The new Pentax WG-2 GPS camera offers outdoor enthusiasts the same handy means of documenting their adventures in pictures in wet conditions and even underwater. The WG-1 and WG-2 models look very similar and share the same GPS chipsets, but most of the rest of the innards have been upgraded. Pentax upgraded the WG-2 with a CMOS sensor, which provide cleaner, higher quality images than the previous CMOS sensor. That new sensor also captures true HD video (1080p at 30 fps instead of 720p) and huge 16.2 megapixel still images. The 28-140mm equivalent zoom lens works wonderfully for all outdoor situations outside long-zooms on skittish wildlife. The underwater image clarity is much better than we found on 2-year-old Canon D10 waterproof camera and even a bit better than the WG-1. Part of the reason for that is the WG-2 ability to shoot at 6400 ISO speeds (versus the WG-1 maximum 1600 ISO) so low-light image quality is greatly improved.

Example of an image shot with the WG-2

The improvements in both video and still image quality in all shooting conditions make the WG-2 a wonderful upgrade to what was already a great outdoor shooters tool: the WG-1. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend ditching the WG-1 if you already have one, unless you really need the higher quality video, or you primarily shoot at dusk and dawn when you would need that low-light capability. But if you are looking to upgrade from any other point and shoot, I would recommend the WG-2 above any other Point and Shoot I’ve used recently.

The WG-2 GPS sells for $349. www.pentaximaging.com

Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2004). Naturescapes Starters.

One story stands out in my memory. I don’t remember the exact words—they don’t matter—but the story sticks with me:

Long before European settlers touched foot in the Pacific Northwest, back during the earliest days of human on in these lands, the animals helped create the world as it exists today. Coyote was one of the most prominent and wisest of the animals.

One day, during his travels, Coyote heard whispers that the new people of his land were being killed by a great monster in the Columbia River. This monster hid in a deep pool at Wishram (above the present-day sight of The Dalles), where the waters ran swiftly through rock-lined channels. The monster would lurk in its pool and pull down the two-legged people as the paddled their canoes through narrow channels. The people were afraid of the monster and soon began to avoid the river, though this meant they could not catch the salmon that fed their children. More people died as they went hungry because of their fear.

The Coyote had been waiting for these two, two-legged people to come into his land. When he heard the stories of the monster, he was angry and wanted to do something to help the people, but did not know how to defeat a monster that lived in a deep pool in the river. So Coyote went to the mountains and asked his friend, the Raven, how to help the people. Together, Coyote and Raven came up with a plan.

Coyote would gather up a bundle of dry wood, with some pitch-wood  mixed in, so he could make a fire. He put five sharp bone knives into his bundle. Coyote then headed down to the river to meet the monster.

Coyote stood on the bank of the deep pole where the monster lived and taunted the beast. At first, the monster wouldn’t eat Coyote because it knew Coyote was a trickster and it was afraid. But Coyote continued to taunt and laugh at the monster, mock it until the beast rose up in anger and swallowed Coyote.

Once inside the monster, Coyote lit his fire and found many people huddle there. All were cold, wet and near death. Coyote threw more wood on his fire to warm the people, and then used the first knife to carve meat from the monster’s heart. This he roasted and fed to the people, making them strong once more.

As the people ate, Coyote used his knife to cut at the cords that held the monster’s heart in place. Soon, Coyote’s knife broke. But Raven had known that the monster’s sinew would be tough and had made Coyote carry five knives. Coyote retrieved his second knife and continued cutting the cords. When it, too, broke, he took up his third, and then his fourth, knife.

Finally with this fifth knife, Coyote had the cords nearly cut through, and the heart ready drop out, killing the monster. Suddenly, the monster coughed and all the people, and coyote were flung onto the river bank.

Coyote gave names to the people he had saved and send them in all directions to occupy the lands. To the north of the river, he sent the Yakamas and the Klickitats, to the south, he sent the Clackamas and Clatsops. The Nez Perce and  Cayuse went east, preferring to live among the hills and raise ponies.  They also thanked Coyote for his help, praising his intelligence and cleverness in defeating the monster.

Once all the people had been sent to their new homes, Coyote looked the monster in the eye, and said, “You must not eat the people anymore. If you do not swear to let the people use the river and catch the Salmon that feeds them, I will jump into your throat and cut your heart loose.”

The monster promised to let the people pass, but feared that he would die without anything to eat, so Coyote send to him: “You may shake the canoes in the rapid water and eat any of the people who lack the skill to paddle through them. In this way, the people know there is danger, and only those who are careless will feed you.”

