Upcoming Show of Interest: No Kitchen Required

For those of you interested in cooking when in the outdoors, there is an upcoming show that might be of some interest. It is called No Kitchen Required, and premiers April 3, 2012 on BBC America.

The show (as advertised) is supposed to drop off three chefs in remote locations around the globe, and let them hunt and gather to prepare a meal that will then be judged by the locals of the region.

If it keeps true to the description, it might be very interesting.

POV: Passion & Enthusiasm

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"hello sir,

i'm a 18yr old from india

i've dropped my college for my passion of travelling ,writing n photography!

your work have quite inspired me continue it!

n just wanna thank you!

your blog is quite a source of inspiration for me!

thank you"

It's a leap year, and what better way to end this February's 29 days!

This wonderful email from a young Indian woman was waiting in my inbox...and while I frequently get complimentary emails on my photography and blog from readers, this one was so enthusiastic, and so full of hope for the future, that I had to feature it here.

Naturally, I urged her to remain in college, get a degree and pursue her passion at the same time. I hope she does.

I occasionally meet with young people seeking my advice as to how to forge a career in travel photography. It's always a difficult task to balance youthful aspirations and hard-core reality...but one of my principal pieces of advice is to stay in college (if they don't have a degree...and get one), and take up a profession that can pay the bills for a while.

Alex Webb: Streets of Chicago

"I did not have a goal in mind. In fact, I do not have goals in mind when I photograph. I respond to what I see before me." 

Reading Alex Webb's interview on The Leica Camera Blog, I gasped (figuratively) when I got to these phrases. How refreshing to read something said by a photographer that is so devoid of pretension! No bullshit here. He responds to what he sees. He doesn't pretend to see a La Pieta (as some did in Samuel Aranda's World Press winning photograph) in any of his frames...an honest guy and comfortable in his own skin, this Alex Webb.

Perhaps uncharacteristically for many street photographers, he chose to photograph Chicago's character in color. Having mostly worked in color since 1979, Alex tells us he respond to color, and that black and white for him at this time isn't an option. He sees in color and feels in color, so works in color...for him, it's that simple.

That's an interesting statement. When I walk the streets of New York with my camera, I see in color as well, and certainly photograph in color. However, when I return home and view the resulting images, there are some that work better in monochrome than in color. This is the advantage of digital photography, which allows us to alternate between the two. Purists may disagree and will extol the incomparable qualities of Tri-X film and others...but there's no denial that we currently have the best of two worlds.

Since buying a Leica M9, I've been working on a long term project which will involve producing an audio slideshow of my street photographs of New York City. Alex Webb's Streets of Chicago certainly will inspire me to complete my project. I haven't yet decided whether my photographs will be in color or black & white, but after viewing his work, I am inclined towards color.

Bushcraft and Backpacking Food

I am not qualified to speak in any way about food or nutrition, but as promised I wanted to share what food I brought on my last trip (2/18/12-2/20/12) and my thinking behind it.

From what I understand, the average estimates for the calorie consumption of a person who is backpacking (assuming actual travel for most of the day under normal conditions) is about 3000 calories. I find it very hard to consume such high amount of calories, and I am usually not out for enough days to get my metabolism to ramp up to consume that much food.

I aim for about 2000 calories per day. I imagine this would be insufficient for an extended trip (weeks to months), but I am never out long enough to worry about that. Secondary considerations for me are the weight of the food and the ability of the food to last without spoiling, as it is not something I want to worry about on the trial. So, here is what my food looked like for a three day trip:

Each large ziploc bag contains the complete food for one day. I had another small ziploc bag with some salt, sugar, olive oil and Goya seasoning. Together everything went into a Sea to Summit stuff sack.

I like the idea of the food for each day being in a separate bag because it lets me keep track of what I have left of each item. Obviously here because my trip was only three days, I would have food left over on the first and last days (breakfast on the first day and dinner on the third day). This would in theory give me one extra day if I had to spend it in the woods.

