Tips to avoid sore feet, legs, back on hike

When hitting the trail, wear well-fitting hiking boots to avoid foot pain and
falls. Photo courtesy of George Hodan.

Given the largely sedentary nature of our schools and workplaces, sometimes we can set up our feet and bodies for a painful walk before we even hit the trail. Our bodies simply aren’t used to walking long distances, even though humans are optimally designed for it.

Indeed, being on one’s feet all day after a week of sitting at our desks or in our cars can result in sore soles, strained leg muscles, and lower back pain. That often means a difficult hike or a miserable couple of days after one.

Should you spend a lot of your time during the week sitting, do the following to ensure your feet and body are able to handle a hike:
g Don right kind of footwear – Put on well-fitting hiking boots and wool socks that give you traction, cushion your footfalls to prevent blisters, and better support your muscles, especially the ankle. Like a handicap score in golf, well-fitted footwear gives you the advantage, but in avoiding strain and sprains.
g Stretch before a hike – Stretching out your leg muscles will help warm them so that they don’t snap or turn sore during the walk.
g Maintain good posture – Your mother was right. Standing tall rather than slumping helps you to avoid neck, shoulder and back pain.
g Stay hydrated – Muscle cramps are more likely to occur when you don’t replace the water lost in your body from sweat. The hotter the weather, the more water you’ll need in your canteen.
g Sit during breaks – Getting the weight off your feet is vital. While sitting, elevate your feet for a few minutes.
g Treat blisters right away – If you feel one forming, take a rest break and address the issue. Letting it go can lead to a larger blister and a more uncomfortable hike.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Lost in the wilds? How to purify water with your pants

Never drink water directly from a stream. Instead, purify it first.
Photo courtesy of David Niblack, Imagebase.net

If lost in the wilds, you may run out of canteen water and need to drink from local sources. Hopefully, you’ve brought along purification tablets or filters. That isn’t likely on a day hike, however, so you may need to improvise. The simple solution: Use your pants leg.

Denim makes for a great bag to create a filter, but really any material will work, whether it be the leg of rain pants or a canvas bag.

The steps for making a water filter with your pants include:
g Cut off a pants leg where it meets the seam for your other pants leg.
g Tie off the end of the pants leg bottom. This will need to be strong enough to hold weight.
g Gather small stones (gravel works fine) and sand, or at least have them near where you’re working.
g Hang the pants legs from a tree. Rope or a belt can be used; poke holes 180 degrees from one another bear the tip of the pants leg for the rope or belt to be tied. The branch and tie-job will have to be strong enough to bear weight.
g Visually divide the tied-off pants leg into six equal horizontal sections.
g Place the small stones in the first horizontal section at the pants leg’s bottom.
g Place sand in the second horizontal section above the stones.
g Place a layer of small stones in the third section.
g Place sand in the fourth section.
g Place stones in the fifth section.
g Slowly pour water into the sixth section of the pants leg.
g Place a cup below the pants legs where water drips from it; you may need to hold the cup in place with rocks so that it doesn’t fall over in the wind.

This filter only removes large contaminants from the water. To kill bacteria and viruses that may be in the water, boil the water in the cup to have drinkable water.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Plan out what to pack for hike with kids

Preparation for the trail doesn’t end with selecting a route and buying some gear. The next step is packing.

Begin with your water supply. Make sure canteens, water bottles and hydration systems are full; fill them up the night before and leave them in the refrigerator so that you have cold water. Just before hitting the road, strap one canteen to each side of the backpack or fanny pack/utility belt so that they’re more balanced.

Inspect - then pack
Next, make a checklist of everything you plan to take. Inspect each item to ensure it is in working order. As you place it in your fanny pack or backpack, mark off the item.

If lugging a backpack, don’t place pointy objects near your back or they’ll find a way to push into you the entire hike. Generally, the heaviest items go in last, at the bag’s top. This will provide you the greatest comfort when walking.

But for some hikers, the packing order is a bit more complicated. “In my backpack, the heaviest items always go to the front, which is nearest your back,” said Tim L., Harrisonburg, Va. “If the trail is smooth, the heaviest items go to the top. If the trail is rough, the heaviest items go in the bag’s middle or halfway up. If the terrain is extremely rugged, the heavy items go to the bottom.”

Don’t let kids overload packs
Place items you’ll need to get to quickly in the backpack’s sidepockets or at top of the fanny pack. These objects probably will include a first-aid kit, toilet paper and sunscreen lotion. Don’t tie lots of stuff to the outside of the backpack as they can snag on branches and come off.

After you’ve taken care of your gear, do all of the children’s daypacks, preferably with their assistance (and if they’re old enough to carry a backpack, they’re old enough to help). Make sure their pack isn’t overloaded. Among the items that should go in it are a safety whistle, emergency snack, rain jacket and probably a small first-aid kit. Teenagers can carry more, and you can entrust to their care some of what you used to carry when they were younger.

The final step is loading your vehicle. Most of the gear can be packed the night before, but any pieces involving canteens or water bottles obviously will have to wait until morning.

Read more about day hiking with children in the guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

How to find drinkable water if lost in wilds

Avoid directly drinking water from a stream, pond or lake.

Use spring water; always boil, filter

If you’re lost or forced to stay a night in the wilds, avoid using local sources of drinking water. Still, sometimes you must take a calculated gamble or dehydration will set in.

