bayd

Hey TFPers,

Ive been looking through some stuff on backpacking and rock climbing and definently want to try it out. Any suggestions on workouts to do to prep for these activities (preferably something I could do after school but anything works)? I live in the city so I can't build up endurance hiking and don't have the money atm for a gym/rock gym membership

mazagmot

If you want to rock climb, pull ups will definitely help, as will exercises to increase your grip strength. And make sure you get some decent shoes; it will make the experience much more enjoyable since you will actually be able to use your feet for traction.

For either activity you should also try to hook up with some one who has some experience doing it for both enjoyment and safety reasons.

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spindles

RE mazagmot suggestions - I definitely second the shoe thing - and the softer the rubber the better.

If you are doing chin ups/pull ups - make sure it is with your fingers pointing away from you. Further - finger strength is paramount - if you can, hang a one inch board on a wall at a height that you can hang off, and just hang off it - the longer you can stay there, the stronger your fingers become - you can also use this for the pull ups (eventually).

If you end up out bushwalking, make sure you get decent shoes/boots - especially ankle length if the terrain is going to be rough, and a good backpack with a decent hip belt is a must (I recommend macpac if you can afford it - from NZ, kinda expensive but very well made).

Finally - the outdoors is best done in a group - being prepared for trouble makes it a hell of a lot easier to recover from it, and recovery is easier with others around.

Hope you have fun!

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Boo

I did a lot of backpacking on Colorado in the 70's and early 80's. The previous posts have some great ideas! Here are my additions to thier suggestions:

Work on your flexability. Stretch before going out.

Learn outdoor safety, the military survival guides are useful.

Carry at least 1 qt of water. Have a way of making more.

Carry a staff. Use it for stability when crossing water, checking undergrowth for snakes ect, and as a weapon if needed.

Buy quality lightweight equipment once instead of cheap heavy crap twice.

Learn navigation. Carry maps, GPS, compass etc. Incorporate geocaching for added adventure: www.geocaching.com

Flyfishing remote areas is awesome.

Learn rock climbing by going sideways instead of up/down. Find an outcropping of rocks and go along it, never over 2-3 feet from the ground. You will strengthen your entire body with low risk of injury. In Alaska they practice iceclimbing and rock climbing right off the side of the road. No dues!

I hope you enjoy yourself!

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stevie667

Bung some heavy ass weights in a bag, and go for a walk.

As someone who lead many expiditions across many mountains that i chose to not know the name of out of spite for them, my tried and tested method for getting people into shape was putting 25 kilos of weight into a rucksack and going off for a walk. This is much more than you normally would carry, but the principle is, train hard now, get used to heavier weights on your back, and have an easier time on the actual day.

If you do take up backpacking, spend the money on a good pair of boots (mine cost £300, but are the best pair of shoes i own) and a good rucksack (and for gods sake, get it fitted in store), because those are the items that let 90% of people down.

apeman

it's mostly been said i think ... but here's mine:

rock climbing - practice on an indoor wall, or as suggested, do traverses at a low level. I think it's useful to be lightly built (but not essential). Also, as suggested above, it'll be much easier and safer if you get a real climber to start you off. Find a club or something. The thing i remember most about rock climbing is having forearm muscles very tight after every session.

backpacking - again as said above, walking with a 25 Kilo backpack is probably the best practice there is ("train hard - fight easy"). But any exercises that strengthen legs, back, shoulders and to some extent abs muscles are good. And you should train for endurance, not for pretty muscles

and unless you like pain you'll probably prefer to get into it gradually, wearing you boots in etc etc.

and learning to pace yourself when walking (especially with heavy loads) is pretty important too ... i'd try to acquire that skill a.s.a.p.

have fun

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piismyname

I would do some more research before wandering off into the woods on your own, especially if you will be hiking in the mountains. There are things you may never have thought of, like the fact that jeans are about the worst thing you can actually wear on a serious mountain hike, despite their rugged outdoorsy reputation.

Sites like backpacker.com and outdoors.com can give you the mainstream view of hiking techniques, while sites like thru-hiker.com and backpackinglight.com can give you the modern day cutting edge views.

What area are you in? I'm sure wherever you are, there is a club where you can meet other hiker/climbers.
-peter

fatbob

hey bayd,
i'm glad that you are going to get into the hills...i love the hills dude! spend loads of time up in the highlands.
rock climbing 'is the shit' a hip-hopper might say.
training for it is pretty easy if you live near an indoor wall, just go and climb. well first book yourself a taster session or hook up with someone that climbs and they'll teach you the basics, tying in, belaying, basic safety, etc.
and from there you can only get better and have more fun.
if you want to train for it you need to lose body weight, build stamina and endurance. in the gym to lower weights/ high reps, lots of cardio and do hangs. hand for as long as you can and build it up, also move around changing finger/hand position as you hang....all this'll really help with your climbing.
most of all have fun.

as for just being in the hills, you need the right equipment and general fitness, plus a good plan of what you are doing and where you are going...

get back to me if you want more advice.

