A Great Idea for the Fall Season!

 

Thanks to the New York State Dept, of Environmental Conservation (and Cabela's) for the suggestion!

Labor Day Weekend on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

 

Something different on the Old Ranger's Backcountry Podcast this time; just music and photos from our Labor Day Weekend trip to Beaver Lake on the U.S. Forest Service - Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Enjoy!

The Old Ranger's Backcountry Podcast

Eureka Timberline: A Tale of Three Tents

One summer, forty-two years ago my wife, our German Shepherd, Bear, and I were camped at Camden State Park along the coast of Down East Maine when I awoke shortly after dawn with a strange noise in my ears. There was a storm coming in from the sound of it, it was going to be a doozy. I woke my wife up and warned, “We’ve got a get everything into the truck as fast as possible.” Groggily, she realized what I was talking about, and we grabbed our clothing, sleeping bags and pads and crammed it all into the Bronco much to the confusion of our dog, who was already in the vehicle. It wasn’t a moment too soon as a nor’easter slammed into the campground and flattened our dome tent to the ground. I don’t remember what brand it was, and it wasn’t a top-of-the-line model, but it did not withstand the storm. So, we sat there in the driving rain wondering how we were going to salvage our vacation. That was back in the days when L.L. Bean was open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and Camden is relatively close to Freeport, so we trundled on down to one of the world’s best-known outfitters in search of a new shelter. We came away with a two-person Eureka Timberline. It was our first of three, each one slightly larger than the previous edition.

I still have that two-person tent, although I confess I haven’t used it in a while. It sits behind the four-person and the six person on the shelf in the garage. That tent has seen it all. It has been with me to Maine, the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains of Vermont, as a volunteer Backcountry Ranger on the Chippewa and Superior National Forests in Minnesota and the Chequamegon-Nicollet National Forest in Wisconsin and an epic mountain bike missions trip across Karelia in northwestern Russia. It has served well and is still serviceable, still usable after all these years.

Not too many years after we moved to Minnesota, it became apparent that our needs and space requirements were growing, so we visited the now defunct United Outdoor Store in Fridley, where we found the ideal solution to our needs at the time, a four-person Eureka Timberline. Like the two-person model before it, it was easy and quick to set up, suspended from an external frame, but had much more floorspace; adequate enough that when used solo, it allowed for a cot to be set up in the tent. It’s great for outings like base-camping or canoe camping where the small amount of extra weight is of no consequence. The centerline is 6 feet high, so I can stand up with just my head slightly bent to get dressed. A nice addition over the two-person version.

Several years ago, now, my wife asked what I wanted for Father’s Day, and I brought up a webpage on I believe the Campmor site for the Eureka Timberline 6-person Outfitter SQ tent, which was actually a tent that I had wanted for a number of years. Low and behold, by the time Father’s Day rolled around, I/we had a new tent. It is wonderful. Solo, it is almost “glamping,” with space for a cot, table, chair, and all the miscellaneous items that go into a solo camping trip. It’s roomy enough to sit inside on rainy days, or after dark and read by the light of an LED lantern. When the two of us go camping, it easily fits two cots and the table, and like its 4-person predecessor, there is ample space to stand up in order to get dressed. One notable improvement of the “Outfitter” model over the 4-person is the heavy-duty floor, negating the need for an interior ground cloth. In theory, it could be used as a four-season shelter, however I don’t believe I would do so in extreme winter climates like we experience here in Minnesota. (Normally.) We have been using the tent for over three years now, in spring, summer, and fall and it has been a joy to camp in. The only drawback that I have experienced so far is, while solo camping, set-up can be somewhat vexing, particularly on a breezy day. Aside from that one factor, I cannot say enough good things about our third Timberline.

Unfortunately, like my Cogburn CB4 fat-bike and the dodo bird, the Timberline tent in all its versions, is now extinct. Johnson Outdoors sold off their Eureka! line a couple of years ago to concentrate on their Jetboil outdoor cooking system. Personally, I feel that this was somewhat shortsighted, but I felt that way about the demise of the Cogburn as well. I wish I could recommend a suitable alternative to the Timberline Outfitter series, but I am very happy with what I have and until we purchase some sort of camper-trailer (in the not-too-distant future) I see no reason to try anything else. Yes, I’ve had other tents since 1983, each with its advantages and disadvantages. However, from the 2-person to the 4-person to the 6-person, I still stand by and camp in my Eureka! (Also L.L. Bean) Timberline tents. They were and are the best in the backcountry.

 

Our National Forests Are Under Attack, and Nobody is Even Talking About It!

