Below is an excellent video about Grand Canyon hiking. This six minute video contains information about the best trails to hike and how to get permits, if needed.
If you have a hiking trip report about hiking the Grand Canyon, or just a picture or two you want to share, let us know so others can enjoy and learn from your experience.
The best way to stay warm and to keep your body temperature regulated on a hike is with the layering system. This may sound complex at first, but really is simple. The basics of the system are that you wear multiple layers of clothing that you can take off or add as needed. When you’re hiking and generating heat you remove layers to stay cool. When you stop for a break or camp for the night you add layers to stay warm. Below are the basics to know for each layer.
Inner Layer – This is the layer next to your skin. This layer is most often thermal underwear (top and bottom) that is designed to wick moisture away from your skin to keep you dry. If you are wet it is very difficult to stay warm. The best thermals are usually synthetic and are specially designed to pull moisture away from the skin to the outside of the thermal where it evaporates. Avoid cotton, as cotton doesn’t dry well or wick. A t-shirt can be included in this layer.
Mid Layer – This layer traps air and is the layer that keeps you warm. This can be fleece or any synthetic. Look for windproof fleece. You can add several layers to your core (chest) if needed. Be sure to bring something very warm to wear at night around camp. Any insulated tops or warm shirts can be added to this layer as needed as well as fleece pants.
For pants I like convertible pants that have removable legs so they turn into shorts. For hikes in areas that are cold in the morning and warm or hot later these convertible pants save you space in your pack and are easy to convert without removing your pants.
Outer Layer / Shell – The shell is the outer layers that protects you from wind and water (rain, snow). It must be breathable or your body will turn into a sauna. I know this because the rain gear I used in the Army was not much more than a rubber suit and when we wore it and the rain stopped the rain suits turned into sweat machines. A good rain top will have zippers under the armpits and other zippers to allow you to get fresh air when the rain slows.
Gloves – Keeping your hands warm and usable is essential to enjoying your hike. Remember that your gloves may get wet from cooking so consider a waterproof outer glove and a thinner inner glove liner. Again you can remove one or both of these as needed.
Headgear – A chunk of your body’s heat escapes through your head. By keeping your head warm you protect your body and increase your comfort. With layering you can adjust your head warmth as needed. A good hat to protect from sun and rain is an easy luxury, and a scarf for your neck protects from wind that finds its way around your clothing. I have a balaclava that covers my face for very cold conditions.
As you can see the name pretty much explains the system. There are many synthetic materials (and now improved wool even) to choose from. Any reputable outdoor shop can help you create an excellent layering setup for your hiking trips. You might even be surprised to find that you already have many of the items needed.
tip: Don’t try to bring every warm item you own or your pack will be heavy and bulky. Put together a layered system for each trip that only includes what you need so that when layered for the coldest condition you’re wearing everything.
Our new baby boy was born Friday, February 19th. He weighed in at 9 pounds and was just over 21 inches long. We can’t wait to get him outside and hiking with his big brother. Mom and dad are doing great, but big brother is still undecided.
I’m working on a new theme for Hiking Trip Reports. I like the current look because it’s simple and brings the focus to the posts and images, but it’s time to update the site and bring it into the new decade. The new look will keep with the clean and easy to read focus, but will have larger text and cleaner lines making it even easier to read. I’m also looking for someone to create a logo for the site, so contact me if you have any ideas.
Gadling.com just posted their list of the world’s best hikes. I have to commend them because this is a great list. Hikers will drool over this list as they read about Machu Picchu, Zion Narrows, and the Haute Route. I’ve hiked two of these hikes and part of a third. You can see me on the Mt. Whitney trail in the photo below. I hope to have a few photos of me on the Haute Route someday.
My favorite boots of all time are my Vasque Sundowner hiking boots. I bought my first pair back in the mid 1990s and wore them on the trail in all conditions and loved the support the provided. I also wore my Sundowner boots with jeans and Khaki pants as they looked great when cleaned up. The Gore-Tex insides kept my feet from overheating and the leather kept my feet secure and dry. I would wear a pair of Thorlo hiking socks and dominate with comfort.
At $200 bucks they were expensive boots. As I was a struggling college student this was a huge investment, but one I made after a lot of research. I bought my second pair of Sundowner hiking boots a few years ago and had to search to find them. The style had changed so I bought what was labeled as “Sundowner Classics.” They are great boots too, but will never hold the place in my heart that my first pair held. I guess your first pair of great hiking boots is like owning your first car.
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
~John Muir
John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt on Glacier Point in Yosemite
There’s debate about how much you should carry in your hiking first aid kit. Personally, I carry as little as possible, but
there are some things I never leave home without. My personal hiking first aid kit list is listed first, and a more comprehensive list is second. The more hiking you do the more you’ll refine your first aid kits.
