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Hurricane Irene (Aug 2011) damaged road bridges (on both main roads and back country) and washed out a number of trail sections requiring rerouting. It took several years to repair some of the damage. There was also extensive damage in other nearby states. There are a number of threads on the...

Thanks to Pat and Audrey for hosting yet another enjoyable evening. Doug

The 121.5 MHz frequency is a partially discontinued emergency frequency, however some continue to monitor it or have equipment that can monitor it. It and the 406 MHz (PLB to Satellite) frequency can both be used to home in on the transmitter. Under good conditions, this drift is included in...

The 100 meter accuracy for a PLB is a limitation of the data transmission protocol, not the internal GPS. (The internal GPS probably has the typical 10 meter accuracy.) See http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?57671-Delorme-InReach for a more detailed discussion. We should note that...

Mountaineering (technical climbing in particular) has a long history of analyzing accidents in order to improve future safety*. While some may find the current emphasis on this particular event ghoulish, it is also part of the overall process of preventing similar future accidents. Many other...

Requires signing up, but it is full. Doug

See post #20 of this thread: http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?59389-New-Book-on-Kate-M&p=440884&viewfull=1#post440884 Doug

All electronic devices are sensitive to voltage, some more so than others. The output voltage of a battery is a function of its chemistry, condition, state of charge, temperature, and the load (current drawn). The temperature at the time of use is important, the storage temp (within reasonable...

I have both windblock and non-windblock fleece jackets. I often find the windblock jacket to be too steamy and do not carry it alone. (I generate a lot of heat and sweat when active.) However, I have also been out in cold with a light breeze conditions where the windblock jacket is just...

It is not necessary to keep the AAs (or pretty much any battery) warm in storage and transport--only when in use. And lithium AAs (non-rechargeable) work well down to ~-40F. In general, at low temps, lithium (non-rechargeable) is best, NiMH, NiCad, LIon (lithium recahargeable) next, alkaline...

Climbing guidebooks (and web guides) include route descriptions often with a sketch or photograph with the route lines drawn in. If you are interested in doing these routes, I recommend that you get some instruction in rock climbing--the route finding skills, climbing skills, and risk...

I have only been up Central Couloir, so I can't speak for the other gullies, but it was dry enough when we were there that except for the approach (snow in the woods) and the 1 or 2 pitches of easy ice at mid-height that it was basically summer conditions. The hazard in the gully was the loose...

In general, I'd look in technical climbing info sources rather than hiking sources. My ice climbing guidebooks describe several routes on Webster: Shoestring Gully, Horseshoe Gully, and Central Couloir. I've climbed Central Couloir as the start of a winter Prezzie traverse. It was mostly...

I am also from the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) school... I carry a 24oz soda bottle* in my pocket plus additional bottles in my pack--when the current bottle becomes empty, I just swap it for a full one. They are very easy to drink from without breaking stride. (Soda bottles are much more...

Might be. There are a number of repeaters around the Whites. He hasn't posted in quite a while, but there used to be a ham who was active on this BBS. IIRC, he said that he could reach a repeater from most places in the Whites. Deep remote valleys were the least likely places. He carried a...

GPS was degraded for about an hour on Sept 6 by an intense solar flare. Radio communications were also affected. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2146617-the-sun-just-belched-out-the-strongest-solar-flare-in-12-years/ http://gizmodo.com/huge-solar-flare-disrupts-gps-satellites-1801838410 Doug

While I have not participated in a foxhunt, I was thinking of them when I wrote my comment. (I have used an AM radio to DF (direction find) a powerline arc which caused local radio and TV interference.) Just following the signal strength would generally lead a searcher to the victim, although...

OK. The spec for the ACR ResQLink+ is 50mW at 121.5MHz, Having used low power transmitters, I would expect a longer range over a line-of-sight path. (Bare ground-to-air is a line-of-sight path if the aircraft is high enough above the horizon.) Terrain blocking or vegetation would shorten the...

According to the write-up in Appalachia (summer/fall 2016), she was carrying an ACR ResQLink+ PLB. The foldable antenna is the 406/121.5 MHz transmitting antenna. The GPS receiving antenna is internal to the case, most likely a small patch antenna. The instructions say the transmitting...

A bear may not associate a whistle (or the classic bear bell*) with humans. The voice however works well (therefore the new tradition: "Hey Bear!", repeated frequently). * A hiking magazine reported an experiment with a wild grizzly: they rang a bell and got no response. They then snapped a...