Here is what was contained in each bag:

In the first column are just two packets of oatmeal. This is my breakfast. The top item in the middle column is a packet of rice, beans and dehydrated ground beef, while the top item in the third column is a packet of instant mashed potatoes combined with instant gravy. Those two bags are my dinner. The remaining items in the second column are six pieces of candy, a ziploc bag with beef jerky, and a ziploc bag with Gatorade mix and tea. The third column contains two granola bars and a bag of nuts. All these items are used for lunch and snacks during the day. Here is a more detailed caloric view of the items:

ITEM	Calories (cal)	Weight (oz)	cal/oz
Rice and Beans (dinner)	380	4.5	84.4
Instant Potatoes (dinner)	320	2.6	123.1
Granola Bars x 2 (lunch)	300	2.6	115.4
Candy:bite size Snickers, Twix and Milky Way (lunch)	135	1.0	135.0
Candy: bite size chocolate x 3 (lunch)	120	1.0	120.0
Jerky-five pieces (lunch)	80	0.9	88.9
Nuts (lunch)	480	3.0	160.0
Oatmeal x 2 (breakfast)	320	3.2	100.0
Tea and Gatorade	Marginal	1.2	Marginal
TOTAL	2135	20	106.8

The total weight of each bag, including packaging was 1 lb 4 oz (20 oz). This gives me a calorie per weight value of 107 cal/oz. Ideally, I should have about 150 cal/oz, but there are several reasons why I was not able to reach that.

The first is that the above calculations do not include oil or fat (other than the nuts). Oil will give you the highest calorie per weight value. Since all my food is dry in order to get it to preserve better, very few items have oil in them. If it is added from a bottle, the calories per ounce will increase.

The second reason is that I have prioritizes some degree of diversity in the food over calories. For example, the instant potatoes have higher calorie per weight value than the rice. However, I find the rice to taste better, so I carry it. Similarly, the jerky has less calories per weight than the candy, but I need something salty to mix up with all the sweet stuff.

Anyway, I found the food to be more than enough with respect to how much I could consume. The only exception was the breakfast. While I was full from the oatmeal, I was hungry by 10AM. It’s a good thing that my “lunch” was designed to be eaten in smaller doses as I went along, which made it easy to spread out.

Do not underestimate how important it is to get energy during the day. Many years ago I used to try to eat as little as possible during the day. When I started eating consistently during the day, I noticed a significant increase in my energy level. It is hard to believe that there is such an instant effect, but from my experience, there is.

For more information on the foods I like, check out Cheap Lightweight Backpacking Foods Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

Hardware: The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™

click to enlarge

I will soon be traveling to India to lead my The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™, and thought to feature here most of the equipment that will accompany me.

I'll be taking a Canon 5D Mark II, a Canon 7D, and a bunch of lenses (28-70mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8, 17-40mm f4, and a 24mm f1.4), along with a Canon flash 580ex. I'll be taking a Leica m9 with a Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit, and a 40mm f1.4 Voigtlander lens. I'm also taking a Canon-mount Holga lens for fun.

For audio, I'm packing a Tascam DR-40 Recorder, an Audio-Technica ATR6250 Stereo Condenser Video/Recording Microphone and Sony headphones.

I'll also be taking my iPhone4S (for picture-taking as well as communication), and a Blackberry for an India sim card.

And naturally, a couple of scarves.

Cartmel Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble

I've been asked if I would like to be part of a team of Cartmel Village People pudding reviewers. As a team member on the panel I have to taste and review a different pudding every month. As a proper pudding lover, it isn't going to be difficult, especially as Cartmel make handmade puddings with 100% natural ingredients, sourced wherever possible from local suppliers.

I was sent a lovely parcel from Cartmel Village Shop containing their very famous Sticky Toffee Pudding, a jar of Sticky Toffee Sauce and the pudding of the month for February, Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble.

The pudding weighs 500g and serves 4/5 people. It comes in a foil container and is cooked to perfection after 20 minutes, with the sauce bubbling up the sides of the container. The smell in my kitchen was wonderful whilst the crumble was cooking. The delicious and perfectly cooked chunky apples, with just the right amount of bite, are mixed into a generous sweet and sticky toffee sauce then topped with the best crumble ever. I served mine with custard because I can't think of a better way to eat crumble.

Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble waiting patiently for the custard sauce.

No prizes for guessing who ate this.

Next month it is the turn of Lemon Drizzle Pudding - a perfect pudding for spring and one I am looking forward to trying.

Cartmel Village Shop is a family owned business who have a passion for puddings and have been declared a 'Food Hero' by Rick Stein.

The puddings are available from the Cartmel Village Shop in Cartmel, Crumbia and online at www.cartmelvillageshop.co.uk as well as branches of Waitrose, Booths, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason, and independent fine foods shops.

