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Good example here: 40 lumens is on the low side nowadays, but still a lot better than the incandescent lamps I once used. Worth noting that the human eye will barely notice a doubling or halving of brightness. So a 40 lumen light vs say 100 lumens (e.g. $10 Yalumi brand on Amazon) is...

Not heavy enough to make any difference. Reliability is something of a concern (not very predictable), but when you can get three of them for the price, you can just carry an extra one and stop worrying. The pricier ones generally are slightly better in most or all of the attributes you want...

Ditto to everything TCD said. Two at all times, three or more if I'm planning to be out at night. Different lights for different tasks, too: extra throw if I expect to be route-finding or looking for technical anchors, extra-soft glow for easy wooded terrain or for map-reading. There have...

Yeah, reattaching straps sounds like the sort of thing you can do yourself some night when you're stuck indoors. Keep the stitches even so the strain is spread evenly. If the fabric of the pack is torn (not just the thread coming loose), put in a patch between the strap and the pack.

Where's the smelter? I don't see a major gas line near Patten, and I suspect building a coal-fired smelter wouldn't be popular even if they could bring in enough coal cheaply, so will they ship out raw ore? BAR rail line isn't too far away, are they planning to build a spur line?

I think you've found the cliff marked at 1258' on most topo maps. Should be an even quicker stroll from the southeastern end of Mittenwaldstrasse. I once looked around for the exact summit of Thorn Hill, starting near your trailhead, but didn't see any flagging at that time. There's another...

Ive got two sets of boots. Theyre both single leather boots, but one pair is soft and light and about a size too big. Theyre really comfy for hiking and I can go crazy with extra socks on cold days. Theyll hold strap on crampons, but when i'm planning to climb vertical ice I put on my other...

Use it as a light windbreaker. It's far more breathable, so on cool days you can leave it on while exercising moderately. It should be sized so that you can easily throw a down jacket (or a hard shell) on top of it when you stop or when the weather gets severe. I use my softshell stuff...

Wait, what? In New England?? First I've ever heard of their existence... Can you PM me with a few examples / photos?

Acadia is on the list. It's quite a jump, up to $70 per car and $30 per person during the five-month "peak season". Here's some more detail...

No way is the Cog going to deliver its customers to the Auto Road. The article says the new trail is along the existing right-of-way, so it must follow the Cog. The Cog itself is a bit less than three miles. If they're serious about this, they're going to want to put in some kind of...

How about a test of benadryl vs cortisone?

Cool, that's a slower change than I anticipated. Columbus Day weekend I was in the northern presis, and the foliage was nearly peak to the north of the range (with the birches in the ravines still bright yellow and the maples below almost uniformly orange). Some very photogenic early color...

When hiking, and especially backpacking, the batteries I carry will usually be either rechargeable lithium (high charge density, less waste) or old-fashioned alkaline (cheap and available at any store). Both have failed me in temps in the single digits Fahrenheit - especially when it comes to...

I agree with, and won't repeat, most of the responses given upthread, but I would like to emphasize that bears' noses are not magic. Most likely, the bear simply didn't know you were there. That huffing noise you heard is probably the bear clearing its sinuses to get a better sniff after it...

A... what? Those exist? If anyone needs me, I'll be in my dandelion patch for a while.

The device linked by BHSF *is* a spare battery, conveniently combined with a USB socket (and associated circuitry) so you can use it to charge a mobile phone (or similar devices that can charge via USB, perhaps including a GPS receiver). It won't help with things like your headlamp (short of...

And snow shoes. Got to be a big part of the reason she was so late getting up Madison.

Correct. We know she checked the forecast on Thursday or Friday (I forget), and it was accurate. While her initial planned itinerary would have had her outpacing the storm, we don't know to what extent she considered that important while making her plan.

On Mt Mansfield, the Subway trail has multiple tunnel sections - some long, some narrow. Going around these would no longer be hiking but rather "alpine climbing", with some exposure (not that it matters; falling even a few feet onto blocky talus like that will ruin your whole day), and it's...