it is with the other two. The place to practice is in your back yard, not when you’re turned around on the trail.

#8 Tools. I usually carry a lock-blade Swiss Army Knife from Wenger or Victorinox. Other folks like the versatility of a multi-tool like the Leatherman or one of the many others on the market. Personal preference. Read Edward Abbey’s classic book “Desert Solitaire” to see what a knife can do for you.

#9 First Aid and the know-how to use it: You don’t need to able to do brain surgery, but you should be able to pad a blister, bind up a sprained ankle, clean an abrasion and close a cut. The ingredients of a basic kit are listed below.

#10 Emergency Kit and the know-how to use it. Don’t leave home without it! Again, the essentials are listed below.

#11 Sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent. If you don’t think these are essential, you’re fooling yourself.

With these 11 items, you’re prepared to go out on the trail, have fun, and be safe. What more could you ask?

Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!

FIRST AID ESSENTIALS

Mine fit neatly in a small zippered pouch, weighs about 8 oz.

___ Prescription meds

___ Pain pills (ibuprofen)

___ Anti-diarrheal

___ Blister coverings (moleskin or blister pads)

___ Bandaids, butterfly closures, superglue

___ Tape

___ Sterile Compresses

___ Sterile wipes and Neosporin

___ needle and tweezers

___ dental filling repair kit

___ small Ace bandage

EMERGENCT KIT ESSENTIALS

Mine is carried in a bright orange (harder to lose) 4” x 4” x 8” zippered nylon case which can ride on my belt.

___ knife and sharpener (not the one you always carry in your pocket)

___Matches in waterproof matchsafe, butane lighter, flint-and steel

___ Firestarters (two kinds) in film canisters

___ Spare compass

___ LED flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries

___ Whistle

___ 55 gal. Contractor trash bags (2) for emergency shelter

___ 15 feet Heavy-duty waterproof tape

____30 feet nylon parachute cord

___ Large twist ties (12)

___ Large safety pins (4)

___ Needle and thread

The Original 10

First outlined, as near as I can tell, by a Seattle-based group called the Mountaineers in the 1930s. Still a good list. You’ll notice everything in it is in “Tim’s 11 Essentials” and that none of the lists include a cell phone or GPS . . .

Map, Compass, Flashlight/headlamp, Extra food, Extra clothing, Sunglasses, First-aid supplies, Pocket knife, Matches, Fire starter.

A comfortable pair of hiking boots can be your companions for a long, long time and take you to many beautiful places

If you aren’t wearing out the soles of at least one pair of hard-core outdoor boots a year, you are spending far too much time at work or in front of the TV and not enough time outdoors.

The most versatile footwear you can own is a comfortable pair of lightweight hiking boots. They’ll take you on a trail hike, over a mountain, or through the brush to a hidden stream, with a backpack or without, and even handle a city sidewalk, if that’s where you are forced to walk.

Unfortunately there’s no such thing as one perfect boot for all situations, but there are boots that will handle most situations. Your quest is for comfort and versatility. That way, you won’t have sore feet as an excuse.

Fit is the single most important criteria. Everyone’s feet are different, and every make and model of boot is slightly different. Buying boots via mail order or e-commerce is tricky. You might get lucky with fit, more likely you won’t. You’re better off at a good local sport shop with sales staff that knows what they are doing.

Before you head to the shop, consider how and where you will use your boots. Smooth trails dictate a whole different set of criteria than if you intend haul a 70 lb. pack up and down mountains. Be realistic. You may dream of scaling Everest, but is that where you hike?

In the store, most hiking boots look alike. Height and padding are obvious, But much of what you see is cosmetic. For quality of the material and construction you have to read the literature and trust the manufacturer and retailer.

Here are some basic criteria:

At the end of a long day, you won't need to be in a hurry to trade your hiking boots for those comfy camp slippers

Height: A boot that just covers the ankle gives plenty of support, even with a heavy pack. Higher boots do a better job of keeping out snow, mud and dirt, but low boots are lighter, easier to put on and take off.

Weight: Lighter is generally better. Extra support, cushioning and durability means extra weight. Get what you need, no more.

