Photo credit: Kim Phillips
44 percentage of hikers that are women
32.5 number (in millions) of hikers in America
About 12 percent of Americans consider themselves hikers, making it this country’s fifth most-popular outdoor activity (behind fishing, running, camping, and cycling).
Your Challenge: Hike 5 new trails this spring.
Timeframe: 3 months
Who’s Done it:
Marijka Walker | 47, Mt Sterling, KY | “I have a list of every trail in Kentucky that I check off as I hike and camp. I want to be on the AT when I’m 50, so I work toward that goal one trail at a time. I’m able to relax on the trail because I plan and prepare-I always pack as if I’ll be caught out overnight.”
Cherie Medel Scillia | 51, Witchita, KS | “My first hiking experience was bushwhacking in Nigeria-just a walk into the jungle-but it’s good for the soul. Just in case, I always carry twice as much water as I think I’ll need, and I’m hoping to backpack near Bandelier National Monument this summer.”
ADVOCATE
“The land that we hike and enjoy daily is fragile.” says Libby S. Wile, Volunteer Programs Manager for the American Hiking Society (AHS), an organization that will offer more than 70 trail-building and maintenance events this year. “We offer many projects that don’t require experience or trail knowledge-just a love of the outdoors and the desire to give back,” says Wile. Lace up your boots, put down your pack, and pick up a shovel. Here’s how:
• Volunteer Vacations. Week-long work parties with easy or strenuous loads, the AHS’s volunteer vacations program allows you to help understaffed, underfunded agencies in 30 states keep trails open, safe, and enjoyable.
• National Trails Day, June 4. Thousands of organizations, community groups, and individuals take to the dirt for this national day of team trail-building. Adopt a trail, plan a maintenance event for your community, or team up with the AHS to sponsor a project in your area and learn trail maintenance techniques.
• Alternative Break. Instead of hitting the beach, college students can join AHS trail building and stewardship trips. Groups of 6-15 take to the backcountry for a fun, but fruitful, week of giving back.
For more information visit americanhiking.org
GPS Features
Oh, the places you’ll go… but only if you can find them! Get to know these five GPS features, and you’ll have a better grasp on your bearings from now on.
Mark a waypoint
At landmarks like trailheads or water sources. Marking the map enables you to “backtrack” to that point of reference.
Multimedia playback
At beautiful places: waterfalls, overlooks, wildlife viewpoints. Take geo-tagged photographs, videos, or audio recordings for easy uploading onto maps.
Create a route
On the trail when visibility or navigational ability is compromised, pre-trip at home. Provides general guidelines and distance and elevation estimates to use as a pre-trip planning tool and as an on-trail guide.
Preload maps
Pre-trip at home. Provides detailed topographic information essential for off-trail travel and planning for campsites and water crossings.
Customize data fields
At camp, during trip downtime, pre-trip at home. Displays your most-used navigation tools on the GPS dashboard and eases usability.
Get it: High-quality GPS technology gets a user- and budget-friendly makeover with the newest addition to Magellan’s Outdoor line of handheld GPSs: the eXplorist 310. A 2.2-inch touch screen, waterproof housing, multimedia capability, and even a built-in geocaching feature make it a great first-time unit. ($200; magellangps.com)
HIKER-TYPE GLOSSARY
Clueless when it comes to your hiking style? Take a cue from this glossary of hiker handles and define your own approach to hitting the trail.
Blue-blazing Using shortcuts, connector trails, and alternative route options on thru-hikes.
Bushwhacking Going off of an established trail in search of shortcuts or nearby, off-trail destination payoffs.
Freehiking Hiking off of established trails, as part of a quest for freedom from constraints.
Speedhiking Running the length of a hiking trail in order to best our personal record time-or challenge someone else’s.
Thru-hiking Hiking end to end along a long trail, such as the Appalachian or John Muir trails.
White-blazing Following only the official route, without deviation, to complete thru-hikes “by the book.”
Over the course of 20 years, Michigan-native Joan Young “segment hiked” all 4,400 miles of the North Country National Scenic Trail and became the first to cover its entire length. The North Country Trail, designated in 1980 but still considered incomplete, is one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the US.
SKILL: Hike Off-Trail
There are hundreds of thousands of miles of trail, but there isn’t always a well-trod path to your goal de jour. Scree fields, boulder-strewn lakeshores, braided rivers, and late-spring snowfields can all merit off-trail time when they come between Point A and Point B. Navigate with care, use good judgment, and follow these tips to find your way.
• Plan The key to safe off-trail travel is staying oriented. Use your map to create a plan, familiarize with the terrain, and plan trail entry and exit points.
• Set a good example Cutting corners, treading on meadows, and skirting an untrackable obstacle isn’t okay in high-traffic areas or when trailblazing can add to erosion. Limit your off-trail travel to places where crowds won’t be tempted to follow your path.
• Follow land clues Use your map’s contour lines and a keen eye to identify land features that make off-trail travel easier (shorelines, ridgelines, flats, and land above-treeline). Expect your off-trail pace to drop to 1.5 miles per hour.
TRAILS: Where the Action Is
Sierra Blanca, New Mexico Visit some of America’s lowest-latitude alpine terrain atop this snow-capped peak, the tallest in New Mexico’s White Mountains. From the trailhead at 9,820 feet, it’s a 9-mile round-trip over Lookout Mountain, through the Apache Ski Area, and across a saddle to the summit with 100-mile views across the Tularosa Basin.
