Hiking and backpacking have their annoyances, and one of these is insects. So, it is common for hikers and backpackers to carry some form of insect repellent with them on the trail. There are a number of active ingredients that manufacturers use to create insect repellents. These include, but are not limited to, citronella, DEET, and Picaridin.

One of the most effective and most popular of these active ingredients is DEET. Having been around since 1946, this chemical-based repellent has attained the honored status of the gold standard of insect repellents. But it has one nasty side effect: It is hard on clothing.

PERMETHRIN: AN ALTERNATIVE

What I want to concentrate on briefly in this post is another active ingredient used in insect repellents: permethrin.

Continue Reading »

I’m sure I don’t have to convince you that hiking offers major benefits. First of all, this enjoyable and inexpensive sport can be practiced almost anywhere, in urban, rural or wilderness environments. It is noncompetitive and can be enjoyed by any age group, gender or fitness level. Each participant can set their own limitations.

Hiking is an aerobic exercise that offers major health benefits. These include physical, social and mental health benefits. Here is a list of some of the benefits of hiking:

Physical Health Benefits of Hiking

1. Increases fitness;

Continue Reading »

Mimi, my girlfriend, hiking partner and wife (all one person in case you’re confused), decided to hike to Minaret Falls in the Eastern Sierras, a leisurely day hike. We were visiting Mammoth Lakes, California and had been staying in some friends’ mountain cabin. The trail was easy and beautiful, the weather idyllic.

I’m not bothered a lot by mosquitoes, so when one landed on my hand, I slapped it off and continued trekking and enjoying the scenery.

My wife’s different. When she gets bit by a mosquito, nothing much happens until 24 to 48 hours later when ugly, itchy welts begin to pop up. They don’t go away easily, either. So, when she discovered a blood sucker on her arm, she called an all points bulletin and grabbed the insect repellent. We didn’t have much with us. She had given away one canister. After she had sprayed every inch of exposed skin, she handed me, in a business-like manner, the canister. I dutifully applied a couple of squirts and tucked the canister back into the back pocket of her day pack.

Continue Reading »

Your feet, your lowly feet, your humble feet, deserve your respect and most attentive care while hiking or backpacking. They do a yeoman’s job as they carry you and whatever you hang on your body over long distances and rugged trails.

Here are some tips for keeping them content:

1. Learn Blister Prevention and Care: If your feet complain of an impending blister by sending your brain messages about a hot spot, fix it immediately. Cover the spot with moleskin or duct tape. The best treatment for a blister by far is prevention.

2. Purchase Properly Fitting Footwear: Spend plenty of time making sure that you have the right boots or shoes and that they fit your feet really well. Try them on with the type of socks or combination of socks that you plan to wear with them. Your toes need adequate room, at least a finger’s width between the end of the boot and your longest toe.

Continue Reading »

Aside from birds, kangaroos and kangaroo mice, humans share bipedalism (the ability to walk only on their two rear limbs) with few other animals. This ability gives us some advantages such as leaving our arms free to manipulate objects in our environment.

But human bipedalism has some disadvantages as well. One of these is back pain. As high as ninety percent of adults will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives.

There are many causes and triggers for back pain. One common trigger is improper lifting of heavy objects. And improperly lifting a heavily-loaded backpack to one’s back can be one of those triggers. Similarly, carrying a heavy backpack over long distances can also produce pain in one’s back, especially the lower back.

Here are some tips for backpackers to help avoid and cope with back pain.

Continue Reading »

A nasty blister can ruin your whole day while hiking or backpacking.

Heat and moisture are the two main culprits responsible for the development of blisters. The heat comes largely from friction and poor ventilation in hiking boots. The moisture comes from sweating, which can be caused also by poorly ventilated boots.

Here are some tips for preventing blisters:

Tip #1: Make sure that the hiking boots that you buy are well ventilated and no heavier than that required by the terrain you will be hiking in. Going lighter is better in most cases. Consider also hiking sandals.

Continue Reading »

Backpacking is a fat-burning exercise. If you’re looking to lose some weight, taking up backpacking just might be the ticket.

Here are five advantages of losing weight while carrying your own food, shelter and other essential gear through the wilderness:

1. You won’t be required to restrict your eating. You can eat normally and still lose weight.

2. You will likely burn calories and thus lose weight.

3. Your stress will diminish.

Continue Reading »

Hypothermia is a critical medical condition that hikers and backpackers need to be aware of. It is basically a condition where one’s body temperature becomes abnormally low.

When a person’s core body temperature drops below the point where normal body functions and metabolism can be maintained, hypothermia occurs. This temperature, below which the body is no longer able to replenish heat that has been lost, is defined as 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here are some facts, symptoms, preventive measure and remedies:

Facts

1. Hypothermia can occur on a sunny day if the temperature is below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Continue Reading »

Even though a rattlesnake bite is seldom deadly, especially for adults, it can cause extreme sickness and even lead to an amputation. So, knowing how to avoid rattlers can help you stay safe and healthy while hiking in their habitat.

Knowledge of the following ten facts about rattlesnakes can help you avoid getting bit.

1. Since we are too big to swallow, rattlesnakes don’t consider us food.

2. Because we’re not prey for rattlesnakes, they’d just as soon slither away and search for another smaller meal.

3. Your shadow falling on a rattlesnake can confuse it and cause it to act unpredictably.

Continue Reading »

There are a number of ways to purify water in the wilderness. You can boil the water. You can use chemicals. You can use ultraviolet light. You can use a commercial filter. And, you can even make and use your own filter on the spot. Yes, I’ve seen this on Youtube, but I’m a little unsure about this DIY method of water purification.

Image by doug88888 via Flickr

In this post I will limit my discussion to using chemicals to purify water. There are four types of chemicals that can be used for water purification in the wilderness. I will briefly discuss each one giving pros and cons.

Chlorine

Pros

It effectively kills bacteria.

Cons

Continue Reading »