Q: I do SAR and have to carry for myself and a subject.  Your 2.0 Bivvy sac is small and light, but for another $25 to $50 and maybe 16 oz more I could get a 40 degree “rated” bag.   I would always carry at least your 2.0 Bivvy but am considering a lightweight down bag for those cold nights.   If your Bivvy was “rated” at 40 – 45 degrees, it would be a no brainier to always carry two of your bags.  Have you done any testing to get a temperature rating on your 2.0 Bivvy?

A: Because adventure racers are often required to carry a 50-degree sleeping bag, we did some testing and found that the S.O.L. Thermal Bivvy (the same one you’re referring to, but with a new name) will work as a primary sleep system down to 50 degrees, as long as you are wearing some light insulating clothing (such as thermal base layers).  You can also use it in conjunction with a sleeping bag to add 10-15 degrees of warmth to the bag.

Q: Which first aid kit would you recommend for a 10 day backcountry hunt. So, size and weight are a concern. I will not have a basecamp and I plan on getting the SOL3 kit.

A: If you’re already going to have survival tools and some medical supplies in your S.O.L. 3 kit, I recommend augmenting them with an Ultralight/Watertight .9 kit.  Without a base camp, you need something that can treat a wide range of injuries but won’t weigh you down too much, and the UL / WT .9 fits that bill exactly.  With a trauma pad and plenty of gauze, it can stop traumatic bleeding from a hunting accident, and there are also supplies to clean and close large wounds, including an irrigation syringe and wound closure strips.

-Jordan Hurder, AMK Product Specialist

Dear AMK:

I just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much I enjoy your medical kits. I’ve used them for several years when traveling in Colorado and Moab. They’ve always served me well when an injury occurs. With this experience, when it came time to update the first aid kit for my SWAT Team I choose to use Adventure Medical Kits. Well, it turned out to be a great choice! Last week we were conducting our “SWAT Applicant Test” and we were on the Missouri River bluffs, outside Leavenworth, Kansas conducting some land navigation courses when one of the SWAT applicants collapsed. We immediately moved the applicant to a cliff and I began evaluating his injury. The first thing I did was grab my AMK “Adventurer” kit and pulled out the “The Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine”. The guide helped me determine that the applicant was suffering from heat stroke and shock. I immediately treated him based on the guide’s advice. We summoned an ambulance and had to evacuate the applicant off the cliff and over a quarter mile down the river bluff and through some dense woods. I’m please to say, that after a two day stay in a local hospital the SWAT applicant is back at work.

I can not stress enough how much your product has helped me in critical
situations and therefore you’ll have a customer for life.

Sincerely,
Paul Carrill, Captain, Platte County Sheriffs Department

Let us know if you have a similar story to share!

“Two years ago, amidst a hailstorm in the middle of the night, I hunkered down and pulled out my space blanket, only to be showered with little metallic shardes that had once been part of the useless clear sheet I held in my hand. Needless to say, that was a miserable night!

Since then, I have been an avid user of the Thermolite 2.0 Bivvy and Emergency Bivvy from Adventure Medical Kits. Whether I’m competing in expedition-length adventure races like Primal Quest or the Adventure Racing World Championship or just out for some training or backpacking, these items are crucial in my gear kit.

Combine one of these bivvies with your choice medical kit from AMK, and you’re good to go. I slept in a single Thermolite 2.0 Bivvy every night at Primal Quest Montana, and the warm sleep provided was paramount in pacing our team to a podium finish.

I highly recommend these products to anyone looking for a high quality emergency or planned-sleep option–and to all of us who have experienced the disheartening shower of metallic shards at 2:00 a.m.!

Travis Macy
Professional Multisport Athlete, Team Salomon/Crested Butte

Share your AMK story or send us feedback!

This was AMK’s 20th Anniversary attending the OR Show – and it seems to just keep getting better.  We always have a great time meeting new people and visiting with industry friends that we know.  Check out some of the pics below to see what our week was like!

Hundreds of buyers spun AMK’s Wheel of Fortune - most walked away with AMK gear, but some ended up dropping and giving us 10 push ups! These guys decided to have a push-up showdown in the main aisle…..not sure who won, but it was fun to watch. One person who landed on the Wheel of Fortune Wild Card used it in a new way – she made AMK’s President Chris Gubera drop and do 10!

Of course, there are always cuts, blisters and other nasty wounds that need to be dealt with at the show.  Lots of attendees drop by for a little help in the first aid department. Below is an image of Frank Meyer, Co-Founder and Marketing Director, helping out one of the attendees who didn’t fare so well on his skateboard that morning.  He was a pretty happy guy after Frank cleaned and covered that wound!

Celebrity sighting in the AMK booth!  Les “Survivorman” Stroud stopped by for a visit. What do you think? Would Les make a good addition to our team? AMK supplied all medical and survival kits, insect repellents and bite treatments — including Ben’s and AfterBite — to the first season production of Survive This, a new live-action teen-targeted reality show hosted by Les, which is currently airing on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on YTV in Canada.

Survivorman met our own Survivor Man! Doug Ritter, Survival expert and founder of Equipped to Survive met Les Stroud at our booth. Doug has worked with AMK for years – he designed the immensely popular Pocket Survival Pak and the new Pocket Survival Pak Plus (scheduled for a 2010 release).

Tradeshows can be a lot of hard work – the sales team spends many hours on their feet speaking with new and potential customers – BUT, it is not all work!  Kyle, Jason, Joe and Chris (along with a few others not pictured) enjoyed some of the post-show festivities!

