The horse has quickly become a fixture in civilizations throughout history. Regarding Mongolian history, the bow and arrow, and the practice of archery, has become a similar symbol. Archery has been around in Mongolia since the earliest dated history in that region. It can also be traced back thousands of years in many regions, where it played a large part in the rise and fall of empires. Mongolian Archery of the Past

Year in Gear ‘06
This gear program is a wrap-up of Backpack Gear Tests’s reviews of 2006. Steve asked the volunteer editors and moderators from Backpack Gear Test to pick their favorites; three replied: Ray Estrella1, Rick Allnutt2, and Jim Sabiston3. Out of more than a thousand reviews published on BGT this year, they recommended these: Nunatak Skaha Plus Down Sweater1 Nunatak Back Country Blanket1 Kershaw Rainbow Leek Knife2 SureFire L1 LumaMax Flashlight3 Trail Designs Caldera Cone Stove System2 Suunto Vector Wristop Computer Watch3 Six Moon Designs Essence Pack2 Exped Wall Creeper Sleeping Bag3 Backpack Gear Test has more gear to review than reviewers. You can start out by reviewing gear you already own, and then you might be able to get other free gear to review. Read: How to become a tester. Show number 71 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,394,512 bytes] Show number 71 script

Fighting Animal Terror
This skills program looks at how to handle potentially dangerous animals in the wilderness. How afraid of them do you really need to be? Is this something that should prevent you from getting into the wilderness? Steve interviews Dave Smith, a former backcountry caretaker at Yellowstone National Park, and the author of two books, Don’t Get Eaten, The Dangers of Animals that Charge or Attack, and Backcountry Bear Basics, the Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters. Dave talks about ways to handle bear, cougar, and large herd-animal encounters. Two great sources of information about bears are the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group, and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Also, check out our earlier edition titled Keeping Bears Hungry. Show number 80 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,399,454 bytes] Show number 80, extended version [MP3 format; length 15:53; 7,627,402 bytes] Show number 80 script

Wilderness Deals for Wheels
This wild places program investigates the relationship of the popular sport of mountain bicycling to wilderness preservation. What do these groups want when they lobby for the protection of wild places? Steve tells the story with the help of: Roger Abeh, a park ranger for the Department of Parks of the City of San Jose, California. John Kramer, the acting Wilderness Manager for the Pacific Southwest Region of the National Forest Service. Ryan Henson, the policy director for the California Wilderness Coalition. Mark Eller, Communications Director for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, also known as IMBA. A recent point of contention between wilderness groups and mountain bicycling groups was over the establishment of the King Range Wilderness. This wilderness was established in October, 2006, as part of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act. The bonus material linked below includes additional interview clips about responsible mountain bike riding in the backcountry. Steve talks to Tom Ward, the California Policy director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association and Ben Lawhon, the education director of the Leave No Trace Center for outdoor Ethics. Show number 66 [MP3 format; length 9:48; 2,354,424 bytes] Show number 66, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 9:48; 9,414,180 bytes] Show number 66 script Bonus interview segment, Tom Ward of IMBA and Ben Lawhon of Leave No Trace [MP3 format; length 9:08; 1,097,689 bytes]

Fast Food for the Backcountry
This skills program is a look at the dehydrated food options for backcountry travelers. What goes into making these things? Are they real food? Are they good food and good for you? Steve talks to three manufacturers of dehydrated meals: Don Gearing, president of TyRy, Inc. They manufacture Alpine Aire, Richmoor, and Natural High brands of dehydrated meals. Melanie Cornutt, assistant manager of retail products for Oregon Freeze Dry. They manufacture the Mountain House brand of dehydrated meals. John Garrett, a co-founder of Enertia Trail Foods. Mary Howley Ryan, the nutritional advisor for NOLS wraps up the story with her take on the value of fast food for backcountry travelers. Other dehydrated food manufacturers include (in alphabetical order): Adventure Foods Backpacker’s Pantry Cache Lake Mary Jane’s Farm Many of these companies use the freeze drying process to preserve their foods. It’s a rather complicated, energy-intensive process requiring expensive equipment. Other manufacturers use a more simple heat and dehumidified-air dehydrating process. Show number 64 [MP3 format; length 9:34; 2,298,381 bytes] Show number 64 script

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