Lessons learned (amateur hiking trip)

This will probably be trivial stuff for you hiking pros but I thought I’d share some lessons learned from a hike I took yesterday.

1. Make a checklist: I managed to leave behind my hiking staff, the dog’s tie out rope, his water dish and a few other little things. Since we were hiking in a forested state park finding a new staff wasn’t hard.

2. Study the topo maps more thoroughly before hand: The trail was only about 5 miles long but it seemed like 4 of them were up and down some pretty steep slopes. Might have picked a different trail had I done my homework a little better.

3. Pay attention: Several times I missed a blaze and had to re-trace my steps. Never really worried about getting “lost” as this is state park in a suburban county, a few miles in any direction would lead me to a McDonalds (Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County, PA)

4. Practice more with my GPS: Forgot to set the waypoint at the parking lot, but could have back walked the trail. What was very handy was a hardcopy map of the park trails in a ID badge holder hanging on a neck strap.

5. If something seems wrong with your equipment, stop and check it out: The pouch holding my Jetboil PCS came loose and could have fallen off. I felt something flopping around but didn’t check it, should have. (BTW, that’s a pretty nice bit of gear, had my water boiling in just a couple of minutes)

6. Remember in which direction the sun is: the south facing slopes tend to defrost sooner than those in the shade and thus can become slippery (whoa nelly!)

This is the first longish walk I’ve taken with the dog. We normally do a mile or two every day, mostly on streets or graveled park trails. This trail was through heavy woods and was not well groomed. The dog did fine, he didn’t need to stop and rest as much as I did. He did display an annoying habit of walking down the center of the trail and pushing me off to the side when it narrowed. I use a very short leash and he must walk at the heel position at al times. Might have to go to a slightly longer leash so we don’t have to squeeze thru the narrow spots at the same time.

Here's a map of the hike on EveryTrails.

I use a Magellan Triton 400 GPS. Carry that and my Kenwwod ham HT in a chest pouch from Civilian Lab . Nice setup.
Thanks for indulging...

It looks like you have learned a few good things. My biggest question is, did you have fun???

Must have been a nice place to spend a couple of hours on a winter Saturday. Looking at the map the terrain does look pretty hilly with a few steep slopes. Always a good idea to avoid those if you can, especially if the ground is frozen and icy.

One interesting thing about winter treks is how warm it can get in direct sunlight if the skies are clear. On the other hand, places like narrow valleys or anywhere else in the shade can remain very cold throughout the day. This is something worth paying attention to when looking for a nice spot to sit down for a break or even build a shelter.

Re: keeping an eye on your gear, it's good practice to regularly check your pack and touch your pockets in case anything is about to slip out.

Another thing I noticed on the map - when hiking in hilly terrain it's usually better to zig zag down a slope instead of descending straight down. This also applies to crossing small valleys. Going from one hill to another, most people take a direct route because it looks shorter but is more tiring in reality. As an alternative, you might be able to find a roundabout route around the valley, staying at more or less the same elevation. It might be faster in fact and won't take as much effort.

Temps were in the mid 30's, sunny and windy. As long as I stayed out of the wind it was very comfortable. There's a good reason they call it a wind chill factor. The trail was an existing one. Some of which was pretty much straight up and down. I would have preferred more switchbacks.

Thanks.

Yeah it was fun, a good workout. Just wish the darn dog would have acted more tired. He's a Jack Russel only about 10 inches at the shoulder, weighs 22 lbs, wore a backback, and still pulled me up the hills. I swear he could have done the trip twice!

Might have been cuz you were slowing him down all day! They're high energy dogs. Give it a longer leash, or just let him off (if he's well trained). Remember, most wild dogs are built for long distance cruising.

My dog is a freaking rocket. We'd do a 3 or 4 mile hike, and if she was off-leash, she be out chasing deer and everything else. Giving her about 15-20 ft of rope allowed her to run a bit, not get too tangled in brush, yet still explore the area.

Yes, always have the checklist. Then, to avoid having to think about the same things for each trip, pin it to the wall or refrigerator. If you forgot something, add it to the list as soon as you get home.

Sue

Also, practice with EVERYTHING you are going to use at home. Your stove, your tent, even purifying water and cooking your food. On the trail is no time to have an accident.

Listen to what the guy says. First camping trip with my friends (all ex-military), one of them picks up a boiling pot by the handle.

At least Waterjel has a convert.

Oh, I definitely slowed him down. Even in dog years he's a couple of decades younger.

Park rules call for all dogs on leash. But more to the point is that whenever he wears the back he's in working mode and he needs to follow his pack leader. When we're in sync I don't even feel him on the leash. High energy, agressive JRT's you don't want running loose. Believe me. Just ask my local PD...

With practice, my dog has learned the command "other way," and he knows to back up and go around the other side of the tree trunk or whatever he just gone past. It helps a lot.

