tips-backpacking

Backpacking Tips

Avoid Handouts

  • No matter how cute the begging tactics of these critters, refrain from feeding wildlife. They are, after all, supposed to be wild, and the animals' very survival is jeopardized if they lose their instinctive ability to fend for themselves. Once bears go bad they become habitual campsite raiders, land managers will typically relocate the bruins, and if that does not work, they are often given the death sentence.
    Mind Your Manners
  • Emily Post and Martha Stewart may not have a hold on the backpacking scene, but there still are some rules of "hiking etiquette" you should follow to keep harmony on the trail.
  • Hikers and bikers yield to equestrians.
  • Bikers yield to hikers.
  • Uphill hikers should step off the trail and let downhill hikers continue walking
  • When you take a break, get your group and gear well off the trail.
    Jump Start Your Morning
     
  • Whether you need to get an early start on that mountain to avoid the afternoon storm or you've simply heard enough razzing about being the last one to hit the trail, here are some ways to speed up your a.m. rituals.
  • Use a watch alarm to wake up earlier. If you can hit the trail around sunrise, you've already gained an hour or two.
  • Sleep under the stars, weather permitting. No tent to take down and fold means quicker packing.
  • Pack up gear at night that you won't use in the morning.,
  • Filter or boil the water that you'll need for breakfast, and fill water bottles at dinner.
  • Split tasks. While one camper prepares the morning meal, another takes down the tent. Make it a game to see how quickly each task can be accomplished.
  • Go cold for breakfast. Munch an energy bar, granola, or gorp and guzzle a sports drink (made the night before!).
  • Avoid fumbling with a complex bear bag. Attach a metal shower hook or a carabiner to the end of your bear-bag rope so you can clip the bag on and off quickly.

     

 

 

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