Questions tagged [hiking]
Hiking is any outdoor walking activity - along trails or across unmarked wild country.
629
questions
9
votes
3answers
649 views
Is it dangerous to go to Mountains when snow is melting?
This year beginning of May 2018 we with my friend visited Valle Grande in Italian Alps. Begging from 1500 meters there was snow, on the high of 1900m there was pretty deep snow and it was actively ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
What constitutes mountain exposure when hiking or scrambling?
In this question, I focus on the fall exposure component. While I understand the perception of danger will vary from person to person, I'm having trouble characterizing mountain exposure. I can see ...
3
votes
1answer
232 views
Are there any credible estimates of how much of the US National Park System does not have cell phone reception? If so, what do they conclude?
We have found that almost any place that is interesting to hike, and especially backpack, does not have cell phone reception, or at best lousy cell phone reception.
To which I say hallelujah! I do ...
18
votes
1answer
19k views
What does “out and back” mean in terms of understanding the length of a trail?
If I am going on a 10 mile hike and the book says the hike is 10 miles out and back, how many miles will it be total?
4
votes
1answer
351 views
Will the Trailhead Registry burn in a forest fire?
I posted an answer for a recent question about a forest fire that started after your hike began, that said:
Presumably you registered at the trailhead, and you have a friend who knows where you are....
9
votes
1answer
449 views
Hiking/Scrambling Etiquette? (UK Specific)
I'm an American who moved to the UK 2.5 years ago but didn't start doing a lot of outdoor activities until early this year (here, specifically, as the job that moved me over was very demanding at ...
4
votes
2answers
198 views
How do you access the back of a large paper map?
I have several paper Ordnance Survey maps, but I don’t know how to easily access the back of the sheet without ripping or damaging my map while trying to unfold a very large area of paper. Are there ...
5
votes
1answer
625 views
How can I distinguish between rock pile types cairn, duck, and natural?
I've seen cairns while hiking in mountains and they are usually easy to distinguish from natural rock piles. However, I am a bit confused by what makes a duck and what distinguishes it from a cairn ...
9
votes
1answer
592 views
Is it generally safe to hike a pass in a thunderstorm?
Friend and I had this discussion, and came to no conclusion:
Hiking in the mountains. Crossing a range through a pass. Peaks on either side are a good thousand feet higher. Are you at serious risk ...
6
votes
3answers
593 views
What are the simplest 5000 m mountains to hike?
My friends and I are 4 years experienced hikers, and next year we want to go for a 5000 m (16,400 ft) mountain. What are the best options regarding the complexity of the trail and how beautiful the ...
3
votes
5answers
618 views
Where are some good places for a day-hike within an hour or two of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA?
Some friends and I were thinking of doing a one day hike somewhere in Minnesota. I have looked online for places but nothing I have found really gives me a sense of the place.
My requirements are ...
9
votes
2answers
257 views
What is the impact/risks of high altitude walking on individuals suffering from High Blood Pressure?
Setting aside the benefits of cardiocavascular exercise in general, what are the risks to hikers/climbers with high blood pressure at various altitudes?
Is there an upper ceilling/threshold that ...
7
votes
2answers
180 views
Philmont closed - any good places to go instead?
I was planning on a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch this August but it closed the back country for the rest of the summer.
My troop already has group tickets on a flight to Colorado with Delta. I was ...
10
votes
4answers
731 views
Does body need to re-acclimatize after a few days out of altitude?
We will be in Peru visiting Machu Pichu (altitude 7,972 ft or 2,430 m). Then we'll go down to the jungle (essentially sea level) for 4 days and then to Cuzco (altitude 11,152 feet or 3,399 meters). ...
12
votes
2answers
377 views
Is it safe to drink rain water from a stream after a long drought?
I was hiking in Switzerland yesterday and came across a small river which holds very little water on most days (or even none) and grows a lot after rainfall. The day before yesterday it rained for the ...
3
votes
0answers
206 views
How to find good hiking maps for the Laugavegur trail in Iceland? [duplicate]
I will be hiking the Laugavegur trail alone and have been looking for good hiking maps (1:50 000) online. My google searches yield no good results. Where do you even begin to look?
10
votes
2answers
229 views
How to recover from muscle pain during the midst of a multi-day hiking?
