This is the second article in my Day Away summer series.  Click here to read the first post.

This summer, get out and HIKE! Leave the laundry and the dishes behind for a day.  Relax.  Breathe. Walk.

Choose a trail that best fits your physical fitness and level of expertise. For trail information, consult trail books, ranger station, park headquarters, hiking clubs, and park websites.  I always select a nearly flat trail for the first hike of the season.  It is a great way to enjoy the outdoors without overdoing it. You don’t want your first hike to be a total turn off. This is especially important if you are hiking with children.  Instill in them a love of the outdoors and they will be less inclined to sit in front of the TV or computer all day.

When Matthew and Megan – my stepchildren – were young, they didn’t want to go outside to play, preferring instead the rhythmic undulations of TV brainwashing.  ”But what DO we do out there?” they asked.  Having spent the greater part of my childhood outdoors, my head was reeling from the shock, but I decided to teach them, beginning with hiking and camping.  Matthew took to the trail immediately, but Megan didn’t care for it in the least.  She whined and complained and begged to be carried.  We commiserated with her, but insisted she hike on her own.   We made hiking as fun as possible, with our own brand of trail games, special snacks, and family togetherness.  Praise and encouragement turned her from a whiner into a happy hiker and she’s never looked back.  Today, she’s often out on the trails hiking with her own family.

We made hiking fun, but we also made it as safe as possible.  This is something I cannot emphasize enough. My kids learned essential survival skills very early – how to read a trail map, use a compass, wear an emergency whistle, purify water, start a fire, scare off a cougar, avoid a bear attack, deal with a snake bite, and build a debris hut shelter.  We practiced our skills at home on the back acre; you can practice in the safety of a campground.  I liked to “test” them on the trail.  ”Matthew, you’ve run ahead of us out of sight (a big, no-no) and have fallen over a cliff.  How do you get help?”  ”Megan, you got lost and now it’s dark and cold.  What do you do?”  They learned basic first-aid including how to treat poison ivy and the sting of nettles.  For information on wilderness survival, click here.

Many things can be learned and practiced on the trail.  We read up on edible plants indigenous to our area and acquainted ourselves with the general flora and fauna of the location.  I liked to carry a couple of Golden books on the trail to identify various animals, tracks, scat, trees, & wildflowers.  I taught them to read the trail head information board and to pay attention to weather conditions. Teach your children to ALWAYS sign in and out of the trailhead register.  Finally, I taught them to appreciate God’s creation.  We took our time on the trail, stopping every so often to gaze at the beauty of our surroundings and to listen to the relative silence.  We watched squirrels and chipmunks, birds, marmots, beaver, slugs (yuck) and bugs.  I taught them where to look for deer and elk and kept a record of all the wild animals we saw.

Leave your purse at home, but pack your driver’s license, credit/debit card, health insurance card, and vehicle registration/insurance.  Gas up before you go.  There may not be a gas station for miles and those that are close to parks and attractions tend to have higher prices.  For more information on what to keep in your car when traveling, click here.

In my experience it is best to use a dedicated daypack for hiking and use a different pack for everything else. Between uses, store your family’s packs separately from toys or school-bags.  You’ll want to teach your children that it is a survival tool and not a toy.

The following is a list of essential items for your hiking daypack, some of which can be stored in the pack and a few items to add at the last minute.  Use it as a checklist.

 

 

