Matt's Solo Canoe Trip In Progress, Using a SPOT Satellite Messenger

My friend Matt is currently on a 10 day solo camping and canoeing trip in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario.


Last year prior to a two week solo trip he too, we had been chatting about what he might do in case he got in trouble. Since there isn't phone service in the vast majority of the Algonquin region, he ended up buying a SPOT Satellite Messenger.



There are 4 buttons on this satellite device (which is about the size of a BlackBerry device):

1. An OK Button.
   When you press the OK button, SPOT acquires your location from the GPS network and routes it through the SPOT satellite network. Your contacts receive either an SMS text message on their mobile phone with your message and coordinates, or an email with your message and a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
   
   
2. A HELP Button.
   Once activated, SPOT acquires your location from the GPS network and routes it along with the HELP message through the SPOT satellite network every five minutes for one hour or until canceled. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
   I guess this is one step up from 'I'm okay' but not severe enough to alert the emergency and Search and Rescue groups as described next. They say it is for a non-life-threatening incident like 'Ran out of gas' or 'Bicycle tire punctured' or 'Snowmobile stuck'.
   
   
3. A Track Progress Button
   Matt didn't spend the extra for this option, but it would allow the user to send out 'cookie-crumb' messages every 10 minutes, so that friends and family could track the person's progress live via Google Maps. This would be great so you could do a trip log later. But even still, you can simply hit the 'OK' button every so often (unlimited allowance) and this would do the same thing. It just means you'd need to manually put together all the GPS locations later.
   
   
4. A 911 Button.
   Once activated, SPOT will acquire its exact coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center notifies the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, the Canadian consulate, or other emergency response or search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contact person(s) about the receipt of a distress signal. Note: not to be pressed for fun, or if you are bored and lonely in the middle of the wilderness and just want to hear the sound of someone else's voice.
   

Coverage is nearly world-wide:

"SPOT works around the world, including virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia, portions of South America, Northern Africa, and North-Eastern Asia and hundreds or thousands of miles offshore of these areas."

He is taking it a little easier this go around. Last year he changed campsites virtually every or every other night. I think this time he's making camp at three sites, and using them as bases for day trips. He's up in the north east section - in North Tea Lake, Manitou Lake and thereabouts.

I'm a little bit jealous... I'll bet he's having an amazing time!

Cheers,

Mungo

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A Year Ago on Mungo Says Bah

Plunging deeply into the vast archive of nearly 500 posts on MungoSaysBah.com, I offer a pick of my posts from last July:

• Yoyar's Brave Chili Dehydration Experiment
  My friend Yoyar has decided to go on a 14 day solo canoe loop through the north west corridors of Algonquin Provincial Park. It would seem that he has rediscovered the camping bug (his recent bout with a suspected cryptosporidium infection that followed our last camping trip notwithstanding). Since food is a significant portion of pack weight and volume, he thought it would be good to bring dehydrated food along with him. After watching a series of videos on YouTube by Tinny on dehydrating and camp cooking, he decided to plunge right into it.
  
• Desperately Cleaning my MSR Dragonfly Stove & Then Realizing I'd Plugged It Into the Fuel Bottle Wrong To Begin With
  I put myself to the task of totally cleaning my MSR Dragonfly Stove. It had stopped working recently, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I would pump the cannister, light it and an orange flame would sputter and spit for a few seconds before extinguishing. Nothing I did was helping. I assumed that since I had stored white gas (Naptha) in it over the last 2 winters that the fuel had gummed up and clogged up the fine passageways within the intricate stove mechanism. So I laid it all out on a sheet in the backgarden, and set to work.
  
• Chipmunks and Charcloth
  While camping in Algonquin Provincial Park recently, I needed to make some charcloth. Charcloth is what I use to catch sparks from my steel fire striker, so that I can build a campfire.
  
• Weekend Bunnies, Achlorophyllous Plants and a Polypore
  On the weekend I went for a long walk with the little one. At one point I detoured through a section of the valley, and in short order came across two incredible plants. Both of them are achlorophyllous (i.e. without cholorphyll) and so cannot photosynthesize to make their own nutrients. I also came across an unusual polyporus.
  

