May 18 event includes guided tours of the state-of-the-art, energy-efficient facility

JUNEAU, Alaska. May 14, 2013. The Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station will officially dedicate its new Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory this Saturday, May 18 during an afternoon ceremony that includes guided tours and the raising of carved house posts. The event is free and open to the public. 

“Our new laboratory will strengthen the station’s Alaska research program and enhance the partnerships critical for addressing natural resource issues in the state and beyond,” said Robert Mangold, Acting Station Director. 

Adjacent to the University of Alaska Southeast campus, the 12,000-square-foot facility includes both office and specialized laboratory space. It provides a collaborative environment for Forest Service research scientists to interact closely with university faculty, students, agency colleagues, and key regional stakeholders. The building houses scientists and staff from the station, the Forest Service’s Alaska Region, and the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center and is home to research on climate change, watershed and young-growth management, human values and uses of natural resources, and forest health.

Energy-efficient features—including high-efficiency ground source heat pumps and a heat recovery ventilation system—and regionally sourced building materials feature prominently in the new building. In addition, the building’s entrance will be flanked by two house posts, carved by Tlingit master carver Wayne Price, that pay homage to the Eagle and Raven moieties of the Tlingit People, on whose ancestral land the laboratory is built. The posts will be unveiled and raised during the ceremony.

Guided tours of the facility will be available every half hour from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. on May 18. Signup will be onsite. The formal ceremony begins at 3:00 p.m. and will feature the Woosh.ji.een and Mt. Juneau Tlingit Dancers and speakers including Acting Station Director Mangold; former Mayor of Juneau Bruce Botelho; and University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor John Pugh. 

·         What: Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory Ribbon-Cutting and House Post Dedication Ceremony

·         When: Saturday, May 18, 2013; Open house and tours from 12:00-3:00 p.m.; formal program from 3:00-4:00 p.m.

·         Where: Juneau Forestry Sciences Laboratory; 11175 Auke Lake Way; Juneau, AK 99801

For more information or to RSVP, call (907) 586-7802.

The Pacific Northwest Research Station—headquartered in Portland, Ore.—generates and communicates scientific knowledge that helps people make informed choices about natural resources and the environment. The station has 11 laboratories and centers located in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon and about 390 employees. Learn more online at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw. 

Has the backpack become a suitcase with a bunch of novelty gadgets? When I purchased my first pack, around 1975, the options were simple. It was an external metal frame and had three compartments, top, middle and bottom. Each compartment had its own zipper. Your bed roll and tent either strapped externally to the top of the pack or the bottom.

Modern backpacks, well, they are full of non essential options and gadgetry, let’s name a few:

1. They have top lids that come off so you can use them as a fanny pack, what the hell, a fanny pack? I don’t know about you but my weekend of backpacking doesn’t include making base camp and taking a leisurely walk around the meadow.
2. They come hydration ready. Wow, I though my Nalgene bottle was for carrying water, I didn’t realize it was better to suck on a nipple at the end of a rubber tube.
3. Media compartment... That is just wrong

I know there are more out there but I think you get my point. I know everyone has different needs when they are out. Many of those personal preferences may depend on the area you hike/backpack in. If you could design your own backpack, what are some of the details you would like to have. I know many options we want come on different packs from different manufacturers but it seems they have  that one great option then mess it up with a couple of stupid things.

Here are a few that I would like to see:

1. Internal frame pack that has an external easy access carrier for a long gun. Backpacking in Alaska has its unique challenges you don’t find in other places.
2. Large capacity 80L – 95L. We have to carry more layers than most.
3. Water bottle pockets that are positioned in a more horizontal position for easier access with the pack on.
4. I know this will sound funny but I need a Bat belt. If you do not know the bat belt, watch an episode of Batman. I would like a hip belt and shoulder straps with places to have a hatchet or machete, a holder for your compass, GPS and a map pocket. Be able to attach an ammo pouch. Easy access and quick release mechanism for bear spray. Need to be able to hang a folding knife or fixed blade knife along with a place for a multi-tool. I am sure there are some other items I would like to have on my bat belt but you get the picture.
5. A solid frame with a fold down shelf that could attach or detach externally. That way whether you are backpacking or hunting you would only need one pack.
6. Plenty of lash points.
7. A zippered access panel so you had easier access to items at the bottom of the pack.
8. Waterproof! I live in the rain forest that is Southeast Alaska; it rains all of the time here.
9. I am a shutter bug so I would love an attachment so I could hang my DSLR in front of me without it swinging back and forth when I walk.