Jim Shannon: Holi Festival

Photo © Jim Shannon-All Rights Reserved

As Holi is about to be celebrated in India (and elsewhere) in just about 10 days, and I know a number of friends are planning to attend its festivities in Vrindavan and elsewhere, I found Jim Shannon's advice and past experience to be both very valuable and sensible, and hope they will as well.

Along with the monochrome photographs of Holi by Toby Devenson (who traveled with Jim to Vrindavan) featured on this blog just yesterday, today's post will provide more than ample inspiration and guidance to those who will experience Holi for the first time.

As Jim writes in his Holi Hunters article which appears in Sidetracked magazine:

"this is one of the few times caste and wealth is forgotten. By the time everyone is covered in dye, it's impossible to tell who is rich or poor".

Jim's advice on how to photograph during Holi, especially in Vrindavan., is a must-read. I noted he photographed in the Banke Bihari temple in that holy town, but urges caution not to cause grave offense by photographing the religious deity itself. He also recommends covering one's face and arms with thick sunblock, which seemed to help in washing the dye off a little more easily. He also recommends wearing a pair of goggles to protect one's eyes from the industrial dyes.

But what about protecting one's photographic gear?? Jim and others suggest the OP/Tech Rain Sleeves which is a polyethylene sleeve made to protect an SLR camera with a lens from dust and inclement weather...and dye powder.

Jim Shannon has traveled and photographed in 42 countries, and his photographs were published by Arte Fotográfica, BBC News, BBC Countryfile Magazine, Guardian Weekend, Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, The New Republic, The Observer, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and Wanderlust, amongst others.

Toby Deveson: Holi In Monochrome

Photo © Toby Deveson-All Rights Reserved

Toby Deveson is a brave man. A brave man indeed to have considered shooting one of the most colorful festivals in India in black and white.

And if you consider his biography in which he writes "Toby Deveson has been taking photographs since 1989 when he was given an old Nikkormat and a 24mm lens. After trying a friend's darkroom he set up one of his own in a damp basement and was soon addicted to the alchemy of intoxicating smells and mysterious light. Twenty years later not much has changed. The darkroom is no longer damp but the camera and lens are the same.", you'll conclude he's a very brave photographer.

Choosing to shoot Holi in monochrome as Toby did is very unusual in this day and age. Holi is such a flamboyant festival, filled with explosions of color, that other photographers normally prefer to record its images in natural colors. The photographs on his gallery were made in the Banke Bihari temple of Vrindavan, Mathura, and in its streets.

Perhaps he chose to go against the grain, and didn't want the all powerful colors of Holi to distract the viewers away from the composition of his photographs, or from the shadow and light play or from the forms in his frames.

After all, I adopted the same rationale when I photographed the equally colorful Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata this past October. I also encouraged the participants in The Cult of Durga Photo Workshop to
produce their work in monochrome to better capture the festivities without the intrusion of color. It's a mindset.

Toby Deveson lives and works in London as stills photographer and television cameraman. He has been living in Britain since 1990 when he obtained his degree in photography, painting and music.

Guest Post: True Tinder Fungus, by Gurthy

Recently I was invited to join a relatively new forum called Blades and Bushcraft. It has turned out to be one of the best forums I have participated in in a long time. It is still small, but the people there are knowledgeable and the moderators have gone trough great lengths to make sure that people whose opinions are worth reading are members of the forum. As an added benefit, you don’t have the same heavy handed moderation that you unfortunately see on some other forums these day. Well, Gurthy is a member who a met through the forum. He has started his own blog called Gurthy’s Bushcraft. I saw this post there, and thankfully he agreed to let me repost it here.

True Tinder Fungus

What I’ve learned about chaga and fire.

Firstly I want to say that I’m by no stretch of the imagination an expert in anything, I’m just a guy with an interest in outdoors skills. I have been hunting chaga for over a year and a half casually, and have found a small number of specimens. Recently I found and harvested a largepiece of quality chaga, and now that I’ve had time to experiment with good samples I’d like simply to share what I’ve learned.

Identification

Inonotus obliquus (also called chaga or true tinder fungus) is a parasitic fungus that grows on only a few species of trees, but is most commonly found on birch trees. The fungus is relatively rare and only grows on live trees. Do not bother looking on dead trees because the fungus cannot survive on a dead tree. To identifyInonotus obliquus I look for a black, charred looking section of the tree. I usually spot chaga in places where the tree has been damaged and it often looks like a burned burl. The fungus has a hard black exterior, an inner firm brown layer, and an innermost layer that is soft (cork like) and orangish-yellow in color.