Jeff

Lol. I burn myself every trip, garaunteed. Usually picking up the stove shortly after turning it out. Never used watergel, as the burns were never that severe (I have lots of practice dropping the stove too)

As a frequent burner, I can attest to the watergel.

Hey Andy you know what, this was a great post. No matter how many times each of us have gone out to the back country, your thoughts are spot on.

Great that you are hiking with your pup -- I think they all tap their inner wolf when in the woods.

I started hiking a decade ago with a friend who was preparing for a Himalayan trek. We learned so much the hard way and we laugh about those early hikes now (we were prone to overpack).

I hike or go bikejoring with my dog every weekend in the winter. Both entail carrying a backpack and mostly the same needs -- especially water for the pup.

So I keep my backpack permanently packed with the essentials, including my dog's titanium drinking cup (from REI), dog booties (in case she injures a paw), dog treats, poop bags, pepper spray (to protect her from dogs off leash and me from creeps who belong in jail), emergency whistle, space blanket (Adventure Medical Heatsheets Emergency Bivvy), knife, cash, etc.

All I have to remember to grab for a hike -- besides my backpack -- is water.

Have fun!!

I got a nicely embroidered hat one year, for Christmas. It says "Funny, it didn't LOOK hot." AuntGoo figured if it was written down, I wouldn't have to say it.

Actually, this trip sounds to me like a better test run than the backyard.
Short daytrips check your complete setup better than the backyard.
More of these to work up for overnighters and longer.

That is my plan. Use a series of short day trips to work out the kinks of what I carry and how. Get the dog out to new and different places. The goal is to do some weekend trips when it's a wee bit warmer.

Comms, thanks. I can always count on the folks here for good, practical advice.

Dagny, I have a daypack that I carry when we do our daily walks around town. Mostly things I might need in case I come across a MVA or fall down and scrape a knee, etc. I do keep a flashlight, whistle, ResQMe tool and pepper spray on it as well as Camelbak and water bottle for the dog. What I'm working on now is a separate bag for longer hikes which has more in the way of shelter, food and food prep.

MDinana, you know I thought about that when I finished boiling up my water. "Don't be stupid and pick up the stove until it cools off" did run through my mind.

Thanks everyone for your comments!

ditto

You are doing a Hudson Bay Company start.
Back in the fur trade days the HBC's courier de bois would leave a Hudson Bay Factory (Factory was what they called a trading post back then) but only travel a few miles, unpack their gear and set up camp. They would do their inventory again at this time too.
It was kind of like a shakedown cruise.
If they had forgotten anything they were still close enough to send somebody back to get it.

Your plan is wise.

Hey Andy, I haven't hit that park yet. How is it? I'm in Ardmore myself.

I used to do a lot of hiking at Rickett's Glenn up north. Steep trails, but beautiful waterfalls.

Ever do any geocaching?

Mike,

Saturday was my first visit but I thought it was worth the effort. A lot of the trail was pretty isolated from suburban sights and sounds but still one is never far from paved roads. The multiuse trails (paved) were pretty busy with folks taking walks or doing some jogging. But the forest trails were pretty empty. Of coure might be different in warmer weather...

I think the next hike will be at the Heinz Refuge down near the airport. French Creek is also supposed to be pretty nice. Picked up a copy of a Falcon Guide to Hiking Pennsyvania. It has 55 guided hikes throughout the state.

Andy

PS. Never been geocaching, can't say that the concept is all that enticing to me.

"...geocaching, can't say that the concept is all that enticing to me..."

It can be fun. If nothing else, it gets you outdoors, and you get to become more proficient with your GPS

Sounds like a fun trip!

You probably have this covered, but have a compass to use with your map as backup to your GPS when it fails.

Sort of. I have a button compass on top of my hiking stick and had I remembered to bring said stick it would have been useful. I was wearing a watch with a built in compass (there's a thread about that around here somewhere). I carry spare batteries for the GPS. The map reading was also a re-learning experience as I had to remember to orient the map properly as I was trying to figure out which way to turn. Sigh...

OBG, I've read about this finding other people's trinkets using technology and sturdy shoes but it just sounds like too much work! lol

Yeah, Geo-Caching is kind of the high technology version of orienteering.
There is a lot more to navigation than just relying on a GPS reciever though.
You still need the maps because the GPS will give you direct courses unless you set your own waypoints.
The GPS will expect you to walk over a lake or a cliff instead of around it when it sets your course.


I keep a moderately good sighting compass with me all of the time. Silva makes a nice little folding one called the huntsman or the guide.
There are tons of inexpensive military lensatics around too.
A compass lets you just use the GPS for occasional position fixes, which is what it is really good at.
This means your batteries will last much longer.

Orienteering and the little button compasses are not as good for me because they have no way of sighting them.
Being able to take a back bearing on a landmark can be really helpful in locating your position on a map.
http://geology.isu.edu/geostac/Field_Exercise/topomaps/bearing.htm