Are you a trekker or a day hiker?
June 2nd 2007 04:31
The great outdoors doesn't seem to be for everyone. Sure, those of us who love outdoor activities think that there's nothing greater than being active and surrounding by natural beauty, but we have to face the fact that many people on earth would just rather stay in a real bed and eat food that hasn't been on their backs for three days. And if we're really honest with ourselves, I think we can all admit that, yes, every now and then we all want to just blowdry our hair-- or put on some deodorant without wondering if we'll get attacked by bears. So when it comes to planning a hike, how do you know whether you'd be happier spending a week or two on the trail or just going up for the day and being home by dark?
Both trekking and day hiking offer rewarding experiences worldwide. Of course there are many aspects of trekking that appeal to hikers-- first of all, it's hard to find any other way to have a different hike every day for more than 3 or 4 days. Even in mountain towns, you'll be hard pressed to find enough trails to keep you busy for a week if a trail is what you want. So one of the biggest appeals of trekking, to me, is the ability to hike for a couple of weeks and see something new every day. Along with the opportunity to have a new hike everyday comes the exhiliration of actually going somewhere. It's just plain fun to know when you hike two hundred miles, you actually went someplace new! Furthermore, trekking can offer mental and physical challenges that are rarely matched by day hikes, and lend a greater sense of accomplishment to people who are actively seeking that challenge.
But is trekking necessarily for you?
There's a flip side to all of the benefits of trekking that only you can weigh when deciding if a trek is right for you. While a trek can give you awesome variety and incredible hiking for weeks at a time, are you prepared (physically and mentally) to be hiking every day for the requisite amount of time? Long treks require a great deal of training and preparation, and even short backpacking trips should be prefaced by some day hikes carrying weight. Don't forget factors like altitude and climate as well-- will you be prepared for whatever changes in elevation will take place, and will you need to adjust to a hotter, colder, or more humid climate? And while it's fun to go from the beginning of a trail to the end of a trail and end up somewhere new, will you have transportation back to the trailhead if you've left a car there? Make sure you consider factors like start and end point, look into public transportation or getting rides-- in the U.S. especially it is no longer considered safe to rely at all on hitchhiking in any fashion, so keep this in mind, and there are also safety risks involved with leaving a car at the trailhead for days or weeks at a time. Many instances of car break-ins and theft occur in national parks and trailheads or even campgrounds every year, so investigate the hazards and what you can do to make sure you find a safe place to store your vehicle.
If you're uneasy about the idea of an extended hike, there's no shame in enjoying day hikes, which can be extremely rewarding as well-- there are a lot of natural beauty that's perfectly accessible inside of a single day, and day hikes can also give you the freedom to hike fuller or more strenuous days than you would otherwise be able to do if you were planning to hike for a week or more. When you have the ability to go home, clean up, and rest, you may find that there's more open to you to do in a single day because it's not necessary that you pack up camp and move out the next day. There are a lot of personal reasons to shy away from longer hikes in favor of day hikes-- I know that I tend to be really forgetful, and there's nothing like making it two days into a trek and realizing you've forgotten your raincoat or the extra fuel for your stove. But if you're still inclined to feel like you're missing out by not doing a longer hike, here's what I recommend:
1) If there are longer treks that you're interest in, but don't think you can do the entire trek for whatever reason, try it in small portions. This is how most people hike extremely long trails like the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail on the eastern and western U.S. seaboards. Use the same idea for whatever trail you're interested in-- just plan to do a few days and then come home. Then next time, pick up where you left off and do another few days. Most long trails will have a number of locations where you can get on and off the trail near towns because hikers have to stop off and resupply, so use these as your start and end points for smaller portions.
2) If you want to do the entirety of a longer trek and have the time, but just aren't committed to day after day of hiking, plan to have rest days. Plan that after hiking for a few days, you'll take a day off and just chill out in one place-- choose an especially scenic portion so you don't get bored (a day starts to feel like a very long time when you're not going to hike at all), or instead do a very small amount of hiking and rest for the remainder of the day. This will ease some of the physical strain and give you a break from the tedium of progress down the trail.
3) If you want to do a longer trek, but just don't like carrying the weight of a backpack, do a trail where you can resupply at least every 2 days, or (even better) where you arrive at a town or establishment every night (so that you don't have to carry camping equipment). A great example of a trail like this is the Haute Route through the French and Swiss Alps. Every day, you will arrive at a town (sometimes a good sized resort town, other times just a building or two where hikers can get a meal and stay for the night). This means that you don't have to carry a tent, bedding, or cookware, that you can eat breakfast before hitting the trail and dinner after you've finished, that you can carry just lunch and snacks with you and resupply pretty much daily, and that you can shower basically every night. I even ran into a Swedish couple on the Haute Route who were with a group that only carried water and food with them because they had a bus that carried their suitcases to the next town every day, so there are countless ways on the gradation of intensity to hike this trail. It's certainly not the most extreme or wild experience, and doesn't involve camping (and in fact camping isn't allowed in a lot of places in the Alps), so if you're looking for something more outdoorsy in general it wouldn't be the option for you, but every day is a spectacular hike in the Alps with some pretty strenuous ups and downs, so it's definitely a challenge that makes you feel like you deserve your hot meal and real bed every night.
Whether you're in to the challenges of facing nature for weeks at a time or just stepping out for some awesome views of the great outdoors, there's a hike that matches your passion and ability. The key in finding the right hike for you is knowing yourself-- what is it that you're really looking for and what are your limits-- and, like a Boy Scout, being prepared.
