Seasonal Hiking

Archive for the ‘Seasonal Hiking’ Category

Preparing for a Hiking Trip

Friday, August 20th, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

Hiking is a great way to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors, get some exercise, and explore new places. Being prepared for a hike is the best way to ensure that it is fun and comfortable for everyone involved.

Preparing for a hiking trip is easy. Make sure you have the following on hand when preparing for a hiking trip:

• Proper attire. Make sure you check the weather before you go for a hike. If it’s an all-day hike, layering is ideal since it is typically cooler in the early morning and evening than in midday. If you’re going to be hiking through water, consider wearing a bathing suit underneath or clothes that dry quickly. Proper hiking shoes are essential, as well as thick socks to prevent blisters.

• Sun protection. This is crucial even if it’s cloudy. Make sure you bring sunscreen with you as well, and reapply often. A high SPF that is waterproof and sweat-proof should be sufficient. A hat is also a good idea, as well as sunglasses.

• Water/food. It’s important to bring plenty of water. Some hikers opt for backpack-type water containers that take up less room than bulky water bottles, or you could just toss a few water bottles in your backpack. Bringing a couple of frozen bottles is a good idea too, as it will melt as the day progresses and ensure you have plenty of cool water to drink. If you’re going to be gone for awhile, a sack lunch or some granola bars, mixed nuts, or trail mix are good options for a quick snack that won’t slow you down on your hike.

• Maps or directions. If you’re hiking in a popular, well-known destination with clearly marked trails, this is not as important. But if you’re roughing it, make sure you have an updated map and a way to get help if necessary.

Being properly prepared will make sure your hike is a fun experience for everyone.

Tags: Clothing, Hiking, Outdoors | Posted in All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking, Sports | No Comments »

Hiking Safety

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

Hiking is one of the most popular sports, and with good reason–fresh air, the beauty of nature, and a fun way to get exercise are just some of the things that draw people to the great outdoors to enjoy a hike.

As with any sport, safety should be your priority. These tips will help ensure you have the safest experience possible while hiking:

• Don’t hike alone. There is too much that could go wrong during a hike to go hiking alone–you could get lost, fall down and sprain an ankle or worse, lose your water and become dehydrated, and so forth. Instead, make sure you hike with at least one other person and make sure someone at home who isn’t going knows where you’ll be and when to expect you back.

• Protect yourself from the sun. Sunblock, hats, and even a lip balm with an SPF are all important for ensuring you don’t get burned while on your hike. Reapply often, even if it is cloudy outside or you are in shaded areas.

• Get a good idea of the area and weather first. Do a little research of the area you will be hiking in before you go. Find out what the terrain is like, whether the trails are paved or marked, whether there is wildlife in the area, and so forth. Knowing what to expect will also help you know what to avoid. Check the weather before you go as well. If a storm is moving in, you may want to postpone your hike.

• Stay away from restricted areas. It may sound like common sense, but each year many hikers are injured because they have gone into areas that are clearly marked as dangerous or restricted. Even if it looks harmless or beautiful, trust that park rangers know best and steer clear from areas that should be avoided.

Practicing these safety tips will help ensure your hiking experiences are enjoyable.

Tags: Hiking, Outdoors, Trail | Posted in All About Hiking, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking | No Comments »

All About Caving!

Friday, July 30th, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

One of hiking’s subtypes is underground – literally. Caving. It’s exactly as the name implies. Hiking in caves. Like mountaineering or canyoning, caving (or spelunking) can involve a variety of hiking and climbing technique, and depending on where you are caving, it might even involve a bit of swimming or kayaking too. It’s an outdoor sport with a truly indoor mentality.

In caves, you will get chances to see wildlife and mineral formations you may never get to see on the surface of the earth – bats, spiders, worms, and even fish. And to the educated eye, a journey underground is an exploration of earth’s diverse and often violent past. Underground you can see millions of years into earth’s history, with fossils, sediment lines, and formations that have taken millions of years to arrive where they are now.