That is just a quick sample of what our week was like.  Of course, we were lucky to meet up with our friends from International Mountain Guides, Camp Patriot, the Epicocity Project, Jon Bowermaster, Jordan Romero, Robyn Benincasa (adventure racer and founder of Project Athena), and many, many more!  Thanks to all who stopped by and we can’t wait to see everyone again in January at the Winter Show!

Camp Patriot’s adventures are made possible through donations and volunteerism. Follow along with the team at CampPatriot.org and help “Give Back to those who have given”.

If you are interested in attending this event and supporting the team, please contact Kim Roscoe @ 253-332-6207

From Curtis Fawley and Camp Patriot.org

Our plans for this summer’s climb of Mt. Rainier are firmly in place and soon the team will be gathering at Sea/Tac airport anticipating another great adventure. Our group of injured Veterans includes three fantastic individuals each with incredible stories of perseverance. Please see their bios below.

On July 5th we are excited to send our team off on their expedition in style with a “kick off” dinner at the Seattle Seahawks, Qwest Field. This fundraiser will include guest speaker, Ed Viesturs, recently back from his 7th successful summit of Mt. Everest. Ed will have many great stories and photos to share with the team.

On July 6th the climbing team will travel to the town of Ashford, WA – at the base of the Mt. Rainier. In Ashford, we will organize and pack all the climbing gear, food, and supplies necessary for our three days on the 14,411 ft. peak.

Departing early on July 7th, our team will hike up the Muir Snowfield to the 10,000’ elevation of Camp Muir. This will be our base camp for the next three nights. July 8th will be spent training on the Cowlitz Glacier adjacent to Camp Muir. Working on skills such as ice axe arrest, crampon techniques, rope team travel, we will prepare for our summit attempt.

We will begin our ascent to the summit in the darkness of the very early morning hours of July 9th. Climbing under the glow of headlamps for the first hours of the climb, the team will travel roped together, negotiating the crevassed icy glaciers, and narrow rock ledges which are so prevalent on the upper reaches of Mt. Rainier. If all goes well with the team, route, and weather, we should be standing on the summit crater rim by the time most folks are arriving at work down in Seattle.

The Camp Patriot team will break camp early on July 10th, descend the Muir Snowfield back to the trail head of Paradise, and return to Ashford for a big celebration BBQ. The afternoon BBQ is open to the public, so stop by the RMI Base Camp in Ashford to congratulate our heroes for all their successes in life! A small way to pay these guys back for all the sacrifices and commitments they have made to our Country.

All of Camp Patriot’s fantastic adventures are made possible through the generous donations and tireless volunteerism of many true patriots. Follow along with the team at Camp Patriot.org, and help “Give Back to Those Who Have Given”.

And here are our heroes’ stories:

SFC MARIO BARRAGAN
Sergeant First Class, Mario Barragan began his military career in 1990, serving 3 ½ years with the Marines Reserves. In August of 1993, SFC Barragan switched his service to active duty Army and in 1999, he was selected to join Special Operations Command. SFC Barragan is currently stationed at Ft. Bragg; ODA 7126, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

On July 13th, 2008, while engaged in a battle in Kajaki Sofla in the Helmand Province Afghanistan, SFC Barragan’s vehicle struck an IED. SFC Barragan and a member of his team were wounded and one was KIA. SFC Barragan suffered blunt trauma to his face and shrapnel to his right leg. He is now in the last phase of facial reconstruction. Due to loss of 75% of his right mandible and chin, SFC Barragan has gone through 8 facial surgeries with 1 remaining (hopefully) on the 14th of July, 2009. He has also had 3 surgeries to right leg.

SFC Barragan has spent a total of five months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and is now back at Ft Bragg, still travelling to Walter Reed for all his procedures. SFC Barragan is hoping and praying he will be released from medical care in August, returning to what he considers he does best!!!

1LT REINALDO GONZALEZ
1st Lieutenant Reinaldo Gonzalez II is a 26 year old Army Officer from the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. He is a 2006 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations and was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant.

On January 15, 2007, while negotiating an obstacle course in Ranger School, Lieutenant Gonzalez fell 35 feet head first and sustained a C-4 incomplete Spinal Cord Injury, rendering him paralyzed from the neck down. Upon impact, Lieutenant Gonzalez was transferred to the Columbus Regional Medical Center and received continuing care at the Bronx VA Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Tampa VA Medical Center, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and the Shepherd Center. All total, Lieutenant Gonzalez spent more than five months in the hospital and over two years receiving outpatient rehabilitation care.

Today, he can walk, run, and participate in a host of other physical activities. He credits his family for all their support, without which would have drastically impacted the recovery process and prevented him from having a hope of returning to and completing Ranger School.

SFC JESSE YANDELL
Sergeant First Class Jesse Yandell enlisted as an Infantryman in the Army on July 16, 1996. After spending one year at Ft. Lewis, Washington, he was relocated to Schoefield Barracks Hawaii. Upon reaching the Grade of E-5, SFC Yandell volunteered for the 75th Ranger Regiment, completed Ranger Orientation Course, and was reassigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. Since August of 2002, SFC Yandell has deployed in support of the OIF and OEF a total of 10 times, with 6 deployments to Iraq and 4 to Afghanistan.