Flexibility/Support: A tradeoff. More flexibility means more comfort, less support. You can get a good idea of how comfortable a boot will be to walk in by simply taking it in both hands and bending the toe up toward the top of the boot. The more easily it flexes, the more natural the boot will feel. With a heavy pack, however, a more rigid sole adds support.

Stability: A good gauge of lateral stability is to grasp toe and heel and twist. The more resistance you feel, the more protection you have against twisting your ankle on uneven terrain. Also squeeze boot side to side just above the heel That’s the heel counter. More rigidity there helps to keep your foot stable.

Waterproofing: Waterproof hiking boots are not always necessary or desirable. If it’s cold and wet, waterproof/breathable is a good investment. But if you hike in the summer, waterproof boots are less breathable and, sometimes, less comfortable.

Price: A good pair of boots can last a long time and become like old friends. I’ve got a pair  that are 15 years old and on their third set of soles. They may have to bury me in them. My advice is simple, if the fit is right and the other criteria match, don’t even think about price.

Good boots are like a magic carpet. They can take you almost anywhere you want to go, and keep you comfortable while you travel. Don’t scrimp on money or time when you go to buy them. You might be lucky and find a friend for life.

STEP BY STEP; HOW TO BUY BOOTS THAT FIT

Step 1: Before you try on boots, take a long walk. Feet swell and change shape with activity.

Step 2: Take your socks with you. With today’s socks, I find one pair of mid-weight socks do a better job than the old liner-sock/outer sock combination. NEVER wear cotton athletic socks inside hiking boots. Cotton absorbs water like a sponge and holds it. As the cotton becomes soaked, it compress and wrinkles, causing blisters and misery.

Step 3: If boots feel “right” when you put them on, they are very likely too small for you. Have your heel-to-toe length (one foot will almost always be longer than the other), width, and arch length (to the ball of your foot) measured on a Brannock device.

Step 4: Before you lace up, push your toes forward until they just touch the front of the boot. You should have about 1/2 inch of space behind your heel. If you have a high arch, you may want more space, flat feet can get away with a bit less. You need that space to keep from jamming your toes into the front of the boot while walking downhill.

Step 5: Tap your heel back into the heel cup. and lace the boot tight. The widest part of your foot should match the widest part of the boot. Pay particular attention to your baby toe. Unless you enjoy pain, find a pair with toe room.

Step 6: Walk up and down stairs or, better yet, on an inclined ramp. You want your heel held firmly. If your heel slips, you WILL get blisters. Heel fit problems are tough to correct, so if one boot doesn’t hold your heel firmly, try another model.

Step 7: Once you’ve gotten the right general fit, you can tweak it to perfection with different footbeds (thicker or thinner, firmer or more cushioned, if you have really tough feet you might want to consider custom orthotics) and different socks.

HAPPY FEET

One way to keep your feet happy while hiking is to carry spare socks and change them every few hours. Some people swear by foot powders, but dry, fresh socks are even better.

Camping before the leaves come out is has its advantages. Sunny campsites, no bugs, no tourists!

Is this the year you start camping seriously? When you head for the great outdoors every chance you get?

There’s extra incentive for camping in these tight economic times. Other than sponging off friends or relatives, there’s no cheaper way to enjoy time away from home,  than to camp out in a tent.

I can hear some of you saying “Whoa! What planet is this guy living on?!? Has he seen what camping gear costs?” Yes, some top-quality equipment can be absurdly expensive—and worth every penny. But it doesn’t have to be. More on this in a bit. . .

I get a kick out of the folks who drive a house-on-wheels-with-an-engine, to a paved parking spot with electric hookups and call it “camping.” Ditto for a trailer with all the amenities of home. There’s nothing wrong with it (if you can afford it), but if it has a TV and running water, it isn’t camping.

When I talk about camping, I’m not even really including pop-up trailers or the big tents for car-camping. Again, there’s nothing wrong with it, except the fact that it ties you to developed campsites you can reach with a vehicle.

Camping, to me, means spending at least some of your time as far away from the sight and sound of other people and civilization as you can get. I want to be comfortable when I go camping, but I also want my camping gear to be portable. Sure it fits easily in the back of the Subaru wagon, but I can also carry everything I need for  comfort in my BOB trailer behind a solo or tandem bicycle, in a canoe or kayak, or on my own back in a backpack. Portable camping gear can really take you places.

