MAN AND THE CHANGING WORLD

“GREAT THINGS ARE EXPERIENCED WHEN MEN, MOUNTAINS AND A WILDERNESS MEET”

UNKNOWN

MAN AND THE CHANGING WORLD

Man is only one of three million species that inhabit this earth, but he already consumes more food than all land mammals put together. During the Stone Age period, the world’s human population consisted of some one million people. It took until 1850 to reach one thousand million. Only 80 years later, in 1930, the world’s human population doubled itself to two thousand million. In 1960 it was estimated at three thousand million and in 1975 it was expected to reach four thousand million, with the probability of eight thousand million by the year 2000.

   From the outset man was more intelligent than other living creatures and was therefore able to successfully adapt and overcome the difficulties confronting him. During the Ice Age, man covered himself in skins instead of migrating to warmer climes. He then discovered fire and began to build shelters. From eating berries, fruits and roots, he learned to grow crops and to rear animals for meat, milk, and skins. He started to trade, which led to road systems and eventually the building of ships which connected him with other continents.

   With each progression, man has advanced in all fields of life. Industry and scientific advancement have swept ahead without man learning to manage his world and its resources more rationally.

   Rivers and lakes have silted up through soil abuse and incorrect farming methods. Usable water is becoming scarcer each day due to silt and pollution: only 1 percent of the earth’s water supply is now of use to man.

   Atomic power can be very useful to man, but already man has polluted the earth with radio-active dust. Unwise use of poisoning insecticides resulted in poisoning plants, animals and human beings, too. Factories have spilt their effluents into rivers, lakes, and seas, until they can take no more. We burn coal, paraffin and other fuels which not only pollute the atmosphere but take a long time to replace.

   In the early days of the earth, people such as the Red Indians and the Bushmen lived in harmony with their environment; they knew that their lives depended on knowledge of sound ecological concepts. Today, we are only beginning to learn. We cannot treat our planet as if it were limitless in its supply. All sources of energy come to us from the sun via plants. The coal and fuel we burn, the petrol we use, have this energy. We are using these, our natural resources, as if they would never run out, but already we have over-used some of our sources of energy which took millions of years to form.

 BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

   The litter problem in the world is enormous. Millions of tons of litter have to be disposed of daily. This involves a tremendous amount of money; also, a large amount of this litter is not recycled and is therefore absolute waste. Charity begins at home, so must we, in our own minds, be pollution and litter conscious. Plastics and bottles, papers and tins, are left by many careless people in our beauty spots, whether it is in mountains or in water. Apart from spoiling our beautiful heritage, these things can become a source of danger.

   So litter, water, soil, food and our needs become a personal responsibility, where, with self-discipline, we must learn not only to respect ourselves but our environment too.

   There is only one earth and it is not very large; the bio-sphere is even smaller, and what nature has created and developed over millions of years, and which allows our planet to teem with life for our wise use, is rapidly being shattered to such a degree that if we do not do something NOW, it will be too late.

We as hikers, explorers, and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses. Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!

 

 

 

The End.

 

Safe Hiking.

References and Acknowledgements

From the book – Walk through the Wilderness – C Walker & D Richards

Photos – Willem Pelser

Compiled by Willem Pelser

CHOOSING A HIKING TENT

 ENDURANCE IS NOT JUST THE ABILITY TO BEAR A GREAT THING……

BUT TO TURN IT INTO GLORY”

UNKNOWN

CHOOSING A HIKING TENT

For sitting out storms and lounging around you need a decent-sized tent, but if you want to backpack, weight is a serious consideration.

   Choosing the right tent is far from easy. One weekend you may be backpacking, the next you may be taking a short walk to a wild area, and the next you might want to camp from the back of your car. All these uses different sizes and weights of tent, so deciding what to buy is a tough call.

   The key features for such a wide range of uses are living space and weight. For comfort in all weathers your tent needs a area to store wet gear and enough living space to make long stays under the stars comfortable.

   But if you intend carrying the tent for any length of time, the lighter the better – even if some space is sacrificed.

