Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with outdoors

How to work in software, outdoors?

mjg123 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:11:54 -0800

What kinds of jobs exist for software engineers who want to work outdoors? Rain, wind, sunshine, sleet, yes please!! I have about 10 years experience as a professional software engineer, mostly working for large companies and a bit as a contractor too. I enjoy it, and I always get good reports from clients and colleagues. But the desk/office lifestyle is getting me down, and I'd love to work outdoors.

Without abandoning the skills and salary that I've built up over the years, what kind of job could I get that would see me working outside for a considerable part of my time? I'm thinking of a minimum of one whole day outside every week, preferably more.

I really don't want to give up the software design aspect of my job, these are the problems that I love solving. But I suppose I could do without the actual programming part of it, so technical architect would be a nice job - if I could do it outside. Help me brainstorm this one, mefites!

naughty fun in broad daylight for a couple, possible?

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:28:23 -0800

Give us some ideas to have naughty fun in the day time. I don't know what I mean by naughty. really, I don't know. something risque. something fun. something we didn't do before but possible to do in the broad daylight. I and spouse want to spend entire day together having fun we never had before, while our kid goes off to daycare.
In last 3 years, after birth of our kid, we have not done any outdoor activity as adult/couple. We don't know anyone close enough to take care of our kid. We don't like the idea of having someone babysitting. So last 3 years have been just busy/burdened/not having any fun alone. so this time around, we want to chill out for one day - 9 to 5, without worrying about taking care of our kid.
If we could go out at night, we could go to club and dance. Or try something more risque like visiting a swinging bar. But going out at night is out of question in this case.
So, you all experienced askme users, please put on your creative hats and give us some ideas to make our day exciting, thrilling and fun and naughty too if possible.
The only idea we came up with so far is to go to universal studio. It's fun adult outdoor activity but not risque/naughty at all LOL.. But we are just going to go with this if we can't think of anything else.
I created this throw away account since I'm posting this annonymously - throw_away (at) fastmail (dot) fm
misc. tidbits - It's a weekday. We are taking off from work. We are in LA.
P.S. we love having kid/raising her. we love all the activities we can do along with her e.g. going to disneyland every once in a while. Just being with her, watching her is sheer joy. but we need a break.

Help me find vivid books about man in nature.

Stryke11 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:55:04 -0800

Help me find books of a particular genre, or collection of similar genres. Specifically, books on living in or traveling through nature that have visual, picturesque language about the landscape/scenery/ecology. I just finished reading Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, about his summer spent working in a ranger cabin in the middle of Arches National Park in Utah. While much of the book is preachy about the need for conservation (animals good, people bad) he did an excellent job defining the area and the associated ecology in very vivid, easily visualized terms - like you were actually there.

Randomly, a month or so ago I also read Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac which also had two scenes similar to this, where he worked a summer (similar to Abbey) on a mountaintop all alone watching for fires in a park in Washington state, and a hike of his with friends in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains.

Now these are two incredibly dissimilar in theme books, so while they have the one thing I like in common, they wouldn't normally be put together. When I do my best to search for these "kinds" of writings in Google or Yahoo! I invariably get travel guides, which isn't what I am looking for. Even Amazon's usually helpful "books of similar type" and "listmania" isn't doing the job.

They don't have to be about national parks in the US. I would love some that take place anywhere in the world, in any type of terrain, as long as it's natural and described in good detail.

Thanks!

sports clothing for the large?

LN — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:46:38 -0800

Hiking gear in XL? My hunny and I are going on a two week hiking trip in about a month, and I need proper clothing. Jeans are all I have, and I am given to understand that jeans are the worst possible thing to be wearing in the great outdoors. Hive mind, can you recommend good places to buy larger-sized outdoors clothing online?

Difficulty: I'm female, and am teetering just on the edge of regular and plus sizes in regular clothing, which means that the women's gear most outdoors shops sell will be far too small for me. Also, I'd like something that looks good and feels comfortable, rather than the baggy, shapeless, elasticated-waist stuff most outdoors shops sell to people my size. I don't want to be ashamed to be seen hiking!