Mount Columbia, Colorado One of a string of “fourteeners” in Colorado’s Collegiate Peaks, Mount Columbia puts you at the center of high-country heaven. The summit path rises through pine forests, into tundra along the mountain’s southwest ridgeline and gains 4,250 feet in 6 miles-including some rock-hopping at higher elevations. Consider adding Mount Harvard’s summit (and 4 miles) for a double-summit loop.
Illilouette Falls, California To get to this sometimes-overlooked 370-foot waterfall in Yosemite National Park, hike two miles (and 1,400 feet downhill) from Glacier Point. Don’t expect to have trouble with the crowds: the return-trip elevation scares off casual hikers, and there are so many viewpoints along the trail, many people never make it as far as the falls.
Twin Falls, Washington Hike three miles through rainforests, 35-miles west of Seattle, to a bridge perched amid a gushing stair stepper in Twin Falls State Park. Start at the west trailhead and cruise alongside the South Forth Snoqualmie River before the trail turns uphill near mile one. You’ll climb steadily for the next 1.3 miles to the bridge turnaround, but be sure to detour down the 106-step spur at 0.3 miles from the top for a worthwhile view of the lower falls, too.
Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail, Florida This Everglades intro starts 17 miles east of Naples, Florida, and loops six miles into the swampy South-Florida wilderness teeming with wading shorebirds. Be prepared to get wet while scoping turtles egrets and herons amid one of the state’s most beautiful old-growth Cypress forests.
Grand Beach Hill, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Circle seven miles around one of Cape Cod’s most remote stretches of sandy beach. Marshy wetlands mingle with pine forests and lead to sloping dunes that top out at 75-feet on Great Beach Hill, where Atlantic views extend to the horizon. After beachcombing by day, treat yourself to classic Cape seafood specials for dinner.
“The biggest prize of hiking is the gift of time. To look. To think. To feel. You don’t solve all of your problems, but you come to understand yourself.” -Cindy Ross, author of Journey on the Crest
Cairn noun \’kern\ 1. A heap or pile of stones used to mark trails across slickrock, above treeline, or in untrack-able terrain. Usually easier than blazes to spot in low visibility.
FOOTPRINTS
No two trails, or shoes, are created equal. “What you need on a soft dirt trail is different than what you need on a hard-packed trail,” says Doug Clark, CEO of GoLite Footwear who schooled us on the language of tread and illuminated the things to look for when choosing a trail-worthy shoe.
Lugs Traction is linked to lugs-the knobby protrusions and ridges on a shoe’s sole-and standard boots have 12-14 of them per foot. On soft terrain, traction comes from their size and shallow depth, and, on hard terrain, it’s their edges that provide extra stick. A sole with lots of lugs will handle varied terrain, but if the lugs are little-like those on road running shoes or minimalist shoes-they’ll dig in less on loamy trails.
Midsole Cushion Most shoes boast that cushy midsoles absorb impact and create better support, but a soft landing can also contribute to pronation problems and cause instability for some hikers on uneven surfaces. A cushy midsole is the industry norm, but if stability’s your issue, consider if it’s right for you.
Outsole Tread patterns and the softness of a shoe’s outsole-the part in direct contact with the ground-contribute to longevity, grip, and the way your foot rolls across the ground. Rounded heels and sticky rubber are two common variations that you might look for.
Flexibity Super-stiff shoes went out of vogue alongside expedition-weight gear-few people take to the trails these days with 70-pound packs. Modern hikers are more likely to fast pack and peak-bag so optimal shoes offer protection, but also allow for a more natural gait. Industry-wide, the move is toward shoes that provide protection and traction but also offer flexibility.
Width A wide forefoot (or toebox) allows your foot to spread out and provide a stable base, as does a sole that’s wider than the shoe itself. Expect most shoes to be narrow across the arch which improves flexibility and contributes to a natural stride.
SKILL: Trekking Poles
A knee-bashing descent or a one-time heavy load can put casual hikers out of commission after just a few miles. But according to Jayah Faye Paley a trekking pole educator and founder of Poles For Mobility, a website with how-to advice for using poles, “Trekking poles can save your knees, and optimal use can help improve your endurance, confidence, and power on the trail.” Even your upper body muscles go to work, says Paley, and play a part in preserving your joints and expanding your hiking horizons. Next time you’re headed for a tough trail, try taking along some extra support.
- Adjust your poles to the optimal length for the trail’s slope-which is sometimes different for poles in each hand. If you find yourself straining to stay balanced, take the time to stop and adjust.
- Wrist straps aren’t just for keeping your pole from flying downhill if you lose your grip. They can help you avoid a white-knuckle grip-which causes hand fatigue. If the straps are adjusted properly, they may also help support your weight and add power to your push-off.
- Going downhill, keep your poles in front of you to ease the burden of impact on your knees. Placing poles ahead of you can also provide balance and help you with foot placement when descents are rocky or loose.
- Going uphill, don’t keep your poles way in front you; you’re not trying to pull yourself uphill. Instead, place the poles only slightly ahead (and slightly to your sides), and use them to push off of the ground as you move past them.
GEAR
Pushing off, preventing slips, and powering across slippery creeks: the obvious advantages to carrying a set of trekking poles. The disadvantages? There aren’t any now that there’s an ergonomic small-grip, lightweight trekking pole with a shock-absorbing base. Leki’s Diva Aergon Antishock Poles hold up to tough trails and collapse for easy carrying when the terrain is easy. They also weigh in at fewer than 14 ounces. ($140; leki.com)
