Hiking and climbing

Guides - Travel

When I was in Paris, I met a Swedish woman in my youth hostel and walked around town with her for a few hours. When we got off the subway and stopped for a second, a waist-high boy walked up to her and unzipped her shoulder bag right in front of me. I said "excuse me!" and she looked down and shoed him away. If I had been on the other side of her, she could have lost the contents of her bag! That may not have been too bad for her, going between the porous country borders in western Europe, but losing your passport and then trying to get back into the states would be a real pain.

So, before you travel to your hiking location, or hike at your travel location, and you are planning to spend some time in cities or youth hostels, spend a couple dollars on an undercover pouch or belt. Of course, you will also want to read the safety instructions in your travel guide to find out what the scams are in the country you're going to. Besides being informative, it can be really interesting!

Guides - Hiking / Backpacking

The Backpacker's Field Manual : A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Back country Skills
by Rick Curtis

Editorial Reviews, Amazon.com
This is not a slim compendium of bold-faced hiking tips; in other words, if you come face-to-face with Mr. Bear on the trail, you won't be whipping out The Backpacker's Field Manual for quick advice. On the other hand, if you take the time to plan your excursions into the wilderness, this thorough guide will prove invaluable. From packing to navigation to first aid, all the basics of back country travel are covered in detail. And for the more serious outdoors enthusiasts, there is plenty of advanced info, such as how to read weather patterns or where to look for underground water sources. But no matter what their skill level, anyone planning on spending time in the wilderness should prepare ahead with a guide like The Backpacker's Field Manual.

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Backpacking: A Woman's Guide
by Adrienne Hall

Editorial Reviews, Amazon.com
At long last, a detailed and good-humored backpacking guide by and for women! If you've been relying on standard hiking guides that assume a man's physique, the lack of a monthly cycle, and a bare-bones approach to packing and cooking, you're in for a treat. Having trekked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail (2,000-plus miles), Hall is a veritable guru in the areas of pre trip conditioning (step-by-step instructions/photos provided), gear essentials, food packing and preparation, as well as novice conundrums (how, exactly, do you sh-t in the woods?!). In addition to lending her own expertise, she also includes comments, stories, and advice from veteran backpacking women of all ages. Readers are encouraged to start small, take care of their feet, and never wait until they are thirsty or hungry to drink or eat. And leave your deodorant, makeup, and hair products home! Though the author stops short of being an eco-fascist, she is strictly zero tolerance when it comes to high-impact practices such as burying leftovers and washing with soap. A chapter on backpacking with children is chock full of excellent ideas for keeping kids entertained and healthy. So if you're a woman looking for the lowdown on how to be a well-prepared, properly geared, safety-conscious, and low-impact backpacker, this is a good place to start. --Martha Silano

 

Link to us

URL: http://womensexercisenetwork.com/hiking.html
Title: Hiking with Women's Exercise Network

It is so much easier to get out there when you have someone to work out and share your goals with. Don't get discouraged if your friends don't want to hike, bike, run or swim with you - just find new friends! That's what this site is for.