You should never go caving alone. Some cave systems have hundreds of miles of complexity, and if you get lost, there may be little or no chance of survival. Light is your best friend underground, and without a guide, and especially without light, one wrong step could mean a hundred-foot plummet.

Some caves are more well-explored than others, and there are usually guided tours through some of the more popular caves in the world. A lot of American caves, for example, have already been explored and you can see their tour advertisements listed on billboards for tourist attractions along most of America’s cross-country highways. Though, despite the casual appeal, there is a serious pursuit behind the practice, and new ways to challenge yourself as a hiker, climber, and caver.

If you’re caving, having a good light source and cave-map are extremely helpful. Cave systems are like earth’s capillaries, and are just as three-dimensional. If you’re not sure where something goes, don’t go there. It’s a simple rule to follow as you plummet into the bowels of the earth.

Tags: Cave, Caving, Show Caves | Posted in Adventures, Seasonal Hiking, Sports | No Comments »

Important Things to Bring on a Hike

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

The best and most rudimentary form of exercise is a good, long hike. It’s easy to lace up your shoes, step out of the door, and wander into the woods. Some trails are easier than others, and some are more secluded. One of the reasons that anyone would want to hike is for the seclusion and to silence the outside world for a long morning afternoon.

However, weather can turn, you can twist your ankle, or get dehydrated easily depending on how hard you’re hiking or how dry the weather is. While it’s tempting to leave everything behind as you walk into the outdoors, there are a few things you can bring along to aide in your journey without bringing too much of the noisy world with them.

As always, a compass is a hiker’s best friend. Some trails dwindle and disappear and it’s easy to get lost in the woods. If you get lost, you can spend hours walking in circles without knowing it. If you know where your roads are and which direction is ‘out,’ then a compass get you out of an otherwise sticky situation.

Equally as important is remembering to bring along some water. Fill up a canteen and strap it around your shoulder, or invest in a backpack-style water bladder, which makes it easy to drink and easy to carry. If things get rough, you need to be able to think clearly, and staying hydrated is key.

Finally – and people don’t often consider the usefulness of this – bring a whistle. Say you’re hiking, you twist your ankle, and fall into a small ravine. You’re fine, but your leg is too hurt to crawl out. Yelling repeatedly can harm your throat and dry you out. You need to conserve energy and water incase someone doesn’t come by for a while. Whistles are louder than your shouts for help, and while they may annoy you, having one could possibly save your life.

Hiking can be fun, but it can also be dangerous. Preparedness is key for enjoyment.

Tags: Hiking securty, Hiking stuffs | Posted in Adventures, All About Hiking, Seasonal Hiking | No Comments »

Hiking on the Prairie

Monday, April 26th, 2010

They used to say that, before the advent of the West in North America, a squirrel could go from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River without touching the ground. That is, before the true influence of agriculture in America, the country was wooded from coast to coast. Of course, this is a grossly simple oversight. Native Americans were tilling parts of the land before Europe arrived, though it certainly wasn’t as aggressive of a farming style as was the Europeans.

Nonetheless, America’s plains were maintained by the large herds of bison and other grazing creatures, and today they still stand as a testament to North America’s diverse animal history. The bison were slaughtered and most of the animals are gone, but the plains and prairies remain. And for hikers who are tired of the popularity of the woods and the attention those draw, prairie hiking is just as fun and exploratory of a way to experience America’s still ranging diversity of flora and fauna.

On the prairie there are insects and different kinds of birds and mammals that you wouldn’t otherwise see in the forest, and the range of grasses and flowers across the prairie is extensive. As you stand and look across the horizon of the prairie, it’s a different sort of feeling that you might experience simply looking through a screen of trees in the forest. You realize how truly large the land is.

One of the problems being in the plains, however, is the intensity of the sun and weather. If you’re out in the plains in the summer, bring extra water and sunscreen to shield you from the unforgiving rays and exposure to the sun itself. And if you’re in the plains during a storm, seek cover quickly, since lightning strikes have a potential to seek out the tallest object around. Other than that, enjoy the plains – a geography unique to America.

Tags: Hiking on the Prairie | Posted in Adventures, Seasonal Hiking, Sports | No Comments »

Enjoying The Outdoors, On Your Feet

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

With the spread of concrete, vinyl, and asphalt resting on top of the earth like shellac, it’s easy to forget that underneath and outside of it all is the living, breathing being that made this expansion possible. In other words, the earth and all of its green things are taken for granted by us, and some people spend their entire lives having never setting foot into the original brick and mortar.

But still the impulse is there within us, laying dormant like a primeval desire that draws us into the woods, the water, and the jungle. Somehow we remember we were once there, serving it rather than letting it serve us. Of course, there is nothing wrong with using the tools and technology to simplify the complicated world we’ve found ourselves in, but there is an inexplicable exhilaration one experiences when he or she leaves the phone and computer at home, laces up his shoes, strings on a canteen of water, and heads for a hike into the woods.

Hiking lets us return to the wonder we once had when we heard the wind brushing through the trees like waves on the beach, and sometimes we see things we forgot we had. Hiking up a mountainside and overlooking a valley or lake can be both memorable and rewarding, and you don’t need a camera to capture the moment, because nothing stores it in your memory like directly experiencing it yourself.

You hear the crunch of the dirt and leaves under your feet, you hear a melodic call from a whippoorwill, you see a caterpillar roosting on a leaf, and you forget the world ‘out there.’ It’s not bad to leave it every once in a while, and when you do it, it awakens something in you, a thousands-year-old memory, vaguely familiar. Listen to that. It’s that memory which puts life into a perspective no amount of cars, rubber, and hundred-dollar jeans can imitate.

Tags: Hiking, Outdoors | Posted in All About Hiking, Seasonal Hiking | No Comments »

Getting Into Hiking

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

You’ve spent too much time in your car, in front of your TV, and eating pizza on Friday nights. It’s the summer now, the weather is warm and comfortable, and you have no excuse to stay inside on the weekends. What are you going to do?

Jumping head-first into a new physical activity, while respectable and ambitious, can turn you off to the experience you thought so highly of before you hopped on the bike or into the water. You want to get in shape, but the task is daunting. Some people are cut out for those head-first excursions, but for the average amongst us, slow and steady wins the race.

You have a park nearby with a river walk and some wooded trails. Walking around on the sidewalks in the city and the suburbs can be enjoyable, but tedious and ordinary. An excursion into the woods can be refreshing and revitalizing. It gets your legs moving, your blood pumping, and your imagination running. You don’t need a bathing suit, a custom-fit bike, or a thousand-dollar home gym. You don’t need anything but a bottle of water, a pair of shoes, and an open morning.

Hiking is as free as it is freeing. And you don’t have to do the hardest trails in the system. Walk a mile around the lake, or hop a little off the beaten path and walked on some of the slowly ascending trails to the more picaresque viewing points. Hiking literally is as easy as putting one foot in front of the either. Who knows, you might like it, dedicate more time to it, do some harder trails, and maybe even do some backpacking. While you’ve been distracted having fun, you’ll eventually catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and be impressed with what your new hobby has done for you.

Soon, your TV remote will be as dusty as your TV and you will have forgotten the phone number to the pizza place, and these are good things.

Tags: Adventure, Hiking | Posted in All About Hiking, Seasonal Hiking | No Comments »

Utilizing All Terrain When Hiking

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Most people usually stick to the trails when they hike, and they desire to use systems and roads already established – as well they should. Venturing off the trail can lead to a complicated set of problems that affect not only the hiker, but also the system hiked in to. There are, however, times when doing hiking off the beaten path is the hiker’s whole intention. Of course, this shouldn’t be attempted by everyone, but for the hiker looking for a new challenge, ‘rogaining’ is a perfect solution.

Rogaining is a hiking trip directed by direction and orientation. You face yourself in a certain direction, and utilizing systems of maps, compasses, and perhaps even global-positioning systems, you set out across a given country or land plot to your ultimate destination. Some people will have certain landmarks they wish to find on their rogaining trip, and orient themselves that way.

Rogaining gets its name from the first names of the principle men and women who invented the sport, Rod Phillips, Gail Davis and Neil Phillips, an Australian ‘rover’ crew who set out to explore their country in a 24-hour cross-country excursion. ROGAINE can also mean ‘Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance,’ and either use is correct.

The sport as a whole involves a lot of endurance, agility, speed, and know-how for navigating the complexities of any country’s geography and geology. You may happen upon a river, a canyon, a gorge, or an impasse, and know how to navigate those obstacles quickly, without losing track of your eventual destination. The sport is a good way to learn the countryside and implement endurance and survival skills. And if you’re good enough, you can join the annual Rogaine championships, usually held in Australia or New Zealand.

But the true attraction to the sport is its versatility. Pick your own checkpoints, make your own competition. Have fun.

Tags: Hiking, Terrain | Posted in Adventures, Hiking Techniques, Seasonal Hiking, Sports | No Comments »

What Do You Get When You Mix Hiking and Jogging?

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Trail running. It’s a clever idea, and when you think about it, it’s probably no younger than when humans first started to walk on two legs. There were no roads then, only trails, and when you needed to get somewhere fast (or perhaps outrun a hungry aggressor), you picked up your pace.

These days, as the face of the earth is slowly turning in to a big parking lot, when it comes to footsports, jogging is king. Marathons, half-marathons, speed-walking, mall-walking, and everything else – all of these utilize one thing strangely absent in nature: pavement. Who says you have to stick to the roads if you want a workout?

That’s why trail running is so appealing. It gets you off the streets and into the woods, where you can reconnect with nature and see all of the sights and sounds endemic to a wooded sojourn. Plus, if you’re moving at an accelerated pace, depending on the difficulty of the trail, you will not only be attaining and maintaining those workout BPMs, but you will be improving your physical coordination and strength as well.

Unlike other trail-based sports, like mountain biking, you don’t need a ton of equipment either. You might even be able to forego the necessity of mosquito repellent like some of the simple hikers, since you’ll be moving quickly and washing away the insects in your wake. You just need a pair of heavier-duty shoes, since standard jogging shoes might not hold up as well on rougher trails, a pair of shorts or light pants, some sweat-wicking materials, and off you go.

With enough experience, and if you find yourself truly enjoying the sport, you can maybe join up and do off-road marathons or half-marathons. While competitions like these might be more tiring and aggressive, you get out what you put into it, as they say, and for this reason, the rewards are immeasurable. Your body will thank you.

Tags: Hiking, Jogging | Posted in All About Hiking, Seasonal Hiking, Sports | No Comments »

Winter Hiking

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

Usually when people think of hiking, they associate with the warmer seasons. The birds are chirping, the leaves are green, the air is warm and the occasional cool breeze manages to snake its way through the trees and swirl around the forest floor. The flowers are in bloom and the forest in summer truly is a thing of poetry. But as soon as the sky turns grey and the temperature falls below a certain line, people retreat to their houses, hands around warm mugs of something-or-other, and neglect that life is just as picaresque in the winter as it is in the summer.

The diehard hikers are not deterred by the seasons, and if anything, look forward to a cold spell, when the crowds finally filter off the trails and the winter hiker really does have the woods to his or herself. The cold can be unforgiving, but as the saying goes, there is no bad weather, only bad gear. Therefore, the key to good winter hiking is good gear, and perhaps a willingness to forego the leisurely luxuries of a wooded summer sojourn.

Fundamental for hiking in the winter is first a good pair of boots. You’ll need something waterproof, insulated, and tolerably lightweight. If you’re looking for good winter protection, you’ll have to bear with a heavier pair of boots, but frostbite is an ever-present danger when you’re tromping through snow and everything else of the like.

You’ll also need some good layers. Start with a good, breathable, sweat-wicking base-layer for your torso and for your legs, and layer carefully after that. When you’re hiking, you can work up a sweat, so make it easy to strip down a layer or two if need be. And don’t forget your kindling materials. If you get stuck, having a good fire can get you through the night.

Most importantly, have fun. That’s what winter hiking is all about

Tags: Hiking, Winter | Posted in All About Hiking, Seasonal Hiking | No Comments »

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