Yes I’m turning this into a sappy Mommy blog today. The little man, the youngest son (but not child–Liv is still here) went to Kindergarten this morning.  He was mostly raring to go, as these photos from orientation and the first day this morning show, but still, it’s always a bittersweet day. [Click on any of them to see them larger.]  Now what excuse will I have to whip out the 120’s on an inch of snow in the middle of the day?

Yes, there’s no living with him now.  Bill has been on the news.  Real news.  Well, as real as you consider Fox News to be.  And not for anything illegal.

Fox 25 from Boston recently came to neighboring Hardwick, where Bill hails from, to cover the Community Fair, the oldest reportedly in the US.  He runs the lumberjack, or as we call it the “chainsaw” contest there every year.

There’s a lot more to the contest and actually to the segment that aired, but here is a link to what made the clip on the Fox News website.  Look for the handsome rugged guy running the show at 3:46 on the clip.  He’s mine.

It’s a little tougher getting through his “people” these days, but he is offering autographs.  Send a penny and a SASE to Bill’s Lumberjack Fan Club and we’ll be sure to get yours right out to you.

The recent post about the questions Duke had for the ABS Avalanche backpack has attracted the interest of our resident adventure guide, Jason Hendricks, aka The Adventurist.  In the comments section of that post he asks,

Alright, Mary. You have piqued my interest. What he!! [ed] is an ABS Avalanche backpack? What is it used for? Have you made another post concerning this? It is a bit intriguing that here might be something out there that I have never heard of-at least I don’t think.

I have to admit I thought for a moment about screwing with him, but after yelling at my kids who have been out of school far too long I just don’t have the creative energy to do it.  So to answer the question seriously, here is where Jason and you can find more information about the ABS Avalanche backpack.

The Lowdown on the ABS Avalanche Backpack

To answer your question very basically, Jason, the backpack is a life-saving device used by mountain sledders (and others I would imagine) designed to keep them atop the avalanche and prevent suffocating when the downslide settles. At least that’s what I uderstand it to be; I only ride trails, so it’s not something I have a use for but some of my readers (obviously) do.

Here is how the maker, Mountain Safety Sysytems Ltd, explains it:

An avalanche consists of different particles of snow. Those particles move underneath each body and push it to the surface by rotating until the avalanche slows down. This fact and the change of direction of the avalanche are the reason why approximately half of all avalanche victims end up on top of the avalanche….

A completely different scenario exists for those who do not end up on the surface of the avalanche. Once the avalanche slows down, rotation and lifting abilities also slow down. The victim cannot reach the surface anymore due to the higher density and lesser volume. In most cases this burial is deadly.

With the ABS you have 150 liters more volume …

Once activated, the ABS equalizes the volume and density of the victim relative to the surrounding snow by working on the principle of “inverse particles” .

As with a life vest in the water, the victims swims on the surface of the avalanche. The added volume of 150 liters has been calculated to be needed for cold, dry and loose snow. If the snow is denser, wetter and heavier less volume is needed. The statistics show that all victims carried down by a moving avalanche stayed on top and survived the incident (see the statistics) .

You can learn more about the products at the ABS Avalanche Backpack website.  And yes, we did talk about it here a while back; this post on SledChix blog talks about the new terms for distribution in North America and changes to the contract Klim has as its distributor.

Hope I was successful at telling you something you didn’t already know!

You might recall a while back when I posted about Klim taking on a broadened role as North American distributor of the ABS Avalanche backpacks. That sparked a question from one of my readers who wanted to buy American where he could, and wondered about the manufacture and construction of the backpack and components. Duke asked,

…do you know if any part of the ABS system is made here. IS the canister made in USA?

The answer wasn’t immediately apparent, but after emailing a very helpful customer service rep at Klim I was able to get an answer to Duke’s question. Here was Klim’s response, for those of you who want to know:

The ABS backpack is a German product and Klim has become the U.S. distributor for them… therefore it is not a U.S. made product. There is not a life saving avalanche pack in existence that is made in the U.S. right now. Where they have them made are a few different places I will list for you. The reason it is not made in one place is to make a bag to work so well with the greatest quality and best parts they found the best resources for each one of the pieces in various places.

