Choosing the Right Hike For You

Everybody goes hiking for different reasons. Some people go for the views they receive at the end of the hike, some guys for the exercise; others go because it gets them out and about. Some people just go because they want a family activity and they have identified that they enjoy nature. The reasons vary from person to person, but there are a few things to bear in mind when selecting a destination.

Defining a hike.

Not only is it a figure of speech (i.e. wow, that’s a hike!) to infer something that is quite some distance away, but it also has its own Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionary definition. Different people view it in different ways, but it is generally referred to as being a large span of distance that is walk with intention. To many people, it is also used as a figure speech to mean anything that is outside the normal drivable distance. Defining what a true hike means to you as important because you will be able to go from there I decided where you want to go exactly. To quote Merriam Webster, a hike is “to rise up; especially to work upward”. As per Oxford, it is ”a long walk or walking tour”. So now, it’s time to dig into the nitty gritty details of choosing the right style of hike for you.

1) Who is coming with me?

When you establish this, hopefully it is easy to see what you are going to do from there. For instance, you probably wouldn't take your small child or infant hiking for 5 mi uphill. And personally, you and your stern hiking buddy going on a very easy trail would be too boring. As such, you must assess the skill levels and hiking competency of everybody in your hiking group, and it comes down to a few factors; previous hiking experience, level of physical fitness, their willingness to explore, how old they are, and any other underlying health complications.

Normally these things all flow in equilibrium, being with somebody who is older is usually more experienced with hiking and occasionally more physically fit. However, this might not always be the case. Good examples are Jordan Romero, who summited Kilimanjaro at age nine and Everest at age thirteen, or perhaps a couch potato who is willing to explore but not much else (and usually via the discovery channel). That being said, you can start to look at the next item of mention.

2) How much of a challenge do you want to be in for?

This kind of ties in with the other part of this post talking about the Yosemite grading system, but it deserves a mention as well. Are you in your group of people looking for a stroll in the park? Or are you looking to have a challenging hike ahead of you? This factor plays a lot into your physical fitness level, so choose wisely. What might be good for one person may not be for the next person, so it is important to know you and your groupmate’s limitations before you try anything too crazy.

3) How far are you willing to travel?

Unfortunately, a lot of hikes I attempt are dictated strictly on how far away they are. Or, inversely, they're dictated by how long the trail is. If there since we're not an issue, I would be all over the United States hiking right now. Sadly, that is not the case though. Another part of hiking is deciding how far you want to travel to reach the trail, and how far the purported destination is from the trailhead on the trail. Some things you need to plan out an entire day for, others can be done in a quiet afternoon. Either way around, make sure to make your decision responsibly and considering your energy levels. And whatever you do, make sure to bring trail mix and some sort of snack and beverage.

4) Trail Rating.

Next, you must bear in mind the rating of the trail itself. Just as I mentioned earlier, The Yosemite Decimal System was incepted for this reason. It breaks down hiking into 5 sections, as follows:

Class 1: Easy hiking with minimal elevation gain and few obstacles

Class 2: More difficult hiking, some of which may be off-trail, and may require putting your hands down for balance at times.

Class 3: Rock scrambling and/or un-roped climbing.

Class 4: Climbing with a rope and lateral ascension at parts.

Class 5: Technical climbing, mountaineering, ice picking, etc.

So not only do you have it broken down by difficulty and duration necessary for the height, but this YDS breaks it down further into things that you will encounter along the trail. Different difficulties work for different people, but I take it most people reading my blog will stay with a 3 or below, like myself. Class 5 would be something like climbing K2 with ice picks and crampons. Class 4 would be something on par with the Seven Summits and needing to climb them with poles and ropes. And then, if kind of goes downhill from there. Hah! No pun intended. Pick your hike based on the rating you think you can tolerate the best.

5) Do you like your lungs?

If the answer is yes, then stick to altitudes that are lower in hiking, particularly below 8000 feet. If the answer is no, and you feel as though you can handle altitude sickness well, then choose a hike that is above 8000. However, be aware of elevation related sicknesses and physical conditions that can occur in your body. Lake elevation related hypoxia, air bubbles potentially forming above 15000 ft, and so on. You don't need to let it scare you away from a really good hike, but it is something you definitely should be aware of.