When I go on for a multi-day hiking ( say, 7 or 8 days), my leg muscle will get painful in the middle of the hiking ( say, at the 4th day). Usually the muscle pain will take 5 days to heal, but I ...
6
votes
1answer
193 views
What's the difference between defined Forest areas and laws with respect to hiking/camping through them in India?
While Planning a hike in Western Ghats, India by studying Satellite Images, I came through various identifications for a forest area like National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, etc.
On studying further I ...
26
votes
11answers
11k views
How to fight bugs when hiking?
What's the best way to repel flies and bugs when hiking in summer? Where I hike is not really humid (southern California) but it's hot on summer days and a lot of insects and flies gather around me ...
5
votes
0answers
178 views
Warm-weather UL breathable packable waterproof jacket [closed]
I guess I might be asking for too much but I'm trying to find a very breathable, light, packable waterproof jacket. I'd like to be able to hike in ~75F rain while remaining relatively comfortable for ...
11
votes
3answers
939 views
How to keep socks from wicking rain off pants into boots
My wife and I have been very fortunate in our long distance hikes - we've never been rained on except for our last day on the way out. So, while we have rain jackets that we pack, we've never packed ...
17
votes
4answers
4k views
Are there any reliable plants to use for navigation?
I've always heard that moss grows on the north side of a tree. Presumably, this is because conditions on the north side, at least in the northern hemisphere, tend to get less sunlight and are damper. ...
3
votes
4answers
666 views
How many miles should one expect to get out of a good pair of hiking boots?
They say that on average 400-500 miles is a good bet for running shoes, but for myself it's only about 300-350 miles before the aches of worn out shoes start to occur. It seems that shoes are one of ...
15
votes
3answers
2k views
How dangerous is it to rummage the ground in the mountains of Nevada desert with venomous creatures out there?
I made plans to do some hiking in the mountains of Nevada this weekend. I'll have someone there nearby and a hospital is an hour drive away. We thought it would be fun to uncover rocks and even dig ...
18
votes
3answers
3k views
Can microspikes replace crampons when crossing ice in summer?
When hiking in early summer I often come across patches of old snow. Till now I have managed to cross those by cutting my steps in the snow or walking around. And whenever I had my hiking sticks with ...
13
votes
5answers
8k views
Can a person picky about water taste use a hydration bladder?
I feel like I would find a hydration bladder extremely useful. Especially so when going on via ferratas or multipitch climbs. But even when doing simple hikes it would allow me to have a sip of water ...
39
votes
3answers
3k views
“Official” providers of topographic maps per country
If I want to go to some contry, with no specific region in mind yet, I often have trouble to get good topographical information for hiking beforehand. I usually find it rather difficult to discover ...
8
votes
4answers
642 views
How long can I trust the purity of water in a water bottle?
In the morning on day 1 of my multi-day hike I opened up a one liter plastic bottle of water and drank half the contents. I stored the bottle in a loop on the outside of my pack and promptly forgot ...
5
votes
1answer
392 views
Gear for slush-over-ice
I hike in all seasons and weathers. I love the old adage there is no bad weather only bad gear. My Kahtoola microspikes are excellent when there is hard ice on the trail. Turns a sheet of ice into a ...
3
votes
0answers
126 views
Are trades routes and/or mountain routes still used? [closed]
Some background:
I live in the western part of state of Maharashtra, India. The city of Pune is located on the Deccan Plateau.
Deccan plateau itself is huge. The western section of the plateau has a ...
4
votes
2answers
5k views
How to use DEET bug sprays if I have dogs?
DEET is very toxic to dogs. How can I use DEET-based sprays and not poison my dogs? (my dogs often lick me, and they can get poisoned)
asked Apr 15 '18 at 22:14
Censored to protect the guilty
1,6422 gold badges11 silver badges17 bronze badges
9
votes
1answer
208 views
How to find water in thick tropical forests?
A couple of years ago, we hiked up to a place in the western ghats during the month of December (end of it). Which is actually the end of winter in the Indian subcontinent. The biggest problem we ...
9
votes
5answers
307 views
Are there any exercises that will strengthen my back to prepare for a day hike?
I will go hiking in 2 weeks. Are there any exercises for preparing for it, as last time I carried my pack on a hike for the whole day, my back started to hurt.
52
votes
8answers
10k views
How can I get a GPS location for this tree on a distant hillside?
