The Pennsylvania Pathfinder

Finally getting into Hammock Camping and other things

2011-12-12T15:34:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

Well last week I received and early Christmas present from my girlfriend an ENO Double Nest Hammock. I had been pondering and researching the whole hammock thing for about 2 years now; and to finally have a really good hammock in my hands I'm as giddy as a kid with a new toy. It has open up one big can of worms though lol. I still need a good tarp but maybe Santa has one more trick up his sleeve for me :). Can't wait to get it out and try it and have been told by many members of the site hammockforums.net with a few simple modifications I should enjoy it for a long time. Hoping to start doing a bit of bushcrafting and such this coming year and get out and enjoy the woods more then I been.

Speaking of the woods rifle deer season ended just a couple days ago and my season wasn't the greatest saw some sign here and there but alas no backstraps in my freezer this year :( but, there is always next year. The time out in the woods was relaxing and mind clearing as usual. Bad day hunting is always better then a good day at work in my book.

Well Christmas is right around the corner stores are going to be crazy as we head towards the last weekend before Christmas. Most of you know I'm a retail store associate and its been steadily getting crazier with people shopping for those last minute gifts and meal fixings. Just remember because everyone else is rushing around and being crazy you don't have to be. Take your time and enjoy this time a year, the sights and sounds, take time to reflect on the year thats been and think about what the one thats coming and after New Years hit the ground running in 2012. Since Im not sure if I'm going to have time to do it later with the hectic work week I got coming, Merry Christmas to everyone and have a Happy and Safe New Year.

as always Be Smart, Be Safe, and Be Prepared

Winter Storm??

2011-01-31T17:42:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
As i type this my happy little part of PA is under a winter storm warning for approx. 4-10 inches of snow and quarter to half inch of ice. I am sure by this point in the day people are flocking to the local Wal-Mart for there ideas of necessary supplies. Like there eggs, bread, milk hopefully some rock salt, perhaps another snow shovel(cause you know it seems as though some people horde them or something) also everyone is probably in this massive hurry that they don't need to be in. Now that being said we all know that weather people lately aren't too accurate with there forecasts but you know what a little information to help input on how you prepare for something is better then nothing. One thing i bet some people haven't thought of is what if the power goes out? After all .25" to a .5" of ice is a lot. Its not to hard to imagine that with that extra load plus the snow that supposed to fall tonight and tommorow night that there will probably be power outages so if your new to all of this type of thought processing heres some ideas what to keep on hand.

Some extra blankets
Way to heat water for warm beverage
Batteries for flashlights
Alternate way to heat the house in case you have electric heat (like i do)

The following sound obvious but being in retail for almost 7 yrs you see this a lot
Rock salt or sand
Shovels
Ice Chopper

If you feel the need to travel during the emergency a simple kit in your vehicle.
Small Shovel
Tire Chains
72 hr kit(if you have one if not you probably should)
Sand or Kitty Litter
Make sure your tank is full of fuel before heading out.
Make sure someone knows your route and where your going so if you fail to arrive they will know something is wrong and get perhaps get help out to you sooner.
Charged Cell Phone or at least keep a car charger handy (common sence goes along way here folks)

Well thats it for now I will post an update to this if we actually do get anything near what was forecast to happen. Be safe out there and be smart. As for the question marks in the title as stated we know how accurate weather people can be LOL.

Be Smart, Be Safe, Be Prepared.

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-02T04:02:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone, Welcome to the new year hope its off to a great start for everyone out there. With the new year now upon us we all have those pesky things called resolutions to make. Everyone makes about the same ones like lose a few pounds, save money, and the like. Mine I think are a bit different then some perhaps; my biggest goal for this year is to spend more time outdoors. Whether it be a short hike to kill a few hours or maybe camping, the biggest thing I want to start doing is practice my wilderness skills and bush crafting and such. Stated in a previous post known as Project: Pathfinder. By doing this I hope to get out more then I did this year and who knows lose a few pounds too in the process. Also a small goal I would like to accomplish is perhaps control my temper a little better then I do. Those who know me well know that while it does take a lot to set me off once I go off its like a volcano it just keeps going till either something takes my mind off it or I just get cheered up someway or somehow. Lets all hope our year is a fun and successful one as usual thanks for reading hope to have more and better things down the road as the year goes on.