Am I Going to Break My Puppy?

duckus — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:52:32 -0800

I just took my ~13 week old pit bull puppy to get spayed. The post-operative say to keep her indoors for 7-10 days . Right now, she's outside during the day with our other dog, and she's crated at night only. Can I expect this to go smoothly? She's been sleeping in the crate since she found us at ~10 weeks old. She's only had a couple of accidents in there, one due to me not waking up fast enough, and nothing over the last week or so.

Normally, she's outside with our other dog (2 year old neutered male beagle/lab mix).

Based on the crate threads I've read, I plan on giving her some activity toys, frozen Kong, etc. But is it unrealistic to expect her to be crated for the same amount of time during the day as at night? Especially when she's used to being outside? And in a single day?

I know the fifth anniversary gift is wood, but...

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:54:41 -0800

Is there a known Best Winter Hat for Cyclists? For our fifth anniversary, I want to buy my husband an awesome hat to wear while he commutes to work on his bike. We live in the snowiest neighborhood in Cleveland, so it needs to have the following characteristics:

-Somewhat waterproof
-Super warm (he's pretty much bald)
-Extraordinarily attractive
-Not too flashy (he's a pretty conservative dresser.)
- it would be for under-helmet use

Let's assume money is no object, even though it is.

Where to get wet and see something cool near denver?

mrgoldenbrown — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:06:06 -0800

Where is there an exciting swimming hole/lake/river near Denver? My parents are looking for a good place to see some waterfalls, go swimming, marvel at nature, etc tomorrow, near or in Denver.

Criteria:

1. Swimming possible please (for dad)
2. Something cool to see/do besides swimming, (for mom) this could be waterfalls, flowers, short hiking trail, whatever.
3. Close to Denver, CO (2 hours or less)

The perfect example from back home would be the kankamagus river in New Hampshire.

They've been to RMNP and golden gate canyon, and enjoyed both.
I'm also a visitor here, so I don't know where to send them.

Help me find a new pair of sunglasses

Bahro — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:31:33 -0800

I recently lost my sunglasses, and now I'm looking for a pair to replace them. Something <$100, polarized, good quality sharp lenses, and reasonably stylish preferred. Any recommendations? The sunglasses I had before were Anarchy brand. I liked how they felt, and the lenses were great, but I wasn't too hot on their appearance.

Sunglasses that can be used in a range of activities, from hiking/camping, sailing, hanging out on the beach, etc. are good.

I'm not really that sure what style of sunglasses are fashionable right now, but I don't want anything dorky. (FWIW, I'm male)

Any recommendations of both brands and specific models would be much appreciated!

You know what they say about Ithaca...

anthropoid — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:02:14 -0800

In Ithaca, NY for a long weekend, what should I see and do? I'll be in Ithaca this weekend and would love recommendations on what I can't miss. I'm detoxing from Brooklyn so I'm looking for peace and quiet, locally-grown foods to cook, and as much outdoorsy stuff as possible. I'd also like to see a waterfall, swim, do some light hiking, and drink tasty coffee. Though I prefer to cook myself, if you feel there's a restaurant beyond Moosewood that can't be missed, please let me know.

I have a car and will be taking care of a dachshund.

Bonus question: where can I ride horses? Trail rides are good, but a barn where I could take a hunter/jumper lesson is even better.

Previously asked here and answered here, but would like updates.

Forlorn Lakes WA

Jsn7821 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:57:38 -0800

Has anyone been to the Forlorn Lakes in WA? Looking for hikes, etc. to do. I will be up at the Forlorn Lakes Saturday (camping with some friends) and Sunday. I've never been there - and would like to find a decent hike, or some place to explore, etc. I have a SUV that I will go up there in so I can drive on rough roads.

For a hike, probably stick in the 6 to 10 mile day hike range. I'll come back and camp at a campground (haven't picked a spot yet).

Any information about the area - or links to websites would be GREAT! Thanks!

Need a fast alternative to a rained out camping day in Massachusetts.

jeremias — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:49:33 -0800

Need a fast alternative to a rained out camping day in Massachusetts. So two of my old friends and I wrangled our schedules and found a rare window of time on Sunday/Sunday night and Monday to go camping in upstate Massachusetts. The odds are increasing for a full-blown washout tomorrow though. This is outdoor camping with tents, so as much I like my buddies, the prospects of sitting around in the rain is not appealing.

