[krampus]

Hi chicks,

I haven't seen a thread devoted to this fine activity/sport/whatever you call it, so I'm starting one. Pictures and adventure tales are welcome!

My boyfriend is an avid hiker who goes on 2 week long, strenuous solo hikes during which he eats peanut butter and honey sandwiches and loses 20 pounds. I'm a novice who, until 2010, would probably die trying to reach the peak of any mountain over 1000 feet. While I was living in Japan I climbed the tallest mountain in the region I was living, Hikosan, which was spectacular:





I grew up and currently live very close to the Adirondacks, Catskills, Taconics and Berkshires - yet I haven't really done much hiking at all. Time to start! Tomorrow we are going on a 12 mile hike over the Tongue Mountain Range.

Do you normally make sure to eat lots of carbs before a significant hike? I don't want to start out at too steep a deficit. I ate a lot (>2000) yesterday but not many complex carbs, and today I've had yogurt and a chicken salad. The hike tomorrow will probably take 7-8 hours. I'm planning on packing 3-4 liters of water and a bunch of energy bars "just in case."

[mirax3]

Oooh! I LOVE hiking!

That view from Hikosan looks spectacular. My father is an avid hiker as well. He has hiked the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, hiked in China, and the Himalayas.

I so wish I had a hiking buddy around here. My boyfriend is not very interested and I don't feel like dragging along any whiners. :P I'm going to California to do some hiking this summer, so any tips you have would be appreciated! I always make sure I pack a couple bars- usually Clif bars (I don't know how you feel about those). I don't necessarily carbo load but I do have my infamous "hiking sandwich" that I whip up right before a long hike. I use two nice big slices of whole grain bread, avocado, hummus, sprouts, and sometimes some leafy greens and red pepper. Yum! Always keeps me going on the longer hikes. I also use a camelbak for water which has kept me hydrated along the way.

Glad you brought this up, it reminded me I have something to look forward to this summer!

[nationalparker]

Thanks for starting this! I enjoy hiking and we're getting more into backcountry camping over the past few years. This summer, we've got a trip planned to Montana's Glacier National Park and I had dreams of being where i wanted to, weight-wise/shape-wise, but since i've not gotten my rear in gear, right now they're just dreams. Need to, as they say, not "stare at the steps...but step up the stairs" ... and get moving more.

Last summer among other hikes, my husband and I did an overnight hike that kicked our butts - varying terrain, but 95 and muggy, no water along the route, so we carried it all in. Ran out the next morning, and still had four miles to go; made it fine, but we swore we'd do the same trail this spring when it's cooler and just do the whole trail in a day, not carrying anything but food/water/emergency stuff ... so I'm looking forward to see how different that goes without a 30 pound pack with tent, bags, etc. I never skimp on food, though - ya never know is my motto We scouted out where we could leave water, too, so that'll be a good option.

Looking forward to hearing how your hike over Tongue Mountain Range goes tomorrow, krampus!

Mirax3, what part of California will you be hiking in? Sounds like a wonderful trip to anticipate/plan!

[ValRock]

Your photos are Beautiful! I LOVE hiking too. I am so sad I left Japan before I could hike Fujisan.

As kids we hiked all over the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Yosemite... All over! It was so much fun .

In College we did 2 weeks backpacking in Yellowstone, and it was amazing! Other than the part about the bears shredding one of our food packs and having to use a hole for a bathroom .

I hiked Kilauea on Big Island Hawaii in 2005 with my baby (who is now 8!!) in a backpack on my back. It was amazing!! I can't wait to do that hike again.

I'll be posting pictures from Oahu in a few months . I'm so stinking excited! It's too hot to hike right now in Phx, though!

Hiking is the only time I eat carbs on purpose . My go to is a whole grain sandwich with peanut butter, honey, bananas, and dried cranberries. I can't go hiking without one, or I crave them!

[chickadee32]

I have never hiked! But I was excited to see this thread, because it looks like I'll be going on a day hike in the Alps in early September. I'll be with some people who are avid hikers and I really have no idea what to expect, or what to bring (I suppose I need to buy some hiking boots?)... but I'm not going to pass up the opportunity just because I don't know what I'm doing yet. Maybe I should try out some hikes locally in the meantime, if I can find someone to go with.