On the night of October 26 2008, SFC Yandell was conducting a dismounted infiltration in support of a Special Operations Raid in Afghanistan. His Platoon came under intense small arms, rocket, and mortar fire. While SFC Yandell was conducting Casualty Collection Point Operations (CCP) of another wounded Ranger, his CCP was hit by small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade. SFC Yandell was subsequently wounded in the upper left chest. After being evacuated to his next stage of care, it was determined that SFC Yandell had shrapnel throughout his upper chest cavity, and also on the muscle that surrounded his heart. Upon closer evaluation at Hunter Army Airfield, it was deemed that further surgery would be needed for him to continue his service to his country and remain a member of the Ranger Regiment. Jesse then opted for exploratory surgery in the vicinity of his heart, and that surgery turned out to be successful as a 2.7cm piece of shrapnel was removed from the sensitive area.

Currently SFC Yandell is serving as the Battalion Operations NCO for 1st Ranger Battalion and is scheduled to make his unit’s upcoming deployment in support of OEF. He looks forward to conquering the mountain, and being a part of the Camp Patriot Team.

Answer:

Thanks for sharing your frustrations with the Group Size, Trip Duration Rating. Let me share a story with you. Back in 1989 when we launched Adventure Medical Kits, our only kit we sold was the $190 Comprehensive Kit in our current Mountain Series. This was much more comprehensive than anything on the market at the time. An editor from Outside Magazine was reviewing the kit and he asked me what I would take out of the kit to make it lighter and smaller. And I asked him what injury or illness does he not want to be prepared for?. How about taking out Glutose Paste for Insulin Shock or the oral rehydration salts for dehydration? How about taking out the Sawyer Extractor Snake Bite Kit?

A few years later, Dr. Weiss wrote the book, A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine, to help people treat injuries and illnesses when medical care will not arrive. He included “Weiss Advice” improvisational techniques in the book so you can improvise when you don’t have the medical supplies you need. For example, page seven has a tip on how to improvise a CPR barrier using a nitrile glove. The section on treating insulin shock suggests using Glutose Paste but if you don’t have it use sugar granules under the tongue will work. The section on rehydration goes over treating dehydration with oral rehydration salts or an improvised solution using fruit juice, honey and salt. Dr. Weiss’s book is your guide to keeping someone alive until help arrives whether it is two hours or two days away.

Back to the question on classifying kits. We are working on a more sophisticated set of metrics to help people choose the right medical kit for their adventure. While group size and trip duration will be one of the metrics, others like risk factor, hours away from medical care and level of first aid training will come into play as well. Your question is timely and will help spur us on in the development of these new metrics.

Thanks, Frank

Frank Meyer

Marketing Director/Co-Founder

ASK YOUR QUESTION>>> CLICK HERE

Notes from Everest from IMG Expedition Leader Eric Simonson -

IMG’s sherpa team, as always, has done another outstanding job this year. We are proud to recognize that IMG’s sherpas were the first people to summit both Everest and Lhotse this year while putting in the fixed ropes on the route and paving the way for everyone else. We can’t praise them enough!

View from the summit, climbers take the final few steps to the top of Mt. Everest, 29,035′.
(photo: Willie Benegas)

Everest summiters include three members of our awesome Singapore women’s team, Jane, Li Hui, and Esther. US Astronaut and medical scientist Scott Parazynski reached the top along with Dawes Eddy, a remarkable athlete from Spokane, Washington. We believe Dawes has just become the oldest American to ever reach the summit of Everest.

We are also happy to announce IMG summits on Lhotse as reported to the Nepal officials.

Phillipe at the top of the Lhotse Couloir with the Western Cwm below.

The following team members of IMG Lhotse Expedition reached the summit of Lhotse at 07:45am on May 20, 2009:

1. Chhewang Lendu Sherpa of Khumjung VDC Ward #9 Phortse Village — this is Chhewang’s 3rd Lhotse summit (2nd on this trip)
2. Gregory Vernovage (USA)
3. Philippe Robin Arslanian (France)

Greg and Philippe descended today to Base Camp, then headed on down the valley to catch their flights. Before leaving they told the story of their Lhotse climb, which they both described as an amazing adventure that was exciting, strenuous, and challenging.  They left Lhotse Camp 4 above the Geneva Spur with Chhewang Lendu at 1:45am and climbed to the base of the which they reached at 3:00. Then, they ascended straight up the Lhotse Couloir to the summit of the world’s fourth highest peak, reaching the top at 7:45am. From the top they had great views of Everest. They started down at 8:15, and it took them two hours to rapell and arm rapell their way back down to Camp 4 — a steep and direct descent!

Read the full reports here.

WAY TO GO IMG CLIMBERS!

Eric also mentioned that he “spent last night spent last night up at Pumori Camp 1 watching live sherpa helmet cam video come in by microwave from the summit climbers, as part of the Discovery Channel filming.”

“It was pretty exciting to watch, and I will look forward to seeing the show”.

We second that opinion – it will be really interesting to watch the teams on the Discovery Channel this Fall.

By Christopher Van Tilburg, MD

I’ve been chomped by a tick multiple times, as have most people who regularly tramp in the outdoors. It’s creepy — the tick drops onto your skin, burrows in painlessly, and sucks. Its anticoagulant can cause tick paralysis, and these arthropods carry all sorts of infections: Colorado Tick Fever (a virus), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (parasite), Tularemia (a bacteria), and the more commonly known Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease can be scary. Lyme Disease is caused by an inoculation of the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Ticks around the world carry it:  In North America it’s transmitted by deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and the Western black legged tick (Ixodes pacificus). It was first identified in Old Lyme, Connecticut, after a group of kids complained of having a strange pain in their joints and an odd rash. So one might think, No problem — bacteria can be killed by antibiotics. But, there is a problem: Lyme is hard to kill and it can turn chronic. A single bite from a Lyme-carrying tick can require years of treatment and recovery.

