Merit Badge Series

**Words by Bennet Bergman

Last month I made the trip up to the famed Elkhorn Flea Market in Wisconsin, where I picked up a dozen of these Merit Badge booklets from the 60’s. Similar to the Foxfire books or the American Boy’s Handy Book, these babies are chock full of information on good American pastimes. They’ll tell you everything you need to know to earn your Merit Badge in basketry or, say, Indian lore. You know, in case you're a Boy Scout or something. Chapter one of the camping pamphlet starts right in with the big question, “Why go camping?” And those scouts lay it out for us like no big deal:
“Every Scout probably has his own reasons for going camping. If you asked him what they were, he might not be able to tell you. It may be something he can’t put his finger on—like the smell of last year’s pine needles or the sound of bacon sizzling over a crackling campfire. He just likes the outdoors and everything about it—he likes to live on his own in the open, whether in the desert, prairie, or woodland—he likes to be a part of the great outdoors.”

Sounds about right to me.MP3: Talking Heads - And She Was

Cabin Time

Geoff Holstad, who used to write a post once in a while on this here rag (ahem), is off on his second Cabin Time adventure as we speak. If you're not hip to CT, here's a little more info:

Cabin-Time is loading up a caravan of vehicles to leave from Grand Rapids, Michigan, picking up 18 artists on the way through Chicago and Minneapolis to finally land in a small hand-built cabin outside of Grand Marais, Minnesota.  Nationally and internationally regarded artists are coming from around the U.S., the list of which can be found on the C.T. site.Cabin-Time is a roaming artist residency to remote places.  The first C.T. trip was with seven Michigan-based artists this past January, to an 8-bunk C.C.C. cabin in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.  The artists spent 5 days making work both independently and collaboratively, entirely off-grid in Michigan's northwoods.  Photos, videos, and work made during and responding to the residency can be seen here.

Have fun out there. Congrats, GH.MP3: Todd Rundgren - We Gotta Get You a Woman

Juniper Ridge Trip, Day 3

Waking up to a hot breakfast is one thing. Waking up to a Mike Smith breakfast burrito is another.As the sun came up over Hurricane Deck and the goats started moving about camp, Mike was scrambling eggs and grilling tortillas, putting the oversized mounds of Mexican food in foil and keeping them hot over a predawn fire. By the time breakfast was eaten, it was already scorching hot outside, still well before 9am. It was trail restoration day, so we split into three groups and got on the trail early so we could get in as much work as possible before the heat really descended up the San Rafael Wilderness. Though by the time my group - which consisted of Matt, another trail volunteer (and the fastest hiker I have ever met), Obi and Hall - finished our four mile hike, it was already blazing. We sat and shot the shit at an old cowboy camp before we started heading back down the mountain, chopping away at anything that could impede a nice hike, slowly making our way back down to the other groups at Vulture Springs.We did a lot more talking than cutting for the first few hours, and when Matt ran down the mountain to get more tools, Obi, Hall and I sat under the little shade we could find and ate sunflower seeds and drank water. By the time Matt had returned, we had taken another break a few minutes down the trail where we all sat for a good half hour telling as many horrible jokes as we could think of. A few hours later, as our skin turned the color of Indian Paintbrush, we met up with the rest of the crew and filled our water bottles at the springs.Matt and I continued on back to camp for a cold beer (thank you, goats), and as we were talking nonsense, Matt calmly yelled "SNAKE." I had unknowingly stepped on a rattler, and the snake, not surprisingly, had started to get a little angry. There were ten people headed down the mountain behind us, including children and goats, so Matt and I decided to take our Smitty Blasters (a Mike Smith patent pending tool) and kill the snake so it wouldn't cause any problems. It was unfortunate as he was doing nothing but being a snake, but after all was said and done, we felt like we had made the right decision. A pissed off snake resting on the trail could have been a recipe for disaster. No one wanted to get air lifted out of camp, and hell, there was beer, dinner and sunset to be had.Dinner that night was chicken and garlic bread with Mike's self-described "molten butter." (And for my idiot ass who doesn't eat meat, an avocado sandwich and oriental salad.) Mike surprised us with a few bottles of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company's Hurricane Deck IPA, which supplied a good buzz as we all congratulated each other on a good day's worth of work. We climbed up on a nearby ridge, watched the sun go down, then retired to camp for a nightcap and chit chat. After that much work in the sun, hiker's midnight came especially early.