The monster agreed and that is why some people still disappear in the rapids at Wishram. So goes the story, though today the rapids are now deep under the reservoir behind the Bonneville Dam. But the monster remains, eating foolish boaters throughout the rivers of the west.

The nature of the wily coyote

Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2004). Naturescapes Starters.

I first heard this story from a professor, or maybe it was just a graduate student, in one of my Native American history courses at Washington State University. Later, I heard the same basic story—told in different words and with slightly different context, but with the same general premise—while attending a Native American Pow-Wow at the Puyallup Tribal Grounds near Tacoma. Since then, I’ve seen the story in print in several forms, all slightly different, but each sharing the same basic tenets.

What makes it memorable for me is the fact that Coyote uses his quick-wit and intelligence to help the people of the world. The local tribes revere him for this. Today, though, coyote is reviled for his intelligence and ability to adapt to new situations. The coyote of the 20th century has been stamped as a vile, cowardly beast, and as such, it has been hunted mercilessly for the last hundred years and more throughout the west.

But which is the true nature of the Coyote? Neither, I think.

I believe that the coyote is a species that has never been fully understood by humans, largely because it is malleable and changeable. The coyote will do what is required to adept to any situation it faces. It will change its diet, change its hunting style, and even change its mating practices. The coyote’s most consistence feature is its able to change and adapt.

The trickster. The Wise One. The Monster-fighter. Moon-dog. Ghost dogs. Little Wolf. Sheep-eater. Vermin. Canis lantrans (Latin for ‘barking dog’). The coyote has been label all these and more by the people who know the animal best.

I prefer the Native American labels—the first three being my favorites and, I believe, the most appropriate. Coyotes have been part of the native mythology and oral legends since people first moved onto the continent. Coyotes are native to North America and, though they do seem closely resemble species in other parts of the world—most notably the golden jackal of Africa—they are native only to the western United States and far southern parts of western Canada. Therefore, the American Indians tribes of the American West are the people who best know the crafty canine.

Coyotes—pronounced Ki-Yo-Tees by some, Ki-Oats by others (particularly folks living in rural parts of the west)—are perhaps the most adaptable, versatile predator in North America. They have learned to out-smart hunters and trappers, to avoid poisoned bait, and to take advantage of any opportunity to expand their territory. Coyotes still reside in all their native range—but have also moved into the rainforests of Western Washington. They have spread north to Alaska and south to Panama. They live in the Appalachian and Adirondack Mountains. And, most impressive, they have found good hunting in the urban wildernesses of out major cities. Coyotes roam the streets of Los Angeles, and by the late 1990s coyotes caused a stir in downtown Manhattan—apparently they moved in to hunt the local population of stray dogs, cats and rats (the small, four-legged variety, not the two-legged types in business suits which are more common in that megalopolis).

In Washington state, coyotes are native to the drylands and deserts of the Columbia Basin, and the pine forests and sage brush hills of the Umatilla, Colville,  Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests. They were less common, though not unknown, in the wet forests of western Washington. Today, however, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) categorizes every square inch of Washington state at ‘core habitat’ for coyotes. That is, while other predator species declined in population , or outright disappeared, this small canine pushed its range, expanding out into areas previously dominated by wolves, cougars and bears. The coyote now thrives in every county, and in many cities, of Washington, as well as coast to coast, in every state except Hawaii.

Trickster indeed.

Sportsmen fly to DC to tell president and congress to say no to Pebble Mine

Starting Monday, April 16, more than 30 sportsmen from around the country are traveling to the nation’s capitol to let their elected officials and the president know that protecting Bristol Bay is a top priority for hunters and anglers.

This is an important week to show the folks who have the power to protect Bristol Bay that sportsmen are in this fight. We’ve got folks from Alaska, Montana, Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, Washington, North Carolina, California, Missouri, New York, and Virginia representing this great country and the millions of people who want Bristol Bay to be protected and left just like it is today–pristine and productive.

A recent report by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation shows that there are 34 million hunters and anglers in the U.S., and we’re a powerful constituency. Every year, we pump $76 billion into the economy in pursuit of our passion, through our spending on gear, licenses, gas, lodging, meals and more. All of that spending and activity directly supports 1.6 million jobs in this country.

We are also an influential group because 80 percent of sportsmen are likely voters – much higher than the national average. And, we also contribute the most money of any group toward government wildlife conservation programs. So, hopefully if we care about an issue and show our support, the decision makers will listen to what we have to say.

In just a few weeks, the EPA will be releasing a draft of its Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. This huge scientific assessment will likely guide future decisions about large-scale mining and other industrial development in the Bristol Bay region. If they find that disposal of waste from the mine would adversely harm the surrounding clean waters or natural resources, the EPA can deny or place restrictions on a required dredge and fill permit. If warranted, we hope the Obama Administration would take that step to protect Bristol Bay.

