Before the trip:

• Decide what kind of trip to take: a multi-day backpacking trip, or a series of day hikes where you stay overnight in campgrounds or hotels. If you've never gone hiking before, launching yourself into a major backbacking trip may not be the greatest idea. What if you hate it?
  
• Get in shape: The fitter you are, the more enjoyable the trip will be. Walking and running will get your legs in shape. You need to get your back in shape, as well, because it will be supporting all that weight in your backpack. The only way to really train for a backpacking trip, however, is to fill your backpack with all the things you'll be taking on your trip, and climb up flights of stairs for hours on end. Otherwise, just concentrate on getting the foundation for a fit body. After the first couple of days on the trail, you'll feel fine.
  
• Decide who to go with: The right hiking partner is essential. If you're going to be hiking in an area where there are quite a few other people, you could hike alone. I have hiked alone in New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Newfoundland, Baffin Island, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia. My conclusion from these experiences is that it's a lot more fun to hike with other people. Usually you find people to hang out with in the evenings, but not always. So you just end up talking to yourself out loud all day, and when you do meet up with other hikers, you become one of those boring people who can't stop talking, like a windup doll whose long string has been pulled. If you hike with someone else, you can split pieces of the heaviest item--usually the tent--in two, so one person isn't carrying all that weight.
  
• Buy your supplies: See my backwoods backpacking trip list and camping food list for recommendations on what to bring and what to wear. Basically, you need to pack clothes for hot, wet, and cold weather. Don't bring any cotton clothing except to sleep in. Get a lightweight tent, lightweight sleeping bag, and lightweight sleeping pad. Bring as few clothes as possible. You'll need one hiking outfit, one completely rainproof outfit, and one sleeping outfit, plus a fleece or wool sweater. Don't bring any strong-smelling scented products into the bush; they will really reek and will gross out your companions (and attract animals).
  
• Invest in a good pair of hiking boots: Believe me, I've done it the wrong way. I went on a one-week hiking trip in the Norwegian mountains wearing cheap ($40) hiking boots. My feet were covered in huge blood blisters, and every step I took was painful. I now hike in expensive hiking boots from Mountain Co-op that were only painful when I handed over my credit card to pay for them. There was no break-in period whatsoever, because these boots are really made for walking, and they're totally comfortable. I tried on boots all over the city, and settled on these boots that aren't that pretty (I would have preferred the trendy-looking pink hiking boots), but they fit perfectly. What a difference....
  
• Invest in the right kind of backpack. This is another vital piece of your gear. For day trips, you can just bring a small pack that carries food, water, rainjacket and bug juice. For multi-day expeditions, you need a backpack that was made specifically for these kinds of trips. I have yet to invest in this kind of backpack, but it's a must for my next multi-day hiking expedition. I hiked for more than a week in Ayuiittuq National Park on Baffin Island wearing a backpack made for weekend expeditions. It was overpacked with heavy food, and therefore wasn't strong enough to support the weight. Consequently, I had a lot of pain, and even got blisters on my hips from the weight. I spent a lot of time trudging along feeling angry with myself for not spending the money on a good expedition pack. There are even backpacks made for women. I think these are likely the best idea for female hikers.
  
• Buy maps of the hiking route: Topographical maps are the best because they show you everything. Simple maps of the area don't show all the details. Pick out your route and get a rough idea of where you'd like to camp. If you're hiking in a provincial park such as Algonquin or Kilarney, you'll have to reserve ahead of time by calling1-888-668-7275. Other, less popular parks will allow you to randomly pick your campsites.
  

On the trip:

• Wear a hat: Especially if you're fair-skinned and blue-eyed, sunstroke can be a real killer, and a hat makes the big difference between writhing around in your tent in agony and enjoying a beautiful sunny day.
  
• At the campsite, don't cut down any trees for firewood. True wilderness fanatics don't even built fires because the forests need all that deadwood on the ground. Only build a fire if you're really, really cold, and you need to get warm. Use a portable lightweight stove for cooking.
  
• Hang your food in a tree. Chances are, no bears are going to barge into your camp, but the chipmunks and squirrels will love you for leaving them a pack of free food. Racoons also appreciate free food. Bears are attracted more by the smell of fresh meat than by peanuts, so keep this in mind when packing your food.
  
• If you're going to be cooking a really smelly, meaty meal, cook it away from your camp so the animals won't be attracted to come visit the spot where you're trying to sleep.
  
• Don't bathe with soap or shampoo in the lakes and rivers. Even so-called "camp soap" makes a big mess in the water. If you take a soapy bath in the lake or river, someone camping nearby may end up swimming or drawing cooking water from your used bubbles. Yuck! Instead, jump in the water and get all wet, then stand on the shore and soap yourself down. Use a container of water (such as your water bottle or a cooking pot) to pour over your soapy body. The soap will go into the ground, diodegrade, and not disturb anyone else on the lake or river. Real wilderness purists don't even bring soap on canoe trips. If you swim often you'll feel clean and refreshed. And, because most northern areas have dry rather than humid air, you really won't smell and may not even need to use deodorant.
  
• Don't put dirty dishwater and soap into the lake or river. Dump it in the trees away from camp. Do all your dishwashing on land, not in the water. Put all the dishes away in the pack so they won't attract animals in the night.
  
• Hike at a moderate pace. Some people like to hike really, really fast. By the time they get to camp, they're exhausted and just want to go to bed. I find it best to hike at a moderate pace, stopping for photos and snack breaks, and then I still have energy at night to star gaze, pick berries, read and write.
  

- Copyright Lynne Shuttleworth, December 2003

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