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Understanding Five Different Types of Hiking
When it comes to hiking, most people don’t always have the most ambitious plans. They imagine hiking as a tame sport in which you’re simply crossing up a trail on a slow hill, using a hiking stick to keep your balance. But when you really get into the great outdoors and meet other people who are passionate about outdoor sports, you realize that there’s more to the terrain “out there” than you originally thought.
In fact, there are different disciplines of hiking that may appeal to your adventurous side. Here are five different types of hiking that you may not have considered hiking.
1. Mountaineering. Mountaineering is exactly what it sounds like – climbing, scaling, and hiking up mountains. Essentially, “mountaineering” refers to “hiking on mountains,” but the truth is a little more complicated than that. If you enjoy climbing up large hills in your free time and wanted to up the ante, you may consider doing a little mountaineering – just make sure to be cautious and safe and seek some professional advice.
2. Dog hiking. No, this type of hiking doesn’t refer to climbing up a dog. Instead, you simply add your “best friend” to your hiking experience to make it a totally different adventure for the day. Dogs love coming on adventure trips with their owners, especially if you own a retriever.3. Snow hiking. You guessed it – this means hiking in the snow. Some people who live in cold-weather states like Wisconsin or Minnesota realize that it’s not always easy to go hiking, at least for around six months of the year. The cold gets to you. But if you take it easy, snow hiking can be a great way to get out even in the cold.
4. Canyoneering. Like “mountaineering,” this one isn’t too difficult to figure out. If you’ve ever wanted to hike along the Grand Canyon, you may have the personality of a canyoneer. It doesn’t take much experience canyoneering to realize that this can make for some great views.
5. Desert Hiking. Have you ever wanted to have an adventure like they do in the movies? Desert hiking may be up your alley. Of course, this requires a lot of fortitude and plenty of preparation and experience, but the great views and sense of exploration can be worth it.
Photo Credits: Alex E. Proimos
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A Thousand Mile Journey: The History of Hiking
Have you ever relished the primeval nature of hiking, returning to the elements in the woods, the plains, and along rivers, and wondered how many people like you have done the same throughout history? As it turns out, hiking is one of the most fundamental forms of exercise mankind has developed, which has afforded it a long and extensive history – from the stone age to the information age. Here’s a brief history of hiking.
If you want to be technical about it, the history of hiking began around 1.5 million years ago when early man learned how to walk upright. Since early man was also nomadic, this meant that walking and hiking was a part of daily life in the stone age, before the development of agriculture meant that man could settle and begin walking for recreation’s sake.
However, it hasn’t been until modern history that hiking – and especially the most extreme form of hiking, mountaineering – became as popular as it is and saw other milestones really be conquered. More modern technology and the further exploration and charting of mountains helped hikers conquer new heights, one at a time.In 1874, hikers/mountaineers named Grove, Gardiner, Walker, Sottajev, and Knubel scaled the summit of the highest mountain in Europe, Elbrus. Some years later, in 1913, mountaineers reached the top of Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America. Mount McKinley stands at over 20,000 feet in Alaska, making its conditions treacherous even for 20th Century mountaineers.
As technology progressed and these accomplishments encouraged further trekking up mountains, hiking up to even greater heights became possible. In 1953, Mount Everest was conquered. In 1985, it was conquered once again – this time by Dick Bass, the first person to reach the highest peaks in all seven continents.
Nowadays, hiking doesn’t just include mountaineering and adventurous sojourns into the heart of the world’s most extreme environments. Hiking can simply be a brief walk through the woods or an all-day adventure that takes you through peaks and valleys and back again.
Like other sports, what you accomplish from hiking will depend on what you put into it: if you want to be the next person to climb Mount McKinley, it will take tremendous energy and dedication. But the intrinsic rewards of hiking are obvious once you return from that first hike, feeling satisfied from the fresh air.
Do you have what it takes to take the next steps in hiking history? Even though people might have already conquered a peak before you had the chance, you can still conquer it for yourself.
And who knows what’s possible? Perhaps you’ll be the first to take on Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the solar system.
Photo Credits: Matthew_Dutile
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Some Frequently Asked Questions about Mountaineering
For many people, the two terms “hiking” and “mountaineering” are two interchangeable words. In reality, however, they are entirely different things. That’s why many hikers who want to start moving into the world of mountaineering don’t realize that their newfound passion might actually be considered a sport in and of itself. That’s why this article will take some of the most frequently asked questions about mountaineering – and answer them.
