The Disabled Hiker

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Lost in the Woods, Part 3.

Just in Case

Sitting in the woods, I began to realize that while I may indeed be lost, that at least I've learned how to take some precautionary measures over the years. Strangely enough, this is not due to how many times I've gotten lost over the years, but from of all the times that I've recognized the potential for becoming lost.

There are many levels to what people call survival these days. But for the purposes used here on The Disabled Hiker, I like to label them the...
"what if I got lost, survivalists."

So no, we're not looking to live in the woods for weeks on end with nothing but a toothbrush and a loincloth.
We are just trying to survive long enough that we can either be rescued... or find our way out of a sticky situation ourselves.

So making a leave at home Safety Map is a great place to start.

Besides showing the possible search location for rescue party's, adding details and making your own maps can help show rescuers details they might not see on available maps of the area. Springs, caves, campsites, and other small details are rarely if ever on available maps. So these details are a godsend to search & rescue personnel.

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While some have been bold enough to refer to me as some kind of survival expert, I am continually reassuring them that they are vastly mistaken. Terms like survival expert tend to scare those who truly understand what those words imply. So if anyone has me on some list of survival experts somewhere, I'd be the first one to scratch my name from that list.

I was once given an interesting piece of wisdom that was formed into a kind of joke I keep very close by when thinking about survival.

Q; What do you call a dead survival expert? ...
A: an EX-survival expert.

I know... not very funny is it.
But I don't think it's supposed to be either.

Although I'm sure there are those who use the term strictly for descriptive purposes, forgive me for saying it, but it's hard to turn over a proverbial rock these days without finding a survival expert under it.

The term survival expert itself seems to fly in the face of something far too fragile to be depended on with any amount of certainty, even if you are an "expert". But it's a well-known fact that often survival has absolutely nothing to do with equipment or knowledge but simply the will to keep going, to keep simply making that next step for survival and little more. And yes... even if those things you do fail completely.

I like to think that the student of survival has a chance because they never stop learning long enough to die from giving up. In fact, I'd much rather be known as a student than an expert in anything. The word expert implies that you know everything and therefore have a responsibility to always be right.

But that's not how life works, does it? And me, well... I always feel there is always far more to learn than has been learned.

Therefore, although I've offered a lot of ideas on survival equipment in part 3 of "Lost in the Woods", my intention was more to demonstrated a thought process far beyond the actual equipment itself.
To demonstrate the creative nature that resides in all of us that not only has us thinking outside of the box, but then turning that box into something useful too.

Hope you enjoy part 3 of
Lost in the Woods.

Note: Sorry everyone. Due to my continuing health problems and further complicated by computer software issues that have slowed my usual process, Episode five will be coming out a bit later and released at a slower rate of speed than usual. I want to thank all of you for your patience, kindness, and understanding concerning this delay and will be doing my best to get things out as quickly as possible.

Thank you all so much for watching.

Please remember to

like share subscribe and comment

Be well ... and Happy Hiking!

Produced by: Terry Craig,

The Disabled Hiker

Assistant editor: Dave Deubler

Photos & video by: Larry Deitch,

& Terry Craig,

Featuring music by: Mad Mme. Em
&
T.Craig

Disclaimer: This blog, written articles, video presentations, and all content within are not intended to take the place of professional medical advice. Please consult your Doctor before making any changes to your treatment plan and/or changes to your exercise routine.

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Saturday, January 7, 2017

Lost in the Woods, Part 2.

Morning Coffee with a Coffee Cretin

A review of

Trader Joe's Pour-Over Coffee

Rain or shine ... through rain, sleet, and hail ... you'll always find one item tucked in amongst my most essential gear.

That magical elixir of the bright eyed and bushy tailed...

That aromatic siren of the exhausted, hung over and searching...

That which calls to both the wild in the civilized inside us all ...

Coffee!

So when a good friend, Diane Olans, sent me a packet of Trader Joe's Pour Over Coffee, it went right in the bag.

When hiking or backpacking there are definitely items that you find yourself packing that you can only define as "comfort gear". That is, those items that you could surely live without, but choose not to due to their ability to make life all the more pleasant, even in the most uncomfortable of situations.