You read that headline correctly. Our National Forests are under attack by forces that seek to dissolve the US Forest Service that manages them, and sell off our precious Public Lands to private interests that would seek to pillage them for their valuable resources, and/or limit access to those who can afford to pay their access fees. If you think I am deluded, pay attention, because while social media is full of pleas to save our national parks, nobody is paying attention to the National Forests. Although it has escaped media attention that the Park Service has regained multiple thousands of positions, the US Forest Service has lost 10,000 jobs, and is being told to eliminate another 7000 with little or no regard for its effects on families, homes, and the  economy or the communities and states they live in. Make no mistake about it, a cabal of primarily Western state senators and representatives, emboldened by the election of President Trump and his DOGE program under Elon Musk, are quietly clearcutting the caretakers of over one hundred and eighty-eight million acres of Public Land. OUR Public Lands.

Nobody is arguing that our national parks, the sanctuaries of our most unique natural, cultural, and historical lands, aren’t important, however it takes a lot more to shut down a national park than to do so with National Forest lands. To eliminate as much as thirty percent of the Forest Service workforce will place Irreparable harm on an agency that was already short-staffed before they were ordered to eliminate 7500 primarily seasonal positions last fall, followed by a 3000-employee cut on Valentine’s Day. This is being done behind our backs, folks. While your attention is being focused justifiably and intentionally on things like USAID, Social Security, DEI, and National Parks, the Forest Service is being reduced to a force that cannot possibly keep up with the demands of managing the Public Lands in their care. Those trying to destroy the agency will seize this opportunity to say, “Look, we told you so! They can’t manage it so let’s transfer it to the states.” Then, when the states can’t afford to manage it, they’ll be forced to sell the lands off to the highest bidder. That is the endgame. If you don’t think this threat is real, witness that in January the Supreme Court ruled against a Utah-based attempt to seize federal lands in that state, just one in a string of attempts to wrest control of federal lands managed for us under the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in primarily, but not exclusively Western states.

While I certainly agree that government at all levels, but particularly at the federal level, has become bloated and rift with corruption and special interests that need to be eliminated, and a budget and massive deficit that need to be reduced, the US Forest Service is one of the best managers of both the taxpayer’s dollars entrusted to them and the land that it is their mission to manage. Selling off our Public Lands at fire sale prices will not effectively reduce the budget or the deficit. Selling off the timber on those lands while laying off the trained, educated, professional employees whose job it is to manage sustainable forests is both shortsighted and ultimately counterproductive. One of the Forest Service’s biggest problems is its historic inability to promote and lobby for itself. Many people in this country don’t even recognize the difference between a National Park and a National Forest, or that they are under two different, separate departments of the federal government with vastly different missions.

Unfortunately, the days of representative government are receding rapidly in our rearview mirrors. Party leaders on both sides of the aisle demand that senators and representatives vote their party line whether or not it is what the people who elected those representatives want or believe in. Both sides believe we, who sent them to Washington in the first place, are not smart enough to know what’s best for us. There needs to be a new way to reinforce the fact that the people we elect are there to represent us and our interests, not those of their biggest donors. Because of this, contacting your legislators may be only partially effective. But letter writing, emails, and phone calls have worked to restore over 3000 positions with the National Park Service. There is more to be done, but we need to get at it because there is the deadline of March 13th for the Forest Service to produce 7000 more cuts. Write, call, post, email. Make a ruckus. Let your and my elected representatives know that this has to stop. Tell them to end the attack on OUR Public Lands, OUR National Forests, before it’s too late to save them!

 

Backcountry Snowshoeing and Skiing: The 10 Essentials of Winter

Preparation for hiking is crucial in all seasons, but especially in cold and unpredictable winter. The Backcountry Trail Patrol recommends the “10 Essentials” for any hike: nutrition, hydration, insulation, illumination, navigation, first aid supplies, fire, repair kit, emergency shelter, and sun protection. Here’s how to make this list work for you in winter conditions, along with some tips from the Old Ranger.

Nutrition: Bring plenty of food! Winter hiking burns a lot of calories. Pack extra bars or trail mix in case you’re out longer than expected. Pro tip: Some energy bars may be prone to freezing, so think about bite-size snacks like trail mix. Carrying bars close to your body will help, too.

Hydration: Two liters of water is probably adequate for most day hikes. Pro tip: Insulate with an old sock, and carry the bottle upside down to keep the cap from freezing (the highest water freezes first).

Insulation: In addition to synthetic base layers, warm middle layers, and a waterproof outer layer, be sure to pack spare clothing layers. Pro tip: You haven’t packed enough unless there’s a layer left that you never needed to use!

Illumination: Bring a head lamp (to keep your hands free) with spare batteries, even if you’re only planning a day hike. If you can’t easily change batteries in the dark with cold fingers (try it at home), an extra light will be better than spare batteries. Pro tip: Lithium batteries last much longer than alkaline batteries in the cold.

Navigation aids: Cell phone batteries can die quickly in the cold, so a paper map, compass, and GPS are far more reliable. Pro tip: Practice using them until it’s easy! You can find videos online or participate in a workshop.