You can support the fight for one of planet Earth’s finest and most productive fishing and hunting destinations by taking action today. Fill out this simple form that will send a letter to the President and your members of Congress asking them to protect Bristol Bay.  Let’s carry our sportsmen into D.C. with a lot of momentum.

• • •

Copy and paste. Fill out the form on the Trout Unlimited website and submit it. Keep the ball rolling. Stop the Pebble Mine.

Thanks, Kirk Werner, for the heads-up on the availability of this post. – Dn

The pliers featured on most multitools serve their purpose well. They provide grip on small nuts, loose cables and broken spokes just fine. But sometimes you need more than simple grip: You need torque. The need for added power could be when you need to crimp a new fitting on the end of a broken binding cable, or force a severe bend out of a bike wheel after a severe backcountry crash.

The SOG Pocket PowerPliers feature the company’s patented compound leverage pliers that, using offset rivets in a clean pulley-type design, creates twice as much pressure using the same hand pressure as you would get from the pliers in direct-leverage multitools.

The PowerPliers also features a hard wire cutter, screwdrivers (Phillips and flat), partially serrated blade, file, can and bottle opener, and punch/awl. The tool is well suited to these active outdoors sports in rugged conditions.  $72.50; 5.5 oz; www.sogknives.com

When you need just the bare-essentials tool kit, the Style PS from Leatherman fits the bill. The compact 3-inch (folded) multitool boasts a pair of pliers with tapered jaws so they work as both regular-head pliers and slim needle-nose pliers. A wire cutters nests in the back of the jaws if you need to clip or strip wire. A small pair of scissors folds out of one handle, while a combination file, Phillips-head and straight screwdriver fold out of the other. Tweezers slide out of the nylon grip, and a stout carabiner caps the end of the nylon-covered handle – the ‘biner mouth doubles as a bottle opener. The one thing this pocket-sided toolbox lacks is a simple knife blade.

If you don’t need pliers in your pocket, the Style CS model replaces the foldout scissors on the PS with a straight knife blade, and stout scissors move up to replace the pliers head. All other features are the same.

The Leatherman Style PS proved well suited to tasks such as servicing backcountry stoves, adjusting ski bindings, repairing fishing reels, straightening bent bike spokes, and even redoing the wiring in a glitchy weather radio. The CS model, meanwhile, worked better as a simple camp tool when the ability to cut cleanly through a variety of materials (cords, webbing, tarps, etc.) was more essential than gripping and twisting. $20 (PS) / $24 (CS); 1.6 oz (CS) / 1.4 oz (PS); www.leatherman.com

The Gerber Steady takes multitasking multitools to a new level – literally. The addition of a swing-out camera mount arm, and two stabilizing legs, turns the standard multitool into a mini tripod. The camera mount screws into any ¼” tripod mount hole on your camera, but Gerber also includes a cell phone adapter (a strong suction cup) so you can stabilize your smart phone camera, too. This worked wonderfully with both our iPhone 4 and an old flip-style phone. We even mounted, on the screw mount, a fairly heavy Canon 40D with a 28-135mm zoom lens and found it stable and secure.

The tool components of the Steady multitool include two knife blades (straight and serrated), screwdrivers (Phillips and flat), bottle opener, wire cutters, and pliers.

Photographers of all levels will want this as their go-to multitool anytime they head for the backcountry. $64; 5.8 oz; www.gerbergear.com

We’ve already discussed the excellence of the Redington Voyant outfit. Of at least equal quality is the new Orvis Clearwater II Combo outfit.

Clearwater rod and reel models enjoy a strong history in the Orvis line, but the newest incarnation of Clearwater rod utilizes the same carbon fiber technology found in Orvis’ premium Helios rods. That makes the new Clearwater rods lighter and faster than the previous versions – and even the previous mid-range rod series.

We tested the 6-weight 9-foot rod and matching Clearwater LA II Reel on the Yakima River, thrown big weighted nymphs, streamers and dry flies. The rod handle all exceeding well. The rod had enough spine to power those big wet flies out into wind, but there was also enough delicacy in the rod to easily turn over the small dries.

Beginners will appreciate the forgiveness the medium-fast action as it accommodates less-than-perfect casts just fine. Experts, though, like that same action because of its precision when perfectly laying out line, and they love its mid-flex when working nymphs deep.

