hiking | y2kemo

How-To: Make a trekking pole from a branch

On my last backpacking trip, as I made my way to Cold Mountain one of my aluminum Black Diamond trekking poles snapped. The cause baffled me. I planted the pole in the mud, leaned forward, and as I did the pole just went. With over a day and half of hiking to go, I stopped and made a hiking pole from a fallen branch.

The following day I needed to put the stick away, but it was wood and much too long to do anything with so I was forced to carry it. As I walked back, ideas for how to make a trekking pole started popping in my head.

If you’re interested in making your own, keep reading. It’s actually pretty easy. You’ll need a few things, some tools, and about an hour to do the brunt of the work.

Backpacking in NC: Flat Laurel Creek to Cold Mountain

Two years ago my buddy, Coop, and I met a backpacker named Chris at the base of Shining Rock while backpacking in NC. Chris had just turned back due to extreme conditions, and we were looking for a place to camp before the sun went down. Before parting ways, the three of us exchanged contact information and have kept in touch since.

This past weekend, the three of us met up at Sam Knob via the Flat Laurel Creek trail off of NC Highway 215 (Lake Logan Road) to hike our way to the top of Cold Mountain. Coop and I took Friday to get an extra day of camping and an Anywhere5K to the top of Sam Knob’s 6,055′ peak, and Chris joined us on Saturday morning at the Black Balsam Road parking lot.

There can be only one…Grayson Highlander

Best Panoramic Photo Apps

Grayson Highlands sunrise Back in 2000 I splurged and bought a Kodax Advantix camera. It had its own special film, and could shoot classic (4×6), group (4×7) and panoramic (4×11.5) photos. Now I have an iPhone and its merry band of photo apps. But which one is best for shooting panoramics?

On my most recent backpacking trip to the Grayson Highlands in Virginia I put Pano, AutoStitch, 360 Panorama, and Photosynth. My hand was steady, I had plenty of time for retakes, and there was plenty of natural light. Here’s how they turned out.