A Hiking Blog…

Hiking and trekking are becoming increasingly popular by the day amongst exercise freaks as a major catalyst effectively contributing to weight loss. In contrary to resorting to aerobics and other strenuous exercises at a gym, hiking is simply walking along path or climbing past a mountainous ridge or trail. One of the simplest and best form of exercises available, hiking helps in keeping the body in perfect shape while contributing to a whole lot of health benefits.

Top 10 health benefits of hiking

1.    Hiking helps in decreasing the level of insulin in our bodies thereby preventing the degenerative effects of diabetes. Thus, it aids in controlling diabetes.

2.    Hectic life results in stressful situations. Hiking provides a relaxing opportunity to escape the drudgeries of busy life and seek solace in the solitude of natural surroundings. It refreshes the mind and heals the body thus acting as an ultimate stress buster with a constructive appeal.

3.    Hiking contributes to losing extra pounds by burning about 300 to 500 calories per hour. Based on the path and effort put to hiking on a smooth, rough or mountainous trail, the level of calorie burning varies. Regular hiking expeditions supplemented by a healthy balanced diet make the process of weight loss faster and easy.

4.    Arthritis patients and those with joint problems may resort to low terrain hiking trails for a minimal level of stress on the joints that helps in strengthening the muscles of the leg to take of pressure from the knee joints.

5.    A hiking trip with a friend or a complete troop contributes to building new acquaintances or strengthening old friendships. Hence, it leads to socialization and broadens our horizon of the mind as we develop a sense of appreciation for the likings and dislikes of other people around us.

6.    Hiking helps in checking diseases of the bone such as arthritis and

 osteoporosis. It promotes to raise the strength and density of the bones while reducing the level of calcium loss. Thus, it makes the bones stronger and reduces the chances of undue breakage.

7.    Hiking requires only a few necessary items like gears, a pair of boots, some necessary equipments and water. Therefore, it is not much of an expensive sport and can be afforded by anyone willing to go for a one-day hiking trip.

8.    Hiking contributes to cardiovascular benefits. Hiking generates movements within the body that lead to expansion of the arteries facilitating the reduction in the level of blood pressure thereby taking off some stress from the heart. Hiking further brings about an increase in the level of good cholesterol HDL while assisting to get rid of the bad cholesterol LDL. It thus leads to improvement of health including the heart health, though a person who has already suffered a heart attack needs to avail the doctor’s consent before trying out uphill hikes.

9.    Unlike the boring exercises of the gym with weights and treadmill, hiking provides the chance of relaxing and exercising amidst natural settings. It thus offers a much-needed break from the routine monotony of life.

10.    Hiking provides the strength and stamina of the body helps gain natural resistance towards fatigue. While uphill hikes firms the gluts and calves moving down the hill helps in toning the quadriceps. It thus contributes to building the flexibility of muscles.

Having known the whole range of health benefits associated with hiking, what are you waiting for still? Just backpack your materials and move on a hiking trip.

Being accompanied by a dog on your hiking trip adds to your pleasures while ensuring safety and proves a treat even for your canine friend. Apart from contributing to physical fitness and mental relaxation, hiking helps in building a bond of friendliness between you and your pet.

Important considerations

A dog needs to be trained for hiking depending on its ability and the land terrain. Trainings range from taking dogs on short walks to neighborhood parks or off leash areas that act as playful places for other dogs as well. Going on short hikes at the initial stage and gradually increasing the mileage with the booties on is a good way to train your dogs while caring for their feet.

Altitude acclimation is also an important consideration when hiking at a terrain of higher elevation. Adjusting to higher altitudes requires you to drink much water during the initial days.

Consult a trail map to locate the presence of streams and lakes along your hiking trail. Presence of water sources allows your dog to take a wet plunge and feel refreshed after an exhaustive day at hiking. Should you not want to suffer from Giardia, carry excess fresh water.

Carry enough of nutrient rich dog food to ensure that the dog remains active throughout the trip. Your dog can carry its own backpack containing food and water on long trips.

Since many places do not allow dogs on trail, check beforehand to avoid later complications.

It is better to keep a dog in leash and have a watchful eye on it while outside, to prevent it from being attacked by other wild animals.

Prior to hiking on an unexplored trail, consider the various nuances like depth, length and pathway of the trail to ascertain your pet’s ability to cross over it without much risk.

Let your dog learn and subscribe to proper etiquettes while hiking outside.

Keep a check on your dog’s health to know if it is fit enough to accompany you on your trip.

Holistic hiking for dogs

Holistic hiking involves treating your pet to the most caring services to make it feel special and good from inside.

Feed your dog a wholesome balanced diet preferably an organic meat and vegetable based diet avoiding carbohydrates, artificial flavoring, coloring, preservatives and by-products. Ingredients like corn, corn gluten meal, beet pulp, rice gluten, rice bran, soybean meal and sorghum should better be avoided.

Vitamin, mineral and Salmon Oil supplements increases activity among dogs while bringing a natural glow to their skin and preventing arthritis. Glucosamine and chondroitin ensure strength and wellness to the joints of dogs. While anti-oxidants resist organ degeneration and cancer and Coenzyme Q 10 is good for heart function of animals.

Giving a massage to your dog post a hiking trip not only relaxes its muscles but has a therapeutic effect on you as well.

Include a first aid kit in your backpack to have a ready remedy at your easy reach for untoward diseases and injuries.

You could also go through a few books on hiking with pets for more suggestions prior to the hiking trip.

Having known all about the joy of hiking with your dog now let your loyal friend accompany you on your next hiking trip to make it more memorable.

Though you may like to go out on a hiking trip all by yourself yet joining a hiking club provides lots of opportunities to have wholesome entertainment. A hiking club consists of a group of like-minded people who share the common interest of hiking. Among the many hiking clubs available in your locality, choose the one according to your requirement after considering their meeting schedules, dues and areas they hike.

Hiking clubs offer the privilege of collaboration and planning the hiking trip together to people who are interested in hiking but lack partners to accompany them on their hiking expeditions. Apart from this, hiking clubs also raise the necessary funds for hiking and ensures your safety on the trip. Thus, you have fewer chances of encountering dangers or accidental situations and have more help by your side in case of need.

How to locate a hiking club

You can find the details of various hiking clubs by searching the web or consulting the telephone directory. Tour agencies also provide valuable data on hiking parks. You may also enquire about the same from managers or park rangers of state parks to satisfy your inquisition.

Types of hiking clubs

Hiking clubs ranges from basic to join for free clubs and others like organizations with small groups that charge money for holding weekly meetings or going on long monthly trips.

The structures of each hiking club also various greatly. While some may gather funds by taking part in different activities, others might subscribe to a pay-as-things-come type of policy.

Benefits of joining a hiking club

Since the costs accrued on the hiking trip are distributed amongst members participating in the hiking trip, each member is benefited as the share of each decline.

Hiking clubs helps in socializing by building new friendships and valuable connections for posterity. Some hiking clubs are organized purpose to build friendships and even romantic connections like the singles hiking clubs.

Joining a good hiking club gives you the scope to explore new and exciting places while increasing your know-how on things you would have never known otherwise.

Hiking is a healthy activity and joining a hiking club helps you to keep in touch with hiking on a regular basis.

Hiking clubs have experienced hikers who could act as great guides to beginners providing interesting facts about the surrounding wildlife and unexplored terrain.

They contribute to safety and security of the hikers in a group while in a distant and explored land.

Thus, a hiking club is a great option to provide an added boost to your hiking trips.

While going out on hiking trips to far off places, it is best if you are accompanied with a good hiking map. A hiking map does not only indicate the right track but ensures that you don’t get lost under disastrous circumstances like thunder, lightning, storm or accidents leading to trail damage.

Since there are a wide variety of maps available, choosing the right map suited to your individualized purpose is essential. Apart from the usual tourist and road maps, Google maps provide a great option for easy navigation of different parts of the world free of cost.

Plotting places through a topographic map

While locating places using a map find your present position on the map and tally the landmarks, road names and other important features indicated on the map with those around your actual surroundings. Having done so, locate the desired destination on the map from your present position and proceed according to the route indicated.

In case you have a list of places on your list, select a route that takes you to the nearest places first and then head towards the farthest. A map index is beneficial in depicting the exact locations on places through grids comprising of latitudes and longitudes. The intersection of a latitude and longitude gives the actual position of a place.

On reaching the desired location, crosscheck the landmarks stated with the actual surroundings to be assured that you are on track.

Important considerations for using a topographic map

A topographic map is a graphic representation of the rise and fall of land on the surface of the earth. It uses contour lines to show elevation above sea level. Widely spaced contours depict flat terrain as compared to close contours that indicate steep slopes. Usually a number stating the elevation level accompanies every fifth dark contour line. While reading a topographic map, following points must be ensured.

•    Since the details of places keep on changing, so it’s important to look for the date when the map was printed to avail the most updated data. The map number should also be taken into account.

•    Orientation is yet another vital factor that deserves mention. While aligning the compass helps in locating the direction, the key assists figuring out the features of the map. A Magnetic Declination provides the difference between the actual and magnetic north.

•    The conversion scale indicates the measure of the distance on the ground to that on the map. An Altitude and Aspect Ratio Diagram gives a more appropriate estimation of the actual distance since the calculated distance between two points intends to vary greatly for mountainous regions.

•    Contour lines running at the same altitude with fixed difference between intervals indicate elevation of locations.

•    Trail durations are suggestive of the time required for hiking between different points. Trails may also be accompanied by a list of obstacles to be encountered.

•    Legend is an explanative of the colors, styles and symbols used in a map.

Having known the necessary features of map reading, you can now be your own hiking guide.

Hiking calls for enjoying the natural beauty of the surroundings. Therefore, choosing the perfect hiking spot and an apt campsite deserves equal thought. While safe campsites minimize the impact of danger, it should not necessarily account for selection of a boring and non-thrilling spot.

Though apparently it seems that a campsite affects the success of a hiking trip, the contrary is equally true. Our actions also affect our surroundings and perhaps more. While a good campsite selection ensures a peaceful night’s sleep, uninterrupted moments of relaxation and wholesome enjoyment for the hikers, safe cooking and proper disposal of wastes guarantees a cleaner camp spot.

Assuming that you are setting base at various spots during your hiking trip, here are ideas applicable for setting base at public campgrounds and moving on day trips from the base.

Essentials for selecting a good campsite

•    It is essential to undertake a thorough research prior to selecting a campsite, in order to avail the best option available.

•    Planning of the trip is equally essential to fix upon vital issues like arrival and departure timings.

•    While opting for a camping spot it is always better to go for an established one situated at some high use area instead of selecting a campsite in some new and unexplored zone.

•    When camping around desert canyons make sure to stay above the high-water mark to escape the agony of flash floods.

•    Similarly, set up your camp at least 200 feet away from streams and lakes in order to protect them.

•    Since dead branches of huge trees may disastrously break down in the darkness of the night, ensure that your camp is not set beneath such shades.

•    To avoid flooding due to stagnation of rainwater, choose a site, which drains really well.

•    Select a place where you can receive the benefits of both the morning sunlight as well as be shadowed from the extremes of the afternoon sun.

•    Potential windbreaks are also an important consideration.

•    Since people go out on hiking in order to get a feel of experiencing the thrills of nature in seclusion, choose a calm and quiet spot away from the humdrum of lively souls.

•    A bare ridge away from lakes helps in keeping away bugs while offering a perfect unhindered view of the natural settings.

•    Keep away from fruit laden trees and food sources to avoid attracting animals to your camp during the night.

•    Fix the tent on a ground that is not too hard, nor too soft for a good night’s sleep.

Being responsible, it is your duty to protect the surroundings as well. Make sure to arrange for a safe cooking, keeping in water handy to avoid the break of a fire. Ensure that you leave the spot in a much better condition than you first saw it. Make considerations of the little seedlings, flowers and even small animals, so as not to injure them.

So, camping in the wild is fun, with just a bit of added responsibility.

Hiking boots are one of the most essential things you need for a trek. These are especially designed footwear for hiking that provide the comfort you need for long miles of hiking. Hiking boots protect a hiker’s feet from water, rocks, mud and other wild obstacles. A properly fitted hiking boot even protects your ankles from twisting on rugged surfaces without restricting the movement.

Types of hiking boots

Hiking boots are really essential whether you are on a short walk or on a serious hiking route as it makes your demanding walk comfortable. There are various types of hiking boots, the most popular ones are:

Mountaineering Boots - These boots are especially used for mountain climbing. Mountaineering boots are very strong and tough and have hard soles to protect the ankle and give support.

Trail Shoes - Trail shoes are for hiking in dry climate on less rough terrain. These are best for a one-day or an hour trip.

Trail Hikers - These types of shoes are best for muddy paths and vertical inclines.

Know the basics of boots

Before purchasing a pair of hiking boots, it is better that you understand some facets about hiking boots because these boots are completely different from general footwear. Some of the important aspects you need to know are:

Longitudinal Rigidity – Hiking boots should have longitudinal flexibility that helps to maintain your arches’ natural spring action. They must support your feet from over bending.

Water Resistance – Good watertight materials that allow moisture from boots to leave but don’t allow water to get into are best for hiking boots. This is advantageous because moisture inside boots can lead to blisters.

Arch Support - Arch support is often provided in boots between midsole and insole that protects your feet from flattening up under heavy pressure.

Boot Weight – Hiking boots should be lighter so that it is easy to walk long stretches.

Lateral Rigidity - Boots with solid ankle support protects the ankles and feet from twisting on irregular surfaces.

Advantages of using boots

Hiking boots are very beneficial when you are on a trail that is uneven and you need to do a lot of up and down on rugged terrain. Below are some reasons why you need boots during a hike:

•    Hiking boots provides hold up the sides to keep the legs straight.
•    The boots are especially made to be tough at the bottom that protects the feet from the rocks, thorns or sharp pebbles.
•    Hiking boots also support the ankles and prevent it from twisting without restricting walking movement.
•    These boots are especially made to be fitting and softening for the feet and help to avoid swellings.

Great Selection of Keen Footwear at Altrec Outdoors

Hiking itself is an adventurous activity that excites people of almost all ages. It is not at all dangerous if you follow some much needed safety precautions. Taking safety measures can make your trip all the more exciting. This article will help you to know about some safety tips for hiking.

Whether you are going out for a long trip or just a short adventurous walk, you need to follow some guidelines that will keep you, your family or hiking partners safe.

Plan your destination: This is simple but very important; you should know where you are heading to. First decide where to go and then start with the other preparations. Once you are done with your planning, now find out the perfect time for visit and hike. Always stay updated about the weather before you head out.

Know the right direction: Be clear about the right paths that you need to take without which you may get lost. For this, you can use a compass or a GPS unit if you are going for a long and serious hiking. Maps and guides if available should be carried.

Try not to go alone: When you are planning for a hike on a serious note, avoid going alone as it sometimes involves a lot of risks. If you travel alone there is every chance to get lost or get hurt. If you are with someone or in a group, you will get assistance in every step. Most importantly, you will receive help if you need it.

Drink lots of water: Water is the most essential thing that can keep you healthy throughout the hiking. You need to sip water often while you are on the way. As carrying water is quite difficult, calculate how much you will need till the next refilling and just carry that volume. Never drink from streams or lakes as these natural sources are often contaminated with parasites and bacteria. If required, collect the water from the natural source and boil it or use a liquid purifier before consumption.

Take the right equipments: A pair of hiking boots is a must in your hiking gear. Next is a first aid kit that acts as a life saver. Bandages, gauze, anti-bacterial cream, sunburn pain reliever are great in times of emergencies. These are just basics that you need to have with you in the journey. Lighter or matches and a knife can genuinely be of lot of help. View our article on the Ten Essentials for a more complete list.

Respect wildlife: Sometimes you may encounter wildlife on your trail. It is better to stay away than to play fool and get attacked. Most wildlife avoids humans as soon as they sense you are coming. The best idea to ward them off is to make sound to alert them you are coming.

Therefore, following these basic steps can avoid unwanted hazards and make your trip more special.

Wish you a nice safe hike!

Frostbite is a condition when the human tissues freeze. This condition can happen to anyone exposed to temperatures below the freezing point of skin. Another cold related disorder is hypothermia, which refers to a condition of developing an abnormally low body temperature.

Mostly, frostbite affects the nose, ears, fingers, cheeks and toes of the human body. As these areas are exposed to cold without major protection, anyone living in cold climates can get affected.

The earliest specimen of frostbite has been found in a pre-Columbian mummy (5000 year old) that was discovered in the Chilean mountains. The first modern mention of frostbite came in the year 1812 by Napoleon’s Surgeon General, Baron Dominique Larrey during his army’s recoil from Moscow.

Factors causing frostbite

Factors like wet clothes, extreme cold, poor circulation of blood, wind chill and inadequate clothing leads to frostbite. People working in chemical laboratories if exposed to liquid nitrogen and other cryogenic liquids are highly prone to frostbite. Poor blood circulation caused by tight clothing or cramped positions or fatigue can affect the blood vessel and cause frostbite. Even diabetic patients taking trip to cold places can be affected.

People at greatest risk for frostbite are those who spend time outdoors, like hikers, hunters. Aged people and excessively dehydrated people are also prone to frostbite.

Stages of frostbite attack

The three stages of frostbite are:

Stage 1 (Frostnip) – “Frostnip” is the name given to first degree frostbite. It is a condition of superficial cooling of tissues without cellular destruction that makes the skin appears white or yellow. It may also involve some burning sensation and can be cured by slow warming of the affected area.

Stage 2 (Chilblains) – “Chilblains” refers to second degree frostbite. These are superficial ulcers of the skin that occurs on people exposed to repeated cold. There is disappearance of pain, reddening and swelling of the skin in this condition.

Stage 3 (Frostbite) – The stage 3 of frostbite involves tissue destruction and leads to hard and waxy skin. In this stage, the skin dies and swelling occurs due to lack of blood.

Frostbite Treatment

Treatment of frostbite refers to re-warming or defrosting the area. Always remember, if re-warmed tissues again refreeze, it will cause more harm. So, precaution should be taken not to warm up the affected area quickly unless further refreezing is prevented. Warming is done in two ways:

Passive re-warming – It involves body heat or ambient room temperature to help the affected person’s body to re-warm itself.

Active re-warming – It involves direct addition of heat to the affected person usually along with treatments included in passive re-warming. Active re-warming involves a lot of equipments and warms the affected tissue as quickly as possible without burning them.

But the best natural treatment is prevention.

Spending a lonely night amidst a cold forest calls for building an instant shelter with the materials in hand to survive the deadly night. Thus, learning survival techniques is an essential requisite for a daring adventurer. Survival is a decision and the techniques involved are meant to offer a fighting chance. Food, clothing and shelter being the 3 basic needs, the last is important on several fronts.

A shelter acts as a shield protecting you from rough weather and wildlife intruders, thus providing psychological comfort. Seeking the best shelter accounts for the following strategies.

•    Smaller shelters located near water sources are best to retain heat. Survivor of wreckage should better stay at a visible spot near the wreckage. Natural hazards like dead trees that could fall, cliffs and dry riverbeds could better be avoided.

•    A ventilated shelter facilitates fire making inside or near the entrance. Branches and boulders prevent animals from getting in as well as retain heat inside. Sleeping on a pile of grass or pine needles helps maintain body heat. Fir tree branches and snow offer great insulation from the cold. Stacked up heated rocks provide extra warmth.

•    Frozen water over thatched roofs act as protective insulator in freezing weather conditions.

•    For the rainy season, make cover on flat or sloped land to allow drainage of rainwater, instead of burrowing a hole on the ground and covering with boughs.

•    When using caves as shelter, its better to remain close to the mouth.

•    Metals should better be avoided for roofs, as they tend to reflect away sun while deflecting the rain and wind.

•    To avoid suffocating conditions due to formation of carbon monoxide gas, make sure you turn off the stove or lantern or any fire source inside the shelter.

Alternative shelter options

Since an emergency shelter is required just for survival and not for comfort, so anything could be used as a temporary refuge. While hollow trees could be used as sleeping burrows, an overhang could also prevent you against wind and rain. Dense tree branches act as instant canopy, as logs and rocks help check the wind.

Shelter building

•    On hand materials like bits of discarded climbing rope, ripped plastic sheeting, old hiking boot, ponchos, nylon hammocks or parachutes come to best use for building shelters in worst of conditions.

•    The basic idea is to spread something above you to serve as a temporary roof. A poncho or any kind of plastic sheeting could be tied to two or four trees to form a canopy. While a lean-to shelter can be made by tying two opposite corners of the poncho to trees leaving the other end to slant diagonally to the ground secured with stick stakes or heavy rocks.

•    A tent shaped shelter may be built by running rope down the center of the poncho between two trees and staking the sides into the ground with sharp sticks to create an A-frame. A one-person tent may be built from tree branches without even using rope. The prime concept is to make a frame and then wrap a cover overhead and to the sides.

•    Hanging cots could also be created by rolling sturdy branches into the sheet like a long scroll, leaving some exposed wood at each end, while lashing the cot to four trees a few feet above the ground. Added overhead covers give shape to an elevated platform.

Field Expedient Shelters are shelters built employing the same techniques, except for the roof that is built by branches and thickets in slanting manner for insulation and drainage of rainwater. It built by using Field Expedient tools when there is nothing else at hand. Well-insulated and easy to build huts are known as debris huts, while those built with evergreen tress amidst snow are called tree-pit snow shelters.

However, the most important thing is to remain calm and in control during emergency situations. Basic shelters are easy to construct and essential for surviving the harsh elements of nature.

Leave No Trace is a national and international program employing a combination of science and common sense for enjoying the outdoors responsibly. The program seeks to educate public land visitors about nature of their recreational impacts and the techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Apparently harmless activities may also account for critical risks due to unavailability of wild lands. The program is intended at protecting the limited resources and future recreation opportunities.

It employs certain principles to arrive at a desired solution of changing behavior through education, research and partnerships one person at a time. The principles include:

•    Planning beforehand
•    Traveling and Camping on Durable Surfaces
•    Proper disposal of wastes and found materials
•    Minimizing campfire impacts
•    Consideration towards wildlife and other visitors

The Origin of ‘Leave No Trace’

The origin may be traced back to the 1970s and 80s when various groups started to advocate for the first time the minimum impact camping techniques. Thus, a national education program was developed in 1990 by the joint effort of United States Forest Service and National Outdoor Leadership School that was later shaped into “Leave No Trace” in 1994. It was due to the act of wilderness advocates who turned wilderness ethics 180 degrees, from ‘woodcraft’ to ‘Leave No Trace’. Dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship by all people worldwide, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an international nonprofit organization that provides training in every state of U.S. and over 5 other countries.

Membership of ‘Leave No Trace’

Supporting this noble movement calls for subscribing as a member. Membership is easy and guarantees the following benefits:

•    Personalized Membership card
•    One-year subscription to the ‘Leave No Trace’ Canada newsletter
•    Bumper sticker and reference card
•    Pocket Guide
•    10% discount on ‘Leave No Trace’ educational materials and merchandise
•    Ethical satisfaction

Types of membership include:

•    Hiker Membership
•    Backpacker Membership
•    Tripper Membership
•    Explorer Membership

Training and Courses

Master Educator Course – The ‘Leave No Trace’ Master Educator Course is a five days comprehensive course providing overview of ‘Leave No Trace’ skills and ethics through practical application in a field-based setting. Master Educator Instructors teach through skits, discussions and hands-on activities. Successful graduates are eligible to train others the same course and hold awareness workshops.

Two-day Trainer Courses - Designed for educators, guides, agency employees, and other outdoor professionals, the two-day Trainer Courses ensure graduates to teach the ethics to clients, friends and family.

Awareness workshop – 30-minute chats or a full-day awareness workshop is also conducted from time to time.

State Advocate Program – The State Advocate Program assists in building communities of volunteers and educators, state-by-state.

Module based program - A module based program known as PEAK helps promoting environmental awareness among kids. Creation of “Packing with PEAK Fund” enabled to make the program available to youth-serving organizations across the country for free.

Apart from these courses, the center also facilitates a tailor made course called the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program.

Thus, this educational and ethical program helps to understand and practice minimum impact skills and ethics.