Thanks to Druclimb

After releasing the first section of Beginner’s guide to approach hiking, I’ve send it to some of the best hiking experts that have an active blog.

Here you are what they replied me…nothing else

Jon’s reply:

The posting looks pretty good to me. I’m not really a hiking expert so I haven’t got a lot to offer in terms of questions. I did see a comment about swollen hands when hiking. This happens to runners too and it seems to be related to dehydration and low electrolytes. Proper hydration and electrolyte intake may help hikers too.

Rick’s reply:

In North America we …

+ Never take “tinned” food
+ Never take jeans

About 30% of hikers here have given up on boots. (Including me.) Instead we wear walking shoes, sometimes called Approach Shoes or trail runners.

Other than that, it looks good.

You could add a question something like, How do I reduce the weight of my pack?

Possibly, …

Should I day hike, or do a multi-day hike? It takes much more experience, gear and pack weight to multi-day. Beginners should start with day hikes. Or base camp day hikes.

Rick writes for the blog http://www.besthike.com/blog

Olga’s reply:

That’s a great post - you provided a lot of good information! I don’t think I could add anything other than woman might want to be sure to wear a supportive bra or a sports bra to keep “things” under control!

You can follow Olga here http://olgathetravelingbra.blogspot.com

Sara’s reply:

The post is really good. You might want to add something about dealing with wild animals (bear, wolf, cougar, etc.).

Cheers to a great new year!

You can read her website http://www.saraost.com

Wade’s reply:

That’s an excellent resource! The only thing I can think of (it’s actually pretty complete as far as I can tell) would be tips on winter hiking. Things like the “cotton kills” axiom, and maybe some suggestions on rain gear? Either way, I’d love to post about your list and put up a link on the great outsmores if that’s OK with you.

Wade write for the blog http://outdoorsblogger.com

Chris reply:

Here are some ideas for your post; you can decide if they are valuable or not:

Calories burned: how many miles can I hike — for both of these questions the answer varies a great deal depending on the pitch and the surface. People have to be much more conservative in their estimates of how long it takes if they are ascending hills or mountains, or if the trail surface is really rugged.

Here in the Northwest we sometimes hike in rock slides and streambeds, which take FOREVER to get through… it can take an hour to go half a mile. To me this is important, because people should not expect to be home before dark assuming they can cover 3 miles per hour in all terrain.

Drinking water: another tip for all endurance sports is to start drinking more water 2 or 3 days before a long hike or long trip. Hydrating only on the day of the trip is not as effective.

Shewee! Ha! In the US, women just duck behind a tree.

Knee injuries: This I have experience with. Use spring-loaded hiking poles! By incorporating your arms you can take a lot of pressure off your knees. This is important in the mountains (but not very important on flat hikes). I once hiked for four days with poles, carrying a huge pack (50 pounds), and just a few months after knee surgery. I was fine because of the poles.

Mosquitoes: in the US, our mosquitoes are effectively deterred by any repellent that contains DEET. Other repellents do not work. Another tip: keep moving!

Shorts or jeans? Here we say: cotton kills! Jeans absorb water too easily and don’t keep you warm. Better to wear shorts, and if it’s cold, wear nylon leggings (bottom long-underwear) under the shorts. Also, fleece pants are very warm and dry. Jeans would only be OK for short hikes in dry weather, although I would never wear them. Over here, we don’t have many days when it’s certain to be dry in the mountains.

What you must bring: In the US we call this the Ten Essentials. You can find them here from Wikipedia

Boots: you say when they are broken — you mean, broken IN!

Hot drinks: now there are special mugs with small heaters attached. Not essential, but in cold weather this is a great way to stay warm.

Rattlesnakes: always keep your eyes and ears open. They are easy to see or hear, as long as you are paying attention. I’ve only ever seen them heading in the other direction, they don’t want to deal with us.

[Ah, I see you have a section on hiking poles. Good stuff.]

Good luck Enrico!

Chris writes for the blog http://www.podiumcafe.com

Chris Townsend’s reply:

It’s difficult for me to answer your query as much of your answers to the questions are opinions, some of which I agree with and some of which I don’t. For example I don’t wear two pairs of socks, which I find uncomfortable and can lead to blisters. However that’s not to say that two pairs aren’t right for some people.

Blisters are caused by poorly fitting footwear so anyone prone to blisters should first check the fit of their footwear. I cover this in detail in my Backpacker’s Handbook and you can also find a piece by me on the web here.

With regard to water I only drink half a litre or more an hour in extremely hot weather. Most days out I don’t drink more than a litre while walking, and maybe half a litre before the walk. Again, everyone is different here. I don’t think the “how to purify water” solar still is much use as it involves materials unlikely to be carried on a walk and anyway would only work in sunny weather.

