Through Hiking and Backpacking, you can
discover the essentials to prepare for your adventure,
learn the basic skills and techniques from master teachers,
find tips and insights regarding equipment and gear,
test your knowledge with questions at the end of each chapter, and
learn to use the Web to find great trails and adventures.
Hiking and backpacking are great leisure-time activities. But before heading out, you need to know how to ensure a safe, environmentally sound, and enjoyable hiking and backpacking experience. Hiking and Backpacking covers all that, and much more! Through this book you will learn how to
prepare yourself physically for the rigors of hiking and camping;
select and prepare the right equipment, gear, clothing, and footwear;
manage risks and work to maintain safety while on the trail; and
use good trail etiquette and proper hiking, backpacking, and camping techniques.
Master teachers take you step by step through the preparation, skills, and techniques you need to know for a successful adventure. They provide you with practical tips in all these areas, and they also supply you with Web addresses to help you plan your hiking and backpacking adventures throughout the world. This practical book presents all the essential information you need for hiking, overnight camping, and backpacking.
Part I prepares you for your adventure with the necessary background knowledge, fitness basics, equipment and gear selection, nutritional needs, safety, and survival skills. In part II, you build your basic techniques and skills so you can embark on your first trek and subsequent adventures of increasing difficulty. Starting with easy day trips, you move on to more challenging hikes, overnight camping, and extended backpacking adventures as well as adventures that include groups, families, and dogs. Throughout the book, expert guides offer technique, consumer, and safety tips from their extensive experience. Web sites help you explore the world of outdoor adventure.
Use Hiking and Backpacking to lead you on new trails, explore new places, and join other hiking and backpacking enthusiasts all over the world in one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities. Around each bend in a trail is a perfect moment waiting to happen—and this book will prepare you to take full advantage of that moment!
Outdoor Adventure Series
Want to go on outdoor adventures of canoeing, kayaking, hiking and backpacking, and rock climbing? Start today with the Outdoor Adventures series. This practical series provides you with the essential information to get ready and go. The Outdoor Adventure series is designed to prepare you with instruction in the basic techniques and skills so you can be on your way to an adventure in no time.
Part I. Preparing for a Hiking or Backpacking Adventure
Chapter 1. Going Hiking and Backpacking
Briget Tyson Eastep and Marni Goldenberg
What’s Hiking All About?
What’s Backpacking All About?
In Between Day Hiking and Backpacking
Taking Care of Yourself, Your Companions, and the Environment
Where to Go?
Conclusion
Chapter 2. Getting Fit for Hiking and Backpacking
Denise Mitten
Fitness Benefits of Hiking and Backpacking
Components of Physical Fitness
Overall Wellness
Matching Fitness to Trips
Getting Fit for Backpacking
Conclusion
Chapter 3. Footwear, Clothing, and Gear
Scott Jordan and Christine Cashel
Basic Rules for Purchasing Gear
Feet First
Dressing for Outdoors
Selecting and Using Day Packs and Backpacks
Food and Water: Eating on the Trail
First Aid Kit
Essentials for the Day Hiker
Gear Considerations for Overnight and Longer Trips
Gear Function and Maintenance
Conclusion
Chapter 4. Getting Trail Ready: Finding Your Way
Hugh Gibson and Jerel Cowan
Planning the Route
Using a Map, Compass, and More
Permits and Paperwork
Getting to the Trailhead
Managing Risk
Conclusion
Chapter 5. Trail Safety and Survival Skills
Bruce Martin and Scott A. Robertshaw
Trail Safety
Wilderness First Aid
Emergencies, Rescues, and Survival
Conclusion
Part II. On the Trail
Chapter 6. Hiking Basics
Timothy W. Kidd and Jennifer Marie Hazelrigs
Walking Techniques
Trail Manners
Maintaining Energy Levels
Strategies for Various Terrains and Environments
Descending and Climbing
Crossing Streams and Rivers
Conclusion
Chapter 7. Hiking Adventures
Jennifer L. Hinton, Jim Lustig, and Briget Tyson Eastep
Types of Hiking Adventures
Hiking Environments and Seasons
Additional Considerations for Day Hiking
Conclusion
Chapter 8. Basics of Backcountry Camping
Andrew Jerome Bobilya and Brad Daniel
Before Camping
Selecting a Campsite
Factors Involved in Setting Up Camp
Cooking
Sleeping
Breaking Camp
Conclusion
Chapter 9. Planning Your Backpacking Experience
Jack Drury
Thinking Through the Planning Process
Trip Planning and Length
Planning Considerations
Special Considerations
Conclusion
The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) is a not-for-profit organization that develops and implements educational curricula and programs aimed at educating people about the appropriate use of wildlands and protected areas. The WEA also forms strategic alliances with federal land management agencies, conservation groups, and all organizations that benefit from wildlands and believe that the existence of wildlands is important to the quality of life.
The WEA has an affiliate network of more than 40 colleges, universities, private, and nonprofit groups that offer their courses. These affiliates are in the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong. Through WEA's courses, students can learn a wide range of outdoor leadership skills.
Marni Goldenberg, PhD, assistant professor in the recreation, parks, and tourism administration department at California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, coauthored chapter 1. She is a WEA-certified instructor and an instructor for Outward Bound, and she has been hiking and backpacking for over 15 years.
Bruce Martin, PhD, assistant professor in the school of recreation and sport sciences at Ohio University, coauthored chapter 5. He has been hiking and backpacking throughout the United States and Canada for over 20 years. He is an ACA instructor trainer, a Leave No Trace master educator, and has taught outdoor leadership for a number of years.