​Since tomorrow, 19 June, is the last day of Spring I thought that I would post a few of the photos that I took of the gorgeous flowers that bloomed in our neck of the woods this year.

​It was almost like nature wanted to show off what she could do to offset all of the other craziness spreading throughout the world. (click on any photo to start the slideshow):

​There’s nothing else to really say since the beauty of the flowers speak for themselves – so get out there and revel in Nature whenever you can.

​On 29 May we were out hiking when we happened to look up and saw the beautiful “first quarter” Moon hanging in the daytime sky. Since there were no clouds in the bright blue sky, the sunlight glinting off of the moon was radiant – making for some great photos – starting at 5:30 PM and ending at 8:30 PM. ​(click on any photo to start the slideshow):

If you want to learn more details about the moon’s daily activities you should check out MoonGiant.com. Here’s their detailed page for 29 May 2020:
​
     https://www.moongiant.com/phase/5/29/2020

​These days most of us have lots of free time on our hands – however, for many people the ability to productively use that free time has been constrained by the closure of all of their favorite places; including the outdoor ones.
 
Luckily for us, we are surrounded by nature and currently the State Parks, Town Parks and most of the privately owned Conservation Reservations and Nature Preserves are still open for hiking.
 
Since the Spring flowers have started to bloom, this weekend we took a day hike to get out of the house, breath some fresh air and enjoy the beauty of Nature. Here are some of the sights that we saw during our hike. Spring is definitely on its way! (click on any photo to start the slideshow):

​Since everyone is currently focused on surviving the COVID-19 (e.g. coronavirus) pandemic we thought that this would be a good time to discuss the hierarchy of survival actions – as dictated by the “Rule of Three”.
 
For those of you not familiar with the “Rule of Three” it states that you can survive for 3 minutes without air/oxygen or in icy water. You can survive for 3 hours without shelter in a harsh environment. You can survive for 3 days without water (if sheltered from a harsh environment). You can survive for 3 weeks without food (if you have water and shelter).

So what does the “Rule of Three” really mean? Well it’s pretty straightforward in directing what you need to focus on and how quickly you need to focus on it. After all, if you can’t breathe - you don’t need shelter. If you get hypothermia from the rain, heatstroke from the sun, or freeze from the cold - you don’t need water. If you are incapacitated or die from dehydration – you don’t need food. And, if you have a shelter and water, then knowing that you have 3 weeks to either improve your wilderness living situation, find a way to trek back to civilization, or help rescuers locate you, should greatly improve your mental condition – while you hunt and gather food.
 
As a specific example of this survival hierarchy, if you watch the TV “survival” shows (e.g. Naked and Afraid, Alone, Man vs. Wild, Dual Survival, etc.,) you can see that there is often a great difference between the initial actions that the experts and the novices take when dropped into the wilderness. Many of the novices start by trying to build a fire – something that may be important – but can take a significant amount of time and effort – and can prove to be very frustrating; a bad emotion to encounter on your first day in a survival situation. In contrast, you’ll notice that the experts normally try to find a good site for their shelter (near water if possible, sheltered from the wind, away from any flood plain and safe from any “widow maker” trees). Once they have located a good site they immediately try to build the best shelter that they can in the available time that they have before nightfall; knowing that they can always improve their shelter on Day #2 if they survive Day #1. As they collect materials for their shelter they might simultaneously gather materials to make a fire, but the fire is of secondary importance (especially since having a shelter will allow them to more easily build, light and protect a fire and any firewood they gather). Only once they have a shelter do they begin to focus in earnest on their needs for fire, a longer term water supply and how to acquire food.
 
Rather than write a very long blog that still only superficially covers the vast amount of detail required to really prepare you for a survival situation, here’s a listing of six books that you might want to own so that you have access to the knowledge that the survival experts have honed over the years:

1. The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure by DK Publishing and Colin Towell
2. Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere – Alive by Les Stroud
3. SAS Survival Guide 2E (Collins Gem): For any climate, for any situation by John "Lofty" Wiseman
4. Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury
5. The Natural Navigator: The Rediscovered Art of Letting Nature Be Your Guide by Tristan Gooley
6. Pocket Ref 4th Edition by Thomas Glover

 
For more information on survival, especially what you might want to do to prepare for a potential short term disaster, you should check out our website’s “Camping/Maps and Books” and “Disaster Preparedness” pages. But, whatever else you do, please remember the “Rule of Three” - since it could save your life.

