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Blind hiker Randy Pierce participates in endeavor to memorialize the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

09.06.2010 – Nashua, New Hampshire – Blind hiker, Randy Pierce will join in the long standing September 11th memorial, Flags on the 48. The idea emerged just days after the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, when a group of hikers climbed to the top of Mount Liberty in New Hampshire and flew a large US flag. Since then, the group expanded, flying flags upon the “New Hampshire 48″, on the Saturday closest to September 11th. Pierce will participate by hiking and flying a flag upon Mt. Liberty, the mountain where this poignant memorial began. Read more.

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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.

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Few hikers or backpackers want to ponder the possibility of getting lost or the need for acquiring survival skills. But, as in many endeavors in life, there lurks behind the pleasure of this sport the possibility of an unforeseen emergency. And, it is always in your best interest to be prepared for an emergency that you hope will never materialize. (Photo Author: nicholsphotos)

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM AVIATION

Let me illustrate.

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A good pair of hiking socks will perform the following functions:

Keep your feet at a comfortable temperature. A couple of factors relevant to choosing an appropriate pair of socks are the season and the climate when you will be hiking. Consider whether you will need your socks to help keep your feet warm or keep them cool.

Provide shock absorption. A good pair of hiking socks will distribute the pressure over a wide surface area, thus diminishing pressure on any one spot. Look for socks that are thicker at the heel and at the ball of the foot. These two areas are where the most pounding occurs when you hike.

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There are a number of ways to navigate in the wilderness. Of course, you can find the North Star and use that, with a high degree of imprecision, to get your bearings.

Some folklore that I followed, when I was a kid, was that moss grows on the north side of trees. It always seemed to be true when I checked it out. My perception of North always matched the side of the tree on which the moss grew the thickest. Oops! Now that I think of it, my perception of North was probably strongly influenced by my folk knowledge of where the moss was supposed to grow. I wasn’t much into carrying a compass back then.

Of course, now the thing to do is take a GPS along with you. And, as long as you have charged batteries and you haven’t dropped your device into a brook along the way, this is a great way to navigate with ease.

CONTOUR LINES

But, let’s take a look at one feature of that old standard of navigation, the topographical map. What I want to talk about is those curvy lines that you see on the map, officially known as contour lines, also referred to in this post as “contours”.

Topographical maps purport to represent not only two dimensions, but three. Not only do they depict North, South, East, and West and all points between, but also relative measurements starting from the center of the earth and projecting out. In short, a topo map claims to represent also mountains hills and valleys. In other words, it tries to represent elevations.

But, a map is two-dimensional. So, how do you represent elevations on a two-dimensional map? The answer is “contour lines” (contours).

A DEFINITION

A definition of a contour line is a line that connects points of equal elevation. The word “contour” gives us a hint that these lines are supposed to represent the contours of the landscape – the valleys, the hills, the cliffs and the peaks.

LEARNING TO READ CONTOUR LINES

So, how do you read the contour lines? Let me see what kind of a job I can do teaching you with the map that I’ve included below.

First, we’ll start with what I call “index contours”. One of these is just below the center of the map (above). It is a thicker line compared with other lines on the map. It also has an elevation printed in the contour. In this case you can see that the elevation for this index contour is 2500, which represents 2500 feet above sea level.

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I loved my hiking experience Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. It’s gorgeous place. Here is an eight-day itinerary for hiking in this park.

This is the itinerary we actually followed, as opposed to the planned one; as a few adjustments were required:

Day 1 – Tuesday, June 29th – Bow Valley Parkway, Lake Louise, Plain of the Six Glaciers, Lake Agnes and Mirror Lakes (not the smartest choice as a first day hike) Read more.

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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;

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Lightweight backpacking is a philosophy and a journey.

Traveling lighter in the wilderness is a philosophy in the sense that you must change your way of thinking about what to throw into your backpack. Instead of thinking, “What else can I fit in?”, you start thinking, “What can I get along without and leave at home?”. Thus your philosophy is changed, in minimal terms, from inclusion to exclusion.

Oh yes, I also said that lightweight backpacking is a journey. I’ll use a journey by foot as an instructive metaphor. When you attempt to reach a destination by walking, you must proceed step by step.

Just as taking a journey by foot is a gradual undertaking, one step and then another and another, so becoming a lightweight backpacker is best accomplished gradually. Also, a step at a time. Let your philosophy of finding ways to leave things at home guide you on your step-by-step journey to becoming a lightweight backpacker.

One of the first steps you can take is finding ways to multipurpose things that you normally take backpacking. If you can find two purposes for one item, it’s likely that you can leave another item at home. For instance, you can use trekking poles to hold up the awning of your tent. Instead of bringing a cooking pot, a bowl and a cup, you can use the cooking pot for all three. In the place of moleskin for hotspots and blisters, use duct tape, which has many other uses, for dressing your blisters.

Once you adopt the exclusion philosophy and decide to take the journey towards lightweight backpacking, the process of planning and packing a lighter backpack can be just as fun as the backpacking trip itself.

By Richard Davidian, Ph.D.

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Outdoors and Hiking Tips

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.

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When we think of wild animals that are potentially dangerous for hikers, bears, snakes and mountain lions come easily to mind. But, moose are animals that we need to also be wary of. In fact, a wild moose can be more dangerous than a bear.

At 1,500 pounds, a moose’s impact is similar to that of a car, so don’t minimize the damage that it can inflict a human body.

You could encounter a moose while hiking or backpacking in these North American areas: Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier National Park, Alaska and in many places in Canada.

Here are some reasons why a moose will attack a human.

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