The first challenge is to find a source of local water. Spring water is the best discovery, as it runs the lowest risk of being contaminated. Your next best bet is finding flowing water from a stream that is high in the mountains or hills, as it’s more likely than not to be clean as it is close to its source, which is melting snow. Flowing water at the bottom of a mountain or hill is your next best choice. Still water on low-lying land is your worst.

Finding water in a desert
If you’re not lost but simply stuck in the wilds for a night due to an injury, check your topo map. Well-known springs often are marked on them.

In a desert, finding water at all can be nearly impossible, but it is out there if you know where to look. On seasonal waterways, the thicker and greener the vegetation the more likely the chance that you’ll find standing water nearby. A grove of cottonwoods and willows almost guarantees that ground water is nearby. If there isn’t any, dig in the cool sand under a willow, and you may find water only a few inches down. Puddles also may exist under large overhangs and in shaded rock crevices, particularly if they are on a hill’s north side.

To collect the water, simply use one of your canteens or water bottles. Don’t dump out good water that you’ve carried in, however, but combine it with water in another partially filled canteen. If the water source is too shallow for a canteen, spread your handkerchief across the water surface. When the handkerchief has absorbed the water, wring it out into your canteen.

Once you’ve collected water, you need to “clean” it before imbibing. There are three options: use water purification tablets, boil it, or use a water filter.

Boil at least 5 minutes
A variety of water purification tablets are available for sale, so follow the instructions on each packet for the best results. Generally, though, tablets have to sit in the water for at least 30 minutes – and if the water is cold, the tablets may need to mix in it overnight. Tablets always will leave a little aftertaste, ranging from iodine-like to a tart flavoring. Be aware that if you or your child has thyroid problems, water purification tablets may contain iodine and probably should not be used.

If boiling, do so for at least 5 minutes. This will kill Giardia and all but the hardiest microscopic bugs. Boiling won’t remove chemical contaminates, however. In addition, if water is cloudy and you can’t see any life such as fish or amphibians in it, boiling probably won’t make it safe. When boiling water, do not do it in your plastic canteen or water bottle. The plastic likely will melt, or you won’t be able to touch it when hot. Given this, you may want to add “cooking pot” to the list of items for your backpack, but I’d only do so if you’re planning a long hike into the backcountry.

A number of water filters exist, all using different filtration systems and coming in different sizes. Whichever one you choose, make sure the filter pores are smaller than 0.2 microns. Anything larger will allow nasty bacteria to get through and remain in the water.

What are the advantages of each filter over the other? One that lacks iodine won’t remove viruses, so you’ll need to use water purification tablets or iodine anyway. A carbon or charcoal filter will remove chemicals that purification tablets and boiling won’t get rid of. Reverse osmosis filters are best of all, removing almost everything bad and even desalinating sea water. Unfortunately, they’re bulky and expensive, and you probably aren’t going to carry one on a day hike let alone a camping trip.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Don't forget milk for unweaned children on day hike

If you have an infant or unweaned toddler with you, milk is as necessary as water. Children who only drink breastfed milk but don’t have their mother on the hike require that you have breast-pumped milk in an insulated beverage container (such as a Thermos) that can keep it cool to avoid spoiling. Know how much the child drinks and at what frequency so you can bring enough.

You’ll also need to carry the child’s bottle and feeding nipples. Bring enough extra water in your canteen so you can wash out the bottle after each feeding. A handkerchief can be used to dry bottles between feedings.

Don’t forget the baby’s pacifier. Make sure it has a string and hook on it so it connects to the baby’s outfit and isn’t lost.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Avoiding, treating dehydration on a hike

Make sure children drink water when hiking, as they will dehydrate more
quickly than adults. Photo courtesy of Ken Kistler.

When one has overexerted himself in extremely hot or dry weather or after great exposure to the sun, the body can suddenly dehydrate.

Though dangerous in itself, dehydration can lead to additional problems, such as heat exhaustion, heatstroke and hypothermia.

Drink up
Take note: Children will dehydrate more quickly than adults. After all, a glass with a little water in it will evaporate more quickly than a glass with a lot of water. Likewise, children will use up water more quickly than a full-grown person.

Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water. Children need to drink about a quart every two hours of walking and more if the weather is hot, dry or cold and if at a high altitude.

Keep the soft drinks and caffeinated beverages at home. They may temporarily quench thirst, but they won’t adequately replace water the body has lost due to physical exertion. Also, let older kids carry their own canteens or use a hydration system. They’re then more likely to sip water as they need it.

First sign
Parent Rosie M., of Durango, Colo., offers this idea for getting children to drink their water:
“Sometimes kids won’t drink warm water. Fill the canteen half way up with water the night before the hike and place it in the freezer. The next morning, fill the canteen with cold water. Several hours will have to pass before the ice melts, ensuring you have cold water the entire hike.”

Thirst is the first sign of dehydration. The less clear (or more yellow) the urine is, the more dehydrated the body is. Other symptoms include nausea, headache, dizziness, muscle cramps and fatigue.

To treat dehydration, place the victim in the shade. Use sports drinks or packages of electrolyte additives for kids, children, not plain water. Don’t use salt tablets, as they’re difficult to digest.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.