​Last week we received an email from Troop 325 of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) - a troop located near San Diego, California - thanking us for all the camping and hiking tips on our HCS website. It turns out that when the Scouts from Troop 325 were writing their “Outdoor Code” principles they found a lot of ideas and helpful links on our site. As an Eagle Scout, and Philmont ranger, I’m always glad to receive positive feedback from Scouts – especially since the main reason we built our website was to pass on some of the knowledge, research, links, and tips that we’ve gathered over the years. Their email also got us to thinking that the “Outdoor Code”, and the ethos that it embodies, would make a great blog post. So that’s our topic for today.
 
For those of you not familiar with the “Outdoor Code” it first showed up in Boys' Life magazine’s March 1954 issue, which featured "An Outdoor Code for Americans" and "BSA's Conservation Good Turn". The Good Turn was prompted by a request from President Eisenhower, challenging the Boy Scouts to raise public awareness about the importance of caring for our natural resources. 

Now, 66 years later, the Outdoor Code is probably even more relevant to all of our outback activities since there are more people out there enjoying the beauty and challenges that Nature has to offer.  Since its initial publication in 1954 the wording of the Outdoor Code has changed slightly to keep up with the times. Here’s the latest version:
 
As an American, I will do my best to…
 

• Be clean in my outdoor manners.
  • I will treat the outdoors as a heritage.
  • I will take care of it for myself and others
  • I will keep my trash and garbage out of lakes, streams, fields, woods, and roadways.
• Be careful with fire.
  • I will prevent wildfire.
  • I will build my fires only where they are appropriate.
  • When I have finished using a fire, I will make sure it is cold out.
  • I will leave a clean fire ring, or remove all evidence of my fire.
• Be considerate in the outdoors.
  • I will treat public and private property with respect.
  • I will use low-impact methods of hiking and camping.
• Be conservation-minded.
  • I will learn how to practice good conservation of soil, waters, forests, minerals, grasslands, wildlife, and energy.
  • I will urge others to do the same.

For those of you not familiar with the Outdoor Code, you may have seen similar outback principles under the title of “Leave No Trace” – a movement that began in the 1960’s and 70’s when there was a significant increase in the number of visits to US National Parks. This movement eventually drove the United States Forest Service, in conjunction with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), to develop a national education program on “Leave No Trace” in 1990. Today one of the main drivers of the Leave No Trace activities is the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics with their “The Leave No Trace Seven Principles” (© 1999 by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.LNT.org​). Their 7 Principles are:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
   1. Poorly prepared people, when presented with unexpected situations, often resort to high-impact solutions that degrade the outdoors or put themselves at risk. Proper planning leads to less impact.
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
   1. Damage to land occurs when surface vegetation or communities of organisms are trampled beyond repair. The resulting barren area leads to unusable trails, campsites, and soil erosion.
3. Dispose of Waste Properly
   1. Trash and litter in the backcountry ranks high as a problem in the minds of many backcountry visitors. This will greatly detract from the naturalness of an area and could potentially cause greater environmental damage. If no trash receptacles are available, visitors should carry out all trash from what they have brought in.
   2. Furthermore, backcountry campers create waste water from certain activities and fecal waste which requires proper disposal according to Leave No Trace principles.
      1. Urinating in the woods is not a violation of Leave No Trace. However, if defecating one must not leave any toilet paper, and the waste is to be buried a certain distance from both paths and water sources.
4. Leave What You Find
   1. Leave No Trace directs people to minimize site alterations by avoiding actions such as digging tent trenches, cutting branches from live trees, hammering nails into trees, permanently clearing an area of rocks or twigs, or removing other natural items.
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
   1. Because the naturalness of many areas has been degraded by overuse of fires, Leave No Trace teaches to seek alternatives to fires or use low-impact fires.
6. Respect Wildlife
   1. Minimizing impact on wildlife and ecosystems.
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
   1. Following hiking etiquette and maintaining quiet allows visitors to go through the wilderness with minimal impact on other users.

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has even refined their principles into 7 Principles for the Frontcountry:

1. Know Before You Go
2. Stick to Trails and Camp Overnight Right
3. Trash Your Trash and Pick Up Poop
4. Leave It as Your Find It
5. Be Careful with Fire
6. Keep Wildlife Wild
7. Share Our Trails and Manage Your Pet

 
Obviously, both the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Seven Principles are great guidance for how everyone should act during their activities in the outback; with education hopefully more people will.
 
So, back to Troop 325 -  in addition to suggesting this whole blog topic, as a way of helping spread their knowledge they also sent us the link to an article that we hadn’t seen:  "Leave No Trace: Low-Impact Campgrounds" from www.wristband.com, written by Michele Wheat. This article has some great information about “Low-Impact Camping Tips” and “How to Hike and Leave No Trace”. The article also has links to over 20 other websites with additional resources. You should give it a read. 

