Owlbebak

I read about this new product developed mainly for third world countries to help cope with unsanitary waste disposal systems. I naturally thought it might be a good solution for backpackers too. The basic idea of the Peepoo is: "The Peepoo (pat.pend) is a personal single use toilet, that sanitise the human excreta shortly after the defecation, preventing the faeces from contaminating the immediate as well as the larger environment." Take a few minutes to read the following links: Peepoo The New York Times Read and post comments | Send to a friend

I finally got around to making the video of my backpacking trip hiking on the Bartram Trail in Georgia. The complete story of the trip can be found at this LINK with photos. Read and post comments | Send to a friend

After Thanksgiving, my son and I went day hiking on the A.T. in North Carolina to Cherry Gap shelter. The day before we got some snow and for Florida boys, it was very exciting. The wind was howling, but we had planned for the cold so we were pretty well protected from the elements. Unfortunately the wind wreaked havoc on the video sound which was disappointing.  Cherry Gap Shelter Hike Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Here is a short video showing some scenes of my recent backpacking trip on the A.T. approach trail leading to Springer Mountain along with the Benton MacKaye trail.  Scenes From The A.T. & Springer Mtn. 2009 Read and post comments | Send to a friend

...the approach trail to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The approach trail starts at Amicalola State Park in Georgia. We plan to sleep at the AT shelter AT Shelter at the base of the approach trail then hike up to Springer mountain passing Amicalola Falls. Amicalola Falls From there we will hook into Benton MacKaye Trail Benton MacKaye Trail and hike a loop that will reenter the AT, then loop back to the start. At this point the t...

We went backpacking on the 20 plus mile Pine Mountain Trail located in Georgia earlier this year. The trail is a great three day trip with very easy access for drop-off and pick-up staging. The trail was very rocky with most of us suffering from hurting feet. For the written report with photos, check out JaxTal Adventure Club's trip report at this  link. Read and post comments | Send to a friend

I made a video of my backpacking trip to Providence Canyon State Park located in Georgia. This was earlier in 2009 before the spring foliage. I made this with my Flip Ultra Camcorder. This is not the newer HD version and as you can see it doesn't have stabilization technology. For the money and size it does a pretty good job though. I just have to remember not to move around too much and pan slow. Providence Canyon State Park, GA Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Initially we planned to go hiking and camp on the Panther Creek Trail in Georgia, very near to this trail. We switched to the Bartram Trail about  three weeks prior to our trip, thinking this hike would be the greater challenge and learning experience. We were proven correct. This trail tested us, our equipment, and taught us important lesson in our quest for backpacking experience and knowledge. My friend, Shawn, spearheaded the trail logistics and most of the information gathering for this trip. He acquired a detailed map created by the Georgia Bartram Trail Group , which I highly recommend purchasing. Another informative source is the  Georgia Trails . Also contacted and utilized was the drop off and pickup service of the Chattooga Whitewater Outfitters . Mike, an owner of the service, is a great guy and their restaurant makes a mean pizza. We arrived on Friday afternoon, in separate cars, driving through steady rain showers, at Tallulah Gorge Stat...

Here are a few photos of our rain soaked Bartram Trail backpacking trip. We had to cut it short after two days due to our underestimating  the trail difficulty for tough little 12 year old dude. It was a little too much for him, but he was a true trooper and didn't whimper or carry on as you might expect an overstressed  kid to do...or weak adult. P1090453 P1090456 P1090457 ...

