Air Travel | Expect Experience

To Pack Light or Heavy for Ski Holidays

: Image via Wikipedia

Many backpackers have polarized themselves into one of two camps: the light travelers and the heavy travelers. The lights think that the less you bring with you, and the lighter that stuff is, the better time you will have. After all, it can be a real irritation to have to lug what feels like a soldier’s ruck up a mountain. While it’s great to experience a challenge, there is a fine line between “a challenge” and “a death march.” The heavies are quite the opposite, though. Not only do they thrive on the challenge of carrying plenty of things with them, they can also live like trailside royalty on what they’ve brought.

Ski holidays inspire a similar divergence of thought. On the one hand, some people like to cross country ski for days at a time, as if they were a spy during the Second World War, escaping the Nazis across the Alps. Some other people prefer to travel as lightly as possible, and even go so far as to take one of those tents that weigh less than a pound as their only means of shelter. While this is very efficient, it can also cause them to be a little wanting for supplies. This may just be the difference between knowing that your car is a mile or two away, versus wanting to go off the trail for a couple of days and see where you can end up.

There is plenty of validity to the ideas of both camps. If you have anything on your back, you have a chance of getting some blisters. And after a couple of hours of skiing, wearing a piece of paper on your back would be an amount of weight that your muscles would certainly notice. It may just end up coming down to wanting two different kinds of experiences. You can always take another trip later.

Filed Under: Adventures, Air Travel, Family Travel, Gambling, Hiking Techniques Tagged With: Alps, Cross-country skiing, Nazism, Ski, Sports, United States, Winter Sports, World War II

Bet Less For Sports Investing Success

: Image via Wikipedia

As with any form of gambling, success at sports investing requires discipline. The defining point between sports betting and sports investing is that the latter involves planning, research and strict money management. With someone who bets casually or without skill, their methods are basically “hit or miss”, so it’s no wonder their winnings are the same. Sports investing takes time and considerable mathematical skill; those with a background in statistics will make sense of the numbers much quicker than those with whom numbers don’t come easily.

The successful sports investor thoroughly researches the players and teams that will be involved in a game before placing any bets. The money management part comes in here; sports investors commonly have an established bankroll with a set amount of money in it, and all bets must come from the bankroll. By having a set amount of money to work with, the sports investor can decide what percentage of his bankroll he’s willing to risk for the chance to win a bet on a given game. This percentage of the bankroll is referred to by sports investors as a “unit”. A sports investor may establish one unit as any percentage of her bankroll, and will typically bet one unit per game.

It’s a common pitfall of beginners to bet too much per game. Professional sports investors advise to bet no more than 5 percent of your bankroll on any one game, and that less than this amount — maybe 2 or 3 percent — is the ideal amount to bet on average. It’s wise to make the size of your unit flexible; if your bankroll grows from more wins, you bet more per unit because five percent of a larger number will equal a slightly larger amount of money, and if your bankroll shrinks, you’ll bet slightly less. In this way, you’ll effectively protect yourself from suffering heavy losses.

Filed Under: Adventures, Air Travel, All About Hiking, Boating, Family Travel Tagged With: Betting, Betting strategy, Bookmaker, Gambling, Game, Money management, Sport, Sports betting

Red Butte Zen-Out

If you want a rugged view of the Continental Divide with its ghostly barren walls, find trailhead 203, a mile north of Indian Point Meadows in Northern Montana. It’s a hike of just over nine miles with an elevation gain of 2,186 feet. It’s not heavily used, although it gets its share of traffic in good weather. It’s not a light hearted day hike. If you are in shape and want untouched wilderness, this is a place to begin.

Rocky Mountain Ranger District can get you all the information you need to make the trek and to see if the trails are open. It is always a good idea to check the status of any wilderness trail and its accessibility due to fluctuations in both weather and the economy that supports the ranger districts.

The hike begins with a map of Prairie Reef, Haystack Mountain. Don’t go it without map and compass unless you know the area. Know your stuff. Be prepared for a stay. The physical trip begins at The West Fork of the Sun with the western destination of the White River. This trip cuts across the Divide leaving you with views of Flathead Alps and Haystack Mountain. You will begin your trip by fording the swift and knee high portion of the West Fork of the Sun, then wander through lodgepole pine forest heading toward Red Butte. Crossing a stream at the butte, you enter a rough wasteland that is a good part of the payoff. You are now nowhere! That is why you do this, correct?

You will pass a thin waterfall on Indian Creek and then the experience becomes mind boggling where the bedrock lays bare showing you it’s origin with ripple marks in the rock. It was once a shallow seafloor. Passing through meadows and dry slopes of beargrass, with a north turn and a steep climb along the western wall of the basin, you will eventually find White River Pass with the view of a huge white monolith. This is a journey of the body and the mind a good place to Zen out.