Till next time remember in life you can follow the blazed trail or blaze your own the choice is yours.

Rifle Season 2010 :D

2010-11-24T01:49:00.000-05:00

Well its less then a week away here in PA I'm more excited then ever. I am hoping for a good season and hopefully end up with some back straps in the freezer, when all is said and done. Spending the week getting my gear together and in order. Checking that my trusty rifle is in good working condition and ready to rock and roll. To all the blood brothers (as Uncle Ted would say) best of luck if your hitting the woods this coming Monday. Also have a happy and safe Thanksgiving enjoy the day with your family as for me I have to work :( so my day is going to suck. But, thats a discussion for another day and another time.

Till next time remember in life you can follow the blazed trail or blaze your own the choice is yours.

Project Pathfiner

2010-11-24T01:30:00.000-05:00

For those who read here regularly will notice I am an avid fan of Dave Canterbury and his Pathfinder School. I been doing some thinking about it, I am going to start putting the skills I been learning to use cause applying them makes you learn them more. The big problem I have to over come is finding a personal space where I can go practice and maybe to test shelters by staying a night or two and it not be a problem. Currently working on that and seeing what I can work out. Maybe after a few months of getting into this I may sign up for one of the Pathfinder Home courses. I'm hoping to make the best of this see what I learn and get from it, and maybe in the end it will also make me a better more confident teacher when I teach my Troop Wilderness Survival. The best way to test what you have learned is to teach it to someone else. Any and all progress of course will find a home here on my blog and who knows maybe even You Tube one day time will tell. Well wish me luck and see how this goes.

Until next time remember in life you can follow the blazed trail or blaze your own the choice is yours.

Veterans Day

2010-11-11T03:33:00.000-05:00

Just a short quick post, Please take time out of your day today and give a thought and a prayer to all the men and women who serve this great country. Put all the political crap aside and drama that goes on everyday, these men and women are willing to lay down there lives and pay the ultimate sacrifice for you to enjoy this great country we live in. Amen and god speed to all of you serving currently in Turkmenistan and Iraq.

Remember in life don't just follow the trail in front of you but do not be afraid to blaze your own.

Survival Skills and Youth

2010-08-02T02:11:00.000-04:00

Well its a been a while but here we go, A few weeks ago my troop went on a wilderness survival weekend where I taught them the wilderness survival merit badge. The kids built a neat little lean too with some logs and tarps and some para cord. The requirement states that they have to stay in it one night but they enjoyed it so much the next morning they worked on it some more and stayed in it another night. Witch I thought was pretty cool we all figured after one night they would want to go back to there tent cause they would feel safer and more comfortable in there. Spent that day going over and practicing various skills and hypothetical situations that could arise. I hope everyone took away something from that weekend and retains it cause whether they realize it or not they can and probably will use those skills some point in life again.

Now I tell everyone that cause I think in the age of the video game ( and no im not poking fun cause heck i play the occasional video game myself lol) but kids today I think would benefit a lot from being taught some wilderness skills and how to sustain oneself in a wilderness situation. It gives them huge boosts in confidence to see what they can do when they open up their minds and just think about things other then how to get to level 7 on some game. When you build your own shelter build a fire after cutting and gathering your own wood all that work to make yourself comfortable. You end up appreciating things you have more, cause you realize how hard life can be. In our culture we see guys like Les Stroud, Dave Canturbury, and Cody Lundin and call them survival experts, but they would be the first to tell you they are not experts they are students but not experts. When they film a show in a certain remote area they spend a few days with the natives and learn what they do everyday. For the natives its not survival its just living cause fro them there isn't a Wal-Mart down the street. Even its for a weekend or a week or so seeing how a primitive person lives without modern convinces is never a bad thing you will end up coming away appreciating what you have more then you did before.