[mariposssa]

We love to hike. Mostly we just pack a lunch and water, grab the kids and go to a state park. We hike every summer in all kinds of shapes and sizes with our kids at all ages. Even as toddlers...only an hour or two in those days. But we do up to 3 - 4 hours carrying snacks and water now that they are older. We don't shy away from the longer, more difficult trails of each park. We have a park just a few miles away that has 3 or 4 smaller trails. We start there in the spring and work our way up to the longer more difficult paths at the state parks. We really like to camp (tent) over the summer 4 day weekends. The teens grumble a little now after they burn up the batteries of their cell phones and ipods the first night. Oh...we didn't pack the chargers?? Darn. How could we have forgotten those.

[philana]

I live in the flattest country on the planet. Everything looks about the same. It's just trails with not too many spectecular trees. No hills and definately nothing that equals a mountain. So even though I'd love to hike, I just can't see how to motivate myself. If you are going "up" something there's a view to look forward to and you have to go back down to go back home. So it makes sense. But just a circle through fields and woods that look the same.. -sigh-.

When I have a fulltime job and a bit more money for equipment I want to go on hikes in the UK/Scotland. And in the Alps. It's all so close by. But too far away for just a day hike.

Awesome pics Krampus!

[krampus]

I survived the 12.6 miles on Saturday. Only one fall (nothing serious, just scrapes) and I successfully kept up the pace with bf. I can't wait to go again - just gotta wait for my quads to stop BURNING!

[LaurenBelle]

I posted this in another thread but I'm doing the Inca Trail in Peru this September so I've recently been practicing my hiking skills. Last week I drove out to the only kinda mountainous part of the city and did a short hike up a trail called the 1000 Steps. Its dedicated to the Kokoda Track, which probably doesn't mean much to anyone outside of Australia but it was a very steep track in Papua New Guinea that the soldiers had to trek during WWII. I used all the little informational monuments along the trail as an excuse to stop and catch my breath hahaha. I've been looking into other trails but some of them seem kinda crappy, like walking around someones paddock essentially. If anyone from Melbourne know of good hiking within an hours drive of the city, let me know!

[devadiva]

I live in the Sierras in Calif. and hike nearly every weekend in the spring and summer. Everything here is uphill. It is very beautiful. Wish I could figure out how to post pictures??? I have hiked long distance in the past {400 miles}in one stretch PCT in Calif. The John Muir Trail and a bit more. And every summer for years,we did at least 1,000 miles over the summer backpacking Mont. Wa. Calif and Az.. We have slowed down with injury {my husbands}. And tend to mosly day hike we turn 60 this year.
CHICKADEE: If you have trail running shoes or soft short hikers they surfice. The big hard boots are not as popular thses days. Everything is lite lite lite. Not like when we started!

[Mountain Mamma]

Thank you for starting this thread!!!

Can't wait to hear about everyone's hiking. Happy to hear some of you have even been backpacking (love those bears?)!

[avalonswalk]

I adore hiking. It was hiking that inspired me to finally lose the weight. I plan to head to the mountains for a day of hiking next weekend.

[AbstractSilver]

Great idea for a thread! Hiking is one of my absolute favorite activities! Being out in nature is an absolutely spiritual experience for me- as well as being good for my bod. ; )

I'm going to spend the summer with my parents on the Oregon Coast this year, and I'm looking forward to doing tons of the coastal hikes there. Cape Arago, Cathedral Tree, Gold and Silver falls... I am so excited!

I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and put them on here for everyone to see. Hiking is honestly the only exercise that I can do every single day and not get bored of.

[TurboMammoth]

Thanx for starting the threads, Krampus! AWESOME pictures!!!

I don't really carb load the night before. we always bring some lunch with carbs for the hike though (bread and stuff)

Can't wait to go hiking again, I pushed that aside because of the half training (I figured it would not be cool having to run 10 millions kilometers on the Sunday with the quads burning as h*ll from a hike the day before...

We mostly hike in Quebec where we have a few nice mountains... nothing compared to the Adirondacks though. We are planning a trip there this summer actually, probably Cascase or Adam mountain, and eventually Mount Washington.

In the winter, we trade our boots for snowshows and showshoe mountains instead Lots of fun! My last hike/snowshoe was in march on a little Mountain calld Mont Ham (yes. Ham. It's in the town of South-Ham. LOL)

Mount Ham, a nice little one to start (first time for my boyfriend on a mountain in showshoe!)


Almost at the top..!


Queen of the world!