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June 26-July 3, 2008
buzz@boulderweekly.com
• Birding geeks get a guide
by Melissa DeVaughn
• Colorado cyclists get two new charity events
by James Dziezynski
• Upcoming Events
 Camping concerns
Watch for carbon monoxide
danger when camping
by Chuck Myers
Portable camping heaters, lanterns and stoves are convenient while sleeping in the great outdoors. But when used inside a tent, camper or a vehicle, these heating and lighting devices can pose a danger from odorless and colorless carbon monoxide gas.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers the following guidelines to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning when camping:
— Never use portable heaters or lanterns while sleeping in enclosed areas such as tents and campers. The problem can be even more dangerous at high altitudes, where the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is increased.
— Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion. Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. Low blood-oxygen levels can result in loss of consciousness and death.
— See a doctor if you or a member of your family develops cold or flu-like symptoms while camping. Carbon monoxide poisoning can easily be mistaken for a cold or flu.
— Avoid alcohol consumption and drug use, which increase the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.
— Carbon monoxide is especially toxic to mother and child during pregnancy, infants, the elderly, smokers and people with blood or circulatory system problems, such as anemia, or heart disease.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
—MCT
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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 Web Adventure
The Cheap Outdoors
by Sally Dadisman
Online Adventure site of the week: The Cheap Outdoors (thecheapoutdoors.com) With prices for everything going up these days, money is tight. But that doesn’t mean you should cut out trips into the outdoors, or stop yourself from getting that coveted piece of gear. The Cheap Outdoors (thecheapoutdoors.com) is a database of deals on the Web, where you can find great prices on gear and apparel. The site is updated daily, but the deals don’t last for long.
—MCT
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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 Gear Review
Primus EtaPower Easy Fuel Stove
by Isaac Stokes
We’ve all done it — watched for water to boil, outside, in the drizzle, on some crappy camp stove. I once witnessed several near-starved grown men almost come to blows over a backcountry pizza that had been made from scratch (yes, we made the damn dough ala the NOLS cookbook — FYI, don’t bother with those recipes unless you start cooking dinner at 1 p.m.), while waiting for the pie to cook over an anemic stove.
You splash out on all your other backpacking gear but skimp on the stove. Not wise. Go big, go in style, and go well fed. Go for the Primus EtaPower Easy Fuel Stove. For $125, less than you would spend on a cheesy rain shell, you can have the finest Swedish engineered machine that Emeril and Martha would love to sauté and simmer on.
This sleek unit sparks to life instantly with an electric start (no matches, Smokey digs it) and boils a liter of water in an amazing 2.5 minutes thanks to the built in heat exchanger and wind shield.
The unit is super stable — how many times have you enjoyed noodles at camp with a nice pine needle sauce after dumping the whole sha-bang? Doh!
The stove is tremendously fuel efficient thanks to the preheating coil. It’s also lightweight, comes with a frying pan and pot, and, in keeping with the slick design, the storage bag works as a cozy, and the storage cloth as a potholder.
In a recent endorsement, local good guys Big City Mountaineers, a nonprofit outdoor mentoring and guide service for under-resourced inner city youth, have selected Primus as their sole stove source. For more info visit www.nagear.com.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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