As usual thanks for reading, and whatever you do make sure in life you blaze your own path and never follow someone elses path only you need to know where your trial is going to head.

Hey all sorry for the long absence

2010-07-15T02:14:00.000-04:00

Hey,
To any of my regular readers out there I know I haven't posted in awhile, life got a bit hectic for awhile. In late April I had a small car accident heading home for an emergency nothing to bad walked away with no injuries but managed to total my truck and take out 12 feet of guard rail. That being said I am now a proud owner and the newest member of the Jeep community =). I been out playing with that and trying to get back to normal yet. I took a few short hikes this summer nothing too drastic just some short ones to get my better half used to hiking and introduce her to the sport. Other then that its been to dang hot to do anything outside right now but atleast in the last few days we got some needed rain.

In the scouting front the boys have been working on Wilderness Survival skills the last few months and this weekend we will see how well they learned and what they remembered. If it goes well they should all end up earning the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. Hope it ends up being a nice weekend seems like it supposed to be but we all know how well the weather men are these days they call for rain you get a sunny day and vice versa. Well I'll be sure to hopefully post an update sooner then later thanks again for reading and as always.

In a world that keeps on changing, Its nice to know some never have to.

Winter Camping

2010-02-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well this past weekend was a fun one got some time in the woods with my scout troop. We camped out one of my assistants family farm. Weather was ok wasn't terribly cold just my old sleeping bag wasn't as warm as it used to be. The nights were a little chilly but nothing unbearable perhaps its time to update the sleeping bag, but not sure to what seeing how I eventually want move into hammock camping but time will tell what I end up doing. It was a fun weekend a lot of the guys got a ton of advancements done and had fun and thats whats important. When I get some time ill add a couple of the photos I had time to take.

As always thanks for reading and dropping by.
Mike

A weekend of winter camping--Introduction

2010-02-17T04:24:00.001-05:00

This should prove to be a very interesting weekend its been a while since I have camped in snow and cold. Hoping to not freeze my butt off, but we shall see how that all goes. This weekend my scout troop is going to be doing a bit of tent camping in the cold. I was hoping to maybe have some sort of winter hammock rig put together but time and money not falling into place right thats just not going to happen so I am going to try using a little solo shelter my brother had given me a few years ago. We spent the last month teach the kids a lot of how to stay warm and safe in the cold and how to also enjoy it. After all there are a few pluses to camping in the winter. With the snow pack on the ground theres a whole new meaning to peace and quiet cause of how well the snow absorbs sound and what not. I guess we will see how well the guys all listened and see who starts complaining about the cold first. Im hoping its a fun and educational weekend and as always will report back and let all who read this know how well it went. Oh and the mini pack review I had mentioned from my short day hike its probably not going to happen as I am pretty much going to start getting stuff together for leaving Friday afternoon no biggie was nothing special anyway just threw some stuff together in a hurry.

All Secure in this sector over and out*
Mike

*Im playing around with differant closings if anyone has cared to notice

A few hours in the woods before the Snow Storm

2010-02-10T03:15:00.000-05:00

Well on Monday I went out for a bit of time in the woods took just a short little walk to streach the legs and test out a new bag I got for Christmas. It was a fun day little breezy but kinda warm considering it was about 26* outside. I had originally planned to go out earlier in the day and spend a day out and make a little trail lunch and just get out for a day. Well....it being winter I sorta slept in a a few hours later then I wanted too; oh well some time was better then no time. As far as the pack goes that I tried out it was good I may or may not do a write up on it not sure at this time. Still figuring out some ways of tweaking it.

I snapped a few photos and even took a quick little video of a neat waterfall slightly off the trail. Hope to have more posts like this up soon. Perhaps when it gets a bit warmer out LOL.