The actual airbags inside the pack are manufactured in Germany .

The triggers used to set off the canisters are manufactured in Germany as well.

The bag itself fabric is made in the U.S. and is welded in China .

The canisters for the pack are manufactured in Canada and filled in the U.S.

You can find more information about the pack on their website www.abssystem.com or on our website www.klim.com.

So there we have it; components of the pack have US ties, but the pack in its entirety does not (not that much of anything is completely made here in the US anymore, anyway). You won’t find an avalanche backack that does at this point in time, but at least you can buy one whose major component is manufactured in the United States.

Hope that helps, Duke; stay safe!

Let’s play another game of “find the difference.”

Here’s the Vermont state snowmobile law governing age restrictions for ATV’s and sledding. See if you can see how it differs from Massachusetts.

Incidentally, the Vermont laws are considered leaders for sledding and ATV’s by leading snowmobile organizations in Massachusetts, including the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts (SAM), so you have to wonder why Mass feels it necessary to go further than their mentors…

Vermont Snowmobile & ATV Restrictions

(7) By a child under eight years of age unless he or she is on land owned by his or her parents, family, or legal guardian.

(8) By a person born after July 1, 1983, on private or public land and water without first obtaining a certificate of snowmobile education, unless he or she is operating on land owned, leased or farmed by his or her parents, family or guardian or the operator is the land owner.

(A) A person who is required to have a certificate of snowmobile education shall:

(i) possess the certificate when operating a snowmobile on public or private lands and waters of the state; and

(ii) show the certificate on demand of an enforcement officer wearing an insignia identifying him or her as a law enforcement officer. However, no person charged with violating this subdivision shall be convicted if the person produces in court, to the officer, or to a state’s attorney, a certificate which was valid at the time the violation occurred.

(B) The following persons are exempt from the requirements of this subdivision:

(i) a person is operating on land owned by his or her parents, family, or guardian or the operator is the landowner;

(ii) any other person exempted by rules of the department of public safety;

(iii) any person who is under the direct supervision of a certified snowmobile safety instructor;

(iv) a child not yet 12 years of age, but not younger than eight when under the direct supervision of a parent or legal guardian who shall be liable for the actions of the child.

Vermont Snowmobile Law Resources

You can read the full text of the law here:

Vermont Snowmobile Laws

You can also read the State’s Snowmobile Operator’s manual, which summarizes and then details the law, here:

Vermont Snowmobile Operator’s Manual

Do you see the major difference yet?

Yes I’ve been gone for a bit.  It’s summer and it’s crazy.

I had mentioned before, though, that I had Maine and Vermont snowmobile age restriction laws, too.  Here’s a snippet of the Maine law, the part we’re concerned with today.  Have a look and see if you can tell me the fundamental difference between this one and Massachusetts’.

Maine Snowmobile & ATV Age Requirements

• Anyone who allows a person under 18 years of age to operate a snowmobile is liable (jointly with the minor’s parent or guardian) for any damages caused in the operation of that snowmobile). See Section 13108
• Children must be 10 years of age or older to operate a snowmobile, unaccompanied by an adult, on land other than that owned by their parent or guardian and must be 14 years of age before crossing public ways.
• Imprudent operation is not limited to state maintained trails; it is now prohibited on any trail.

Similar, yes, but not the same.  Can you spot the difference?

I get the LocalHarvest Newsletter in my inbox every month, but am usually too busy to stop and read it. Today I did, and I’m glad I did.

This is totally off the topic of sledding, but totally related to my belief in less government and more choice, and also in getting back to basics as a solution for so many of our country’s ills.

In this month’s newsletter editor Erin is arguing against a New York Time editorial decrying the need for a national food tracking system in response to the recent salmonella outbreak–which they “think,” but still have not conclusively proven, was caused by tomatoes (and what good is tracing if you don’t know what you’re looking for?).

