A Systems Approach?

On occasion I repost something I find of particular interest from the blog links listed on the side of Cold Thistle.



Recently I have been working on a number of design projects and seen a few others starting to produceresults. Even after a lot of effortthe results may be of limited value. Eventually a well thought out "system" willallow one to use less clothing,carryless weight with better protection from the elements,allwhile being moreversatile. Think a seamless approach, head to foot.



I think to design well, you need a beginner's mind, an open mind. The student's mind. And enough experience to know what really does work and why.



Below area couple of good thoughts for you. I don't agree with everything listed in the blog post. I think tucking your pants into a modern gaitered boot (Phantom and Batura) for example is a bad idea. Tucking your pants is simply a faster way to getcold, wet feet eventually.





Look closely at the upper left hand corner and else where onthe Phantom Guide's gaiter. This is what happens when you tuck your pants into your shorty boot gaiters in the wrong conditions. That is all moisture out of my boot! A good antiperspirant applied to your feet priorwill help as well.



But when thinking of a "clothing system" these two are good info worth remembering.





More here:



http://iceclimbingjapan.com//12/23/climbing-mythology/

heat loss thru the head

another misunderstanding that leads to rescues and unrequited goals. people thinking they lose 50% of their body heat thru the head so they get away with just a good hat is a myth so embedded its not even questioned.

the head loses the same amount of heat as any other part of the body does in ratio to its size – in this case about 9%. meanwhile, somewhere often ignored but which does have a surface area approaching 35% is the legs.

think about it next time you dress for the cold.

crampon patches

crampon or ‘slash’ patches do little to protect your trousers, and do a lot to make your feet cold.

20 years ago when crampons had 20 teeth and fabrics stretched less and had more abrasive textures they were a big deal. now, the seam that joins them and the difference in fabric properties are more likely to catch a crampon than deflect one.

of course bad footwork will create the odd nick, but a thick layer of unbreathing cordura or, worst yet – absorbent Kevlar – is trapping more moisture around your ankles than the odd nick will let in.

Just a few things that I am Thankful for...

(click on the image for a larger version)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with family and/or friends!

Ingalls Lake and Ingalls Peak

A big group ready to hit the trail to Ingalls Lake and the South Summit of Ingalls Peak.

Ingalls Lake on a beautiful fall day.

Dave, Pete and Jim on the South Summit. Mt. Stuart in the background.

FEAR!

If you climb and likely because you climb you know what fear is.



Much of what we do in life is motivated by fear. Fear of losing a loved one, losing a job, losing you favorite bit of kit or losing your life.



Few things in our life are as powerful as words.



Wordscan excite you, depress you or even kill you. They can kill a business or start one.



I was once told that the Cold Thistle blog "was a weapon of mass destruction". I have come to realise that the proclamation came from a base in fear.



Fear of failure?. Fear of havinglimitations pointed out? Fear of job loss or product dismissal?



Smart people (or a compamy) won't find much to fear in life. They may run the ragged edge but they stay in control. What is there to fear? There are always other jobs. Failure is part of success. Few reading this will ever go hungry or lack a roof over their head intentionally. The best seldom worry about being the best. They worry more about how to better themselves or their business.



Yoda said, "Either do or do not. There is no try."



Simple enough. But WTF has this to do with an alpine climbing blog?



It first needsrepeating:



from Jan :



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//01/gear-smear.html



"Remember what works for me may not work for you. Always take my comments with a grain of salt and trust your own observations. I can only write what I see or experience. I don't pretend to know much, let alone know everything. Do your own research...learn through your own experience when you can what works for you. Then compare notes with anyone you can find that has similar interests, experiences or goals. Type it into Google. And always consider the original source."