Thats all for now take care and remember take sometime and get outdoors and enjoy a bit of nature now and then.

Thinking minimal on gear.....

2010-01-18T17:43:00.000-05:00

Hey again and welcome to the first blog of the new year hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years and that Santa brought all the cool gear you were hoping for. To get the year rolling I am going to share some thoughts on a recent article in The Backwoodsman Magazine Jan/Feb 2010 issue. There is an article in there by a Mr Charlie Fox, a neat little article on packing and hiking like a minimalist. Its a very informative article I am gonna share a few highlights and add my two cents on what I think. If you haven't seen or read it yourself the find the nearest place to get an issue of Backwoodsman Magazine. For more info on the magazine you can find them here at www.backwoodsmanmag.com.

Fist of what is Minimalism defined as well as far a definition I could settle on to best explain it is hiking or backpacking with under about 10 lbs of gear. Now there is no real right or wrong way of doing minimalist type packing it all depends on what you feel comfortable packing and how much gear you would specifically feel necessary. 10 lbs may be minimal for one while 15 or 20 maybe minimal for another. If anything it makes you think about what you pack and carry on any trek or adventure, for example do I really need to carry a full backpacking cook set and such, or could you say get by with a simple canteen cup and a canteen or some similar configuration.

Another way to save weight and trim down on gear is multi purpose items, if one item can perform one or more tasks then that means thats on less thing you got to carry. Like say a metal cup like a canteen cup, or a GSI Snow peak cup. One can drink from it, cook in it, cook on it, and obviously boil and sanitize water in. The biggest item that i personally own and would use is a Guyot Designs Bottle. Its a nice stainless steel bottle you can carry water in it lid seals nice and tight; but unlike a standard Nalgene bottle you can boil your water in it. If you have the proper knowledge you can save weight by foraging and gathering food. Saves weight when you don't have to carry a ton of food.

The best way to try minimalist packing is to think of it as your emergency backup to your main pack. If you can survive a few days using at an emergency kit then adding a few odds and ends could make it reasonably possible to make due with that for a longer period of time. The biggest thing to carrying minimal gear is knowledge there is a quote in Mr. Fox's article is

"The more you know, the less you carry"

. The more you know how to make due with what you have and how to attain stuff from nature the less you will need to bring with you. Now again nothing is perfect there is no wrong answers here its all depends on how much you feel comfortable going into the woods with and what the requirements of your adventure require.

Finally a few pros and cons based on my personal opinions.

Pros
Less weight makes it easier on your body.
Travel faster with a lighter load.
Easier to keep balance on an awkward trail.

Cons
Less gear means little or no redundancy should something be lost or damaged.
If you find yourself in an emergency you may not have certain items that could make it easier to get out of it.

A few final thoughts think of it as a challenge where can I shave a few pounds or ounces here and there do you need this or that. Just remember have fun with it and see what you can come up with, if you already have a light weight rig you want to share feel free to post it as a comment below the blog. Take care and get out and enjoy some time out in the great outdoors.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-23T02:36:00.000-05:00

To everyone out there from my family to yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May Santa bring you some cool and new outdoor gear. Heres hoping your 2010 is a fun and successful year, as for me I got a lot to look forward too. Not only is 2010 the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America it is also the 40th anniversary of Troop 187. This troop has been running continuously for since 1970 I hope our 40th year is the best one of them all. Its shaping up to be a good one and I hope it is. God Bless everyone and have a Happy and safe Holiday and New Year.

PA Pathfinder and Scoutmaster of Troop 187,
Mike Hines

Well Mother Nature Stepped in and messed up the weekend...