An Ounce of Prevention, A Pound of Cure…

Here’s a smattering of what Erin has to say in opposition to such a system:

The Times editorial used the recent salmonella outbreak to call for a national food tracking system. Proponents of this system say that having the ability to track our food “from farm to fork” is the way to keep our food system safe.

A safe food system is a most excellent goal. It is fundamental. But the logic of traceability is fundamentally flawed. It relies on endless paperwork and pop inspections and numbered tags and microchips. Out of all this bureaucracy, “farm to fork” tries to build an edifice of safety, a Great Wall between us and the bad bacteria.

What we want is a guarantee. We want to trust that we won’t get sick from our food. The thing is, “traceability” can’t offer that guarantee…

A traceability system would not change the things that need changing. Its purpose and methods concern themselves only with what went where when. It is about command and control, not quality. What we need to focus on is stewardship — of land, crops, and livestock. Traceability is blind to issues of scale and the logic of the small scale farm. If something goes terribly wrong on a small farm, at worse a few hundred people are affected. No national, multi-million dollar sleuthing involved. If something goes terribly wrong in an industrial size farm, whose products were mixed in, processed and distributed with the goods from a dozen other mammoth farms, the numbers affected can reach the thousands, and as we are seeing now, the sorting out takes months.

What Good Is Knowing After The Fact?

LocalHarvest has an excellent argument here, and definitely some [insert bad pun] “food for thought” on the issue.  But seriously, before you jump on the food tracking bandwagon, at least hear the other side of the story.  More paperwork and bureaucracy may achieve higher food prices, as it most certainly will, but it still won’t guarantee you health in the end.  Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown is more likely to go a far sight closer to achieving that end goal, though.

Don’t take my word for it–read all of Erin Barnett from Local Harvest had to say!

Of the computerized variety.

No I didn’t feel like getting myself all worked up over state laws on the weekend. We can pick that up during the week. I did come across some nice free desktop wallpapers of snowmobiling shots for you, though, like this one from Coburn Mountain in Maine.

These come from American Snowmobiler. There are several shots from many different makes and models of new sleds, so go pick your favorite! Choose from 3 different sizes of Snowmobile Desktop Wallpaper to remind yourself every day of the way life should be!

…but one that stinks no less (you’ll get my pun in a minute)…

I’m switching from my planned post for a day, partially because my brain hurts from reading state laws (I have Vermont and Maine in the hopper) and partially because it just smells so bad around here this morning.

Yes, we’ve been skunked. But it’s okay because it is not our first time, and we know how to deal with this in short order (or at least as short as possible).

Friends In The Garden

I’ve recently discovered that we are sharing our garden with furry visitors of the stinky kind. We figured it was either the neighbor’s beagles or skunks. Something was digging holes in the night or early a.m. and killing my plants. Given the grub infestation skunks were a good guess.

Turns out we were right. The Hav-a-hart trap went out last night and caught the critter. Too bad I didn’t think ahead before letting the dog out this morning. I was up first and let her go without a thought, noticing no tell-tale smells. Then Bill was up 10 minutes later, leaned out the window to take in the morning air, and said, “do you smell skunk?”

Well, I didn’t 10 minutes ago, but I do now! And so does poor Turtle-Belle (you’ll recall I am not responsible for that name) and the rest of the neighborhood, too (actually I was voting for their dogs, as that would be sure proof of their after-hours trespassing, and a fitting reward for it).

I wasn’t dumb enough to let her in the house like BIll did with our old dog Zeke years back (there’s a funny thing about skunk smell–it’s hard to smell when it’s freshly sprayed; it takes a minute to hit you, and by then your dog can already be comfrotably lounging on your carpet!). So for the first hours of the day Turtle thought she was in trouble and was not allowed in. Prompt action has now cured that problem.

How To Get Skunk Smell Off Your Dog By 8:00 a.m.

Like I said, not my first time. There are a few fairly effective cures for skunk smell, and this is the one that works well for us–no tomato juice required.

