Enjoy the Outdoors!
Saturday September 24 2011, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, along with 31 other trail clubs will be launching Family Hiking Day. In part, supported by REI, Family Hiking Day is a great opportunity to get families to enjoy the outdoors together. The event will be held on National Public Lands Day and coordinating with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.
So I urge you to grab your family and head outside. Whether it be a short stroll with the grandparents or an all day hike with the super fit family spend some time together in the best place of all… in the woods!
The ATC has a few links to help your family plan a hike:
If you are looking to plan a hike in Western, MA I can help pick a hike for your family, just contact me.
If you do participate I would love to have you share your family hike story here at huskyhiker.com… contact me!
I spent a good chunk of last summer hiking the hills of the Berkshires, exploring some great places and even some not so great places… I hiked, I camped, I hiked some more and I wrote and wrote and wrote. I spent way to much time at the library! In the end I had compiled 20 of the nicest easy hikes the Berkshires has to offer… If anyone has purchased the book I would love to hear your feedback.
Beavers!
Why I Hike? For adventure, to see places that the masses haven’t seen, to be alone in a quite place. Hiking for me is a time to unwind, take my time and enjoy life! When I am out in the woods I am in no hurry to be anywhere or get anything done (unless it is raining and I am trying to get the shelter up). It is just nice to slow down and enjoy small victories. Fresh air and wildlife are just a bonus! And that first “real” meal after being in the woods for a couple days is oh so glorious…
Tom Mangan over at Two-Heel Drive has offered a challenge to his fellow hiking bloggers. On the surface, the assignment is simple — take 15 minutes to write a short piece on “why we hike.”
Here are some others:
Fat Man of the Mountains – Why we hike (Hint: It has something to do with beer and cheeseburgers)
TrailSavvy – Why We Hike
Greene Adventures – Why We Hike
Live Free and Hike – Why We Hike
Appalachia & Beyond – Why We Hike (ESP)
Join in share your #whywehike story, share your story with me and I’ll post it here…
You Sweat You Die
Wearing Cotton – Cotton is great for bombing around town or the trip to the mall. It is soft and comfortable but once cotton is wet, it stays wet and loses any insulating properties. If the summer nothing is worse than your sweat drenched clammy cotton shirt sticking to you. Pick wicking clothing; you can even find wicking sport shirts and underwear at Walmart.
Wearing too Many Layers – Piling on a bunch of layers before heading out is great, just don’t over do it. What is the point if a mile into the hike you are going to over heat and have to shed a layer? I keep a record of what I wear and the temperature so I can look back and compare for current conditions.
Bundle Up When You Stop – When you stop hiking, you lose body heat fast, epically if it is windy. Bundle up when you stop for food or to take a break to avoid the chills. Once the chills set in it is hard to get rid of them…
Sweating – Les Stroud says it best “if you sweat, you die”. Sweat is your body’s way of removing excess heat through evaporation. After sweating when the temp drops the chills set in and can quickly lead to hyperthermia.
Kako IceTrekkers Diamond Grips
I will be comparing Kako IceTrekkers Diamond Grips to Yaktrax because they are closest in price, and I am familiar with Yaktrax.
First Thoughts
They came in a simple plastic bag with a product insert. The Diamond Grips are much beefier than Yaktrax. By design no rubber parts are underfoot. Wielded chains attach the rubber to wire loops holding the metal “diamonds”. Diamond Grips are bit heavier (12oz vs 8oz) then Yaktrax at but one would expect them to be and worth the weight for the added durability.
Putting them on
Diamond Grips have no left or right pair so no need to keep track. They slip on just like Yaktrax. The rubber is a bit stronger so a little more pull is required. The easiest way to put them on is to slip your toe Read more »
-
Simple hiking etiquette can go a long way in making trail experience more enjoyable. Most state parks have rules and regulations posted but trail etiquette is a bit more.
Share the trail – Common rule is bikers yield to horses and hikers. Hikers yield to horses and horses yield to none. This is the common rule. I like to yield to bikers as well. I feel it is safer this way. Greet others as you pass. Uphill hikers should yield to downhill hikers.
