Posts tagged hiking
Instead of taking a bearing the "official" way, why not just see what degree mark corresponds to on the direction I want to go (in real life or on a map), and follow that degree mark? That is, why ...
I've heard various rumors that dogs might help keep bears away, or might be a bear attractant. Is there anything more concrete than anecdotal evidence to go on? From the companionship end, they ar...
I'm not used to multi-day hikes, and soon I will be going on a 5 day hike and I thought it would be a good idea to carry a folding knife this time just to be on the safe side. I won't be needing it...
I have pretty much always worn 100% cotton shirts when hiking but I have been reading more and more about the amazing "wicking" properties of other fabrics. Is there one that will keep me cooler ...
If you want to walk on a glacier you usually do this roped together as a team. How to walk as a roped party on a glacier? What I have to pay attention to when knotting the rope? Related ques...
A quick search online shows there are dozens of different types of hiking socks, with different materials, thicknesses, and properties. In general, what should you look for when shopping for hiking...
I'm curious what the differences are between alpaca wool and merino wool. Say for hiking in hot weather and cold weather, using socks and base layers. I'm especially interested in the durability ...
My wife and I are going to buy some hiking boots as we've been using regular tennis shoes anytime we go on a hike. What are the things I need to keep in mind when looking for a good set of quality...
I'm on holiday near Sechelt right now, and have been hiking the trails and powerline right of ways. On several occasions I've come to the end of one trail, and can see the start again on the other...
The original Timberland classic 6-inch boots were made 40 years ago for the cold, wet and mountainous terrain of New England. They were innovative footwear for their time, but now have become mostl...
Does anyone have a recommendation for a mountain hike to catch the sunrise and is within driving distance of Vancouver, BC, (< 2 hours)? What are winter conditions like?
Because of illness in my family, I cannot travel far from home for awhile, and have to be able to return quickly if necessary. However, I will be in Boston at the end of February visiting MIT and ...
Which natural (non-synthetic) fabrics are good for hiking winter weather? I know cotton will generally trap moisture and invite hypothermia, while wool is warm but heavy. What other natural fabri...
Questions like these two have made me wonder about my own answer in the first linked question. I have to admit, I haven't 'tested' the kits I put together. I have some wilderness survival trainin...
This question is prompted by a real accident, in which a young, healthy and experienced hiker I knew was found dead from hypothermia ridiculously close to civilization. The assumptions behind it:...
I am looking for a December time vacation destination in USA. A meadow type terrain. Somehow flat vast lush and green area and if possibly has wild flowers and rivers around that'd be ideal. Does a...
I want to go hiking in Sweden this summer with a few friends (forming a group of about 5-7 people) for one or two weeks. The goals we targeted were mainly Kungsleden and Sarek. While a hike on Kung...
Is there a general rule of thumb for converting miles to hours when looking at a potential hike? For example, how long does it take an average person walking at an average speed to walk a mile on t...
I have some walking poles that have not been used for some time. They have become stuck. How do I unlock the sticks which have not been used in a while?
I never seem to find the perfect way to dress for sweat inducing activities in cold weather. By sweat inducing activities I mean mostly activities in the mountains, especially hiking uphill or ski ...
I just relocated from north Germany into the south of Germany. Last weekend I went hiking for the first time and visited the top of a hill close to Heidelberg. It was spontaneous and I was fascina...
When you find large trash items left by others in less accessible places, what should be done? The exact scenario: We were hiking a ten mile trail on US Forestry Service land with river crossings ...
I am considering a thru-hike next summer of the Continental Divide Trail. What is a reasonable budget for covering the time from starting to finishing the hike? This question has an answer for th...
I'm going to be hiking for the first time, and it's going to be in a woody mountain in the backcountry, and I'd like to have some to-dos, not-to-dos, must-carries, and what precautions I should tak...
I'm toying with the idea of collecting water from tree leaf transpiration, while hiking: Obviously, vegetation with larger leaf surface area (and certain types) would be better than others. But...
