Take inventory before making a Christmas list Cleaning up will be beneficial

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You’re thinking about Christmas gifts, aren’t you? I know. Every gear head worth his weight in catalogs has been drooling over something new and high-tech now for at least a month (for some of us it’s all year).

But before you start putting that wish list together, don’t you think it’s time to take inventory? You know, assemble all that “stuff” you’ve been hoarding here and there over the past couple of years? Clean out a space in the back room that you can call your own and start assembling the goods.

It may take a couple of days or even a weekend, but for the sake of being less greedy over the coming holidays, do it. You’ll probably find you really don’t need to put as much on that list as you thought you did.

When you pick your gear spot, make it easily accessible – someplace you can get at frequently. And it’s better if it’s not some dark corner of the house. The easier it is to reach, the more apt you’ll be to go there frequently and thereby keep your mental inventory fresh (let’s see, was it four stoves … or was it five?)

It’s also a good time to weed out the outmoded, clean up the heavily used and repair those items you just can’t bare to ditch. If the item is safety related, however, think twice about repairing versus replacing. Don’t jury-rig something that you may depend on sometime to save your life. This is not a good place to scrimp!

Paddlers should be particularly careful when going over safety gear such as paddle floats, bilge pumps, life jackets, flares (three years and toss ’em!), air horns, GPS units, strobes, radios and the like. The last thing you want is a failing radio when you’re up to your neck in cold water.

While it makes good sense for paddlers to scrutinize their dry jackets and paddling tops, hikers and campers should take a close look at their boots, rain gear and tents. The backpack may be on its last stitches. Maybe some new threads will cure what ails it, but maybe a new pack or boots are in order. You won’t know until you take a close look, and what better time? Maybe if your old sleeping bag has coughed up its last feather, you can put a new one on your wish list.

It makes good sense, while you have all that gear spread out, to give it a proper cleaning. Drag out the manuals and have a go at spot-cleaning the grunge or giving the whole item a dunking. If you’re not going to use that summer-weight bag for a few months, clean it, dry it and stow it away loosely so it’ll be ready for that outing next May. Take a close look at your sleeping pad. If it’s one that self-inflates, are you sure it holds air? Patch those little leaks now, don’t wait for spring.

Same goes for your stoves (I know you have more than one). If you’ve lost the instruction manual you can usually find one on-line. Jets, fuel lines and fuel bottles may need a good cleaning, o-rings may need replacing, fuel pumps may need oiling so they’ll actually pump pressure into your fuel tank. If there are leaks, get a replacement kit. Do it now.

Cook sets likely need a good soapy cleaning. Ditto for the utensils and camp kitchen. Sharpen your favorite knives (there’s nothing worse than a dull knife). I know your coolers, soft-sided or otherwise, are always in need of a good cleaning. Who knows, after you remove that layer of crud from the surface, you won’t be needing a new one after all!

Now, too, is a good time to go through that food larder and heave out the mashed candies and outdated energy bars (if they’re hard enough to drive nails, they’re probably not worth saving). How’s that water purifier or filter working? Is it time for a new filter element? I’ll bet it’s time for a good cleaning. Ditto for your water bottles and pack bladders. You can pick up cleaning tablets for this task and have a go at it. Make sure the hoses and inner workings are all dry before you stow it away for the winter, otherwise you’ll have a great mold farm next spring.

After you’ve taken inventory, cleaned up the dirty and patched the salvageable, it’ll be much easier to create a worthwhile list of suggestions for Santa.

Audubon programs on tap

I received a heads up from Andrew Colvin, the communications coordinator at Maine Audubon, the other day asking if I’d be so kind as to let you know about upcoming programs at the Fields Pond Audubon Center , 216 Fields Pond Road, Holden. He listed a veritable smorgasbord of events.

In the adult category, for example, there are art lessons – Drawing from Nature – where you can learn “drawing techniques to capture the essence of the local fauna and flora species with pencil on paper. Bring a regular school pencil, sketch pad, eraser and your enthusiasm for drawing and nature,” Colvin offered.

Classes are Saturdays, Jan. 12, Feb. 9 and March 8. The morning sessions, 11 a.m.-noon, feature a natural object selected by teacher, Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio, while the afternoon session, 1:30-2:30 p.m., features a natural object selected by the student.

The cost is $10 per lesson for Audubon members and $12 for nonmembers.

If writing is more your fancy, try Nature Writing: A Workshop for Writers that will be led by Dr. Kathryn Miles, director of writing at Unity College, and Audubon naturalist Holly Twining, who will lead an environmental writing workshop paired with a nature walk. The workshop will focus on strategies and techniques to free up the writer’s mind and imagination. Participants will be given time to draft a story or essay to share with the group for feedback, Colvin said.

The class is noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, and the cost is $18 for members, $22 for nonmembers. Preregistration is required, call 989-2591 or e-mail htwining@maineaudubon.org

Maybe a hike on snowshoes is more your cup of tea. While you’re at it, why not study “Tracks in the University Forest – A Snowshoe Trek” led by wildlife biologist Barry Burgason, an expert with 30 years of experience of using tracks to identify animals and their habitats on the winter landscape. Participants will get coaching in finding and identifying tracks, and reading the stories they tell at the University Forest in Old Town (directions provided with signup).

This offering is 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 (storm date: Jan. 27) and the cost is $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers. You must preregister and snowshoes are necessary.

Children’s programs, too

Audubon is offering family nature walks on the grounds of the Fields Pond headquarters.

After a good dose of fresh air with leader Holly Twining a creative indoor project will be offered.

These walks are offered Saturdays, Jan. 12, Feb. 16 and March 15 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

For parents the walks are free, $4 for one child, $6 for two children from same family, and $7 for three children same family.

A children’s (ages 4-10) drawing class is offered to introduce little ones to nature drawing by recognizing basic shapes as the building blocks to creating artistic forms found in nature. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate with their child to further enhance creative expression. Bring your favorite art supplies (pencil, colored pencil, crayon, marker) and enjoy discovering more about and the world around us.

The classes are 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Jan. 12, Feb. 9 and March 8 and the cost is $10 for a member, $12 for a nonmember (one adult/one child) and the teacher is Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio.

Call 989-2591 for more information or to register.

Jeff Strout may be reached at jstrout@bangordailynews.net or 990-8202 .