Well fall is here in Montana.  Snow up on the tippy top peaks and crisp cool nights.  We have been lucky enough to have an indian summer here in Montana and we have been enjoying the clear cool days and chilly nights that leave frosty mornings.  In my opinion this is the best time to hike and ramble in the backcountry.  I have to think how I am going to modify my typical setup of gear and what I will begin to carry as the days and nights get colder and the potential of snow looms in the high country.
  The first modification I will probably make is moving from my light weight summer bag a 35 degree down bag made by Nunatak  to a slightly heavier but warmer down bag a 20 degree Montbell bag.  Your sleeping bag is the one and only thing that can make or break you!  If all else fails warmth and time are on your side.  When the weather turns bad,  and you have built extra days into your itinerary to allow bad weather, get in your sleeping bag and hunker down.  A light weight bivvy bag or silk liner will stretch the temperature range of your sleeping bag 5-10 degrees and may be a good option if you are a cold sleeper.  You can also try adding a few extra layers before you turn in to insulate yourself a little better.  Try going for a little run or climb a hill and get yourself really warm before you crawl inside your sleeping bag.  Remember your bag is just an insulator!  If YOU go in warm you will stay warm and if you go in cold....well shiverfest it is! 
  Generally the days are much colder and you might have to modify your outerwear a bit to compensate.  One of the warmest and most practical pieces you can add to your gear is a lightweight wind jacket.  Marmot, Patagonia and Montbell all make great pieces.  I find that I am wearing this piec all the time in the fall.  Keep your stocking hat handy.  Stuff it in your pocket just make sure it doesnt fall out as your hiking.  As soon as you stop put on your hat and you will go along way to keeping yourself warmer.  Remember that most of your heat is lost through your head!  Try to avoid getting yourself too sweaty if you are properly layered you shouldnt notice yourself really getting sweaty at all even if you start your hike nearly freezing your butt off.  Chances are with the first 15 minutes of hiking you will warm up to a nice temperature.
  Keep hydrated!  When it is cooler you must remind yourself to drink water as you will never feel that thirsty.  Keeping hydrated will help you stay warm by allowing your blood to remain thinner and travel to your extremities easier.   Remember the sunblock.  Just because its cold outside doesnt mean you cant get a sunburn.  sun protection is just as important as it is in the summer.
  Along with all of these other things dont forget that you may need to take a little more food for cooler weather.  You also may need to take a little more fuel for hot drinks in the morning and at night.  If its really cold dont be afraid to stop for some hot tea at lunch.  It can bring you a welcome boost on a cold rainy fall day.  Above all stay safe, and enjoy the peace and crowd less quiet the fall will bring.
  Stay tuned we will be posting some campfire cookery videos here on the blog soon!

Hmmm what to eat, how to cook,how to package?

  Some one recently mentioned the availability of fresh lightweight options for backcountry food.  Unfortunatley fresh food and lightweight dont always go hand in hand.  There are lots of options in your local grocery  and to keep it on the healthier side/ less processed food side you can start with grains and pasta's.  Several ways to go about this you can either design and build your own individual meals or take a bulk amount of rice, pasta, couscous, quinoa, bulgar, barley or grain of your choice.  You can then add a handful of vege slices of your choice to give it a freshful/zestfull zing.  Your enemy here is water!  Fresh things have more of it and its always best to add the water from the place where you are camped rather than carrying it in your food.
  Explore Cheese!  It is calorie dense and ohh so delicious.  The varieties are as numerous as the stars and you can mix and match according to your tastes.  Nut butters, peanut,almond and cashew can add tastiness to curries and thai dishes and are also calorie dense enough to warrent carrying them. 
  When it comes to carrying larger quantities of vegetables you have to figure out a way to economically get rid of that heavy water weight.  If the freeze dried thing freaks you out try drying your own vegetables.  A oven setting of 200 degrees makes short work of drying your fruits and vegetables!  Make sure to check on them so you dont over do it and experiment experiment experiment.  Find your favorite recipes and convert them to a backcountry feasts!  For spicy thai dishes look for rice noodles add a small container of your favorite spicy thai sauce and a handful of mixed dry vegetables.  Add a topping of crushed peanuts and presto!
  You can always save weight in other areas if fresh fruit and veges are the priority.  We will discuss some alternate cooking methods using small campfires.  These methods would only apply in certain areas i.e. designated campsites or wilderness areas that permit fires.  Stay tuned as we will discuss some of these methods in upcoming blogs!  Until then.....Bon Appetite!

