General Hiking Skills

In order to remain safe, healthy, and get the most out of your backpacking trip, learn these guidelines and live by them.  These guidelines cover all areas of hiking and are quite extensive, but if they are followed, you will have a more enjoyable trip full of fond memories that will encourage you to get out and do it again time after time.

Backpacking Trailhead Briefing

--cover the day's agenda

--discuss the importance of drinking lots of water

--if developing a hot spot on feet stop immediately

--cover toilet procedures

--don't disturb wildlife

--watch the person in front of you and pick up any dropped gear

Safety In Hiking

--if in a group, don't hike too close to one another.  Oftentimes when hiking off trail, branches pushed out of the way can snap back and hit hikers in the face.

--wear a watch.  This helps you to gauge time with the distance traveled.  This is especially helpful if you are trying to meet someone at a pick up point.  It also helps you to gauge how far you have to go to the next campsite you planned.

--when traveling as a group, keep the slower hikers in the front to maintain a pace that is good for them.  Remember when in a group, you are a group, and you need to stay together as a group.  This keeps morale up among the slower hikers, keeps people from lagging behind and getting lost or hurt with no one nearby to help.

--don't spend your time looking at the ground while hiking.  You not only miss the beauty you worked so hard to get to, but you also are not aware of what is ahead such as a moose, a bear, other hikers, etc.  So, watch where you're going, but also look ahead.

Staying Healthy While You Hike

--drink often.  You can never drink too much water (well, you can, but we won't get into that).  Your goal is to drink enough to keep your urine clear (pretty gross huh?)  In Alaska, water is almost always available.  The ideal drinking container is a "hydropack".  This makes it easy to get water.  In a normal day of hiking, drink 2-3 quarts.  Drink

more if you can.  The key is to drink constantly and before you become thirsty.

--most hiking injuries take place between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm when blood sugar is low and hikers are dehydrated.  Make sure you are neither by eating snacks often and drinking always.

--take breaks.  Don't get so caught up in reaching a destination that you fail to enjoy the trip.  A friend of mine believes that backpacking is worthless unless you learn to "enjoy the process".  Have fun getting there.  Take time to see what is around you along the way.  Take a break every hour for five minutes to relieve your muscles, catch your breath, eat a snack, and just relax.  

***Important:  Don't stop for more than five minutes.  Your body is producing lactic acid when you exercise as the muscle burns glucose.  If your system stops exercising, the lactic acid builds up and causes soreness and stiffness.  If you stop for less than 5 minutes, this isn't a problem.   If you have to stop for more than 5 minutes, extend the stop to 20-30 minutes to allow the excess lactic acid to be cleared out of your system.

--hike at the right pace.  If it takes longer than 2-3 minutes for your body to return to a normal breathing and heart rate when you break, you are pushing it too hard.  Slow down the pace.  Another great way to determine if the pace is right for you is if you do not need more than a 5 minute break per hour, you are pacing yourself right.

--don't be afraid to remove your boots and socks.  At every rest break, I take off my shoes and socks and rub my feet and if needed change my socks.  This really helps maintain good foot health, allows feet to dry off, and keeps the soreness to a minimum.

--make it your job to be the "blister monitor".  Ask each person on a regular basis how their feet feel.  Many times hikers just aren't thinking about it and before they know it, they have blisters.  So about every hour, make sure you have asked everyone how their feet feel.

--be constantly aware of what your body is telling you.  It will let you know when it is working too hard or if there needs to be a shift in how you are carrying your pack.

Hiking Techniques

When hiking up very steep slopes:

Use the "rest step".  The rest step moves the weight of the body to the skeletal system rather than the muscle system in the legs.  As you shift your weight to each leg, lock your knee and rest for several seconds, and then move your weight to the other leg as you take the next step.  The steeper the section of terrain, rest for longer periods of time.  This type of climbing is better than pushing it and resting, pushing it and resting as is so often done.

When walking up hill:

-- take small steps (no more than 6 inches of elevation climb per step)

--switch back and forth rather than going straight up (this saves energy)--stand straight up allowing for the weight of your pack wanting to pull you back. 

--If the uphill climb is steep, make sure you look for ways to get back down if you will be returning this way.  Oftentimes, the climb down is more difficult than the climb up.