Cheers, Mungo Are you subscribed to the Mungo Says Bah! RSS feed yet? If not - you know what to do... You can also follow my tweets at @MungoBah

Teaching My Little Boy About Plants and Flowers

I intend to teach my little boy about plants and flowers early. On the weekend, we went to a family gathering and we played in the park for a little while. I showed him how to pick clover flowers and he found that really exciting. He giggled and giggled and gave clover flowers to as many folks as he could.

We also found a Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris) growing low in the grass, which I later munched on so he couldn't see me eating plants from the ground. He is too young to learn the difference between plants.

Life is good.

Mungo

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Chris Townsend Video, Books and Blog

I am a huge fan of Chris Townsend, hiker extraordinaire.

I have a couple of his books, which are in my top 5 outdoors books list - the ones you'd want if you were stranded after a small aircraft crash landing in the mountains somewhere north in Canada.

Here he is in a video describing which gear he would take with him on his upcoming 12,000 mile (no, that is not a typo) Pacific Northwest Trail hike.



You can preview his book "The advanced backpacker: a handbook of year-round, long-distance hiking" here:


Finally, you can follow his online column at The Great Outdoors magazine and read his blog 'Chris Townsend Outdoors' which he supplements with some terrific photography.

Cheers,

Mungo

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Roundup of Recent @mungobah Twitter Posts

Please see below for a daily roundup of my Twitter posts from @MungoBah:

• A wood man's wanderings ow.ly/26saj
  
• Summit and Valley: Give me comfort: ow.ly/26saH
  
• MY HUNTING TRIPS: Watering Hole. ow.ly/26saY
  
• Boiling Water In A Birch Bark Container « Skills For Wild Lives ow.ly/26sbm
  
• 21st Day of the Rose Moon, 42 Winters « Wandering Owl Outside ow.ly/26sbM
  
• The Backyard Bushman » Semi-Recent Stuff :) ow.ly/26sc5
  
• Other people you might want with you for the zombie apocalypse | Dressed in Dirt ow.ly/26scc
  
• Gear Talk with Jason Klass: The History of the Camping Stove ow.ly/26sfp
  
• CABINET // Hot on the Trail ow.ly/26sg0
  
• Rowangarth Farm: Slim pickings ow.ly/26sgm
  
• Hiking in Finland: Gossamer Gear SpinnTwinn Review Video ow.ly/26sgG
  
• Rowangarth Farm: Garlic scapes ow.ly/26shC
  
• Boiling Water In A Birch Bark Container « Skills For Wild Lives ow.ly/26slV
  
• Summit and Valley: Give me comfort: ow.ly/26smM
  
• Ultralight stove options we're considering | Dressed in Dirt ow.ly/26GOm
  
• RT @LithicLabs: Back yard camping with the family twitpic.com/2279ee
  
• Bark River Bravo-1 Knife - CrystalFallsTradingCo.com ow.ly/26Jqm
  
• Berkey water filter ow.ly/26Jr6
  
• www.britelyt.com - BriteLyt Stoves Detail ow.ly/26Jri
  
• Bushcraft.se - Movies ow.ly/26Jrx
  
• Coleman Lantern Q&As ow.ly/26JrW
  
• Fire Piston: A Never Fail Way To Build A Fire In The Wilderness ow.ly/26JsE
  
• Billy Can MOD - Making a Handle using Brake Cable - Kit / Reviews ow.ly/26JsN
  
• Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc. - Fire Making ow.ly/26JsZ
  
• KIOSK - Sami Reindeer Hide ow.ly/26Jt9
  
• Skookum Bush Tool ow.ly/26JtU
  
• The Hiker's Notebook ow.ly/26Ju5
  
• Used camping gear - OutdoorGearSwap.com - Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) ow.ly/26JuP
  
