Tips for Great
Canadian Hiking Trips
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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