What you need to de-skunk your dog is vinegar and pet shampoo. Lemon juice helps, too. Here’s how it’s done:

• Cut the vinegar in a solution 50/50 with water
• Pour vinegar and water over the dog, completely soaking her
• Leave to stand 15-30 minutes
• Wash the dog throughly with pet shampoo (or if you are out I found this morning that human shampoo works, too–even if you combine 3 kinds to get enough )
• Adding some lemon juice to the shampoo also helps neutralize the skunk odor (the book I read says “a few drops”; I poured a whole plastic lemon’s worth into the bottle of the shampoo and let fly)
• Let the shampoo and lemon juice sit on the dog for 10-15 minutes.
• Rinse
• Enjoy your lemony-fresh dog, minus the skunk musk

Of course, veinegar and lemon juice are pretty harsh on the eyes, so take care around the face. I sacrificed a car-wash sponge (which wasn’t seeing any use anyway) for that. I also pulled out the dish-washing gloves and sacrificed those so I wasn’t gagging at my hands all day. If you don’t have any and have to go bare-handed, rub lemon juice full-strength onto your hands when done.

This is what I did, and Turtle smells nice and clean now. We are ready to bring her back into the fold of the family, assuming she stays out of the garden that has been throughly doused.

Sled related? Not so much, but good info to have for country-folks, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts nonetheless. I’m sure you’ll appreciate it if your time comes!

Have better solutions for deskunking a dog or pet? Do share in the comments below…

We’ve been talking about it, now here it is. This is the portion of the Massachusetts Law that governs the age of children operating snowmobies, and also ATV’s. The law reads:

3.03: Operation
(1) Age Limit. No person under 14 years of age shall operate a recreation vehicle or a snow
vehicle except as provided below:
(a) a person between the ages of 12 and 14 years old may operate a recreation vehicle or a
snow vehicle if directly supervised (as defined in 323 CMR 3.02) by a person 18 years old or
older;
(b) a person between the ages of ten and 12 years may operate a recreation vehicle or a
snow vehicle if directly supervised (as defined in 323 CMR 3.02) by a person 18 years old or
older and the vehicle is operated on land on which the operator is domiciled; or
(c) A person under 14 years of age may operate a recreation vehicle or snow vehicle in a
sanctioned race, rally or organized event which has been authorized or approved by the
appropriate local authority.
(d) No person under ten years of age shall operate a snow vehicle or recreation vehicle
under any circumstances.

Through the Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts website I found a chart that makes this a little easier to understand. It is also avaiable through the state.gov website.

As you might notice, I think I might have mis-spoken before and it is under 10, not under 12, who cannot ride at all in Massachusetts.  But from 10-12 the rider must be on his/her parents own land (or land leased or rented by them) and directly supervised.

I don’t have problem with the supervision part, although like I said I don’t need to be told that.  The land requirement is restrictive, because if you do not own large tracts of land where kids can learn to ride, you cannot even legally take them into a field with land-owner permission and oversee their safe education and fun and enjoyment. Unless you enter your entirely unskilled rider in a sanctioned race, where it is suddenly legal for a 10 year old on his 10th birthday, with presumably no riding experience if you follow the letter of the law, to suddenly ride.

Maybe there are those out there who think kids don’t need to be involved in power-sports before the age of 10.  Maybe you need to go read my argument for children riding snowmobiles.  And maybe you enjoy big-government telling you how and when to breathe.  Keep in mind that this includes those small 120’s and all other child-sized ATV’s and sleds.  And regardless of what the weight limitations say, a child over 10 and certainly the average 12 year old is too big for a 120 snowmobile, with the exception of children who are small for their ages (our 9 year old is already outgrowing this sled).  So by restricting them at this age you are taking away the chance to teach them to ride on a sled that is designed for their safe operation and handling, and making it harder and more unsafe to learn to ride.

This is just more backwards legislation that harms much more than it helps and takes away rights from parents.  Ironic, since the introduction on the SAM website reads,

There are approximately 9,000 members of SAM, of which 70% are married and over the age of 36 years–a mature responsible group of citizens.

Wonder what SAM thought when this legislation was passed…