• Warmth and Shelter Survival Equipment ow.ly/26Jv2
  
• Akubra Hats from David Morgan ow.ly/26Jvy
  
• Backpacking Lite ow.ly/26JvM
  
• Fundamental Knowledge Of What It Means To Be An Educated Human ow.ly/27luD
  
• 24 Hour Solo Survival part 1 of 4 youtu.be/OWdxKKNFAuY
  
• 24 Hour Solo Survival part 3 of 4 youtu.be/iAGZD5keEAk?a
  

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Preparedness: Get Ready for a Power Blackout

Yesterday we experienced a blackout that affected many parts of Toronto, that started off with a transformer fire in the west end. A quarter million households lost power. In light of yesterday's blackout in many parts of Toronto (where we live), I thought I would update and share some information I posted about some time ago.

In the August 2003 black out, we lived in a condominium. My wife and I made our separate ways back home from work. The first thing I did was fill the bathtub with water to keep a supply at hand, and then I grabbed all the candles and pulled out the battery powered radio. The weather was hot, and the evening went by nicely.

We have a 72 hour emergency kit. I came across a pamphlet entitled 'Power Outages: What To Do' (PDF document 167kb) on the 'Get Prepared' Government of Canada web site. I have copied the most pertinent parts of it below.

INTRODUCTION
Most power outages will be over almost as soon as they begin, but some can last much longer – up to days or even weeks. Power outages are often caused by freezing rain, sleet storms and/or high winds which damage power lines and equipment. Cold snaps or heat waves can also overload the electric power system.

During a power outage, you may be left without heating/air conditioning, lighting, hot water, or even running water. If you only have a cordless phone, you will also be left without phone service. If you do not have a battery-powered or crank radio, you may have no way of monitoring news broadcasts. In other words, you could be facing major challenges.

You can greatly lessen the impact of a power outage by taking the time to prepare in advance. You and your family should be prepared to cope on your own during a power outage for at least 72 hours. This involves three basic steps:
1) Finding out on what to do before, during, and after a power outage.
2) Making a family emergency plan, so that everyone knows what to do, and where to go if you need to leave your home.
3) Getting an emergency kit, so that you and your family can be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours during a power outage.

• You can install a non-electric standby stove or heater. Choose heating units that are not dependent on an electric motor, electric fan, or some other electric device to function. It is important to adequately vent the stove or heater with the type of chimney flue specified for it. Never connect two heating units to the same chimney flue at the same time.
• If you have a wood-burning fireplace, have the chimney cleaned every fall in preparation for use and to eliminate creosote build-up which could ignite and cause a chimney fire.
• If the standby heating unit will use the normal house oil or gas supply, have it connected with shut-off valves by a certified tradesperson.
• Before considering the use of an emergency generator during a power outage, check with furnace, appliance and lighting fixture dealers or manufacturers regarding power requirements and proper operating procedures.

People with disabilities or others requiring assistance Consider how you may be affected in a power outage, including:
• Your evacuation route — without elevator service (if applicable)
• Planning for a backup power supply for essential medical equipment
• Keeping a flashlight and a cell phone handy to signal for help
• Establishing a self-help network to assist and check on you during an emergency
• Enrolling in a medical alert program that will signal for help if you are immobilized
• Keeping a list of facilities that provide life-sustaining equipment or treatment
• Keeping a list of medical conditions and treatment
• If you live in an apartment, advise the property management that you may need assistance staying in your apartment or that you must be evacuated if there is a power outage. This will allow the property manager to plan and make the necessary arrangements on your behalf.

