Date: 2008-01-07
To: Hiking Tips & Tricks
Miles today: 0.0

I've put down some things that I have learned or come up with over the years. Maybe some of these will come in handy.If you plan on doing any night hiking ¢ sometimes it¢s easier to see the ground ahead of you if you carry your light in one of your hands. Not wearing the light on your forehead helps cut glare, keep your night vision, and better light up the ground. However, you probably won¢t be able to carry your pole in the same hand at the same time.Carry some small, metal hooks that have screw threads. At a shelter you can screw them into the wood for hanging things while you are there. Unscrew the hooks when you leave. These don¢t harm the wood the way larger nails do The hooks can be a godsend if you are trying to hang up a tarp to block wind/rain/snow in bad weather.When you are climbing steep inclines, try counting up to a certain number and then stop for a brief break. In other words, start climbing up, counting your steps until you are winded. Take a brief break (even if it¢s just leaning forward on your poles). Whatever number you counted to (lets say 100) start hiking again. After another 100 steps take another break. Doing this step/break process accomplishes two things: gives you a breather when you need it; and gives you a psychological ¢crutch¢ when climbing steep terrain.When you are in your down sleeping bag, do not cover it with any waterproof item ¢ like a plastic trash bag or nylon-treated tarp. During the night your body puts out ¢insate¢ (I think that¢s the right name) moisture that wicks out of your bag. If you have a plastic bag covering your sleeping bag that moisture will gather on the plastic bag and your sleeping bag will get wet.For those using alcohol stoves ¢ traditionally rubbing alcohol was a poor choice for fuel because it was only 26% actual alcohol. Now, however, you can buy a rubbing alcohol at many drug stores that is 93% alcohol. Worth a shot if nothing better is available.Bear encounters ¢ the National Forest Service recommends that if you see a bear ahead that you raise your hiking poles and clank them together (this assumes you are carrying poles). The idea is to make yourself look as large and loud as possible. I¢ve only seen three bears in all the years I¢ve hiked and they all ran away quickly before I could do anything. But if you ever run across a mother with her cubs she may be more aggressive.You probably already know this ¢ one of the first things you should do when arriving at your nightly camp spot is to take out your down sleeping bag and allow it time to regain its loft.Along the same lines, one of the first things you should also do when spending a night at a shelter is to ¢stake out your territory¢. Put your sleeping pad and bag down where you plan on sleeping in the shelter. I¢ve seen hikers be one of the first to arrive who did not get a sleeping spot because they failed to put their pad/bag out in the shelter. This is just common sense.If you have a freestanding tent, try to stake it out/down. Strong winds can blow your tent away while you are not paying attention. Also, on cold nights if you stake out the fly walls it is easier for air to circulate inside the tent. This helps reduce condensation/frost on your ceiling.If you are not carrying a water filter, you may have a hard time collecting water from small pools. It can be difficult to scoop small puddles into a cup or water bottle. You can go to a hardware store and buy a plastic syringe that is about half the size of a turkey baster. It can work great for suctioning up those small pools of water.If you are using any type of lip balm that has a scent to it, be careful when sleeping in shelters. The mice are attracted to some of the smells and have bit hiker¢s lips in the past.While hiking in cold weather you can adjust your body temperature simply by taking on/off your gloves and/or hat. You don¢t want to get so warm that you begin to perspire onto your clothing. By the time you start feeling warm, your clothes may already be getting damp. What works for me is to periodically touch my forehead near the hairline. If I can feel moisture there I¢m beginning to overheat and need to taking something off- gloves, hat, whatever.I¢ve already mentioned this in an earlier journal entry ¢ get in the habit of signing every shelter register with your TRAILNAME (not real name). If something should happen to you there will be a record of how far you have gone on the Trail and assist with a search. My understanding is that originally that was the purpose of having the shelter registers.