Hiking For Skiers

You may think that you’re just gliding along the smooth snow when you’re skiing, and I‘m almost inclined to agree with you.  Skimming along the snowy ridges and curves of the mountainside almost feels like you’re effortlessly sailing, but this is just a misconception.  Experienced skiers know that underneath the surface, your leg muscles and your upper body are getting a tough workout.

Do you want proof?  How about taking a gander at all those skiers who just dive in right away, then return several minutes later, moaning and groaning about how their legs hurt.  You know that next day you’ll see them walking around with aching muscles all over their body.  This is what usually happens every time a skier forgets to maintain his skiing muscles during the summer.  Come wintertime, the muscles that you need for your favorite sport will definitely fall apart on you before long.

Hiking can play a valuable role in keeping your muscles healthy and strong, the same muscles that you need for skiing.  Now how would you develop those muscles?  Go up.  Include hills into your hiking itinerary as much as possible.  Start slowly, but do more intense uphill hikes as the summer draws to a close.  Gradually increasing your effort will surely pay off the next time you visit your favorite ski resort.

When hiking uphill, though, remember to take short steps.  Try to keep your weight even and don’t lean into the hill too much.  When going downhill, be careful not to lean backward too far, or you’ll end up falling on your rear end.  This is especially true on wet terrain, so be careful.

Remember that your goal in hiking is to work out your core and leg muscles for skiing.  So if you can hike around in a ski resort, so much the better.  Several ski areas are open during the summer for hiking and mountain biking, so take advantage of it.  Some of the resorts even run their ski lifts to bring tourists, hikers, and bikers to areas that are difficult to get to.  Being above the tree line and seeing the slopes without snow will really make you see them in a whole new light.

Use hiking poles, not ski poles.  Using a pair of hiking poles will give you an added bonus since this will be very helpful in giving you an upper-body and respiratory workout, much similar to using a Nordic-Trak machine.  Avoid using your ski poles as hiking poles, since continually stabbing them into the ground will eventually damage or break the tips.  Your ski poles are not designed for that sort of treatment, anyway, so you’d be better off using a pair of poles specifically suited for the job.

Keep going, but rest when you have to.  Bring along a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated.  Wear gloves to keep your palms from getting blistered all over from holding onto you hiking poles.  Don’t forget also to tie your bootlaces tight and short.  A big loop from your shoelace could and will get caught on something, probably resulting in a nasty fall.  And with that in mind, bring along a first-aid kit and a multi-purpose tool, like a Swiss knife or something similar.

Look for good uphill hiking trails in your area, or ask your local tourism department for assistance in finding good places.  Keep in mind that your goal is to build up your muscles for the great skiing ahead.  So go out, find that hill, start hiking and think snow!

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Hiking Clubs: Great Way To Meet Hiking Companions

If you are a beginner interested in hiking there is no better way to start than to join a club. Not only will you learn from other people’s experience but you will learn about the best sites locally and you will meet people who would share several tips you wouldn’t know otherwise. You may also develop new hiking companions. This is particularly useful for a person new in town or stays at home moms.

Selecting a hiking club is a personal decision because they all have their individual traits. Some hiking groups are casual and laidback others are more adventurous and aggressive. Some may cater to older members while others may be for the youth. Look around to see which fits you best. Below is a listing of a few clubs around the United Staes.

 Alabama Hiking Trails Society

Located around Mobile to Huntsville, it is dedicated to protecting, promoting, developing, and maintaining a statewide hiking trail system. One bonus of joining this hiking club is that every activity you participate in is covered in the group liability insurance policy.

Fairbanks (Alaska) Area Hiking Club

This club is for Alaska residents. The members ski, snowshoe, and walk through all sorts of areas including the Denali National Park, White Mountains, Arctic National Wildlife Refuges, or ANWR, and along the Tana and Chena Rivers and amongst others.

Off of the Beaten Trail

In summer of 2002, Loree and Ward began a hiking club for a group of singles who lived in Phoenix Arizona. Now the club has grown to more than three hundred members. Although it is a comprised of singles, you can separate the social from the hiking and pick and choose what events you want to participate in.

TrailBlazers Hiking Club

If you are near the Ouachita and Ozark mountain of West Arkansas or Eastern Oklahoma you can join the Trail Blazers Hiking club. The club offers a range of hiking events, some short and some long, some difficult and others more laid back. There are hikes most weekends from the fall to the spring. You can see a listing of events on their website and decide what may be of interest to you.

Desert Trail Hiking Club

This hiking club has three levels of hiking activities available from easy to moderate to strenuous. They also offer up to five hikes every week. The group hikes in Coachella Valley and enjoys a friendly camaraderie among its members.