Need another reason to get away from the roads? Many backwoods campsites are free. Most roadside camping spots aren’t.

Cool temps, no bugs amke early spring camping a pleasure.

There’s a wonderful stretch of camping weather coming up for the next month or so until the weather warms and the annoying hordes of blackflies and tourists come out. It’s really the perfect time of the year to sharpen your camping skills with some easy overnights (why settle for just one?), so you’re ready for the long summer and fall ahead.

If you are an experienced camper, it’s just a matter of getting the gear out, checking everything over and making a warm-up overnight Do it now, in April or early May, so you are really ready to jump in once the more traditional summer camping season begins.

If you are new to camping, the best place to begin is your own back yard or at a roadside camping area. There’s a learning curve in camping—very few people ever make it through their first few experiences without a story or two to laugh about later. You want to start someplace where it’s easy to retreat to  afe, warm and comfortable if (when) something goes wrong.

If you don’t have a backyard that’s big enough and private enough for camping, start, literally, in your living room, learning to set up and break down your gear, pack and unpack it efficiently. Practice starting your stove and preparing a meal, before hunger demands it.

Watch the weather and choose a dry spell for your first outing—rain makes camping more interesting and challenging unless you know what you are doing. But do it now. So you’re ready to get out  a lot when the summer comes. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!

THE BARE NECESSITIES

When the nights are still chilly, a campfire and a snug tent with a warm sleeping bag make for a perfect evening.

Human beings aren’t much different from other animals. We need water, food and shelter. Those are the essentials

When you think of it that way, a cheap tarp to keep the rain off, extra clothing and a warm blanket, some food you can eat without cooking, and a recycled bottle to carry water are all you really need.

I’ve camped that way in the past, and it’s how I got hooked on the sport. But I have to say, I prefer more comfort. I get to test a lot of gear, and if you’d like to know what I actually use, drop me a line.

For shelter, I like a lightweight, waterproof two-layer nylon tent with netting for ventilation and to keep the bugs out. I put a ground cloth (a piece of cheap plastic tarp) underneath the floor to minimize wear and tear.

Sleeping comfortably takes both a pad beneath you and a sleeping bag around you. Mummy style sleeping bags give you more warmth for less weight and bulk.

I believe warm food and morning tea are essentials for camping comfort. You can’t—or at least shouldn’t–always build a campfire, so a small backpacking stove is mandatory equipment.

And, unless you are content with car camping, you need a backpack, bike packs, canoe or kayak big enough to carry everything.

Of course there’s a lot more stuff you probably will eventually want to have. But these are the essentials to get you started and, hopefully, hooked on camping.

BORROW, RENT,  BUY WISELY

Now we get to the nitty-gritty. Price. It can cost a couple of thousand dollars to outfit yourself with a top quality tent, sleeping bag and pack, plus more for any accessories.

Or, you can do it all for next to nothing. Ask around, chances are someone you know has gear you can borrow to get you started.

If you want good quality to start, but aren’t sure you want to buy, consider renting. EMS (www.ems.com) , REI  (www.rei.com) and a host of local stores rent good equipment and will often apply the rental fee to later purchases.

Finally, look around for used gear. Lots of people upgrade their equipment and their old gear is gathering dust. Use the classified ads if you want to buy gear or have gear to sell.

Remember, the more you camp, the less your gear costs you per night out.

Some options for safe drinking water: (from left) A reusable water bottle, hydration pack with water bladder and drinking hose, a water bladder, water bottle with built-in filter, and a pump filtration system (Tim Jones photo).

“Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.”

When Coleridge wrote this usually-misquoted line in his The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in 1798, he was talking about a ship adrift on the sea. But he might as well have been have been speaking to active outdoors people afield here in New England.

Clean drinking water is an absolute necessity when you’re active outdoors. Unfortunately,  places where you can just drink the water are a rarity.

Water-borne baddies like Giardia and Crytosporidium and various bacteria including E-coli hadn’t even been discovered in 1798. People just drank water. Those with healthy immune systems stayed healthy, others got sick and sometimes died. Today we not only have a greater understanding of how you can get sick from drinking unclean water, we also have better means than ever of dealing with the threat.