THE REAL SCOPE OF LYME DISEASE

Lyme Disease is a widespread, global disease that is poorly understood. According to the CDC, in 2007 there were 27,000 cases in the U.S. and, because of the sometimes-vague symptoms, it may be dramatically underreported. While West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever, and even Swine Flu have gotten press lately, they account for much less illness. For example, in 2007, there were only 3,600 imported cases of West Nile Virus.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Outdoor adventurers should follow standard insect, tick and arthropod preventions when traveling in the backcountry or abroad. Ticks don’t jump or fly, they drop or fall onto humans from trees or grasses. So, long sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into socks is a great start.

Insect repellents, including ones containing DEET like Tender’s Ben’s 100® pump and Ben’s® 30 wipes, work well at warding off Ticks. For people looking for a DEET-free alternative, repellents like Natrapel® 8-hour, which contains 20% of the active ingredient Picaridin, provide protection that’s as effective as DEET. Insecticides with Permethrin also work, and can be sprayed on clothing or impregnated into the fibers of garments.

When in tick country, remember to check your entire body after the day’s hike. Often you have two or three hours before a tick burrows. If it does, your chance of getting Lyme is low if you remove the bugger right away.

HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE A TICK

Once burrowed, ticks are tricky to remove. Don’t try those old wives tales like fingernail polish or a match. The best technique is to use tick or splinter-removal forceps, grabbing as close as possible to the head, and pulling the tick out with slow, gentle pressure. Sometimes I’ve had to wiggle the head gently to unclasp the tick’s pinchers. Unfortunately, many people sever the body from the head. I’ve had to dig out many tick heads in the emergency room. Like all wounds, clean thoroughly with soap and water.

RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF LYME DISEASE – WHAT TO LOOK FOR

How do you know if you have Lyme Disease? First, you will see a circular rash that looks like a target or bull’s eye called erythema migrans, which slowly enlarges. Then, the Lyme bacteria can spread to your body causing fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle and joint aches, headaches and swollen glands. Some patients have these symptoms for several months or years. That’s the big problem with Lyme Disease: It affects multiple parts of the body and may be difficult to diagnose if the initial symptoms go unnoticed. The symptoms can take anywhere between three days to one month or longer to emerge. Twenty percent of people who do not receive treatment develop severe complications within weeks or months after the bite, ranging from heart and neurological problems to severe attacks of arthritis.

If you think you need treatment, see your doctor and let him or her know that you have been bitten by a tick. Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment, but don’t try to treat yourself at home with an old prescription in your medicine cabinet – treatment requires a specific antibiotic, like Doxycycline, with a longer course than typical.

For more information on avoiding bug-borne diseases, visit www.tendercorp.com.
Christopher Van Tilburg, MD, is the editor of Wilderness Medicine and the author of eight books on safety in the outdoors. His most recent book, Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature, is now available in paperback.

North Pole 2009: John and Tyler Detail Their Last Days on the Ice
From the Adventure Blog

A few weeks back John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to complete an unsupported expedition to the North Pole, reaching that point just hours before the last flight out of Barneo Station was set to depart for the season. At the time, we knew that it was a dramatic race to beat the clock, but we really didn’t know exactly how crazy it was until the duo recently updated their blog on the Victorinox North Pole 09 website.

When the post was written back on the 1st of May, the guys were still in Oslo, Norway and still thawing out from their expedition. Both of the men weigh in on the blog, noting that they achieved their goal of reaching the North Pole ten hours before the last plane left, but it certainly wasn’t easy. With just over three days to go they still had many miles to cover if they were going to catch their ride, and so they elected to adopt a new schedule, skiing 12 hours straight, then stopping, sleeping for an hour, then spending another two to three hours in the tent eating and resting, before hitting the trail again. As a result of this, they were able to sleep just three hours over the final 66 hours of the journey.

They also noted that their supplies were perfectly worked out, and coming into the home stretch they were actually able to up the amount of calories they were taking in (to 10,000/day!) which helped the process. More importantly, they had rationed their fuel well enough that the could continue to heat the tent and melt snow for drinking water. When they reached the Pole, they had enough fuel left for two more days on the ice.

When they finally reached their final destination, they had hoped it would be cause for celebration, and while there was a feeling of great accomplishment, it was more a sense of relief and disbelief that they were finally done. I’m not sure what they were worried about though, they made it with ten hours to spare!

Great read. Really hits home with what these teams go through, and why their scheduling is so important.

Congratulations to  John and Tyler on their epic expedition and success.

April 27, 2009 – from Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Today was another good one for the IMG team. The weather cooperated and the wind died down, allowing five sherpas to carry to the Col. Four more went to C3, where they set up more tents. Climbing to Camp 3 today were Kamen, Petya, Karel, and Dawes, who are now all spending the night there with their personal sherpas. Hamill and his crew, along with John and Chris, took an acclimatization climb to the base of the Lhotse Face today. Vernovage and his Lhotse team ascended to C2, along with the Singapore team. Shea moved up to C1. Scott, Ed, and Rejean descended to BC.

Camp 3 at 23,500′ midway up the step Lhotse Face.  Climbers begine sleeping on oxygen here, and crampons must be used outside of tents to move around on the ice.

