Stake Solution

QuickTip: How to stake tents on hard ground

When the ground won’t hold tent stakes and the supply of large rocks is limited, try this: Lay your trekking poles (or dead branches) next to the tent, threading them through stake loops, and then pile on small rocks. You’ve just built an aboveground version of a "deadman." Scatter the remains when you break camp.
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Blazing Trails

Quick Tip

On indistinct or snow-covered trails, blazes (some cut into tree bark) may be your only guide, but fallen trees and animals can leave gashes in the bark that resemble axe-hewn blazes. When in doubt, check the other side of the tree, since most trails are blazed in both directions.
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Cool Customer

Keep fresh and cool with this tip from one of our readers.

December 2000

"When hiking in hot, dry deserts, I drench several T-shirts (the heavier the better) in cold water, wear one, then fold the others and put them in a zipper-lock bag. When the desert air dries my first shirt, I replace it with one from the bag. It makes a desert hike infinitely more enjoyable. Include some wet bandannas in the bag, too. They help cool your head, and prevent sunburned ears and neck when tucked under a cap Lawrence-of-Arabia style."
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