Chaga on a birch

Chaga cut open... note the orangish interior. This was a mediocre specimen.

Harvesting, Preparation and Use

Harvesting chaga is simple… just hack or cut the fungus off the tree and section it into manageable chunks. That part of the fungus that works best for fire is the softer, spongy, cork-like orangish-yellow part. The firmer brown parts will work as a coal extender but I’ve found that they do not take a spark from a flint and steel very well. To prepare chaga for fire usage simply air dry it for a few days. I have not needed to dry chaga fast but I imagine that the process could be sped up with sunlight or by putting the fungus near a non-spark throwing heat source. 

"Good" chaga at left, "poor" chaga at right. Note the yellowish color and and spongy  texture of the better chaga versus the woody texture and brown color of the subpar chaga.

Once dried, chaga can be used to catch sparks from many sources. Ferrocerium rods obviously will work well. I like to hold the striker steady and pull the rod back, but whatever technique you usually use will work well.

Even the small sparks from a flint and steel quickly form an ember. For flint and steel I use the fungus the same way  I use charred cloth: I hold the fungus on top of the flint near the striking edge with my left (non-dominant) hand and I strike down with the steel in my right (dominant) hand.

I have a couple of pieces of chaga that I lit two days ago and then submerged the fungus in water for several seconds to extinguish the embers. Today I was able to easily light the same fungus with a couple of strikes of my flint and steel:

Be warned that the embers smolder very well and I've discovered that the tiniest of sparks can start an ember which may go unnoticed. Chaga embers are difficult to extinguish that you need to be very careful and either use the entire fungus chunk or extinguish it in water.

Here is a lit piece of Inonotus obliquus in the light:

And this is the same piece of fungus about 20 seconds later with the lights off.

Again, please check out both Gurthy’s Bushcraft blog and the Blades and Bushcraft forum. They are both excellent sources of information.

POV: The Dove Whisperer & Storytelling

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Regular readers know that I've joined a new storytelling website called Cowbird, and have already posted a couple of mini-stories.

I've just started a few days ago, and I've realized a couple of interesting things. First off, the community of Cowbird are not professional photographers...there are some, but the majority describe themselves as storytellers not as photographers. Secondly, haphazardly eyeballing members' pages, tells me that the majority of them reside in the United States, and by definition tell local stories.

But here's what's interesting as far as I'm concerned. The most popular story among the four I've published so far is The Dove Whisperer. I think there's a number of reasons for that. It's very brief, it's simple and it's touching...and it was one of the 'recommended' stories on Cowbird.

In my multimedia workshops, I stress that stories need to be brief, simple and compelling. So it's not surprising that The Dove Whisperer is more 'magnetic' than the rest of my stories.

And one more thing...and I also stress this in my classes, choosing a title that resonates with one's audience is almost half a battle won. We all know that a title that is mysterious, compelling, unusual but also descriptive is extremely important to the success of one's project...be that a book, article, multimedia slideshow or movie.

I don't know how Cowbird, which is still in its infancy, will evolve and mature....but the possibility of reaching a large (or I should say, a different) audience for my stories through its platform is exciting. 

Finally, The Dove Whisperer was a forgotten moment experienced in Bhutan in September 2009. I was shooting in a small monastery in Jakar when this elderly man appeared with a dove under his arm. I asked what he was doing, and was told he was a bird healer. He was known to tend birds that had broken wings, and released them once they could fly. 

The whole thing didn't last more than five minutes, and yet when I was thinking of a story for Cowbird, I remembered it, searched for the photograph and it was on Cowbird in less time.

It's funny how things remain in the recesses of one's mind, and pop out at the right time.

OXO Good Grips Hand Held Mixer

This new Hand Held Mixer by OXO is part of the retro baking revival. The handle features OXO's soft non-slip grip and the beaters are made from stainless steel. It is a well made product, lightweight, very easy to use and fairly quiet too. I didn't have to chase it round the mixing bowl, and it doesn't make a screeching sound as the whisk heads turn, also it can be used by either a left handed or right handed person. It's great for mixing batters, cream and eggs, just to name a few of the uses you will find for this fab kitchen gadget.

