KB9VBR Amateur Radio

In the backpacking world, the ten essentials are considered to be the 10 items that anyone should have before going out into the wilderness. The list has evolved since it was first proposed back in the 1930’s and there is still ongoing debate of what is considered essential. But the ten essentials can be considered those items which you can’t find of easily fashion in the wild and are considered necessary for survival. My favorite interpretation of this list is the updated 10 essentials listed on the REI site:

1. Navigation
2. Sun protection
3. Insulation (extra clothing)
4. Illumination
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter

I’ve been searching for a good list of essential items for Emcomm and ARES members to have as the foundation for their go bags or jump kits. Most go bag lists take the ‘kitchen sink’ approach with the expectation of a three day deployment. To carry this much equipment may be a good thing If you where traveling to a disaster area to provide communications as part of a recovery operation, but I think it actually creates a disservice to the average communicator. 

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The Rib Mountain Trail is a meandering 12 mile loop located south of Rib Mountain near Wausau. The bulk of the trail runs through and around the Nine Mile Recreational Area, but some of it is on private land. The trail is maintained by Boy Scout Troop 453 of Rib Mountain. The trail is marked with signs like the one in the picture. If you complete the entire loop you can purchase a patch from Troop 453. Separate patches are available for both Winter and Summer hikes. I’ve skied portions of the loop as most of the trail that runs through the Nine Mile Recreation Area is groomed for cross country skiing. The scenery is beautiful and worth taking a day to hike the loop.

You can start the loop anywhere, but I recommend parking on the access road just south of the Wausau School Forest on County Hwy KK and picking up the loop there. Please see the trail map and brochure for more information about this excellent community resource.

President Obama says it so succinctly in his inaugural address:

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

The 4th and 5th grade classes at Carl's school

The Microsoft Image Composite Editor is one of the latest Gee Whiz applications that you need to have. If you’ve ever taken photos with the intentions of stitching them together as panoramas; ICE makes the job easy and painless. I used to have an image stitcher app that came with one of my old Canon point and shoot digital cameras. It required a little work and manual futzing with the images. But with ICE, just point it to the source images and it automatically stitches them together. It also automatically adjusts the perspective and give you manual control over perspective and horizon. The best part of the deal is this application is totally FREE. Thanks to Microsoft Research, you’ll find the technology in other applications, but the ICE front end is a great little gift to the photographic community. I encourage you to check it out.

A holiday tradition with the Martens Family for as long as I can remember is Grasshopper Pie. We’ve eaten it at Christmas dinner since I was a small child.  The minty taste and creamy goodness is a perfect end to a big Christmas feast. My Grandmother’s grasshopper pie recipe is nothing special, I think she got it off a bottle of Creme de Menthe many, many years ago. But it’s easy to make and will impress your holiday guests. 

Recipe after the jump.

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