Put down that heavy pack!

Its no secret that the "light and fast" backpacking movement is gaining popularity in the united states and abroad.  The reasons behind it are sound less weight on your back = more fun!  So with all of the advertising of expensive outdoor gear these days what do you really need and what can you leave behind?  Remember John Muir used to walk into the woods for days with nothing more than a rucksack and some bread and cheese.  Maybe he was on to something. 

  Begin by taking everything you plan on carrying and laying out in a broad area like your living room floor or backyard.  Systematically weigh everything and think to yourself.....is there a lighter option.  It may be simple things like not taking a whole tube of toothpaste or leaving that comb behind.  If your shopping for gear most things these days have the weight clearly marked.  Weigh your options and go with the lightest simplest set up.
  Beware of durability!  Or lack thereof as a lighter thing may not hold up as well.  It may be worth it to carry the extra ounce or two for something you can use longer.  It may require a little thinking outside the box!  For example if you are carrying a lighter pack you can probably hike in a stout pair of trail runners.  Remember the Pyramids were built in flip flops!  Give it a try see what you can lose and post it here lets shoot for the lowest backpacking weights!  The lighter, the further, the funner!

From Ohio to Montana the Adventure begins!

  Growing up in Ohio doesnt always lend itself to the thought of adventure.  I admit that idea of mountains and snow capped peaks escaped me until I was about 5 or 6 years old.  In elementary school we read a book called The Boxcar Children http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boxcar_Children   I remember these adventures fondly and realized at that moment that there was an entire world out there to explore and I was going to do it!
  I began do devour every book I could in search of adventure and wonder.  My Side of the Mountain, and the book Hatchet were only a few of the many books I found in my school library.  I took my first solo camping trip behind my families farm at age twelve.  With a $20 dollar Walmart frame back pack and a motley assortment of old smelly military surplus gear I made my dream a reality.  I was terrified!  The autumn woods were cold, dark and forboding.  The only light in the wilderness was my cheap kerosene lantern which I had hauled on the outside of my pack the epic distance of 3/4 of a mile through the corn field to my campsite along the creek. 
  All through the night I was kept awake, mostly by fear, of the terrible things outside my thin nylon tent.  Occasionallly I could hear the whitetail deer move through the creek and at one time heard one of them take a fall down one of the cutbanks and splash into the creek.  Thats when I relit my lantern!  I had never spent a more terrifying or restless night in the woods.  I was hooked.  This WAS adventure!
  Summer camp was the next step.  I began to wonder who could teach me more about living in the woods, traveling to the remote places in the world and climbing in the mountains.  I went to several different camps as a child. Camp Hidden Hollow a 2 week summer camp in Indiana and finally at age 14 a wilderness survival skills camp called Green Mountain Wilderness Survival School based in the green mountains of Vermont.  This was the biggest adventure I had ever had.  The longest I had ever been away from home, 17 days, and the most remote stretch of country I had ever been in......real mountains.  It changed my life.  I discovered that adventure is an important part of growing, exploring and just being Human!
  Over the years I have had many adventures in great and wonderful places and have come to the conclusion that I can help others experience the same things I did as a young man.  this is what caused me to develop Under Western Skies Adventures.  The adventure camps for boys were designed to inspire a sense of wonder, strength of character and beleiving that you can do whatever you put your mind to.  We focus on community, stewardship and investment in the wild places of the world, fun and trying things you might have never done before.  Life is adventure and UWS Adventures hopefully will become a tool for discovering yourself, making friends, learning new skills and passing these things on in the form of lifelong experiences that can be shared with friends family and the community!