Hiking is a natural stress reliever in so many ways. The very word "hiking" infers heading out to a mountainous terrain or a thickly wooded river valley. Not only does going for a hike give you abundant physical exercise, but it also provides the psyche with a much needed escape into a more peaceful setting where one's senses are inundated by the soft scents, sights and sounds of nature.
Hiking is more than just going out for a walk or a jog. It entails strenuous trail trekking over hill and dell where the entire body is utilized in the activity. Serious hiking challenges the heart and the muscles more readily because of the constant change in land grade and the continuous maneuvering over, under and around obstacles. Getting away for a country hike is can be much more enjoyable than a fast-paced walk or a jog in the city for one very simple reason. Getting out to the country means filling your lungs and cells with fresher air and purer oxygen.
The family unit can also benefit a great deal by heading out for a hike together as long as your hike doesn't include dangerous terrain. It's a great activity that involves everyone, gets the kids out to use pent up energy and it provides the enjoyment of seeing a variety of birds, animals, plants and trees. These experiences can then be taken back home and talked about for days, weeks and years to come.
When planning a hiking trip it is essential to wear the proper clothing and carry the proper gear. Temperature and climate changes can and do occur so you will want to wear clothing that can be taken off when exertion produces sweat and then reapplied when you or the environment begins to cool down. Wearing zip off trousers are ideal for hiking as the legs can be removed when hot and put back on when things cool down. Also, carrying a light jacket in a lightweight backpack or fanny pack is a good idea.
Wearing a good pair of shoes designed for rugged terrain is essential as well as a thick pair of socks that not only keep your feet fresher but also stave off nasty blisters that come from maneuvering uneven ground. You will also want to carry a water bottle so that you can remain hydrated.
Also remember, you are in the wilderness, even if it is only a state park, and it is smart to carry a first aid kit in case you scrape a knee or get stung by an insect. Of course, today you can slip a cell phone into your pocket should you need to call for help in an unforeseen situation.
You might also want to take along a pedometer so that you can gauge just how much exercise you're getting. When hiking, it's easy to loose track of the effort you're exerting because your attention is grabbed by so many wonders around you. A pedometer will help you to feel good about your whole hiking experience. This is just one more benefit of a trip to the outdoors.
By choosing to offer a big selection of electronic fitness gear on his company's website, Darrin Tebbe of Bodytronics demonstrates his commitment to support active living. Check out out our pedometer selection or other products on our site or give us a call at Bodytronics today.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrin_Tebbe
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Plan A Kayak And Hiking Tour For Holiday To Crete
Kayaking and hiking is the best way to enjoy your holiday to Crete. You can spend three days kayaking and hiking around the areas of Samaria Gorge, Sfakia, Sougia and Paleochora. You will enjoy the scenery from the water, which is the only way to experience Crete. A typical itinerary will be arriving in Chania and spending the night. The next day you can get up and travel to Paleochora where you can get yourself situated for the trip. You will be able to swim and lie in the sun on the beach of the Libyan Sea. This is the start of your adventure.
The third day will find you kayaking to Sougia and Lissos. You can see the ancient ruins and the graves located in Lissos. This is the part of your cheap holidays to Crete that you will find intriguing. As you move away from Lissos towards Sougia, you will enjoy the scenery on the way. You will arrive in Sougia and can enjoy some swimming and maybe even a seafood dinner. The next day you will do some hiking in Omalos. The area is very beautiful and will see the Agia Irini gorge then travel to the outpost. On day five you are on your way to Samaria Gorge and Agia Roumeli for some more hiking.
The hike is rather intense because of the steep inclines, but the trails are very well groomed. At the bottom of the gorge, you can pretty much do what ever you want. You can sit and enjoy the view or even have a picnic lunch. After a rest period, you can continue to Agia Rousmeli, which is a small fishing village. Your holiday to Crete will delight you, but this type of trip is exciting and very adventurous for everyone.