To find a hiking club near you, do a search on the internet or inquire at your local sporting goods store that sells hiking equipment. Joining a hiking club is a great way to meet hiking companions and have the opportunity to hike places you may not be able to do on your own.

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Hiking Clubs: Should You Join One?

Have you ever heard of a hiking club before?  While hiking clubs do have different meanings, a hiking club is often used to describe a group of individuals who regularly enjoy hiking, often together in groups.  If you are an avid hiker or if you just enjoy going hiking, you may want to think about joining a hiking club.

As it was previously mentioned, hiking clubs are often used to describe groups of individuals who have a love for hiking.  The majority of the time, you will find that hiking club members hike together. This is ideal for a number of different reasons. For one, hiking with someone that loves hiking just as much as you do can be fun and exciting.  It is also important to mention safety.  When you hike with multiple individuals, especially experienced hikers, you are less likely to have an accident or find yourself in a dangerous situation.

In addition to going on traditional hikes with each other, there are many hiking club members who travel to hiking trails or hiking parks that are not considered local.  Many times, these types of trips require camping or staying at a hotel.  One of the many reasons why these types of long distance hiking trips are done by hiking clubs is because the group members can split the cost of doing so. What does this mean for you?  It means that if you would like to take long distance hiking adventures, but you don't have any friends or family members who would like to go with you, you may want to think about joining a hiking club.

When examining all of the benefits of joining a hiking club, it is important to remember that not all hiking clubs are the same. There are some hiking clubs where members only meet up for hiking adventures, but then there are hiking clubs that do much more.  For instance, there are hiking clubs that have monthly or even weekly meetings. These meetings are often used to plan hiking trips, discuss the latest in hiking gear trends, and so forth. There are also hiking clubs that use fundraisers, like car washes or chicken barbecues, to pay for their hiking adventures. In all honesty, you will find that the benefits you are presented with will all depend on the hiking club that you choose to join.

Speaking of choosing a hiking club, when it comes to choosing a hiking club, there are a number of important factors that you should take into consideration. For example, you will find that many hiking clubs charge their members small monthly or yearly fees. You will want to find a hiking club that is easy to afford. You may also want to take your schedule into consideration as well.  Do you have time to attend all monthly or even the weekly meetings?  If your hiking club has scheduled meetings, you will want to attend them, not just attend the scheduled hiking adventures. This will help you grow comfortable with those that you will hike with and visa verse.

If you would like to join a hiking club, you may want to first try and see if there are any local hiking clubs in your area.  Depending on where you live or if there is a hiking trail or a hiking park nearby, there is a good chance that you may have a local hiking club or even a number of them to choose from. You can usually find information on local hiking clubs by using the internet or by asking those that you know for recommendations.  If you are still coming up empty handed, you may want to think about asking the staff at a local hiking park if they know of any local hiking clubs.

As you can see, hiking clubs are fun ways to share your love for hiking with others who feel the same way about it as you do.  Although there is a good chance that you will be able to find a hiking club to join, you can also always start your own, if you wish to do so.

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Guidelines For Hiking Vacations And Daytrips

An outdoor vacation such as hiking can be a terrific getaway. Vacations like hiking are far different than other vacations which often require you to make travel reservations and find hotel accommodations. However, some hikers like to make a hike part of a larger vacation and rent a house by a lake. This is a great idea. But, hiking does require some extra precaution unlike other popular getaways to the beach or popular tourist attraction.

Getting lost is possibly the most potential problem for those new to hiking. A few steps off the trail can result in a few additional yards in the wrong direction and, eventually, you are far away from your trail and lost. Or, sometimes hikers misread maps and find they are on a different trail than planned. The point is that however it happened, you are lost. Here is some advice to help you avoid getting lost and what you should do if you do get lost, though hopefully, you avoid it in the first place.

 It is important to heed to some simple guidelines. Always travel with an experienced hiker. Remain on the visible, clearly marked trails. Use a navigational tool, whether a map, compass or GPS device, but keep in mind that GPS devices do not work everywhere.

If you do get lost, remain calm to help you think clearly. Try to retrace your steps to the last point in which you knew your location. Look for certain landmarks, such as streams, hills or large rock fixtures that you passed. It is important to pay attention to such landmarks as you hike not only because you want to enjoy the scenery and make note of your surroundings, but also because it will be useful if you become lost. Landmarks can act like a mental map and help you re-trace your steps.

Water runs downhill in any sloping area. Trailheads usually do not start at the beginning of a river, but rather where the river bends to find a large, flat open area of ground. Trailheads usually begin at what this could be referred as to “bottom.”

