Having fun hiking

Having Fun HikingBy Practicing Safe Hiking

Presentation to Guides and Pathfinders

Cathy WalkerRidge Meadows Outdoors Club

2014

If you can walk, you can hike• You get to see so many beautiful and

interesting places and things• As well as getting great exercise

Have fun!

• Diez Vistas, Buntzen Lake

See beautiful places

• Marion Lake, UBC Research Forest

See beautiful plants

Cute animals

Interesting geology

Have lots of fun!

• Mt. Nutt, Golden Ears Park

You can hike in the winter with snowshoes

What do you need to know to enjoy hiking and backpacking?

Take care of your feet

• Tend to hot spots Before they become blisters

What do you need on a hike?

• Most important: boots that fit

How to find good boots?

• Go to Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC is in Langley at Willowbrook Mall) at end of day when your feet are slightly larger

• Wear hiking socks: merino wool are best (Costco’s are great quality and by far the cheapest); some people wear two pairs of socks, inner and outer

• Let the MEC store clerk fit your boots • Wear the boots in the store as long as you can, go up and down

inclines• At MEC, you can take them back if they don’t work out on the

trail• If you can’t find boots at MEC to fit, go elsewhere

Find a good pack• Packs also need to fit• Best ones have padded waist belt;

weight rests on your hips• Make sure it’s big enough to carry

what you need• Get MEC clerk to help you choose a

pack and load it with stuff; walk around the store

• At MEC you can take it back if it doesn’t fit right on the trail

• Or, go for cheap – Canadian Tire• For overnight backpacking, fit is

Essential

What to wear?• Comfortable clothing• Dress in layers• Wear clothing that dries quickly – synthetics like

polyester, not cotton• Remember, your clothes will get wet and dirty• Can go to Value Village or other thrift stores if you

don’t have suitable clothing

What’s in your day pack?

• Your lunch• Your water• Your snacks

What’s in your day pack?

What else to bring on a day hike?

What do you need for

backpacking?

Trail Etiquette• Stick to the trail, especially

in alpine and sub-alpine areas to prevent damage to eco-system and trail erosion

• Take out all garbage you brought with you (and pick up other people’s garbage too)

• Clean up after your dog – the main reason for dogs to be on leashes

• Let other people get by who are coming the other way

• Many people Hate the sound of bear bells (some people call them bear dinner bells)

Trail Safety• Don’t get lost• Read the map first • Know how far you’re

going, what the elevation gain is and about how long the hike will take

• Know what time dark will be and what time the park will close

• Weather forecast will let you know what to expect

Trail Safety• Go with someone who has done the trail

before• Make sure there’s at least 3 of you• So if someone gets hurt, there’s one to stay

with them and one to go for help• If someone is injured, keep them warm and

dry

Trail Safety

• Have a leader and a person at the back

• Count the number of hikers and re-count at every stop

• Keep together on the trail; don’t get too spread out

• Wait for people at Every junction

• Take time for breaks (5 minutes every hour) to have a rest, a drink of water and a snack; it’s not a race

Trail Safety – Whistle Signals

• One whistle – Where are you?• Two whistles – Come to me• Three whistles – Emergency!• In each case, wait a minute between whistling• If it’s an emergency, keep whistling till people

find you

Trail Safety• Make sure you wait for slowest

person periodically and don’t take off the instant they catch up

• If necessary, break the group into two groups, one slower and one faster

• If someone can’t continue and wants to go back, make sure someone goes with them or the person stays put and waits till the group returns and take them back with the group

Trail Safety• Take a cell phone but

remember they often don’t work in remote areas including most of Golden Ears Park

• Make sure someone at home knows where you are going and approximately what time you are expected back; call them when you get back

• If there’s no-one at home, leave a note on the dashboard of your vehicle saying where you are going and approximately what time you are expected back

Trail Safety• If you get lost and it’s getting dark, stay put• Keep warm and dry and wait till morning to

find your way again

Where to hike near here?

Where to hike near here?

UBC Research Forest

How to get there

Where else to hike?

Where to hike and take long walks?

What’s the

biggest danger in the

woods?

It isn’t a bear, not even a grizzly bear

It isn’t a cougar

It’s water: Too much can make you very, very cold; Too little can make you dehydrated

Here, it rains

• A Lot!

Two dangers

• Too much rain• What can be caused in your body when it’s

both cold and wet?• Hypothermia• What can be caused in your body when there’s

far too little water and you get dehydrated?• Heat stress or heat stroke• Both can kill you

So it’s very important

• To keep dry and warm when you stop in the rainy season, especially if you are lost and have to stay out overnight

To keep hydrated in the hot season

But most important of all• Have fun hiking!

Thanks very much!

• http://www.rmoutdoorclub.ca/• Any questions?