Hiking Dude Blog

Since January, I've been preparing for my half-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I leave in 2 weeks, and I'm just about physically ready for the trek. I'd like to share how I went about ramping up for the hike - not that it's the best way for everyone, but it's what I planned and completed.

Starting in January, I started walking 3 days a week. I started with 2 miles the first two times out, just to make sure my legs weren't atrophied after being pretty sedentary since Thanksgiving. It was very cold, for me as well as the animals along the trail. I moved up to 4 miles per day and walked that distance until February.

During February, March, and April, I just walked 5 miles most mornings on the trail. The goal was to just keep muscles moving and being outdoors. I believe walking year round is certainly a good thing to do, but I don't think pounding out 10 or 20 mile days months before starting a long hike helps prepare for that hike. So, I just made sure I was active for at least 1 hour each day. My long-term goal was to cover 1000 miles before starting on my 1000-mile long hike - not an important number, just something to shoot for.

With the spring, came thawing trails, new leafs, and migrating birds. Reducing the layers I had to wear, I increased my daily hike distance to 6 miles and spent about 90 minutes each morning on the trail. May was nice, and we were fortunate to have a cool, dry June, so the walks were beautiful. The trail got more busy with bike riders, runners, and dog walkers.

One thing I've done poorly is weight training and upper body exercising. Many long distance hikers see upper body weight as just extra weight to move up the trail. That's true, but I think keeping the entire body toned makes all the muscles work better together, and that's something I need to work on before my next long hike.

With a couple weeks lost to vacation and family visits, I've spent July doing longer walks. Anywhere from 8 to 12 miles, at least twice a week, with 6 miles other days. To help get ready for the strenuous, rough, steep nature of the Appalachian Trail, I've added hill climbing. I walk 3 miles to the closest steep hill of only about 120 feet, walk up and down as many times as I can, and then walk home. I'm now up to walking it 10 times in 1 hour which is my goal. I'll do that a few more times before leaving for the A.T. but I know I'll still be woefully under-prepared for the climbs on that trail. :-)

Fortunately, the A.T. doesn't have high elevations so oxygen will be available in the air. My challenge will be getting it into my body for my legs to use. Forcing myself to take it easy for the first week or two will also be a challenge since I tend to push myself each day to cover more miles.

If you have any hints, tips, tricks, or secrets to help prepare for long hikes, please feel free to comment about them. One thing I've not done before, but just started for this hike, is drinking chocolate-flavored whey protein right after my daily walk. I don't know if it's helping, but I like the taste and the expectation is that it will help recover and strengthen the leg muscles that have been fatigued.

Hike On

I've accumulated almost 800 miles on my daily walks this year. Hiking pretty much every weekday for 6 to 8 miles in the early morning doesn't sound too interesting to share online, so I've not been blogging. Since it's getting close to time for my next long hike, I figure I need to make sure the blog stuff still works.
It has been fun watching the trail change over the months and I've seen many animals along the way. Here's just a few pictures of my little friends and I'll share some more over the next few days.
Now that it is mid-summer, everything is in full foliage, flowers have bloomed, and fruits are ripening. It's nearing the best time of year for hiking, so I'm preparing to leave in two weeks.

Last year, my try at the northern half of the Appalachian Trail didn't go as hoped but I'm ready to take a shot at that tough trail again.
This year, I'm going to do the southern half with a more casual schedule and not push so hard. Well, I expect I'll wind up pushing it but I'm hoping to at least pull in the reins for awhile and take it a bit easier.

Over the next couple weeks, I'll share what I've done to prepare for my long hike, what my plan is, challenges I expect to encounter, and anything else that folks ask about.

Hike On

Back home and walking in -15°F yesterday. That's just 80° lower than my last walk down south. ☺

The vacation to Marco Island in Florida is over, and was a great time. It ended with a walk through the Edison/Ford Winter Estates in Ft. Myers before catching a plane home. Those two guys were amazing, and left legacies that huge parts of our current way of life are built on. Batteries, music, movies, automobiles, and much more were created, improved, or made available to consumers through their efforts.

If you're looking for an escape from cold winter, the Ft. Myers, Naples area has a lot to explore. The one thing I missed doing was visiting the official southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail. I plan to be hiking it soon - "soon" being arbitrarily relative.

Now that the manatees, alligators, seashells, and birds of all sorts are just things to fondly remember until next time, I'm enjoying the local trails again. Yesterday was the coldest hike of the winter for me. I thought this steam coming out of a sewer cover and freezing onto the branches above was very interesting. The upper branches are about 8 feet above the opening and still covered in frost. You can click the photo for a larger view.