But coffee has a few surprises up its sleeves to. Besides having the ability to warm you from the inside out and combating hypothermia, coffee can be useful when treating minor headaches and even migraines,
used as a first aid measure for asthma attacks,
and as a very effective emergency clotting agent for open and bleeding wounds. Oddly enough, people who have used it as a clotting agent also note that it has some pain relieving abilities as well.

So I guess you could say, coffee has a lot more uses than meets the eye, nose, or mouth.

So without further delay...

Part 2 of Lost in the Woods.

Morning Coffee with the Coffee Cretin.

Enjoy

Or... click here to go to my YouTube channel
Ep-5, Part 2 of Lost in the Woods on YouTube

Thank you all so much for watching.

Please remember to
like

share

subscribe

and comment

Be well ... and Happy Hiking!

Produced by: Terry Craig,
The Disabled Hiker

Assistant editor: Dave Deubler

Photos & video by: Larry Deitch,

& Terry Craig,

Featuring music by: Mad Mme. Em
&
T.Craig

Check out these other great links from

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Friday, December 23, 2016

The Disabled Hiker, eps 5, Lost in the Woods, pt-1, GETTING LOST

Each year hundreds of hikers and backpackers are reported missing.
And although the reasons and circumstances leading to these reports greatly vary, they all seem to only end in one of three ways. That is, that the party was found alive ... found deceased ... or is still missing.

"Lost in the Woods" is intended to be my first sub-series created with the intent of instilling some of the basic survival skills needed to keep the adaptive day hiker or backpacker safe long enough for rescue by the search party or even an attempt at self rescue. Although this series is intended to be only a feature in the yearly episode, I wanted to kick off the series by dedicating an entire episode to this worthwhile and possibly life-saving topic.

To quote some unknown survival guru ...
"Knowledge is in the equipment that you can never forget at home."

Whereas I do not consider myself to be a survival expert, I am considered by many to be a collector of life skills that are proven to be very useful in a survival situation. And adapting these skills to my "new normal" has been a foregone conclusion over the last 20 years.

Click on the video below to begin the journey.

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As anyone who knows anything about actually using survival skills will tell you, practicing these skills is key above all else. Without practicing these skills you are forced to learn how to work their magic within the madness, panic, and mayhem of the actual emergency situation they were intended to help you out of. Without repeated practice in different situations and weather conditions you may find out how truly unprepared you are for the real thing should the time come.

A good example of this is how most people seem totally unprepared for how hard even the simplest of fire making devices can be in a cold, wet, or windy environment. There's an element of panic that rushes over you as the rain is pouring down your back and the wind is howling in your ear, your hands shaking so bad you can hardly use your fingers... and that's when you start to realize it.
That some things are really hard even with practice.

As a matter of point, please keep in mind that there is no way that I could think of everything or hope to demonstrate it all in one episode. But I'll get around to it eventually. But in the meantime I urge you to continually learn and practice new survival skills on your own.
And who knows, maybe you'll be teaching me a few things.

Note: Sorry everyone. Due to my continuing health problems and further complicated by computer software issues that have slowed my usual process, Episode five will be coming out a bit later and released at a slower rate of speed than usual. I want to thank all of you for your patience, kindness, and understanding concerning this delay and will be doing my best to get things out as quickly as possible.

Thank you all so much for watching.

Please remember to
like share subscribe and comment

Be well ... and Happy Hiking!

Produced by: Terry Craig,
The Disabled Hiker

Assistant editor: Dave Deubler

Photos & video by: Larry Deitch,

& Terry Craig,

Featuring music by: Mad Mme. Em
&
T.Craig

Check out these other great links from

THE DISABLED HIKER.

The Disabled Hiker on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kjY2wAfE8uq_1gwYihVog

Thursday, October 27, 2016

GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier - a review by Terry Craig, The Disabled Hiker

If you would ask my wife, she would probably tell you that I have three

hiking gear obsessions that at least equal her obsession with purses and shoes. Inner-marital battles aside, she may have a point.