6) What scenery are you after?

The last notion that is worth mentioning is that of scenery. There are a lot of great hikes with good scenery, although a lot of them are short. And then inversely, there are a lot of really hard ones. You need to identify what balance is right and make your judgment as such. It would also be a good idea to look at reviews and pictures from other hikers online, as it will give you a better indicator as to what the heck would be like. My blog is one of many places and what you can do just that.

I hope this post provided some insight to how you plan on choosing your next hike. Now get out there, go hiking, and enjoy yourself. You have nothing to lose and everything (and a lot of altitude) to gain!

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Wake-Up Smoothie!

For another beautiful addition to my blog, I would like to share a recipe that I sometimes use that is a great pick-me-up for mornings on the go or for a pre-workout boost. This recipe has most of the major food groups in it, and it contains a great boost of macronutrients as well. When I know I'm going to be traveling, I will make little Ziploc bags with all of my ingredients in them, and double bag it to prevent any leakage from occurring in my lunchbox (as I throw it around in my car quite often) . If I know I have a long day ahead of me, I will prepare a smoothie the night before and refrigerate it in my thermos.

If you feel really creative, you can even try making a fermented or all-natural version using products from Cultures for Health! You can even make your own Yogurt using this Yogurt starter in your kitchen!

So, without further ado, your lean, green, vegan machine!

Example of what your smoothie could look like. Photo Credits go to Tasha.

Wake-Me-Up Smoothie

Makes one huge serving

1 tbsp protein powder (I use pea protein)

1-2 tsp peanut or cashew butter

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 banana

3/4 cup kale

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup coconut or almond "yogurt"

1 Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1/3 cup rolled oats (optional)

Steps:

1) Pull out and thaw your ingredients.

2) Unsheathe the food processor.

3) Put everything in the food processor and let'er rip.

4) Enjoy breakfast on the go!

Healthy Vegetarian Soup!

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Legend of Zelda. I remember buying the GameCube specifically to play The Legend of Zelda the Windwaker. I was so excited to get this game, and then when I discovered the elixir so the Grandma makes halfway through the game, I nearly fell in love. So, after drawing some inspiration from the internet, I absolutely had to make my own version of the recipe.

I can't guarantee that this soup will overcharge your master sword with Godly energy, or that it will completely restore your health in Magic points, but it will definitely restore your ability to focus and give you a very healthy serving of vegetables.

and so without further Ado, here's how I make it!

The Finished Product!

You will need:

One tablespoon olive oil

Two tbsp. liquid aminos

Three cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced

One teaspoon each of basil and Thyme

1/2 teaspoon of Ginger paste, or 1tsp freshly ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Two ribs of celery, chopped

Two large carrots, chopped

One medium sized turnip, peeled and chopped

One medium sized sweet potato, dice

One medium sized red potato, diced

One small yellow squash, chopped

One small green squash, chopped

Two parsnips, chopped*

Two teaspoons turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

About 4-5 cups vegetable stock, enough to cover the vegetables

One cup water

One bay leaf

Chives and parsley, to garnish

How it’s done:

1) In a large pot, add olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, basil, thyme, and carrot, and sautéed until vegetables start to soften.

2) Add the celery, turnip, parsnips, cayenne, and liquid amino acids, and sauté over medium-high heat until the turnips start to soften and change color.

3) Add potatoes and squash, and then the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, for about 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, bay leaf, and pumpkin seeds.

4) Bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables have become soft and tender.

5) When your soup cool for about 30 minutes, and then freaked out the food processor. This soup is traditionally pureed, so nix the bay leaf and puree the soup until it has a creamy consistency.

6) Put into a container to store for later, or divide your soup into bowls and apply the garnishes of parsley and chives.

And now, you're hearty and healthy soup is ready to enjoy! The nice thing about this soup is that you can either drink it out of a cup or you can enjoy it in a bowl. You could, in theory, enjoy it cold like gazpacho, or heat it up over stove top or in the microwave. Either way around, enjoy your soup and Revitalize yourself!

*the biggest thing to mention here is that you want a fairly equal representation of each vegetable in the soup. So if you see that there is more of one vegetable than the other one is all chopped up and ready to throw in the pot, remove some of that vegetable. Save it for later use.