Odds and Ends You Might Want to Know.

**Rick** · 01-11-2010, 03:07 PM

There were a lot of tidbits in this month's issue of Backpacker so I thought I'd share some. I don't think I knew any of these and found them interesting.

1. Bears in Yosemite prefer to raid mini vans. Between 2001 and 2007, mini vans represented 29 percent of the 908 vehicles damaged by bears looking for food but only represented 7 percent of all cars in the park.

2. Some cameras they rate top of the line
Panosonic DMC LX3K $500
Pentax Optio W80 (waterproof) $300
Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 $379
Olympus E-P1 $800
Pentax K-x $650
Nikon D300s $1,699 (body only)

3. Waterproof cameras can still develop condensation inside the case. Put the camera inside a zip lock bag so condensation will develop on the inside of the bag and not your camera.

4. Pack 2Gb of card space per day.

5. If your camera gets wet put it inside a zip lock back with dessicant or paper towels.

6. Cold weather requires three to four times the batter power.

7. When crossing a river the water should be less than knee deep to safely wade across.

8. If you heave a rock into a river and you hear a "ker plop" sound the river is too deep to safely cross. Find a better spot.

9. When choosing from a narrow channel, a spot where the river splits into braids, a wide channel or a bend in the river, for a place to cross always choose an area where the river breaks into braids or is very wide. It will generally be more shallow there.

10. For a backpacking pillow you can cut a pair of childs' water wings down the seam. That will provide you with two very compact air pillows. Inflate them about half way.

11. For a tighter seal on your water bladder threads, use pipe thread tape.

12. They consider the Black Diamond Spot headlamp one of the best. You can see 160 feet on fresh batteries, 95 feet after the batteries have burned for 10 hours and the batteries last 56 hours, almost twice as long as some other brand names like Petzl.

13. Wilderness webcams are being utilized more and more by various government entities. Recently, two park employees were caught peeing in Old Faithful. Just be aware.

**Chris** · 01-11-2010, 03:10 PM

#9 is a question on the quiz on this site actually, heh.

**ClovisMan** · 01-11-2010, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

13. Wilderness webcams are being utilized more and more by various government entities. Recently, two park employees were caught peeing in Old Faithful. Just be aware.

A guy I know uses these on his hunting ranch in South Texas and sees more illegals crossing the border than he does game animals.

**RangerXanatos** · 01-11-2010, 03:14 PM

8. If you heave a rock into a river and you hear a "ker plop" sound the river is too deep to safely cross. Find a better spot.

Wouldn't size of the rock be an issue here? I'm assuming it would be a rather large rock since it says, "heave."

**Rick** · 01-11-2010, 03:17 PM

I'm sure there would be some truth to that. But it makes sense to me. The deeper water allows the rock to carry air with it do a deeper depth so it would make a deeper "ker plop" sound than if it were, say, calf deep or knee deep. I think the heave there signifies the rock coming down at a more or less vertical angle.

**RangerXanatos** · 01-11-2010, 03:21 PM

I hear that sound in the toilet all the time. Not that I'd want to go wading in sewage. Just saying.

**Rick** · 01-11-2010, 03:30 PM

Well, perhaps your heaving when you ought to be ......oh, never mind.

**Chris** · 01-11-2010, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

I'm sure there would be some truth to that. But it makes sense to me. The deeper water allows the rock to carry air with it do a deeper depth so it would make a deeper "ker plop" sound than if it were, say, calf deep or knee deep. I think the heave there signifies the rock coming down at a more or less vertical angle.

By the time the rock reaches the bottom the water has sealed it up on top.

Still waters run deep.

Still waters where the rock has to break the tension of the water's surface will make more sound. Also, because still water is quiet, you'll notice the sound more.

If the water surface has already has it's tension broken by the rapids of shallow water the rock goes in easier, and the noise of the rapids help mask any sound it makes.

But toss a rock into a stagnant unmoving swamp a foot deep, you'll still hear your kerplop.

**Beo** · 01-12-2010, 12:11 AM

My toilet must be pretty deep cause I've heard a few ker-plops... lol...

**Ted** · 01-12-2010, 12:14 AM

#8???.....if your heaving a rock you must be too stupid to find a stick!

**Beo** · 01-12-2010, 12:17 AM

Or at least push the guy next to in so he can tell you the depth.

**Sarge47** · 01-12-2010, 12:54 AM

Use on of the really big Zip-lock bags...2 1/2 Gallon size for example, to make a pillow as well. It's easily inflated/deflated.

You can also put it over your partners head at night if their snoring is keeping you awake...!

**your_comforting_company** · 01-12-2010, 08:38 AM

I asked a frog once how deep the creek was at the point I was going to cross and he replied "knee-deep, knee-deep"

**Old GI** · 01-12-2010, 10:34 AM

"... Bears in Yosemite prefer to raid mini vans. Between 2001 and 2007, mini vans represented 29 percent of the 908 vehicles damaged by bears looking for food but only represented 7 percent of all cars in the park. ..."

Yuuummm! Yuppie meat is so goooood. Oh wait, you said Minivan not BMW. Nevermind.

**trax** · 01-12-2010, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by Old GI

"... Bears in Yosemite prefer to raid mini vans. Between 2001 and 2007, mini vans represented 29 percent of the 908 vehicles damaged by bears looking for food but only represented 7 percent of all cars in the park. ..."

Yuuummm! Yuppie meat is so goooood. Oh wait, you said Minivan not BMW. Nevermind.

I was thinking bears in Yosemite might view minivans the way polar bears view igloos....it's the soft chewy centers that they like the best.