Global Warming Made The Dinosaurs!

This is an old story from way back in 2010 but I found the link through a new story on the BBC news site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8580444.stm

In this article scientists reported that there may be a link between apparent sudden global temperature rises caused by volcanic activity and the dinosaurs rise to become the most successful group of land animals the Earth has ever seen. Apparently this was caused by 'global warming', which killed off the large primitive reptiles which dominated before hand allowing the dinosaurs a window of opportunity.

So the BBC, usually the flag carrier of state propaganda posts information which flies in the face of global warming fears. Surely if cosmological or geological influences can adjust temperatures and carbon dioxide levels in the age of the dinosaurs, it can still happen today? Right?

Temperature variations happen, continue to happen, and until this planet is either vaporized or turned into a ball of ice and thrown off into outer-space, will always happen.

There is this strange idea that has somehow got into the minds of everyone in society, including scientists on the payroll of Government agencies, that the planet must stay the same. Historical evidence flies in the face of such ridiculous assertions.

Look back at periods of British weather. The Neolithic period was warm and wet, one of the main reasons that farming techniques were able to be brought into Northern Europe.
Then there was the 'Warm Medieval Period'. This period was warm enough in England to grow vineyards for the Roman occupation. In fact it was this warm period which enabled large viking settlements on Greenland and the finding of Vinland (or Canada as we now call it) by so called uncivilized Danish brutes. Of course this doesn't mean that the weather stayed nice enough for them to stay there.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/11/101123-native-american-indian-vikings-iceland-genetic-dna-science-europe/

http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/

Vikings travelled to America and Greenland in Longboats.

Ironically today we have the worlds media doing the rounds about 'extreme cold weather fronts' whatever that means. Of course the idea is to try and trick those of us with short memories into believing we are all going to die relatively soon of some kind of climatic disaster. In some roundabout way, 'climate change' can either be attributed to any kind of weather, be it hot or cold. This latest cold snap in the UK however is nothing compared to the arctic winter felt almost two hundred years ago in 1814 when the Thames froze over and there were entire carnivals pretty much held on the ice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames_frost_fairs


Of course there may be a negative side to all this. I mean, if global warming really did create dinosaurs (like global warming to reptiles is like that radioactive spider to Peter Parker) we could theoretically be creating Godzilla right now.

Sevylor Canyon Review

So for many months I had considered buying myself a cheap Sevylor inflatable to prat around on and I finally went balls-deep and got a Canyon from 'Go Outdoors' as it was going for the same price as the Tahiti (which at least looks like a less quality product.) The Canyon however has had many bad reviews in the past owing to poor manufacturing with many customers reporting that the seams leaked and let in quite a substantial amount of water into the craft. This is however in contrast with a lot of comments made saying that many people have had no problems whatsoever. Regardless, I can't help but feel that this was the reason for this particular model going for practically half price, but I decided I'd take a gamble and if not I'd take it back if it really wasn't any good and get the cheaper (and long-lasting) Tahiti.

(Image taken from www.tridentuk.com)

As someone who hasn't been on a kayak since a primary school trip, I would hasten to add that I'm probably not the best person to be conducting a review, but if like me you are a complete noob then you may benefit from hearing from my experiences (and better still learn from them.)


After buying the boat and getting the accessories I was rather keen to try it out on the water so off I went to test it at the lake in Hatfield Forest. 

The first thing I would say about the canyon as you take it out of the boot and carry it a fair distance for the first time is that it is actually rather heavy considering it is more or less a pool toy with a nylon cover. 

Next thing to consider is the pressure valve which you get free with the boat. I've seen other Sevylor models that feature a really clever inbuilt gauge with a simple Min-Max window, but the one supplied with the Canyon is like an old school clock gauge. Simply put, I couldn't work out how to get it to read the pressure properly so I did the best I could at guesstimating the right kind of pressure. Not the best start, oh but it gets worse and hilarity ensued! 

With it pumped up I lowered myself into the craft smiling like a loon and got those paddles into the water. The first thing you notice with the standard Sevylor paddles is that they are very short and this ends up problematic (particularily in December when the waters cold and you are wearing a pair of desert-combat trousers) because your legs and lap get soaking wet. I had read this in other reviews from different inflatables from Sevylor but I thought those people who were complaining were just a load of whinging tarts. Guess I'm now one of them. 

I did notice that it does sway with each stroke of the paddle quite a lot, whether this was because I was sitting far back against the back of the boat I'm unsure, but my journey unfortunately never afforded me much time to play about with different seating positions. I would assume that with a bit of weight in the front (perhaps a few backpacks or something) it would track and hold its heading a little better.

So, ignoring my legs getting a little wet I pressed on with the maiden voyage, pushing out into the middle of the lake where it all suddenly became a little...choppy.With a momentary lapse in concentration to fiddle with my digital camera to try and get some video footage for this review I suddenly realised that the wind was substantial enough to push me way back into some reeds from whence I could never hope to escape. I became aware that my paddles were now being used as barge poles against very shallow water and I was trying to prevent a puncture from the remnants of dead trees around me. To make matters worse I also had a National Trust person shouting at me from the other side of the lake to stop. (To be fair I didn't actually think it would have been a big deal as they allow rowing boats on the lake during the summer.)

Realising that there was no hope of returning to the spot where I started I had to face the fact that I was going to have to get wet feet and pull the boat in to land from across the reeds. This meant getting wet and freezing cold feet but I could deal with that. 