Day six you will leave in the kayak for Loutro. On your way, you want to stop and glaze at the Byzantine Church. The architecture is incredible and the fact that it is a beachside church is interesting. On day seven, you will move down the water to Sfakia, but you will wan to stop at Sweet Water Beach. You can only reach this beach from the water or take a very long hike. Therefore, it will be secluded and empty. Once you get to Sfakia, you will take a bus back to your starting point, Chania where you will spend the night.
If you have planned your holidays to Crete around this tour, you will have seen some of the most incredible places that can only be experienced or seen from the water. You can dine one of the Chania restaurants and maybe even enjoy a little nightlife before leaving. You will need to take along some lightweight clothing and a pair of hiking boots for hiking and a pair of shoes for kayaking. The tour group will supply everything else you need. You just have to enjoy the scenery and have a great time. That is what this tour is all about when you leave your destination.
Author Resource:- Visit our large archive of holidays articles at cheap holidays 24. Also Read the article Plan To Visit Sitia On Your Holiday To Crete.
The third day will find you kayaking to Sougia and Lissos. You can see the ancient ruins and the graves located in Lissos. This is the part of your cheap holidays to Crete that you will find intriguing. As you move away from Lissos towards Sougia, you will enjoy the scenery on the way. You will arrive in Sougia and can enjoy some swimming and maybe even a seafood dinner. The next day you will do some hiking in Omalos. The area is very beautiful and will see the Agia Irini gorge then travel to the outpost. On day five you are on your way to Samaria Gorge and Agia Roumeli for some more hiking.
The hike is rather intense because of the steep inclines, but the trails are very well groomed. At the bottom of the gorge, you can pretty much do what ever you want. You can sit and enjoy the view or even have a picnic lunch. After a rest period, you can continue to Agia Rousmeli, which is a small fishing village. Your holiday to Crete will delight you, but this type of trip is exciting and very adventurous for everyone.
Day six you will leave in the kayak for Loutro. On your way, you want to stop and glaze at the Byzantine Church. The architecture is incredible and the fact that it is a beachside church is interesting. On day seven, you will move down the water to Sfakia, but you will wan to stop at Sweet Water Beach. You can only reach this beach from the water or take a very long hike. Therefore, it will be secluded and empty. Once you get to Sfakia, you will take a bus back to your starting point, Chania where you will spend the night.
If you have planned your holidays to Crete around this tour, you will have seen some of the most incredible places that can only be experienced or seen from the water. You can dine one of the Chania restaurants and maybe even enjoy a little nightlife before leaving. You will need to take along some lightweight clothing and a pair of hiking boots for hiking and a pair of shoes for kayaking. The tour group will supply everything else you need. You just have to enjoy the scenery and have a great time. That is what this tour is all about when you leave your destination.
Author Resource:- Visit our large archive of holidays articles at cheap holidays 24. Also Read the article Plan To Visit Sitia On Your Holiday To Crete.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
A Hiking Guide to Easter Island
Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer hikers and I'll probably answer Easter Island. Here on an island 11 km wide and 23 km long you'll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano.
The legends of Easter Island have been recounted many times. What's less known is that the island's assorted wonders are easily accessible on foot from the comfort of the only settlement, Hanga Roa.
Before setting out see the sights, however, visit the excellent archaeological museum next to Ahu Tahai on the north side of town (the term "ahu" refers to an ancient stone platform). Aside from the exhibits, the museum has maps which can help you plan your trip.
On online map is available at http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/easter_island/
The first morning after arrival, I suggest you climb Easter Island's most spectacular volcano, Rano Kau, where Orongo, a major archaeological site, sits on the crater's rim. But rather than marching straight up the main road to the crater, look for the unmarked shortcut trail off a driveway to the right just past the forestry station south of town. It takes under two hours to cover the six km from Hanga Roa to Orongo, but bring along a picnic lunch and make a day of it. (If climbing a 316-meter hill sounds daunting, you can take a taxi to the summit for around US$6 and easily walk back later in the day.) Once on top, you'll find hiking down into the colourful crater presents no difficulty. It may also look easy to go right around the crater rim, but only do so if you're a very experienced hiker and have a companion along as shear 250-meter cliffs drop into the sea from the ridge.