Those are some of the things I would like to see, what are yours?

3DT

These days most hiking boots on the market are not recraftable. Meaning when the sole wears out, you throw them away and purchase a new pair. Even if your leather boots are not recraftable, proper maintenance and care can get you a few extra miles out of them, that is, if you haven’t worn the soles slick. I had never really paid much attention to the maintenance of my boots in the last 20 years simply because most boots on the market seemed to be disposable. It wasn't like when I was growing up and I would watch my father put saddle soap on his boots to keep the leather clean and plyable. Now that I am in SE Alaska, I have had to re-think my boot maintenance. All of our hikes or trips eventually involve lots of muskeg and salt water. Nothing will wear things out quite like salt water.

 Recraftable Boot. Danner Mountain Light II

 Non-recraftable boot. Danner Crater Rim

So for any of you that haven’t succumb to the plastic and nylon footwear craze and still love to wear a great pair of leather hiking/backpacking boots, here are a few tips to help get those extra few miles out of them.

Cleaning

Regular cleaning and the application of leather conditioners and water repellents aid in maximizing the breathability of Gore-Tex® footwear. Your first step is regular cleaning. Dirt, saltwater, grime and grit can work their way into the fibers of the leather causing it to dry out and break down, prematurely wearing out the upper of you boot.

After each outing, Remove the laces and rinse off the mud, dirt and grime with water. For tougher dirt, use a nylon brush and scrub gently, I use an old tooth brush. After you scub an area, rerinse with water. To remove oil-based dirt, excess wax, and stubborn grime use leather cleaner. Pour leather cleaner onto the brush, wet the area to be cleaned and scrub briskly.  Dry away from direct heat.  Drying should be done with little or no heat and enough air circulation to dry them. I use a hair dryer on cool to speed up the process. Be sure to clean the linings of your boots too. You can use a warm damp cloth after each use.  Salt from perspiration can pass into the lining rapidly destroying the leather making it dry and cracked. 

Conditioning and waterproofing

RESTORE or ADD WATER-REPELLENCY. This is important not just to keep your feet dry, but will keep boots cleaner and maintain the leather's suppleness for improved durability.  Most boots on the market have some type of waterproof liners and factory treatments, but even these require maintenance. Gore-Tex® does nothing to protect the outer boot from water and other abuse. Before waterproofing or water repellent is applied, the boot should be clean and dry.  Simply apply the appropriate waterproofing treatment to the entire boot, paying special attention to the stitching and hardware (anywhere the leather has been punctured) to ensure complete protection from the elements. I like to use a sno seal, there are a few manufacturers of these types of products. I either take the laces out, place my boots in a hot oven. The oven should already be preheated and turned off prior to placing your boots in there. We are warming the leather, not making meatloaf. Heat the boots to a tempurature that you can still handle them without burning your hands. I use my bare hands and simply apply the sno seal to the outside of the boot. Use as much sno seal as the warm boot will absorb into the leather.

If the wife says no to the oven then simply grab a hair dryer. You may want to purchase one of your own for this. Most sno seal is made of bee's wax and it can be a mess on the handle of the hair dryer. You don't want to sleep in the dog house because your wife ended up with bee's wax in her hair as she is prepairing to get ready for work. When using this method apply the sno seal liberally all over the outer of your boots. Wash the excess sno seal off your hands, get the hair dryer out. Turn it on high, hot blow drying the outside of your boot. The sno seal will start to liquify and be absorbed into the leather as the leather heats up. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for application of waterproofing and conditioning.  Reapply as necessary or after use in severe conditions.  For best results let boots dry for 24 hours before use. 

I hope this helps.

3DT

When you hear the word Alaska, one tends to imagine Denali, Brown Bears, and a lot of snow and ice. My wife and I happened to move to Alaska at the end of 2012, but we decided on a much more temperate climate... Juneau. Juneau actually has a very interesting geology and climate.

March - Fish Creek Trail        

Mendenhall Glacier February 2013        

December 2012 Juneau

Nestled between the Juneau ice field and the Pacific Ocean, Juneau spans 3100 square miles in the Tongass rain forest in Southeast Alaska. Yes, I said rainforest. In this temperate rainforest you can find 4,000 foot mountains that rise out of the North Pacific Ocean. The mountains climb straight up to the sky. This terrain was carved from tens of thousands of years of glaciers.