The first would be sleeping bags. (One for every 30° in temperature rating between 70° and -20°F.)

The second would be tents. (lightweight and inexpensive, I have 4 total.)

And last would be water filters/purifiers. All featuring different levels of filtration and/or purification to the water. All totaled between water purification tablets, filter bottles, and pump filters I have seven different methods and levels of water treatment at my disposal.

All of these items were accumulated over what seems like a lifetime of hiking experiences. But I don't think of any of these items as simply "extra equipment. Over time, I've learned how to dial in the specific equipment I wish to carry with me on any particular hike depending on the particulars of the environment I will be passing through and the conditions I will find there. And why should water purification be any different?

Interestingly enough, unlike sleeping bags and tents that have lasted me 30 years or more, when it comes to water filters/purifiers, this is simply not the case. It became apparent to me early on that all water treatment devices were only as good as your ability to get filter inserts or cartridges for them. And once that ability was gone it became even more disappointing to have to throw out the whole device simply because they stopped making filter inserts and cartridges for them. This led to an early revelation that spending huge amounts of money on water purification was just unsound economically.

Understandably, it would be hard to expect any company to keep making a product for 30 years without change or modification. And what lies

beyond this need for modification is the fact that water filters and purifiers have significantly improved over the last 30 years. And the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier stands as the latest testament to these improvements.
Removing 99.9999% of viruses, (e.g. Rotavirus, Norovirus, Hepatitis A, ...)
99.9999% of bacteria, (e.g. E. coli, Salmonella, Cholera, Shigella, ...)
99.9999% of protozoan cysts, (e.g. Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Amoebae,)
NOTE: The GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier does not classify as a water desalination device.

The GRAYL Ultralight steps beyond the normal ability's of water filters by also removing particulates like sediment and salt as well as many chemicals like chlorine and iodine. And then, as if that wasn't enough, it also removes heavy metals like lead and arsenic too.

When totaling all the facts, the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier not only far surpasses the capabilities of any of the drinking bottle type water treatment devices I've used in the past, but it is quite possibly the most thorough water purification system I've ever used... Period.

Because of my physical issues, the first time I used the GRAYL Ultralight in the field I found myself a bit concerned on a couple fronts. First, that I would not be able to find a level enough surface to operate the GRAYL's press, yet be close enough to the water that I wasn't continually getting up and moving between two separate areas either. And second, that like all the other pump handle, piston pump, and squeeze bottle filter/purifiers out there, I would almost certainly end up having to put an arthritic pain warning on the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier as well. But as you all know, I'm not the type to give up that easily and I soon found myself devising a plan to create the perfect work-around.

Using the GRAYL Ultralight on a number of rocky and uneven surfaces quickly put the first of these concerns to bed as I intentionally use the press on a wide variety of different surfaces. Even still, this ultralight water purifier seemed remarkably stable despite my prior concerns. But I knew the hand pain warning was going to be a bit more of an obstacle to overcome.

However, unlike other water treatment products in the past, I soon found a great DIY fix for using the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier in spite of one's arthritis and other painful conditions that affect dexterity and cause pain that makes using the hands difficult.

Note: you may want to get a little help with this DIY project for making the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier even more user-friendly than it already is.

I had a great summer testing out the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier and putting it through its paces. And no matter whether I was filtering from a pristine mountain spring, or from the edge of a beaver pond, I got the same results. i.e. clean ... safe drinking water.

Take a look at what I found out.

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TDH Note: GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier
manufacturer; GRAYL inc.