I keep trying to lighten up my backpack. I have an ultra light pack, a super lightweight down sleeping bag, and a one person light weight tent. Even with all that lightweight gear, I still have a full backpack weight, without water, of 33.25 pounds. This includes 6 pounds of food for about 4 days and 2.5 pounds of clothing. I have to add a few extra items due to the potential cold. I spent a good hour reviewing all my gear to get rid of everything I figure is unneeded. It amazes me when I read of backpackers with 20 pound packs. I guess I could save some weight by not taking any extra clothing, getting an under 2 lb sleeping pad, trimming pack items and removing a few clips, but I  don't think I will do that. I will just have to deal with it. Read and post comments | Send to a friend

In my younger years when camping, my body could stand the discomfort of sleeping on the ground without a pillow. Those days are long gone. After trying  wadded up clothing , stuff bags and a few other pillows that never gave me the comfort I needed, I discovered the Therm- a- Rest Compressible Pillow . Because my form of camping is backpacking, I require a pillow that is light and compressible since weight and space is critical. The Therm- a- Rest Compressible Pillow meets all of my requirements. It compresses to 25 % of the expanded size, provides nice head support, while also giving that nice cozy, head enveloping feeling, and the medium size weighs only 9 oz. I prefer to camp when the weather is cool to cold and I discovered this pillow tends to capture some of the heat of my head, which helps to keep me warm during the night. I can't say how it might be during a hot night since I have never tried it in the summer. A pillow is a very personal thing. What works for one is terr...

Do you love hot, fresh brewed coffee while on the trail? I certainly do. I have tried both instant coffee and the "tea" bag type and while they are ok, I still yearn for fresh brewed without toting a big coffee pot.  While shopping for an alternative method that will work for backpacking I spotted this product made by GSI Outdoors. They make a product called H2JO that is used to brew coffee by screwing it to a typical wide mouth bottle such as a 32 oz Nalgene . First I grind my fresh coffee beans to a medium grind at home and put in a zip lock bag. Out on the trail I then put the coffee in the H2JO, pour the hot water into the bottle, which is a 32 oz Nalgene, screw the unit on, then the bottle cap and shake. After the coffee steeps, the unit is removed and I enjoy fresh coffee. Afterwards, I screw the unit back on the bottle for storage. The bottle is still usable for any other beverage as the liquid will pour through the mesh. For under $15.00 this is a great ...

In about 12 days JaxTal Adventure Club will be heading to Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia to backpack to their backcounty camping area. We understand this part of the park is primitive, meaning without bathrooms, water or shelter. We were told that there are many vadosity streams and the water is very bad tasting for drinking. We will pack in as much water as practical and will test out a new water filter and also a new water chemical called PUR . I have read that the man made canyons were really interesting and we should be ready to trudge through clay mud and to wear some good boots.   Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The JaxTal Adventure Club had a camping trip to the Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp located in the state of Georgia. The trip was just for two nights. It proved to be a relaxing time as we tested out some new tents and other equipment.  JaxTal Adventure Club Stephen C Foster State Park Read and post comments | Send to a friend

03/2003 St. Joseph State Park As usually, any trip we attempt to undertake that has a specified departure time encounters delays. We wanted to leave for St. Joseph State Park around 1:00 pm Friday. We finally hit the road for the two hour trip around 3:30. The park closes the gate at sundown, but since the days are growing longer, we arrived in plenty of time to set up camp. We reserved a campsite earlier in the week by phone and at that time there was only one site left. The park seems to be highly utilizes, so be sure to make a reservation. St. Joseph State Park is located on the Gulf of Mexico in the area I believe is called the Emerald coast. The park is on a thin sliver of land that separates the ocean and creates a bay. This creates a nice situation for campers by providing an ocean experience as well as the bay for calmer activities. The park provides access to the bay by way of a boat ramp.  Since the entire family was going t...

Torreya State Park is located about 60 miles west of Tallahassee, Florida in the “Big Bend”. This park is noted for its varied terrain, ranging from hardwood to swamp wetlands and an area we Floridians could call “canyons” (large washed out clay hills). It’s the closest thing we can find around here that is similar to the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. The park has a nice network of trails to explore. My 13 year old son and I arrived at the park on Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm, the first day of spring. We had made reservations ahead to ensure our sites in the primitive camp areas. Because our region had been receiving abundant amounts of rainfall, we knew the mosquitoes would be in full force. We were not disappointed. We came prepared with plenty of bug repellent.  This trip could be called an "Introduction to Backpacking" for me and my son. We have done car camping, but yearned for a taste of “true” camping. Having enjoyed accumulating our assortment...