• LEATHERMAN or swiss army pocketknife
• WATCH (I attach mine directly to the daypack) – Note the time before you set out so you can gauge when to turn back.  It’s best to hike in the early morning, before the day becomes blistering hot.  It is not advisable to begin a hike in the late afternoon, lest you end up hiking back in the dark.
• TISSUES.  I always carry a couple of those small packets.  Add a ziplock bag to pack out what you’ve packed in.
• FIRST AID KIT in a ziplock bag.  Pack mini-size pain reliever such as Tylenol (not aspirin, because it increases bleeding), antacid, benadryl, sunscreen, chapstick, sunburn spray, bug spray, Technu or Zanafel for poison ivy,  antiseptic wipes, bandaids, gauze, roller bandage, moleskin for blister prevention, scissors, pointy-tip tweezers, safety pins, and a snakebite kit.  I also carry an inhaler and an Epi-pen for my asthma.   Add a feminine napkin, ’cause you never know, plus it makes a great bandage for larger wounds.  Remove ticks as soon as possible.  To learn how to properly remove a tick, click here for WebMD or here for a video demonstration.
• PEPPER SPRAY, like Mace Leather Plus with Key Ring.  Assault on the trail can and does happen.  Be prepared.  Know how to use the particular spray you have chosen.  Hint: Don’t spray into the wind.
• Stormproof MATCHES, these are the kind that will light in both windy and wet conditions.
• ALUMINUM CUP, pot, or can for boiling water for tea or bouillon.  If you have to spend the night in the woods, these will comfort you immensely.  I pack both regular and herbal teas and carry a couple of sugar packets.  Pack the bouillon, tea & sugar inside the cup.
• WATER PURIFYING TABLETS and/or an ultrasonic STERILIZING PEN, just in case you get stuck and run out of water.  Know how to use them.  You can also purchase tablets that neutralize chlorine’s awful taste.
• FLASHLIGHT & extra batteries.  A mini-Mag suits this purpose without taking up a lot of room in your pack.
• DENTAL FLOSS or fishing line has many uses, such as tying wet stuff to your daypack.
• BOOT LACES, good for tying things as well as replacing broken laces on your hiking boots.
• BINOCULARS for viewing wildlife (I use a packable set that fits into a 3x5x3″ case).
• HAT & SUNGLASSES, regular glasses if you will be hiking in a wooded area. Consider carrying cleaner & lens cloth.
• WHISTLE for each person.  This must be worn on a string around the neck, not carried in the pack. A whistle sounds louder than the human voice & will help others find you if you become lost or injured.  Tuck it inside your shirt to keep it from bouncing.  Children must be taught to use this only in a true emergency.
• MIRROR, in a small compact.  Handy for signaling a rescue helicopter.  Also helpful when trying to get something out of your eye.
• MAPS, trail and road maps.  Trails might wash out.  Know where you are going & look for alternative routes.
• COMPASS or GPS device (be sure you know how to use the device you choose)
• Extra BATTERIES for flashlight, camera, watch, GPS, etcetera.
• CAMERA, if you like, and telescoping tripod (the tripod is invaluable if you want to be in any of the photos).
• NOTEBOOK, journal, or sketchbook, pen & pencils, eraser.  I like to keep a record of the trail, it’s sights, my time, and mileage.
• BIBLE
• LAST-MINUTE ITEMS aka the DO-NOT-FORGET LIST:
• WALLET with driver’s license & credit or debit card
• CASH for park and trail fees, and other miscellaneous needs.  Include several $1 bills, because there won’t be anyone there to make change.
• KEYS to your vehicle & your house.  I keep a spare set in my pack, but always attach a set to my belt loop.  There’s nothing worse than arriving back at the car only to find you’ve lost your keys.   Leave expensive stuff at home and lock your vehicle.  Trailheads can be prime spots for break-in’s.
• CELL phone, fully charged (you may not have coverage on the trail, but it may prove a lifesaver on the road.
• WATER, enough for all day.  You’ll need at least 4 liters of water, per person, for a day hike.  Each liter weighs about 2.2 pounds.  Thirst is not a good measure of water need.  Drink about a half liter for every mile you hike, especially uphill or in the heat.  Freeze all but one of the bottles the night before to keep them cool longer – leave some room at the top of the bottle and the lid loose to allow for expansion as the ice forms.
• SNACKS of high protein, like peanut butter & raisins spread on apple slices or mini-bagels, dried fruits and nuts, and energy bars.  Teabags & bouillon packets.  Store in double ziplock bags.  After eating, place all food wrappers, tissue, etc in the double bags to prevent animals from being attracted to your pack.  By the way, if a bear wants your pack, give it to him.
• SPORTS DRINK or the like, to leave in the car as a special treat after the hike.  Freeze it and keep it in a cooler with lots of ice.
• HIKING SHOES Get the best pair you can afford and break them in at home.  Your feet will thank you.  Make sure your socks stay up!
• Wear loose, comfortable CLOTHING.  Dress in layers.  A tee-shirt is better than a tank top to keep the pack straps off your skin.
• Bring RAIN GEAR.  It is so much more comfortable to hike in the rain if you are warm & dry.  I carry a light, hooded wind & rain jacket with pants packed into mini nylon bags.  They are light & take up very little space.  And since I don’t care for the feeling of nylon against my skin, I also pack a thin pair of silk long johns.  Include an extra pair of SOCKS.  If your feet get soaked, dry socks will make it all better.
• PRAY before setting out.  All the preparation and equipment in the world won’t save you like the Lord Jesus does!  Happy hiking!