I had no idea a "list of the best" would be atarget. No big deal asrounds can just as easily go out as be incoming. Ammo is plentiful ;-)



It is worth looking at theblog. Intentionally there is no advertising on the surface or behind the scenes. And I could very easily do both. I don't like ads. I really don't like being involved with advertisers.Most of themactually want somethingfor their money. Imagine that? My opinion is they simplyclutter the web site and anyworth while content . I hateads. They suck. The only thing worse is the multiple pictures of me. Once I figure out how to make money at this I'll hire models and buy THEM gearI really like to take pictures of. But the bastards will have to work for free!



Ah, but the companies that live in FEAR...they are the most demanding of all and have the most to lose.



It doesn't take much to figure out who in the outdoor industry owns the limited brain trust for research and development. R&D as opposed to just cost cutting veiled as a technologicalimprovement. Easy reference is look at where they manufacture. Is it at home or off shore? Anyone making the effort to manufacture in their home country is paying a price to do so.Ever wonder why someone would do that?Running it out on your own and trusting yourskill set? I can admire that.And who are the guys out therethatsimply make copies of good ideas? Sadly, I have yet to see a copy that is as good as the original. I have however seen improvements onoriginal designs. One is not the other in most cases, but the rare exception.



Lots of decent gear being made. Pick and choose, then support the ones you think deserve your hard earned coin.



The good companiesdon't live in FEAR. They easily make changes in public, admit mistakes, fix them and move on.Same decisions most of us have to make everyday. Look at the corporate cultures. How do they deal with the public. How about the retailers? The manufactures? Even the blogs and forums. What are they into "it" for.



If you have ever had a pissing match trying to return a piece of gear or bought an item that you foundtruly a POS compared to the advertising hype or went looking for honest, no BS, opinions of a end user, I suspect some of this will ring true to you.



The gearI mentionon Cold Thistle is what I think is the very best. Most of the time it could be better. I don't mind pointing that out as itis generally pretty obvious to everyone. Either way it is gear Ipaid my ownmoney for and actually use. Sometimes but not often betting my own life on the results. Those suggestions may change over time for various reasons. You may disagreeand I love to hear about the mistakes you think I have made. But no one paying me to write about what I like and use.



Believe it or not I write this blog simply forfun! But it is also "serious business" to me.

Aspen Roads

Waiting for the next trip

The passenger ferry "Voyageur II" waits patiently for its next voyage to Isle Royale National Park from its dock in Grand Portage, MN. This image was taken in late September of this year as the Isle Royale boating season was winding down. The Voyageur II is a 60' aluminum-hulled ferry that has been providing mail and passenger service to Isle Royale National Park since the early 1970's. It is the only ferry that circumnavigates the entire island, making several stops along the way so hikers and paddlers can have options for hiking or canoeing/kayaking different portions of the island.

Bitternsweet

I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off (as usual), busy with last-minute preparations for a local craft show.

"Come look!" My husband was very excited. "I think it's a Bittern!"



My reaction involved trudging and muttering. I was busy. We had to leave soon. Not that I wouldn't love to see a Bittern; I'd only seen one once before, at the coast. They're secretive birds. But my husband, always a birding optimist, has a track record for thinking that other things are Bitterns.



He was right though. It was indeed an American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus.

"You can use the pictures for the triumphant return of Rurality!" I had to laugh, but it really was time to start back. It was October 4th, and I'd been rude for two and a half months already.

Then the next week I caught the crud that's been going around here, and was down, down, down, for way too long. I was in the clutches of a cold that had managed two years at Influenza Junior College. ("In the grippes of it," she said, going for the year's most obscure pun.)

And there was an insidious feature. Every day, I thought I'd be much better in just another day or two. I missed the trip to Georgia I'd been planning for months. I also missed the Native Plant conference that was the brightest thing on the calendar in five years, and that I'd already paid $100 to attend. (That I probably could have gotten a refund for, if not for the insidious feature.)

So anyway, when I finally could force myself to move around, I had a lot of catching up to do in a hurry, soapmaking-wise, before the last and biggest show of the year. So no time for Rurality. (All of this in explanation to those folks I told that I was just about to start back, and then didn't. Sorry!)