Just got back from a 3-day hike and thought it would be a good idea to write down and share some important lessons that I've "known" for a long time but relearned first hand over the weekend. Hope somebody else finds this useful, too...

* Most people overestimate the amount of food necessary for a short trek but underestimate water consumption.

* Water consumption is a serious factor that should always be carefully considered. 4 liters per person is minimum. This does not take into account washing.

* Even in temperate zones there is a possibility of encountering temperature extremes this time of year. Opressively hot during the day but very cold (just above freezing) at night. A hat and/or scarf or bandanna is mandatory to protect the head and neck from the sun while reducing heat loss at night.

* Heat, sunburn and dehydration are closely connected. So are fatigue and physical exertion. All these factors will impair your ability to make rational decisions. Being in good all-around shape is important. When travelling in a group however some individuals will always be in better shape than others.

* Distances may look short on the map but the situation on the ground may be much more difficult. It takes a lot of time and sweat to travel any distance over rough, rocky, heavily wooded terrain. More so if you carry a lot of gear. Never underestimate the terrain and always plan your route realistically.

* Study the map and check your course frequently with a compass. Failure to do that may mean missing your destination completely. However, it's also good to develop a feel for the land and terrain features.

* When carrying heavy equipment it's usually only practical to follow existing paths or trails. However, the trails may not always go in the desired direction. Check your bearing consistently and do not wander too far off.

* No matter what the label says a light sleeping bag will not suffice on a cold night. More so if you neglect to prepare your shelter properly.

* Building a good shelter is a very valuable skill that is best learned beforehand. Proper insulation from the ground is critical. Spruce branches work best in my environment but dry moss (if available) is also a good alternative.

* It's almost always better to stick to a simple but versatile type of shelter such as a poncho tent or lean-to because it's easy to build and can be adapted to almost any kind of enviroment. More elaborate shelters may look great in a book but take far more effort and equipment to make. They are also not as foolproof and may perform poorly unless they're built perfectly. This goes especially for any kind of shelter suspended from poles or trees which may be quite uncomfortable or fail unexpectedly in the middle of the night (as a friend of mine learned the hard way).

* Bringing a large sheath knife once again turned out to be a good idea. Particularly when it comes to building a shelter.

* A sharp hatchet is indispensable but unfortunately most people do not know how to use one properly. Lending your hatchet is almost always a bad idea. One should always use a stump to cut wood with a hatchet. The blade should never come in contact with the ground, rocks, equipment or your own limb. For some reason most people find that very hard to understand.


Tips, comments, personal stories and observations welcome!

Fortunately everyone got away with our limbs in one piece, partly because I tactically retrieved the hatchet and cut the firewood and shelter poles myself. My poor hatchet didn't fare so well, though. My buddies managed to nick the edge really badly, all in literally no more than a few minutes of sloppy work. It took me a long time to dress the edge on my grinding wheel and water stones today. Now I'll think twice before lending any kind of tool ever again.

It is very sobering to think of all the minor inconveniences that we encountered on such a short hike even though we all had at least a bit of previous outdoor experience... And how quickly such inconveniences could have escalated into a serious situation with just a little stroke of bad luck.

I just got back from a two night backpack trip. You are so right about the too much food. It rained on my trip and for what little weight it adds rain gear should always be brought. The leader of the trip forgot his rain paints and his rain jacket crap out on him. This guy really knows his stuff so it really goes to show that even the most experienced can just brain fart at the last minuet and gear can fail unexpectedly (Murphy's law).
I got a fire started before it really started to poor. When the leader got to the fire he turned my small fire into and BIG warm fire. It took those who got wet over an hour to get dry.

Another lesson: Find out before hand what it'll take to treat the local water.

Sat/Sun I hiked the "Four C Trail" (seems everyone spent the weekend hiking!) in East Texas. According to the maps it looked loaded with streams and in reality the streams were all over the place and flowing well.

