By: Ed Caliendo

Hiking in the forest can be an exciting and exhilarating undertaking providing a peaceful and enjoyable connection with nature.  It is personally rewarding when you successfully complete an outing of several miles.

The benefits of a good hike are many including; improved fitness, personal time to think through issues and find solutions, fellowship with other hikers, and improving your hiking techniques.  This is all possible if you do not become injured or have a poor experience.

Your Sierra Club Hike Leader provides leadership and is there for your safety and well-being.  It is the Leader’s goal to ensure a safe trip and provide minor first aid assistance if needed.  It is your responsibility to be well prepared for hiking. 

The secrets to having a successful hiking experience are:

1)    Having the correct hiking shoes or boots

2)    Wearing the proper clothing

3)    Maintaining personal hydration

4)    Notifying your Hike Leader of any personal health limitations

5)    Having the correct equipment for the weather conditions

6)    Carrying minimum First Aid items

7)    Selecting a hike that fits your current level of capability

 If the Hike Leader believes you are not well prepared for the hike, he/she will not permit you to participate in the organized hike. Things such as having good foot wear and the capacity to carry adequate water are two possible reasons that would exclude you from the hike.  Another critical issue is your physical readiness or limiting health issues.

Hiking in the low elevations, near 500’, does not adequately prepare you for hiking in the mountains.  So, speak with your Hike Leader about methods to help prepare you for mountain and high elevation hiking.

Selecting the Correct Footwear – It is important to wear hiking shoes and boots that have a substantial tread to help prevent slipping when hiking.  Wearing tennis shoes is not suitable.

Under normal circumstances, your feet will swell as you hike several miles.  Add elevation gains and downward slopes while hiking and your feet may develop blisters. Toe nail loss may occur when not wearing the proper socks and most often when wearing too small of hiking shoes or boots.

So, when selecting a hiking boot or shoe, follow these guidelines:                                       

• Wear two pair of socks when trying on hiking boots.  First, wear a liner sock that fits snugly to your foot.  Next, put over the liner sock a blended wool sock (Smartwool) for cushion.  Do not wear cotton socks.  Cotton socks collect dampness and do not wick away the dampness from your foot.  Dampness can cause blisters and contribute to hyperthermia.
• Ignore boot size and continue to try on boots until they are uncomfortably large fitting.  Then, move back one-half size.
• Once you think you have the correct size, remove the boot insole and stand on the insole.  Your foot should have a ¼” clearance on both sides and rear (at the heel).  The toe should have a minimum of a ½” clearance, but I prefer 1" clearance. 
• With insoles back in the boots, walk around the store.  Wiggle your toes to make sure they are not touching or rubbing on the inside of the boot.
• Purchase extra socks that you are wearing and carry the extra set with you on all hikes.  Change your socks when your socks become damp.  Take your boots off at the lunch break so that your socks and feet can dry.
• If possible, the hiking boots should be breathable and water-proof.

Wearing the proper clothing – Yes, you can wear just about anything for hiking, but if you have a choice here are a few things to consider.

Do not wear cotton clothing as cotton kills!  Cotton absorbs perspiration rather than wicking the dampness away from your body.  Instead, cotton collects moisture. As the temperature cools in the afternoon, this dampness can bring on chills resulting in possible hypothermia.  When that happens, your only solution is to remove the clothing. 

Instead, it is better to purchase clothing that dries quickly in the air and wicks away the perspiration from the body. Thus, purchasing clothing made of 100 % nylon and polyester is best.  This includes underwear!  Only wear clothing that wicks away dampness.

Your Hike Leader can provide you with manufacture product recommendations.

Personal Hydration is possibly the most important subject to consider when hiking in the wilderness.  Without water to consume you may die. Being dehydrated brings on dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramping, poor judgment, fainting, and eventually total exhaustion. There are several things you should do to prevent these kinds of things from occurring and include:  

Note: You should drink enough water to equal 50% of your body weight in ounces.  For example: If you weigh 120 pounds, then half your weight would be 60 pounds.  Therefore, you should consume 60 ounces of water per day to stay properly hydrated.

• Two days prior to your scheduled hike start drinking water to properly hydrate your body.

• On the day of your scheduled hike, begin and continue consuming water as you drive to the meeting location of the hike.

• Plan to consume 1-liter of water for every 5 miles of hiking.

• As you hike, drink water every 15 minutes.  Do not wait until you are thirsty. 

If you run out of drinking water, then alert your Hike Leader.

If you do not drink enough water, your body will begin to rob water from your joints and other organs and save the water so that your brain can correctly function.  This will cause joint pain and fatigue.  Be smart and drink plenty of water!

Before the hike, notify your Hike Leader of any personal health limitation – Are you diabetic or are you allergic to bee stings?  Have you had any recent medical conditions that my limit your abilities?  Have you experienced a surgery within the last six months?  Are you pregnant?

Be sure to tell your Hike Leader before the hike of any medical conditions.  Tell your Hike Leader if you are taking prescription drugs and where you carry them so that in an emergency the Hike Leader can find your medicine and administer it to you.

Bringing the right equipment for the weather conditions - Starting out with the correct hiking equipment based upon weather conditions is of the upmost importance.  After all, if the weather calls for thunderstorms then you want to be sure to carry rain gear or at a minimum a low-cost rain poncho. 

Wearing layered clothing is a good idea.  The weather conditions can change rapidly and catch you off guard.  If you get caught with too little clothing, it can become a miserable hiking experience.

Carrying the minimum First Aid items such as Band-Aids and Polysporin is a good idea.  It is useful to carry Aspirin or Aleve to provide relief for muscle or joint pain.

Special Note: It is the policy within the Sierra Club to leave-no-trace when hiking in the forest.  This means carrying out soiled toilet paper.  To do this, we recommend that you carry a zip-lock plastic bag to deposit any soiled toilet paper.  A second opaque plastic bag should be carried to place the zip-lock bag in.  Upon returning home, place the plastic bags in the trash.

Selecting a hike based upon your physical capability is always the best choice!  Try not to be overly confident.  It is best to start out with an Easy rated hike.

After you have successfully completed six to eight day-hikes, then discuss with your Hike Leader the possibility of advancing your hiking experiences.  Ask your Hike Leader about:

• Recommended day-pack equipment
• Sun-hats, gloves, and wind shirts/jackets
• The ten-essentials
• Emergency survival blanket
• Use of Hydration packs and water bottles
• Use of Trekking poles

Welcome to the Big Bear Sierra Club Hiking Group.  It is a pleasure to have you as a new hiker.  We are here to make your hiking a memorable experience.