Even though it was quite cold, I was comfortably warm for the 90-minute, 6-mile hike - all except my toes which started complaining after an hour.




I've developed a clothing scheme that works well for me based on the air temperature and wind. I don't want to be too hot or too cold, so different layers for different temperatures are important. I'll share that in a couple days.
Just like the steam from a sewer, -15°F does a great job of frosting up a lone hiker. I even got frost on my eyelashes and inside my coat. With projected warmer temperatures (today it is 30 degrees already), this will probably be that last really cold walk about.

Oh, if you are admiring the scarf, I'm sorry but it's not available in any stores. It's a one-of-a-kind, custom knit creation that I got for Christmas!










To close, I just had to share this bit of trail trash. Someone was a wonderful valentine, getting a balloon for his sweetie, but it escaped. A week later, I found it in the brush along the trail. I wonder how long of a flight it had? But, now it's in the garbage can outside waiting for pick-up.

So, tether your balloons! And don't be afraid to pick up and properly dispose of trash you notice along your trail.

Hike On

The big arctic cold blast that has been setting record lows around the country even reached this far south the last couple days. Instead of highs in the 80s, it's only been in the 60s - but that's fine with me since there's still been lots of sun! You can see I had a jacket on today.

On this last full day, I got to hike a couple miles on the beach. They call this the 'west coast' even though I'm in one of the states on the Atlantic Ocean. I'm actually on an island just off the west coast of this eastern state, so that's weird.








We found lots of seashells and enjoyed the sunshine. We also walked 3 miles roundtrip to the store to get food for dinner this evening. So, it was a pretty relaxing day, but I did get in a few miles.

Last things left to do are visit a museum and see a few more manatees this morning before catching a plane home.

Brrrrrr. I'm not really looking forward to doing my hikes all bundled up again. Oh well.

Hike On

I walked 6 miles around the island early this morning, and got to this nice spot just as the sun rose at 7:00am. A couple of hopeful pelicans were keeping an eye on someone hunting in the rocks below the tideline - I assume for something edible. There were also a few fishermen nearby casting into the bay.

Without a cloud in the sky, the sun was beautiful, but a strong wind from the north dropped the temperature down below 50. Other people out walking were bundled up, but I felt just fine in my t-shirt.
I even saw one lady wearing gloves, earmuffs, and a down coat!





Exploring the area later in the afternoon, I ran into this little fella in the swamp along the trail. Actually, he's about as long as I am tall. He was getting all the sun he could soak up since it was such a cold day. I also saw a few manatees, but photos of a snout surfacing isn't that exciting. :-)

Yesterday, I went on a canoe tour led by a couple park rangers through some backwater mangrove forests. It was very interesting to learn a bit more about the area. Today, our hope for doing a kayak tour on our own was squashed because of a small craft advisory and big waves, so we stuck to relatively dry land.

I have a couple more days here. It's not Louisiana, so where do you think I might be?

These birds are a big change from the shivering deer on my last post. Obviously, I'm someplace new!
On vacation in a warmer place for a few days, I'm still walking each morning but with fewer layers and more perspiration. I hiked the morning before leaving home and it was -15F windchill. When I arrived, I went for a short walk and it was +76F - that's quite a change for acclimating.

Any idea where I am? Go ahead and take a guess.

The deer were smarter than me this morning. How many can you see in this picture that I zoomed in from the trail?


While they were bedded down, I was walking my 5 miles through ice pellets. It wasn't freezing rain and it certainly wasn't snow and I couldn't really call it hail.


Starting as a few light pings on my exposed windward cheek, it gradually became sharper twinges as the wind picked up and the size of pellets grew. By the time I got home, I had my scarf around my face - not for warmth, but for protection from the BBs bouncing off my head.





You can see what had piled up on the sidewalk here. Smart deer, waiting it out under the trees. At least it made a very interesting noise as the millions of pellets bounced through the bare tree limbs and onto the dry leafs across the forest floor. I guess it was similar to a rainmaker tube that you may have seen created by school kids.

Hike One

PS: There are three deer in the photo.

It took just a bit over an hour of walking this morning to develop this cool frost layer. It was -5°F and about 5mph wind but I was comfortable the whole time.

At -10°F, it takes about 30 minutes to get frostbite on exposed skin, but less than 15 minutes at -20°F. Above about 15°F, there is much less concern about frostbite, but hypothermia remains something to watch for as people slowly lose their core body heat over hours, not minutes.

