--Chapter 14: Tips--

Backpacking since 2014, Right Turn has learned what works and what doesn't. The comprehensive information for men & woman in Chapter 14 called "Tips" will help get you started on the right foot. Here are the categories:

Training Required:

• Not in shape
• Decent shape
• Good shape

Clothes:

• Pants
• Shorts
• Shirts
• Hat
• Rain Gear
• Underwear
• Neck gaiter/Handkerchief
• Evening Attire

Gear:

• Backpack
• Shoes/Socks/Sandals
• Water Treatment
• Tent/Hammock
• Sleeping Gear
• Food Options
• Cooking Gear

• Guidebook vs Phone App
• Transportation
• Animal/Bug Protection
• Medical Kit
• How to Hike Right!
• Hygiene
• Lodging
• Communication
• Make a List
• Must Haves
• Water Resupply
• Hiking Partners

 Additional Tips:

Getting Water: Sometimes you may not have the best sources of water available. You may just have a slow drip! There could be a chance you might find a stronger flow if you move closer to the source and look for a pinch-off point where two rocks come close together. That should be your best angle to get your bottle underneath and get the most flow of water in. This still could take you a few minutes to fill up. If the flow is scattered or too slow, you can try the "Old AT Method" of finding a large leaf, preferrable not dead and crumbly, and place it in between a pinch-off point to help build yourself a funnel.

Continuous Rainy Days: Some years you may get all-day rainy days, and you can continue to hike another day or two in it, but my suggestion is to find a way to get off the Trail as soon as you can. You will be wet to the bone and cold. Having a chance to dry off your clothes and having a warm bed is your best option. You can, however, have a change of dry clothes that, if kept in a dry bag, could be your evening change of clothes. But, you'll also need a good dry towel to dry your body and head. If you're able to do this, you will still need to change back into your wet clothes the next morning, and that's not a good feeling. Also, you need to keep your feet from rotting due to the cold, wet shoes and socks. That's why I suggest to only continue for a couple more days before finding a hostel or hotel to use a dryer. There are some who say you could use a liquid laundry detergent on your feet throughout the day, as needed, but I don't believe that's going to give you any more days. So, just look to hike in chunks of a couple days until you reach an area where you can call for a ride into the nearest town.

Bear prevention: These guys are intelligent and opportunistic. They may wait until nighttime when they know you're probably asleep, or wait in the woods until you leave your pack alone to race out and snatch it. For that reason, I always hike with my pack to resupply my water or walk away from the shelter. Unless someone is there who you trust and you ask them to watch your pack, you're going to want to bring it with you. You may be tired, but it's better to struggle for a bit more than have your pack stolen along with all your food, water storage, car/house keys, wallet, phone, etc. At night, there are some shelters with bear cables or bear poles you can use to hang your bag. If not, you will want to do a bear hang with your paracord on a tree limb. This could be a separate bag than your backpack to store food, food waste, insect repellent, sunscreen, lip balm, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, deodorant, any kind of water containers with flavoring, etc. The idea is to have the tree limb above 10ft off the ground and 5 feet away from the base of the tree. There are some options listed in the book for when you're asleep, but you'll have to buy the book and go by best judgement. Some areas like Smokey Mountains will advise you to carry a bear canister. Having a backpack that can fit one is a great idea. This eliminates all the headache of what I listed above. I've even met some people who are hiking the whole Trail with one. Another option includes using a Kevlar food sack to store your items and tie it to a tree of a minimum 25 yards from your sleeping area. Problem I see is if the bear wants to chew through the high tensile strength cord that ties it down, then the bear can leave with your Kevlar bag, although without ever getting inside of it...maybe

Keeping your personal ID: It's a great idea to keep your ID in an easily accessible location in case of emergency and someone else has to go through it to see who you are. For that reason, you should have your ID and your phone number including an emergency contact together inside the backpack head pocket.

Starting fires: Having a fire is always great when you're in the woods. Some campsites and shelters will have a designated pit with large rocks or brick wall already built for you to use. Some shelters even have fireplaces build inside. But, in times of high wind and/or really dry conditions, you could end up burning down the forest. For this reason, you should always check the National Park Service for which you are in to verify if you are ok to start one. If you have approval from them, you can use fallen branches to make your fire. Do not bring firewood from outside the area. This is how undesirable bugs, fungus, bacteria, etc., will invade the new area and kill your beautiful forest. To actually start one, that's an art. If you were not raised in Oregon, you may have a hard time. There are some things you could buy to help start one, or even some Vaseline on a que-tip, but you want to build a small amount of small, thin, dry branches and have medium-sized ones on standby. The wind is not your friend so it will need to be surrounded by rocks and low to the ground. Some dry leaves or moss could be your go-to to get it started by your lighter. To help build it stronger, you will need to blow air on it. Be careful not to breath in the smoke and pass out on top of the fire because that would be bad. You could also bring a small collapsible metal tube (think radio antenna) to use as a blow tube which is quite effective.

Heat stroke: If you're hiking in the summer or just a hot day, and the sun is bearing down on you, it could sap the water right out of your head. It is important to learn to read signs from your own body. Mommy isn't here to point out how you're acting differently. Some signs of dehydration and oncoming heat stroke are as follow: Sweating profusely, the color of your urine is getting brown in color, you have a headache, you're drinking a lot more water than normal, you find yourself getting confused easily. If you find any of these signs taking place, get out of the sun as soon as possible. You are at high risk of tripping and falling, missing a turn, or going down the wrong path to name a few. Drink as much water as you can. Use your emergency salt vial or mustard packet. If you feel better, you may continue but slow down your pace. Some people will hike themselves to death and not even know what happened.

Attitude: Whether you're hiking alone or in a group, you will still come across others on or near the Trail. Having a good attitude can go a long way. With it, others will have more trust in you and help you when you need it. From tips on the upcoming trail, health of water sources, better use of gear - it pays to be kind to others. Yes, there will be times when you are uncomfortable and in pain; my best suggestion is to find a way to laugh at yourself. The pain is temporary, but if you're pissy at someone just once, guess what they'll remember you for every time they see you.