10lbs for 10 miles - Daypacks

Quite often I find myself planning day trips and suggesting certain gear, clothing, etc., that people should take along with them to make their journey safer and more enjoyable. I’d like to tell you a little about proper daypack packing and weight distribution for each person on any wilderness trek.

First of all, each person should have their own lightweight daypack. You could even use your child’s backpack from school if need be, as long as it’s comfortable. When my family goes out hiking we all have our own packs, it helps to distribute weight mostly, but I have also found that

Get with the Picture

Most families seem to have one person that ends up taking all the photos. Sometimes it’s because you are the best with the camera, and other times it is just because it happens to be one of your favorite hobbies and you just love it. The latter is the case in my family. I will generally be the first one to pick up the camera or video recorder at any opportunity. Because of this, I find that I’m not in the photos as often as I’d like to be. The solution for this is simple, let someone else take some shots or get a tripod. I try and do both.

By letting others take shots it puts a different style in the picture. For example, my 8 yr old son is always

This Photo is Alive

Some of us may never see the value in snapping photos at every opportunity, but for the ones that do, you’ll be very thankful down the road. For me, it’s about capturing the mood of a particular moment that’s most important. If your family and friends pose for every shot, then they will look very similar in every picture you take.
Next time you turn on that camera try and resist the urge to draw attention to yourself by waving your arms frantically and shouting ’over here!!’, or waiting until it’s all smiles all around, instead take a few shots of whatever is happing right now; without warning. I think you will be pleasantly surprised more often than not. I’m not saying each photo will be great, but they will all catch