We get out a lot. We’ve been getting out a lot for more than 30 years. During that time we’ve learned a thing or two. Nothing revolutionary, nothing that’s radically changed the sport. But maybe something you’ll find helpful, something you didn’t know that might help next time you’re on the trail. Something that will shorten your learning curve — though the learning never stops.
Tag Archives: tips
A summer hike recalls summer vacation
Note: The following is a tweaked re-run of a post that originally appeared in July 2022. With the current heat it’s even more relevant today than it was when it originally appeared.
Tuesday afternoon I was driving back from a meeting in Oxford when I made a detour in Stem. Specifically, to the Tar River Land Conservancy’s Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area. It was 98 degrees, with a Heat Index of 105, no one’s idea of ideal hiking conditions. Yet once I got under the canopy, the heat became less of an issue.
Don’t get bullied by the Weekend Heat Dome
Granted, we ran a version of this blog in April, but with the appearance of The Heat Dome and the possibility of temperatures topping 100 in the region this weekend, it seemed appropriate to repeat the high points. Starting with …
Don’t hesitate to adjust your plans based on the forecast. For instance, GetBackpacking! was scheduled to do the 35-mile Virginia Triple Crown loop this weekend. The four-day trip takes a high route, largely sticking to ridges.
Don’t let the coming heat keep you off the trail
Maybe it’s a skosh early, but our recent taste of warm weather made me wonder how many people wanted to take a hike, but passed, thinking, It’s so warm out. To nip that type of thinking in the bud, today we rerun our annual guide to summer hiking.
It’s raining? So hike! (Here’s how)
It was raining. I felt like hiking. So I did.
It wasn’t a long hike. But it was just enough. Just knowing the rain couldn’t stop me was enough. It couldn’t stop me, because I was prepared.
Hiking in the rain can be a delight — if you’re prepared. The following tips for hiking in the rain were taken from our GetHiking! Hiking in the Rain tip sheet. For the entire 3-page guide visit our website and enter code RAINTIPS at checkout to get the guide for free through this weekend (March 30).