Staying fit in the off-season

 Article from the American Hiking Society
Be ready for that first hike of the year.
While it seems like common sense to not go on a fifteen mile downhill kneebreaker in early spring after a long, inactive winter, sometimes we just get caught up in the adventure and excitement of being outdoors. By making a few simple adjustments to your normal routine in the off-season, however, you’ll find yourself avoiding some of those early-season injuries and aches.
 Walk, don’t drive. Some of your daily commutes can be turned into training by walking instead of driving your car. Walk to the supermarket with your backpack and fill it up with your groceries for some good backpacking practice. Walk to a nearby park to enjoy your lunch rather than eating in the company break room.

Bike your way to fitness. If you can’t make time to walk all over town for errands, consider riding a bike. In many urban areas, bike paths make riding an attractive alternative to sitting in rush hour traffic. Be sure to always wear a helmet and keep an eye out for cars and pedestrians.
 Step into fitness. Though staircases are often hidden in large office buildings as part of the fire escape, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them. Run up and down stairs to keep your heart pumping and improve your leg muscles. Choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator. When you’re on a steep incline on the trail, you’re legs will thank you for the all the practice.
Hike first, pack later. Hiking doesn’t necessarily involve wearing a huge bulky backpack. Your first several trips outdoors can be with a small pack carrying only the 10 Essentials. Once your body is ready for longer hikes you can prepare yourself for a weekend getaway. Mix it up some. In winter months, your favorite hiking trails might be great for snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Indoor jogging and exercise on elliptical machines will keep your heart and lungs in tip-top shape. Yoga and swimming are also great for keeping you limber and avoiding injury.
 Our group at Slow and Steady hikes all year.

Check out my Hiking 101 Online Course here: https://yescourse.com/store/hiking-101/?ref=4ec6

Winter Weather in the Mountains

Weather conditions can change rapidly in the mountains. What started out as a nice sunny winter day can soon turn into a cold windy whiteout. It pays to be prepared for the weather at all times especially in winter. This is why we keep preaching about the necessity of layering when it comes to clothing.
 It's always better to carry extra than to try to save weight in your pack and carry less. Only to end up with hypothermia or frost bitten.

 As a rule on a sunny day the temperature drops 1 degree C for every 100 meters climbed. Cloudy days drops it to 0.6 degrees C but just use 1 degree C as a rule of thumb. That's without windchill.
 At certain times of the year we have literally seen the weather go through four seasons in the course of one hike.

A site we regularly use to check weather is Mountain- Forecasts.com Click here to check them out.
http://www.mountain-forecast.com/

Choose a peak in the general vicinity of your hike and get the forecasts for differing elevations for the day you are hiking. It will give temperature and windchill as well as wind speed..

Weather is a funny thing. It can be miserable in Calgary and many hikers will stay home. But in the mountains it can turn out to be a beautiful day. Of course the opposite can also be true. It has to be pretty cold for some of us diehards to reconsider.
One thing that will cause me to cancel a hike at the last minute are bad road conditions. Always check the road conditions before leaving at: https://ama.ab.ca/knowledge-base/articles/road-reports/

An old hiker once told me the most dangerous part of any hike or scramble is the ride home. Why have rotten road conditions on top of that. My thoughts. I realize the roads could deteriorate through the day while you're hiking but if they are bad to start it may be wise to reconsider.

Preparation For Hiking ( A free chapter from my book/course)

