TrailFun

Hiking is a particular sport which can require great stamina and physical fitness or can be just a gentle stroll. Hiking and trekking somewhat come together and can be described as outdoor exercises of same level. Here we will describe what is hiking as well as other useful tips and information which will help hikers.

Hiking basically can be described as walking leisurely on different terrains, whether mountainous, plain or various light rocky regions. Hiking is nowadays becoming very popular light sport with people of different ages since it allows them to increase their overall stamina. This type of outdoor exercise is quite convenient and economical as it requires no exercise machinery or equipment. A hiker just needs to walk according to his stamina. You can plan hiking trips while on vacations or weekends with your friends or family members who are also keen of hiking. Depending on the vacation time people have, they should plan trips of hiking and camping accordingly. Hikers need to plan their trip carefully as they need to keep in mind the weather conditions of the area in which they are interested in hiking. They should also consider the time they need to manage their hiking trip. Hiking is a major part of camping, mountaineering, navigation skills, rock climbing and many other extreme outdoor sports.

All these sports require you to be physically and mentally fit. There are various stages where you have to show maximum endurance, concentration and strength. When you are going for hiking with a group of different people, there can be different issues. These issues can be due to lack of coordination, lack of motivation or in some cases might be due to poor planning. If you are going for a hiking trip for the first time, you need to take an experienced hiker along with you so that he can serve as a guide. Most of the people who go for hiking trips are basically fond of nature or are keen about their physical fitness and well being. When people plan a camping trip, they not only want to experience the outdoor life but also want to explore nature. It is also an escape from the hectic daily routine which enables you to relax your mind and work out freely.

Hiking is an economical way of doing exercise which is extremely beneficial for your health. You can manage the time of hiking yourself and chalk out the exact time of exercising by determining the time period for which you were involved in hiking. Hiking adventure provides unique opportunity to explore different aspects of nature. You can plan hiking plus camping trips to visit different beautiful places. You can even discover different animals, birds, plants and flowers during your trip. You can plan a hiking trip in any attractive mountainous region, an island, a forest, a desert, particular beach or any other significant terrain.

Hiking is a sport which will enable you to learn a lot. It will give you information on different natural elements, fitness, camping basics and much more. You can plan the hiking trip in any season of your interest or desire. It is a great way of relaxing and taking some time out of your strenuous routine. It offers great opportunity to experience benefits of physical fitness and camping outdoors. Once you take part in a hiking activity you will feel refreshed. Through hiking you are able to explore new dimensions of life and can experience extreme fun, adventure and thrill all together.

See more great information on hiking, packbacking and trekking including How to choose Hiking Trails

Hiking gear includes things which are used when we go hiking. It mainly includes tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp furniture, cookware, headlamps, hiking poles, flashlights, clothing, boots, stoves, insect repellents, and coolers, besides many other things.

Hiking gear provides safety, convenience, and comfort. All the aforementioned hiking gear helps us in having a safe and comfortable trip. Some popular brands include Big Agnes, Black Diamond, Mountain Hardware, Sierra Designs, the North Face, GoLite, Gregory, Mountainsmith, Kelty, Marmot, REI, and much more. However, it is important to choose the right gear. Hiking gear is available in different types, colors, materials, designs, and makes, among other things.

A classic hiking boot is a must for all hikers. It helps protect the feet from getting blisters and sores. Depending upon our excursion, we can either choose a trail-walking boot or a heavy hiking boot. Clothing forms an important part of hiking gear too. Synthetic blend materials are always preferred over other materials, as they keep dry by evaporating perspiration. Brands like PowerDry, Coolmax Apparel, and Airtek make good-quality shirts.

Additional safety is also provided by hiking poles, which make hiking on slippery surfaces easy. Whistles are also important in case you get lost. Durable tents are required by all hikers for protection as well as comfort. Sleeping bags are needed by hikers too. While goose down is more durable, synthetic is cheaper and easier to maintain.

Companies which provide hiking gear supplies include Hiking and Backpacking, Altrec, REI, Patagonia, Campmor, Campready, Great Outdoor Depot, Northern Mountain Supply, Bent Gear, Just Hike, and The Camping Gear. Playing an indispensable role in our lives, hiking gear is a must for all hikers and adventure lovers.