What You’ll Find in My Hiking First Aid Kit
Pain Reliever – Ibuprofen or whatever is available at home
Diarrhea Medicine
Moleskins
Gauze and adhesive tape
Here are a few other things I carry that can be used in first aid emergencies but have other primary uses:
Duct tape – can be used in place of moleskin, and can fix almost anything. Some hikers wrap it around their water bottle. This is a good idea, but will make washing the bottle more difficult
Needles – Sewing kit
Eye Drops – Like a shower in the morning
Hand sanitizer
Baby wipes – Clean all those hard to reach places and step out of your tent feeling fresh and clean
Bodyglide – This anti-chafe balm has removed a lot of pain from hiking
Comprehensive List
If you don’t mind the extra weight, or just want to be prepared for anything, add the items below to the list above.
Alcohol wipes
Antihistamine
Antiseptic ointment
Various bandages
If you have any other medical condition(s) you’ll need to prepare for those in advance. If you have allergies to plants or bug bites, diabetes, or anything else make sure your hiking partner knows about these issues in advance and knows what treatments to use that may save your life.
If you wear glasses you should consider an extra pair.
What’s in your first aid kit?
March is Florida hiking trails month. Florida has over 8000 miles of trails covering the many different areas of the state. The trails offer unique eco-tourism opportunities as well as easy trails for those wanting to get away for few hours. Learn more at the Florida Trail Association’s website.
So – you are packing all the stuff you need to go on your long-planned hiking trip, and no doubt you have your standard list of essentials.
You’ve got your boots, your sleeping mat and your water bottle. You throw in your plate, your mug and your camera. And what with that trowel, headlamp and first aid kit – well, there isn’t a lot of room for anything much extra.
But if there’s one thing I wouldn’t be without on a trip – any trip – it’s a book to read. I
don’t care if I’ve got a five minute bus journey, or a plane trip to the other side of the world and they’ll only let me have a shoebox for hand luggage, the FIRST thing on my list is a novel. And heading out into the great outdoors just makes me salivate at the thought of sitting up against a great and ancient tree trunk, or curling up by the fire and pulling a battered paperback out of my backpack.
Of course, getting yourself outside is all about appreciating the environment you are in. But just because you are immersing yourself in a book during a break in your journey doesn’t mean you are losing touch with the fantastic scenery that surrounds you. In fact, if it is the right novel, it may actually accentuate the experience.
Take a book like Nicholas Drayson’s ‘A Guide to the Birds of East Africa’. It doesn’t sound like much from the title, but it is actually a delightful story about a mild-mannered Kenyan widower who is secretly sweet on the woman who leads the local bird walking club. When someone else starts competing for her affections, he and his nemesis embark on a competition to see who can spot the most bird species in one week. What follows is a series of disasters, laughter and much skullduggery – and I challenge you to read a novel like this and not start noticing the birds around you with great intensity for at least a week afterwards!
And what about if you decided to take a copy of Peter Carey’s novel ‘The True History of the Kelly Gang’ on your next hike in the wilderness? You’d be hard-pressed not to compare your own landscape to that of the harsh Australian bush while reading it.
But maybe fiction just doesn’t work for you on an outdoor trip, and you’d prefer to be inspired, amused or entertained by other people’s hiking experiences. Bill Bryson’s ‘A Walk in the Woods’ is an obvious choice, or perhaps something a bit more exotic, like Rory Stewart’s ‘The Places in Between’ in which he walks across Afghanistan.
My greatest joy is to read books that are set in the place I am going – whether it is fiction, memoirs or travel stories. And I can’t think of any better place to do this than on a hike in which you can really take the time to appreciate the landscape of the place you are in.
But as an Australian who lives in Europe – I need your help! My trips to the U.S. have been limited to a few days in New York and a weekend in San Francisco, and my only perspective of the American wilderness comes from old episodes of Little House on the Prairie. So I figure if I want to know more about the U.S, you guys are the people to ask. What are the books that you think best tell the stories of the places you love to explore with hiking boots and a compass?
At Packabook we categorise books into the places they are set. We will soon be tackling the millions of books written about or set in the United States, and trying to find the ones that really give us a window on each state. We are looking for those books that make you feel you have been there, or at least want to go! From Minnesota to Texas, I would love to hear your thoughts on the novels and travel stories of the places you love the most.
Who better to do that than those who are prepared to tackle rivers, mountains and hiking trails with only the bags they can carry, all in a bid to explore the country they love. You guys are the experts and I look forward to exploring your country through books, at least until I get the chance to go there myself.
Why not make some suggestions in the comments below. We’d love to hear them.
Suzi at Packabook
Packabook is a place to find travel novels and travelogues set in particular countries.
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