Chapter 2: Preparing For Hiking
I have hiked with people of all abilities from extreme novices to
hard core mountaineers. It is fun no matter who I am with but
every hike requires some preparation.
Even though your body eventually gets used to tramping up and
down mountains this is not something that happens overnight.
If you haven't hiked before or in years it wouldn't be advisable to
try a mountain peak scramble or a long backpacking through hike
as your first objective.
The main thing we do in hiking is “walk” so the first thing I would
suggest in preparing for hiking is to walk as much as you can.
We're all busy nowadays and would rather drive to the store that
is two blocks away but why not walk? Or if you work on the 3rd
floor why not use the stairs? All of these little things prepare you
for bigger and better things.
I used to hike with a lady in the Ramblers who was a letter
carrier. She could move on the trails and scramble up and down
peaks like no one I'd seen before. She walked everyday. It helps.
In Calgary, where I live there are also lots of local in town areas
where you can go for nice walks. Along the Bow river there are a
couple of really nice staircases you can go up and down for
exercise. Do that 3 or 4 times and you've done a good workout.
Especially for getting into shape for hiking.
I'm lucky that with my job right now I do a lot of walking and take
the stairs as much as I can. If I've been lazy for a week or two
between hikes I really feel it when I go.
An older hiker who been hiking for years once told us, you can
hike for years, well into your 80's and even 90's but you have to
walk whenever you can. If it's close leave the car at home and
walk. If you're below the 5th floor take the stairs. Lots of times
you'll get there before the next elevator arrives anyway.
Then there is always the option of going to the gym. This one is
harder because it takes commitment time wise and financially.
The nice thing about the gym is you can do your walk on a
treadmill and not have to actually go anywhere. Just walk.
Stretching is also a good thing, especially after a hike. It's good to
give your muscles a stretch while they are warmed up. You'll get
lots of advice and tips on which stretches to do from your fellow
hikers when you start hiking so I'm not going to give a lot of
examples here right now.

The biggest preparation for hiking is “Walking”. Because hiking for
the most part is walking. So get out and walk whenever you can.
If you've got a small pack, fill it up and wear it. Go on an in town
hike. Walk in all types of weather. Believe me you will in the
mountains.

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Hypothermia First Aid

HYPOTHERMIA FIRST AID

When exposed to cold temperatures, especially with a high wind chill factor and high humidity, or to a cool, damp environment for prolonged periods, your body's control mechanisms may fail to keep your body temperature normal. When more heat is lost than your body can generate, hypothermia, defined as an internal body temperature less than 95 F (35 C), can result.

Wet or inadequate clothing, falling into cold water and even not covering your head during cold weather can increase your chances of hypothermia.

Signs and symptoms of hypothermia include:

·         Shivering

·         Slurred speech

·         Abnormally slow breathing

·         Cold, pale skin

·         Loss of coordination

·         Fatigue, lethargy or apathy

·         Confusion or memory loss

·         Bright red, cold skin (infants)

Signs and symptoms usually develop slowly. People with hypothermia typically experience gradual loss of mental acuity and physical ability, so they may be unaware that they need emergency medical treatment.

Look for “Umblings”, fumbling, mumbling, stumbling, grumbling. All could be signs of a person becoming hypothermic.

Older adults, infants, young children and people who are very lean are at particular risk. Other people at higher risk of hypothermia include those whose judgment may be impaired by mental illness or Alzheimer's disease and people who are intoxicated, homeless or caught in cold weather because their vehicles have broken down. Other conditions that may predispose people to hypothermia are malnutrition, cardiovascular disease and an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

To care for someone with hypothermia:

·         Call 911 or emergency medical assistance. While waiting for help to arrive, monitor the person's breathing. If breathing stops or seems dangerously slow or shallow, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.

·         Move the person out of the cold. If going indoors isn't possible, protect the person from the wind, cover the head, and insulate the individual from the cold ground.

·         Remove wet clothing. Replace wet things with a warm, dry covering.

·         Don't apply direct heat. Don't use hot water, a heating pad or a heating lamp to warm the person. Instead, apply warm compresses to the center of the body — head, neck, chest and groin. Don't attempt to warm the arms and legs. Heat applied to the arms and legs forces cold blood back toward the heart, lungs and brain, causing the core body temperature to drop. This can be fatal.

·         Don't give the person alcohol. Offer warm nonalcoholic drinks, unless the person is vomiting.

Don't massage or rub the person. Handle people with hypothermia gently because their skin may be frostbitten, and rubbing frostbitten tissue can cause severe damage.

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