I’m always on the hunt for articles or videos that stress the importance of hiking in relation to a healthy lifestyle. Here is a link to an excellent article on how the brain changes due to hiking. Even though the article was written three years ago, it is obviously still valid today. When you read it, you may think to yourself, “I already knew that.” As a hiker, you probably did.
HAPPY HIKING!!!
This is about 1/2 mile from the spot that has so far caused me just about nine months of hiking. When I finally get out there no one will be able to say I’m not ready!
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”
– John Muir
I’ve mentioned in previous posts the importance of being prepared when you go out hiking. It doesn’t what the length of the hike is, you need to have certain things with you, just in case. Just in case of what you might ask? Who knows!!!! The variables are constant and many. You really have to be prepared for what you know, and more importantly, what you don’t.
If you hike in the same area then you should be pretty familiar with the basics. I know that I plan for where I am going to be. If you hike in the same general area, this should make your planning a little easier. For example, what plants are poisonous, what is the terrain like, which snakes are poisonous and which ones aren’t and so on. This may seem like a lot of information, but the more you know, the better prepared you will be just in case you run into trouble.
Here is a common list that I think is important to have even on short day hikes. It may differ from others that you have seen but I am making this based on personal experience. I learned the hard way last summer that you really, really need to be prepared.
1) Water-I know that I have beat this one pretty close to death, but it is a fact that even if you are heading out for a short hike, drink water before, during and after your hike. As a matter of fact, I bought two more of the 48 ounce Nalgene bottles a few weeks ago. This will bring me to 192 ounces of water even for a day hike. Since that comes to a nice 12 pounds of water, friends have told me I am crazy for carrying that much water. With my mishap last summer, I’ll file that under “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
2) Sawyer Squeeze-Ok. I know that with carrying that much water I shouldn’t need a purification system. Once again, you never know what is going to happen so I’ll file this under, “I know I’m crazy but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
3) Rain Poncho/Emergency Space Blanket-I have never really made it a priority to hike in the rain. Although I have been caught in thunderstorms during a hike, I have never set out to do a hike in the rain. This year I plan on making an effort to get out even in the rain. The poncho can also act as a nice shelter if something happens and I can’t get out of the woods right away. Of course The Emergency Space Blanket will help keep me warm.
4) First Aid Kit-I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. This one gets filed under, “you could be screwed if you don’t have one.”
5) Multi Tool/Fire Starter/Boonie Hat-Once again, pretty self-explanatory, always handy if you need them and a huge problem if you need them and don’t have them.
6) Map/GPS (Garmin Etrex 30)-Even though I know many of the trails that I hike on, having a map of the area is always essential. I don’t carry a compass anymore because I don’t stray from the trail like I used to 15-20 years ago. My days of bushwhacking are done. My GPS, a Garmin is used just to calculate exact mileage. In the old days, I would almost have to guestimate how far my hikes were.
7) Kelty Zephyr Daypack/Black Diamond Trail Pro Shock Trekking Poles/Vasque St. Elias GTX Hiking Boots-I saved the best for last. For over two decades now I have hiked with my Kelty Zephyr Day Pack. Since I have no reason to retire it, I will use it for another year. Second, I did have to buy new trekking poles after snapping one of mine last year. My boots? They remain the same and probably will for at least the next few years. I still have the almost new ones that I never got to wear last summer, plus I got another pair a couple of months ago for just about 50% off. Can’t beat that with a stick!
So there you have it! I have read many, many different “essentials” that you should take day hiking. I have adapted my list to accommodate my own personal situation and I am hoping that it will make for a outstanding summer of hiking.
What are your essentials? Do they differ much from my list? What would you add or take away?
HAPPY HIKING!!!
“I felt free and therefore I was free.”
-Jack Kerouac
This is what I’m talking about.
I can sense it. It’s almost time. The weather for the next few days looks like it should be for mid-March. With temps in the mid 40’s during the day and high teens to the early twenties at night, most of the snow has melted and now all we are left with is soul sucking mud. Even though we didn’t get a whole lot of snow this winter, the amount of rain we saw was unbelievable. It seems like it has rained non stop for months. As a result, we now have mud that will literally stop you in your tracks.
But that too shall pass. The trails will soon be clear and the warm air of spring will come. Oddly enough, however, one day out of nowhere it will be so hot that I’ll be trying to get my hikes in very early in the day just to beat the heat. But that’s ok. School ends on June 26th and we return on August 28th. That’s 62 days of hiking glory!
But let’s worry about the here and now. With the days getting longer and longer and more days between now and the end of school than in summer itself, I’ll be making plans to get out. Until then, my pack, poles and boots sit waiting.
Happy Hiking!!!
One of the other casualties of my pre-empted backpacking trip last summer was one of my hiking poles. As I planted the right pole after my foot was stuck in the rock, I fell to my right and the pole snapped in half. Now I had used these Black Diamond poles for many years and never had a problem with them. Of course, this was an extraordinary circumstance so the years of service they had given me made a new pair of them worth looking at again.
So now that hiking season is almost here and my ankle is pretty much operating at 100%, I decided to get a new pair of hiking/trekking poles. As I do with any potential gear that I might purchase, I spend a great deal of time researching what would be the best poles to buy. After doing what amounted to several hours of comparing specs, prices, and reviews, my search brought me right back to Black Diamond. Although I have used Leki poles in the past, I now always end up with Black Diamond.
So I ended up buying the Black Diamond Trail Pro Shock Trekking Poles. Originally priced at $139.95, I paid $83.97, a nice 40% savings (from Amazon). Here are the specs:
Although I haven’t been out hiking with these poles yet, I have had a chance to use them.
Trying to get to down the hill to my car on ice-laden snow is no easy task. Using the poles
made it much easier to down the hill and into my car. I can’t wait to get out on to the trail
to really test them out. When I do that I’ll post a more in-depth review.
HAPPY HIKING!!!
Better hiking days are ahead!!!!!!
As I sit here writing this, a cold freezing rain has finally stopped falling, leaving that annoying glaze of ice on everything. It doesn’t look so bad, but you know the second you step on it you’re going for a ride.
I don’t mind the snow so much, but freezing rain, sleet, and ice are a whole different ball game. The sound of it hitting the ground sounds fills me with a feeling of dread, of impending doom. Especially if I happen to be driving or hiking.
Anyway, I am officially done with winter. Usually, I don’t care if it hangs around and we get a few more storms than we are used to, but I’ve had it already. The snow and freezing rain can stay away and the cold can stay where it belongs (Canada, eh). We need spring here immediately.
But here’s the point of this post. Here’s the bottom line.
Something always happens every year around this time. The itch returns. It’s kind of like at Christmas where instead of dreams of sugar plums dancing in my head, I start dreaming of hikes and then I start giving my hiking gear the once over. That knowing look that my pack and I will soon be back in the woods, watching spring turn to summer and I spend about twenty minutes going through my day pack to make sure that I have everything that I need. When it dawns on me that I am not going out, disappointment sets in and I put everything back in the pack with the same care as handling a newborn. I know that day will come.
So now I wait. Looking at the weather forecast, I don’t think that winter is done with us and we will get more of the white stuff before we can enjoy spring.
It wasn’t that long ago where I would head out in just about any weather condition. It didn’t matter what the weather was like, I would go hiking. My friend and I even hiked to Anthony’s Nose in the middle of a blizzard about twenty years ago. Needless to say, I do not recommend that.
And then I fractured my ankle last June. Although it has been almost eight months since the fracture and subsequent surgery, I have only been hiking one time. I missed the entire summer, fall and winter days that haven’t been so bad. That has made the itch to get back outside that much worse.
So this year I will wait until the trails are clear. I know it may sound stupid, but I am waiting strictly out of fear. The fear that I may slip and fall again. I have been hiking for about forty years and never worried. Now I do.
Looking at the big picture, however, It’s probably for the best. Until the time comes I can keep unpacking and repacking my day pack.
HAPPY HIKING!!!
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”
-John Burroughs
I came across the following statement/question as I was perusing a Facebook page that dealt with hiking earlier:
How do you guys deal with the “9-5” grind? I literally can’t focus on anything else except going on my next hike. And I find that I struggle to deal with all of the bullshit that coworkers are.
So how do you deal with the constant urge to get out and hike during the workday? Obviously, you need money not only to live but to be able to go out on the adventures that you find yourself focusing on during the workday. So what you have to do is get it out of your mind is to use your time after the work day to get ready for that next hike.
What can you do after work and in between hikes? Here’s a list:
So there you go, If all you can do is think about hiking at work, do it at home. Not only will you save yourself trouble at your job but you will also be better prepared for your next outdoor adventure.
Isn’t that what it’s all about?
HAPPY HIKING!!!
Phil on the left and Chuck on the right.
“Winter is nature’s way of saying, “Up yours.”
~Robert Byrne
Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”
~Robin Williams
Even though the two of them are almost always wrong, Staten Island Chuck and Punxsutawney Phil have predicted an early spring. Although it would be really, really nice for that to come true, I’m not going to be placing any bets on today’s results.
It would be exceptional, however, if they were both right. I’m usually pretty happy letting winter take its course and enjoying the snow for as long as it lasts. But for the last few years I have longed for the snow to be gone as quickly as possible.
To have clear trails devoid of snow, maybe a slight chill in the air, would still make it worth getting out there. The trees, still bare enough so they provide no coverage from the sun would actually be a benefit. The feeling of the late winter sun warming your face as you sit on a rock resting and drinking water is beyond words.
Oh well, at this point who knows where the rest of the winter will take us. Each day that passes only means warmer days ahead and this means many days of hiking! With temperatures a week ago hovering at night in the low negatives, a little later this week the high will be 53. Will they be proven correct????
HAPPY HIKING!!!
It’s now been seven months since I fractured my ankle. Obviously with a great deal of hard work with the PT and doing those same exercises at home along with riding my stationary bike, I have made a great deal of progress.
Thankfully, the progress has been both mental and physical. For months I worried that I might not be able to hike again. It hurt twenty-four seven and I wasn’t seeing any kind of progress. Of course, my PT has been telling me it would take time but I didn’t want to hear it. But now it has been a little over half of a year and that’s ok! Now that I am able to ride the stationary bike just about every day, my thoughts have now turned to think more seriously about doing the Camino Frances.
Since I am now looking at a date in 2020, I have been looking at the equipment I will be bringing. As of right now, I will carry everything on my back and not rely on a service to transport my stuff from one albergue to another. Although many folks do this, I feel more comfortable carrying my own gear.
I will be using the same pack I used this summer, the Osprey Kestrel 48. From reading reviews and watching videos, folks are saying that a 48 liter pack might be too big, but I’d rather have the extra room just in case!
As of today (and it may change), I really want to do the Camino in a pair of Vasque St. Elias GTX boots. They are heavier than most boots but I have never had a blister wearing them and this has been on roads, groomed trails and trails with heavy roots on them. The Vasque’s, of course, will be coupled with Merino Wool socks. Also, I am not a favorite of trail runners so one way or another I will be wearing boots.
In regards to sleeping arrangements, I won’t have to bring a tent. Along the entire route, they have albergue’s, where pilgrims can spend the night. And although the albergue’s have beds, I will carry a sleeping bag liner in the event that sheets are dirty or have bed bugs. Let’s hope not!
More on the Camino in the next post.
Happy Hiking!!!
I like setting goals for myself. Especially when it comes to hiking. In 2017 I managed to log in 349.32 miles for the year. I like to think that is respectable but I know better, hordes of hikers get out there and hike many, many more miles. In 2018, I crushed it with a whopping 117.85 miles thanks to my fractured ankle and surgery.
So what is the plan for this year? Yes, now that we are midway through January and even though we just had snow and it was 3 degrees just 3 days ago, today we are expecting 1-2 inches of rain and it is over 50 degrees. Why not start planning for the spring/summer hiking season? What have I got to lose? With all of the rain that we are supposed to get today, I might get out this weekend!
From now until I get out of school on June 26, it is 153 days. My summer break will amount to a number of days between 65-70, depending on when we return to school. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll say between now and the end of August we’ll have at least 218 days of possible hiking.
Since spring and summer in this part of the country (northeast) is prime, I’m going to aim high and set a goal of 650 miles from today until 8/31/19. I am hoping that I can eclipse that, but for right now, that is the goal.
This hiking will also help in my quest to be in decent shape for the Camino Frances after I retire. Crossing the Pyrenees Mountains is one of the first major hurdles of the Camino and I want to be ready for it.
For the Camino Frances, this is how it all begins. It’s not that far away.
HAPPY HIKING!!!
The Zen Hiker 