Hiking Gear provides detailed information on Hiking Gear, Camping And Hiking Gear, Discount Hiking Gear, Hiking Gear Supplies and more. Hiking Gear is affiliated with Ice Climbing Gear.

Imagine this. You’re stuck at home for home in kneetasks. Your mind wanders to take out the garbage for hikingin a scenic trail with land of heart’s pumping. You’re an avidWalker and crave strap your hiking gear and hit the trails.Unfortunately, a hiking trail is not in the cards for adventureyou today, but you can find the next best thing by loggingyour computer.

The Internet is full of interesting sites dedicated tooutdoor sports and hiking. Many hiking sites are packed withinformation about arts, trails and hiking holidays.However, you want more information then just basic. You want toto connect with other hikers. You’re hungry for moreinformation, experiences and friendship of other hikers.Hiking search discussion boards and forums on theInternet. You can swap stories of hiking with friends from all over theglobe. Forums and discussion boards allow you to go hikingquestions and receiving many insightful answers and perspectives.More importantly, you will feel a part of the community walkeven when you are unable to do so to the trails.

There are a multitude of hiking discussion boards and forums forparticipating. New forums arise every day more and morepeople connect to the Internet global community. SomeDiscussion boards and forums are free, while others require asmall fee. The key is to leverage the customforums and learn with fellow walkers. Often you’ll hearthe story of true about hiking gear, trails and vacations.

For example, you are interested in doing a hiking tripWest. Verified through different sites for you veinformation, but you want an insider’s Guide to the journey. Readingthrough discussion forums as many members of the Forum can provide aunbiased account of his trip unlike a walkadvertisement that portrays the hiking holidays as spectacular.The story of true cannot always be negative, in fact, can bebetter then complain about ads. You can also gather tips fromthe discussion board to do their hiking adventure the best itcan be.

The following are two hiking message boards to get you started.

Mountain Zone.com:

http://forums.mountainzone.com/mz_tools/Forum/ Thisintensive site information about hiking and other outdoorSports has a great discussion. The two main themes ofdiscussion board are hiking and arts. If you go for hikingForum you will find topics ranging from snowboarding towalking trails. You have permission to post a message to the platesAfter you create a free user name and password.

Trailplace.com:

[http://trailplace.com/portal/forum_display.php?id=6] This is aAppalachian Trail site features. Discuss everything you need to you llWhen hiking the trail. They also provide a forum for hiking inGeneral. The message boards are frequently used and provideyou with ample information.

You can still feel connected to the world of hiking, even when youis sitting in his living room. Keep up to date onNews of hiking, trails and arts. The Internet brings walkersall regions of the world together. Join in the fun and logonfor your computer now.

Monica Marty is a fan of hiking and http://hikingtrailfinder.com/ webmaster of where you will find a directory and information on hiking

How do you put a five-month hike into a trip report of a few pages? Most of my daily journal entries are about a page each. That is the main reason it has taken me so long to get around to writing this – it seemed like an overwhelming task. So I will mostly hit a few highlights and share some thoughts and feelings.

Why would anyone want to spend five months walking from Mexico to Canada? Most thru-hikers get asked that question over and over. It’s like asking a mountain climber, why do you climb mountains. For me it started when I was active in the singles group of my church in Manhattan Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles. Jason, one of the class members, started leading monthly hikes for the group, usually in the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, just north of Los Angeles. I was already mountain biking, roller blading, and rock climbing; and enjoyed the mountains and the other group activities, so became a regular on the hikes as well. This was the start of my love of hiking. Jason also organized a few camping trips and backpacking trips, including to the Grand Canyon. I had been brought up camping but had never done any backpacking before. One trip and I was hooked on that too.

On many of the hikes in the Angeles National Forest, we would see signs for, and hike on part of the Pacific Crest Trail. When I found out that it went from Mexico to Canada I thought that would be something fun to do someday. In the years that followed, I joined an adventure racing club and the outdoor activities progressed to longer, harder and more frequent. In the summer of 2002 I went to Peru on a two-week hiking mission trip. That turned into a three-year stint the following year. In 2005, knowing that my term would be up in January of 2006, I started making plans to thru-hike the PCT. The timing all came together, no job, no mortgage or other expenses, and some money in the bank from selling my house when I went to Peru.