Next issue was deflating in a rush trying desperately to get all the air out so that I could pack up and leg it before these park ranger could show their faces. I obviously did something very wrong because for the life of me I could not get the last bits of air out of the chambers and certainly could not fit it back inside the now minute looking bag which it comes in. Someone really needs to invent a compression sack for these things.

Next thing I know, the park ranger turns up to tell me that having your own boats on the lake was prohibited and that it is a danger to wildlife. Well, as much as I love wildlife the simple fact is that that reason is bullshit.
 Throughout the summer they have rowing boats (which you pay an external company to use) on the lake and they allow fishing throughout the year which is a big risk to many animals if any fishermen leave their fishing line or lead shots laying around. When I asked about the rowing boats I was told they were 'licenced', which means that they only allow it if the National Trust can make a buck out of it.  Not like I have been a paying member of the National Trust for years or anything. Not that I'm bitter or anything. In any case after refusing to give my name to the guy I was left alone to carry on my grueling half-mile walk back to the car.

Its really difficult to walk in sodden skateboarding trainers on slippery mud whilst dragging a heavy inflatable boat. Yes as bad as it sounds, I dragged that boat back a long way across grass, mud and even woodland floor and miraculously there is no puncture. If nothing else I'm really impressed with the durability of these boats, I was really expecting to have to do a repair after dragging it across twigs and thorns (cringing the whole way) but having got home with it and pumped it back up it has seemed to have survived well.

So, final conclusion.

Cons

• Shit paddles, stay away from the crappy official Sevylor ones and try and source some longer ones from somewhere.
• Shit in any wind. There is a reason all those Sevylor product's photos are taken in pristine lagoons. Unless you are two up and have the stamina to fight the wind all day then wait for a lazy summers day. I just consider myself lucky that I didn't try this out in the sea first of all like I was going to originally! In all fairness I should have foreseen the limitations and realised the wind was too much for an inflatable.
• Despite being an inflatable it's actually quite heavy. Not extremely heavy but I did have the intention of packing this into a Bergan to take this on the train with the rest of my gear on top but sadly this doesn't look very realistic.
• Sadly the pressure gauge on this model lets it down from the other products which feature the simple and easy to read internal windows which are held on the bladders. If you are thinking of buying one of these then I would look at getting a pump which has a pressure gauge inbuilt into it, it will save you a lot of hassle in the long run. I would say that the deflation on these is a bastard but this is more than likely my fault for trying to rush around.

Pros

• Despite the wind it did seem very stable, at one point I was leaning right over to pull myself into land and I was quite surprised it didn't tip.
• Durable exterior nylon which is like kevlar armor. Surviving being pulled over twigs and thorns in a small woodland has really surprised me.

• Even with the added price of the paddles and pump I still think its good value for money. I won't make the same mistakes I've made and I intend to get out on the water in some nice gentle rivers and canals once the weather warms up. I suspect I will get my moneys worth out of this, and besides, this is simply a stepping stone towards buying a proper canoe in the future. In short, this is good to 'wet' your appetite.

Obligatory Bug-Out Kit Post

Just a quick post explaining my 'bug-out' bag. Its never been completely tested, so the hope is that the coming days will test my equipment to see what is used, whats needed and what is utterly rubbish and needs replacing. The aim is for myself and my friend to travel and camp in the Welsh mountains - so its quite a tough challenge for some of the Tesco rubbish I've got.

 

Here I've got a Starlight IV sleeping bag, rated for use down to -18 degrees. Having never used it to sleep in it will be interesting to see how it fares. Other sleeping accessories include a DD basic hammock (only to be used in the summer), a british woodland camo tarp and a basic green bivvi bag.

 

 
This equipment is all different bits and pieces brought together over the years. There is a military style 'hexi-burner', two mess-tins, a wind-up torch, a backup keyring torch, a decent (but apparently broken) LED Lenser. Fishing line, fishing hooks, spare batteries, a knife sharpener, a Gerber folding knife, water treatment tablets, permanent marker, lighers (multiple), superglue, a wildfood book and finally a brush (for rubbing crap off of boots with.)

 

So here is all my equipment packed away. The bag I use is a Mil-Tec 50l day pack. I chose this pattern of camo because although its not a fantasic match for British countryside - it does blend in wherever you are. I've worn British camo with british camo equipment before and got nothing but attention so my hope was that this pattern was more 'civvy' acceptable. I also bring a camo net to hide my gear if I need to put it down next to a tree whilst I go into town for whatever reason, scrim scarf, helikon gloves and sunglasses which double up as ballistic eye protection. Underneath the camo net is a shoulder bag I use to pack food and drink into, and below that is a map case with a couple of half decent compasses. Attached to the back of the pack I've got a half decent waterbottle and two elastic baggage straps which will be used to fix up the tarp around trees/posts etc.

 

One thing I should mention, I used to play airsoft hence why some of it looks a bit overkill. I've also other survival bits and pieces which I can't bring along for legal reasons. Id love to be able to take my airrifle wild camping but thats what happens in a police state. I've also packed waterproofs - anyone in the UK will know why it is wise to pack these first before anything else!

 

As a side note, I usually wear subdued colours these days anyway because I got fed up with the shops selling suspect metrosexual items - but since I moved to the countryside the only clothes I've brought have been hunting jackets and camo gear. Of course, out in the country I get away with it, but I question how safe Id be wearing it out. Im also getting into hunting so with this in mind I've recently purchased (not received yet) some Danish camoflage clothing which looks remarkable camouflage for the general UK/Nothern European countryside.

 

 

 

Thats pretty much it. I guess it would be apt to load up review of equipment afterwards!