Good for you! It took me forever to work up the nerve to try this but once I did, I wondered what all the fuss was about. It's pretty easy to do and pretty easy to return to factory settings if you want.
The optics market dictates the specifications for .22 scopes as far as size and quality...
Two tips to share.
Filter the broth through paper towels when it's still warm/hot. This clarifies it nicely and can get out a lot of fat if you still have any.
Reduce the broth by at least half it's volume. After you concentrate the flavor by reducing the volume it's like a whole different...
When my kids were small it never occurred to me to look for something I could attach to my Kifaru frame. I put more than a few miles on a series of Deuter kid haulers, They worked quite well. Craigslist is your friend.
Check out Echo Lake Park. There's camping, hiking, fishing. Use it for your back up plan because it's not exactly a wilderness experience, but you should be able to make it happen.
I use cotton pillow sacks and they get way more use for squirrels than big game. Pretty much the same as far as blood stains go. Just throw them in the washer on sanitary cycle and use them again.
You will learn the material they teach with either irons or a scope. But if you go with iron sights, you should should really get a good set of aftermarket sights, post in the front and a good peep in the back. I'd recommend using a scope, mostly because you probably already have one. Purchase...
I live at 300' elevation and I'm prone to altitude sickness. I get mild headaches, mild shortness of breath, and it saps my motivation. Every other year I hunt elk at 10,000'. The absolute best thing you can do is build your aerobic capacity. Second is acclimatization, hydration, ibuprofen, and...
Colorado has always sent my preference point money back in a check.
If you have the money to pay it off, there's no good reason to pay interest on the card.
What would be the problem with a positive balance on your card? Just use it up.
Ha! I was camping up there this summer. Sawed up a bunch of red spruce branches for firewood. Those suckers were like rock maple! The growth rings were paper thin.
If it's steep you want, bushwack up the north face. :)
You could park all the way on the east side and do all three ridges of the Fort Valley. That ought to shake down your gear.
Maybe Dolly Sods in West Virginia. It's beautiful country but that's more like a 3-4 hour drive to get there than...
Take a look at Signal Knob trail near Elizabeth Furnace Recreation area. Not too far from Quantico. Hike up to the top then back down to the old Strasburg reservoir to camp. Back up over the ridge and down the next day. There are other combinations you could do in the area to get more...
I had an ID sil poncho come up missing while hunting in Colorado. The next year my brother-in-law found it. It helped him fill a tag. Pretty random. Pretty cool.
It's was an essential piece of gear for me so I'd already bought another and now I have two. :)
Don't assume you found those...
Not sure how you're carrying it but keeping it upright helps.
I carry a couple liters in an MSR dromedary and a nalgene or gatoraide bottle to drink out of. The gatoraide bottles are quieter.
That baffle looks interesting.
Check out the Buck 424. I've been using one for over 20 years. They were out of production for a long time and you could only find them on auction sites, but it looks like Buck is making them again.