If you are hiking from a high spot, try using the view to look below for campsites or trails. Also, make a note of which way the sun is moving. Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Don’t hesitate to shout out or whistle in an attempt to find a nearby hiker. The last thing you want is to stay overnight without water or food. If the daylight is setting, use your flashlight if you have one to wave it up toward the sky and then in front of you. Learning the Morse code for S.O.S. wouldn’t be a bad idea in the event you do find yourself lost.

Finally, be sure someone at home knows when to expect your return. If you do not return, they will know to contact someone and search-and-rescue can begin searching for you. Don’t worry. Even experienced hikers have become lost.

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Best Hiking Tips

Hiking is an outdoor sport that requires no equipment. It's one of the least expensive sports you can engage in. It's basically walking, conducted in a natural setting. Some hiking is goal-oriented, with a specific distance or destination in mind, while other hikes take the form of rambling, with no particular goal other than exercise and enjoyment.

Hiking can be a social experience. You can join hiking groups and clubs to meet people with similar interests. Many singles organizations, in fact, run hikes as a form of low-stress get-together. Other people consider hiking to be a peaceful and solitary activity. Keep in mind these different approaches to hiking when you are on the trail.

Observe hiking etiquette whenever you are on a hike. Many hikers prefer peace and quiet, so if you are in a group, avoid shouting your conversations. Many hikers also enjoy seeing wild animals, and loud conversation and loud music are sure ways to scare animals away. Remember that you are in a natural setting and behave accordingly.

Hiking etiquette requires that a group stick to the pace of the slowest hiker so that no one is left behind. The easiest way to do this is to put slow hikers up front. If you find the pace of your group too slow, just choose a different group to hike with the next time.

If you cause a low-hanging branch to brush back, it is proper hiking etiquette to hold the branch for the next person so that it will not snap into their faces. However, it is also proper etiquette to maintain enough distance between yourself and the person in front of you so that they will not have to worry about hurting you with branches.

Right-of-way on hikes is different than the rules of the road for walking and driving. People heading uphill have the right of way on a narrow trail over people going downhill. Smaller groups of hikers have the right of way over larger groups.

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Hiking and Camping: The Perfect Combination

Are you interested in taking a trip?  Whether you want to your trip to be alone, with your friends, with your family, or even just with your romantic partner, you will need to find a place to visit, as well as activities to participate in.  If you have yet to decide what you would like to do for your next trip, have you ever though about going camping and hiking?  When alone, camping and hiking are both fun-filled activities, but when combined, they are, literally, the perfect combination.

Hiking and Camping The Perfect Combination

Although it is nice to know that hiking and camping are the perfect combinations, you may be wondering exactly why that is.  If you are, you will find that there are an unlimited number of reasons as to why hiking and camping are the perfect fit for each other and the perfect way to spend your next vacation.  For reasons as to why you should give camping and hiking a try, you will want to continue reading on.

As previously stated, camping and hiking are things that just seem to fit together.  This is apparent in some different ways. For instance, hiking trails are commonly found in areas or establishments that are referred to as hiking parks.  Hiking parks, especially large popular ones, often have their onsite campgrounds.  You will also find that most public campground parks have at least one or two hiking trials on them.  The fact that hiking and camping experts automatically pair hiking and camping together is a sign that camping and hiking are the perfect combination.

Another reason why camping and hiking may be perfect for your next trip or vacation is that they are both designed for individuals of all ages.  This is important, especially if you are looking for something to do with your family. Children of all ages, as well as adults, enjoy both camping and hiking. In fact, in the United States, you will find that hiking trials come in some different difficulty levels.  For instance, it is more than possible to find hiking trails that are designed for beginners.  These types of hiking trials would be ideal, in most cases, for young children or elderly individuals.

The cost of hiking and camping are another one of the many reasons why they make the perfect combination, as well as why they may be perfect for your next trip, vacation, or adventure.  Hiking and camping are both affordable activities for you to participate in.  In fact, if you decide to make a reservation at a public campground park, you will likely find that you can go hiking, on an onsite trail, free of charge. The same may even be said for if you visited a hiking park and decided to stay overnight.  While many activities may end up being free for you, you will see that it all depends on the establishment in question.

If you are interested in combining hiking and camping to make the perfect adventure for you, your family, your friends, or you and your romantic partner, you may want to think about making your arrangements in advance.  Hiking and camping are both popular activities in the United States. While you may not necessarily need to make reservations to go hiking, you may need to make them if you plan on camping overnight at a hiking park or in a public campground.  In fact, the earlier that you make your reservations, the more choices you may have, as many establishments allow you to handpick your camping spots.

As you can see, there are some different reasons as to why hiking and camping make the perfect combination, as well as why they would be great for your next vacation, trip, or adventure. Hiking and camping are something that you may at least want to think about discussing with your traveling party.  Once it is mentioned, you may be surprised with just how many people would like to give this perfect combination a try.

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