We had additional sherpas carries today to C1 and C2, and tomorrow we have a number of sherpas moving to C2 to start making carries to the Col. So, things are rolling and we are shooting to get C4 at the Col well established in the next few days, as weather allows. Jangbu has a meeting scheduled tomorrow with a number of the sirdars of the various teams to start making plans to fix above the Col.

You can follow the IMG team’s progress on their Everest 2009 Blog.

I took an Ultralite .5 First Aid kit and added these Adventure Medical Kit items: 1 person HeatSheets Blanket, Signal mirror, Firestarter, & Whistle.

It is compact, fits easily in a pocket and weighs about 7 oz. Plus it looks cool!

My two cents. Kurt

Response:

Thanks for the comment Kurt! Our Product Development team loves to hear feedback from our customers about how they use our products.  Keep the ideas coming….

If you have a story or product idea to share with us, you can submit the info using this form.

Do you recommend adding Celox powder to first aid kits? My situation is carrying the master FAK for a crew of 8-10 scouts and adults for 10+ days backpacking at Philmont.

Thanks, Dan

Answer:

Dear Dan,

I do recommend carrying a “Hemostatic dressing” for adventures like yours where the activities are higher risk and the remoteness of your adventure means professional medical care will not arrive quickly.

AMK prefers using QuikClot® instead of Celox because of its ease of use. QuikClot® contains the mineral zeolite which has a tremendous capacity to absorb fluids. The zeolite is contained in a sterile mesh pouch which you simply place over the wound and apply direct pressure. The zeolite beads quickly absorb the smaller water molecules out of the blood and leaves the platelets and other clotting factors in the wound to form a strong clot.

The advantage to a mesh pouch is that in higher wind conditions the beads won’t blow away and you can apply the QuikClot® dressing no matter what position the patient is in i.e. hanging from a harness or rope. When QuikClot® first came out it was a pretty “hot” clotting agent. Temperatures of the dressing would reach 135F. causing burns to the skin. QuikClot® is now pre-loaded with water so that the dressing reaches only 105F, about the temperature of a hot tub. What is interesting to note is why the QuikClot® dressing gets hot. The heat in the dressing is generated by the speed of the water molecules moving from the blood to the zeolite mineral beads.

You can buy QuikClot® here. or click here to learn more.

Have a great trip.

Frank Meyer
Adventure Medical Kits
Marketing Director and Co-Founder

ASK YOUR QUESTION>>> CLICK HERE

The wonderful product donations for Trips for Kids and Trips for Kids Marin arrived, and we want to be sure you know how very much we – and the other chapters – appreciate AMK’s generosity!

Simple bike rides sound as if they should be easy to plan and manage, but a LOT goes on behind the scenes. All the pieces have to be in place for successful trips. AMK helps us serve worthwhile community agencies and delight deserving kids. We are grateful for the valuable part your organization plays.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Price, Founder and Director

Helen Cameron, Communication and Outreach

Learn more at www.tripsforkids.org

Check out these great tips found on REI.com

Together they form the first of the time-tested Ten Essentials—map and compass, the indispensible twin tools of navigation. Even in this high-tech GPS era, nothing replaces the value of a magnetized compass, a paper map and the understanding of how both can help you find your way in the wilderness.

Seek Instruction

This article and accompanying videos provide an overview of 2 primary navigational tools, map and compass. But even watching and reading every word will not turn any person into a skilled backcountry navigator.

REI strongly encourages outdoor adventurers to take a course in navigation with ample field practice to build up your skills and confidence. The REI Outdoor School offers such classes in selected U.S. cities. Local outdoor and mountaineering organizations also offer similar courses. Be sure to seek one out.

Basic Tools

Map

Simple trail maps, the line-drawing variety often found in guidebooks, are useful for trip planning but NOT for navigation in the field. To safely find your way in wilderness terrain, you need the detail provided by topographic maps.

So know your maps:

Basic (planimetric) maps:

• Examples: Traditional road maps; hand-sketched trail maps provided in visitor-center handouts.
• Appearance: Flat, 2-dimensional, horizontal view of land areas showing roads, rivers and trails.
• Attributes: They display points of interest (viewpoints, trail junctions) and routes that connect them, but offer no perspective on elevation variances. Thus they may make the distance to your destination appear to be modest, but they will not indicate if a deep valley or high ridge must be crossed in order to reach it.
• Usage: OK for following a simple nature trail or making a short trip on a well-defined trail system, but insufficient for navigation should you head deep into the wilderness or step off an established path.

Topographic (topo) maps:

• Examples: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangles; customized commercial and downloadable map products.
• Appearance: Areas of varying colors (or shades of gray) are overlaid with “squiggly” contour lines. Together they combine to give trained eyes a mental picture of the elevation variances in a landscape. Tightly spaced contour lines, for example, indicate steeper terrain.
• Attributes: Their ability to convey the physical relief (the highs and lows) of a landscape enables you to orient yourself in the field by identifying prominent natural features—peaks, ridgelines or valleys. They also show the location of prominent man-made features such as roads and towns.
• Usage: Always the best choice for any type of wilderness travel, from day trips to extended expeditions. Even if you’re hiking on what you believe is an established, well-signed, can’t-get-lost trail system, a topo map remains a helpful tool when you reach a viewpoint and want to identify peaks and landmarks with certainty.

Compass

Every backcountry explorer needs at least a basic compass that includes a magnetized needle floating within a liquid-filled housing.