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Willravel

Sorry to resurect an old thread, but a friend of mine suggested hiking across Joshua Tree National Park this fall/winter. This is a desert hike of maybe 30 or so miles, and would theoretically take something like a day and a half or so depending on how fast and efficiently I, an inexperienced hiker, can go. I regularly hike for 1-2 hours at a time in the hills of Saratoga, but hiking across a desert is a completly different story.

What I have already:
- Dakine Heli-Pro backpack: cross carry, snowtool pocket (shovel pocket), insulated hydrosleve
- cell phone that works in Joshua Tree and that has a standby time of a week or so
- really bitchen hats that can cover my head and keep it cool
- someone who can stay in Palm Springs and who can come and get us in case of an emergency

What I figure I'll need:
- some sort of survival training, specifically in desert survival
- SHOES, I know from this thread that the biggest part of this, besides general physical condition, is the shoes. I have no erxperience in choosing the type of boots that are necessary for long distance hikes. If this hike goes well, I will be doing it more and in varied areas (temporate, tundra, etc., I like to go nuts). Is there such a thing as an all weather shoe? Should I get one pair for hot weather and one pair for cold weather?
- food rations would be nice. Something light, easy to fix, and nutritious. I figure that military rations should be fine.
- I need a water pack. The forementioned backpack has space in it for a water pack, and has an insulated hydrosleve for the tube, which is nice. Does anyone have experience with a specific brand or model that they would reccomend?
- a walking stick would also be helpful. I usually grab something from the brush when I hike, but that may not be possible in an arid environment. Do people normally get walking sticks? Is this something you get retail, or something you just have from another walk?
- what should I wear? Kind of an open ended question, but I'm not sure where to begin, beyond a light hat that has good coverage and breathes well.
- other stuff I'm not thinking of.

I really appreciate any help the more experienced members have. Once I get back, you're all invited on my next hike!

Zeraph

A knife, always carry a good knife. Also good, thick proven socks. Sunscreen (even in winter one can still get burnt through clouds). Sun glasses. Perhaps something white to cover your neck if your hat doesnt. Probably some kind of net, something to keep out the scorpions when you sleep. Map. I've never used a walking stick...others swear by them, your call. I don't know the exact temps willravel, but it can be warm during the day in deserts, and very cold at night. Some kind of general guide book on the desert and for survival. Some kind of rope/strong string in case you need to make a splint or pitch a water catcher.

I don't know if you need actual survival training for the desert, just read up on it, but again your call if you think you need it. That's just my random thoughts that you didn't specifically list going from most important to least, how much of it you want to bring depends on how cautious you want to be. If it's only a day and a half the biggest thing is knowing where you are and where you are going so you do not get lost and could call for help to tell them where you are if you get injured.

Edit, forgot clothing. You should probably wear comfortable jeans that you know won't be a problem with movement. Id go with a white short sleeve shirt with some kind of extra layer..jacket, sweater, windbreaker to put on incase you get cold. Honestly its hard to say with the exercise you will probably be warm during the day but get cold during the night.

amonkie

Deserts - Water water water water. Layers are a must - Zeraph hit it with the varying temperatures - you can get hypothermia in the desert in the summer if you are not careful.

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shakran

You want light weight, supportive, and tough as hell. You also want good grippy tread. I've never really found a need to carry two pairs of shoes on a backpacking trip - and the extra pair just weighs you down.

And speaking of shoes, don't forget to inspect and then shake out your shoes in the morning before you put them on. Scorpions LOVE to hide in shoes.



Bring only ONE MRE. Get the rest of your food at a backpacking store. It's much lighter, and tastes a helluvalot better. You bring one MRE so that you have a high calorie, fast meal that also has a bunch of nice extras like waterproof matches and tabasco.


I really like my Camelbak. Includes a tube that you can sip out of without removing the pack.


You can get a walking stick just about anywhere. If you're gonna buy one, I like the lightweight, but fairly thick wood. They're strong. And if you want to be a dork you can usually find one that's twisted and gnarled like Galdalf's staff Think hobo staff.



make sure all your clothes can breathe. Bring several pairs of socks *per day* Light colors. Be sure to also bring a windbreaker and long pants (not jeans) for the nighttime. You'll also want a thermal blanket in your pack. It gets surprisingly cold at night in the desert. And if you're in the desert, of course, bring a crapload of sunscreen.

