By Wanda Vivequin on May 9, 2014; illustrations by Katy
Dockrill
A hiking trip can be a life-changing experience. If you're one of those people who panic at the thought of packing everything you need into a bag, shouldering it, walking for a few hours and then sleeping in a tent, Mike Barnes, '94 BPE, '08 BScN, has a few tips on making it easier. Barnes spent nearly 15 years working at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Edmonton before switching recently to a career in nursing, so he knows that hiking is not as hard as you think. And it could end up being the healthiest pastime you ever take up.
Ready for more?
Lots of places in major cities rent camping gear, or you can borrow from friends and family. If it all sounds overwhelming, inquire with a local hiking club. They love helping people get into backpacking.
A comfortable backpack is very important. If you rent or borrow a pack, load it with all your stuff and do a practice walk first to see how it feels. Whatever you do, don't take up Great Uncle Harry's offer of using his external-frame pack from the 1970s!
First, line your pack with a heavy-duty plastic garbage bag - nothing is worse than wet gear. Then take the following approach to filling your pack, but remember: it should weigh no more than 15 per cent of your body weight. Less is even better.
- Pack your sleeping bag in the bottom.
- Food goes in a bag close to the middle of your back.
- Pack heavy items close to your body near the frame.
- Remember to keep snacks handy at the top of the pack, along with a water bottle.
- Pack your clothes and everything else on your list around the food. Separate things with a couple of clothes bags.
How to do What Bears Do in the Woods
If you're heading off the well-beaten path and into the woods - or at least onto a trail in the woods - there's a matter you're going to have to deal with eventually: how to do your business. The idea of going to the toilet while camping or hiking can be off-putting, but Mike Barnes, '94 BPE, '08 BScN, offers tips to make things go a little more smoothly.
Bring along two zip-top plastic bags, one to carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer, the other to hold the used toilet paper if you're out on a trail. Also bring a small trowel.
Most designated campsites and trailheads (the start of a trail) have pit toilets or outhouses. Use them before you hit the trail. They come in all shapes and sizes and some are pretty rustic, so it's best to have your own supply of toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
If you have to go while on the trail, tell your fellow hikers that you have to stop - and make sure they wait for you.
Walk a distance from the trail, bringing along your trowel and plastic bags.
Dig a "cat hole" (no more than 15 centimetres) and do your business.
Put the used toilet paper in your plastic bag or stir it in with your business.
Cover up the hole and mark it with a couple of sticks so no one digs it up after you.
Use the hand sanitizer.
Remember, everyone has to go sometime.