I've heard of single track hiking/biking trails being "groomed" before to keep them in good condition for users. The use of shovels, rakes, and possibly chainsaws to keep the trails free of debris...
Small warning: This question comes from a germophobe point of view, so please keep this in mind while giving an answer. I love hiking, but I'm worried of what kind of germs (read virus, bacteria a...
I'd like to start identifying trees in my area as a project with my kids while we are hiking. What is best for tree identification? Is it a good color book such as the Audubon Field Guide to Nor...
I'v been told that walking with a heavy foot-fall will deter snakes. Is this really true?
My wife and I just moved to Buena Vista, CO and want to know how necessary it is to have an SUV with AWD to get to trailheads. We’d prefer a sedan or hatchback for better fuel efficiency, but don’t...
Generally, I'm more used to methods described here for the US. Our task this past weekend was to use dots to remark a trail, but the method of placement was opposite to what I'm used to: the dots ...
My question is prompted by the answer of @Aaron to this question; his answer referenced Geraldine's Largay's death on the Appalachian Trail. Ms. Largay was hiking alone on the AT in Maine. She g...
I have more than a decade of experience in outdoor recreation, environmental education, and backpacking. I am now thinking about starting a small business offering backpacking guide service to peop...
My old boots are dying. Sadly it took me quite some time to find them, and the particular brand is not made anymore. I have wide feet, like 4E wide, but some 2E boots will fit fine. Unfortunatel...
I enjoy hiking, but I'm not very well-versed with the general expectations other people have about noise, especially serious hikers. I generally do trails that take between 3-6 hours, usually up hi...
Roughly 10 years ago I hiked up Lassen Peak in Northern California, and there was a huge (hundreds of thousands) butterfly migration going right over the top of the peak around this time of year. I...
Everesting is an activity where the goal is altitude gain of 8848 m or more by repeatedly going up and down a selected route. This is most often attempted by biking; however, hiking/running is pra...
While Planning a hike in Western Ghats, India by studying Satellite Images, I came through various identifications for a forest area like National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, etc. On studying furthe...
Is there a formula which can be used (I'm thinking one that gives amount of water needed factoring in time or distance covered and temperature) to roughly work out the amount of water that needs to...
If a trail is listed as 1500m of elevation change, what exactly does that mean? For example, if the trail goes up 500m, then down 200m, then up 100m, then down 300m, then up 400m, is that consider...
This year beginning of May 2018 we with my friend visited Valle Grande in Italian Alps. Begging from 1500 meters there was snow, on the high of 1900m there was pretty deep snow and it was actively ...
Hiking on the west coast of British Columbia, there are likely to be cougars around the trails. What do you do if you see one?
My rucksack has a small pocket on the hip belt, but I can’t think of anything useful to keep in it while day hiking. What types of things is such a pocket intended for? If there is no common purpos...
For some reason I have had multiple encounters with mountain lions. In my 20's while camping in a somewhat remote campground near the continental divide in CO I woke to a large mountain lion layin...
I'm looking for hiking trails in Zion National Park in Utah, USA. Here are the criteria: 5-8 miles Moderate skill level (prefer not too easy, but not too strenuous) Prefer no more than 2000 feet...
I saw an article about the Long Trail, a 272-mile trail through the Green Mountain range in Vermont, USA. It's famous for being the oldest hiking trail in the United States, having been built betw...
I was hiking in Switzerland yesterday and came across a small river which holds very little water on most days (or even none) and grows a lot after rainfall. The day before yesterday it rained for ...
We are a couple (34,38) looking for a three days hike in Chamonix area. We are interested in a hut-to-hut hike, thought about Vanoise national park or Mont Blanc area, looking for something of medi...
At a local park I've seen hiking/mountain biking trails marked with a green circle, blue square, or black diamond representing easy, intermediate, and hard trails. I've only ever seen this while h...
We will be in Peru visiting Machu Pichu (altitude 7,972 ft or 2,430 m). Then we'll go down to the jungle (essentially sea level) for 4 days and then to Cuzco (altitude 11,152 feet or 3,399 meters)....