Another day, rise early and take a taxi to lovely Anakena Beach at the end of the paved road on the north side of the island (you should pay under US$10 for the 20 km). A few of the famous Easter Island statues have been restored at Anakena and you could go for a swim, although the main reason you've come is the chance to trek back to Hanga Roa around the road-free northwest corner of the island. You'll pass numerous abandoned statues lying facedown where they fell, and the only living creatures you're unlikely to encounter are the small brown hawks which will watch you intently from perches on nearby rocks. If you keep moving, you'll arrive back in town in five or six hours (but take adequate food, water, and sunscreen). This is probably the finest coastal walk in the South Pacific.
Almost as good is the hike along the south coast, although you're bound to run into other tourists here as a paved highway follows the shore. Begin early and catch a taxi to Rano Raraku, the stone quarry where all of the island's statues were born. This is easily the island's most spectacular sight with 397 statues in various stages of completion lying scattered around the crater. And each day large tour groups come to Rano Raraku to sightsee and have lunch. However, if you arrive before 9 am, you'll have the site to yourself for a few hours. When you see the first tour buses headed your way, hike down to Ahu Tongariki on the coast, where 15 massive statues were reerected in 1994. From here, just start walking back toward Hanga Roa (20 km) along the south coast. You'll pass many fallen statues and enjoy some superb scenery. Whenever you get tired, simply go up onto the highway and stick out your thumb and you'll be back in town in a jiffy.
An outstanding 13-km walk begins at the museum and follows the west coast five km north to Ahu Tepeu. As elsewhere, keep your eyes pealed for banana trees growing out of the barren rocks as these often indicate caves you can explore. Inland from Ahu Tepeu is one of the island's most photographed sites, Ahu Akivi, with seven statues restored in 1960. From here an interior farm road runs straight back to town (study the maps at the museum carefully, as you'll go far out of your way if you choose the wrong road here).
A shorter hike takes you up Puna Pau, a smaller crater which provided stone for the red topknots that originally crowned the island's statues. There's a great view of Hanga Roa from the three crosses on an adjacent hill and you can easily do it all in half a day. A different walk takes you right around the 3,353-meter airport runway, which crosses the island just south of town. Near the east end of the runway is Ahu Vinapu with perfectly fitted monolithic stonework bearing an uncanny resemblance to similar constructions in Peru.
Easter Island's moderate climate and scant vegetation make for easy cross country hiking, and you won't find yourself blocked by fences and private property signs very often. You could also tour the island by mountain bike, available from several locations at US$10 a day. If you surf or scuba dive, there are many opportunities here. A minimum of five days are needed to see the main sights of Easter Island, and two weeks would be far better. The variety of things to see and do will surprise you, and you'll be blessed with some unforgettable memories.
The legends of Easter Island have been recounted many times. What's less known is that the island's assorted wonders are easily accessible on foot from the comfort of the only settlement, Hanga Roa.
Before setting out see the sights, however, visit the excellent archaeological museum next to Ahu Tahai on the north side of town (the term "ahu" refers to an ancient stone platform). Aside from the exhibits, the museum has maps which can help you plan your trip.
On online map is available at http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/easter_island/
The first morning after arrival, I suggest you climb Easter Island's most spectacular volcano, Rano Kau, where Orongo, a major archaeological site, sits on the crater's rim. But rather than marching straight up the main road to the crater, look for the unmarked shortcut trail off a driveway to the right just past the forestry station south of town. It takes under two hours to cover the six km from Hanga Roa to Orongo, but bring along a picnic lunch and make a day of it. (If climbing a 316-meter hill sounds daunting, you can take a taxi to the summit for around US$6 and easily walk back later in the day.) Once on top, you'll find hiking down into the colourful crater presents no difficulty. It may also look easy to go right around the crater rim, but only do so if you're a very experienced hiker and have a companion along as shear 250-meter cliffs drop into the sea from the ridge.
