You should be familiar enough with your stove before a trip that you can operate it safely when tire, in a storm, and in the dark. Always use these guidelines for safe stove use.

How can you tell if water is safe? You can’t. You can only estimate how clean it might be. Water that smells or looks stagnant or mucky is probably not good to drink. But even water that is clear and fresh can contain Giardia or other organisms that can make you sick.

If you commonly get blisters, you can tape those places in advance to reduce the chance of blisters occurring. In the long run through, you probably need better fitting footwear.

The following is an example of what I usually eat on backpacking trips, long and short, summer and winter. I’m not proclaiming this is an ideal diet, but the food is lightweight and easy to prepare.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwhack - Bushwhacking: a North American term for hikers and cross-country skiers who make their own trails. I don’t agree with “creating new trails” by Wikipedia. Generally when I use the term bushwhacking is when I’m navigating a difficult terrain.