I want to hike to the base of this tree (circled in red in the photo). That's a hillside full of full grown trees beneath it, and it looks like over a full tree's height sticking up above the other ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Is it easier for shorter people to walk the slopes of a mountain due to a lower center of gravity?
Apart from the obvious advantages of longer strides and reach, does a higher center of gravity make it more difficult for taller people to walk the slopes of a mountain? Or in other terms, do shorter ...
12
votes
3answers
774 views
Effective breathing techniques for high inclination, tougher hikes
I've come across a lot of articles talking of breathing techniques while running. However, I've not come across any which talks of breathing techniques for tough hikes (tough in terms of inclination ...
17
votes
5answers
49k views
Should one buy a higher shoe size while buying hiking shoes?
I've heard this multiple times from different people that while buying a hiking shoe, always go for one size larger than what fits you perfectly. The most recent one being a local store where I went ...
8
votes
1answer
337 views
Should one deliberately eat more and put on weight before going on long treks?
Recently I saw a podcast of Alex Honnold with Rich Roll where Alex speaks about deliberately eating up and gaining weight before going on an Antarctic expedition (I'm assuming this is because of the ...
6
votes
1answer
473 views
What is bog shoeing?
This question asks about bog-crossing grades of difficulty, and special equipment like bog shoes. What are bog shoes?
10
votes
1answer
264 views
Finnish maps: bogs easy vs hard to traverse
Bogs on my Lemmenjoki and Hammastunturi map are marked as either easy or hard to traverse. What conditions should I expect from both terrain types in summer (mid August)? Does easy mean one can walk ...
4
votes
1answer
96 views
What does status R mean regarding trail permits on the Mt Whitney lottery calendar?
I lost out on the Mt Whitney lottery--dates I was looking for now say R--does that mean I am out of luck or will some slots be available later, like in the April 1 access date?
5
votes
1answer
247 views
Where is the farthest I can get from civilization while staying in florida?
Yesterday I took my girlfriend with me on a random 40 minute ride to stop on the side of the road to stargaze near a farm. It was a lot of fun being away from the suburbs. I've never been camping ...
5
votes
2answers
382 views
Crossing small corners of a glacier when hiking in summer
I am planning to do a 3-day hike combined with multiple via ferratas this summer in the Brenta Dolomites in Italy. I haven't done the big research yet, but from looking at the (hiking) map I can see ...
3
votes
1answer
176 views
Hiking in Lappland in August - what about animals?
I'm planning to hike/wildcamp in finnish Lappland in August, in Viipustunturit and maybe also in Muotkatunturit.
Is there anything special that I should do about the local animals? E.g. in the ...
8
votes
3answers
408 views
How can I prepare my body for a relatively hard hike?
I'm from Munich, Germany. There is a German highest mountain Zugspitze (2.962m) close to the city (2 hours with a train), and I want to climb it in spring. Base camp is 700m high.
There are a couple ...
11
votes
9answers
3k views
First time snow hiking
I will be going to a ski resort in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. It’s also very popular for winter hiking and has a lot of routes set out. Because I can’t go skiing this year I’d like to do some hiking ...
38
votes
6answers
14k views
Do I still need to hang my food if I have two large dogs?
I have two large dogs - a German Shepherd and a Presa Canario. I hike alone with my dogs in black (not grizzly) bear country.
Do I still need to hang my food? Or will the three of us be able to ...
asked Mar 3 '18 at 16:36
Censored to protect the guilty
1,6422 gold badges11 silver badges17 bronze badges
2
votes
3answers
224 views
What are the possible risks of exercising at high altitudes?
Are there any possible risks of exercising (body weight, calisthenics only) at high altitudes? I'm talking of altitudes above 4500m. The whole premise is not to lose muscle mass.
Background: I'll be ...
6
votes
2answers
10k views
At what wind speed is hiking considered unsafe
I have enough experience with mountain hiking, but in the area where I live (the Alps), the wind rarelly gets extremelly strong, so I have no idea about judging when it is actually unsafe to hike ...
5
votes
2answers
713 views
What are the busiest months for hiking in the New Hampshire Presidential Mountains?
I'm planning a 3 day hike (somewhere between early June and early September) in the New Hampshire's White Mountains, specifically the Presidentials.
I'd like to avoid the biggest crowds and would ...