DURING A POWER OUTAGE
• First, check whether the power outage is limited to your home. If your neighbours’ power is still on, check your own circuit breaker panel or fuse box. If the problem is not a breaker or a fuse, check the service wires leading to the house. If they are obviously damaged or on the ground, stay at least 10 meters back and notify your electric supply authority. Keep the number along with other emergency numbers near your telephone.
• If your neighbours’ power is also out, notify your electric supply authority.
• Turn off all tools, appliances and electronic equipment, and turn the thermostat(s) for the home heating system down to minimum to prevent damage from a power surge when power is restored. Also, power can be restored more easily when there is not a heavy load on the electrical system.
• Turn off all lights, except one inside and one outside, so that both you and hydro crews outside know that power has been restored.
• Don’t open your freezer or fridge unless it is absolutely necessary. A full freezer will keep food frozen for 24 to 36 hours if the door remains closed.
• Never use charcoal or gas barbecues, camping heating equipment, or home generators indoors. They give off carbon monoxide. Because you can’t smell or see it, carbon monoxide can cause health problems and is life-threatening.
• Use proper candle holders. Never leave lit candles unattended and keep out of reach of children. Always extinguish candles before going to bed. Listen to your battery-powered or wind-up radio for information on the outage and advice from authorities.

Tips

• Make sure your home has a working carbon monoxide detector. If it is hard-wired to the house’s electrical supply, ensure it has a battery-powered back-up.
• Protect sensitive electrical appliances such as TVs, computer, and DVD players with a surge-protecting powerbar.

MAKE AN EMERGENCY PLAN
Every Canadian household needs an emergency plan. It will help you and your family to know what to do in case of an emergency. Remember, your family may not be together when the power goes out.

Start by discussing what could happen and what you should do at home, at school or at work if an emergency happens. To be prepared, make a list of what needs to be done ahead of time. Store important family documents, such as birth certificates, passports, wills, financial documents, insurance policies, etc. in waterproof container(s). Identify an appropriate out-of-town contact that can act as a central point of contact in an emergency. Write down and exercise your plan with the entire family at least once a year. Make sure everybody has a copy and keeps it close at hand. For more information on making an emergency plan, call 1 800 O-Canada or visit www.GetPrepared.ca to download or complete an emergency plan online.

In an emergency you will need some basic supplies. You may need to get by without power or tap water. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.

You may have some of the items already, such as a flashlight, battery-operated radio, food, and water. The key is to make sure they are organized and easy to find. Would you be able to find your flashlight in the dark? Make sure your kit is easy to carry. Keep it in a backpack, duffel bag or suitcase with wheels, in an easy-to-reach, accessible place, such as your front hall closet. Make sure everyone in the household knows where the emergency kit is.

Basic emergency kit
• Water – at least two litres of water per person per day. Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order
• Food that won’t spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (remember to replace the food and water once a year)
• Manual can opener
• Wind-up or battery-powered flashlight (and extra batteries)
• Wind-up or battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
• First aid kit
• Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula and equipment for people with disabilities
• Extra keys to your car and house
• Cash in smaller bills, such as $10 bills (travellers cheques are also useful) and change for payphones
• A copy of your emergency plan and contact information
Tip: You may want to ensure you have a land-line and corded phone in your home, as most cordless phones will not work during a power outage.
Recommended additional items
• Candles and matches or lighter (Do not leave candles unattended. Place candles in sturdy containers and put them out before going to sleep)
• A change of clothing and footwear for each household member
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each household member
• A whistle (in case you need to attract attention)
• Garbage bags for personal sanitation
• Toilet paper and other personal care supplies
• Safety gloves
• Basic tools (hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, fasteners, work gloves)
• Small fuel-driven stove and fuel (follow manufacturer’s directions and store properly)
• Two extra litres of water per person per day for cooking and cleaning.
You can also purchase a pre-packaged emergency kit from the Canadian Red Cross at www.redcross.ca, from the St. John Ambulance/ Salvation Army at www.sja.ca or from retailers across Canada. Visit www.GetPrepared.ca for a list of retailers by province and territory.

Cheers,

Mungo
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Raspberries from the Driveway Bushes

Our neighbour has gone away on vacation for a couple of weeks. I promised him I would take care of the raspberry bushes that border our driveway.


Fresh berries are good.


I have eaten some and put the rest in the fridge.


I think I will make some jam with some later this week.


That is all,


Hope you are enjoying your day!