Simply press the two side buttons to detach the base and pop in the dishwasher. The beaters can be removed separately for cleaning too.

Just for fun, I made a nostalgic dessert of jelly, custard and cream, I slightly over-whipped the cream because I think I was enjoying whizzing the handle.

A 'bit of nostalgia' - I remember as a child, I used to watch both my Nan and my Mum whizzing the handle of the whisk and just how much noise it could make.

I also remember using the hand whisk and having to chase it around the bowl, they always had a mind of their own. I would go one way and the whisk the other, you haven't lived unless you managed to get milk, eggs and flour all round the kitchen or have heard the screeching sound of whisk heads hitting the sides of the mixing bowl. The whisk was not only heavy to use, but if my memory serves me well, they were quite difficult to clean too, especially if you let batter set onto them.

The hand held mixer is priced at £20 and is available from Lakeland or visit www.oxouk.com

Thank you Emma for the OXO Hand Held Mixer.

Carnival Festivals & Ash Wednesday

Photo © Vanderlei Almeida/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Most of the important photo blogs have by now featured images of the Carnival in Rio De Janeiro, and elsewhere... whether  in South and Central America or Europe.

For instance, these large sized photographs appeared on The Sacramento Bee's The Frame, on the Boston Globe's The Big Picture, twice on The Atlantic In Focus and here, as well as on The Wall Street Journal's Photo Journal.

If there's one festival I want to attend and photograph, it's certainly Rio's Carnival. With all its colors, fantastic costumes, wonderful music and utterly gorgeous women, it's unquestionably the most magnetic of the world's festivals. In my view, head and shoulders over its Venetian cousin.

The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is held before Lent every year, and is considered the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets. The first festivals of Rio date back to 1723.

Photo © Jose Cabezas/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which according to the Gospels, marks the
beginning of the 40 days period during which Jesus spent fasting in the desert
before the start of his public ministry, and during which he endured temptation
by Satan.

It's quite common in mid-town Manhattan to see Catholics emerging from St Patrick's
Cathedral on Fifth Avenue with smears of ash on their foreheads; traditionally
signifying repentance and mourning.

When I first worked in Manhattan, I had no clue of this and almost telling one of my
colleagues that he had dirt on his forehead...but i caught myself in time when I noticed
others had it as well.

Jonah M. Kessel: Tibet

Photo © Jonah M. Kessel- All Rights Reserved

It's been a while since I featured  images of Tibet, and Jonah Kessel's work is well worth the wait. I particularly liked his use of a wide angle lens, like the above picture.

Jonah M. Kessel is an interactive art director, visual journalist and also describes himself as a nomadically curious photographer. His company, currently based in Beijing, offers visual communication solutions on a wide array of platforms including photography, amongst others.

Prior to working as the Creative Director of China Daily in Beijing, Jonah worked as a photography and design consultant for the Journalism Development Group in North Africa; as the Visual Director of the Tahoe Daily Tribune in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.; and as a freelance photographer for multiple media outlets across the United States. He received more than 35 awards from media organizations for his photography, web and design projects.

His international travels took him to Algeria, Malaysia, India, China, Tibet, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Trip Report: 2/18/12 - 2/20/12

Usually I don’t like to document or post about my trips because that’s my time to have fun in the woods, without having to worry about filming or taking pictures. It also lets me leave the rather heavy camera gear at home. In all honesty however, I’ve been getting a bit bored with posting about reviews and studies, so I figured I would try to take some pictures of the outing I did this last weekend, and share them with you.

The plan was to complete roughly a 25 mile roundtrip, starting on Saturday morning and finishing on Monday. The tracks would form a triangle, where on day one I climb to approximately the height of a ridge line, on day two I travel along the ridge line for about 10 miles, and on day three I make my way back to the staring point.

The weather has been all over the place in the last few weeks, swinging from unseasonably warm (in the 30F range) down to single digits (F). The weather forecast for this weekend said it would be around 30F all weekend, which would have made for a wet, but otherwise pleasant trip.

As I’ve mentioned before, when the temperature is just about freezing, the big issue is trying to stay dry. Every time it got slightly warmer, the frost and snow would melt, getting everything wet. For example, here you can see a stream that for most of the year would be nearly dry. Because the snow from that last few weeks had melted however, it was now a good size stream.