Juniper Ridge Trip, Day 2

A truck pulled into the campground around 6 am, and like any early morning movement outside, it was loud and woke up the soft sleepers, myself among them. The truck belonged to Mike Smith, the Forest Service volunteer pictured above that would play host for the next three days. Mike had brought along his son, his daughter in-law and his five goats. The goats would carry in a few camping supplies, tools for trail work and all the food and (COLD!) beer. Those goats were annoying as can be, but how can you possibly be mad at an animal that's carrying your alcohol?As the rest of our group finally started waking up, bagels and oatmeal and almond butter were being eaten, tents were being taken down, the van was being packed up and backpacks were getting loaded. By the time we got on the trail for our five mile hike to Mike's very own Twin Oaks Campground, it was already hot. Very very hot. So hot that after a half mile in, we stopped at a watering hole for an hour to go swimming and shoot the shit. Because, hell, if all you have to do is get five miles in one day, you take your time. We took off our clothes and dunked ourselves in a few times before drying on the rocks.Juniper Ridge takes their time hiking. You don't ooh and ahh at the views of the California mountains. You don't talk about girls. Or movies. Or whatever you talk about when you're hiking with buddies. You stop and identify plants, pick them, rub them between your fingers and bask in the glory of aromatics. You talk about the Salvia family being The Beatles, you explain how making natural essential oils works and you ask if any of the plants around are natural laxatives. I learned (and probably forgot) a ton about California wildflowers, all while cooking in the hot sun, waiting for the next Coulter Pine to present itself for a moment of shaded glory.After a long lunch, the group split up a bit so that some of us could walk a little bit faster in the hot sun to get to camp and drop our packs. Obie, Hall and I hurried ahead, getting to Mike and the goats, who had gotten on the trail a few hours before us, around 3pm. We took our shoes off, laid under the big oak trees, and when Mike got back to camp, brought us over a few cold beers as we waited for the rest of the gang to show up. It'd be a while until everyone was finally there, and when we were all settled and done ringing out sweaty clothing, the fire got going for chili and tortillas. I've said it before and I'll say it again, California is quite a lady. 

Juniper Ridge Trip, Day 1

 After a long early morning run that I had hoped would rid me of the too-much-sugar-in-those-pitchers-of-margaritas hangover, I took a blurry BART ride to Oakland, where I was greeted by Obi and his California Subaru. We went straight to the Berkeley Bowl for coffee, almond butter and portabello mushrooms, where we ran into Hall, who was buying fancy cheeses and smoked salmon for our camping adventure in the San Rafael Wilderness. After lugging some firewood into the car, we drove to the Juniper Ridge headquarters in Oakland.If every room that I walk into for the rest of my time on Earth smells half as good as the Juniper Ridge offices (even the bathroom!), I'll be a happy man. Piñon pine and black sage fill your nose at every corner, a transported mountainside in a shitty East Bay neighborhood. You're in Big Sur while taking a piss and traveling through a field of Death Valley wildflowers while sitting at a computer checking your email. I stayed in the factory while everyone got ready, hovering over a huge pile of bundled sage that I would hope linger on my clothes until I washed them again.
We loaded up the Juniper Ridge Ford Econoline with a week's worth of cold beer, food and camping supplies, got on the road and started driving south. Power pop and Kyuss filled the speakers as we got out of the city, and within a few hours, we stopped for a shitty (awesome) meal at Chevy's, sitting outside with margaritas, beers, and a special concoction of Camarones a la Diablo made by our host/companion/lover, Sunny. More car salesman than server, Sunny and his devil shrimp concoction would be discussed at length for the duration of the trip. He left a mark.