More sophisticated compasses offer useful features such as a sighting mirror or declination adjustment, but a basic compass includes all the essentials needed for navigation—magnetized needle, rotating bezel ring, orienting lines, index (degree) lines (north is 0°/360°, east is 90°, south is 180° and west is 270°) and line-of-direction (orienting) arrow.

Why not rely exclusively on a watch or GPS receiver that includes a compass? Because those are battery-reliant devices, and batteries may expire or electronic circuitry can malfunction. You need the dependability of a compass that relies only on earth’s magnetic fields.

Understanding Topo Maps

A topographic map helps you envision the appearance of terrain between 2 points. Such knowledge enables you to plan the best route of travel between them.

How Do Topo Maps Describe the Terrain?

Contour lines: They connect points on the map that share the same elevation, providing a 3-dimensional perspective of the landscape. Tightly packed contour lines indicate steep terrain; widely spaced lines indicate relatively level terrain. Contour lines never intersect.

Contour interval: Contour lines are separated at specific elevation intervals. Intervals may vary by individual map, appearing every 20, 40, 80, 100 or 200 feet. But the interval used on a single map (say, 80 feet) remains consistent throughout that map. A map’s chosen contour interval is identified in the margin of each map.

Index contour lines: Every fifth contour line is the index contour line. Usually the line is slightly bolder and intermittently includes the elevation (usually the number of feet above sea level) of all points on that line.

Scale: Beyond the ratio scale (described later in this article), a map includes a horizontal graphic scale. It displays how a measurement on the map (1 inch, for example) equates to miles/kilometers of terrain covered by the map.

Colors and shading: Darker colors (or shades of gray) represent dense vegetation. Lighter colors (particularly greens) or shades of gray indicate comparatively sparse vegetation. Lighter colors (such as beige) or no colors suggest open terrain. White spaces with blue edges indicate permanent snowfields or glaciers.

Magnetic declination diagram: Printed in the margin of the map, this diagram shows the difference (declination) between magnetic north (indicated by the MN symbol) and true north (or polar north, indicated by a star symbol).

Grid: Numbers displayed around the edge of a map represent two grid systems that can be used to determine your location.

• Latitude and longitude: Exact L&L numbers are displayed in the corners of maps and at equal intervals between the corners.
• Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM): This system, used primarily by the military, divides the earth’s surface into a number of zones.

Combined, all of the above can enable you to determine your elevation, the ruggedness of the terrain around you and the most desirable route to travel to reach a destination.

Choosing a Topo Map

Two factors play a role when you evaluate maps: Scale and content.

Scale

A map’s ratio scale conveys the relationship between a measurement on the map and the distance it represents on the terrain. The most popular USGS maps offer a scale of 1:24,000, which means 1 inch (or foot, or any unit of measure) on the map represents 24,000 inches on the ground.

Mapping software makes it possible to create customized maps that offer a larger scale (say, 1:12,000 or lower) to provide greater detail. Customized commercial maps are also sometimes created at these larger scales. This is especially useful for off-trail explorers who want to choose passageways through saddles or passes that offer the least resistance.

The downside: Such maps cover a small area. People who undertake 1-way, multiday trips along a linear route often choose small-scale maps (1:50,000 or 1:62,500, for example). These maps cover a lot of land area but offer less detail. When terrain becomes very steep, contour lines runs so closely together that they appear almost as blobs rather than lines.

So if you’re a long-distance traveler, a small-scale map will give you a good overview of the territory you’re exploring (much as a road map does). The good news: You don’t have to carry a dozen or so maps to cover your trip. But if you decide to go off-trail in a certain area, all a small-scale map may offer you is a clot of tiny, tightly packed lines—likely not enough detail to make wise navigational decisions.

Note: The terms “small-scale” and “large-scale” can be confusing to beginners since ratios get smaller as their denominators get larger. Remember this: 1:24,000 is a larger scale than 1:250,000, since the fraction 1/24,000 is larger than 1/250,000.

Content

Some commercial (non-USGS) maps include additional features that can be valuable to some users. They include:

• Highlighted trails
• Elevation call-outs
• Distances between trail junctions and landmarks
• Primitive trails
• Backcountry campsites
• Springs
• Highlighted boundary lines

These additions, even GPS coordinates and personal notations, can be inserted onto maps when created using mapping software.

Map Options

USGS Quadrangles

The USGS is the major supplier of topographic maps in the United States. USGS maps cover rectangular areas of land called quadrangles. The borders of these maps are determined by latitude lines, longitude lines and the smaller divisions between them (minutes). Every square mile of the U.S. is covered by USGS maps, and each map lines up flush with the others around it.

• Pros: USGS quads are easy to find, easy to use and easy to fit together when your trail crosses over onto an adjacent map (the borders match exactly, and the titles of adjacent maps are printed on the borders of each map).
• Cons: They typically provide limited trail information. Plus their information is sometimes dated. It’s not uncommon to find that the location, even the existence, of roads, bridges, trails and shorelines have changed since the map was printed.

Commercial Maps

Private map companies sometimes enhance existing topographic maps with highlighted features or, more commonly, create customized maps that focus on popular areas that attract lots of visitation (and therefore potential customers).

• Pros: Such maps not only have key features (primarily trails) highlighted, they are updated regularly. Release dates are usually found near the scale or the magnetic declination diagram.
• Cons: Higher cost; some remote yet scenically worthwhile areas are not covered by such maps.

Mapping Software

This is an exciting, ever-evolving category of products that allows computer-savvy adventurers to create customized maps. Choose a scale that best suits your needs, insert notes and reminders, toss in GPS coordinates, print it at home on waterproof paper. Nice.