May, between Fish Creek Trail and the Gastineau Channel 05.12.13

The steep terrain, ocean, jagged rocks, densely wooded forest, rushing glacial rivers and streams, and the constant moisture presented a challenge for us. We were having trouble keeping our feet dry when we would go out on hikes. The weather here is either soaking rain or snow. We needed a boot that was capable of withstanding both the harsh weather and rugged terrain here. We hike every weekend and we hiked in every boot we owned from three different, well known manufacturers. Each of those boots belonging to us is billed as “waterproof.” Let me say they were only waterproofed after I rubbed Sno Seal all over them. Prior to that, our waterproof boots left us with wet feet and soaked socks. Not something you want when you are hiking in the rain when it is 39 degrees outside, not to mention sloshing through streams, trails, sand, muskeg, salt water pools and ocean water that has a temperature of a whopping 35 degrees.

on the trail hiking the wetlands to get to the ocean 05.12.13

I reached out to Danner to see if they had a boot that would hold up to the challenges of Southeast Alaska. We needed his and hers boots that would have plenty of ankle support, truly waterproof, a sole that would keep its grip whether we were on wet, moss covered rocks and trees or trudging up a wet, muddy path. (Are you getting the picture that it’s wet where we live?) They responded with the Danner Crater Rim.

on the trail in the forest 05.12.13

on the trail to get to the beach 05.12.13

Here is what they say:

Crafted just an hour outside of the summit of Mt. Hood at our workshop in Portland, Oregon, the Crater Rim symbolizes hand made craftsmanship, attention to detail, the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest and heavy duty hiking performance.

The Crater Rim features a durable waterproof nubuc leather upper, a 360˚ abrasion resistant Vibram® rubber rand, lace-to-toe design for a secure fit, a proven waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® liner and a Vibram® Bifida outsole which provides superior traction in rugged ascending and descending terrain.

Boot Features

• Made in the USA
• Durable, waterproof nubuc leather upper
• 360° abrasion resistant rand
• D-Ring hardware and lace-to-toe design for secure fit
• 100% waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® lining
• Cushioning polyurethane footbed
• Vibram® Bifida outsole for superior traction in rugged environments
• Fiberglass shank
• 6" height
• 58 oz

Here is what we say:

After many hikes in the Crater Rim, both my wife and I have been completely satisfied. The boots give us a stable platform for the uneven terrain we hike on. Our feet stay dry even when we are crossing fresh water streams and salt water tidal pools. The abrasion resistant rand really protects the boot in this harsh rugged terrain as well. The Crater Rim is our go-to boot all year round. Unless the temperature drops far enough and there is enough snow coming down to warrant a pack boot, we will be hiking in our Crater Rims.

shells and barnicles on the shoreline 05.12.13

Muskeg, 05.12.13 (it got deeper)

These boots are rugged. They go from muskeg and jagged rocks along our shorelines to the wettest, steepest trails. Many of the trails in and around Juneau can take a full day to hike, not because they are long in miles, but because they are physically challenging, the Danner Crater Rims have conquered every challenge we have put them through. Danner hit a homerun with these boots. I see why these boots were Winner of Outside Magazine's 2012 Gear of the Year in the trail shoe category. 

Fresh Water Crossing

If you are still reading this and you have not purchased this boot yet, all I can say is what are you waiting for? Carrying a price tag of $300.00 they will put a dent in your wallet, but they are 10 times the boot you can get for $200.00. Don’t try to save a few bucks only to pay for it later on the trail. If you are one that likes to get outside, and I don’t mean taking the dog around the block, I mean if your idea of a walk includes getting off the beaten path, the Crater Rim is the boot for you.

the trail on the shoreline heading home 05.12.13

I do have to tell you my wife DID NOT want to wear these boots out hiking. Even though she complained every time we went out about either her feet being wet or her ankles hurting. I finaly asked her why she wouldn't wear the Crater Rims? Her response was, "I don't want to get them dirty, they look too cute with jeans".

Dale & Stacy Smith
Managing Partners
3DT

To check out the Danner Crater Rims and other great boots by Danner go to www.danner.com 

I write this as an avid outdoorsman and a weekend adventurer. I am not a pro athlete and I am not “sponsored” by any companies. I do not have clothing or gear endorsements; I am just a regular guy and my wife is a regular gal. We just happen to live in one of the most challenging places on Earth for outdoor gear, equipment and clothing. We live in Juneau Alaska, smack in the middle of the Tongass National Forest.