Keep these points in mind to prevent frostbite:

• Keep Moving - muscle activity keeps warm blood flowing to your extremities. Sitting, or even standing in one position, can reduce circulation which increases frostbite potential. Don't move so much that you sweat and get your clothes wet.
• Wear loose layers - this provides dead air space which means more insulation. A big fleece crushed under a tight-fitting windbreaker loses loft - wear an oversized outer layer.
• Cover up - Exposed skin freezes fast so cover everything but your eyes.
• Convection cools - a 0 degree windless day is less dangerous than a 15 degree day with 15mph wind. A windproof outer layer makes a big difference. Even a thin wind/rain jacket hood over your stocking hat helps a lot.
• Winter Gear - a scarf or balaclava protects the face; mittens instead of gloves keep fingers together and warmer; insulated boots, especially with thick soles, keep feet warmer than hiking boots. Chemical heat packs in boots and mittens can be a big help.
• Limit Exposure - if you expect frostbite temperatures for your outing, plan a shorter hike or use shelters along the way to warm up occasionally.

Hike On!

When I first started hiking long distances a couple years ago, friends would invariably ask, "Oh, are you into that ultralight stuff?" Being a newbie and still having the view that ultralight trekkers were godlike and in a league of their own, I'd reply that I was trying to carry just what I needed.

I'm still trying to carry just what I need. I think I'm down to pretty much the minimum of what I need to remain safe, comfortable, and successful. I've also replaced things that I do need with lighter versions of the same thing to make my load lighter, but still safe, comfortable, and successful.

I haven't lightened my load so I can call myself 'UltraLight'. I haven't done it so I can lift my pack with one finger, set speed records, or impress my friends. Really, the only reason is because I'm lazy. Totally, consistently lazy.

I can see no reason to carry a 10 ounce flashlight when a 0.6 ounce microlight does what I need. No 8 ounce nalgene bottle when a 1 ounce disposable works fine. No 14 ounce pump filter when a 2 ounce Sawyer mini flows with crystal clear water. I'm far too lazy to carry any extra weight, and that makes my pack pretty darn light.

But, being lazy, I can't put in the effort to saw the handle off a toothbrush, dehydrate my toothpaste, cut the tags from clothes, or hunt around for natural toilet paper. So, when it seems to me that carrying the extra weight is easier than the effort to get rid of it, I do carry weight that others might drop.

I'm also pretty cheap so I carry some things that are heavier than other options. A dozen 1-ounce plastic tent stakes that cost $10 are close enough to 0.6 ounce titanium stakes costing $36. My 10-ounce $15 hiking poles are close enough to 6-ounce $80 poles for me. My 2-pound $80 quilt is just as warm as a 1.75-pound $190 down bag.

So, I guess that's me - not UltraLight, just Lazy And Cheap. Maybe LAC will become more popular than UL once the word gets out! Spread the word!

Do you have any LAC items or tips? Let us know.

Do you remember what it felt like when Mighty Casey struck out?
"Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville — little GoLite has struck out."

I received an email today that GoLite.com is having a liquidation sale. I figured it was some spam so I viewed the source - and everything looked legit. I went to GoLite.com and there was a banner "Liquidation Sale", but then every page after that just showed "service unavailable" - I imagine their server is overloaded today.

It's true - GoLite.com is bankrupt and selling out all their inventory to pay off debts.

GoLite is (was) my favorite, daniel-vs-goliath, ultralight gear provider. They pushed the price of gear down and seemed to really try to offer good stuff and reasonable prices. Over the past few years, they tried different sales models. Obviously, some part of their business plan didn't work out. :-(

When I hiked the Arizona Trail, my most important item was my GoLite chrome dome umbrella. It protected me from sun, rain, and big horses. I still have, and use, it but now will never be able to replace it as it is wearing a bit thin.
Also, my wife and I both got GoLite down jackets from Christmas gifts and I wore mine every night across Arizona. She wears hers from Oct. to March here in MN. :-)

But, it's not just me. Andrew Skurka's gear list includes many GoLite items.

Now that GoLite is going away, I find myself wondering if I could have helped prevent the closing of their doors. Here's all I could think of - do you have other ideas?

• Buy More Stuff - purchase what you need, or just want
• Give Feedback - let them know you like them and why they are your favorite
• Promote - tell your friends about them

Well, there are still lots of lightweight gear retailers - Granite Gear, Gossamer Gear, HyperLite, AntiGravity, ULA, ZPacks, ProLite, LightHeart, EMS, Katabatic, ... but I'll sure miss GoLite. Guess I need to find a new favorite.

Can you see the deer ?
My 8 mile hike was pretty chilly this morning, just 9 degrees!