If you want more information on the Outdoor Code, or Leave No Trace, here are several links to other websites that you should check out:
 
“The Outdoor Code”
https://outdoorethics-bsa.org/OutdoorCode.php
 
“Outdoor Ethics Guide”
https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/outdoor-ethics-guide/
 
“BSA Leave No Trace”
https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/leave-no-trace/
 
ScoutSmarts – “The Outdoor Code (My Ultimate Guide For Any Scout or Troop)”
https://scoutsmarts.com/the-outdoor-code/
 
“The Outdoor Code”
https://scoutermom.com/1221/the-outdoor-code/  
 
Leave No Trace
https://lnt.org/
 
“The 7 Principles”
https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 1: Plan Ahead and Prepare”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/plan-ahead-and-prepare/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 2: Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/travel-camp-on-durable-surfaces/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 3: Dispose of Waste Properly”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/dispose-of-waste-properly/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 4: Leave What You Find”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/leave-what-you-find/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 5: Minimize Campfire Impacts”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/minimize-campfire-impacts/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 6: Respect Wildlife”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/respect-wildlife/
 
“The LNT Seven Principles – Principle 7: Be Considerate of Other Visitors”
 - https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/be-considerate-of-other-visitors/
 
“Leave No Trace for Frontcountry”
https://lnt.org/research-resources/leave-no-trace-for-frontcountry/
 
Leave No Trace Seven Principles
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/leave-no-trace.html
 
wristband.com - "Leave No Trace: Low-Impact Campgrounds"
https://www.wristband.com/content/leave-no-trace-low-impact-campgrounds/
 
Tread Lightly
https://www.treadlightly.org/
​

​Like most websites, ever since we launched our Hiking, Camping and Shooting website we’ve tracked the statistics to see who our readers are and where they’re located. Recently we’ve had a few people ask who reads our site – so we thought that we would share some of our statistics with all of you.
 
We have readers from all 50 States - with the largest concentrations being in the following 15 States:

​We have readers from over 90 Countries around the world - with the largest concentrations being in the following 20 Countries:

​The 20 pages and blog posts that people have read the most over the past 3 years are:

​Most of our readers find us either by searching on Google (52.3%) or by previously having been to our website and coming directly to us (31.2%). A much smaller percentage (4.8%) find us through our Hiking, Camping and Shooting Facebook page:

​The majority of our users view our website on either Chrome (49.8%) or Safari (27.5%) browsers:

​Hopefully this data shows you that you’re in good company as you read through our Hiking, Camping and Shooting gear write-ups and blog posts. Our wish is that they give you some information that will make all your adventures a little more fun. Wherever you’re from, we’re glad that you stopped by to look over our HCS website!

This week we ran across an interesting article discussing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) new mathematical model which predicts a knot's stability; “A New Mathematical Model Predicts a Knot's Stability” 

To examine the issue MIT mathematicians and engineers developed a mathematical model that predicts how stable a knot is based on several key properties, including the number of crossings and the direction in which the rope segments twist as the knot is pulled tight. "Empirical knowledge refined over centuries has crystallized out what the best knots are," said Mathias Kolle, the Rockwell International Career Development Associate Professor at MIT. But what exactly makes one knot more stable than another has not been well-understood, until now. "And now the model shows why."
 
In comparing the diagrams of knots of various strengths, the researchers were able to identify general "counting rules," or characteristics that determine a knot's stability. Basically, a knot is stronger if it has more strand crossings, as well as more "twist fluctuations" - changes in the direction of rotation from one strand segment to another. For instance, if a fiber segment is rotated to the left at one crossing and rotated to the right at a neighboring crossing as a knot is pulled tight, this creates a twist fluctuation and thus opposing friction, which adds stability to a knot. If, however, the segment is rotated in the same direction at two neighboring crossing, there is no twist fluctuation, and the strand is more likely to rotate and slip, producing a weaker knot. They also found that a knot can be made stronger if it has more "circulations," which they define as a region in a knot where two parallel strands loop against each other in opposite directions, like a circular flow.
 
If you do any Camping, and to a lesser extent Hiking, then a working knowledge of the most commonly used knots is essential. Based on our years of experience the 10 knots that we think it is critical for you to absolutely know are:
 

• Square Knot
• Figure Eight Knot
• Clove Hitch
• Sheet Bend
• Bowline Knot
• Taut-Line Hitch
• Two Half Hitches
• Sheepshank
• Square Lash
• Shear Lash

 
The problem is that there’s actually a lot to remember, especially if a significant amount of time passes between you actually tying these knots. So we use two items to help our memory as needed, and to give us information on other knots too. The first is the Ultimate Survival Technologies (UST’s) “Learn & Live” Knots card which has instructions and illustrations on how to tie 11 commonly used knots. You can see the details on this card, and the other 5 credit card sized cards that we think are valuable to have, on our Hiking/Emergency Supplies page. 

