Hiking with Troop 278:

Hiking - just like walking right? Who needs help with that?

Well if you are hiking long distances or are hiking carrying a heavy load - how you walk can make a major difference to how good you feel.

On flat even terrain there is not much to learn about walking - but wearing lightweight walking boots or shoes can make it seem like a much shorter hike. It is generally recognized that heavy boots wear you out faster. Every extra ounce your shoes weigh is equivalent to about 8 ounces (half a Lb!) carried on your back. Since our weather in Arizona is typically dry & hot - lightweight breathable hiking boots or shoes are a very reasonable and effective choice for lightweight hiking.

Somewhat heavier duty boots may still be needed for very wet or cold areas or for heavy backpacking.     

Many of the trails we hike have major steep sections like the hike down to and back out of Fossil Creek - with 1400 feet of net elevation change. There is no way around the fact that elevation change saps your energy. You are basically lifting your bodyweight and your pack weight up every one of those 1400 feet. So what options do you have:

- Reduce the weight of your pack: (Weight Planning)
  By getting a lightweight pack, getting lightweight gear and carrying only what you really need.
  Make sure you carry enough water but don't carry way too much, know where you can re-supply & make sure your food is lightweight

- Reduce your body-weight:
  Any extra pounds of fat you have on your body is also extra weight you are carrying 

- Reduce the weight of your boots (an amplified benefit as above)

- Don't climb any more elevation than you have to: 
  What does this mean ? Many people add 5-10% extra elevation gain without realizing it*!

* How might you be doing this? On a hike if you step up on top of every rock in the trail and then back down and pick paths around obstacles that increase total upward steps you are adding to your absolute elevation gain. If you are carrying a heavy pack this takes a bigger toll. Instead step over rocks and lift your body and load the minimum you have to. Plan your path to have even & steady steps - no jumps up or down or giant paces... if you are climbing up try to only go up - with no downward steps. If you are climbing down try to only go downwards without stepping back up where you don't need to.

When you are evaluating hiking trails - think beyond the net elevation changes defined between the trailhead and the destination point of the hike. Obviously loop hikes where you return to the same trailhead at the end are by definition no net elevation change - yet the absolute cumulative elevation gain may be huge if you climb up and down a mountain in between. The same is true of any hike - try to get a trail guide that can tell you total cumulative elevation gain or try to figure it out for yourself with a topo contour map. Plan your time according to distance & elevation and look for alternate paths with less absolute elevation change.

Walking or climbing uphill is slower and harder than walking on the flat and while walking down a gentle downhill slope may be faster and easier than the flat - a steep downhill section will at least be more strenuous than on the flat and may well be slower and also riskier especially if carrying a significant pack weight. Foot placement going downhill is much more critical to your safety than when going uphill - even more so with a heavy pack.  Look for footholds on solid rock or packed earth, loose rocks risk turned ankles & gravel risks a foot sliding & you tumbling along with pack! Also try to keep your downward steps measured & consistent - big extensions risk catching your trailing boot & tripping and also increase the risk of your forward foot sliding - and anyway it strains your knees much more.

It makes sense to take rest breaks while hiking as often as you need and this probably means every 30 minutes or so on the flat and maybe every 10-20 minutes during steep sections. In between these rests stops its best to try to maintain a steady pace. This can be fast or slow as best fits you but try to stay consistent until you are ready to rest. You may need to slow down for ascents but whatever pace you can sustain is the one to hike at. Try setting goals for where you will rest either by time or distance (by pedometer or a visible terrain object or a map location). Drink & snack as you go - don't stop or wait for rest stops - so make sure you don't need to take your pack off to get to your water & trail snacks.

When you do rest - try to keep most of your breaks short say 5-10 minutes unless you are stopping for lunch. You might just stand with your pack on or want to take your pack off and sit down or just rest the pack weight on a rock or tree. Pick good spots to rest - trail width, shade, rain protection, places to sit, views, wind & water re-supply may all be factors in your choice.

Keep your mind busy as you hike, sing, talk, play games, name trees & shrubs & look for animals, insects & birds or evidence of them. Monitor the map, compass & distance so you stay found! Its easier to keep yourself amused with a hiking partner who shares the same pace.

Keep a hiking log of where you went, who with, how far you traveled, what you saw, equipment & food you wish you had taken and especially any equipment you wish you hadn't taken!

Time & Distance Planning - Its helpful to start out with some ideas of relative difficulty for hikes you are planning. Individual speed and strength vary so you will need to adapt to your own (or your groups) pace but its still useful to have a guide and to create a Time & Distance plan for your trip. Monitor how you did against the plan and adjust the planning guidelines to suit you own pace.

ACM 1/2007

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