2009-10-23T16:38:00.000-04:00

The best laid plans of mice and men and so on, with the weekend about to become a wash out with rain all night tonight and bout 2 inches of rain Saturday looks like ill have a weekend to relax at home i suppose. Oh well, it happens, but seriously it couldnt wait till next weekend to rain LOL. Take care everyone

Camping and hunting

2009-10-19T04:02:00.000-04:00

Well hitting the woods this weekend to camp with my scout troop for a weekend hope its fun weekend and a relaxing one at that. If thats possible being the scoutmaster LOL, hope the weather don't repeat this weekend with cold rains, snow flurries, and the like. Will make another post in the coming weeks. Things have been busy in the last few weeks.

Also hunting draws nearer as Small Game opens up in a few days cant wait to go and hope I have some good luck as Im returning to hunting after a 5 year hiatus. Im sure its like a bike once you know you never forget.

Take care

Pausing to reflect on 9/11 the 8th anniversy

2009-09-11T03:50:00.000-04:00

Its been said numerous times by numerous people September 11, 2001 started off as plain as any day. It was beautiful early fall day, everyone was of to work or school just like any other day but nobody knew or could even fathom that after this day America would never be the same. I myself was a freshman in High School, was in just getting into my second block class when someone says "Hey man you hear one of the WTC towers was hit by a plane." I was like no no i didn't, you know at first you think well lots of plane traffic around NYC could be an accident. But when the second plane hit the tower 2........then the Pentagon..........we all knew it then things were going to be different very different. We all knew all these events meant war and that someone was going to pay for this, but that was the farthest thing from our minds this day. We all sat and hoped and prayed that everyone would come out safely and naively think that no one was gonna die. Then the first tower after withstanding such a mighty blow finally had to succumb to its wounds and as soon as we say that building give you knew in a flash faster then you can think or blink someones husband, wife, daughter, son, just had there lives snuffed out. The saddest part the fireman who laid their lives on the line running in while others were running out. My heart goes out to the 343 NYFD who never came home and made there final call that day, it also goes out the the NYPD, PAPD, and the innocent men and women who were tragically lost that day.

The biggest thing Ill remember is 9/12/2001, finally this country woke up and realized hey we are all the same there was no more hyphenated Americans, no Republicans no Democrats, Liberals, Conservatives... WE WERE ALL AMERICANS!!!! United and loving everyone and doing things to help your fellow man. But, sadly that feeling has faded and we quickly lapsed back to the bigotry and narrow mindedness that this country always seems to slip into these days. Its sad if ever there was a positive to such a massive negative it was that we learned how to care, how to love, how to show compassion for the fellow citizens in this great land, but that too has faded.

The saddest of all tragedies is I honestly think that 8 years later most people just choose to forget and not care what happened on 9/11. Instead they want to crawl back into the hole where they were on 9/10/2001 thinking nothing could happen. I like most people wish 9/11 never happened, I wish we didn't have to go through such turbulent times, but it happened. We should never forget, always keep the a prayer out for the fallen and the brave men who tried to save them and save the towers. Don't sit there and argue with some irrational idiot on you tube who spouts his BS conspiracy theories. Our country may not be perfect, but I can not think of a place I would rather call home then this great land. So as i sit here with a few tears welling in my eyes watching a couple tribute videos I will bring this special edition of the PA Pathfinder Blog to a close by saying take a moment and say a prayer for the fallen and show you still care and love America and wear something patriotic.

Welcome to the blog i meant to do

2009-09-03T01:07:00.000-04:00

Most of you who come to this blog and remeber the political banter that filled this space thats no more Im offically sick of the topic and tired of beating the same dead horse as everyone else is. This is the blog I meant to do a fun relaxing look at the outdoors and being in the outdoors. I chose the new title the Pennsylvania Pathfinder and the final tag line in the descriton to pay homage to Dave Cantebury of the Wilderness Outfitters home of the Pathfinder School. He runs an Wilderness Self-Suffiecntcy school in Ohio but his website www.wildernessoutfitters.com and his you tube channel feature loads of great and very useful information. I hope I meet Mr. Cantebury face to face one day he seems like a hell of guy to be around and fun to hang out with. I look forward to bringing some very informative stuff to this page and hope everyone learns something and takes away from it what they want. Im no expert but and am always learning. So as I have in the description; Follow me, Lets learn together.

