Key Hiking Principle #2: Hike Your Own Hike

Hiking is an individual sport. You get to make your own decisions and you get to live with the consequences. This is just one way in which hiking is a metaphor for life: there's no right way to hike any more than there is a right way to live.

The wide open, make-your-own-decisions nature of hiking can be overwhelming for someone new to the sport. Without experience, how does someone make a choice that will have desirable consequences for them? That's why, when I'm teaching backpacking, I give specific instructions and provide a specific list of required gear items. (I also tell them that all can change as they gain experience.)

Gear is the most obvious area for self-determination. Lots of choices to be made! Do you want to sleep in a tent, under a tarp, or in a hammock? Do you want to cook over a stove fueled by white gas, alcohol, propane, solid chemical, or wood? Do you want to treat your water by using a filter, iodine, chlorine, or ultraviolet light?

That's just the start in the "what should I carry" category. There's also what kind of backpack, clothing, sleeping gear, eating and drinking vessels, various tools, and toys. ("Toys" is anything optional, like a camera, cellphone, journal, book, music, hacky sack, playing cards, GPS, etc.)

Related to "what should I carry" is "how much weight should I carry?" In the last 10-15 years, a lot of attention has been given to this question. Before high-tech lightweight materials were available and inexpensive enough for the average hiker, you carried whatever weight was necessary to be equipped. Now, there is titanium, silicone-impregnated nylon, LED lights, and plastics in every weight, shape, and size.

So, part of the question becomes "how much money am I willing to spend to reduce the burden on my body?" But there's another aspect, too. People are changing their ideas about what is essential. Some people hike without a map and compass (two of the Ten Essentials). Some hike without boots; wearing trail runners, sandals, or even Crocs. Some hike without underwear. The list goes on. Essentially, the simpler one wishes to live, the less one needs to carry.

There are other decisions areas, too. Such as
* where do I want to hike?
* what type of campsite do I want?
* how many people do I want to see?
* in what size a group do I want to hike?
* how far do I want to hike in a day?
* in what season do I want to hike?
* do I prefer to take a long lunch break, or several short snack breaks?
* do I want to use one hiking stick, two trekking poles, or none?
* when it rains while I'm hiking, do I put on rain gear?
* when there is lightning, do I stop or keep moving?
* what are my values and behaviors related to impact on the earth and others? E.g., how closely do I wish to follow Leave No Trace principles?
* what actions will I take, or avoid, to keep myself healthy and safe? (see Key Principle #1)

As individual a sport as hiking is, we hikers sometimes find ourselves in passionate disagreements about one choice or another. Gear gets us excited--after all, we've made careful decisions about what we have in our packs. And actions having impact on the earth and others can get us riled up--that's because these decisions reflect our core values, our beliefs about what's fundamentally right and wrong.

To reduce or end these disagreements, we have a saying: "Hike Your Own Hike." Ideally, it means, "I know that my choice is the best one for me, and I respect that your choice is the best one for you." (Sometimes, I think there's an implied, "even if you just don't know any better" in there.)

Hiking is an individual sport. You make your choices and you live with the consequences. And, you hope that any undesirable consequence is minimal and affects only you.

Hike your own hike! And, happy trails!

Key Hiking Principle #1: Health and Safety

When I'm teaching backpacking, I like to share three key principles. In this post, I will speak to one of these: health and safety.

Everyone wants to stay healthy and safe, both on trail and in street life. When hiking, the risk of illness or injury is elevated as we:

• increase our body weight by 20% or more
• move over uneven terrain, often including steep grades
• have greater exposure to the weather
• rely on natural water sources
• spend time in an environment with potentially dangerous plants, animals, insects, and reptiles.
  

Furthermore, we put ourselves in locations that may require significant time between the onset of illness or injury and receiving definitive medical care.

To hike without attention to the elevated risk of injury and illness is irresponsible, in my opinion. What can we do to mitigate the risks? Preparation ahead of time, and conscious attention during the hike.

Preparation includes making care-full choices--such as about gear, clothing, food, and the trip's itinerary. It also includes education--such as about wilderness first aid, basic survival, and what to do in various weather conditions.

While hiking, it is the responsibility of each hiker to pay attention to her body to ensure that she stays well-hydrated and well-fueled, maintains a relatively constant body temperature, and is not receiving injuries such as sunburn and blisters. Care should also be taken when walking (especially off-trail where rocks and sticks hide under leaves and duff) and when putting her pack or other gear on the ground, avoiding such things as poison ivy and bees' nests.

Maintaining good hygiene practices is also an individual responsibility. "Washing" hands after going to the bathroom and before eating is perhaps a no-brainer, but I have met hikers who don't do this. On trail, we don't have as much access to soap and water, but alcohol gel (a.k.a. "hand sanitizer") is easy to carry.

A corollary to staying clean is to be care-full when sharing food. Never eat food that someone else has touched; likewise, don't offer to share food you have touched. Another no-brainer? Not! I often see hikers reach into each others' bags of trail mix, nuts, chips, etc. Get into the habit of pouring from a snack bag rather than reaching into it. (People are bad about this in street life, too, but at least our hands have a better chance of being clean when sinks and showers are available.)

Staying healthy and safe in an environment of elevated risk requires conscious attention. But it's worth the effort, as it's much easier to have fun when you're feeling well!