kids tent making kit image
Daisy is a
I have a friend who is planning this trip with his four kids...seems like an amazing and insane adventure.
Is it possible? Inadvisable? It will be in June and July.
Any particular dangers they should be aware of? Pardon my naivete, but will it be very cold at night? They are planning on traveling with a tent trailor. Will the polar bears get them? Should he carry a gun? His children are 6, 7, 9 and 10.
I will pass any of your advice along.
Answer
I have done section of that trip, and there is some insanely beautiful
country out there!
Well he should get The Milepost
http://milepost.com/
And do his homework.
Also he will need a good basic car repair kit and more then one spare tire. A tow rope, jumper cables, belts, plugs, air filter, the ability to carry water, and possibly extra fuel. It is a road but you still need to be prepared to care for yourself the entire time you are out there. There will be no emergency response services readily available.
Polar bears are only located in the most northern areas, so it is unlikely he will even see one, let alone be threatened bu one. Black bear and brown bears are found throughout the state. SO he should read up on camping in bear country.
As for the gun, well he can not bring it through Canada if he is driving, and so it would have to be shipped to a licensed dealer in Alaska (Bullshooter in Tok). But I do not recommend caring a gun unless that is something you are well trained for and comfortable with. Especially traveling with kids, unless he is already regularly using it and knowledgeable to travel with it, I would stick to bear spray and a lot of common sense.
It will be chilly at night, but not the 'cold' people associate with Alaska winters.
Here is a bit about the climate in the different regions of Alaska
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/
Of course if this is the plan, I would hope that they are doing all this research, and are aware of how big Alaska is
http://www.tongass-seis.net/media/tong_USA.html
Will be aware that there are no facilitys or services for miles and miles and miles, and that where there are they are limited and expensive. There is no lodging on most of the trip, and limited seasonal availability. Even in summer there can be road closures and delays, so you need to have enough resources to take care of yourself unassisted for days at a time. Also you will most likely be out of cell phone and internet for most of the trip.
This is something that can be done, but you do need to make sure you know what you are getting into. And do not expect it to be an easy trip. Talk to a mechanic with some knowledge of the road as far as what to bring for your vehicle, you will need to do all your own maintenance and tire changes.
Other thoughts pop to mind:
Be prepared to entertain your kids, there are no stores or amusement parks. Along with cell and internet service I am pretty sure your out of radio range most of the time too.
Watch out for bug game in the road, they won't watch for you. And hitting one will end your trip.
Mosquitoes can be pretty brutal, bring good big dope.
I have done section of that trip, and there is some insanely beautiful
country out there!
Well he should get The Milepost
http://milepost.com/
And do his homework.
Also he will need a good basic car repair kit and more then one spare tire. A tow rope, jumper cables, belts, plugs, air filter, the ability to carry water, and possibly extra fuel. It is a road but you still need to be prepared to care for yourself the entire time you are out there. There will be no emergency response services readily available.
Polar bears are only located in the most northern areas, so it is unlikely he will even see one, let alone be threatened bu one. Black bear and brown bears are found throughout the state. SO he should read up on camping in bear country.
As for the gun, well he can not bring it through Canada if he is driving, and so it would have to be shipped to a licensed dealer in Alaska (Bullshooter in Tok). But I do not recommend caring a gun unless that is something you are well trained for and comfortable with. Especially traveling with kids, unless he is already regularly using it and knowledgeable to travel with it, I would stick to bear spray and a lot of common sense.
It will be chilly at night, but not the 'cold' people associate with Alaska winters.
Here is a bit about the climate in the different regions of Alaska
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/
Of course if this is the plan, I would hope that they are doing all this research, and are aware of how big Alaska is
http://www.tongass-seis.net/media/tong_USA.html
Will be aware that there are no facilitys or services for miles and miles and miles, and that where there are they are limited and expensive. There is no lodging on most of the trip, and limited seasonal availability. Even in summer there can be road closures and delays, so you need to have enough resources to take care of yourself unassisted for days at a time. Also you will most likely be out of cell phone and internet for most of the trip.
This is something that can be done, but you do need to make sure you know what you are getting into. And do not expect it to be an easy trip. Talk to a mechanic with some knowledge of the road as far as what to bring for your vehicle, you will need to do all your own maintenance and tire changes.
Other thoughts pop to mind:
Be prepared to entertain your kids, there are no stores or amusement parks. Along with cell and internet service I am pretty sure your out of radio range most of the time too.
Watch out for bug game in the road, they won't watch for you. And hitting one will end your trip.
Mosquitoes can be pretty brutal, bring good big dope.
How do I make hoop tunnel for dog agility?
Brooke A
Currently, I'm using a construction-type ditch pipe. I'd also like to know where I can purchase some nylon for the tunnel cover.
