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Lightweight Hiking Food Hiking Techniques Trip Journals Links NEW! Where To Go NEW! A Lesson From the Trail |
Hikin' Techniques And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Colossians 3:17 Technique shmechnique! There is very little style in dirtbagging. You grab your stuff and go. About the only thing that I can think that I like to do above and beyond the normal dirtbagging style is maybe... A Muir Hike- Try a hike the way John Muir did it. Grab a blanket, journal, a loaf of hard bread, some cheese and hit the trail for an over nighter. Guaranteed it won't be the same old hike and you won't come home the same way. True minimalism can free the mind like nothing else sometimes. We must also be safe when choosing to do a hike like this. Mild weather, a benign trail and a good grasp of woodsman-ship will keep you safe. The better your wood skills are the further you can push the envelope. Here in Ohio I can do a hike like this from April to October if the right weekend is chosen. I can find all the entertainment I need sitting gazing at a small fire and written my thoughts down. Free association with ones self can be very enlightening. NEW! An "Around the House" Hike- If the idea of doing a Muir hike sounds a bit extreme or you don't have the wood-skills to undertake that kind of thing try an "Around the House Hike". This can be great fun and you can learn a lot too. This entails using only items from around your house to hike with. This can include a coffee can pot to cook in, food right from your cupboard, a blanket as your sleeping bag, thrash bags as a ground cloth and poncho, the possibilities are limited only your imagination and the contents of your house. Sounds a bit crazy? This is what made adventures possible when I was a kid. My friends and I would rummage through the garage and house, pool our resources and meet up in the woods near my house. We had so many great camp outs and adventures! Remember, food, warmth and shelter. Everything else is gravy. You do need to keep things in perspective though. This is for fun one night hikes and you must use caution. This is not for winter, harsh country landscapes and you have to be able to take care of yourself in the woods. If'n ya can't do that maybe you should just go on over to Nigal's gearheaded pages.
Barefoot Hikin'!- Yeehaw! I love getting out there and kicking off the shoes and running off into the woods! Some may think it's weird but these are the folks who forget what it's like to be 8 years old. "You know all about being 8 years old, don't ya Skippy?" "Hey, I'm the same age as you are Bubba!" "Yeah, but I stopped doing things like, oh, I don't know, COLLECTING POKEMON CARDS!!" "Hey! Them there cards are gonna be worth a lot of money some day! Besides, Peekachew is cool!" "That's what you said about the Cabbage Patch Dolls too and look what it got you. A basement full of worthless dolls!" "Umm, OK, well getting back to barefoot hikin'..." "That's what I thought Freddy Flintstone!" Anyhow, barefoot hiking can be a great way to connect with the earth and wilderness we pass through. A lot of people think you have to condition your feet to be able to hike barefoot. The act of hiking is what conditions the feet. A nice packed earth trail feels better than any floor or concrete sidewalk ever did. You do have to adopt certain practices in order to hike safely barefoot though. One of the biggest things is slowing your pace down a bit. I find this helps me relax a great deal. It also allows me to come in contact with 100% more wildlife. I have found myself face to face with great blue herons at 10' away as well as all sorts of other animals. The actual practices of barefooting is best left to the experts. I left a few links below to a few good sources that can give you all the info you will need to get started safely. If you have any apprehensions about barefoot hiking just try kicking your shoes off next time you go out and see how you like it.
This is a very well written book by Richard K. Frazine. In this book he has now provided on-line you will find all the great techniques for hiking safely and find hints to make the hike more enjoyable. This is Richard's web site. This is a great site to learn some of the truths and the myths about going barefoot. this group is a bit more into the lifestyle of going bare foot and the politics of being able to go barefoot everywhere. A great site for general info. Barefoot Hikers of Central Ohio This is a hiking club I belong to in Ohio. There is a database at The Dirty Sole Society of clubs in all areas. We try and go hiking about twice a month together. Great fun! |
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