Hiking To Abrams Falls

This was a repeat hike for me. Abrams Falls is a waterfall in Cade's Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a five-mile round trip from the parking area, with several hillclimbs along the way. The trail is not paved, and there are rocks and roots on the trailbed, but it is not what I would consider a difficult trail. As I mentioned, it was a repeat hike. I hiked it once before, and had been planning to hike it again. Meanwhile, saplings along the trail grew up to be full-size trees. I was thinking about it yesterday, and realized that it has been approximately 35 years since I last hiked this trail! My, but time gets away from us. One thing that has changed since last time is that I can now legally pack a revolver (or autopistol if I preferred, which I don't) on the trail. I can't actually fire the gun except in a bona fide emergency, but it is nice to have it along, just in case. I'm not too concerned about the bears (which are abundant in this valley) so much as other people. Don't get me wrong; everyone I have ever met on trails in the Smokies has been friendly, but the fact remains that a lot of violent attacks occur in national parks, and the Smokies are no exception.

Rat Traps For Survival

This is a great idea for a wilderness survival kit. Rat traps are cheap and capable of catching a variety of small animals for food. While a chipmunk might not sound very appetizing under normal circumstances, in a survival situation it can be a welcome addition to whatever edible plants you can scrounge.

Percolator Coffee on my Optimus 8R Hunter Stove

Storms came through and knocked out the electricity the night before I made this video. Instead of starting the generator I decided to make coffee on my 40 year old Optimus 8R Hunter stove, using a stainless steel percolator pot I bought for a couple bucks at a flea market. I don't really like perk coffee (it overheats it; plain old cowboy coffee is much better if done right) but I find the thermodynamics of the perk assembly fascinating. Basically the stove heats the water on the very bottom under the inner plate, the heated water follows the path of least resistance which is up the stand tube, then out the top into the perk bulb (where by the way you can monitor the color of the brew) and down through the coffee basket where it re-enters the main chamber as brewed coffee. The stove is pretty fascinating in its own right: although it is a pressurized gasoline stove, it creates its own pressurization by heating the fuel tank. Unlike the typical liquid-fuel stove, it does not require a generator tube nor a pump; although an optional pump is/was available to make it easier to start and quicker to reach full heat. I have the optional pump, but I never use it. I hadn't used this particular stove in awhile, but what I like best about it is that it always works. And I have never yet had to replace anything on it.

Hobo Stove Vegetable Soup

Making vegetable soup from scratch on a simple wood-burning hobo stove. This is not me, but it caught my eye because I have been experimenting with hobo stoves in an attempt to find the most useful and efficient design.