So we don't want to squander this time. It likely will not come around again for a while. So what sort of things can we think of for replacement?

Where to go outdoors in the Pacific Northwest?

j1950 — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:49:43 -0800

Where to hike, bike, or kayak between Yakima, WA and Portland, OR? A friend of mine and I will be traveling between Yakima and Portland on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. We'll be on a trip to the Northwest, and want to do something outdoors-y, we're New Yorkers and have heard a lot about how beautiful the area is. We're both in good shape and young, but aren't especially experienced at outdoors activities.

Any advice on where to go/what to do? We'd be willing to do more than one thing during the day, if it'll help break up the drive.

If anyone has any more recommendations on routes to take/stops to make along the route, or anywhere from Seattle to Yakima (we also like wineries), feel free to chip in.

Hiking near NYC

JamesWilson123 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:25:59 -0800

Does anyone know of a good hike near NYC? I have an unexpected day off tomorrow and want to get out of the city for the day (8AM to 6PM, give or take). I am basically looking to walk outside for a few hours - it can be easy or difficult, covered or exposed, long or short. I'm in shape but am not an experienced hiker. The big problem is that I don't have a car and would need to take public transportation. Before I spend three hours googling this stuff, has anyone had a good experience with this kind of thing? I'd love it if I could take a train there and not deal with taxis once I get to the station. Thanks!

Should I move to New York City or Seattle for city life as well as outdoors activities?

biochemist — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:51:47 -0800

Does New York City or Seattle offer the better mix of city life and outdoorsyness? Hello. I'm trying to choose a city to move to for undergrad. I'm stuck between New York and Seattle, and unfortunately I don't have the funds to visit before college starts. I'll be living in dorms, so apartments aren't an issue right now.

I would prefer somewhere that I can live long-term, because I don't like to move around frequently.

My original choice was New York City, because I love the big city atmosphere. However, I believe that Seattle may be a better mixture of city life and outdoors activities. I have read that NYC has a lot of outdoors activities as well.

I'm also concerned that it seems as if with my projected salary, I won't have a comfortable life N.Y.C. This wouldn't bother me much, except that I love animals and I wouldn't be able to have dogs in an apartment.

My one worry about Seattle is that it's far away from the music scene I'm used to. I live within a five hour drive from Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, and Detroit, so I'm used to having a lot of options for concerts to go to. I'd like it to stay this way, but I don't know anything about the availability of concerts in/near Seattle.

I would mostly enjoy "natural" outdoors activities... for example, going hiking instead of a tour through the park.

A little more about me... I'm female, liberal, and I'm interested in the Aerospace industry. I'm a fan of windy/rainy days, but I also love the summer. I'm from Ohio, so I would prefer the weather to be similar to here, except cooler.

Anyway... hope this is enough information to help with the advice. I'm open to suggestions of other cities, as long as they match the original criteria (no small cities). Thanks in advance!

"I see only the eye.""Then shoot, Arjuna, shoot!"

shoebox — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:45:18 -0800

I want to take up archery. Does anybody know any places in Southern Ontario, specifically in or near Toronto or Hamilton? I don't have a car, but I live in the former city and attend university in the latter, so any places would have to be accessible by transit from either one.

Also, I am a complete beginner without any experience or equipment, so any advice would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Trails near Kailua

Jsn7821 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:46:41 -0800

What are some good hikes or trails nearby Kailua Hawaii? I'm in Kailua staying with relatives until Sunday and (before I fly over to Hilo) and am looking for some short (2-3 mile) hikes or trails to jog. Open to any recommendations, and I have access to a car.

I will also be here again with my girlfriend when I fly back from Hilo for about 4 days.