I started my hike on April 28 at the Mexican border. I was trying to finish in four months and I had already purchased my return ticket to Peru based on that schedule. The first week went well, and then I started getting blisters. I was also hiker faster than most of the others so I was passing a lot of people but not spending much time with them, and wasn’t making any friendships with other hikers. After two weeks I had to take a few days off to let the blisters heal. I also realized that I needed to slow down and spend time with other hikers if I wanted to make friendships, which was one of my goals for the hike. After leaving Big Bear, CA, I did slow down and started hiking with four other people. Two of them were section hiking and one had to stop due to injury, but I hiked with go-Big, the other one, most of the way to the Oregon border.

The desert areas of Southern California were hard; I told myself then that I never wanted to hike them again. We had to constantly be aware of where our next water source would be, and many times carried three to four liters of water. And yet they had their own beauty, they didn’t last forever, and they provided bonding experiences. They were also broken up with the snowy mountains and beautiful trees. The town stops were frequent and gave us time to relax with other hikers as well.

Just after we started the High Sierra, we met Swiss Miss and Pang. I hiked together with them the rest of the way to Canada. Along the way, I spend varying amounts of time with other hikers as well. A group of 12 of us left Yosemite together – The Dirty Dozen! Half of us were from the U.S. and half were from other countries, so it became a very international experience. Each of us had strengths and weakness, and we learned to work together as a team, and to help and depend on each other. My greatest fear before starting the hike was crossing the rapid flowing, icy cold rivers. They turned out to not be as terrible as I had expected. We had a few close calls and some struggles, but the teamwork was amazing and we did it together.

We entered the Sierra Nevada on June 11, in a very heavy snow year, so we spent about a month hiking through snow, sometimes only getting down below snow level in the evening to camp. I had very little experience hiking in deep snow, and no experience navigating when the trail was covered with snow most of the day. Mostly we did it with map and compass but we did use a GPS some to pinpoint the trail location, and to confirm which was the right pass a few times. I had crampons at the beginning of the Sierras but soon lost them off the back of my pack before I ever used them. One thing we didn’t have to worry about was water. We got spoiled by only having to carry a liter or two of water. We often drank directly from springs and the snow melt streams, without bothering to treat the water.

We carried ice axes but after the first couple of passes, they were used mostly for digging cat holes. The sun cups were one of the biggest problems, along with post holing in the soft snow in the afternoons. Almost everyone used trail running shoes, except the Europeans who wore mountaineering boots. We had wet feet the whole way through the Sierras from the snow and river crossings, and much of Washington from the rain and new snow, but surprisingly it wasn’t much of a problem. We did get tired of the snow and needing to be constantly on the search for the trail. I would like to go back and hike the John Muir Trail (most of which is the same as the PCT) in the fall, when you can actually walk on the trail.

You realize how long California is when you hike the whole way, it took three months and one week to reach Oregon, but I never got tired of the continually changing and always beautiful scenery. From Mt. Shasta on we had numerous forest fires, causing hazy skies, beautiful sunsets, and closed trails and detours. For the last month we weren’t sure we would be able to finish the trail at Manning Park. We did have to skip a section in Oregon due to fires, but the final section before the Canadian border reopened just before we got there. Unlike some just ahead of us, we were able to finish at the official terminating point, and get our pictures at the border monument. That is the thru-hiker’s “summit” moment, similar to when a mountaineer reaches the top of the mountain.

Oregon was only three weeks and Washington took four weeks, and then it was all over, except for the very emotional goodbyes. Unlike the mountaineer, who still has to get down the mountain after the summit, the hike ended on an emotional high, with nowhere to go, no descend time to unwind. We spent a couple of days there, not wanting to say goodbye and go home. It’s hard to describe the feeling of watching the mountain peak landmarks pass below on the flight back to L.A, five months going by in fast reverse in a couple of hours! And then came trying to go back to a “normal” life, when our main concerns for so long were just walking, eating and sleeping. Now we were home, at least our bodies were, but our minds keep wandering back to the trail.