You're probably not going to be running across much water, so make sure you bring enough. And enough means "more than you think you'll need." Don't forget that you'll be using the water to wash your face, and hydrate your camp food.

Willravel

Wow!!! Amazing information, everyone! Much thanks.

-So a knife, excellent idea. Are we talking large swiss army, or Crocadile Dundee?
-Socks: 3 pairs per day, mayeb 5-6 pairs total for the day and a half.
-Sun glasses: I have a few pairs, all UV protected, all have excelent coverage, just forgot to mention it.
-Sunscreen: always wear it, no matter what, so it shouldn't be a problem
-Guidebook: brilliant! Amazon.com, here I come
-Map: I'll have a map and a compas, which i learned from hiking around Saratoga
-Pants: well we have a vote for jeans and a vote for not jeans. Now jeans can be an ass on a very hot day, and sometimes they can be a bit inflexable, but they are also extremly durable and are perfect on cold nights. Shakran, what do you mean by 'long pants'? Just curious. This might have to be a judgment call thing.
-shirt: tee + windbreaker should do well
-water: called some friends and they agreed that Camelbak makes a good product. I'll probably go with that. I'd like to have as much water is needed to keep my hydrated, while not adding 50 lbs. to my load.
-boots: any brands that stick out in everyone's mind? Something that a fellow TFPer has tested time and again would be excelent.
-food: One MRE, got it. Tabasco, excellent idea. I was thinking dehydrated meats (of my own making, not jerky), dried fruits, dried veggies, crackers, etc. for the other meals. Maybe 6 small meals, 4 of which during daylight.
-Gandalf staff...check
-thermal blanket...I'll have to go get one of those.

JStrider

a 30 mile hike in 2 days...
make it 3 days... do 10 every day and enjoy it... I've always felt having to do more then that makes it seem rushed and I don't feel like i enjoyed and got as much out of the trip.

and if you can get to your camps by car or with a short walk then put some caches of supplies there to lighten your load, use bear boxes if necesary and just put your name and date on the supplies.

the most i've done in a day was 24 miles and that was brutal... but we didnt have much choice since we only had day packs and no real backpacking packs. but we were able to leave all our supplies at the overnight spot... helped a ton


as for boots, i'm a fan of hi-tec brand, theyve always done really well for me, There is an outlet in norcal somewhere on the way to yosemite, my family would always stop there and see what was on sale.

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Zeraph

Knives, like a $30 spyderco or something similar. The brand name isn't too big of a deal, unless you know nothing about knives at all, then you might want to play it safe and go with something reputable like spyderco. IMO spydercos tend to be a bit overpriced, but theyre good knives. It's not for self-defense so a folding, smaller sized one is fine. I personally don't really like swiss army, they always seem cheep and for the novelty...but maybe I just havn't had a good one before.

Someone else might be able to give you better advice about specific knives, I've had 2 really good ones since I was like 10 so I havn't kept up to date knowledge on such.

stevie667

You could also try a good penknife or multi-tool, victorinox or leatherman, respectivly, are my recomendations.

Do get one with scissors, they save eons of time.

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Janie

I would say get really comfortable socks that don't slip down your leg and bunch, or are too tight. Happy feet = happy you.

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shakran

I like the Leathermans myself. They're versitile, and durable as hell. They also lock their blades, which makes them vastly better than the swiss army knives. I have a SuperTool ($50) that does everything I ever need it to do. Its pliers are even handy for grabbing coffee mugs off the fire grate

Long pants are for night time, sitting around the fire, when you don't want mosquitos kicking your ass, and when it tends to get somewhat cold. That's why i'm pretty neutral on what kind of pants you bring - Jeans aren't really gonna hurt anything when you're just screwing around in camp.


From a "be safe" aspect you should have one long sleeve shirt as well. You never know. . .

Another good thing to bring would be a backpacking water filter. That way if you end up getting lost, you can get water from streams without worrying about getting sick.


rockports are tough. Columbia gear is usually good. I had a pair of Nike hightop hiking shoes for about 7 years before they finally died, but if the quality of their regular shoes lately is any indication, you probably won't get the same life out of the newer ones. If you don't care about spending a crapload of money, Raichle's Mountain Trekker are really good for long hikes. They stay comfortable for the whole walk. But you're looking at $200 plus.



Also, check out Backpacker's Pantry foods. They're light weight, last forever, all you need is water and heat, and they actually taste very good. You can even get desserts I particularly like the scrambled eggs and bacon, and the black bean tamale pie. They're also light enough that you can carry extra, again in case you get lost.