BP Get Out More PDF prep

6. Practice this until you can look at the map, visualize the terrain, and
reach a destination using your map and compass.
BEFORE THE TRIP
■ Check that all seams exposed to weather are taped. If they aren’t, use a
commercial seam sealer to waterproof tents and rainwear. Revitalize
water-repellency treatment on tired raingear and pack covers.
■ Line your sleeping bag’s stuff sack or your entire pack with a
garbage bag.
■ Seal everything—first-aid kit, maps, extra clothes, food, sleeping
pad—in doubled zipper-lock plastic bags.
>>>
High-Energy Eats
Sports nutritionists and backcountry-food experts agree that for hikes of up to 1 week
long, a diet of energy-rich carbohydrates with smaller percentages of protein and fat—
about a 40:30:30 ratio—is best. Choose dried and lightweight foods like pasta over prepared,
weighty foods like that super-size can of beef stew. Check the chart below for
other suggestions.
Carbs (40% of diet) Protein (30%) Fat (30%)
bagels canned tuna or chicken cheese
tortillas peanut butter nuts and nut butters
dried fruits and vegetables cheese chocolate and other candies
pasta beans olive and canola oils
rice beef, chicken, or fish jerky beef, chicken, or fish jerky
oatmeal salami, summer sausage salami, summer sausage
granola as cereal or bars nonfat powdered milk cookies
instant mashed potatoes lentils tofu
DURING THE TRIP
■ Look for sheltered camping spots away from drainages on the lee side
of hills or bushes, or in a grove of trees.
■ Get dressed and store wet gear in your tent’s vestibule. Use a bandanna
to mop up any droplets that sneak inside that inner sanctum.
■ Keep your sense of humor. Invent or play tent games, write in a journal,
or make up songs about the rain. You’ll be back to the dry life
soon enough.
ATTITUDE CHECK
Longer and more demanding trips tax body and spirit, so take extra care
to keep both healthy.
■ Plan for easy days at the beginning, then add more miles as you get
stronger.
■ Make sure someone at home knows your trip plan, then stick to it.
Before the trip, identify an emergency bailout route midway along
your route.
■ Prevent group dissension by making certain before you go that all
members of the group know their responsibilities. Assign tasks and
write down who’s responsible for the tent, meals, maps and permits,
and so on.
■ If you start to feel angry with a hiking partner, walk by yourself for
a while.
■ Know when to modify your plans. Weather, fatigue, and mishaps add
stress that can ruin a trip if you insist on meeting a difficult goal.
From Weeklong to Long-Distance
Stay out for 2 weeks, 3 weeks, or longer, and you strip life down to its
essence: food, water, warmth, great scenery. Here’s how to enjoy—and survive—the
added blessings and rigors of a long hike.
MAKE IT LAST
Nothing tests the life span of backpacking equipment like a few months
on the trail. Here what’s to expect in terms of wear and tear.
Boots: Long-trail thru-hikers report that sturdy, all-leather boots last (on
average) 1,000 to 1,500 miles before needing to be resoled. Lightweight,
fabric-leather boots, trail shoes, and running shoes last 400 to 1,000 miles.
Break in at least two pairs of footwear before your trip so one pair’s ready to
ship to you if you need a replacement. Include waterproofing treatment for
leather boots in resupply boxes.
Pack: One study of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers found that roughly 40
percent had to have their packs repaired or replaced along the way.
Examine the pack you plan to take for likely wear spots—like straps rubbing
on hard plastic edges and heavily stressed small-gauge zippers—and
evaluate how easy on-trail replacement or repair of the parts would be.
Inspect your pack for wear periodically along the trail, and consider carrying
spare buckles or clevis pins (for external frame packs), as well as duct
tape and upholstery thread with a heavy-duty needle.
36 GET OUT MORE!
WWW.BACKPACKER.COM 37