A couple of hours later, after long music exchanges and a quick drive by Neverland Ranch, we made it to the Los Padres National Forest, where Hall quickly drove Alli, Obi and I up to the Figueroa Lookout. A narrow, bumpy side road led to a peak covered in California Poppies and downed Coulter pines. The wildflower bloom is a reason for anyone to celebrate, but when you're with three people whose lives are dedicated to such happenings, it's extra special. We laid in an ocean of bright oranges and purples, made sure the car sickness had subsided and continued down the valley to our campsite as the sun was just about to go down.We grilled chicken and the mushrooms from the Berkeley Bowl, popped open countless bottles of Lagunitas and sat on park benches while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive from Los Angeles. The sun was long gone and the three hour sleep I had the night before finally caught up to me as the food slowly finished digesting. I'm not sure the exact time I fell asleep, but when you're out in the middle of nowhere, a watch is the last thing you need to pay attention to. (Says the first guy to pass out in his sleeping bag, only inches from a large group of people drinking tequila.)It'd only be a few hours until the goats arrived....

Black and White Sage

As mentioned below, Cold Splinters spent the last week in California with our friends/lovers/teachers/healers, Juniper Ridge, cleaning trail and learning about coastal plants and flowers. Long drives filled with endless discussions of power pop, the manager at a local Chevy's, and of course, coastal flowers and plants (I bet your grandma never started a sentence with, "If the Salvias were the Beatles, black sage would be..."), made for one of the most enjoyable adventures I've had in a long, long time.Next week is going to be the real recap (see: photos) of said trip, but for now, if you're going to be out in California camping, make sure you know your Salvia apiana and Salvia mellifera. Because I have truly found very few things in life better than rubbing a piece of black sage between your fingers on a hike to a backcountry sunset.MP3: The Beat - Rock N Roll GirlMP3: Brendan Benson - Tiny Spark

Off To California

Cold Splinters is off to California tomorrow. Lots of ground to cover in the week we'll be gone, but couldn't be more excited. We'll be with our very good friends at Juniper Ridge and a group of about 15 people, so lots of pictures and new friends to follow.If you're in San Francisco, drop me a line and let's grab a drink. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and see you soon.MP3: David Ackles - Oh, California!MP3: Ron Wood - I Can Feel The FireMP3: Beechwood Sparks - Confusion Is Nothing NewMP3: Harry James and Helen Forrest - I've Heard That Song Before (from Hannah and Her Sisters)

BACK FROM THE TRAIL

As the post below mentions, Cold Splinters spent the last couple of days in Big Bend working on a project with Mikael Kennedy. Thank you to everyone who emailed me over the last few weeks with recommendations for places to go in those beautiful Chisos mountains. Your notes were extremely helpful. I've wanted to spend time in that park for a long while now and the last couple of days couldn't have been better. Thanks to the lovely Kalen Kaminski of Upstate for providing the behind the scenes coverage (including the photo above) and the shibori trail shots.MP3: Sir Doug & The Texas Tornados - Cowboy Peyton Place

Bear Spray

In case you're at work today wondering, or if you already know and want to reinforce your "outdoor knowledge," here's a quick tutorial about bear spray from Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant of SYSK fame.What is it?

Bear spray isn't unlike pepper spray that humans use to protect themselves from other humans. The main difference is that bear spray can shoot farther and casts a wider effective area. There are three main ingredients in bear spray:
  • Oleoresin Capsicum (OC): oily residue from hot cayenne peppers. Capsicum is a naturally occurring ingredient that causes a burning sensation when sprayed in the face of an attacker. Food-grade OC is used to give heat to edibles like salsa.
  • Base fluid: mixed with the OC to dilute it. It's typically oil-based to prevent separation from the oily OC.
  • Aerosol propellant: used to eject the ingredients from the can to the threat.

Is it Effective?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated human and bear encounters from 1992 to 2005 and found that people who defended themselves with firearms were injured about 50 percent of the time by the bear. People who used the bear spray escaped injury 98 percent of the time, and the few injuries they suffered were far less severe than those in the gun-toting realm. Why? Because it's difficult to stop a bear with a gun and wounded bears are more likely to become even more aggressive.

Read the rest of article right here: