Hiking: Should You Bring a Light Backpack or a Heavy Backpack?

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

When someone is going for a hike, they inevitably run into a decision to make: should they pack heavy and be sure they have plenty of supplies, or should they strip down to the minimum and carry a lighter load? It doesn’t take much thought to imagine that the heavier your bag is, the more supplies you’ll want to keep (such as food and water to remain hydrated and fueled). Is either strategy better than the other one? Let’s take a closer look.

Bringing a heavier bag will sometimes be necessary. If you’re going on a long hike, there are certain supplies you’ll need that you wouldn’t carry on a short hike. If you’re going on a weekend backpacking trip through the hills, you’ll want to carry supplies for camping at night, as well. If you’re just going for a quick jaunt up the hiking trail, you’ll only need a first aid kit, and some food and water.

General wisdom amongst minimalists who like light backpacks suggests that the lighter your load is, the less you’ll need to carry. To consider the alternative of wearing a heavy backpack, we’ll have to consider the benefits that adding extra supplies might carry with it.

Ultimately, the things you bring in your backpack should either be necessary for your survival - first-aid, food, water, etc. - or should make your life easier in some way. This brings us to the idea of technology.

Some gadgets, such as GPS navigation devices, can really make your life easier. However, they aren’t always totally necessary. The decision ultimately comes down to enjoying the convenience of a heavier load against depending on yourself with a smaller amount of supplies.

It’s recommended that you bring everything you need to keep safe, and work to keep it as simple and light as possible. For example, a GPS watch is easy to carry. Make a list of all of the things you’ll want to bring hiking, and then narrow it down to the bare necessities, or the excellent conveniences that don’t add too much weight to your load.

Ultimately, experience and skill will help determine how little you’ll be able to carry. Even if you want a very light load to carry, try going on a brief hike to see what kind of supplies are and aren’t necessary. Good hiking starts with you.

Photo Credits: rebonnett

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Taking a stroll in the woods can be a healthy and refreshing activity, but without proper preparations, it can easily turn into a tragedy. Every year, there are hundreds of fatal hiking accidents and many more involving serious injuries. Here are some easy yet important tips to take note of before you go for your next hiking trip.

There is a list of items that you must bring along with you on any hiking trip. You should have a map of the trail which you wish to take, a good compass, at least two litters of water, a change of clothes, first aid kit, compass, some snacks, food rations, and a satellite GPS unit. Make sure that your cell phone is fully charged before you leave. These items are extremely crucial, especially if you are going on a hike in forested areas.

You must also be properly attired before you leave for the trip. Wear plenty of warm clothing and a pair of sturdy shoes with good grip. Wearing a good pair of hiking shoes or boots will help prevent injuries caused by slips and falls.

Research the route of the hiking trail. Always find out where the trail leads to and how long the journey will take. If the track takes anything more than 5 hours, you should inform the park authorities. In case you get loss, the authorities would at least have a gauge of where to find you.

Generally it is never a good idea to go hiking alone. In the natural environment, there are always many treats of injury, whether it is by accident or animal attacks. Going hiking in groups will ensure that the victim will be protected and cared for in the event of any such misadventures

On any hiking trips, besides having a good time and enjoying your solitude with Mother Nature, you must always be mindful to prevent getting lost. When you get lost, you expose yourself to the dangers of being attack by wild animals, hypothermia, starvation, and sometimes even death. It is best to stick to well worn hiking trails. If you plan to go off the trail, make sure to mark your GPS system and your map.

Even if you are following a worn hiking trail, there still a chance that you may get lost due multiple split turns on the trail. Here, having a pencil and paper with you would be invaluable. Every time you reach a crossroad, mark the direction that you take on the piece of paper. This way, you will be able to find your way back after the hike.

If you ever get loss, this is when your compass comes into play. Remember, a compass is only useful if you know how to use it. Learn how to use your compass, and which directions that you would need to follow if you get lost before you start your hiking trip.

Photo Credit: Tricky

How to Fix a Side Stitch While Hiking

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

People aren’t exactly sure what causes the side stitch, but there’s no doubt that it results from physical activity. When you’re out hiking and taking on a tough hill, the last thing you want is a side stitch hampering your ability to exercise. But if you want to be rid of it, you’ll have to address it. In this article, you’ll find some quick tips and techniques that can help you slow down your side stitch when you’re out on the hiking trail.

Work on your breathing. Since the shorter breathing of exercise can often bring about a side stitch, try to work on breathing in deeply. It might be a little painful at first, but eventually you should notice that it relaxes the stitch and you’ll have greater mobility after a little while. Try to keep your breathing fairly consistent in order to keep the side stitch away as you continue hiking.

Prevention. When you’re in good shape, you’ll notice that it’s hard to get a side stitch – this is because your body has adapted to the exercise and generally finds it easier, which means less shallow breathing as you work out. When you’re out of shape and you go hiking, your breathing is more likely to be short, which can help cause a side stitch. In order to prevent a side stitch, you’ll have to get through this “beginner’s” period and simply improve your basic core strength and cardiovascular capabilities.

Stop and take a break. You’re under no obligation to keep going through a side stitch – if you want to complete your hike, go ahead and complete it after you’ve had a restful break and feel a second wind coming on. You don’t have to power through every problem you have. The adage “no pain, no gain” doesn’t always apply – it’s just a general rule that means you’ll have to encounter resistance if you want to grow your physical strength and fitness.

Photo Credits: justicho

Should You Bring a Walking Stick on your Hike?

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

We all have the images of walking sticks from classic movies: one movie that comes to mind is Charlton Heston in “The Ten Commandments,” in which during the iconic parting of the Red Sea, he holds his shepherd’s staff high over the water and the seas part. Because of these images, we often have a cultural reinforcement of the walking staff as something for old men, or even for corny hikers who have too much money to blow on hiking products.

But is that the right attitude to take?

If you’re someone who’s looking to become a serious hiker, you might not realize that the walking stick, though utilitarian and not necessarily pretty, can actually bring you a lot of support and comfort when you’re out there on the hiking trail. Let’s take a look at some possible reasons you might carry one.

Support –

First, the most obvious reason to carry a walking stick is for the extra support it might grant you. To some, having a walking stick is like having a third leg – it gives an extra boost and grounding that you wouldn’t have if you let your arms wave around freely – and you can still use on arm for balance and for grabbing onto things if need be. This is why walking sticks or canes are typically associated with the older crowd – they enjoy and sometimes need the extra support. But you don’t have to need a walking stick in order to try one out.

For looks –

Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just cool to have a need for a walking stick. While some of us might indulge our nerd fantasies on the hiking trail (think Gandalf from “Lord of the Rings,”) it feels good to carry something we don’t necessarily need, but we know looks interesting. This might be referred to as “novelty,” but you only need to try out a walking stick a few times to know if this novelty will last.

As you ascend the hills with a staff in your hand, you might just feel like Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandments. For some people, just “feeling good” is one more reason to get out of the house and onto the hiking trail, and this has tangible benefits.

For fun –

A walking stick isn’t always necessary on a hike – though it does bring the added support mentioned above – but it can be fun. You can tease people with it, tap their opposite shoulders, and even scare off some woodland critters without putting your arms out there. Mainly, having a walking stick is about fun, which gets to the heart of what hiking is all about in the first place.

Is it a little goofy? Sure. Might you enjoy it? Why not? Try out a walking stick to see how it feels.

Photo Credits: schmich

Three Steps for Packing Your Backpack

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Unbeknownst to casual or first-time hikers, the weight and quality of your backpack – not to mention what it contains – can be one of the most important predictors as to whether or not you’ll have a good time hiking. Why is this? Because backpacks that are too heavy or drag on the shoulders will wear you down, making you expend more energy than you need to and ultimately making it an uncomfortable experience. Here are three steps for packing your backpack in a way that won’t slow you down.

#1. First, make sure you have a decent backpack.

For the hiker, the backpack is the best “expense” to take an opportunity to really splurge on something of high quality. Backpacks with steel frames that rest on your back, distributing the weight of their contents can be highly helpful, and it might feel like you’ve got some extra support from somewhere as you carry it. A simply school backpack that only drags on your shoulders, pulling them tight and hurting them, simply won’t do here. If you’re going to overspend at any point here, spend more money on quality on a backpack.

#2. Plan in advance.

Planning in advance to fill your backpack with the essentials will help you make sure you cover your bases. Do a mental walkthrough of your planned hike and ask yourself what you feel like you’ll need. A cell phone or not? How much water? Some emergency food, or a meal? Depending on the length and quality of your hike, these answers will be different for everyone.

Planning in advance will also help you to pack more tightly, as you’ll be able to fit items better if you plan them out rather than simply “stuffing them in.” Stuffing them in will lead to an uneven weight distribution and will drag you down while you’re out on the hiking trail.

#3. Review and remove.

The key is to pack as light as you can, while not sacrificing any of the materials you know you’ll need. Water is kind of heavy, so that might be a necessary evil for you (unless you carry your own water filters). Do you want navigating electronics, or can you do without the technology? Review what you’ve got, try out your backpack and see how heavy it is. Try not to imagine how heavy it is now, but how heavy it will be after an hour of hiking. What can you afford to lose? These are important questions to consider – the key is to do most of the preparation and thinking before you take your hike so that later you don’t have to.

Photo Credits: richardmasoner

How to Treat Frostbite

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

If you’re a natural outdoorsman who enjoys the hiking trail even when it’s littered with snow, you’ve probably encounter some pretty cold conditions before. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve had a real case of frostbite, even if you have exposed yourself to the possibility. Frostbite is a real and serious injury that should be treated as such, which is why you’ll want to hear about how to treat it.

Get inside or to an emergency room ASAP.

Needless to say, you’ll want to get out of the cold as soon as possible. Being in an environment where all of the air around you is temperature-controlled will help stop the frostbite from advancing. Even so, if the frostbite is serious, you’ll want to bring the victim in to the emergency room to be treated. Getting indoors is merely a treatment for being cold – someone with frostbite needs medical attention.

Use warm – not hot – water to help.

Immersing the affected extremities in warm water will help, but make sure that the feet or hands can stay warm after they’ve been thawed out. For example, warm water will lose its temperature quickly in a freezing environment outdoors. It’s also not a good idea to begin thawing someone’s affected parts if they’ll simply freeze over again, as this can cause tissue damage.

If you don’t have access to water, find something dry and insulating that can trap as much heat around the victim’s extremities as possible, such as a dry blanket. Be careful and gentle.

Don’t let the victim control the temperature.

Frostbite’s numbing effect means that the victim won’t feel warmth like they normally would, so don’t let them control the temperature. They might put their feet in scalding hot water simply to feel something when it could produce burns. Let someone with a warm body measure the temperature with their touch; as mentioned, the temperature of water should be warm and not hot.

Pain can be a sign that feeling is returning.

If the victim is being warmed and gradually feels more pain, that might be a sign that the feeling is returning. Don’t necessarily take it to mean that more heat is needed.

Overall, the best way to avoid frostbite is by preventing it. This means keeping tabs on your fingers and toes, not venturing too far from a source of shelter and heat, and keeping good circulation in your fingers and toes.

Photo Credits: winkyintheuk

What is the Purpose of Hiking Poles?

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

You might have heard of skiing poles and understand their purpose – after all, if you’ve ever been on a pair of skis, you know that you can’t just “shake” your way downhill if you’re still on a flat surface. Sometimes you need poles for extra leverage, and to give your hands access to the ground in order to gain needed support. If it makes so much sense on a ski hill, why not bring poles to the hiking trail when you’re exercising during the summer?

Hiking poles can be just as useful as ski poles, even if you don’t need them to slide across the ice in the summers. Here are a few of the purposes many people find hiking poles serve:

-Easier traveling.

Believe it or not, hiking poles really can have a tangible difference on your overall experience. This doesn’t just mean the short-term experience or the quality of the hike, but the long-term effects of walking up and down hills for a long period of time. Hiking poles will help support your weight, reducing the stress placed on your legs, knees, and ankles.

-Stabilization.

In addition to carrying the load, hiking poles serve another useful purpose: leverage. Like ski poles, hiking poles will give you more adaptability to adverse weather conditions, such as when it starts to sprinkle, or when the previous winter’s snow is still melting. You can’t always rely on your own two feet when you’re out and about on the trail; there might be mud or other difficult terrain that you don’t want to risk slipping in. A hiking pole or two will give you added leverage, making you feel like you have three or four legs instead of just two.

-Flexibility.

In addition to providing leverage, the hiking poles are an instrument that prepares for the worse. What if you’re coming up on a stream in which there are slippery rocks? A hiking pole can be dug into the bottom of the stream, giving you something to use as leverage when there’s nothing else around. It also gives you a greater range because of the reduced pressure on your back, as well as an increased ability to trek uphill.

To many, hiking poles are simply ways of taking the hobby too far – but if you’re like me, you see the value in “going to far” for the sake of a healthy, long-term hobby.

Photo Credits: Rick McCharles

The Top Five Hiking Trails Reviewed

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

Hikers of the world, unite!  Don’t just unite, find the best place to do unite, then hike it.  We live in an amazing world that’s brimming with ideal hiking spots and camping spots, but there are a number of hiking spots that attract people from all over.

If you plan on taking a vacation to some of the best hiking spots in the United States, you might want to consult this list first.  Finding the best hiking spots isn’t just about knowing where the most people go – it’s about choosing an experience that is best suited for you and your family.  With that in mind, here are the top five hiking spots in America:

5.  The Tahoe Rim Trail – Nevada and California

Lake Tahoe has long been a top destination for wilderness lovers, but how many people are aware of the Tahoe Rim Trail?  Well, now you are.  This versatile trail blazes its way through two states, a state park, three national forests, and six counties.  Thanks to trails like the Tahoe Rim, there’s always enough adventure out there for the both of us.

4.  Avenue of the Giants – California

It’s scary-sounding, but actually quite serene and beautiful:  the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California takes you through giant Redwood trees and near the North Coast.  Littered with campgrounds, nearby towns and villages, restaraunts and other attractions, this also represents an ideal vacation spot that just happens to include some breathtaking hiking trails.

3.  Yellowstone – Wyoming

One of the world’s most famous parks is also home to some of the world’s best trails, a true reserve of wildlife that sees the Earth kept in almost perfect, serene order.  It’s also a versatile destination, with attractions that range from geysers to rolling hills and steep, challenging hiking trails.

2.  Glacier Gorge (Estes Park) – Colorado

You’ll think you’ve stepped of the hiking trail and into a travel magazine when you check out glacier gorge, a destination in Colorado that includes scenery like waterfalls and wild flowers.  You’ll also want to be sure to bring your camera for this trip:  there will be too many opportunities for beautiful pictures to pass up.

1.  The Bright Angel Trail (Grand Canyon) – Arizona

The ancient, astounding wonders Grand Canyon also just so happen to make for great hiking trails, and perhaps none are better than the Bright Angel Trail.  The Bright Angel Trail is located on the south rim of the canyon and descends 4,380 feet into the canyon itself, providing breathtaking scenery along the way.

With any trail on the Grand Canyon, however, you can’t go wrong:  Bright Angel Point Trail is located on the north rim, the River Trail, and the Plateau Point Trail are just some of the trails exploring the Grand Canyon.

Photo Credit: Globe Travelers