Another day, rise early and take a taxi to lovely Anakena Beach at the end of the paved road on the north side of the island (you should pay under US$10 for the 20 km). A few of the famous Easter Island statues have been restored at Anakena and you could go for a swim, although the main reason you've come is the chance to trek back to Hanga Roa around the road-free northwest corner of the island. You'll pass numerous abandoned statues lying facedown where they fell, and the only living creatures you're unlikely to encounter are the small brown hawks which will watch you intently from perches on nearby rocks. If you keep moving, you'll arrive back in town in five or six hours (but take adequate food, water, and sunscreen). This is probably the finest coastal walk in the South Pacific.
Almost as good is the hike along the south coast, although you're bound to run into other tourists here as a paved highway follows the shore. Begin early and catch a taxi to Rano Raraku, the stone quarry where all of the island's statues were born. This is easily the island's most spectacular sight with 397 statues in various stages of completion lying scattered around the crater. And each day large tour groups come to Rano Raraku to sightsee and have lunch. However, if you arrive before 9 am, you'll have the site to yourself for a few hours. When you see the first tour buses headed your way, hike down to Ahu Tongariki on the coast, where 15 massive statues were reerected in 1994. From here, just start walking back toward Hanga Roa (20 km) along the south coast. You'll pass many fallen statues and enjoy some superb scenery. Whenever you get tired, simply go up onto the highway and stick out your thumb and you'll be back in town in a jiffy.
An outstanding 13-km walk begins at the museum and follows the west coast five km north to Ahu Tepeu. As elsewhere, keep your eyes pealed for banana trees growing out of the barren rocks as these often indicate caves you can explore. Inland from Ahu Tepeu is one of the island's most photographed sites, Ahu Akivi, with seven statues restored in 1960. From here an interior farm road runs straight back to town (study the maps at the museum carefully, as you'll go far out of your way if you choose the wrong road here).
A shorter hike takes you up Puna Pau, a smaller crater which provided stone for the red topknots that originally crowned the island's statues. There's a great view of Hanga Roa from the three crosses on an adjacent hill and you can easily do it all in half a day. A different walk takes you right around the 3,353-meter airport runway, which crosses the island just south of town. Near the east end of the runway is Ahu Vinapu with perfectly fitted monolithic stonework bearing an uncanny resemblance to similar constructions in Peru.
Easter Island's moderate climate and scant vegetation make for easy cross country hiking, and you won't find yourself blocked by fences and private property signs very often. You could also tour the island by mountain bike, available from several locations at US$10 a day. If you surf or scuba dive, there are many opportunities here. A minimum of five days are needed to see the main sights of Easter Island, and two weeks would be far better. The variety of things to see and do will surprise you, and you'll be blessed with some unforgettable memories.
Monday, 1 March 2010
How to Load a Hiking Backpack
A backpack of the highest quality with the best fit is still only as good as the packing job. Loaded the wrong way, the weight will hang heavily on your shoulders, put painful pressure on all the wrong places, or pull you off balance. Here's how to load a hiking backpack for maximum comfort and enjoyment on the trail.
First of all, separate your gear into three weight-designated piles: light -- items such as your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and clothing; medium -- stove, water filter, and fuel; and heavy -- your tent, food, and water. This way you get an idea what you have to pack, and you won't forget anything as you load each area of the pack.
Generally, the heaviest items should ride closest to your back, and between your shoulder blades. If you will be hiking on cut trails, place the heavy items higher. This will help transfer the weight to your hips, which are best suited for supporting heavy loads. If you will be bush-whacking, hiking cross-country or climbing over rocks, pack the heavier items lower. This placement will keep your center of gravity lower for better stability.