Or will I be doomed to sit in a hotel room and gaze forlornly at the Arctic Circle?

kittyprecious — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:18:06 -0800

Would it be worthwhile to go to the West Fjords of Iceland in springtime? I am spending a few days in Iceland on a stopover at the end of April and am flirting with the idea of flying up to Ísafjörður to drive and/or hike around the fjords for a couple of days. So, "worthwhile" in the sense that the roads are likely to be open/nonhazardous and the weather won't be bone-chilling. (...and that flights won't be canceled for the same reasons.)

The guidebooks I've looked at give travel advice for summer, fall, and winter, but are curiously silent on springtime. Should I just stick to Reykjavík and the Golden Circle and save this diversion for a warmer time of year?

Hurricanes are not a substitute for carwashes

casarkos — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:50:52 -0800

How do I take care of a car that's going to be outdoors all the time? At the beginning of this year I dropped nearly my entire life savings on a 2009 Corolla and relocated to Houston, and it might be a few years before I find living arrangements that also include shelter for the car. This is the first time I've ever owned a car and I'm planning to keep it for a long time, so what can I do to keep it shiny and happy under constant exposure to the elements?

(For example: don't park it across from older cars that suddenly go up in flames and spew hot smoke and melted plastic particles all over the windshield and hood, which is what happened to me yesterday evening and got me started thinking about this question. So far there doesn't seem to be permanent damage, but any suggestions toward removing lots of burned plastic soot spatters from my paint job would be nice too.)

No one loves me- help me get out of town.

drjimmy11 — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:52:05 -0800

Where can I go camping within a day's drive of L.A. this coming weekend? I have a three day weekend, no plans for Valentine's, and I'd like to get out of town and de-stress.

I did read the other Cali camping threads, but none were quite specific for what I want. So within the following parameters:

1) I don't mind a long drive, (I kind of enjoy them actually), but would like to leave L.A. in the morning and get there before dark.
2) it should be nice this time of year. Cold at night is ok within reason, I have a 15 degree rated sleeping bag.
3) I would like to be reasonably alone. So "car camping" is out. I am in decent, not great, shape, and don't mind hiking in.
4) I just got a new camera and want to take some cool pictures, so the more scenic the better.

I really don't know where to start, and am open to all suggestions. Thanks!

(Bonus question: What are some good camp foods for a vegetarian to cook on his little stove? not a huge Ramen fan).

1-3 Night backpacking in the Catskills, in the next 5-6 months.

TheOnlyCoolTim — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:57:06 -0800

Sometime from March to early summertime several of us would like to go on a backpacking trip from NYC. I need to hear about nice hikes in the Catskills. Hikes could go from a lengthy 1 night to a short 3 night (as in start in the early evening, end at noon rather than all day), I guess. Loop trails are preferable, as are trails with luxuries like shelters, fire pits, and holes to shit in. I'm looking to take it a little easy at the end of the day on this one.

We're decent at hiking, and malingering is not accepted, so covering distance isn't too much of a problem. I'd mostly like more specific trail suggestions along the line of the other NYC backpacking question and especially need to hear about conditions as they will influence when we'd most enjoy the trip and what kit and plans to prepare. I'd say nothing worse than about 20 degrees F and snow that's not too bad to walk through in the earlier parts or else moderate rain and occasional slogging through mud and small streams would be just fine, not that perfect weather wouldn't be great. One constraint is that we don't have any real climbing skills.

Hikes near Roxbury or on the way there from NYC are also great with our plans.

Central NJ Spots'o'Beauty

aleahey — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:56:00 -0800

NJ MeFi'rs: Looking for a nice outdoor spot to take my girlfriend tonight. Localized in Central Jersey. Ideas? (More criteria within) Well I need it to be within driving distance (<1 hr) of Edison, NJ. I'm looking for a spot with a nice view, or a great view of the stars, or a waterfall, or basically anything really worth seeing at night. Preferably somewhat secluded, but not something we're going to have to hike in the dark to.

All ideas welcome, much appreciated!

Because it is inconvenient to drive with my hands in my pockets

sararah — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:05:32 -0800

Looking for water-resistant/proof, wind resistant, and warm mittens or gloves. Versatile enough to be able to drive with, but warm enough for extended walks outside and waterproof enough for snow shoveling, etc. Giant ski mittens are awesome, but somewhat limiting in dexterity. So this winter has sucked so far (it was still -11 °F at noon! yay!) and my current mittens are no longer cutting it. (I knit but I feel like natural fibers or even felted mittens are not going to cut it in this instance? Especially on the waterproof part?)

