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Blisters
By Elena
What
do you do when you get those godawful blisters that cause you pain and
torment and days of grief afterward?
Try this!
Before you start hiking put *blister tape on the heels of your feet
around the back below the Achilles tendon and under the anklebone.
This works particularly well if you know the places where you usually
get blisters.
Now if you forget or you can't be bothered, as soon as you are aware
of a hot feeling on a spot on your foot re-apply blister tape.
You have to pay attention to your feet to recognize the sensation of
an oncoming blister.
When reapplying , the skin area must be clean and dry so the tape will
stick.
Then smooth down the tape perfectly.
Can you tell the writer of this article really likes her feet?
This should protect you from more blister damage and you can always
reapply more later if the areas start to hurt again.
Of course before all this it's recommended to break in those new boots
or walking shoes before using them on a long hike.
Wear the new footwear around town first and use the blister tape if
needed.
*blister tape: white adhesive tape designed
to adhere to the skin.
Johnson and Johnson make a good brand called First Aid Waterproof Tape
- it will tear easily with the teeth if you can't find your knife and
it doesn't react with most skin types
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The Rest Step
By Elena
The rest step developed as a way to lessen the strain
of long distance on the body.
It will ease the impact of a heavy pack and allow the hiker to develop
a healthy pace for endurance.
It works really well when carrying a heavy pack up steep terrain.
The idea is to minimize the weight of the load on the hips, legs and
especially the knees and feet to allow the hiker to hike longer and
farther and be more rested.
You have all been on hikes where the most fit and enthusiastic roar
ahead and leave you sauntering along at the end.
That pace is fine for most day hikes when you are carrying a relatively
light load, but its absolute murder when you have a heavy pack and each
step up a steep incline you take almost over balances you.
The rest step is relatively simple. As you lift your foot and leg up
onto the next foot hold you allow your body to sink into the step and
take a short rest.
The weight swings fully onto the hip and takes a slight pause, before
transferring the weight to the other leg.
It's not really a short rest. Instead it's a pause while sinking into
the hip deeply. It's more of a stop motion to the continuous fluid swing
of the leg movement that usually happens. This will also allow you to
breathe more evenly and less heavily.
You can tell if you are doing the rest step, if your step is heavy on
the terrain and you aren't breathing too hard.
You can also hike using this rest step if you have some minor injuries
and when you are tired. This technique is also useful before you are
in shape at the beginning of the season and it will save you from pulled
muscles. You can really feel the merits of this when you've got an extremely
vertical section to cover or its really late in the day and there is
that last headwall to get up
The rest step might not sound like very much but believe me, it works
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Sleeping bag & mattress storage
By Hee
Store your thermarest sleepinp mattress OPEN, not
rolled up.
This also applies to your sleeping bag. Hang it, do not leave it rolled
up in their sack.
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Back-packing Tips for Beginners : how to choose
your hiking boots ?
By Kathy
So you'd like to go back-packing but don't know where to start? Read
on to find out more…
I'll begin with equipment.
Your most important piece of equipment is comfortable footwear. You
will be asking your feet to carry you up and down hill, over rocks,
through mud, and over snow so you want to have the most comfortable
and weather-proof boots you can find.
Besides comfort, you want to think a bit about the type of hiking you
will be doing and buy your boots accordingly. All hiking boots have
a steel or synthetic shank for support, good traction, and some are
also waterproof. The cheapest and least supportive boots are day-hikers.
These boots are not generally supportive enough for carrying a pack
more than a km or two. Light back-packing boots are a heavier duty version
of day-hikers and are suitable for moderate hikes with a pack on trails.
They should be worn around the house for at least a full day, preferably
with your packed back-pack on before you use them for a hike.
When your pack is on, the boot sole should bend where
your foot normally bends. If they also bend when your pack is not on
then they are not supportive enough. If they don't bend at all (this
often happens to lightweight people with big feet like me) then you
should choose another pair as they will be very uncomfortable. It's
also possible to buy very heavy duty back-packing boots for going off
trail. These boots will have more support in the ankle and be of more
solid construction.
Lastly-should you buy Gore-Tex boots? While some people claim they do
not keep your feet dry, I have had a lot of success with them and highly
recommend them. They also keep your feet warmer
They will also keep your feet warmer, which is generally
a good thing but if you will be mainly using them to back-pack in the
Okanogan in the summer, you will not need or want Gore-Tex.
Happy Trails!
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Back-packing Tips for Beginners : how to choose
your back-packing stove ?
By Kathy
How to choose a back-packing stove. There
are many different types but all have in common very light weight and
small size. Prices vary widely: you can pay as little as $35 for a stove
that looks very similar to one selling for $120. How do you know which
one to choose?
First of all, more expensive is not necessarily
better. I am very fond of my little Trangia stove that runs on methyl
alcohol. It burns very cleanly (by-products are water and carbon dioxide),
is silent and almost indestructible. I’ve had my stove for 13 years
now and I’ve decided it will last longer than I do! The drawbacks
are that it doesn’t work below about -3°C and it is very slow-about
5-6 min to boil 1L of water.
Most of the stoves you find at outdoor stores these days are pressurized
stoves-where you can pump the gas to pressurize it (white gas, diesel
or auto gas, kerosene) or you buy the gas in a pressurized canister
(butane/propane mix). These stoves are much faster (3-4 min boil time
for 1L of water) and work well in freezing temperatures.
The more expensive stoves are lighter weight (by about 200g) and often
will burn more than one type of fuel. Handy if you are traveling to
remote parts of the world where white gas may not be available.
The more expensive stoves will also usually burn the fuel more efficiently
-meaning you can carry less of it. Mountain Equipment Co-op has an interesting
display on stove efficiency that you should check out. I also recommend
talking to the staff at MEC as they are very knowledgeable
Happy Trails!
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Seymour Demonstration Forest - Eat Your Heart Out Nature Lovers!
By Lee and Barb
 It
was an event that was almost a non-event.
We laughed, we grunted, we ate, we screamedwith glee. No, we didn’t
have sex. We went for a bike ride. After a few non-starter attempts
to assess our meteorological possibilities, we agreed to embark on what
initially appeared to be a brilliantly sunny day in the woods. Well.
It is Vancouver. It is January.
Slim posted a ride on the forum and Rogue responded affirmatively. However,
we were both careful about our commitment, having never met and having
other possibilities for the evening prior. (Club 23 Drag King night
for
Slim). Wheeeee!
Wildlife abounded, maybe not an impressive wildlife count, but we did
spot a Crested Blue Heron, a school (or two) of smolts, not the parr,
nor the grilse (and let’s see if you care enough to look those
up) and a beautiful Red Tailed Hawk displayed his awesome wingspan twice
for us.
Between pelting vertical rain, sunny highlights on the misted lakes
and Old Man’s Beard hanging by the 500 year old majestic Sitka
Spruce we felt like Hansel and Gretel in the Enchanted Forest (or two
tiny dykes dwarfed by the splendour of nature). It was three hours of
bliss with a new friendship forged.
The Seymour Demonstration Forest has come a long way (and we went about
24km) in its accessibility and amenities. Nice little places along the
way with picnic benches, rushing freshets, clean loos, and unbeatable
views. Despite the fact that it’s a paved ride (except in the Old
Growth Forest); we were in raw wilderness, evidenced by the Cougar warnings.
And it was so kewl!
Check it out some time!
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