First Aid Supplies: Everyone in your group should carry a complete first aid kit in case you get separated. Pro tip: Sign up for a Wilderness First Aid class to gain confidence in backcountry emergencies!

Fire: Waterproof matches, lighter or flint. Don’t assume you can start a fire with ice-coated and snowy wood until you’ve done it a few times. Pro tip: Pack some Vaseline-covered cotton in a prescription bottle for a fire starter. Also, a couple of "Fast-Fire" fire starter blocks (Available at Fleet Farm, Cub, etc.) can save your life!

Repair kit: Multi-tool, or knife and duct tape. Pro tip: Use your hiking pole as the core to make a small roll of duct tape so it’s always handy.

Emergency Shelter: Pack a tarp, tent, or bivy sack, even for day hikes. Pro tip: A large contractor trash bag is an inexpensive option in a pinch.

Sun Protection: Sunglasses and sunscreen are all the more important in cold temps. Winter sun reflecting from snow can cause sunburn and snow blindness, and you’re unlikely to notice an incoming sunburn. 

Join the Fight to Save Our National Forests!

My name is Hans Erdman, and I am a retired park ranger, Patrol Chief Emeritus of the Minnesota and Wisconsin volunteer Backcountry Trail Patrol Association, host of the Old Ranger’s Backcountry podcast and a number of blogs, pages, and other conservation related presence across social media. I am also a proud United States Forest Service volunteer and have been for the past thirty-five years, even while working as a career park ranger for other agencies.

Today, February 1st, is the 120^th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture, by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905. I am posting this short message today, not just because of the Forest Service anniversary, but because this year, possibly more than any year since, our national forests, grasslands, and even our national parks are under attack. They are under attack from the same forces that Teddy Roosevelt and it's first Chief, Gifford Pinchot sought to protect our public lands from in 1905.

I am a life-long conservative, by every definition of the word. I am not a Republican nor a Democrat, but I will always vote for the person, regardless of affiliation, who most closely supports the things that I believe in. Do not even dare to accuse me of being anything but conservative. I was supporting Ronald Reagan when most of today’s legislators were still in diapers back in 1968. But I am also a conservationist and have been so even longer, when I decided my goal in life was to become the career that I lived and loved for twenty-six years as a Ranger. And I also believe that our government at both the state and federal level has become too big, too unwieldy, and too intrusive in our daily lives. It has also become too expensive for its own system to support. That much I can agree on with those who were attacking our public lands, however there is a group in Congress that is using the new administration’s push to reduce government spending as justification to gut our land management partners, specifically the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. During the first Trump administration, the same representatives from Utah and other Western states attempted to eliminate the division of law enforcement and investigations within the Forest Service, and even in the past month the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against another Utah-based lawsuit that tried to force the BLM to transfer the lands it manages in the beehive state to state control. These attacks have continued, and they always seem to originate with the Utah and Nevada delegations.

Our public lands in the United States are a unique and incredibly special heritage. No other country in the world has lands that are owned by us, the public, and allows access to those lands like our country does. Our national forests and grasslands comprise of 193 million acres that contribute over thirteen billion dollars to the national economy every year from forest visitors alone. Over 20 percent of our nation’s clean water supply comes from the more than 400,000 lakes and 60,000 miles of rivers and streams on national forest land. Most of those nearly 200 million acres are open to hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, bicycling, ATV riding, horseback riding, and myriads of other recreational opportunities. The Forest Service provides, excuse me, provided 7400 seasonal jobs that contributed to the local economy until last year when Congress drastically cut funding for seasonal employment. This argument of trimming the budget is a thinly veiled disguise. Their real intent is to eliminate both our public lands, and the agencies that manage so that they can be supposedly managed better by the respective, and most frequently western, states. Of course, those states do not have the budget, the manpower, or in many cases the training or desire to do so, and failing that, they would be forced to sell to the highest bidder. That is who these champions of budget reduction actually represent, those “highest bidders.”

Representative Emmer, for twenty-six years I worked as a park ranger in your district. Representative Stauber, I live in your district and have voted for you every time you’ve run for Congress, but if you choose to take sides with those who would steal our public lands and our unique American Heritage of wild and public places from us, I will add my voice to those who oppose you. In 1984 I stood toe to toe with Governor Mario Cuomo when he tried to cut New York State’s Forest Ranger force, which I believe is one of the finest forest protection agencies in the world, in half because his downstate advisors told him they weren’t needed anymore. We won that battle, and, now as then, we’ll win this one.

I leave you with my favorite quote from one of my conservation heroes, the first chief of the United States Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot; “Where conflicting interests must be reconciled, the question shall always be answered from the standpoint of the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run.”

We are the greatest number. Contact your members of Congress, contact your senators. As the song says, “This land is your land, this land is my land, this land was made for you and me.” Without your help, this land won’t be yours or mine or our grandchildren’s in the long run, if we don’t act now.

To paraphrase Smokey Bear, “Only you can protect our forests!”