Citrix File Security button greyed out

A couple of times now, we have run into a situation with Citrix where a user will have selected No Access and Never Ask Again the first time they go into Citrix. It looks like there is a bug with some of the native client upgrades that cause the File Security button in the Connection Center to be greyed (this is where you would go once the user is connected to changed there permissions to access their local drives).

The only workaround I have found so far is to delete the C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\ICAClient. Another option is to change the webica.ini file in this folder so that the GlobalSecurityAccess line says GlobalSecurityAccess=405.

WigWam Merino Light Trail Socks

I've had 3 pairs of these socks for the last year and I have to say that I love them! Not only do I wear them out on the trail but I they are so warm and comfy that I wear them most other days as well. They are classified as a light trail sock so they wouldn't be warm enough to wear out in the snow but for spring, summer and fall use they are great.

Even with the regular use that I have been given these I haven't seen any signs of thinning out or holes developing. Odour control is still good even after a years worth of use and washing. There was some minimal shinkage after the first couple of washes but nothing too dramatic. I started out running the socks through the normal cycle on the washer and then leaving them out to dry but after they accidentally got put in the dryer without any harm I just treat them like my other clothes.

Paid $15 at MEC in Victoria, BC.

MEC Tarn 3 tent

This is definitely not a one person tent! Another purchase from my aborted attempt at the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. I'm not sure why I thought that this would be a good attempt for a solo attempt at the JDF.

The tent itself is bullet proof and stands up to a hell of a lot of bad weather without any problems. However, it weights 3.2 Kg (7 lbs) and doesn't pack down to a very manageable size. If there is two of you it is much better as one person can take the tent and fly and the other can take the poles and pegs.

The tent is roomy for two but three would be very cozy. The vestibule is big enough to get two packs into and still have enough room to get in and out comfortably. There is a window in the fly vestibule and a nifty zippered flap that you can poke your head out of to see if the weather has cleared up. There is a footprint available for it (which I have) but I haven't had a chance to use.

Set up of the tent is pretty easy. The tabs for the three poles are color coded so you don't try to put the wrong tab on the wrong pole. The fly is the standard type that stretches over and attaches to the bottoms of the poles.

Currently only using the Tarn if backpacking with other family members. Retired and replaced by a Hennessey Ultra Light A-Sym Hammock.

MEC Ibex 80 Backpack

I purchased this pack in the spring of 2007 to use to attempt the Juad de Fuca Marine Trail. I hadn't done any significant backpacking since I was in my early twenties and figured that I needed something with a large volume and lots of pockets. I almost bought an Arc'teryx Bora pack but figured that I would save the extra money and purchase the Ibex 80 instead.

The pack itself is great but as I now know it is nowhere near being a lightweight pack. The empty weight for the standard length pack is 2.9 Kg (6.4 lbs) which is 3 times the weight of the Granite Gear Vapor Trail that I now have.

Tha pack is very well built and stands up to a lot of abuse. There are pockets everywhere on the thing so you should have no problems finding somewhere to put all of that gear.

The shoulder straps and padding on the back of the pack make it pretty comfortable even when hauling large amounts of gear. I had over 27 Kg (60 lbs) of gear with me for my attempt on the JDF and even though I came off the trail at the half way point it wasn't because the pack was uncomfortable.

If you are looking for an expedition grade pack and don't want to spend a wack of money this is the pack for you.

I still have the Ibex but for now it is retired.

SPOT Satellite Tracker

If you are like me, you have a spouse or partner that doesn't share your love of being out in the great outdoors and gets a little worried when you do go. The very nature of the places that we like to go to means that cell phone coverage is usually pretty spotty if not nonexistant. How cool would it be to have a small, light weight, long battery life device that could send a preconfigured email message to someone at the push of a button? That is what the SPOT Satellite Messenger does.

The device weights 209g (7.3 oz) and is waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes but it does float. The unit costs $169 CDN for the unit plus $100 USD/Year for the subscription. For this you get three functions: Check-in, Help and 911. When you press the Check-in button on the device an email is sent to an email address that you have setup before you left saying that you are OK, tells them your latitude and longitude and contains a link to Google Maps so they can see exactly where you are. The Help button sends a different message to an email address (which can be different than the Check-in email address) but it still contains your location and the Google Maps link. The 911 button sends a message directly to SPOT's emergency service provider who will then send out the closest help for you.

Coverage seems be everywhere in the world except for south Africa and India but I'm sure that will come. There are some extra services that you can subscribe to as well. For $50/year you can have progress monitoring and for $8/year you will be covered for up to $100,000 USD for the cost of your rescue.

There is a more complete review on Gearlog. You can purchase SPOT directly from their website or in BC from London Drugs.

I think I'll be adding this to my wish list.