Fish Creek Trail 

The Tongass is a temperate rainforest, with rain and cool temperatures likely most of the year. Average rainfall ranges from 26” in Skagway to 225” in Little Port Walter on Baranof Island. Summer temperatures average in the 50’s and 60’s. The combination of cool temperatures and wet conditions make hypothermia a risk even in the summer.

The terrain in the Tongass simply put is rugged. The trails around Juneau are known as the “Bermuda Triangle” as it is common for hikers to just vanish. Public lands on the Tongass consist of glimmering rain forests, glaciers and icefields, mountains, waterways, and thousands of islands separated by straits and channels. We live on a tidal island called Douglas. We are separated from the mainland by the Gastineau Channel. So we have the channel on one side and mountains behind us. Across the channel is the Mendenhall glacier and more mountains. Directly behind those mountains is the Juneau Ice Field 1500 square miles of ice, all the way to the Canadian border. If you could cross the mountains behind us we would end up in the North Pacific Ocean.

Mendenhall Glacier

Now that you have an idea of what weather and terrain we recreate in you might have a bit more understanding of what we need for gear, equipment and clothing. For many years now, the outdoor manufactures all have promoted their waterproof breathable technologies as being the end all be all for the outdoor enthusiast. For those who do not know what waterproof breathable technologies are you are probably are more familiar with the most popular bard name Gore-Tex.

Gore-Tex and technologies like it advertise themselves as light weight and waterproof. They evaporate your sweat off your body and that moisture magically makes its way to the outside air while the fabric lets NO water penetrate. These fabrics are lightweight and they do evaporate moisture away from the body but waterproof, I think not. Maybe water resistant at best.

We’ll talk about boots today. We have 11 pair of Gore-Tex lined boots from 4 different manufacturers in our home. I can say with certainty it is hit or miss whether our “waterproof” boots will keep the water out. In most parts of the country, your waterproof boots will do just fine; here in SE Alaska to be waterproof a boot would need to be able to stay submerged in a bathtub of water for a year. If you then can take it out of the tub and there is no water in the boot, you can claim it is waterproof. I dare to say, any boot on the market (unless they are all rubber) would fail that test.

Today we went for a 5 mile hike that took us through muskeg (a thick deposit of decayed organic matter with the consistency of very wet mud), sand, sea grass, forest floor, snow, ice, ocean water and fresh water streams. I was wearing a fairly new 9 inch tall snow boot I had never hiked in before (we had 6 inches of snow fall the last 2 days). Yesterday I found out my favorite waterproof snow boots had a hole in them (the North Pacific was rushing in my boot), while we were on a 3 mile hike. These new boots have a carbon rubber outsole with the same carbon rubber scuff guard on top of a waterproof suede upper. Halfway through our hike I discovered more of the North Pacific and a few fresh water streams in my boot. It was a wet hike back to the house. The boots I had on the day before were a 10” tall winter boot that I have worn for about 10 years, they held up to their waterproof claim until yesterday when I found the hole in them.

Checking out the Gastineau Channel

I got my first pair of real boots around 1974 or 75. My parents bought me a pair of Sorrell Caribou’s for winter. Those boots are still in production today. The other pair was a pair of Danner’s. I wasn’t “in to” backpacking or hiking gear at the time, if I remember correctly the Danner’s were a pair of 7” tall, all leather, hunting boot with Thinsulate. I wore those boots for everything, camping, hiking, backpacking, deer hunting, bird hunting and even to school. In the mid 70’s Thinsulate was new, prior to that we kept our feet warm by wearing multiple pairs of socks, in fact even with the Thinsulate we still wore two and three pairs of socks just to make sure our feet would stay warm.

Waterproof boots back then were only made of rubber and those were just cold, no insulation (except my Sorrell’s), just a rubber boot and as many socks as you could put on to keep your feet warm. Leather boots back then didn’t have gusseted tongues so no matter what, if the water was over a couple inches deep, your feet were getting wet. Since waterproof technology had not been mass marketed yet we purchased products like snow seal. It was (and still is) a great product. We would heat our leather boot up a bit, we used hair dryers, sit the boots by the fireplace or next to a heat vent, and sometimes I would even put them in the oven. Once the leather was warm simply wipe the snow seal all over the boot and put extra on the stitching. The cream would liquefy from the heat of the boot and soak in to the boot like magic. Then when it dried, you had a very waterproof boot. Just don’t let the water line go above where the tongue was stitched.