It certainly wouldn’t be any use here in Scotland most of the year! Mind you, I don’t treat water in the hills here but drink straight from streams. For emergency purification drops or tablets like Aqua Mira or iodine are best.

With regard to the distance people can walk I think it’s worth mentioning type of terrain, amount of ascent and weight carried as these all make a difference. Some people can walk at 4mph on the flat.

Trekking poles can help take the strain off the knees and properly fitting footwear with supportive footbeds are important. “Comfortable” footwear can still be bad for your feet, ankles and knees.

Food for a multi-day hike - I would never carry cans, they are just too heavy. Dehydrated foods in packets are far better. There’s no need for more fat - carbohydrate is what speeds you along the trail - and simple sugars give an energy rush followed by a slump - I’d suggest complex carbohydrates instead.

What’s best shorts or jeans? Jeans are generally never recommended as being cotton they are cold when wet and take ages to dry. Synthetic or cotton/synthetic hiking trousers are much better.

Your well known brands of boots presumably applies to Italy. Only Hi-Tec are a big name in the UK. Here you’d list Scarpa, Brasher, Meindl, Zamberlan, Berghaus, Contour, Karrimor, Inov8 and others before the ones you list.

How to stay warm at night - in cold weather I often sleep with my mouth and nose inside the sleeping bag. I never sleep in a hat.

Rattlesnakes can be found on trails! I’ve gone off trail at times to avoid them.

I could write much more. Overall I’d suggest researching some of your answers more and making it clear when you’re stating a fact and when an opinion. You have a great many questions here - the answers could take up a book!

Good luck with your posts.

Best wishes, Chris http://www.christownsendoutdoors.co.uk

Venture tree reply:

Thanks again for keeping in touch. I read your QA on hiking and could not think of anything to add to your blog. I looks like you covered pretty much most of the essential information for hiking and backpacking. Great Job, by the way! The only thing that I could think of adding is a map and compass QA. maybe some info about map reading would be helpful.

Let me know if this helps!

Venturetree Team Nashville TN http://venturetree.blogspot.com

Jamie’s reply:

Sorry to get back to you so late, but I found this post to be very informative about an activity that I truly enjoy…trekking!

Weight Distribution: The only things that I can comment on, or have something to add, is with packing your pack’ and ‘training’. I took a class in university on trekking (believe it or not!) and I found the advice very helpful about packing, with great emphasis on even weight distribution, with the ‘base’ of the weight as low as possible, as when something heavy, say, a stove, or fuel, is higher in the pack, it creates pressure, or strains the back.

Itinerary and Water…..2 Essentials: Also, when organizing a hike, at least in North America, it’s always a good idea to leave an itinerary with friends. So, if somethings goes awry, it won’t go unnoticed. I try to make sure I have a water source mapped out, as well as packed water in advance, when trekking in arid regions, such as the American Southwest (Arches National Park, for example). Or, when traveling in pairs, one person would carry tent,food,stove, etc….while the other person carried 2-3 gallons of water.

Layering Clothing: I’ve found from personal experience, that it is best to layer clothing, limiting clothes to those which allow your body to ‘breathe’. Neoprene, thermal long underwear as a base, used with a ’shell’ gore-tex jacket for inclement weather, such as rain or snow. I save space by packing two pairs of socks, a heavy and light pair, using them as gloves as well. I usually skimp on clothing if I am making a longer, multi-day trek, saving space for more food! Another thing, try to avoid cotton shirts, as they absorb moisture, and are less than ideal in winter conditions.

Well, that’s about it!. On a personal note, I’m moving to Bulgaria sometime next year, and cannot wait to go trekking in Europe. I’ve done a great deal of trekking already in ‘the Americas’….Keep up the good work with your blog!! All the best, Jamie

You can read more on Jamie’s blog http://fublitz.blogspot.com

Bryan’s reply:

I’m reading through the post, but I thought I’d offer a few suggestions.

The video on the solar still may be particularly useful in a survival situation, but I always carry a water filter/purifier while backpacking. For day hikes I might carry it too, but if not, I always carry purification tablets like iodine for emergencies.

I would add to the question on avoiding knee injuries this bullet point. Consider using trekking poles. This will ease the impact on your knees.

I would add to the question on avoiding blisters Stop once in a while and remove your boots and socks. This will help your feet air out as well as give you an opportunity to notice any hot spots where a blister may soon form.

That’s all I can think of at the moment. I’m sure there’s more and I’ll review it again tomorrow.

Bryan Young

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