Remembering D-Day

2009-06-06T00:13:00.002-04:00

You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944. Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41.
The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeat in open battle man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground.
Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men.
The tide has turned.
The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle.
We will accept nothing less than full victory.
Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

~Dwight Eisenhower

At 0630 on June 6, 1944 one of the greatest attacks was launched, D-Day witch was part of Operation Overlord. The plan to take Europe back from the Nazis over 100,000 Ally troops landed on five beaches; Gold, Sword, Juno, Omaha, and Utah. Men from all different creeds nationalities banded together to fight and take back Europe from the evil Axis powers. Normandy was the start, the foot hold to get that job done. If they failed Hitler would of possibly used that as a huge piece of propaganda and possibly used that as a launching pad to take England. From there who knows what things could of become of it. Through it all none of the men asked why they were there or what the politics were behind being there. They were there cause they wanted to be there. Then common men came together to do some uncommon things none lesser then practically save the world from tyranny and the evil of the Axis powers. At the end of the day the allies had completed their goal at the cost of over 8,443 killed or wounded. But, the allies had the foot hold they needed from there the went on to eventually take back Europe and in 1945 the the second World War was finally over.

Now 65 years removed from that day the number of veterans from that day is shrinking every year. They sacrificed so much to protect the world from that evil. If someone you know or love is a World War 2 veteran take a moment ask them what they went through. Talk to them and take time to lean how hard it was for them to fight through Europe. Sometime today in you busy day take a moment and reflect on waht these men did for this great country and the world. As always God Speed and God Bless America.

EDC Intro

2009-06-03T02:21:00.004-04:00

This video comes courtesy of You Tube a guy from New Jersey by the name of O5MagnumSXT. Great guy great vids always informational just a bit of an intro to what they are. Ill post a few pics of mine eventually.

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-24T18:39:00.002-04:00

Well its Memorial Day again, time for us to pause and reflect on what makes this country as great as it is. No matter how bad it gets she is still the greatest nations on earth, nothing can and will change that. During your family BBQ or what every you plan on having please take a moment and pause and think about the men and women who laid down there lives for this country and those who have yet to come home. Lets not forget our current veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan, who are doing their part to keep this nation free for the future generations. Remember Memorial Day was not just meant to have BBQs or get drunk at someones cookout. Its sole reason for being is to MEMORIALIZE and remember just how and why we are the country we are. Never forget that and always keep that in you hearts and minds. In closing God Speed and God Bless America.

Ideas on Gear

2009-05-19T01:16:00.002-04:00

Every backpacker, camper, prepper, survivalist, hiker and what not all love gear. Its like our toys and when there is something better we run out and get it. Now i was thinking recently granted running out and buying that expensive new piece of gear why not do yourself a favor step back and look at what your buying. Now buying it if buying it makes you happy and you have that money to buy then by all means do. Someone like myself who is not made of money learn one thing and thats be creative. Figure out well how can I piece together some good products into the same thing and perhaps save a few bucks. Like those slick light weight nylon tarp shelters all the outdoor companies sell. They look great hell if i could i would buy one myself, but really when you look at the only thing that makes it expensive is usually the name on it and im sure the few ouces you save in a nylon tarp as oppesed to an everyday tarp probabaly are minimal and if you know what you are doing you can fold a standard tarp rather small. Besides its not like you need a super huge tarp 10'x10' I honestly think is big enough for most shelter needs. Find some sturdy lightweight stakes and some paracord and presto you have a tarp shelter. Oh and add a stuff sack to stow it all in too, other then that your set. Theres lots of ways you can save some money, there are countless videos on you tube or articles on the internet with ways to make stoves and other gear. Just look around and use your mind and think of how you can do it. Not only do you save a few bucks but you can proudly proclaim you made it yourself. As always godspeed and god bless.