Leisure and Hobbies

You wouldn’t naturally think so, but selecting socks is even harder than buying boots.

Hiking. Ever tried it? Maybe you have visions of dusty trails on steep slopes. Or, possibly you think it’s an experience filled with just insect bites, blisters and sore legs. Sounds pretty unpleasant, doesn’t it?

GPS is an acronym standing for Global Positioning System. Though there are lots of components, the essential parts are a series of satellites and the units people carry.

There are times while hiking when it’s a good idea to be able to fall back on traditional navigation techniques.

The old-fashioned practice of using a compass is rapidly giving way to GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation. But, compasses are still often cheaper and it’s a good idea for hikers to be familiar with how to use one.

Even experienced hikers will rely on maps or GPS units to navigate along trails and through wilderness areas.

Hiking over ordinary terrain requires being able to keep up a steady pace for several hours, with short rest breaks (10 min or so) in between once per hour.

Hiking is not exactly like walking in the park. Gravel and soft dirt, hills, creeks and other natural features make maintaining a good rhythm over a long distance a real challenge.

Hiking sounds like, to use a very old phrase, a cakewalk - something easy. You lace up some boots, slip on some shorts and a shirt and you’re on your way. What could be easier?

Getting lost is among the top potential problems for beginning hikers.

One of the first things someone new to hiking should do is get in shape. That’s especially true if you’ve been sitting on the couch for the last few months or more.

One of the best investments a hiker can ever make is in the selection of good boots.

Blisters are caused by friction between your skin and your sock, and hence from the wall of your hiking boot. Even the best socks and boots will still allow some slippage of your foot inside. That leaves open the possibility of painful friction.

People who live in urban environments sometimes seem to forget why they came to a wilderness area to hike: peace and quiet, and great scenery. To enjoy that themselves, and to allow others to, hikers generally adopt a few common sense guidelines.

Once you’ve achieved some basic fitness as preparations for a good hike, there are a few other things that will help you get completely ready.

Hiking isn’t typically dangerous. Much more often it’s a great pleasure, even an adventure. But you’re outside, sometimes far from ‘civilization’ and you can get injured or worse. It pays to heed some common sense safety tips.

Millions of hikers travel along wilderness paths every year, enjoying the experience without injury. But, unfortunately, accidents do happen. A little knowledge can help quell the panic and reduce the seriousness of most of them.

There are as many backpacks on the market today as there are trails to use them on. They come in all sizes and colors, in a range of materials and with enough add-on extras to satisfy the most demanding gadget freak.

There are so many choices available for backpacks today that before looking at the details it can be helpful to get a general view.

Three of the more valuable skills hikers can learn are CPR (Cardio-pulminary Resuscitation), executing the Heimlich maneuver and dealing with fractures.