Mungo

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A Hike in a 200 Acre Wood

This past Thursday, I went for a hike with a couple of friends - Arjuna and Matt - to a 200 acre wood I had found on a map. It seemed fairly promising, and it took only about 50 minutes to drive up the highway to get their from the house.

We took a wrong turn and I pulled off a country road opposite a fellow whose Triumph motorcycle had blown a tire. In exchange for a phone number of a local towing company, he gave us advice on the best way to get to the woods - we were only a road a way from it. A quick U-turn on the road and Arjuna and I were on our way.

Once we found the parking lot, I called Matt and told him about this amazing place, and asked if he'd join us. I think by the time I'd hung up, he already had his knapsack on his back and was out the door.


View Larger Map
Here is the location of the woods.


Arjuna posing by the entrance sign of the York Regional forest.


Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris). The name "campion" means "growing in fields". You can squeeze the flowers to trap air in the bladder or calyx, and then smash the bladder against your hand to create a loud pop as the bladder explodes.


Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris). Such fun.


Unidentified plant. (Anyone?)


Wild raspberry.


Arjuna sorting out his camera equipment. He carries over 600 lbs of camera equipment when he goes for a hike. He compresses it all into a couple of bags.


The forest.


The forest.


The forest.


Arjuna shooting pictures with his 600 lbs of camera equipment.


I left signs engraved in the path to direct Matt to our location as he was to meet up with us later, once he'd arrived. There is a network of paths, so whenever we took one fork or another, I'd leave a sign. It was fairly obvious. On the way back, I noticed that the soil had dried out, and the signs had been obliterated. If it weren't for all of our GPS devices, he might not have found us.


Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris). Its common name derives from wide use as a herbal remedy for throat ailments.


A caterpillar in the woods.


Pine trees in the forest.


More pine trees in the forest.


I believe that these are Lodgepole pines, but I'd have to check.


This is Eastern Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus).


This is Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra). The berries are poisonous. As few as 5 or 6 of them can make you seriously ill.


These are Raspberries. The berries are tasty. They will not make you seriously ill no matter how many you eat.


King Devil (Hieracium pratense).

"The name Hieracium is derived from the Greek 'hierax', meaning hawk; allegedly keen-sighted hawks of yore ate the sap of the brightly coloured plants to sharpen their eye-sight."

Old dead tree limbs (Deadus Treeus Limbus).


Unidentified green berries (anyone?).


Shadows.


Deer print - there were a few about, but the sandy soil wasn't holding evidence very well.


A bird house in the middle of the woods. What the...?


Big lightning-killed birch tree (or so I speculate) - the trunk appeared riven down the trunk.


This birch tree's bark is covered in part with Stereum rugosum, also known as Bleeding Broadleaf Crust.


Big fluffy seed head (Biggus Fluffieus).


Devil's paintbrush, or Orange hawkweed (Pilosella aurantiaca).


Grim-the-collier is also the common name for "Pilosella aurantiaca" (sometimes under the genus "Hieracium").

"By literary & folk tale-spinning, Grim-the-Collier left Hell or Hades in the guise of a physician (one of the devil's favorite disguises) & discovered that mortal women were a lot more desirable than ever he imagined. He ended up abused & heartbroken for his interest, however, & returned to Hell thinking the mortal Earth is much more horrible than his own home.

In some folktales & literary treatments he's permitted a more successful romantic life, but whether doomed or successful at love, he's still a devil. As floriferous hawksweed is still a weed.

This association with the devil is carried over in such names as Devil's Paintbrush & King Devil (though King Devil is more often applied to the bright yellow Hieracium pretense).

It's devilishness probably arose from its capacity to invade freshly upturned soil & displace even native grasses, which for fields & meadows intended to grow fodder for cattle meant ruin to farmers. "

Little tiny grasshopper fellow.


Large split tree.


Wild blackberries that are still red and not ready to snack upon.


A large tree had split at the base, and fallen down a slope.


Mullein shaft, second year.


Mullein shaft, second year - detail.


