Hiking!

[downer]

Everything hiking.

How was your last hike?
Do you prefer to call it a walk?
Where do you want to hike?
What is the discourse of hiking?
What is the class analysis of hiking?
What are the best books and movies about hiking?
Is hiking better than a treadmill?

[Parasaurolophus]

I like hiking.

Until recently, we did one a week for the last few years. I look forward to getting back to it soon, hatchling permitting.

[Langue_doc]

I hike/walk.  I don't think I'd want to discuss/analyze/read about hiking, but just get out and walk/hike.

Hiking is out in the wilderness/nature preserve where you walk without stopping for at least an hour. Walking is much more leisurely. The stop-and-go kind of walks in the city just drive me nuts because you can never get into stride.

Hikers can tell you bang-your-head-in-despair stories about their fellow hikers that are far more bang-ish than the ones we read about in the teaching threads.

Happy walking/hiking!

[cathwen]

My husband and I get out and walk a couple of miles on local trails about three times a week.   We try to keep a good, steady pace going, but we do stop now and then to watch birds or (on a recently-discovered trail) turtles. 

As for hikes—which I think of as being over more rugged terrain, and of longer duration—due to medical issues, we're both a little beyond anything too challenging.  But easier terrain is doable, and we do enjoy getting out.  There are many places to hike or walk around here, including paved trails over an abandoned railway bed, plus several places with easier unpaved trails.

[apl68]

I've done a good deal of hiking over the years, and a little bit of backpacking.  I've never had the chance to do as much as I'd like.  The state I live in has lots of great hiking--but I live in a section of the state far away from any of it.  So mostly I do lots and lots of walking.  Fortunately we have a nice city park trail that I can walk several times a week before getting ready for work.

Nice thread.  Thanks for starting it!

[Puget]

I am a life-long hiker and backpacker. When I lived in Colorado through grad school and postdoc, I did a lot of both-- a lot of my circle's social activities centered on outdoor recreation.

Where I live now, I would describe most trails as involving walking rather than hiking, but there are some very nice walks to be had in woodlands with rivers and wetlands. I really miss real mountains and wilderness though, and get back west to visit them when I can.

[ab_grp]

I haven't hiked in a few years but used to do a bit of it in PA, NJ, NY, mostly Appalachian Trail and branches.  We liked the 50 Hikes book series at the time (like this one for central PA, where I have hiked a fair bit: https://www.amazon.com/50-Hikes-Central-Pennsylvania-Backpacking/dp/0881504750), though the trail descriptions are not always up to date (nor the blazes).  As far as other books about hiking, I think A Walk in the Woods (Bryson), about walking the AT, has to be one of the more famous of them. 

Now that I live in a different area, I am a bit daunted because of the altitude and heat.  And more deadly creatures.  My husband's health also hasn't been the greatest, but we try to hike up and down the driveway a couple times a day.  There's actually a (small) peak with a trail that starts in my neighborhood that is supposed to be pretty accessible for most levels of hikers, so maybe we'll eventually give that one a try.  Overall, there are many aspects I loved about hiking, but there were definitely a few that did not go as planned.   

[ciao_yall]

Questions...

I hike through Meetup and friends I have met on there. We generally do urban hikes, which I guess are really more walks but we go up and down a lot of hills and find our way through parks and beaches in town. At the end, we all go for drinks. There are a bunch of regulars and the conversation is always interesting.

One group is usually after working hours during the week. We call ourselves "A drinking group with a hiking problem."

I don't camp. A few times some girlfriends and I would take a motor home to Yosemite and park in the RV camping area on the valley floor which was great. We were right near all the trails so could walk or bike anywhere. And we had a microwave to make s'mores.

[Harlow2]

These posts have sparked some happy memories. I'm fortunate to live within a couple of hours of the AT in PA and NJ. Lots of state parks and forests are closer, but this part of the state is very flat, so training for anything serious requires a bit of travel. Our area has several great hiking clubs, and I'm out with one of them several days a week. We often eat dinner after one weekly hike, and in the last 4 years we've become a tight-knit group.

I've hiked a fair amount in the West and in Europe; I miss the Sierra and hope to get back there before too much longer.

[Langue_doc]

The forecast for the weekend looks good, which has prompted several outings, all posted on Meetup. Here's part of the details for one of these:

This hike, rated as vigorous, is not suitable for beginners or slower hikers who cannot keep up or stay with the group. We will hike at a steady, brisk pace over a distance of around 8 miles, with some very steep hills on hiking trails in the woods and on rocky terrain. Cumulative elevation gain will be approximately 2000 feet. Hikers should wear hiking boots, have at least 2 quarts of water/sports drinks along with lunch, and be in good condition to complete a strenuous hike.