Your sleeping bag should go in the bottom, along with other light items that you won't be needing during the day. If you carry a bear canister, as more and more parks are requiring, place it against your back in the main pack compartment or lash it under the pack lid. Work your other items in, packing tightly and filling every space. It helps to keep related small items, such as first aid, repair kit, or hygiene items, in stuff-sacks, color-coded for easy identification.
Pack liquid fuel lower than your food in case it leaks. Better yet, carry it in an outside pocket; many packs have mesh side pockets that are perfect for this. Try not to lash things onto the outside of your pack, but if you have to, secure them from swinging so you don't lose your balance. There will be some things you'll want to access frequently during the day. Things like your map and compass, sunscreen, snacks, and rain gear should be packed in the outside pockets or in the top lid. When you have everything loaded in your backpack, tighten the side compression straps to snug it all down. You don't want the load to shift just as you're boulder hopping across a river.
It will take some trial and error to learn the best way to pack your particular gear for your pack and your body. Once you figure out where everything rides best, don't mess with the system. Always pack things in the same place every time. You'll always know where to find what you want, and there's less chance of losing something.
A quality backpack that fits properly will enable you to carry more weight. A rule of thumb is that you don't carry more than 25-30% of your body weight, otherwise you risk injury. If your pack is too heavy, look into lighter versions of the gear you now carry. Using lighter gear overall allows you to use a lighter backpack, helping you to shed pounds from the entire package, and leading to a safer, happier hiking trip.
If you've lightened your load and are ready for a lighter backpack, do your comparison shopping at Best Backpacks For Sale. (http://www.bestbackpacksforsale.blogspot.com)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Shepherd
First of all, separate your gear into three weight-designated piles: light -- items such as your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and clothing; medium -- stove, water filter, and fuel; and heavy -- your tent, food, and water. This way you get an idea what you have to pack, and you won't forget anything as you load each area of the pack.
Generally, the heaviest items should ride closest to your back, and between your shoulder blades. If you will be hiking on cut trails, place the heavy items higher. This will help transfer the weight to your hips, which are best suited for supporting heavy loads. If you will be bush-whacking, hiking cross-country or climbing over rocks, pack the heavier items lower. This placement will keep your center of gravity lower for better stability.
Your sleeping bag should go in the bottom, along with other light items that you won't be needing during the day. If you carry a bear canister, as more and more parks are requiring, place it against your back in the main pack compartment or lash it under the pack lid. Work your other items in, packing tightly and filling every space. It helps to keep related small items, such as first aid, repair kit, or hygiene items, in stuff-sacks, color-coded for easy identification.
Pack liquid fuel lower than your food in case it leaks. Better yet, carry it in an outside pocket; many packs have mesh side pockets that are perfect for this. Try not to lash things onto the outside of your pack, but if you have to, secure them from swinging so you don't lose your balance. There will be some things you'll want to access frequently during the day. Things like your map and compass, sunscreen, snacks, and rain gear should be packed in the outside pockets or in the top lid. When you have everything loaded in your backpack, tighten the side compression straps to snug it all down. You don't want the load to shift just as you're boulder hopping across a river.
It will take some trial and error to learn the best way to pack your particular gear for your pack and your body. Once you figure out where everything rides best, don't mess with the system. Always pack things in the same place every time. You'll always know where to find what you want, and there's less chance of losing something.
A quality backpack that fits properly will enable you to carry more weight. A rule of thumb is that you don't carry more than 25-30% of your body weight, otherwise you risk injury. If your pack is too heavy, look into lighter versions of the gear you now carry. Using lighter gear overall allows you to use a lighter backpack, helping you to shed pounds from the entire package, and leading to a safer, happier hiking trip.
If you've lightened your load and are ready for a lighter backpack, do your comparison shopping at Best Backpacks For Sale. (http://www.bestbackpacksforsale.blogspot.com)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Shepherd
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)