* Pack weight – 11.25 oz. total.
* Pack size – 2.7/8 in. wide (cylindrical) X 9.5/8 hi
* Max. capacity – 16 fluid ounces

1. Initial appearance & impressions upon delivery. – Handsome packaging. I really loved all the information on the outside of the box. This information answered nearly every in-store question I had about the filter. I like to approach the opening of a product upon delivery as if I had just stumbled across the product in my favorite hiking store. It's all there... from how the filter works, to exact specifications and all that can be expected from the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier. Should I have come across the GRAYL as an in-store purchase, I feel I would be very confident in the purchase and what I was getting with this particular ultralight water purifier.
2. Comparative price – $59.50 + S&H

3. How easy is the product to set up and use? –
* The GRAYL Ultralight comes pre-assembled and ready to use. But it is highly recommended by the manufacturer to filter two presses (one liter) of water through the press to flush any loose particles from the carbon filter before taking your first drink. Of course this flushing process is typical of most (if not all) filters that use activated carbon within the filter core, and the process need only be repeated when replacing the core itself.
* Separating the two working halves of the GRAYL can be a bit difficult. Especially for those who are having physical problems in their hands, fingers, and wrists.
(Note: This does get easier once the parts are moistened, but this is definitely something to be considered for those who are living with these conditions.)
* The manufacturer suggests the following tip for separating the outer (dirty water) cup from the press & inner (clean water) cup.

A. Sit on a camp stool, chair, or rock) with your feet flat on the ground.
B. Remove the lid in place the GRAYL Ultralight on the ground between your two feet.
C. Use the inside of the soles of your shoes to grab the lower edge of the outer cup
D. Grip the rubber ring towards the top of the press with one or two hands.
E. Pull upwards in a slow and smooth motion.

4. Product Pros –
* What impressed me right off was the GRAYL water purification system’s ability to filter out such a wide variety of contaminants. Everything from particulates, protozoan cysts, viruses and bacteria such as Giardia or Cryptosporidium ... to chemicals and heavy metals.
Sadly, due to the ecological damage to our nation's waterways, having a water purification system with you such as the GRAYL is what I would call 'peace of mind’.
* Considering the wide range of contaminants this ultralight water purification system can eliminate, I truly would feel confident taking this water filter with me into a wide range of emergency/disaster situations as well. In areas where flood damage has occurred, it could take months to

restore public utilities such as the water and sewage system. Having a water purifier on hand such as the GRAYL Ultralight would literally be a lifesaver in such an emergency situation. And as you can imagine, even more so for the physically handicapped/disabled whose mobility will be even more restricted in such an environment.
* Equally impressive, was the speed at which the GRAYL Ultralight filtered 16 ounces of water. Although my physical condition pushed me slightly past the 15 seconds that was listed on the box, I was still extremely impressed with its flow rate. With little more effort than my own body weight provided, the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier powered through 16 oz of water in just under 20 seconds. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that even though I needed to back off a bit on the pressure I was applying, the purifier continued to transfer the water at a good rate of speed relative to that pressure.
* Although the instructions that came with the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier recommend replacing the purifier cartridge on a yearly basis, further testing by the manufacturer has revealed that the purifier cartridge can last up to three years when thoroughly dried and stored properly between uses.

5. Product Cons –
* Unfortunately, there is no way to back flush this filter should it become clogged by debris. Therefore I would recommend using a bandanna or other piece of cloth as a pre-filter when filling the bottle. This should be sufficient to keep out any additional and unwanted debris from clogging the purifier cartridge. On longer hikes, (more than 7 days) I would suggest purchasing and carrying an additional purifier cartridge with you.

Additional purifier cartridges for the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier are available online @ {GRAYL Replacement Purifier Cartridge }

6. Possible medical concerns –
* I must admit, I was a bit skeptical at first about how the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier worked. From the perspective of a person living with physical disability, my points of concern were that the amount of downward force needed, combined with the stability of the user, might cause the filter to slip out from under the user as they leaned over the filter to push downward. This could of course cause injury to the user. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the GRAYL felt very stable as I used it on a variety of uneven gravel, rocky and sandy surfaces.
* Sadly, those living with arthritis in the fingers, hands, and other areas associated with the physical requirements of using this water filter, may find their condition severely limits their ability to use the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier. Certainly to some degree, the use of two jar lid grippers (flat pieces of rubber used for opening jars) could possibly minimize this difficulty.
(Note: Click Here, to check out the cool DIY project on how to make an Easy Pull Handel that will help make using the GRAYL easier . )
* Other suggestions on how to make the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier easier to use can be found in section 8 of this review listed below.