Fabrics

The big choice is between nylon and polyester. Recent tests have shown that nylon is in fact less sensitive to UV than polyester, so nylon should last longer. Polyurethane is applied to make the fabrics waterproof. The level of waterproofness is indicated by a “hydrostatic head” rating. So a fabric with a rating of 10,000mm is more waterproof, and more expensive, than a fabric with a rating of only 5,000mm or less. However it is to be said that differing methods of testing mean that these figures should not be taken too literally.

Inner or outer pitched first?

Inner-first pitching saves weight and tends to be stable as the inner and outer contribute to stability. It should be more water resistant too as there is less complicated sleeves on the flysheet to seal.

But when pitched in wet conditions outer-pitched first designs are better as you can put the outer up, get inside, strip off your wet gear and then put up the inner in the dry. Then, when striking the tent you can do the reverse, pack the inner away and get your waterproofs on before hauling down the outer in the rain and packing it away.

                    Poles

Poles are used to give the tent shape and stability. Most tents have alloy poles with shock-cords down the middle that allow them to be easily folded and opened. Better tents have color-coded poles so you know which pole goes in which part of the tent. For the greatest stability, look for geodesic designs where the poles cross one another at two or more places. Glass-fibre poles will snap more easily than alloy, particularly in cold weather and strong winds.

Guylines

A set of cords is usually provided to hold the tent stable in high winds. Some tent designs need fewer guylines than others, as stability can also be controlled by careful use of the poles.

Pegs

Most tents come with fairly lightweight basic wire skewer-type designs which are fine for general use. But more durable pegs are available for different types of terrain and these can be purchased separately if needed. Some pegs dig painfully into the hands when pushed into the ground so you may want to replace them with more “hand friendly” pegs.

Groundsheet

The groundsheet is the part you lie on inside the inner tent. In modern tents it is sewn in and seam-sealed to prevent it from leaking.

Porch

This is the large area that’s outside the inner tent yet still under the cover of the flysheet. It is ideal for storing wet gear as well as acting as a kitchen in wet weather.

Weight

The lighter the tent, the easier it will be to carry. Choosing a tent is a compromise and only you can decide which model best suit your needs. Solo backpacking tents can weigh as little as 1,3kg to 2,5kg. Some are little bigger than a sleeping bag others could even take two people at a push for one night in an adventure race.

Doors

The external doors allow entry to the porch and the inner tent. But they also provide ventilation and act as a windbreak and canopy when cooking. Ideally all zips should have double pullers so that the top or bottom of the door can be opened. Finally it is worth checking that the doors can be rolled back neatly and secured firmly without any fabric dangling into the porch or inner tent

Headroom

In some tents you can only sit up at the highest point, which is usually near the porch and entrance. To be sure you can sit up inside the tent, get a friend to measure your height when sitting, and then compare this to the maximum internal height in the specification.

Flysheet

This forms the outside of the tent, and as its job is to keep the rain away from the inner tent it has to be waterproof. A polyurethane coating is usually applied to achieve this. On more expensive tents a coating of silicone elastomer may be applied; this is more durable and more water repellent than polyurethane.

Mesh netting

Mesh netting on the inner tent reduces weight and packed size, and increases airflow through the tent, which will aid the control of condensation. However, tents with too much mesh netting are colder at night and so are really only suitable for mild weather. The mess must be fine enough to prevent insects getting in.

Inner tent

You sleep inside the inner tent, so it needs to be dry and spacious. To ensure you do stay dry, the inner must allow warm air to escape to the underside of the flysheet where it may form condensation. There must also be a gap between the inner and the flysheet, so that condensation on the underside of the flysheet does not soak into the inner tent. A better quality inner tent may have a light fluorocarbon finish to repel condensation that falls on to it from the underside of the flysheet. Single skin tents do not have a separate inner, so the weight savings can be considerable, but the occupants run the risk of coming into contact with the inside of the flysheet where condensation will always collect – which means they could become damp inside the tent. Single skin tents are generally colder too.

We as hikers, explorers, and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses. Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!

 

 

 

The End.

 

Safe Hiking.

References and Acknowledgements

From the book – The Ultimate Hiking Skills Manual –

                              A Hinkes / C Bagshaw

Photos – Willem Pelser

Compiled by Willem Pelser