Useful info

Hey guys.
So, this week our plans again felt some confusion. Unfortunately MD was feeling rather ill, so instead of traveling an hour away and then 2 more hours up a mountain, we stayed close to home and made use of our local businesses. However, this local fun was completely unrelated to hiking and was very low key.

Now, rather than relaying our inactive outing to you, I decided you would be more entertained (seeing that this blog is related to Adirondack hiking) with some relative and useful information.

Here are a few of the links that I frequently use to set up our day hikes into the Adirondacks.
The Backpacker.com - is extremely useful for gear reviews. There is even a link of the home page that reviews the basics for the gear you will want.

Adirondack Mountain Club - is by far my favorite site. I use it to find trails I might be interested in. I will also take a moment to recommend that you check out their online store. You may think that buying printed books is a waste when you can just look online, but there is nothing more comforting than having a trail guide in your backpack just in case. (I highly recommend the Day Hikes guides: one for the Adirondacks, and one for the Catskills. There is also a nice book of dog hikes and if I still had a dog, this would be the first book I would buy.)

The Backpacker Magazine - is also available in print. It is extremely convenient to have, if even just to browse through. The site has a nifty skills page that offers articles from doing dishes and taking good photos during your outing, to navigation and weather prediction tips.

The ABC of Hiking - is another good site for product reviews. It also gives tips and tricks like The Backpacker.com and Magazine

Backpacking Lightweight - is pretty much what it says it is. In addition to hints for packing light, the site also sells some gear and offers basic knowledge and tips for hikers.

Lastly, this isn't a link so much as a little blurb of info. Obviously when you are looking to make a significant purchase (such as a backpack or heavy duty boots) you are going to want to compare prices. Don't just head straight to our good friends at eBay; do a little research. Check out items at some of the sites above, look for what you need as opposed to what you want (extra things may mean extra weight), then head out to REI and Dick's to check out the gear first hand. It is always better to see something for yourself than to just buy from a picture.

So that's it for this week, I hope these sites prove as useful to you as they have to me. I hope to come back next week after a day in the great outdoors! :D

G