Once you wander away from the water tap, you have two strategies for supplying clean water for drinking, cooking and clean-up: Pack it in, or treat a local source.

The main problem with bringing what you need is that water is very heavy — 8.3 pounds a gallon. And you can and should drink a lot when you’re outdoors.

A filter bottle lets you drink safely from most wilderness streams (Marilyn Donnelly photo)

Staying fully hydrated helps prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Drinking lots of water is the first item on any list of how to stay cool in the heat of summer. It may even help prevent accidents. I don’t have any hard evidence to support this, but I also believe that dehydration can lead to fuzzy thinking. I’ve often wondered how many outdoor incidents — hikers getting lost or hurt, bikers taking falls, happened because the hiker or biker was dehydrated and not thinking clearly.

In colder weather, dehydration can be deadly. Cold air dehydrates you quickly. and dehydration makes it difficult for your body to stay warm. Try taking a drink of water the next time you find yourself shivering. That’s often all you need to warm up.

Packing your own water is the primary strategy for most one-day adventures and even overnight camping with uncertain water sources. Many springs and small brooks simply dry up during prime camping season in the late summer and fall.

How much water do you need? I’ll commonly carry two liters on a short hike, four liters for a full day and six to eight liters for an overnight. Four liters is just under a gallon so the weight adds up quickly. Eight liters of water weighs more than my tent, sleeping bag, pads, stove and cook kit for a summer overnight. I find the new hydration systems which use a lightweight bladder and a drinking tube much more efficient and convenient than water bottles.

If there are reliable springs, streams and ponds on your route, carrying lots of water it isn’t necessary. On longer hikes, hauling all the water you need isn’t an option. Lightweight filtration systems, available at any camping shop, easily clean enough water for personal use. Some will deliver enough clean water for a small group. Just be sure to replace the filter units as often as the manufacturer recommends. A clogged filter can prevent any water getting through and leave you very thirsty .

Water options

Packing water used to be much harder when the only available vessels were glass bottles, metal canteens, and rubber water bags. Today, we have a host of options.

A lot of outdoor folks use the plastic bottles that you buy water in at the supermarket. These are lightweight, cheap, and available everywhere. However, there have been some questions raised about the safety of re-using them. And some idiots apparently think that, because they are disposable, they can be thrown away along the trail.

Reusable bottles are sturdier, easier to keep clean, and have tops that don’t get lost. The wide-mouth bottles from Nalgene are pretty much the gold standard.

Hydration systems come as a hydration pack or as a bladder-and-drinking-tube combo that can ride in a standard pack. Check out Platypus), Hydrapak, Camelbak, Mountainsmith and Nalgene for examples. The bladders alone or in a cloth protective sleeve make great storage containers for the trail.

Several companies make filtration systems for outdoor use. Filters are generally quicker and more convenient for purifying water than chemical treatments, which often take a long time to work and taste bad.

McNett makes a filter straw called the Frontier, which lets you sip directly from an untreated water source. It is described by the company as an emergency filter.

I frequently carry a Katadyn water bottle with a built-in filter system as a backup on day hikes. I can drink from it or use it to re-fill a water bladder. For overnight or longer trips, I use their Hiker pump filter, which handles a lot of water fast.

First Need also makes portable water purifiers.

This seacoast rider is out enjoying the sunshine on a bike that fits her and lets her pedal efficiently.

The snowbanks have melted back from the pavement across most of New England, in spots the snow is gone altogether, afternoons are getting warm and gas prices are heading up. It’s time to start pedaling again.

Like most of us, you probably learned to ride when you were a kid . . . or did you? There’s more to biking than balancing on two wheels and making the bike go forward. There’s pedaling, then there’s pedaling efficiently.

Pedaling efficiently lets you travel farther and faster with less effort and have more fun biking. The better you can bike, the more you’ll enjoy riding, the more places you’ll go by bike, reducing your carbon footprint and getting yourself in better shape. You and the world both win.

Start with a bike that fits you. Any local bike shop can help with this, and some are better than others. I had my Trek Mountain bike fitted to me at S&W Sports in Concord, New Hampshire, where I bought it. It took less than an hour and about $75 worth of parts to turn an uncomfortable ride into a comfortable one. Well worth it.

