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.

https://yescourse.com/store/hiking-101/?ref=4ec6

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.

The Book on Hiking on Amazon : https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Hiking-Andy-Dragt-ebook/dp/B00R3TEVFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480882526&sr=8-1&keywords=Andy+Dragt

Snowshoe Basics

 Snowshoeing has become one of the fastest growing winter sports in recent years. It's relatively inexpensive to get into and the learning curve is pretty small. If you can walk upright, you can snowshoe.

 Snowshoe technology has also come a long way from the old wood and cat gut style snowshoes of our forefathers. Nowadays you can get recreational , traditional , technical and even racing snowshoes.

 At a store like Costco someone could purchase snowshoes and poles for under $100. These would fall into the recreational category and would be fine for shorter hikes on more level terrain.

 For those who wish to venture into more mountainous terrain a more technical snowshoe is recommended. These will cost more but feature much greater stability and traction.

 Snowshoes are basically designed for one purpose. That is flotation on the snow. They're designed to keep you from sinking into knee deep or deeper snow. Traditional and recreational snowshoes serve this purpose well but lack in traction. They're fine for flatter areas with lots of snow. Technical snowshoes have extra crampons that allow snowshoer’s to ascend and descend with relative ease. Another little feature on some of the more technical snowshoes are heel risers. These keep your calves from stretching too much on steep ascents.

 There are some companies that have gender specific snowshoes but not all snowshoe manufacturers do. Sales staff in outdoors stores are experienced in sizing depending on your weight. Also they'll suggest the correct snowshoes for the type of terrain you wish to play in.

 A good suggestion to those of you just starting out in the sport would be to rent snowshoes. If you live in a larger city, outdoors stores like MEC ( Mountain Equipment Co-op) rent snowshoes at very reasonable rates. I also have some pairs available for rent.

 Winter is long in Alberta and we have to make the most of it. Downhill skiing and Snowboarding, although great, are becoming very expensive activities for many families. Snowshoeing on the other hand is relatively inexpensive and a lot of fun.

 Snowshoeing is a great workout and you will work up a sweat even in colder temperatures. Dress in layers and avoid cotton or denim. It's best to have materials that wick moisture from the body and are quick drying. Staff at sporting and outdoors stores can help you with proper clothing suggestions too.

  Give snowshoeing a try this winter. You may be glad you did.

So have some fun this winter and give snow shoeing a try.

The Book On Hiking by Andy Dragt available at Amazon.ca

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Hiking-Andy-Dragt-ebook/dp/B00R3TEVFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480565013&sr=8-1&keywords=Andy+Dragt

Avalanche Danger Ratings

From Avalanche Canada:

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.
Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.
Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.
Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.
Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

3 - Considerable

Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential.
Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely.
Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas.

4 - High

Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended.
Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely.
Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas.

5 - Extreme

Avoid all avalanche terrain.
Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain.
Large to very large avalanches in many areas.

Monday

Let's Go Snowshoeing

Snowshoe Basics

 Snowshoeing has become one of the fastest growing winter sports in recent years. It's relatively inexpensive to get into and the learning curve is pretty small. If you can walk upright, you can snowshoe.

 Snowshoe technology has also come a long way from the old wood and cat gut style snowshoes of our forefathers. Nowadays you can get recreational , traditional , technical and even racing snowshoes.

 At a store like Costco someone could purchase snowshoes and poles for under $100. These would fall into the recreational category and would be fine for shorter hikes on more level terrain.

 For those who wish to venture into more mountainous terrain a more technical snowshoe is recommended. These will cost more but feature much greater stability and traction.

 Snowshoes are basically designed for one purpose. That is flotation on the snow. They're designed to keep you from sinking into knee deep or deeper snow. Traditional and recreational snowshoes serve this purpose well but lack in traction. They're fine for flatter areas with lots of snow. Technical snowshoes have extra crampons that allow snowshoe'rs to ascend and descend with relative ease. Another little feature on some of the more technical snowshoes are heel risers. These keep your calves from stretching too much on steep ascents.