My dream mitten/glove:
-I prefer mittens, but am willing to look at gloves. I am also a fan of the "lobster gloves" bikers often wear.
-Mostly waterproof/windproof.
-Warm enough so I don't have to curl up my fingers and drive with my fists.
-Maintain some dexterity for driving, maybe a grippy leather/pleather palm.
-I am a lady, so cuteness is ok, but not overly cute (somewhere in between giant black snowmobiling mittens and cute pink ski bunny mittens)
-Willing to spend up to $40-50, so hopefully that is good enough for the things I request. I want good mittens/gloves, but they don't have to be Mt. Everest good.

Suggestions? Thanks, and stay warm!

streaming itunes outdoors

raisingsand — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:24:46 -0800

How can I stream itunes outdoors? Hubby would like to listen to his extensive itunes colletion whilst we enjoy a refreshing beverage on the patio. I would like to make this happen with an appropriate Christmas gift, but am somewhat overwhelmed by the options available (we're not the most computer savvy folks, but we can keep up most of the time). We have a Logitech wireless system linking our four personal PC's, and it's range does extend to the patio. He has mentioned buying outdoor speakers, but I can't find a permanent outdoor weatherproof solution to the wireless link. I've read previous posts, and it seems as if a Squeezebox Boom would be the easiest solution, and just carry it outdoors, like we do now with a boombox. Am I on the right track? Any other suggestions? Thanks a million, folks.

Whit's the game, back hame?

Happy Dave — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:49:39 -0800

Calling Scottish MeFites and fellow Scottish diaspora - what's the job market like in Scotland at the moment, and am I mad to be considering moving back? Like many Scots, I moved down to England for a job after university. I've been down in London for nearly five years now, and I'm thinking about moving back to Scotland in the next two years, possibly sooner.

I've been in the job market since 2004, first working in the training/comms side of IT consulting, and now for the last two years as a writer and business analyst in recruitment advertising. Lately I've been thinking both about general life direction, and about missing Scotland (I blame the Scotland's History thing that's been playing on the Beeb, cursed iPlayer).

I've got a general plan over the next five or six years to save up and go back to uni to get a post-grad in Outdoor Education, and then to work in that field (not as random as it first appears, I did a lot of that with the TA before going down the comms path), so there's a few things I'm trying to work out:

1) Does it make sense to stay in a (reasonably secure I think) London job, save like heck and go up to Scotland once I've saved, while building outdoor experience as best I can in the South of England

or...

2) Should I (Can I?) take a similar paying, similar type of job in Scotland, or perhaps a paycut, but have the benefit of being close to friends and family, close to mountains and the sea and possibly getting more living space for the same or less money?

Any Mefites who have done this, are doing this or are currently living in Scotland? What's the job market like? The job searches I'm doing aren't telling me much (except that I'd be sorted if I was a tax consultant or wanted to work for a bank).

I'm from Edinburgh originally, and would likely want to live in or around there, but would consider other areas if there were drastic differences in jobs markets or cost of living.

Are there any alternatives to the (Boy|Girl) Scouts that are secular in nature?

mboszko — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:54:41 -0800

I have a son, almost 12, and a daughter, 9, and have been thinking about getting them involved in more outdoor activities. They're home-schooled, so they do get the opportunity to get out and play in the yard and with a few other kids in the neighborhood, but I'd like them to be introduced to a wider range of activities that outdoors-type groups like the scouts might provide (and not being an outdoorsy-type myself, might be able to better instruct in), but I'm put off by both the nationalistic and religious overtones that seem to pervade the Scout oaths. I'd prefer something with more of a global/wildlife focus. So, are there any alternatives to the (Boy|Girl) Scouts that are secular in nature? My wife is a little more open than I am, but I'm an atheist, and I'd prefer that if there's any group that they join, that it not be one where they're going to be taught to be "reverent", and do their "duty to God", when we don't believe that that is necessarily a virtue.