Zip-lock Sausages:

We were planning a winter camp when we saw your recipe for zip-lock bag omelette (Feb.'89), and decided to zip-lock bag sausages for breakfast. We cooked the sausages at home, packed eight to 10 in each zip-lock bag, and froze them. At camp, we simply placed the bags in boiling water and heated them for about five minutes. The result was piping hot sausage that stayed hot, with no messy griddle and stove to clean up. These features are value important on a -25 degrees C morning outdoors!

Woodsman Skills

How much time left before sundown? Hold out your hands in front of you at arms' length and, with the edge of a palm lined up at the horizon, see how many fingers you can fit between the horizon and the position of the sun in the sky. Each finger width represents about 15 minutes.

You foolishly forgot your compass, the day is cloudy, and you want to find directions. Place your knife point gently on your thumbnail. Turn the knife slowly and carefully, and you'll see a faint shadow. Keep turning until the shadow is thinnest. It points east in early morning, north at midday, and west at dusk.

This & That

For fishing days, keep a small magnet in your tackle box. It's very handy for retrieving hooks, swivels, etc., when they fall into the grass or shallow water.

Duct tape is handy for making minor repairs on tents, canoes, pants, and boots at camp. Instead of carrying a whole roll, wrap tape around a pen 10 to 15 times and carry it in your pack.