Outside Online
advertisement
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Gear
  • Bodywork
  • Culture
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Photos
  • Archives
  • Subscribe
Subscribe to Outside Magazine


You Are Here:   Home  >>   Ask Dave

Outside Blog
  • Material Girl: Designer Spotlight
  • Grease to Greece: Crossing Europe in ...
  • Extreme Ironing...Period.
  • Field Tested: Road Runners
  • Appalachian Speed Record Attempt Back ...
Podcasts
  • Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov listen
  • Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz listen
  • Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch listen
  • Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer listen
  • Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman listen
  • Out of Bounds: That '70s Guy listen
Videos
  • Jack Johnson Cover Shoot
  • Grand Canyon: 3D IMAX
  • Climbing El Capitan
  • Castaway:
  • Episode 1: The Arrival
  • Episode 2: The Quest for Fire
  • Episode 3: Mmm...Slime Nuggets
  • Episode 4: "Last Night, a Crab Tried to Eat Me."
Ask Dave
  • What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer
  • Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer
  • How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer
The Wild File
  • Why do mosquito bites itch? answer
  • Are elite athletes just lucky genetic mutants? answer
  • Can women really tolerate cold water better than men? answer

Online Favorites

  • "Into Thin Air"
  • Best Adventure Books
  • The O Files: Unsolved Mysteries
  • Dream Towns
  • Dream Jobs

Special Issues

  • Family Road Trips
  • Interactive Colorado
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Adventure Lodges
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Photo Galleries

  • Mark Jenkins in Tibet
  • Syria
  • Bhutan
  • Women Who Rock
  • Kelly Slater
  • Olympic Cities
  • Exposure: Sara Carlson
  • See All Galleries
share this article del.icio.us DIGG Facebook StumbleUpon

Outside Magazine, July 2007

All-Terrain Advice
Ask Dave

Ask Dave
(Photo by Chris Buck)

Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks?
Mash-ups of seemingly incompatible activities are at the heart of my greatest leisure innovations—like Three-Martini Tae Bo and Base Camp Lawn Darts—so I applaud your vision. But be careful: Most kayakers who carry firearms don't actually blast away while sitting in their tippy boats. This includes duck hunters, who sometimes use sit-on-top kayaks to scoot around on marshes and lakes, and the whitewater boaters who float Class IV rapids on Idaho's Snake River to access fall chukar hunting grounds. That doesn't mean firing from the cockpit isn't viable. Haden Hussey, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, has shot a quacker or two from his Walden Cuda fishing kayak, increasing his take of birds since trading up from a clunky johnboat. And, yes, a gun's recoil is a potential problem. "I once took a shot while lying down, and the kayak almost tipped on its side," Hussey says. If this ever happens, the maneuver will need a name. How about the Ted Nugent Roll?

What's the trick to escaping quicksand?
Ask Jane or Cheetah to hand you a vine? Actually, the first thing to remember is this: Don't panic. Pools of quicksand—which are found throughout the world in areas where rising underground water, usually from a spring, is forced upward into sand—are typically quite shallow, so drowning isn't a big threat.
ASK DAVE
Send Dave your questions at ADVENTUREGOD@OUTSIDEMAG.COM, or visit him at MYSPACE.COM/ADVENTURE GOD
The truth is that few people have ever died in quicksand, and most deaths befall mired people who succumb to exposure. In fact, researchers in the Netherlands have concluded that there's almost no chance of getting sucked completely below the surface, because your body is more buoyant than the supersaturated slurry. So even if you fall into a deep pool, just relax, spread your arms, and float. Whenever I wander into the stuff, which happens quite often, I just think happy thoughts and enjoy the soak until my porters yank me free. It's actually quite pleasant, and, man, does it do wonders exfoliating my skin.

How can I tell if I'll look good with my head shaved?
Cosmetic phrenology is still in its infancy, but there are a few resources that can help you figure out whether, in your case, bald will truly be beautiful. Start by going to HeadShave.BaldlyGo.com, where you can upload a picture and an artist will "balderize" your melon. Dennis Penner, a Canadian who runs a head-shaving Web site called HeadShaver.org, thinks you can skip that step and just start cutting and polishing. "Almost universally it looks good," he assures me. (Guess he didn't get the memo about Britney.) Still, Penner recommends going slow—taking your hair down an inch at a time so you can stop if you do have an unsightly skull. Ultimately, though, you won't know until you mow. I sported a Kojak myself in '03 and quite enjoyed the look. And just to correct an old rumor: I shaved my thick, wavy locks to fight a nasty infestation of lice I picked up at a lodge in Costa Rica—not, as a certain petty ex-girlfriend contends, because of a severe allergic reaction to Rogaine.

DAVE'S WAY
This Month: Making Smoke Signals!
Recently, several readers with a beef against cell phones have asked me about communicating the old-old-fashioned way, and it just so happens that this skill runs in the family. My late uncle Dean, a frequent stunt double for Gene Autry, swore he used a Lucky Strike, tumbleweeds, and his Stetson to make the famous puffs in Indian Territory. Alas, it's a myth that smoke signals were used like Morse code. Steve Watts, the director of aboriginal studies at the Schiele Museum of Natural History, in Gastonia, North Carolina, says the signals were usually one, two, or three columns of thick smoke relaying simple messages like "We are here," "Danger," or "Hey, Dances with Wolves is on TBS again." If you want to give it a whirl, Watts's recipe is to build a hot, dry fire from hardwood, then feed it some green wood. It's not easy: Wind can kink things up, you can smother the flames, or, as I learned in court last Tuesday, you can get 75 hours of community service for burning city property.




• Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

• Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

• Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.
BlogVideosPodcastsPhotos
TODAY'S NEWS UPDATE!
Material Girl: Designer Spotlight
This summer has been riddled with prints on everything from dresses to shoes to bags. You name it, ...

Grease to Greece: Crossing Europe in ...
British Ambassador Simon Gass presented a Golden Lard award today to the winner of Greece's ...

More Blogs:
  • Extreme Ironing...Period.
  • Field Tested: Road Runners
  • Appalachian Speed Record Attempt Back ...
  • Featured Blog: Green Issues
  • Blog Home
New Gear Reviews
Our editors roll out reviews of their favorite shoes, packs, and more.
new gear video Watch

Rwanda video
Rwanda
future gear video
Future Gear
Tyler Florence video
Tyler Florence

More Videos:
  • Fittest Real Athletes
  • Malia Jones
  • Adventure Filmmaking School
  • The Ultimate Grill
  • See all Videos
Mike Rowe Speaks
Mike Rowe talks about his long strange trip to TV's dirtiest dream job.
Mike Rowe podcast Listen

Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov
Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov on guiding Dave Hahn.
El Capitan podcast Listen

More Podcasts:
  • Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz
  • Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch
  • Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer
  • Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman
  • See all Podcasts
Malia Jones photo gallery
Malia Jones
Grand Canyon photo gallery
Grand Canyon
Rwanda photo gallery
Rwanda

Burma photo gallery
Burma
Julia Mancuso photo gallery
Julia Mancuso
Amanda Beard photo gallery
A. Beard

More Photos:
  • Cousteaus
  • Cuba
  • Ski Iran
  • Submit Your Own Photo
  • See all Photos

advertisement




Subscribe to Outside Magazine!

Crocs Inspiring Soles

special featrues

Gear Spotlight: Adventure Electronics
Our esteemed Gear Guy hones in the FAQs of the digital world in this exclusive archive.
The Green Issue
Earth Day may fall in April, but global awareness should be a 365-day concern. Let us help you stay focused.




Vacation Packages

More Travel Deals
  • Mexico Vacation Packages from $505
  • Getaway in September from $151
  • End of Summer Beach Vacations from $496
  • Spend a Weekend in Vegas from $207
Sign up for our Travel Deals Newsletter


More From Outside Online

Outside August 2008

  • Best Towns
  • Jeff Lowe
  • Burma Cyclone
  • Triathlon Training

Special Issues

  • 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide
  • 2008 Winter Buyer's Guide
  • Outside Blog
  • Unsolved Mysteries

Outside July 2008

  • Andy Roddick
  • Fitness Special
  • Summer Road Trips
  • Canadian Adventures

Online Exclusives

  • Spooky Spots and Terrible Tales
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Outside June 2008

  • Malia Jones
  • Weekend Escapes
  • Satellite Radio
  • Joe Papp

Online Favorites

  • Outside Gear Blog
  • Gear Guy
  • Fitness Q&A
  • Adventure Adviser

Outside May 2008

  • Anderson Cooper
  • Best Jobs 2008
  • Surf Genius
  • Russell Brice

Outside Classics

  • Into Thin Air
  • The Whale Hunters
  • Raising the Dead
  • The Long Way Home


Vacation Ideas from The Away Network

Top Active & Adventure Cities

  • Jackson, WY
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Moab, UT
  • Oahu, HI
  • All Active & Adventure Cities

Best Beach Islands

  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Hilton Head Island, SC
  • Sea Island, GA
  • All Beach Vacations

Family Travel Ideas

  • Budget Vacations for Families
  • Family River Adventures
  • Family Vacations for Wildlife
  • Family-Friendly Hotel Chains
  • Tropical Vacations with Kids

GORP's Summer Outdoor Guide

  • Where to Camp
  • Where to Fish
  • Where to Hike
  • Where to Raft
  • All Summer Guides

Top Ten Beach Lists

  • Top Beach Sports
  • Top American Beaches
  • Top Budget Beach Vacations
  • Top Places to Dive
  • Top Shark-Spotting

Outdoor Vacation Guides

  • Biking Guide
  • Hiking & Backpacking Guide
  • Sailing Guide
  • Skiing Guide
  • Surfing Guide

Best Family Vacations

  • Avignon, France
  • Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
  • Lake Tahoe, NV
  • Mazatlan, Mexico
  • Zakopane, Poland

Summer Travel Guides

  • Active Travel
  • Cultural Travel
  • Outdoor Travel
  • Romantic Travel
  • All Monthly Travel Guides



  • Home |
  • Travel |
  • Gear |
  • Bodywork |
  • Culture |
  • Videos |
  • Podcasts |
  • Photos |
  • Archives |
  • Feedback |
  • RSS Feeds |
  • Subscribe to Outside Magazine |
  • Join/Login




  • About Outside |
  • Advertise |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Subscription Services |
  • Sponsorship Policy |
  • Outside Info |
  • Site Map |
  • Press Room

  • Outside Magazine Media Kit |
  • Photo Department |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Contact Us |
  • Contributor's Guidelines

Partner Sites:
  • Away.com |
  • GORP.com |
  • Orbitz |
  • Cheaptickets |
  • ebookers |
  • HotelClub.com |
  • RatesToGo.com |
  • asia-hotels.com |
  • Outside's Go


©1994-2008 Mariah Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of material from any pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.