Leave only footprints and take only pictures AKA leave no trace – Taking rocks, carving trees, damaging plants, etc. Not cool man, don’t ruin it for the next people! Even biodegradables like orange and banana peals should be packed out.
Stay on marked trails – This keeps you safe and protects flora and fauna. Even when navigating a tricky area like a big puddle, stay on the trail, get them boots wet. Staying on the trail helps prevent further trail erosion.
Keep the noise to a minimum – Noise travels in the wilderness, others might be trying to enjoy the quiet.
Clean up after pets – Bag the poop and carry it out.
Keep a leash on your pet – Use it when others are around. Not everyone loves your muddy dog as much as you!
Report any problems to park authorities – trail damage, vandalism, suspicious people, etc. The rangers will thank you.
Yaktrax Pro
I have had my Yaktrax Pros for a couple of years now and love them… I have used them on everything from deep powder to crossing a frozen lake. They really grip!
First Thoughts
When you open the package, they seem flimsy, it is a rubber web with some thin metal coils around parts of the rubber. They are kind of flimsy. The coils take some abuse. I have used them on ice-patched pavement and haven’t bent or flattened the coils. I can see how the rubber could break, although this has not happened to me.
Putting them on
They do have a left, a right pair, and a toe and heal side so some thought is required in putting them on. They are pretty easy to get on, just slip your toe in the toe side and pull the heal of the yak over your boot or shoe heals. Some adjustments of the sides are needed, and then tighten the Velcro strap over the top of your foot. The strap is what make the pros differ from the regular Yaktrax, and the strap is a big help original Yaktrax are known to slip off shoes easily so don’t skimp, Read more »
Francis Tapon the summit of Mount Aneto Photo by Francis Tapon
Guest post by: Francis Tapon
Want to be a guest poster on HuskyHiker.com? E-mail me
Ultralight backpackers love to have endless and tedious discussions about how to shave off an ounce here and a gram there. They’ll blow an extra $50 just to get the pants that weigh a few feathers less than another pair of pants. These idiots are so obsessed with their pack-weight that they forget the whole point of backpacking: enjoying the wilderness.
I can describe ultralight backpackers accurately, because, sadly, I am one.
Indeed, I’m cursed with this ridiculous compulsion to chop every useless gram off my gear list. Read more »
Alex and a Fallen Redwood
Guest post by Alex Genadinik
Want to be a guest poster on HuskyHiker.com? E-mail me
Hiking is one of the best forms of exercise there is. I can say that because it seems that throughout my life I have actually tried all the forms of exercise there are. I have done martial arts like Judo and Jiu-jitsu, played lots of different recreational sports, and until my late twenties played in an organized and competitive local semi-professional soccer league which required regular training, and where I saw people (and sometimes myself) get injured quite badly on a too-regular basis.
I kept playing competitive sports and risking serious injury until I myself got hurt. But my worst injury didn’t come from playing soccer. It actually came from doing severe damage to my back due to working very long hours at a computer. Read more »
Carter Pond
The Rock House Reservation is located in West Brookfield, MA right along rt9. The 135 acre park was established by the Trustees in 1993. I grew up in West Brookfield and used to go here when I was a kid with my mom. We would hike up to the house that overlooks the lake and have lunch and watermelon. The house is now a “museum” that has some info about the rock house’s history…
We did the “outer loop” using the Inner loop trail (red), Outer loop trail (orange), Fullam trail (blue), and the Fire Road. I hiked with Miss HuskyHiker, my Brother and his
The Rock Shelter
girlfriend. My Brother and his girl have been out on two more hikes since, so I think I might have got them hooked on the outdoors…
At the Rock House they allow horseback riding and hiking/skiing/snowshoeing only no Mountain Biking and I have never seen any horses or traces of any horses. No Fishing or boating is allowed in the pond either. This park is rich with history and a great place to stop if you ever find yourself in the area…
hiking, outdoors, random fun, Uncategorized | Husky Hiker - Jim Bradley | 
8/24/2011 8:21 PM | 
Comments (3) 
Subscribe