• Pros: It’s hard to beat a map customized to the exact scope of your trip.
• Cons: Higher initial cost; some degree of computer sophistication is required.

Local Maps

Many government-owned public lands (national parks, national forests, state parks, recreational areas) produce their own maps to cover the land inside their boundaries. Some are free handouts (but usually planimetric). Some handouts focus on a specific trail.

• Pros: An entire park or area is encompassed on a single map, usually with information about roads, attractions and trails. Some get regular updates.
• Cons: If they are topographic, they usually are small-scale (meaning minimal detail), and they can be expensive.

Taking Compass Bearings

A compass makes wilderness navigation possible by enabling you to accurately gauge directions from your current position to identifiable landmarks throughout the terrain that surrounds you.

The most basic function a compass provides is pointing north (magnetic north, that is). An orienteering-style compass allows you to assign a numeric value (a “bearing”) to any direction in the 360° circle around you. This means you can head toward a specific spot rather than simply ambling “south-southwest” or “due east.”

The rotating bezel of a compass is used to convert general compass directions into specific bearings. A bezel’s outer edge includes index (degree) lines that breaks down the 360° circle into 2° or 5° increments.

A bezel measures the direction towards a given object in terms of an angle—specifically, the clockwise angle between a straight line pointing due north and a straight line pointing toward the object. This bezel allows you to express any specific direction as a number between 0° and 360°.

Why is it useful to know that your campsite lies on a bearing of 40° instead of “to the northeast”? Because precise navigation results in efficiency, safety and speed.

Following a bearing off by just 1° can translate into almost 100 feet of error after 1 mile. That means that after a 5-mile hike, you could miss your target by almost 500 feet. In the wilderness, a few dozen feet can mean the difference between spotting a campsite or other landmark and missing it completely.

Transferring Bearings

On most backcountry excursions, especially those planned by beginners, compass navigation is seldom necessary. Simply following the trail carefully and checking your map from time to time should get you from campsite to campsite safely.

But if you become disoriented, or are just feeling confidently adventurous, a compass becomes a splendidly useful tool.

For example, if you know your location on the map, you can take a bearing on an unseen target elsewhere on the map and head toward that destination simply by following the bearing—even though your objective is not yet visible. Check out our video for a visual demonstration of how to transfer a bearing from map to compass:

1. Identify your position and your objective on the map. Connecting those two points creates a line on the map (which you can either visualize or physically draw on the map).
2. Align the edge of your compass with that line.
3. Rotate the bezel so its orienting lines run parallel with the map’s orienting lines (which point to true north). This means the actual bearing have been captured at the front of the compass.
4. Take the compass and turn your body until the magnetic needle lines up with the orienting arrow on the compass. At point, you will be facing the direction that will lead to your chosen objective.

You can rearrange the process and use a compass to take a bearing off a real-world object (one that is known to be on your map) and transfer that information to the map to identify your location even if you are uncertain of your whereabouts in the field. Our companion video illustrates these steps:

1. Hold the compass level and aim the front of it at an object.
2. Rotate the bezel until the magnetic needle is aligned with the orienting arrow of the compass.
3. Locate the object on the map and place the edge of the compass on that object.
4. With the edge still tight against the object, and without touching the dial, turn the entire compass until the orienting lines within the bezel line up with the orienting lines on the map.
5. The edge of the compass forms a line on the map, and you now know you are somewhere along that line.

Triangulation

Triangulation is a technique that involves a map, a compass and 2 separate landmarks. It can pinpoint your position on your map even if you have no idea where you are. We demonstrate the following guidelines in our companion video:

1. Pick 2 distant landmarks that you can easily identify on your map. They should be at least 60° apart.
2. Take a bearing off of each object.
3. Transfer those bearing to your map.
4. Each bearing will form a line. Where the lines cross marks your location.

Magnetic Declination

As stated earlier in this article, the magnetized needle of a compass points toward magnetic north (abbreviated MN), but topo maps are oriented toward true north (or polar north, sometimes represented by a star symbol). Depending where you are located, the difference could be substantial—10°, 15°, 20° or more. Learn how to compensate for it by watching our video.

1. Find your map’s magnetic declination diagram, usually in the margin’s lower-right corner.
2. The original goal when taking a bearing is to align the magnetized needle with the orienting arrow.
3. The magnetized needle must then be adjusted to the degree indicated by your map’s magnetic declination diagram. Use the index (degree) lines on the edge of the bezel.
4. As you navigate, ensure that your needle is not pointed at magnetic north, but to the declination degree.

The trek from Namche to Tengboche.

March 31, 2009

IMG expedition leader Eric Simonson called in to say that yesterday the team hiked from Namche to Tengboche Monastery at 12,700′, and then went a little further to spend the night in Pangboche.

Today the team will be moving up to Pheriche at around 14,000′ where they’ll spend the night and have a rest day, acclimating and doing some short hikes. In Pheriche they’ll also meet with the HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association) who have established a clinic in Pheriche and treat anyone who needs their help for a nominal fee. They meet with climbing and trekking expeditions to better prepare them for altitude issues and other potential mountaineering health issues.

IMG Everest Team 2009 – Group Dinner / First Meeting in Kathmandu

All is well, and everybody is doing fine. Typical for the Khumbu Valley in the Spring, the weather is cold and clear in the mornings with some light (but melting away) snow in the afternoons.

