Backpacker Magazine – November 2010

How to Do Everything - The Intrepid Explorer

Travel confidently across any type of landscape.

by: Kristin Bjornsen, Illustrations by Bryon Thompson

Tags:
• Gear
|
• Skills
|
• Survival
|
• Fitness
|

---

 

Quick Betty, Cover Junior’s Eyes!
From 2002 to 2003, we seemed to have sex on the brain. Some high (or low) lights:
» To promote “proper care of the family jewels,” “Healthy Hiking for Men” (5/02) delves into unsavory topics such as rashes, testicular torsion, and chafing. For the latter, it introduces the (drumroll, please) Bandanna Harness: “Fold a bandanna into a band, hook the middle under your genitals, lift up, and tuck ends into the front of your waistband.” Our deepest regrets.

» In our “6 Steps to Better Outdoor Sex” (12/03), our advice ranged from the obvious (“Pack a pad for whoever’s on bottom.”) to the graphic (“Have fleece handy to protect whoever’s leaning against the tree. Bark leaves a mean burn.”) to the leave-more-trace-ish (“Grease up: Before swimming, apply something unscented, clear, waterbased, and glycerin-free.”).

» Even readers got into the act: “My wife’s concerned I might meet a hot chick on the trail and have a wild affair,” wrote Tom (8/02). “I try to reassure her that it would never happen.” Not while you’re wearing the Bandanna Harness, Tom! But rest easy, Mrs. Tom: In a followup poll, a mere one in 10 BACKPACKER readers reported having sex with a stranger on the trail.

Cross a Hot Desert
Start acclimatizing to heat one month before your trip. Exercise midday, slowly building the workout’s length and intensity. Plan for eight liters of fluid a day; bring sports-drink powder to replace electrolytes. Cover skin with light-colored clothing, and wear a brimmed hat. Your goal: Avoid dehydration or heatstroke.



Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter