Getting Prepared

Hiking isn’t typically dangerous. Much more often it’s a great pleasure, even an adventure. But you’re outside, sometimes far from ‘civilization’ and you can get injured or worse. It pays to heed some common sense safety tips.

People who live in urban environments sometimes seem to forget why they came to a wilderness area to hike: peace and quiet, and great scenery. To enjoy that themselves, and to allow others to, hikers generally adopt a few common sense guidelines. ‘Pack it in, pack it out’ is a long-standing rule among fair-minded hikers. […]

Once you’ve achieved some basic fitness as preparations for a good hike, there are a few other things that will help you get completely ready. General fitness is great, but there are specialized activities that are appropriate to hiking, another specialized form of exercise.

Hiking. Ever tried it? Maybe you have visions of dusty trails on steep slopes. Or, possibly you think it’s an experience filled with just insect bites, blisters and sore legs. Sounds pretty unpleasant, doesn’t it? Well, hiking can involve those things. But, with the proper techniques, equipment and guidance you can enjoy all the many […]

One of the first things someone new to hiking should do is get in shape. That’s especially true if you’ve been sitting on the couch for the last few months or more. Hiking most obviously uses the leg muscles, but virtually every muscle group is involved. Also, it requires very good cardiovascular and lung capacity […]

Hiking sounds like, to use a very old phrase, a cakewalk – something easy. You lace up some boots, slip on some shorts and a shirt and you’re on your way. What could be easier? Certainly, some hikes are that easy. And they should be. Not every hike has to be a three-day outing in […]