If you read “almost any” of the wilderness survival books, you’ll find that they tell you to carry a good fixed-blade knife. The experts recommend the fixed-blade design because they believe it offers a smaller chance of injury — it won’t clamp shut on your fingers. Personally, when I need to travel light on one-day […]
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]]>Then, of course, I keep a folding pocket knife in my car and a smaller one on my key chain. Like they say out West, a cowboy’s kid learns to use a knife before he learns to ride a tricycle or pony. They learn to be prepared, and to that end I also carry a headlamp, a miniature flashlight, extra batteries, water, and food, three different ways to start a campfire, a signal mirror, and a first-aid kit.
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]]>I enjoy comparison shopping for adventure products, especially hiking gear. When I keep up with my comparison shopping routine, I know a good price when I see one. You really can save hundreds of dollars when you stay abreast of prices, because then you know a deal when it stares you in the eye. This […]
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]]>Here are places I visit online for prices and deals on outdoor gear:
The post Best Places to Comparison Shop for Outdoor Gear Online first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>The training and nutritive techniques are virtually identical — endurance athletes minimize weight, eat high-calorie, easily digestible carbohydrate gels and fluid proteins, hydrate often, and take electrolytes — but if you compare the numbers (if you can find the numbers), you’ll find that marathoners and long-distance runners outnumber endurance hikers. While an average marathoner might […]
The post Endurance Training & Long-distance Hikes: Tips & Tricks first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>Now heavy drinkers experience dehydration at the very beginning of the day and should probably stay home, but for those of us who get to the trail-head early on Saturday morning, there are a few tricks to making 40+ kilometer hikes.
First, if you are diabetic or have allergies to nuts or soy, you will probably want to stay away from most of the products mentioned below. Always read the cautions and the ingredients posted on the product websites and on the product packaging. If you do decide to try these energy supplements, buy them in small quantities and try them at home before taking them with you on a hike.
Beware of allergic and other physical/emotional reactions to vitamins and sports products. If you have kidney problems, then don’t eat too much protein. And when you do eat protein, make sure you have plenty of water, since your body uses water to digest protein. If you eat protein (or take amino acid supplements) without adequate water intake, you will dehydrate and cramp.
But don’t skip the protein. When you exercise for more than 2 hours, your body starts to cannibalize it’s own muscle. That’s why you need to eat protein during long hikes. I usually mix protein powder with eLoad Heat Endurance Formula in two BPA-free Nalgene bottles. Each bottle contains 20+ grams of protein plus a scoop of eLoad. I don’t add water until I’m ready to start sipping the mixture. If you do not want to mix your own, Hammer Nutrition makes a good lightweight protein endurance product called Perpetuem.
I can’t stress it enough: don’t bring bulky food. Eat compact high-energy gels, Sharkies, Shot Blocs, energy bars, and protein powders. (I usually have an Active Greens Organic Food Bar for lunch. It contains protein, vegetables, fruit, and nut butter.) And eat often, perhaps every two hours during long-distance events. You have to keep your carbs up. Don’t diet during 40 kilometer hikes!
Carry 3 to 3 1/2 liters of water (and maybe 4 to 5 liters during a heat wave), and keep some extra water in the car for after the hike. Add electrolytes to your water. Like I said before, I use eLoad Heat Endurance Formula. It contains a variety of minerals, plus the carbohydrates you need to keep going. And if you use high-calorie gels, accompany each one with at least 150 ml of water (or about a third of a 500 ml bottle) so that it doesn’t make you feel sick.
Then within 15 minutes of completing your hike, eat about 20 grams of protein, since that timing has been shown to build muscle. Yes, you want to build muscle in your legs. I usually eat a Cliff Builders Protein Bar beside my car before I change into dry shoes.
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]]>A 19-mile in-and-out day-hike to the old Reavis Ranch in the Superstition Wilderness along a well traveled trail. Click through to the entire post so you can view the galleries. Hoolie Bacon: Thorns, Sand and Mountain Lion Tracks
The post Reavis Ranch & Hoolie Bacon Photo Galleries first appeared on Medical Health.
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Hoolie Bacon: Thorns, Sand and Mountain Lion Tracks
[See image gallery at cleandawn.com]The post Reavis Ranch & Hoolie Bacon Photo Galleries first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>Here is a slide show of some of the photos I took on hikes in Arizona during 2008 to 2010. If you hover your cursor over a photo, the navigation bar will pop up. If you then click on the square box located at the right-hand edge of the navigation bar, you will see slide […]
The post Arizona Slideshow first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>The post Arizona Slideshow first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>I wish Julbo would somehow get its products reviewed in the Canadian media so that Julbo sunglasses would become readily available here in Canada. I live near Toronto, Ontario, but when I searched the Internet last year, I found only two places selling Julbo sunglasses in Canada, and both of them were in Montreal, Quebec. […]
The post Julbo Availability in Canada first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>Hikers recognize my Julbo Race sunglasses when I’m on the trails in Arizona, but here in Ontario, Canada, almost no one has heard of them.
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]]>Click on the thumbnail photos (and then when you are done, click on the full size photos to close).
The post Winter Hiking on the Bruce Trail South of Speyside, Ontario first appeared on Medical Health.
]]> [See image gallery at cleandawn.com]
The post Winter Hiking on the Bruce Trail South of Speyside, Ontario first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>The sun shines 288 days a year in Flagstaff, Arizona. I sweat on the trails, even while hiking out of the Grand Canyon through the snow on New Year’s Day. But when I’m kicking up powder, my pants get wet, and after dark my legs get cold. My merino-wool socks and winter hiking boots are […]
The post Great Winter Softshell Pants for Hiking, Skiing, and Snowshoeing first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>My merino-wool socks and winter hiking boots are on standby near the backdoor. I keep a 19-ounce insulated jacket in my backpack. Now I’m hoping for a pair of REI Acme Pants for Christmas. The durable Schoeller® Dryskin fabric is warm, breathable and water and wind resistant, and the rip-and-stick tabs and ankle zippers keep the cuffs from sliding down over my heels.
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]]>It was over 90 degrees in July, and with the humidity, that temperature had the effect of 104 degrees, but starting at 2 PM, I hiked from Yonge and St. Clair to the waterfront and then on to Cherry Beach and the Leslie Spit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Then I hiked back to where I […]
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]]>Also see:
The post Toronto Waterfront, Leslie Spit, Cherry Beach first appeared on Medical Health.
]]>Here are a few of the photos I took on my hikes in Arizona and Ontario. I use a small Japanese-made Minolta. I took the Arizona shot on the Tanner Trail in the Grand Canyon and the Ontario shots on the Beaver Valley and Sydenham sections of the Bruce Trail (Maps 28 and 29 of […]
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]]>I took the Arizona shot on the Tanner Trail in the Grand Canyon and the Ontario shots on the Beaver Valley and Sydenham sections of the Bruce Trail (Maps 28 and 29 of the Bruce Trail Reference: Edition 25), about 10 km south of Meaford, Ontario. (Did you know that John Muir once lived in Meaford?). Compared to Arizona, the Bruce Trail does not present large elevation changes, but its moss-covered rocks and boulders are extremely slippery.
I have images from other areas in the Grand Canyon and on the Bruce Trail mixed into the slideshow.
Also see:
The post Hiking Photos from Bruce Trail and Grand Canyon first appeared on Medical Health.
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