Bounded by 700 foot high cliff walls, the sandy canyon bottom of Grand Gulch in southern Utah was once again our destination for a spring break backpack. The group I was hiking with included 6 younger scouts, from 11 to 13 years old. Our group started hiking at Collins Springs, and exited Grand Gulch 6 [...]
Outdoor Gear, Patents, and Outdoor Trips by Bob Shaver, Patent Attorney
Category Archives: Backpacking
Scout Parents Guide to Backpacking Gear
This post iswritten for Scouts and their parents who are new to Troop 100 or new to backpacking. The target audiences is the parent of a young scout who is new to backpacking. The main point to note about buying equipment for your Scout is to not rush out and buy a lot of the [...]
Debris Hut for Overnight Survival
My friend Gary Fujino recently taught a class at our scout meeting on building a debris hut. Gary studies all kinds of survival topics, from martial arts, shooting skills, to outdoor survival skills. He took his son Tomio out in the Sawtooths in the summer of 2011 to show him how to build a debris [...]
A Stove Comparison: Alcohol (Caldera Cone) vs Canister (Jet Boil, Pocket Rocket, Giga Power)
We had a chance on our 8 day backpack to do some comparisons between some stoves, namely my Caldera Cone with a 1.9 L Evernew titanium pot, an MSR Pocket Rocket, a Snow Peak Giga Power, and a JetBoil. The latter 3 stoves are canister stoves, and the Caldera Cone is an alcohol stove. Each [...]
The REI Flash 65 Backpack- a product review
I got an REI Flash 65 because I wanted to lighten my load, and I could save about 3 pounds over my previous pack by using the Flash 65. My friend Kevin Anderson had said he bought one, and really liked it. So I bought one for an 8 day backpack we did with the [...]
Handy Survival Bracelet
A friend of mine and adviser to our scout troop makes and sells some really cool survival bracelets, which look great and also are a great survival and woodcraft tool. Since they are made of 7 feet of paracord, which can hold 550 lbs of weight, they can be taken apart for use as cord [...]
Kane Lake in the Pioneer Range of Idaho
Over Labor Day we repeated our annual trek to the nicest lake I know of in Idaho – Kane Lake. Its only 3.5 miles, but its uphill, rocky and an unmaintained trail. The views from camp at Kane lake are unsurpassed in Idaho. This is the view looking back down the valley as one nears [...]
Some Berries seen on our Fall hike to Kane Lake
These are all conspicuous berries we saw on our fall hike in the Pioneer Range. Some are edible, some not so edible. These are gooseberries, which are the same genus (Ribes) as currants. If the plants have spines they are gooseberries, if not they are currants. These are tart berries, getting a little sweeter as [...]
White Cloud Mountains, Idaho, Castle Peak Loop
We finished a great 8 day backpack in the White Clouds, and were surprised to find lakes there that are better than any in the Sawtooths, and in general had a great time. Below is the gang, 5 adults and 6 youths. We started at 4th of July Lake, with camp sites at Washtington Lake [...]
The Yutes have Grown Up
In 2007 I took 3 scouts on a great 4 day backpack, the Alice Toxaway Loop in the Sawtooths of Idaho. Those same 3 yutes were on a trip last weekend. The purpose of the trip was to help Lars with his Eagle Project. Malcolm has also done his Eagle Project. Jim is the last [...]