UPDATE - April 22, 2008
I came across a thread on Backpacking Light that has some SPOT owners saying that OK and Help messages aren't getting through. This could be due to misuse by the owners but it doesn't sound like it. Maybe I'll wait for the version 2 product to come out instead.

UPDATE - May 14, 2008
I ended up buying a SPOT for the West Coast Trail 2008. I'll link to a review later.

The Kludahk Trail

I've know about this trail for 5 or 6 years now but have not hiked. When we lived in Sooke, we knew someone who was a member of the trail society who raved about the cabins. It seems to be a very well kept secret probably due to the number of cabins that the trail society have put in but can only be used by members. My guess is they don't want the cabins getting trashed as they most likely would if the number of people hiking the trail went up.

I've found good directions to get to the trail heads on the Club Tread Victoria website and a thread on the Club Tread BC site. There are some maps here as well which I've included below in case they go missing.

Solar charging mobile devices

I'm starting to look at power options for the various devices that I like to have with me when backpacking. The HTC P4000 uses a mini-USB jack to recharge it and both the Garmin 60CSx GPS and the Canon have this type of jack as well. Unfortunately, neither charges via it. The 60CSx can be powered by the USB jack but it won't recharge the batteries. This is better than nothing as I'm looking at a Solio Classic solar charger. This 156g (5.6oz) fold out unit has three solar cells on it that recharge a built-in but replacable 1600 mAh Lithium Ion battery. The battery can be recharged from the solar cells, from AC or from 12v DC. It comes with a number of different charging tips that allow it to charge or power lots of different devices. The idea is that you can leave it charging the built-in battery with it strapped to the backpack or while in camp and then when needed plug the device into it that needs powering up.

So, with this, the PDA/phone and the GPS would be covered but the Canon SD850IS camera would not. So far I can't see any compact camera from Canon or Sony that can recharge the battery in the camera body; they all have separate AC chargers for their custom batteries. I already have two batteries for the Canon and I get about 120+ pictures from a charge so as long as both batteries were fully charged before the trip they should last for as long as a trip like the John Muir Trail would take (15-21 days).

The Brunton ADC, I'm not sure about yet. I haven't purchased one yet as I'm not convinced of its utility. I have a home weather station already that tries to predice that weather using the barometric pressure trends but it is almost never correct so the only useful features of it I can see would be time (but I've got a TAG watch already), alarm, temperature and wind speed. I'll continue to look for some reviews before making a decision.

Initial thoughts on Ultralight Gear purchases so far

I've now got all of the big stuff off of my Ultralight Gear List. On Saturday I packed it all up except for the food and took it for a 10 KM walk around the Victoria waterfront to see how it carried and how the clothes I'm going to wear felt in the cool spring coastal weather.

The Vapor Trail pack was very comfortable with the 8-9 Kg (17-19 lbs) of gear, water and fuel I had in it. The straps didn't dig in to me at any point and didn't slip or loosen as I walked. The only thing I'm a little concerned about was that all of the gear filled the pack upto the bottom of the sleeve that you roll down to close the pack. Getting 7 days worth of food in shouldn't be a problem but thinking ahead to the John Muir Trail, I've got to get a bear canister in as well. It would probably fit, but it is going to make the pack a lot taller. As it is now, the pack goes from the small of back to the top of my shoulders. I had the OR hat on and the back brim of it was only hitting the top of the pack every now and then. With food and a canister it would probably be hitting it all of the time which could get annoying.

The New Balance shoes were great as well. No pinching or rubbing and they probably don't need any more breaking in. They are a lot more airy than what I am used to wearing which makes my feet feel cooler which I guess is the point!

I also had the Montbell Wind Shirt on over the MEC Microlight Merino shirt and once I got going and warmed up it was fine. It wasn't very windy along Dallas Road but it should be fine in the forest trails of the West Coast Trail and JDF Trail. The bright red color did make me feel a little conspicuous though!

I'm going to take it out again a couple of times a week over the next month or so to get used to it. I will also be going camping on the weekend of April 26 and 27 to give everything a more thorough trial.

Initial thoughts on the KAP Winstar II bow

The Winstar II and all of the bits finally arrived from Lancaster Archery last week. I dropped it off to George for him to set it up and I had my first go with it at the range on Saturday. I also bought 10 used Easton ACC arrows off him for $75. The bow feels good but I will definately need to work on my arm strength as the 30# limbs are causing my arm to shake when I'm archored and trying to aim.

For some reason I was consistantly shooting to the upper left of the target no matter how much I adjusted the sight. I suspect that the sight needed some larger movement than the micro adjustment I was giving it. I moved it out some more when I got home and will be going back out to the range on Wednesday.

The foam in the carry case was not precut so I had to do it myself. I traced the outline of the riser, limbs, horizontal sight bar and sight aperture on the foam using chalk and then cut the foam using a sharp knife. It is a litle bit of a hack job but it will do for now.

I'll post some pictures soon.