If you are really serious, there are bike fitting specialists out there who can tweak your ride to perfection.  Brian McCall, who fits my ski boots for me at Richelson’s Feet First in Plymouth, NH  (603-536-3338; www.myfeetfirst.com) also does high-level bike fitting.

But for recreational riders, the single most important dimension on a bike for efficient pedaling is the easiest to adjust: seat height. Most casual bikers pedal with the seat too low, which not only is inefficient, it also leaves you open to knee-stress injuries. Here’s the fix: adjust your seat so your leg is fully extended with your heel slightly down (about a half inch below level) at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You naturally pedal slightly toe-down, which prevents over-extending your knee.

This one change alone will make a huge difference Just make sure you aren’t rocking your hips side to side to reach the bottom pedal. They should remain perfectly level.

This poor rider is struggling along with a seat that’s too low on a bike that’s too small. Either one can interfere with your pedaling enjoyment.

Once your seat is adjusted, you need to learn to pedal more efficiently. Just pushing down on the forward pedal works, is inefficient. You want to apply force over more of the pedal stroke. Not even Lance Armstrong applies optimum force throughout the full arc of pedal movement—but most casual riders can easily improve.

First, attach your foot to the pedals with clips or cages. This lets you  apply force at three additional points of the pedal stroke: pull back at the bottom, lift up through the back of the stroke, and push forward in a strong transition over the top. This dramatically increases your pedaling efficiency.

The easiest way to learn this is to pedal with just one leg on flat ground. Focus on learning to pull back and lift up, and you’ll make huge gains. Pushing forward over the top and then down are more natural.”

When you again use both legs, you will find it easier to simultaneously pull back on the bottom pedal as you push forward on the top, and to lift the back leg as you push down with the forward. That’s pedaling in a perfect circle and it’s the most efficient way to propel your bike.

Pedal efficienttly and riding a bike will seem easy. You’ll go farther and faster on the flats, climb hills with less effort. Who knows, maybe you’ll find biking is your transportation of choice this summer. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out on your bike and enjoy!

THAT SHIFTY CADENCE

These two cyclists were out enjoying the cool spring weather along the Cape Cod Canal. Having a bike that fits and knowing how to pedal it will get you biking more.

Have you ever watched bikers pedaling up a steep hill? Some will keep pedaling just as fast and easily as they did on the flat—nothing changes except forward speed.

Other bikers will obviously strain, pedaling slower, pushing harder. They often end up walking up the hill, pushing the bike. Some of what you are seeing is conditioning. But some is inefficient use of the bike’s gears.

Learn to maintain a steady pedaling cadence. Ninety complete pedal strokes per minute is about right for most people, that’s three complete pedal rotations in the time it takes to count “one thousand one, one thousand two.”

Shifting properly  is key to maintaining cadence. Start on a flat in an easy-to-pedal gear. Practice moving up and down through the gears at different speeds until shifting becomes second nature. Then take to the hills and try to anticipate changes so you shift up or down to comfortably maintain your pedaling cadence.

If you find your cadence slowing, shift to an easier gear. Pushing harder on the pedals  to go uphill is like climbing stairs two at a time—you are lifting weight farther with each step, putting more strain on your knees.

If you feel like you are  chasing your pedals, going too slow, working too hard for nothing, shift to a harder gear.

Just right and you can pedal far and fast. The rapid, brief muscle contractions in a higher pedaling cadence actually help your heart push the blood through your body.

Even in the right gear for the slope, hills are a challenge. It’s natural to want to slow your cadence as you grind up a long or steep hill. Instead, find the gear that keeps you moving forward while spinning your pedals almost as fast as you did on the flats.

SPRING CAUTIONS

Roads are not at their best at this time of year, so you have to be more aware as you bike. Remember, you probably haven’t been biking regularly, so you tire quicker and are more inclined to focus on your out-of-shape, aching legs, lungs than on the road ahead.

It’s even worse if you’ve been zoning out on a stationary bike or trainer all winter—you’ve been conditioning yourself to NOT pay attention.

As you ride, watch carefully ahead for pavement cracks, potholes, and debris on the road. Yes, you have to do that any time you ride a bike, but in spring, you may need to force yourself to pay sharper attention.

Oh, and wear a helmet. It’s the right thing to do every time you get on a bike,