You might think of Amtrak as a commuter train system whisking people to business meetings along the east coast corridor. But if you want to experience camping and hiking at the highest levels of quality, the best access from an Amtrak train comes at Glacier National Park in Montana. Amtrak, unlike most airlines, is quite…
Heading out to the mountains this weekend on a hike? Hiking is a well-loved outdoor activity that aside from being great fun has many major benefits from helping you focus better to improving your fitness level. Hiking allows you to unplug, explore the world around you and reach neigh heights – mentally and physically! In…
Are you’re hiking boots looking a bit tattered and you’re wondering how long before you should invest in a new pair? In this guide, I’ll answer the key questions around boot longevity and help you calculate how long your boots have left. Hiking boots typically last between 500-900 miles depending on the quality of the…
Heading out on the trail this week or planning a trip and wondering what are the best pants to wear? In this guide, I’ll walk through the best clothing options for your legs and help you figure out the best pants to wear when trekking. In warm and mild weather many hikers (including me) like…
Are you looking to improve your fitness, physically and mentally? Hiking as a huge number of benefits from improving your strength to increasing your ability to focus. Perhaps the most incredible thing about hiking is that almost anyone can do it. Hiking is free, accessible and open to all. It requires some equipment if you’re…
Hiking involves walking outside, usually over long distances and up and down hills from wide open paths to rocky ascents. Hiking is a total body workout but relies most heavily on the lower body (Quads, Glutes, Calves) for power and movement. With trekking poles and a heavy backpack, the upper body and core muscles will…
Heading out hiking or to climb a mountain peak and wondering about the effects of altitude on breathing? Bottled oxygen is normally only used for advanced mountaineering – common above 7,000m (22,965 ft) and practically mandatory above 8,000m (26,246 ft) when you enter the so-called death zone. For most recreational hikes you will not need…
Heading out for a day hike or a backpacking trip and wondering if you should get a pair of trekking poles and how to use them correctly? Trekking poles are sticks that you walk with and hold in each hand to help you walk further and faster. Hiking poles provide extra points of contact with…
Hiking is a physically intensive activity that involves hours of exercise. Are you interested to know how many calories you’ll burn while hiking? Hiking burns between 430 to 440 calories per hour for a 72kg (160 pound person). If you weigh more and/or have a faster metabolism hiking burns more calories. If your hike has…
Heading out for a weekend backpacking or a day trek and wondering if your pack is too heavy? There is no one predetermined pack weight but here are the general weight guidelines you should aim for: Your loaded backpack should not weigh more than 20 percent of your body weight. So if you weigh 80kg…
Are you heading out hiking for the first time in a while and wondering if you need to invest in some hiking boots or can you simply wear your old tennis trainers? You don’t need to wear hiking boots, but there are many advantages to wearing them – especially if you’re carrying a large backpack….
Planning an upcoming hike and wondering if you’ll benefit from using hiking poles? In this guide, I’ll run over all the pros and cons of trekking poles to help you decide if you need them or not. Reasons to use hiking poles 1. Poles protect your knees Poles are not a magical cure for knees…