Filed Under: Air Travel, Family Travel Tagged With: Red Butte, Zen-Out

Carbon Glacier

You get to be in the presence of one of America’s largest glaciers and the journey to get there is one you may well write about, especially the crossing of Carbon River on a suspension bridge that dangles 40 feet above the rapids and stretches about 200 feet. Looking through the slats of the twisting bridge may weaken your knees. If you can handle that, then this is your hike.

This is part of the Mount Rainier Wonderland Trail that circumvents the mountain. It’s popular so you won’t be alone. You can get a map from the Mount Rainier National Park. Map B2, grid b9. You can get directions on how to reach the trail head from the National Parks as well. By the way, this is a summer deal. The roads into Rainier close during the winter. Also be prepared to pay the National Park entry fee.

Once you are there, plan to have your mouth open a lot. If the bridge scares you to death, you can bypass with and backtrack about three tenths of a mile on the Northern Loop Trail and make a right hand turn going up the other side of the river on Mystic lake trail.

Carbon Glacier is the largest in the lower 48 states. Although all glaciers are now receding, the size is generally thought to be as much as 700 feet thick and at the lowest end it is only about 3000 feet above sea level. You will have to climb a very steep moraine to get personal but don’t get too carried away with your first date. Rock slides are numerous. Yeah, big enough, they can take you out permanently. Use your head. The mountain doesn’t care if you live or die.

Most folks stop at about three and a half miles into the hike as the next mile gets very steep and hazardous on the way to Dick Creek Camp. But if you can brave it, do so. You will find a moraine park full of wild flowers as the pay-off to an unexplainable trip.

Filed Under: Air Travel, Hiking Techniques Tagged With: Carbon Glacier

Boots, Socks, Adhesive Tape and No Pain

It is amazing to see what people go through when they decide to backpack without honestly making the effort to be prepared first. Your feet? They are either your Road Ranger or a skate board with broken wheels. Which do you want when you are ten miles from the trial head?

You can go to the specialty stores and purchase the best boots imaginable and spend hundreds doing so. Asolo, Vasque, Patagonia, Soloman . . . the brand names are endless, but the brand name does not get you what you need. Each manufacturer creates boots for certain specialties. That means you need to go to the store knowing the kind of terrain you are going to travel. Which will you get for high alpine climbs on snow fields? Vasque Breeze Gore-Tex or Asolo TPS 520 GVs? You better know the difference. You also need to know that the best boot will leave you disabled if it has not been fitted by a professional. This is not retail rhetoric. It’s a reality. Let the wisdom sink in so you don’t have bleeding toes!

Socks are critical to the safety of the two things that transport you up and down again. A big thick pair of wool socks, right? Maybe. Maybe not. If you have never hiked or are not an avid runner, you need to know about layering of socks: a very thin synthetic on the foot covered by wool or cotton on top. That way the socks rub on socks instead of boot and sock rubbing on skin. However, even that precaution will not protect your feet completely. You need to have worn the boots enough to know where the rub-spots are and cover those spots with adhesive tape for further protection. And if your feet are most tender, don’t forget to pack Second Skin.

The comfort and safety of your feet is perhaps the number one item on your list of to-dos before gearing up with any other of the needed items. Without your feet, you’re in painful nowhere. Do your research. Enjoy your journey.

Filed Under: Air Travel, Family Travel, Sports Tagged With: Adhesive Tape, Boots, No Pain, Socks

Refinance Auto Loan to Continue Recreational Hiking

Recreational hiking is a great sport that many people are starting to enjoy. Hiking involves a lot of walking, but in the a hiker must keep other things in mind. Hiking is not only about walking, but also involves the necessary things that a person needs to have to enjoy his recreational sport. A reliable vehicle is necessary for him to get to good hiking country, so it’s important to maintain the vehicle’s seasonal maintenance at all times.

A good, reliable and sturdy car or truck for the road is important to travel to various hiking destinations in search of the best places to hike. A good, four wheel drive vehicle is needed to get you to places where you can hike, where often the roads are poorly graveled and the vehicle needs to be sturdy to tackle them. This can sometimes mean having a more expensive vehicle than what is available, especially if you’re going to be doing a lot of travel. If you don’t have the income to purchase a vehicle, you may consider doing a refinance auto loan which will make it easier for obtain a hiking-ready vehicle.

Other important accessories for the hiker would be shoes, socks and gear. As for shoes, the right kind of footwear can make a huge difference while you go for hiking in different surfaces and climates. If you prefer track that is not frequently tread, you may decide on weather-friendly shoes as opposed to shoes that you would wear in casual settings.

Socks are also very important because they help your feet breathe and wicks away sweat and moisture, helping the feet to avoid discomfort and blisters. Other accessories that a hiker must have include route maps, a hat, hiking backpacks, waist packs, sunscreen and water bottles. All of these accessories ensure a great trip for the outdoors person.

Filed Under: Air Travel, Family Travel Tagged With: Hiking, Outdoors, Recreation