Train schedule and driving/parking information have been included in the description.

I'll probably choose something less strenuous or go on a bird walk.

[Puget]

This is the time of the year where I'm very torn between spending the weekends hiking/walking vs. working in the garden. Maybe some of both this weekend, as it looks like it will finally stop raining.

rated as vigorous

The problem with hike ratings is always that one person's vigorous is another person's easy and vice versa (though they gave a good description here). This made me think about a hike book I had when I lived in Colorado that solved this problem by using a very popular local hike as the unit if measurement, and rated hikes in "Sanitas units"-- since most people who hiked in the area did that hike a lot (it was a regular workout hike for many), it made it really easy to estimate how long other hikes in the book would take you. A rather inventive solution, but not one that would work most places!

[downer]

The forecast for the weekend looks good, which has prompted several outings, all posted on Meetup. Here's part of the details for one of these:

This hike, rated as vigorous, is not suitable for beginners or slower hikers who cannot keep up or stay with the group. We will hike at a steady, brisk pace over a distance of around 8 miles, with some very steep hills on hiking trails in the woods and on rocky terrain. Cumulative elevation gain will be approximately 2000 feet. Hikers should wear hiking boots, have at least 2 quarts of water/sports drinks along with lunch, and be in good condition to complete a strenuous hike.

Train schedule and driving/parking information have been included in the description.

I'll probably choose something less strenuous or go on a bird walk.

Since they are going up the Wilkinson trail and the Nimham trail, and then the Breakneck bypass, I think that saying any of the hills are very steep is a bit of an exaggeration. Parts are steep but nothing very difficult. A few tricky spots through.  I'd be surprised if the total elevation for that hike is really 2000'. The Alltrails map says it is 1765'. Looks like a nice hike. I think I did a hike with that leader once or twice -- if so, he is a nice guy.

It's nice to see the meetup hiking groups becoming more active again. Though I generally prefer a hike with few people around. Did 11 miles yesterday, and hardly saw anyone. It was great. Good weather for it too. The weekend it looking a little warm.

[Langue_doc]

The problem with hike ratings is always that one person's vigorous is another person's easy and vice versa (though they gave a good description here). This made me think about a hike book I had when I lived in Colorado that solved this problem by using a very popular local hike as the unit if measurement, and rated hikes in "Sanitas units"-- since most people who hiked in the area did that hike a lot (it was a regular workout hike for many), it made it really easy to estimate how long other hikes in the book would take you. A rather inventive solution, but not one that would work most places!

Hike ratings are pretty standard depending on the organization. Here's the rating used by the AMC--you might have to zoom out to read the print:
https://cdn.outdoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/16093641/difficultyratings_upload-scaled.jpg
AMC hikes are also required to include the following information: https://amc-ny.org/hiking-faqs/hike_codes/

The local hiking groups are far more fluid in terms of describing levels of difficulty. Some leaders just list the itinerary which isn't too complicated in the city and might include the pace in terms of how many miles the walkers/hikers are expected to cover in an hour. One of the local organizations used to describe the pace of easy hikes as that of slightly faster than tourists, and moderate as that of people in the city going about their business.

Now all the hikes are listed on Meetup, so if you have a Meetup account the hikes pop up on your phone as soon as they are scheduled.

@downer, native New Yorkers might consider these hills rather steep as the only uphills they are used to are the subway station stairs.

[Juvenal]

Thanking the CCC.

Back when my body allowed it (about three decades back) I hiked often in this area, Harriman State Park, NY, with a hiking group--I don't even know if it still exists (NHOC).  Day hikes, but very occasional overnights.

But this rather long video on part of the AT shows the area and how it's possible to have a shelter with two fireplaces available: built, I do believe by the CCC, and so decades old.  It rather shows.  I'll point out that the discomfort level here is beyond what I would have been likely to put up with.  I'd check the weather, first.  Anyway, this hiker has a lot of vids, generally solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2GY36kh78w&t=3671s

[downer]

@downer, native New Yorkers might consider these hills rather steep as the only uphills they are used to are the subway station stairs.

True, and I have seen some clueless people join on a Meetup hike. But it's rare. Almost everyone I've met on an AMC hike knows what they are getting into and half of them are faster and stronger on a hike than me!

That was all pre-pandemic though. Lots of people unused to hiking hit the trails during the pandemic. I wonder whether that has changed the population of hikers now signing up for group hikes.