]]> http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/blog/2009/04/international-mountain-guides-daily-everest-updates-available/feed/ 0 http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/blog/2009/04/ed-viesturs-dave-hahn-and-first-ascent-team-document-everest-expedition-progress/ http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/blog/2009/04/ed-viesturs-dave-hahn-and-first-ascent-team-document-everest-expedition-progress/#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:57:04 +0000 admin http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/blog/?p=228 The First Ascent Teamis on their way to Everest and they are documenting the expedition process on YouTube.  There are already four videos on the site, and it’s clear the team is making good progress. They arrived in Lukla two days ago and you can checkout that arrival in the video below.

The star-studded team is comprised of world renowned mountaineer Ed Viesturs, expedition leader and nephew of Jim Whittaker (the first American to summit Everest) Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, who’s summited Everest ten times, and three top guides from Rainier Mountaineering, Melissa Arnot, Seth Waterfall, and Chad Peele.

The Resort Sports Network (RSN), a national television network that specializes in creating and distributing outdoor content to America’s premier resorts, has announced it will begin airing AMK’s ‘Be Safe’ video segments starting in April. Hosted by high altitude mountaineer Ed Viesturs, the ‘Be Safe’ vignettes were designed to provide viewers with useful tips on first aid, safety and survival in the outdoors.   Based in Portland, Maine, RSN broadcasts content into 125 mountain and beach destinations across the country. Currently, RSN has affiliates in the following markets:

Aspen, CO
Bend, OR
Crested Butte, CO
Destin, FL
Key West, FL
Killington, VT
Lake Tahoe, CA
Loon, NH
Mammoth, CA
Mount Snow, VT
Myrtle Beach, SC
North Conway, NH
Panama City, FL
Park City, UT
Salida/Buena Vista, CO
Smugglers’ Notch, VT
Snowshoe, WV
Steamboat, CO
Stowe, VT
Stratton/Bromley/Okemo, VT
Sugarbush, VT
Sugarloaf, ME
Summit County, CO
Sun River, OR
Sun Valley, ID
Sunday River, ME
Telluride, CO
The Hamptons, NY
Vail, CO
Winterpark, CO

Reba & Matthew at the Stage 3 start line.

Absa Cape Epic, Stage 3 – by Rebecca Rusch, Mar 24

Although relatively short at only 73k, stage three packed a wallop.  Just shy of half-way, we encountered a 2,000 ft climb, the vast majority of which was too steep, loose and rocky to ride. The summit ridge offered astonishing views of the incredible hill country known as The Overberg (over the mountains).  Although this climb was the crux of the day, it was by no means the only challenge.

After a howling fast start straight up a 1,000 ft. + loose double-track, followed by several kilometers of loose, challenging, off-camber vineyard service roads, we found our adventure racing backgrounds serving us well as we marched up a steep trail that would take us to the summit of the Boskloof, the tallest mountain in the region. With our bikes on our shoulders, we steadily worked our way through the field on the long hike and eventually saw the 3rd and 4th place mixed teams in the overall standings. Knowing that this was our best shot at moving into the top four in the overall standings, we pushed relentlessly seeking seconds wherever we could find them.

The picturesque village of Greyton, sitting snugly against the mountains, was our destination, and after the insanely fast descent (max speed 35mph), we joined up with a pack of ex-roadies who stormed towards the final grinder climbs. Our legs had a hard time shifting from big-ring ripping to granny-gear grinding, but our minds were willing: we crossed the line in 5th, again, solidifying our overall position but failing to budge one step higher.

Reba doing some “sand surfing”…check out the sand tracks/ruts on the right.
Photo courtesy Gary Perkin.

After the race, we agreed that we couldn’t have gone any faster or raced together any better than we did. No flats, solid tactics, the courage to attack a hard course, no mistakes, good nutrition and hydration… it is a wonderful feeling to know that you’ve left it all on the trail, and that those who beat you were simply stronger on the day.

Even after a tough day of riding, still plenty of smiles at the finish line for Stage 3.

We also wanted to share our observations on the total professionalism of the team that is supporting us. Benno and Dylan, our mechanics, strip our bikes down every night, clean the chains link-by-ink, install fresh rubber every night (and even modify the tread for increased traction) and even use bike shine to make sure our rides are fully pimped at the line. And Claire and Natasha, our soigneurs, wake us with coffee, wash our clothes every day, massage the day’s punishment from our legs and generally make sure that we are presentable when we go to the line.

And, in terms of psyche, it’s never a bad thing to be sharing a designated mobile home slot with the team that has won every single stage of the race so far… although the groupies and journalists are starting to get a bit tedious!

Cheers for now…time to rest up for another grueling 114 km in Stage 4.
Reba

Note:
She and Matthew are still going strong and finished the stage in 5th place (in the mixed division) and retain their overall 5th place after the prologue and 3 stages of racing. Four more stages of racing to go…stay tuned. As a point of interest, there are still 510 ranked teams (1020 riders) in the race…out of the 1200 that started Stage 1.
Follow Rebecca’s progress on her blog.

We want your feedback! AMK is re-designing our Ultralight & Watertight medical kit series, and we are looking for feedback from our loyal customers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

We are asking you to take a brief (less than 5 minute) survey today, and another short follow up survey next week.  Your feedback will be used to help us design the new kits.

Of course, there is a bonus! For your time and effort, you will receive either a 30% discount off your next AMK order, or a gift worth $15.

Thank you and BE SAFE! TAKE THE SURVEY HERE >>>>>>

The Team at Adventure Medical Kits