Do you need these hiking tips? You do if you ever get blisters or twisted ankles or knee pain. In fact, I stopped getting blisters at all over ten years ago. More on that in a moment. First, lets look at some basic preparation and precautions to take when planning a hike.
Hiking Tips – Preparation
If you haven’t done anything physical in a while, you really should try to get in shape before taking a long hike or a backpacking trip. Not only will it make much more enjoyable, but the process of getting ready will point out any problems you might have (sore back, knee problems, blisters, etc.).
Take a hike near home with a fully loaded pack to see how far you can comfortably go. If you are going to be backpacking in running shoes rather than hiking boots, you’ll want to strengthen your ankles. A simple way to do that is to hike on uneven ground. This will flex and exercises your ankles if you do it at least several times in the week or two before your trip.
If you will be traveling in the mountains, try bicycling to get ready. This uses a lot of the same muscles you use when hiking uphill. Of course, regular bicycle rides are also a fast way to boost your aerobic capacity. That can help you walk faster more comfortably.
Buy the right equipment before your hiking or backpacking trip. To be honest, on a short hike you can get by with almost anything. But if you plan to be deep in the wilderness, get some decent clothing for that purpose. Jeans get soaked easily in the rain and stay wet, which is uncomfortable, and can be dangerous if it is cold outside. A nice hat can keep the sun out of your eyes, and a rain jacket can keep you safe and warm.
Carry enough water. If you have any problems with pain when hiking, you should probably carry aspirin or other pain relief, even on short hikes. Map and compass are a good idea of course, and tell someone where you’ll be.
Hiking Tips – Taking Care Of Your Body
I stopped getting blisters the moment I gave up hiking boots and hiking socks. They create a hot, humid environment that is perfect for creating blisters. Even on longer backpacking trips, I use thin nylon socks and lightweight running shoes. You may want to try it. Chances are, you’ll never go back to heavy socks and boots. If you are worried about ankle support, strengthen those ankles! (See above.)
You should also develop a routine for keeping your feet dry and comfortable. Stop occasionally and take off your shoes and socks. Air out your feet for a few minutes. If the socks are wet, replace them and hang the wet ones from your pack to dry. Remove any sand or small sticks and stones from your shoes. If your feet get particularly hot, soak them in a cold stream for a while. Do this, and you’ll get a lot more comfortable miles out of them.
If you get knee pains when hiking, the long term solution may be special exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles. Short term, you can buy a simple elastic knee brace to see if that helps. You might also want to try arch supports. They cost less than ten dollars and can help stop knee and back problems that are related to over-pronation (flattening of the foot when walking). The combination of these two seems to have cured my knee problems.
What if you are out hiking and get sudden knee pain? Here are a few tips: Icing the knee for a while with cold water from a stream or with snow can help. Resting with the leg elevated usually helps a little as well. Making a walking stick from a branch or small tree and using it especially on downhill stretches can take some of the pressure of the knee.
Still too painful to walk? The inner bark of willows and poplars contains a compound that is similar to aspirin. You can scrape the spongy bark off and make a tea of it, or try just chewing some up. Better yet, just use the hiking tips in part one and be prepared.
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Help answer the question about hiking
What is the difference between a trail running shoe and a hiking shoe?I have been hiking a lot lately and have just been using my nike running shoes, I have been struggling as I have been getting into steeper terrain, so I am needing a better hiking shoe, will trail running shoes work, or do I have to get hiking shoes?
About Author
Copyright Steve Gillman. To get the ebook “Ultralight Backpacking Secrets (And Wilderness Survival Tips)” for FREE, as well as photos, gear recommendations, and a new wilderness survival section, visit: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com
Tags: backpack, backpacking, camping, food, frame, gear, Hiking, weight
LMAO 10/10
Most people hiking the AT start off solo but meet others quickly. From there you can hike alone or not, your choice dependent on who you meet.
Thanks, did she finish?
I live in Monument, Colorado (in between Colorado Springs and Denver) It can be anywhere from the negatives to the forties. Depending on how much snow we got the past year the trails may be covered in snow or very muddy and mushy. My recommendation is to check the weather before coming and make sure it is the way you want it to be. Also, check how much snow we got and if it was a lot expect mud and patches of snow. The best times to go hiking is in late May or early June for Southern Colorado, and late June to early July for hiking in Northern Colorado. If you can only come in February then you will have to face more challenges. One really good place for hiking, especially backpacking is in Silverthorne, Colorado. It is called Eagles Nest Wilderness. It goes very far so you can hike short distances or long ones. If you do get the opportunity to go there then bring something to fish with. When I went up there we hiked to Willow Lake and stayed the night. The other people staying there caught a fish with no bait and no hook. Just a string and a clothespin. So little people go up there that the fish don't get scared very easily and there are a TON of them. Good luck with your trip into CO! ^_^
Fantastic Video, Never heard of the Trail up until I started reading Bryson’s ‘A Walk in the Woods’
Sounds a fantastic place and thanks to you I can now put the images to the words. Would love one day to head over to the US and try this trail myself.
Congrats.
wots the half gallon challenge
I have used both Vasque and Zamberlan and although I prefer the Zamberlans both were great.
The Half Gallon Challenge is to eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting.
I believe most of the lower trails in the Olympic National Park are open. The Storm King starting point west of Port Angeles has multiple trails starting there (including the easy 30 minute Marymere Falls trail), and it takes less than 2 hours to reach from Seattle via ferry from Seattle or Edmonds and drive across Hood Canal Bridge and through Sequim and Port Angeles).
Nice video – congratulations on completing your thru-hike. looks like you lost some weight on your hike!
I suggest you search for Girl Scout recipes. There are several web sites that provide an abundance of recipes for outdoor use.
I like gorp. It used to be made of Post Sugar Crisp, M&Ms, and peanuts. It's an energy snack. One has to be careful today with the various allergies children have.
Dried fruit "chips" (slices) are fun to make and easy to carry and eat. Banana, apricot, apple, peach, all make good chips. Banana and apple are the least messy.
Awesome video AND you made it to WV!
Depends on how much you want to spend. Sounds like she might need a good pair of hiking boots or hiking lowrise shoes.
If your on a lower budget make a gift "basket" w/ a backpack a water bottle, snacks high in protein to keep her going, maybe a book about local trails, and a new t-shirt or something.
If all else fails a gift card to your local outdoors store or a season pass to your state park where she goes hiking is always good.
Good Luck Happy mothers day!
If your work boots are broken in and comfortable, go with them! Newer boots may not conform to your feet comfortably, and the trail is NOT the place to find out!
Good luck!
If you're not walking on trails w /heavy packs then hiking boots are the wrong boots and there are some in the hiking community that think that traditional hiking boots may even be the wrong boots for that.
So what willl you be walking on ?
Mail drops are prepared meal packets in about a weeks worth increments. You have someone mail them to you and pick them up at post offices. Within is you food for about a week. That’s how Old Goat did it.
I have a pair of New Balance All Terrain running shoes that are great for that. They are not so good for intense running on treadmills or pavement however. Good luck and Happy Trails
looks like a heck of a trip