7. Medical benefits of the product-
* As an adaptive hiker, physical pain is all part of the journey. And that's regardless of whether you're out on the trails, or safe at home in bed. However, I've run into a strange phenomenon over the years of dealing with constant chronic intractable pain. When in the wilderness, any and all "extra pain" is magnified by 10. This of course makes me a very cautious hiker that takes water filtration very seriously. And as mentioned before in #4 (product pros) ... the wide range of contaminants that the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier removes makes this filter particularly useful in a wilderness setting. Especially when you don't always know what's upstream.

8. Clinical Observations and Suggestions –
I truly enjoyed using the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier. Especially on day hikes when I really wasn't feeling up to carrying a lot of water. Carrying the GRAYL I was able to simply rely on the water sources I came across as I went. Even when some of them didn't look all that appetizing to my thirst. However, when forced to use more questionable water sources I found that my bandanna or even my T-shirt made a perfect pre-filter that helped to keep larger debris out of the filter core ... if not also to give me a false sense of security as well.

At this time in the review I try to offer some kind of insight as to how to make the product more adaptive hiker friendly. And in spite of the usual arthritis/hand pain issues associated with nearly all water filters, I found the GRAYL Ultralight to be a very thorough and well thought out product. And when experimenting with the arthritis/hand and wrist pain issue, I couldn't help wondering that if there was a textured surface around the bottom of the bottle, it might enhance the manufacturer’s suggested method of separating the two halves (see #3) by giving your boots a little something to dig into. This can be easily achieved by storing some extra duct tape around the base of the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier. Another suggestion to create a more textured surface around the base would be to use an extra wide Ranger-Band around the base.
(Ranger-band - a wide rubber band cut from a bicycle tire inner-tube.)

When you start talking about filters that require no use of the hands you are usually talking about UV light, which doesn't hold a candle to the level of purification the GRAYL provides. The other method would be to use a slow drip filtering process, which can often take hours. And neither of these ideas are good for an on the move situation when you may be forced to drink from less than desirable water sources.

And so... for the innovative design, high flow rate, ultrahigh purification quality, and emergency situation preparedness abilities, all made testing the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier a pure joy.

When combined with the many ways I found to adapt the GRAYL to the needs of the adaptive hiker or backpacker, I find myself extremely impressed and proud to award the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier with a full five star endorsement.

Great job to the people at GRAYL inc.

You can purchase the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier

by clicking on this link.

{GRAYL Replacement Purifier Cartridge }

Reviewed & written by: Terry Craig,

The Disabled Hiker

Assistant editor: Dave Deubler

Photos by: Larry Deitch,
Terry Craig,
& GRAYL inc.

Check out these other great links from THE DISABLED HIKER.

The Disabled Hiker on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kjY2wAfE8uq_1gwYihVog

About The Disabled Hiker

My name is Terry Craig, a.k.a. THE DISABLED HIKER. I am a blogger, product reviewer, and guerrilla filmmaker living with disability who has spent over two decades teaching myself, and now others living with disability how to continue enjoying the hiking, backpacking, and camping, through innovation, adaptation, and a sense of understanding the wilderness.

The Disabled Hiker is a source of hiking gear reviews, DIY videos, and articles on safe backpacking and camping techniques while promoting nature as part of the healing process.

The Disabled Hiker reaches out to not only the adaptive hiking/backpacking community but also those recovering from injury, their caregivers and family members, as well as the many kind and understanding hearts who support and hike with those living with the extra challenges we face.

Hike on!
Terry Craig
THE DISABLED HIKER

My Pages

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Lost in the Woods, Part 3.

Check out these other great links from

THE DISABLED HIKER.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Lost in the Woods, Part 2.

Morning Coffee with a Coffee Cretin

Check out these other great links from

THE DISABLED HIKER.

Friday, December 23, 2016

The Disabled Hiker, eps 5, Lost in the Woods, pt-1, GETTING LOST

Check out these other great links from

THE DISABLED HIKER.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier - a review by Terry Craig, The Disabled Hiker