What can I do... without?

[ChrisKavanaugh]

There is sad irony in Abbe's photos of the Apaches. The indians of todays suothwestern states suffer a epidemic level of diabetes. The reason? Obesity! The eurocentric United States destroyed much of the native cultures, including traditinal diet. A further irony is NATIVE SEED SEARCH in Tucson Arizona has collected many native crop plants; maize, peppers, beans,squash etc. for seed and food sales and offers the seeds to native americans free.

 

[Squidders]

You are so right with this...but as one who is inclined to always want the kitchen sink and my duvet and a shower and a clean loo....I struggle to keep weight to a measure I can carry without knackering my joints.

I know that feeling well

When you turn a corner only to be faced with a long steep hill and the sun is beating down and you're carrying a full pack...

I sometimes think about an old racing school of thought when thinking about things like climbing and trekking etc...

[

I]Race drivers drive fast and slow down when they have to, everyone else drives slow and speeds up when they can.[/I]​

Out of work I'm never really in a hurry it has to be said, I climb hard, some times dangerous routes but I take my time and try to think about everything I do. I walk quite a way but never to a deadline.

My preference for sleeping is in a tent as it not only keeps me dry and bug free but it provides a lot of privacy but I often take a basha with me for some shade when I'm not in the tent... I know it's wrong and one is enough and that I could construct an adaptation on the basha to provide privacy etc etc but my limited time makes me think... "why?". I don't want to spend time making shelters I want to carve something, make something, watch something, cook something or climb something.

Also, you're right, we live on a little island with really weird weather... in Greenland in the winter you know what you're getting, as do you in Borneo or the Sahara but the UK is a real peach! I was baking today while I had a BBQ, wearing a light shirt and wide brimmed hat... then it chucked it down... deep joy!

So, I always kit for a british summer

Chris: The Apache people is a truely sad story, the laws regarding their reservations not helping much... they do make good casinos though

I think that if they had everything at hand before (including massive unemployment and no land) they would be suffering then as they are today. Their good health before was mostly as a result of a feudal way of living, forming alliances and defending teritories coupled with livestock that tends to migrate and before the decline, avoiding the darn limeys.

It's the way of the world today, people don't have a healthy slightly chubby face, they seem to have either huge rear ends or look like skeletons, everything is too easy and fast, you want some food, take it from the freezer and stick it in the microwave... Only the very remote peoples seem to be healthy these days, in the arctic, jungle or savannah because fast food hasn't caught on. People are getting more and more lazy... so... carry more kit, don't be lazy

 

[arctic hobo]

It's the way of the world today, people don't have a healthy slightly chubby face, they seem to have either huge rear ends or look like skeletons, everything is too easy and fast, you want some food, take it from the freezer and stick it in the microwave... Only the very remote peoples seem to be healthy these days, in the arctic, jungle or savannah because fast food hasn't caught on. People are getting more and more lazy... so... carry more kit, don't be lazy

That's 'cos stick thin people don't exercise enough to put some bulk on, and the fat people don't exercise enough to burn bulk off! I get some pretty funny looks when I'm out training sometimes, it always makes me sad that it keeping fit is an odd thing to do.

 

[spamel]

Not too sure about that, I weigh about 63kgs, 1m75 tall, and therefore am quite skinny. I eat quite a lot for a skinny bloke though, and yes it is a balanced diet. Also, I do quite a bit of exercise as I am in the Army, which includes the Combat Fitness Test or CFT, rifle and bergen over 8 miles in 2 hours. Look at some of the african bushmen, hardly He-Man like physiques! Everyone is different and I think the ideals that are put out by dieticians and doctors should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Spamel

 

[arctic hobo]

That's cos you're an ectomorph laddie, like me in fact

 

[Goose]

That's cos you're an ectomorph laddie, like me in fact

I always thought he was a Sapper!

 

[arctic hobo]

 

[moko]

As I lay freezing in my very expensive lightweight sleeping bag,
I could'nt get out of my head the parting words of a rather smug fellow woodsman who said "remember Moko, any fool can be uncomfortable"!

What was that old cub scout moto, always be prepared. Maybe we should reflect this in our kit and worry less about shaving everything down to the last micro-gram.