 There are some companies that have gender specific snowshoes but not all snowshoe manufacturers do. Sales staff in outdoors stores are experienced in sizing depending on your weight. Also they'll suggest the correct snowshoes for the type of terrain you wish to play in.

 A good suggestion to those of you just starting out in the sport would be to rent snowshoes. If you live in a larger city, outdoors stores like MEC ( Mountain Equipment Co-op) rent snowshoes at very reasonable rates.

 Winter is long in Alberta and we have to make the most of it. Downhill skiing and Snowboarding, although great, are becoming very expensive activities for many families. Snowshoeing on the other hand is relatively inexpensive and a lot of fun.

 Snowshoeing is a great workout and you will work up a sweat even in colder temperatures. Dress in layers and avoid cotton or denim. It's best to have materials that wick moisture from the body and are quick drying. Staff at sporting and outdoors stores can help you with proper clothing suggestions too.

  Give snowshoeing a try this winter. You may be glad you did.

So have some fun this winter and give snow shoeing a try.

Avalanche

Even if it doesn't seem like it with the warm weather we've been getting Avalanche season is upon us. It is even more of an issue with the warming and cooling. Now is the time to be extra prepared when going out into the mountains. Really study where you are going. Does this trail lead into avi terrain? Does the trail cross any avalanche runouts? Am I and everyone in my group properly prepared and trained to venture into this terrain?

Regularly check conditions at Avalanche Canada. They have an amazing website and here is the link: http://www.avalanche.ca/map

A bit about Avalanche Canada from their website: 

Avalanche Canada is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to public avalanche safety. We issue daily avalanche forecasts throughout the winter for much of the mountainous regions of western Canada, providing this free information via our website and our app, Avalanche Canada Mobile. We also coordinate and deliver avalanche awareness and education programs, provide curriculum and support to instructors of Avalanche Canada training programs, act as a central point-of-contact for avalanche information, and work closely with many different avalanche research projects, both at home and abroad.

Vision

To eliminate avalanche fatalities and injuries in Canada.

Mission

To minimize public risk in avalanche terrain by providing leadership, development, communication, coordination and delivery of public avalanche safety education, warnings, products, and services.

Values

• We are committed to awareness, training, and safety for the general public and for all who travel in avalanche terrain.
• We are an inclusive and diverse organization that provides services to all winter recreation activity participants.
• We strive to ensure that all programs, services, and materials are based on accurate research and evidence.
• We engage in strategic relationships and alliances to further the reach of our programs and messages.
• We investigate to understand all factors that contribute to human incidents in avalanche terrain and support that investigation by encouraging research.
• We inspire people to safely enjoy recreation and travel in the winter backcountry environment.
• We value our staff and community’s collective strength, energy and leadership.
• We create a fun, healthy, professional, and sustainable workplace, and provide our staff with opportunities to grow and thrive.
• We anticipate and respond to challenges and changes with creativity, collaboration, courage and bold enthusiasm.

Lastly they have an online tutorial everyone who plans on winter hiking ,snowshoeing etc. should take.  Enjoy their website, it's great.

The Ten Essentials

The Ten Essentials

Packing the Ten Essentials whenever you step into the backcountry, even on day hikes, is a good habit. True, on a routine trip you may use only a few of them. Yet you’ll probably never fully appreciate the value of the Ten Essentials until you really need one of them.

The original Ten Essentials list was assembled in the 1930s by The Mountaineers, a Seattle-based organization for climbers and outdoor adventurers, to help people be prepared for emergency situations in the outdoors.

In 2003, the group updated the list to a “systems” approach rather than listing individual items (for example, map and compass now fall into the Navigation “system”.)

The updated "systems" approach made its debut in The Mountaineers’ seminal text on climbing and outdoor exploration, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (The Mountaineers Books), now in its eighth edition.

Updated Ten Essential "Systems"

1. Navigation (map and compass)
2. Sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen)
3. Insulation (extra clothing)
4. Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candles)
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter

Classic Ten Essentials

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Sunglasses and sunscreen
4. Extra clothing
5. Headlamp/flashlight
6. First-aid supplies
7. Firestarter
8. Matches
9. Knife
10. Extra food

Article from REI