Around noon I stopped for lunch. It was all ready to eat stuff: jerky, nuts, granola bar and candy. I’ll have more on the food in a later post.

I had unfortunately gotten a bit sweaty during the climb. I didn’t put extra clothing during lunch because I wanted to dry off. I knew I would get chilled, but I was going to start moving again soon enough, so I didn’t worry about it. If you think that wool clothing will keep you warm even when it is wet, give it a try. I got pretty chilled.

At some point in the 1700s there were a few small villages in this area, and there was some small scale mining done, mostly for iron. You can still see remnants of the mining operation hidden in the forest.

I bumped into an interesting plant on one of the hills. I wish I knew what it was, but my plant identification skills are rather pathetic.

In the afternoon I had to stop in order to refill with water. Because these mountains are so rocky and have such poor soil, it was unlikely that there would be water at the higher elevations, as it all tends to run off very quickly.

The red container you see on the ground is an insolative cover for the filter. When the temperatures dip below freezing, a wet filter will freeze if unprotected, causing it to crack. As you can see, a lot of the water itself was still frozen.

I used the rest opportunity to make myself some Gatorade and have some chocolate for the extra energy boost.

A few more hours of hiking and I was able to set up camp. At this elevation the available wood was mostly pine, which I was not accustomed to working with, but the ease with which it could be worked and would take a flame was a pleasant surprise.

A placed the pot on the fire and warmed up some water. I am not a fan of pot holders (I’m too lazy to make them), so I just put mine on the coals.

Here you can see me using the pot holder I showed you how to make in a previous video (well, trying to show it while taking pictures with the other hand).

I’m not a big fan of tea, but I’ll drink it during the winter because it’s a much better option than drinking cold water.

Here you can see me enjoying the tea while waiting for dinner to cook-some rice and dehydrated ground beef. The fancy contraption on which I am sitting is just a plastic bag. It doesn’t provide any insulation, but it is lightweight and keeps me dry. I like the Hefty bags because they stretch more and don’t rip as easily.

Unfortunately, at this point it decided to start snowing. It looks like a weather front moved in, and along with the snow, the temperature dropped by at least ten degrees.

 

It was particularly wet snow, and it stuck to my clothing, getting me wet very quickly. Here you can see me trying to dry up in front of the fire before getting into the sleeping bad. The pants dried up fine, but the outer shirt did not. I had to take it off before getting in the bag.

For the first few hours of the night there was a lot of wind and it continued to snow. Around 2AM however the wind died down, so I was able to get some good sleep.

When I got up, everything was covered with frost, including my sleeping bag and the inside of the tent. When it comes to the sleeping bag, the perspiration from your body passes through the bag, and then when it meets the cold air on the outside of the bag, it freezes. I scraped it off as best I could.

For breakfast, I made some oatmeal using the stove. The pump had frozen during the night, so I had to use a bit of force to get it to work.

After breakfast I got on the go again. I reached the ridge line for which I was aiming and started following it.

On one of the peaks I saw this geological survey marker. I have no idea what it means, but I thought it was kind of cool.

At one point I entered a small valley, where I found a small stream/swampy area. I took the opportunity to refill my water. The intake valve had frozen during the night, even though the filter was insulated. I hade to take it out and put it back in before the filter would start working.

I also noticed that the water in my water bottle had frozen even though the bottle was in an insulated neoprene sleeve, and had been in my backpack for several hours.

After that it was more hiking. Early in the afternoon I stopped for lunch-same as the previous day. I took the opportunity to make some more Gatorade.

When I got to the area where I had intended to camp, I set up the tent. The frost on the tent had melted, and it was now wet, but it’s not an issue for this tent as it is an open floor design.

I was tired, and wasn’t planning on staying up in the evening, so I didn’t make a fire, and just used the stove to make dinner-same rice and ground beef as the night before.

The night was uneventful. There was no more snow, and no significant winds. The temperature was low again, so I had the same frost issues, but was not cold at any point during the night.

The next day it was more oatmeal for breakfast, and I set off on my way back to the car.

It looked like at the lower elevations there had been no snow, or maybe it had melted.

There was another old mine to check out on the way back.

…and one last great view before I got back to the road. Well, I’m sure it’s much better during summer.

And that’s about it for my trip. I know that when I read trip reports, I always want to know more about the gear used, so I’ll try to make another post about that. This one is long enough as it is. :)