This Yellowjacket wasp with was feeding on the nectar from Rudbeckia hirta - alternatively known as the following: Black-eyed Susan, Blackiehead, Brown Betty, Brown Daisy, Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba), Gloriosa Daisy, Golden Jerusalem, Poorland Daisy, Yellow Daisy, or Yellow Ox-eye Daisy.

I am known by the name Mungo.


That Silver Birch, covered with Stereum rugosum.


Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta.


Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)


Overlooking the old field that will eventually be transformed into woods, because this region is protected from development.


Wild strawberries.


Milkweed flowers. Carl Linnaeus named the genus after Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of the many folk-medicinal uses for the milkweed plants.


Wild strawberries, hunkered down against some Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense).


Arjuna sat seriously in the tarp tent.


Arjuna remained serious in the tarp tent.


Even as I moved away, he sat seriously in the tarp tent.


Matt threw his knife to embed it in a downed tree trunk. The Gods of Camping rightfully punished him by hurling it back at his knee. Matt staunched the flow of knee blood with a knee blood staunching application of pressure and a knee blood staunching bandana. Matt was thoroughly embarassed. Now that I have published the account of his injury, he has nowhere to hide.

Full disclosure: I subsequently set my finger on fire (as in, there were literally flames coming off of my finger) and my heel on fire because the Gods of Camping punished me for trying to fill up my still-flaming Trangia stove with methanol with a deft pour. Deft, no. Daft, yes. I still have a bandage on the blistered burn of my finger.


Arjuna sat happily in the tarp tent. But in this photograph, he remains seriously serious.


Matt's bloody knee.


Scone mix with water, and fried in oil over the Trangia. I used a little bit of brown sugar to give the mix a nice flavour.


Ready for tea, and waiting for the kettle to boil.


The central guy line of this tarp tent is supported by the two support beams which pitch forwards.


Close-up detail of how the two support beams are loosely bound together.


The lighting was spectacular - the smoke picked up the sun.
(Photo by Matt)


The fire left smoke in the air.
(Photo by Matt)


The fire ended up as a pile of glowing ashes and embers.
(Photo by Matt)


A Raspberry.


Mungo posing in the woods.


Mungo posing in the woods, sans hat, avec fill flash.


A shot of the woods - 200 acres is a large amount of woods...


Eastern Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
(Photo by Arjuna)


Eastern Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
(Photo by Arjuna)


Weathered tree trunk - the area is returning to its natural conditions.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Conifer bough.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Gnarled tree trunk.
(Photo by Arjuna)


A path in the woods
(Photo by Arjuna)


More Field Horsetail.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Gnarled tree trunk.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Me smiling somewhat stiffly in my tarp tent set up.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Me standing satisfied with the fact that it took about 4 minutes to set up my tarp with the fancy new configuration using an A-frame set of 2 boughs.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Field Horsetail.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Mungo making a meal.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Matt and Mungo getting their Trangias lit.
(Photo by Arjuna)


My Trangia stove.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Mixing scone dough.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Getting the oil heated up so I can fry up the scone dough.
(Photo by Arjuna)


I tried frying up little scone fritters in the oil, but it didn't really work.
(Photo by Arjuna)


I made a make-shift spatula from some cedar wood - here I am thinning it out with my Mora.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Matt set about busily shredding some birch bark to make a fire.
(Photo by Arjuna)


Using the non-stick lid of my Trangia kit was more successful - I was able to make a little pancake. I topped it off with brown sugar and we all had one to nibble on. Tasty.
(Photo by Arjuna)


I will plan better next time that I bring scone mix. Each new hike teaches me new lessons each time - i.e. I make mistakes each hike and learn from each one. I guess I could call it hiking and mistaking. Or mis-hiking.
(Photo by Arjuna)


The fire was nice, despite the fact that the temperature was warm. It is just a nice luxury to have a fire.
(Photo by Arjuna)


While the scone mix wasn't very successful, a cup of tea fixed that all up.
(Photo by Arjuna)


When I returned home, James was playing near his play tent.

Cheers,

Mungo

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