--trust your instincts.  If it looks dangerous, it probably is.  Find another way

--stay off wet, steep rocks

--if you hear someone above yell, "ROCK", don't look up.  Push your body as close to the cliff as possible and put your hands over your head

--always climb with your feet, not your arms.  step up first, and then bring your hands up for a next good hold.

--never use a handhold or foothold without testing it first

--climb slowly and in small increments as you do a ladder

--make sure you have three points of contact at all times

--use your handholds to help balance and to provide leverage, not to help you "hold on for dear life".  This is unnecessary and exhausting.

Down hill hiking

--This can be more dangerous and wearing than up hill climbing because of the extra exertion on the leg joints and the potential for sprains.  This is an excellent time to use hiking poles to put some of the additional stress on your arms rather than solely on your legs.  The increased friction on your feet can also cause blisters and sore toes as your feet slide forward during each step.  Keep your knees bent slightly to absorb shock and take small steps.  Never run down hill.  As I hike with young people, they enjoy running down the hills and jumping over logs, etc.  This is all fun, but the potential for injury is great.  Don't get in a hurry to get down the hill. 

When hiking off trail

Always be looking ahead for routes offering the least resistance such as fields and openings in the trees.  It is generally faster, safer, and less work to go around deadfalls, thick brush, and large rocks that over and through them.

When crossing streams follow the following guidelines:

--Look for a crossing place that is wide and shallow with gradual banks and no obstructions.  Do not cross at a bend, it is usually swift and deep.  Usually just past the bend, the water shallows.

--Cross streams in the morning.  As the day wears on, snow and ice melt and often cause flooding.  Remember this is your plan on returning and crossing the stream again later in the day.

--Only on rare occasions should you ever cross a river in Alaska.  They are usually glacier fed, cold, and murky from silt, making them very dangerous.  (If the water is deeper than your knees, red flags should come up)

--Wear tight clothes that offer less resistance

-- Loosen your shoulder straps and unbuckle your hip belt in case you lose your footing and fall.  You can slip out of your pack and regain your balance easier. 

--Pick up a stick or use your hiking staff to help maintain balance.  Always wear footwear.  I use aqua socks because they are light to pack and easy to slip on and off.  Take your time and shuffle along and never cross your legs.  Make sure of your footing before you commit the step.

--Always face upstream.  If you face downstream, your knees could give way from the strength of the current

--If there are several of you crossing, link together for extra support.  If there are two of you, face each other, link arms, and move across the stream sideways.  If there are more than 2, line up single file facing upstream and move together sideways.

When hiking on hillsides of rock 

Be extremely cautious.  Expect the rocks to give way at any time.  Never hike in a group with some hikers higher than others.  Loose rocks can injure hikers below.  Also, put more distance between group members than normal to keep the weight of the group spread out, keeping loose rocks from dislodging.

When hiking on snow or ice 

When in Alaska, you will undoubtedly find snow and ice to cross.  Remember that the more sun the snow is exposed to, the harder the snow and the greater risk of slipping and falling.  Therefore, it is better to hike on the snow early in the day before the sun has had a chance to warm it up. This can be especially dangerous if the snow is on a slope.  If going uphill on snow, makes sure that you can kick steps in the snow.  Test each step before putting all of your weight on it.  Take small steps so those behind you can use the same steps.  Periodically rotate the leader to give him a rest.  Before trying to go uphill, make sure you can get back down if you are planning on returning the same way.  When dealing with glaciers, the best advice I can give is to stay away from them at all costs.  They can be negotiated and crossed, but this is dangerous and a fall into a crevice can easily get one killed.  When you need to cross ice or snow, make sure you know what is under it.  Many times there is water underneath.  I remember a few years ago, I was walking along the Kenai River in Cooper's Landing.  I was about 10 feet inland from the river and suddenly the snow let loose and I went through.  At the time I didn't know how far I was from shore.  I might have been on the river for all I knew, so when I broke through I thought I was either going to die or about to get soaked with ice cold water.  Neither happened.  After falling about three feet, I hit the ground.  I then stooped down and saw that I was about 4 feet up the bank and there was a three-foot high air pocket following along the shore for a long way.  The river must have been high, then it snowed and froze and as the river depth went down as mountain snow stopped melting, the snow stayed, leaving an air pocket.   Save yourself a heart attack and make sure you know what is under you before you venture out on the ice or snow.