Summary: Photo: <a title="William Warby on Flickr" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/wwarby/">William Warby</a><br> Show Notes: Episode 015<br> Heather shares a reason to listen to some brotherly advice. Then, we have a new feature that will get you Ready for Adventure! On the Backpack Hack of the Week™ you’ll learn how to have the nicest looking waterproof matches on the trail. A fictitious listener sends in a question to the First 40 Miles. And we’ll wrap up the show with a little Trail Wisdom from an absolute saint.<br> Opening<br> <br> * Alpaca, a fiber to be reckoned with…<br> * Alpacas are from the Camelid family<br> * They produce a soft, durable, luxurious and silky natural fiber.<br> * While similar to sheep’s wool, it is warmer and has no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic.<br> * Alpaca has hollow cell in the fiber<br> * Two main breeds of Alpacas use for fiber: the Huacaya (crimped, dense) and Suri (silky, slick)<br> * Its softness comes from having a different smoother scale surface than sheep wool<br> * Alpaca fibers are usually blended with other fibers like Merino wool, acrylic, nylon, spandex or Lycra, for performance, comfort, or increased wear.<br> * Alpaca is warmer, lighter and stronger<br> * <a href="http://www.woopwear.com/">Woop!Wear.com</a> is a great place to start for the most basic of all backpacking clothing: Base layers. Woop!Wear uses a blend of baby Alpaca fiber and sheep wool<br> * Baby Alpaca–not from baby Alpacas! It refers to the grade of alpaca fiber…18-20 microns<br> <br> Top 5 Reasons to Bring Your Smart Phone<br> It’s a Superlight Camera<br> <br> * Consider leaving your “Wedding Beast” at home<br> * Lightweight (my phone is 4.5 ounces and our Nikon weighs twice that!)<br> * Capture memories, facial expressions, funny moments—not to make it on the cover of Nat Geographic.<br> * Open source (FREE) photo editing programs like <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">GIMP</a><br> * <a href="http://www.olloclip.com/">Ollo Clip</a> camera clip on lenses for iPhone 4,5,6 and Samsung 4 + 5 (fish eye, wide angle, macro) (telephoto just for iPhone 6)<br> <br> Use your Smart Phone to Take Notes<br> <br> * Great way to document the trip, journal or take notes for your next trip.<br> * Use it to take audio notes<br> <br> Smart Phone can Store all Your Music/Podcasts<br> <br> * Source of comfort<br> * Makes long stretches of the trail more enjoyable<br> <br> Use Tool Apps <br> <br> * My Tracks (FREE) May not always by synced with a map, but it will track your data even if you’re out of cell range.<br> * Clinometer: This will help you check the incline of any trail just by holding out your phone.<br> * Altimeter: We’re recording The First 40 Miles at 172 feet above sea level<br> * Compass or Navigation<br> <br> Search and Rescue <br> <br> * Pinging<br> * New Search and Rescue idea<br> <br> Just remember to keep your phone on airplane mode to conserve battery, keep it close to your body at night so the battery stays warm, and keep it dry and protected by stowing it a quart freezer zip top bag. And use it judiciously.<br> Ready for Adventure<br> You’ve been invited on a 3 day 2 night trip by a couple of close friends you knew in college—not the partying type of friends. More the “staying up till midnight talking” type of friends. <br> <br> * Share gear<br> * Bring one water filter, one stove<br> * However, I think I’ll bring my own tent<br> * Camera or phone<br> <br> The plan is to hike 6 miles the first day, stay in camp the second day, and hike 6 miles back out the 3rd day.<br> <br> * Won’t want to wear hiking shoes the second day<br> * Bring insulated lightweight, closed toe camp shoes, like <a href="http://pakems.com">Pakems</a>, since it’s February<br> <br> Your friends picked a low elevation and gentle trail, since you’ll probably want to do a lot of talking and catching up.