Both trekking and day hiking offer rewarding experiences worldwide. Of course there are many aspects of trekking that appeal to hikers-- first of all, it's hard to find any other way to have a different hike every day for more than 3 or 4 days. Even in mountain towns, you'll be hard pressed to find enough trails to keep you busy for a week if a trail is what you want. So one of the biggest appeals of trekking, to me, is the ability to hike for a couple of weeks and see something new every day. Along with the opportunity to have a new hike everyday comes the exhiliration of actually going somewhere. It's just plain fun to know when you hike two hundred miles, you actually went someplace new! Furthermore, trekking can offer mental and physical challenges that are rarely matched by day hikes, and lend a greater sense of accomplishment to people who are actively seeking that challenge.
The first day of the Haute Route, starting in Chamonix, France
There's a flip side to all of the benefits of trekking that only you can weigh when deciding if a trek is right for you. While a trek can give you awesome variety and incredible hiking for weeks at a time, are you prepared (physically and mentally) to be hiking every day for the requisite amount of time? Long treks require a great deal of training and preparation, and even short backpacking trips should be prefaced by some day hikes carrying weight. Don't forget factors like altitude and climate as well-- will you be prepared for whatever changes in elevation will take place, and will you need to adjust to a hotter, colder, or more humid climate? And while it's fun to go from the beginning of a trail to the end of a trail and end up somewhere new, will you have transportation back to the trailhead if you've left a car there? Make sure you consider factors like start and end point, look into public transportation or getting rides-- in the U.S. especially it is no longer considered safe to rely at all on hitchhiking in any fashion, so keep this in mind, and there are also safety risks involved with leaving a car at the trailhead for days or weeks at a time. Many instances of car break-ins and theft occur in national parks and trailheads or even campgrounds every year, so investigate the hazards and what you can do to make sure you find a safe place to store your vehicle.
If you're uneasy about the idea of an extended hike, there's no shame in enjoying day hikes, which can be extremely rewarding as well-- there are a lot of natural beauty that's perfectly accessible inside of a single day, and day hikes can also give you the freedom to hike fuller or more strenuous days than you would otherwise be able to do if you were planning to hike for a week or more. When you have the ability to go home, clean up, and rest, you may find that there's more open to you to do in a single day because it's not necessary that you pack up camp and move out the next day. There are a lot of personal reasons to shy away from longer hikes in favor of day hikes-- I know that I tend to be really forgetful, and there's nothing like making it two days into a trek and realizing you've forgotten your raincoat or the extra fuel for your stove. But if you're still inclined to feel like you're missing out by not doing a longer hike, here's what I recommend:
Just one of many fantastic day hike views in Zermatt, Switzerland!
1) If there are longer treks that you're interest in, but don't think you can do the entire trek for whatever reason, try it in small portions. This is how most people hike extremely long trails like the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail on the eastern and western U.S. seaboards. Use the same idea for whatever trail you're interested in-- just plan to do a few days and then come home. Then next time, pick up where you left off and do another few days. Most long trails will have a number of locations where you can get on and off the trail near towns because hikers have to stop off and resupply, so use these as your start and end points for smaller portions.
2) If you want to do the entirety of a longer trek and have the time, but just aren't committed to day after day of hiking, plan to have rest days. Plan that after hiking for a few days, you'll take a day off and just chill out in one place-- choose an especially scenic portion so you don't get bored (a day starts to feel like a very long time when you're not going to hike at all), or instead do a very small amount of hiking and rest for the remainder of the day. This will ease some of the physical strain and give you a break from the tedium of progress down the trail.
3) If you want to do a longer trek, but just don't like carrying the weight of a backpack, do a trail where you can resupply at least every 2 days, or (even better) where you arrive at a town or establishment every night (so that you don't have to carry camping equipment). A great example of a trail like this is the Haute Route through the French and Swiss Alps. Every day, you will arrive at a town (sometimes a good sized resort town, other times just a building or two where hikers can get a meal and stay for the night). This means that you don't have to carry a tent, bedding, or cookware, that you can eat breakfast before hitting the trail and dinner after you've finished, that you can carry just lunch and snacks with you and resupply pretty much daily, and that you can shower basically every night. I even ran into a Swedish couple on the Haute Route who were with a group that only carried water and food with them because they had a bus that carried their suitcases to the next town every day, so there are countless ways on the gradation of intensity to hike this trail. It's certainly not the most extreme or wild experience, and doesn't involve camping (and in fact camping isn't allowed in a lot of places in the Alps), so if you're looking for something more outdoorsy in general it wouldn't be the option for you, but every day is a spectacular hike in the Alps with some pretty strenuous ups and downs, so it's definitely a challenge that makes you feel like you deserve your hot meal and real bed every night.
Whether you're in to the challenges of facing nature for weeks at a time or just stepping out for some awesome views of the great outdoors, there's a hike that matches your passion and ability. The key in finding the right hike for you is knowing yourself-- what is it that you're really looking for and what are your limits-- and, like a Boy Scout, being prepared.
| 63 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Ash
Flashes of memories
You have some great info here.... I have always wanted to try some long hikes... perhaps it is time to get the fitness levels up for it.
It would be great to do some hitch hiking - unfortuntaly as you say in todays world that is no longer a possibility... but that lure of the open road and not knowing where it will take you nor how you will get there..... marvellous!
ash
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Now I canoe and camp in the Everglades..get lots of strange looks when I say that, too!
Thanks for this post; you've inspired me to write more about my Everglades camping!