Our original plan was to boil or filter this water rather than carry the 4+ liters we'd need. However, I called the park service office to ask which treatment they reccomended. Their answer: bring all your water as the streams are contaminated from iron and coal mining.

And yes, I had too much food and ended the hike with only ~400mL water left.

-Blast

Blast,
I knew you would need some H2O! I had my inlaws/outlaws do a rain dance for you while I was in Alabama. Didn't you get any rain? Backfired, we got flooded!!
kmat

I also just got back from a hike this weekend, and you're absolutely correct about the weather aspect. It's amazing how many people are unprepared for weather extremes.

For example, I was out hiking this weekend. My destination was Palm Springs, in the middle of the California desert. When I arrived, it was 80+ degrees and a beautiful sunny day, most people were dressed for the beach, while I was packing along my rain gear and extra jacket. Took the tram to the top of the mountain, where the temperature was in the mid 40's and there was snow on the ground and ice on top of the puddles. Most people at the top were not very well equipped to just be standing there, let alone hiking. I ran across a few hikers that were dressed in shorts and sandals, and nothing else. During the hike, I had to give directions to a couple of people that didn't really know where they were. Even during the hike, I had considered turning around because the clouds had come in very quickly, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, and it looked like it was going to snow. The only reason I didn't was because I knew I had enough equipment to spend the night out if I had to.

Even though the day started out nice and it's a fairly easy place to hike, with a lot of tourist and families, it's important to remember that things can change very quickly. Most people probably thought I was way overdressed for the short dayhike that we were doing, but I always carry enough to spend the night out if I have to. I had been backpacking at the same place less than a year ago, so I know how quickly the weather can change at that altitude, and how easy it is to get lost. Even two somewhat experieced hikers, with topo maps and compases, can get "misplaced" for about 4-5 hours before they find the right trail. If that had happened this last weekend, it's almost certain that we'd be spending the night out there in freezing temperatures, even though the day started out hot and sunny.

If you lend your hatchet, lend your suture kit as well :-).

I prefer to give inexperienced users a saw. Faster, lighter and safer for most purposes. For backpacking, I bought a spare saw blade from an outdoor shop. The kind that cuts on the "pull" stroke, used in those folding saws. Used a grinder to remove 3" of teeth and create a handle, which I wrapped with cloth first-aid tape. Works like a hot darn, and weighs less than 2 ounces.

This is soooo true. People seem to believe they can travel faster than is realistic when wearing a pack, and covering uneven terrain, up and downhill. When we plan hikes with youth, we use a pretty simplistic rule of thumb, estimate 2 miles per hour, add an extra 1/2 hour for every 500-1000 feet of elevation change, depending on just how severe it is. (If the contour lines start looking like the grooves on an LP, it's getting more like rock climbing!)

I forget where that rule of thumb comes from. Some people say start with 3 miles per hour, which is ok for fit athletic individuals, but, as the trip leader, you have to plan with your slower hiker setting the pace. It's not bad to arrive early, but, bad things happen when you're later than expected and still out on the trail.

For most people, I would say a small (3.5-5) or medium-sized (5-7") fixed blade is better than a large one (7-10") in most cases, but that's probably a matter of translation. And for most, a saw is easier, faster and safer to use, even if not as versatile.

Other than that, solid advice. I always carry twice as much water as I think I'll need between places to refill. I've groused about food weight, tent weight, sleeping bag weight and even the weight of my boots, but never water. I also always try to have sun screen with me- the first time you have to wonder if you sunburned the inside of your nose with snow glare....

kmat,

About time you posted here! Trust me, we are a friendly bunch (excluding Ironraven and, well, me...)

We didn't get any rain but the wind was something else!!! Trees were being knocked over and the only thing that drowned out the noise was my snoring (according to other backpackers ).

-Blast

p.s. Don't forget to make a formal introduction. You have some skills that people will be interested in!