The Clearwater Reel LA II proved stout and weighted perfectly to balance the rod/reel combo when in hand.  The high quality rod, reel, backing and fly line packaged together carries a price of $295.  www.orvis.com

It’s also worth noting that that price includes Orvis’ legendary customer service. The company excels at taking care of its customers – just give them a call if there is any problem or concern with an Orvis-brand product. And for Western Washington anglers, that customer service is even greater thanks to the outstanding staff at the local Bellevue, Washington, shop. www.orvis.com/seattle

Manufacturers of quality fly fishing gear have recognized the need to offer high quality gear at affordable prices, even as they refine and improve their high-end offerings.

We’ll be looking at a range of this new gear in the coming weeks and we start with one of the two new rod and reel combo kits that greatly impressed our test team.

Seattle-based Redington offers a new rod design in their Voyant 690-4 Combo kit. This modestly fast-action rod and stout reel combo represents a great example of a “jack of all trades, master of none” type rig. The 6-weight, 9-foot rod provides a smoother, faster action than most entry-level rods, yet has enough flex and forgiveness to accommodate novice casters.

Testers found they could efficiently throw big weighted flies into the briny beach waters of Puget Sound in pursuit of sea run cutthroat trout, but also drop delicate dry flies into the tumbling waters of the Yakima River to tease out finicky rainbows. The combo pack into a Redington Surge reel preloaded with Rio MainStream weight-forward floating line. Several of the more experienced anglers on the test team said they’d happily use this rod/reel combo themselves, especially when nymph fishing in moving waters. A ‘beginner’s’ rod and reel that expert casters enjoy using? Yes, indeed!

The high quality rod, reel, backing and fly line packaged together carries a price of $299. That’s a deal that hard to beat. www.redington.com

NEXT UP: Orvis’s new Clearwater Combo….

Keeping a knife sharp and ready to use take a little time and effort, but it’s a pretty easy task to take on.  First, though, forget those “instant edge” kitchen gadgets. Using those dry abrasive stones on a quality knife blade is like shaving with sand paper – it may get the job done, but the collateral damage is significant.

Buck Knive’s EdgeTek Dual Flat Pocket Stone offers an outstanding alternative to those blade-wasting fast-and-easy grind stones and gimmicky tools. The Slim ‘stone’ is actually a slim slab featuring a fine 750-grit diamond-coating on one side, and a course 325-grit diamond coating on the other.  The 4-inch long stone proved big enough for use with 10-inch fillet knives, but small enough to fit into a jacket pocket so it’s available anytime you need it. The two diamond stones allow you to remove small dings and pits on the blade and to hone the edge to near perfection.

By working through a series of stones, the blade can be honed to a fine, perfect edge, resulting in a razor-sharp tool. This type of sharpening also creates an edge that holds longer.

The two-sided EdgeTek Stone is listed for $20, but most retailers seem to be offering it for around $12! For more information, visit www.buckknives.com

With that in mind, the ideal backpacking bag proves light and compact in your backpack, but roomy and warm in camp.  These traits aren’t so easy to merge, but during testing in the Hoh rainforest, along the foothills of the Cascades, and out amongst the sagebrush in Washington’s coulee country, we found new bags from one company that proved it could be done.

The REI Igneo (men’s) and Joule (women’s) offer a winning combination of weight and warmth. The Igneo weighs a mere 1 pound, 15 ounces and compressed down the size of a head of lettuce. A water-resistant shell keeps moisture out of the bag, which is important since wet down doesn’t work to keep you warm. These bags – true 3-season bags – utilize 800-fill down as insulation in a unique system dubbed “in the round” that keeps 60-percent of the fill on the top half of the bag where you need it most.

The women’s Joule actually weights a couple ounces more than the men’s bag, simply because REI used more down (18.1 ounces versus 14.7 ounces) in the women’s bag to achieve a true EN-certified rating of 21ºF for women. The EN standardized rating system acknowledges the difference in insulation (warmth) needs between males and females, and REI’s bags adhere to those standards. The men’s Igneo has an EN rating of 19ºF for men.

I found the cut of the bag comfortably snug around my 48-inch chest, but not constrictive. Our female testers claimed it was perfectly comfortable and toasty warm even when they woke up to a fresh foot of snow outside their tents.

After many long nights of blissful slumber, the only negative we could attach to these bags was the cost. As with most gear, the less it weighs, the more you pay. The Igneo, in regular length, carries a seemingly hefty price of $329, but if you spend long days on the trail, and want to have comfortably nights in camp, it’s worth the investment. That price is well below the price of many other 800-fill down bags that can’t compete with the Joule/Igneo on warmth. As far as we are concerned, the price proves a worthy investment in sound sleep in camp. Visit www.rei.com.