Answer
Bad idea. A good agility dog comes out of a tunnel faster than he went in it (and he went in it fast). That's because they can use the cloth of the tunnel for purchase. And they can run on the walls using centrifugal force. And the tunnel has give.
Your construction pipe will be slick inside and therefore difficult to get purchase on. The dog will have trouble running on the sides. Most importantly, when the enters at an angle and hits solid pipe, he'll learn to slow up. Your pipe will be teaching the dog to SLOW up when entering the tunnel. Totally wrong approach.
A stiff cardboard box is a far superior alternative. Dog's don't perceive the world the way we do. You see a pipe as similar to a tunnel because you're focusing on shapes. A dog sees a stiff card board box as similar to a competition grade tunnel because his experience running inside is more similar than it would be running inside a construction-grade pipe (that is more similar in shape to a competition-grade tunnel). Don't think like a human, think like a dog!
As for making/acquiring a tunnel:
--Look at Affordableagility.com and you'll find a competition-grade tunnel for $150.
--If you really want to go cheap, go to Target or JC Penny and buy a plastic kid's tunnel for $20. That is less than the material you'll spend MAKING a tunnel.
--If you insist on MAKING a tunnel, than the key is the piping that provides a secure but flexible tunnel frame. Almost any cloth that is stiff nylon or rip-stop will do keeping in mind that without any kind of rubber treat, your tunnel will develop rot and mold very quickly and will probably last less than 12 months (unless you can move it inside).
However, I suspect you aren't really trying to make a tunnel but a chute. In which case your approach makes more sense.
1. Go to affordable agility. Buy "agility in a bag." For $150 you get 6 PVC weave poles, 2 PVC adjustable jumps, a worthless pause box, a mediocre tire, and a perfectly useable chute (short tunnel with very appropriate cloth chute). It's worth the time and money you'd spend making the darn thing to just buy the kit. It even comes with a travel bag!
2. If you insist on making a chute, I still wouldn't use the construction ditch pipe. The challenge with the chute is to get material that isn't too light or too heavy. Too light and it becomes easily tangled, your dog will panic and you've trained them not to like the chute. To heavy and a small dog can't push it's way through. Some tent tarps or extendable covers (at a Target or camping store) might be appropriate as long as they aren't heavy duty material. Often times, tents or sunshades will have an extendable awning--that's the kind of material (and probably in an appropriate size) you'd be looking for. But the catch is--that will probably cost you more than it would to just buy the chute from Affordable agility.
Bad idea. A good agility dog comes out of a tunnel faster than he went in it (and he went in it fast). That's because they can use the cloth of the tunnel for purchase. And they can run on the walls using centrifugal force. And the tunnel has give.
Your construction pipe will be slick inside and therefore difficult to get purchase on. The dog will have trouble running on the sides. Most importantly, when the enters at an angle and hits solid pipe, he'll learn to slow up. Your pipe will be teaching the dog to SLOW up when entering the tunnel. Totally wrong approach.
A stiff cardboard box is a far superior alternative. Dog's don't perceive the world the way we do. You see a pipe as similar to a tunnel because you're focusing on shapes. A dog sees a stiff card board box as similar to a competition grade tunnel because his experience running inside is more similar than it would be running inside a construction-grade pipe (that is more similar in shape to a competition-grade tunnel). Don't think like a human, think like a dog!
As for making/acquiring a tunnel:
--Look at Affordableagility.com and you'll find a competition-grade tunnel for $150.
--If you really want to go cheap, go to Target or JC Penny and buy a plastic kid's tunnel for $20. That is less than the material you'll spend MAKING a tunnel.
--If you insist on MAKING a tunnel, than the key is the piping that provides a secure but flexible tunnel frame. Almost any cloth that is stiff nylon or rip-stop will do keeping in mind that without any kind of rubber treat, your tunnel will develop rot and mold very quickly and will probably last less than 12 months (unless you can move it inside).
However, I suspect you aren't really trying to make a tunnel but a chute. In which case your approach makes more sense.
1. Go to affordable agility. Buy "agility in a bag." For $150 you get 6 PVC weave poles, 2 PVC adjustable jumps, a worthless pause box, a mediocre tire, and a perfectly useable chute (short tunnel with very appropriate cloth chute). It's worth the time and money you'd spend making the darn thing to just buy the kit. It even comes with a travel bag!
2. If you insist on making a chute, I still wouldn't use the construction ditch pipe. The challenge with the chute is to get material that isn't too light or too heavy. Too light and it becomes easily tangled, your dog will panic and you've trained them not to like the chute. To heavy and a small dog can't push it's way through. Some tent tarps or extendable covers (at a Target or camping store) might be appropriate as long as they aren't heavy duty material. Often times, tents or sunshades will have an extendable awning--that's the kind of material (and probably in an appropriate size) you'd be looking for. But the catch is--that will probably cost you more than it would to just buy the chute from Affordable agility.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment