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  1. Mark

    Measuring the how steep a slope is.

    Help from Compass Like DougPaul said, some compasses will allow you to measure a slope. I have a Buck Knives BUCO-4. It contains a small needle inside the compass that hangs straight down. If you sight along the edge of the compass, you can then view the hanging needle in the sighting mirror to...
  2. Mark

    Monroe and Washington Midweek?

    I'm thinking of trying to get up to do Monroe and Washington (Ammo and Crawford Path) this week - maybe tomorrow or Wednesday. Does anyone know if the trail is broken out from this past weekend's storm?
  3. Mark

    rust on crampons

    I don't have a lot of rust on my crampons, and the little that's there usually gets worn off on the next use since most of the exposed (nonpainted) steel is what gets the most wear during use. Make sure you let them dry off before you store them. Don't put them away in a wet crampon bag wet or...
  4. Mark

    Sunday March 13 - North & Middle Tripyramids via Pine Brook Trail

    There is no real parking lot at the Pine Bend Brook TH. Perhaps just a little bit of wider shoulder on the road is all. People were parking as close to the snow bank as possible. If the plows are running, you should plan to have to dig your cars out. We parked cars at the Sabbaday Brook TH...
  5. Mark

    Map reading and scales

    Cool link - thanks! I esp. like the Latitude/Longitude Rulers. If you have transparency sheets (for an overhead projector) for your printer, you can make map rulers yourself. If you don't already have some, it's probably cheaper to go to the copy center rather that buy a whole package of...
  6. Mark

    avalanche?

    Does it? .....
  7. Mark

    March 5 - Hancocks & March 6 - Osceola's

    What a Day! I had a blast on this hike! We had a great group for the trip. Even the weather held out for us long enough to get some views from the Osceola summit. The trail conditions were great for winter. Even climbing up the chimney was fun. Sliding down it was, well, interesting - but it...
  8. Mark

    March 5 - Hancocks & March 6 - Osceola's

    chinooktrail, If you have crampons, you should bring them. I hiked this trail a few weeks ago, and even though it was pretty well packed, there are a few steep pitches where the cleats on our snow shoes just didn't have enough bite. We switched to crampons and that helped a lot! I'll be on...
  9. Mark

    crampon bag?

    That's the bag I have. I like it.
  10. Mark

    crampon bag?

    I have a separate crampon bag attached to the side of my pack. I like it because I can easily get to my crampons without digging into my pack and, if I put them away full of snow or mud, it doesn't get all over my pack.
  11. Mark

    The cost of safety

    It's very rare that I don't carry snow shoes during winter condition hikes. The extra pack weight doesn't bother me or slow me down. I don't even mind if I leave them strapped to my pack for the whole hike. I carry a lot of emergency gear that I don't routinely use. The problem as I see it is...
  12. Mark

    3 North Twin Trail Questions

    The White Mountain Guide describes how the first two crossings when you are ascending from Haystack Rd. can be avoided by bushwhacking along the east bank of the river. IIRC, this is only about a 1/4 mi. bushwhack and avoids the two most difficult crossings of the river. You will still want to...
  13. Mark

    Family 1st, hiking 2nd, lesson learned

    You Have Your Priorities Correct Placing your family first and your hobby second is the right thing to do. Get away to hike when you can, giving your wife and kids equal time off on weekends. The trick is to keep everything in balance. You might be able to entice your kids to join you on...
  14. Mark

    Garmin GPS Questions

    I got scolded by a flight attendant for using a GPS on an airliner. I was bored and tracking our progress with the GPS hooked up to my laptop. Apparently, GPSs are still on the list of devices that allegedly will interfere with a plane's navigation system. Puh-lease!
  15. Mark

    Winter Trail Snacks

    I almost never stop for more than a few minutes, so I don't bring "lunch", but just snack continuously all day. Gorp includes anything bite sized I find in my kitchen such as: Raisins Peanuts Chopped dates M&Ms Reeses Pieces Sunflower seeds Pretzel nubs Kit Kat bits Cinnamon graham cracker bits...
  16. Mark

    Garmin GPS Questions

    I have an eTrex Summit which I like a lot. It has a built in barometric altimeter and compass. It does not have map display capabilities, but I don't miss this feature. The built in antenna has always worked well for me in the Whites and the High Peaks if you keep the unit high on your body. (I...
  17. Mark

    Mapping software and GPS.

    I use GPS TrackMaker (http://www.gpstm.com) free version. You can upload and download waypoints, tracks and routes. I use GPS TrackMaker to manage everything. Then I can just wipe out everything on my GPS and selectively upload whatever I need. GPS Trackmaker does not come with any maps, but...
  18. Mark

    insulation

    Great. One more thing to cause my wife to ask, "What the hell are you doing?"
  19. Mark

    Avalanches In Tuckerman And Huntington Ravines

    I once stumbled upon an archive of avalanche photos from Tuckerman's. I thought it was somewhere on mtwashington.rog, but I can't find it now. There were some incredible shots of the debris fields that showed the amazing destruction resulting from big avalances. Does anyone know where I can...
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