The muskeg in the Gastineau Channel at low tide

Since I do not have the confidence in waterproof technologies holding up to the riggers of SE Alaska, I think I may start getting a stockpile of snow seal and waterproof all my boots myself. Today’s waterproof boots have gusseted tongues so that part of the equation is solved. I know adding snow seal or products like it to the boot will stop the breathability of the boot but I truly believe that it is better to have a damp foot from sweat than a foot that is wet because you have a boot full of water. You will never get away from the high cost of waterproof breathable technologies in a boot, if you want a boot with a gusseted tongue. If you buy a boot with that type of tongue it will be labeled waterproof, if it is labeled waterproof, it will come with waterproof breathable technology (unless it is a rubber boot).

I personally think the price asked by retailers and manufacturers for Gore-Tex and products like it are way out of line so don’t think waterproofing a boot at home is going to save you money. What it will save you is from having wet feet.

Fish Creek Trail

I know people are going to want to know the brands of boots that are waterproof and ones that are not. I normally do not like to bad mouth any gear we use or review but I will make an exception in this case. Remember though, the ones I wore today that didn’t keep my feet dry will be made waterproof shortly by a home remedy of snow seal.

The boot that failed today was the Hi-Tec Capri 200 WP. To be fair to Hi-Tec, I have worn Hi-Tec boots for close to 20 years and LOVE them. I have 4 pair of Hi-Tec boots in various styles. After a home waterproofing session, the Capri’s will be back out on the trail.

Hi-Tec Capri

For winter boots that have held up very well to the elements here. My wife has a pair of Columbia Sportswear Bugaboot Plus XTM w/ Omni Heat. The XTM version of the Bugaboot has a taller collar. My boot that had on yesterday that had a hole in it after 10 or so years was an earlier version of the Bugaboot Plus XTM. I believe it was called the Icebreaker. Both boots are rated at -65 F. They not only kept us dry, but warm in any weather. I would recommend this boot highly to anyone looking for a great winter boot.

Columbia Sportswear Bugaboot XTM

hole in my Columbia Sportswear Icebreaker after 10 years

We have a few Danner boots that just arrived that we are in process of reviewing:

The men’s and women’s Danner Crater Rim. This is a Hand crafted boot made in Portland Oregon the Crater Rim features a durable waterproof nubuc leather upper, a 360˚ abrasion resistant Vibram® rubber rand, lace-to-toe design for a secure fit, a proven waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® liner and a Vibram® Bifida outsole which provides superior traction in rugged ascending and descending terrain. The boot is 6” in height which is needed in the terrain in and around Juneau. Our ankles need all the support they can get.

Danner Crater Rim

I am also testing out the Danner Full Curl GTX hunting boot. It is a 9” tall boot designed for use in mountainous terrain, the Full Curl is built on our Dynamic Response System that provides optimal stability underfoot in cold weather environments and is packed with a variety of options including a 1200 Denier nylon upper, a GORE-TEX® extended comfort liner, a 360 degree abrasion resistant rubber rand and comes available with 400G Thinsulate™ Ultra Insulation.

Danner Full Curl GTX   

Other Danner Boots that we wear:

The Talus GTX, Danner no longer makes this model but it is similar to the new Crater Rims. I have worn this boot hear in Alaska on several hikes and it performs very well. It has kept my feet dry and at 6.5 inches it gives my ankles great support on very steep uneven terrain.

Danner Talus GTX

Danner Mountain Light II, this boot is by far my favorite looking boot I own. It also one of two of my all time favorite hiking boots, the other is the Vasque Sundowner. The Mountain Light is classic old school hiking. Full grain, one piece leather upper on a Vibram Kletterlift outsole, recraftable, 5 inch boot that looks as tough as it looks good. The Mountain Light and the Vasque Sundowner were the two boots that every hiker and backpacker wanted to be wearing in the 1970’s.

Danner Mountain Light II

Vasque Sundowner

If you should ever take the trip up the inside passage, make sure and get off the cruise ship and stay a while. For the outdoors lover Southeast Alaska has more adventures to offer than you can imagine, Just make sure to pack some waterproof boots.

3DT