Question: What exactly is mountaineering?
Answer: Mountaineering could be considered “hiking for mountains.” While a simple hike might take you up a challenging hill, to scale a mountain is an entirely different endeavor. It takes a lot of discipline, skill, experience, and will power to enable yourself to climb mountains, and the world’s toughest mountains are still exhaustive challenges even for the world’s best mountaineers.
Question: Where should I get started if I want to mountaineer?
Answer: You should probably consult a doctor to get a checkup and to find out about your physical fitness levels and if you have any conditions that would make it difficult you to climb mountains. You’ll also want to try consulting some professional or experienced mountaineers to find out what you can expect.
Question: What kind of training is best suited for mountaineering?
Answer: Stamina is one of the areas to focus on, so an activity that requires a lot of stamina like running or even hiking would be a great prelude to working on a mountain. You’ll also want to focus on breathing, proper stretching of your muscles, and the development of upper-body strength through exercises and resistance training.
Question: Is mountaineering dangerous?
Answer: Like many things, mountaineering can be as dangerous as you make it. You can start out by trying some simple mountain hikes to get a feel for it – paths that are already carved out by plenty of human activity are a good way to introduce yourself to the sport. More advanced challenges shouldn’t be tackled right away. If you do plenty of preparing and make realistic strides, you can minimize your risks.
Question: What kind of equipment will I need?
Answer: Much of your equipment will be similar to what you would bring on an extended hike: a backpack to store your goods, a good pair of boots/shoes, and navigation tools like a compass and/or a GPS. It’s good to bring plenty of provisions of water and food, but keep in mind these can also weigh you down.
Question: What is the greatest challenge in mountaineering?
Answer: You’ll see plenty of different answers to this question, but one possibility is that your mindset and attitude will be the greatest challenge in mountaineering. When you push your body and mind to the limit with a difficult climb, it’s your attitude that will carry you through to the end.
Photo Credits: Dru!
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Three Types of Extreme Hiking
If I ask you to associate a word with “hiking,” what immediately pops to mind? Probably calm words like “serene,” “peaceful,” or “nature.” But the world of exploring nature and crossing different terrain isn’t only about moving quietly up hiking trails in secluded national parks. There are different types of hiking – more extreme levels of hiking – that many of us don’t even think about.
Mountaineering – If you thought climbing up a hill was tough, mountaineering would be like running a marathon. It takes hiking to another level – a vertical level, as it turns out – moving up steeper slopes and more treacherous terrain in order to get a thrill. It’s not always safe, which is why you’ll see more people hiking up the more peaceful terrain than you will mountaineers. For the mountaineers themselves, experience and a good knowledge of safety precautions can help them live a long life even while risking death.
Canyoneering – It’s probably not to difficult to imagine where a “canyoneer” might venture. As opposed to a mountaineer – who travels up – the canyoneer descends, descends, and descends around canyons and crevasses. It’s a dangerous world of steep cliffs and fast rivers. You might see a canyoneer use skills like working with rope, swimming, and rock climbing in order to make his way around a canyon.There are calmer ways of becoming a canyoneer. If you ever find yourself near a spot like the Grand Canyon, you can take more heavily-trafficked hiking trails that are well-mapped out. Just be sure to proceed with caution.
Coasteering – If a canyoneer climbs across canyons, a “Coasteer” works on the coast. If you associate moving up and down a coast with walking on soft white sand, you haven’t seen it all. Coasteering can see a lot of different challenges and outright challenges to basic safety, including rock cliffs and laggoons. The ocean is always a powerful factor that can’t be ignored; tides are powerful and waves can be angry. A coasteer will get pletny of spectacular views, but sometimes it comes with a great risk to their safety.
If you’ve only been a “Hilleer,” scaling small hills in serene forests, this article has probably opened up a whole new world for you. You don’t have to go and risk life and limb in order to have a better time hiking, but you should know that there’s a lot of different terrain to be explored. If you do decide to tackle tougher terrain, make sure to hire a guide and instructor; you can’t simply waltz into it.
Photo Credits: Chewonki Semester School
