THE QUESTION OF WHY WE HIKE?

(A pleasant view along the way)

Hiking draws a variety of people, all for their own reason. I enjoy hiking, partly for the challenge of a tall peak, but mainly for the experience of the view you have from the summit of any high mountain top. I like the mountains over 3000 feet because you are usually guaranteed a bit of view, depending upon the cloud cover and weather. This is not always the case, as I found in hiking up Dial Mt. one year. You actually have to go back down the trail a few hundred yards in order to get a vista with a pleasant view.
The real draw to hiking is not that much different than many other outdoor endeavors. There is always the anticipation of what you might experience that keeps you going. Like the fisherman, who is not 100% sure of catching fish every time out, the hiker is not always guaranteed a fulfilling trip up each mountain. It is that concept of intermittent reinforcement, meaning that you are never quite sure when to expect the reward, that keeps many coming back to the trails time and again.

(A view of Wright Peak from Algonquin trail)

There are other draws, such as the challenge of distances covered or number of mountain peaks climbed, but usually it is more of an intrinsic satisfaction than any extrinsic reward that appeals to most. The old adage, “to see the other side of the mountain,” is more than enough for most. It is what it is!
When we begin comparison of this trail system to that trail system, or this mountain to that mountain, we begin to get off track of the true meaning of the hike. Yes, we each have our favorite climbs and favorite spots that renew our souls from the hectic pace of this world. There is no getting around that. But each new hike should be approached with the anticipation of what will be found along the way. This is often an unknown that only unfolds as we progress up the trail.
What new adventures are in your immediate future?

HIGH TECH EQUIPPING FOR HIKING

(High Tech Equipping for Hiking by Bob Phillips, first appeared in Lake Champlain Weekly in June 2010)
   Long gone are the days of pack baskets, canvas knapsacks, external pack frames and the old boy scout cooking kits. Even the revered stainless steel Sierra Cup is a relic of bygone days, of not all that long ago. Today the technology for the hiker is every bit as advanced as that of the fisherman or hunter. In some cases I believe the technology for hikers has even surpassed that of other outdoorsmen.
   I have been slowly and with some reservations been switching over to the minimalist or ultra light way of thinking in the hiking department. There are some things I just don’t buy into, but 99 percent of the time I find the new technology very superior to the old.
   The first of this month I was visiting the EMS store in Burlington, Vermont. I was looking specifically for drinking cups that were light weight and compact that I could carry while taking day hikes with our grandkids. I found just the item in the new xmug! These are collapsible soft formed drinking cups that serve well with cold or hot beverages. They come in a few different colors and collapse down to a relatively flat five eights of an inch and are only four and three eights inches in diameter. I picked out a bright orange xmug with a black rim.
   The xmug holds two cups of fluid and is calibrated to also serve as a measuring cup, for those times of preparing meals. The packaging states that they are lightweight and I guess that is a relative opinion as well. Since they fold quite flat, I think they can be tucked into your gear just about any place and should not be noticeable in the weight department. Personally I wouldn’t call them lightweight in connection with ultra light backpacking.
   They are just great for what I intend however, since we have six grandkids in all and could easily have two or three at any one time hiking with us, a few of these cups in my pack with do just nicely when watering time comes around. Each can have their own cup and then they are stowed back in the pack for the rest of the trip, without that annoying noise often associated with metal cups.
   There are a couple of other advancements in the technology as well. There is a new cooking system that is known as jetboilâ. This is a relatively simple system, so that even an uncomplicated type like myself might get along with it. It shortens the heating time of liquids especially and helps get the evening meal quickly. The days of trying to cook over open fires has long ago bit the dust.
   Water is always concern while you hike. It is almost impossible to carry sufficient amounts of water for extended hikes. You have to have either a filtering system or a purifying system to take care of your water needs. That usually amounted to either adding tablets to the water and then tasting horrible water for the next few days or using a filtering pump. Now PlatypusÓ has come up with the CleanstreamÔ system. Fill the one reservoir with available water and then hang it up higher than the receiving reservoir and let gravity take over. There is an inline filter to treat the water as it flows through the connecting tube.
   One final area that technology has assisted the hiker is in the new trekking poles. These new poles are truly lightweight and adjustable in length. The real benefit of trekking poles is found in the descent, especially on tired or sore knees. The new metals used are much lighter than the old alternatives. Some hiked with an old stick, bamboo staff, old ski poles  or extremely heavy adjustable poles. That is no longer necessary. The new trekking poles are simply too marvelous to be true.
   So as you gear up for this hiking season, look to the newer technology for your hiking needs. I didn’t even mention the packs, sleeping bags, tents and other equipment available. Perhaps another time!

A SIMPLE TREK IN THE WILDERNESS by Bob Phillips

     I am privileged to chronicle, on a weekly basis, many things about the Adirondack region. Writing for a local weekly magazine in the Northeast corner of New York, I find that the High Peaks region and the Lake Champlain valley offer amazing opportunities for the outdoors man and woman of today.

Looking toward Iroquois from Algonquin

    Some believe that we have tamed these mountains. Perhaps there is a kernel of truth to that thought. Certainly man has made inroads into the mountains that may never have been meant to be, but the mountains continue to fight against that encroachment. Some of the mystique of the High Peaks has diminished as the herd trails to their summits seem to get deeper and wider each year. On most peaks it is impossible to get lost, at least as long as you stay in the rut. But in spite of this, there is still a whole lot of wilderness in our Adirondacks.

View of one type of herd trail 

   The desire to interlace the sky ways with cell phone towers, thus greater cell phone coverage, under the guise of protection for mountain travelers, fosters belief that the mountains have succumbed to being tamed. I doubt this highly! There still remains much to experience in the wilderness of these mountains. There is an ageless quality about these mountains that must be experienced to understand their draw and enduring charm.

View of Mt. Marcy