​The second item that we use to help us with knot knowledge is the “Knots 3D” app. What a great tool this is!  The $4.99 standalone app (i.e. no internet required) by Nynix is worth every penny since it shows you in detail how to tie 135 knots. 

The app includes the following information on each knot: best uses, other names that the knot is also known as, related knots, “Ashley Book of Knots” (ABOK) number, classification, structure, strength and reliability and a 3D animated video showing the knot being tied. In addition, the app allows you to:

• Browse by knots by category (e.g. boating, camping, climbing, fishing, pioneering, scouting, fire & rescue, etc.,) or search by name, common synonym or ABOK #.
• Show knots in both landscape and portrait modes - as well as full screen (Zoom in on a knot to see greater detail).
• Watch knots tie themselves and pause or adjust the speed of the animation at any time
• Rotate knots in 360 degrees, 3D views to study them from any angle with a swipe of a finger.
• Interact with the knots on screen via multi-touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and swipe to tie/untie.

 
The Knots 3d app’s ability to rotate a knot to see the front, back and everything in-between is indispensable and provides interactivity you can't get from a knot book’s static photographs. You can get the app at the Apple Store, Google Play Store, or Amazon Store.

If you’re looking for other good information on knots used for camping, or survival, here are four good online articles that we recommend you take a look at:

5 Best Survival Knots – Strong Life Saving Knots You Need To Know
https://www.skilledsurvival.com/survival-knots/
 
Camping Knots: 6 Essential Knots Every Camper Needs to Know
https://coolofthewild.com/camping-knots/
 
The 7 Most Useful Survival Knots You Need to Know
https://www.primalsurvivor.net/survival-knots/
 
Essential Knots: How to Tie the 20 Knots You Need to Know
https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/02/essential-knots-how-tie-20-knots-will-keep-you-alive/

Back in March I wrote a blog about the expanding bear population here in New England (“It’s Springtime and That Means the Bears Are Out"). Now, based on the latest Wildlife survey, it’s clear that bears aren’t the only large mammal increasing in population in the area since the number of moose in the area is evidently growing too.

​Although moose in Massachusetts were nearly hunted into extinction during the Colonial era and 19th century, after hunting was regulated in the early 1900's their population began to rebound. "It was a slow progression from Maine to New Hampshire to Vermont, and then started to show up in Massachusetts in the 1960's and 1970's. But it wasn't really until the late 1990's and early 2000's that we started having moose year-round." - Moose biologist David Stainbrook of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
 
Over the past four years there have been hundreds of moose incidents (to include sightings, injuries and deaths) in Massachusetts.  Here’s a map showing where the moose are concentrated and another showing the specific locations where moose have been sighted, or sadly died – mostly due to impacts with cars since moose are taller than deer so headlights don’t normally reflect off of their eyes making them harder to see at night.

Here's a more in depth article on the resurgence of moose in our area:
      https://patch.com/massachusetts/worcester/moose-comeback-massachusetts-map-shows-sightings-deaths

If you want all the details on the Massachusetts Moose population, and other detailed fish and wildlife statistics, here’s the link to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife’s 2018 Annual Report. 
      https://www.mass.gov/doc/annual-report-2018-masswildlife/download

Since the probability of a sighting is increasing, if you do see a moose while you’re out on a hike, you should know that they're not typically dangerous. But it's still good to give them plenty of space — and definitely keep any dogs hiking with you away from the moose. Although rare, you can tell if a moose will become aggressive by its body language. Here are 7 signs to look for (from Emergency Essentials Blog – “7 Signs You’re Going to be Attacked by a Moose”):

• The moose stops eating and stares at you.
• Lays back its ears and raises the hair on its hump, neck, or hips.
• Smacks or licks its lips, and clicks its teeth.
• Lowers its head and walks toward you.
• Urinates.
• Shows the whites of its eyes.
• Whips its head back like a horse.

The Appalachian Mountain Club also has some good information in their article titled “Do You Know How to Respond to a Moose Encounter?”

We routinely see deer, coyotes, black bears, foxes, turkeys, fischer cats, beavers, wood chucks and even a few bobcats in our neck of the woods. I guess we’ll have to start being on the lookout for moose too.

​While we were spending time in Arkansas in October we had a chance to stop by a great knife company that most knife aficionados know about – but that many other people that like hiking, camping and shooting do not; “A.G. Russell Knives”.
 
