Camping

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. . . Gear and Gizmos

Hiking has more than it’s fair share of gadgets and gizmos to keep the hiking gadget geeks happy. Ultralight and minimalist hikers have extremely fertile imaginations, they’re always discovering new ways in which to make their packs even lighter and discovering (or inventing) one hiking gadget or bit of hiking gear which can double up on its uses and help to cut down on the weight of the backpack. Some hikers are obsessed with it all, although the lighter your back pack the more you enjoy your hike, (but some of us think it’s worth the extra few pounds to ensure a good nights sleep at the end of the hiking trail . . . we’re not all happy to sleep on the ground, just the ground and nothing but the ground, my poor old bones won’t stand for that, especially after I’ve been trekking up and down trails all day with my back pack on my back).

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” -
John Burroughs

Hiking stores have a great range of hiking gadgets for you to try out . . . why hike all of the way up to the top of that mountain without taking some type of telescope with you to study the stars . . . I know that hiking is great for hikings’ sake, but why not make the absolute most of the opportunity with some small, lightweight hiking gadget which can really help you to see everything more clearly. Don’t just sleep under the stars, get a really good look at them while you’re at it!

Great video but what did she sound like? I’ll think of it in a minute . . . she sounded like one of those electronic voice recordings didn’t she, with a bad cold!

Whilst we’re talking about looking at things, another hiking gadget which can help you to make the most of your surroundings on your backpacking trip is a simple magnifying glass . . . many things look very different and even more fascinating when it’s magnified . . . bugs, flowers, leaves, cougar poo . . .  yes, it’s fresh, hiking party on amber alert, amber alert!

Well? How many cougars did you spot . . . I saw at least 3 maybe 4 . . . go back and have another look.