Many people have commented on it as being “The trip of a lifetime”. I understand what they mean but I have a problem with that. There is a common disease that affects many long distance thru-hikers. I have the disease and there is no cure. It is only alleviated to some degree by going on another long hike. When and where I don’t know, but I’m sure it will happen. It’s been 11 months since I finished the hike and I can still spend hours looking through some of the thousands of photos, or watching someone’s slide show, and every time I do, I wish I could grab my backpack and head back to the trail. Just writing this and thinking about it causes me to get emotional and longing for the “simple” life on the trail. Of course like most difficult, but rewarding experiences, it’s easy to forget the hard times and only remember the good.

From the Mexican border to Manning Park, British Columbia, Canada, took 151 days. It was an experience I will never forget. God showed me His faithfulness and provision every step of the way. The friendships made on the hike are very special, the shared experiences of the joys, hardships and dangers of the trail made for deep and lasting bonds. I could not have completed the hike without the help of many of those I spent a lot of time hiking with. Others added a rich dimension to the experience and made it a delight, even through the difficult times. I give thanks to God first, and then to each one that He provided to make the hike such a wonderful experience.

If you would like to see a photo album of the hike, there is one available at Summit Post, please click on the following link:

http://www.summitpost.org/album/288745/Pacific-Crest-Trail.html

Vic Hanson is the founder of Adventure Cotahuasi Tours, which offers pre-planned and custom adventure travel tours in Cotahuasi Canyon and other areas of Peru. If you are interested in your own adventure in Peru, check us out! [http://www.adventurecotahuasi.com]

Finding the best hiking socks for your wants are equally as important as finding the right hiking boots. Still if you have the right boot, having the wrong sock can hurt your feet. When purchasing socks, be sure that they fit snugly on your feet with not any bunching or creases. You’ll find a variety of styles and materials to choose from. Be sure that you decide on the best hiking socks which suit your type of hike.

When choosing the best hiking socks, keep these points in mind:

Sock Fabric:

Cotton: Under no circumstances appropriate for any hikes, specifically carrying a backpack. Cotton doesn’t wick (being able to “pull” wetness away from the skin) incredibly effectively and provides no warmth when moist. It also dries incredibly slowly. Wool: A terrific natural fiber. It has a lot of cushion, warmth capabilities and will even make you warm after becoming damp. Difficulties with wool consist of itchiness next to your skin and the drying time after getting wet may be long. New wool blends are popular simply because they handle many of the unfavorable characteristics of 100% wool socks. Artificial Fabrics: There are many socks on the market that offer the identical advantages of wool without the hassles. They also offer wicking functionality. Other benefits consist of being gentler compared to wool and drying out time is significantly quicker. They are also more durable than wool. Silk: A great organic fabric that helps retain warmth. It is lightweight and pleasant, but not as tough as the synthetic fabrics.

Hiking Sock Varieties:

Liners: These are quite lightweight socks and are designed to be worn inside a thicker exterior sock. They provide wicking capabilities and another layer to help prevent blisters by decreasing friction. Lightweight: Used for warmer, shorter hikes. They offer some warmth yet foster comfort and wicking. Mid-Weight: Warmer and with more support than the lightweight sock. Commonly used with a liner on colder hikes. Heavy-Weight: Employed for lengthy multi-day hikes. They’re the thickest, warmest socks on the market and are ordinarily used for colder hikes and tougher terrain. They provide the most cushioning of all the types. Highly recommended if you have a weighty backpack.

Numerous socks made today are created with contemporary artificial fabrics which enable the sock to keep its shape, as well as, provide extra cushioning in places which carry the brunt of the force throughout the hike. With the benefit from of these fabrics, socks are providing more protection for your foot and proving to be more long lasting.

When putting on your socks on your hike, be sure that all creases are gotten rid of before donning your boot. Any parts where bunching occurs can cause hot spots on your feet which can lead to blisters.

Picking the best hiking socks for the hike is really a question of personal choice. Some individuals like to always hike using a liner and a thicker sock on top, while others prefer two thick socks. If you ask ten different people their sock preference, I bet you are going to receive twelve different answers. Experiment with your sock selection and find the one or a variety of that satisfy your needs and are comfortable.

Also remember that whenever choosing new hiking boots, use the socks which you will be hiking with to try them on. You need to duplicate the exact factors on the trail.

Hiking with the right socks can be the basis of a great excursion.

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