A.G. Russell Knives was established in 1964 and runs the oldest mail order knife business, the oldest knife collectors club and the oldest after-market knife business. They make shopmade knives in their headquarters in Rogers, Arkansas and have their own brand of A.G. Russell knives that are produced around the world. Their store also carries all the major knife brands such as Benchmade, CRKT, Kershaw, Buck, Case, SOG and others – and many different blades from handmade knife makers such as Randall Knives, Bob Dozier, Keith Murr, Dietmar Kressler, William Henry, Arno Bernard, and others. 

Although they have a store at their shop location, the bulk of their business is done online. Currently they have over 1,500 different knives on their website (https://agrussell.com/).

One of the things that we like about the A.G Russell website is, that in addition to their products, they are big supporters of the “knife community”. In this vein their website also has some great general information that makes it a good source for knife terms and steel formulations. Here’s some high level information on, and links to, their “Knife Encyclopedia” and “Steel Charts”.
 
Knife Encyclopedia: To assist knife lovers A.G. Russell thought that putting together a set of terms and drawings/photos about knives would be helpful to his customers. So he contacted Walter Gardiner, the President of Schrade Cutlery, who sent him their "Handbook of Knife Knowledge and Terms" along with Schrade’s approval to put it online. A.G. Russell took many of terms from the Schrade handbook and used it to start an online encyclopedia. Here are the links to the encyclopedia, the fixed blade knife types page and the blade shape page:

     Knife Encyclopedia: https://agrussell.com/encyclopedia
 
     Fixed Blade Types: https://agrussell.com/encyclopedia/fixed-blade-knife-types
 
     Blade Shapes: https://agrussell.com/encyclopedia/blade-shapes
​

Steel Chart: Because of the explosion in the types of steel formulations used to make knives, in 1988 A.G. Russell posted a knife steel chart online. They continue to routinely update the chart in an attempt to keep it up to date with the ever expanding number of steel formulations. Here are the links to both the Stainless Steel and Non-Stainless Steel charts:
 
     Stainless Steel Chart: https://agrussell.com/chart
 
     Non-Stainless Steel Chart: https://agrussell.com/chart/non-stainless
​

​While we were in their store we purchased an A. G. Russell “Agents Office” Knife. The lockback folding knife has a tear drop shape handle with a double ground dagger-like blade (it is only sharp on one side) made from 8Cr13MoV with a 57-59 Rc. hardness. The handle is made of Mother of Pearl with Abalone spacers. The liners, bolsters and caps, and lock bar are all stainless steel. The knife has a 3” blade and measures 3 7/8” closed. It weighs ~2.9 ounces. It also has a leather lanyard through the butt and comes with a leather pouch with a pocket clip. It’s a beauty!

     https://agrussell.com/knife/A-G-Russell-Agents-Office-Knife--AGLB-CO13WP

​To complement their main website, A.G. Russell also has an online marketplace that “provides a unique service to knife owners who decide to sell knives they own or knife buyers looking for that special knife that is extremely popular or hard to find.”;  The Cutting Edge® (http://www.cuttingedge.com/). For over forty-five years, The Cutting Edge® has been the largest aftermarket for knives of all kinds. Most of these knives are owned by individuals and A.G. Russell sells them on consignment.

As if that wasn’t enough, in 1998 A.G. Russell began Russell's For Men (https://russellsformen.com/) “because we appreciate high quality personal products, but could not find the quality we wanted. Then we realized that a lot of our customers were having similar problems finding items that their grandfathers enjoyed. Fine leather goods, watches, gun accessories, home art, and office items are just a few of the many categories of products we carry.”

In addition to founding the company and designing most of their early knives, A.G. Russell was a recognized leader in the knife making industry. His accomplishments and honors included:

• Founder - A. G. Russell Knives, Inc. (1964)
• Co-Founder and Honorary President - Knifemakers Guild (1970)
• President - The Knife Collectors Club (1970)
• First Honoree - Knife Digest Cutlery Hall of Fame (1974)
• Honoree - Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame (1988)
• Regent - The American Knife and Tool Institute.

 
Although A. G. Russell III passed away in 1998, his expertise and designs live on in the current A.G. Russell knives. You really ought to look at their websites; they’ll definitely have something that you’ll want to buy.

Two weeks ago I posted a few photos of Autumn here in New England. Luckily the winds and rain have been gentler this year so we still have lots of leaves on the trees – enough to get some great close-up photos of them.
 
Since words don’t do justice to the beauty of Nature, I’ll just post some of the photos that showcase the trees’ stunning reds, oranges, yellows and greens (click on any photo to start the slideshow).