“Walking the West” Part 2
In part 2 of ”Walking the West” find out the different reasons why people would hike almost 2700 miles over a 4 to 6 month period without a break. There are interviews with various PCT hikers who tell what keeps them going over the long hall.
Problems abound in this section of the documentary. Foot problems and hypothermia, someone you would not even guess decides to quit just 62 miles from the Canadian border. But I am not going to give it away you will have to watch the movie…
Missed Part 1 of this documentary? Check out Part 1 here: http://www.besthikingboots.org/backpacking-tips/my-favorite-hiking-movie-walking-the-west-part-one
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My Favorite Hiking Movie “Walking The West” Part 1
Living in the desert with two mountain ranges and Joshua Tree National Park bordering my home town I am fortunate that I can hike year round. But I do all of my serious hiking in the spring and summer like everyone else. To get me in the mood for the hiking season, every March for the past few years I watch several different movies and read a few outdoor related books.
Even with many Hollywood made movies available, “Walking the West” a Pacific Crest Trail Documentary is my favorite one. This documentary was produced by two hikers, a New Zealander and Irishman, and it sums up all the fun, trials and tribulations of an extreme long distance hike. This is part one and I will be posting part two in the next few days. It is a little long at 34 minutes but it is a must watch movie for anyone serious about hiking.
If you can’t wait for me to post part two you can find it on Youtube. If you really like the movie consider buying the DVD quality version at Amazon.com.
Hi-tech Womens Outlander Hiking Boot Review
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Pros
Cons
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Buy it Now¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ From Amazon.com Price $60 to $80 |
Pros
- Light Weight
- Durable Construction
- Good Traction
Trail Food that Delivers
The avid hiker has to pack a backpack for an extended journey and one of the most important items packed will be trail food. You won’t find your favorite fast food restaurant on the trail so you have to go prepared. Follow these tips and you won’t be sorry.
It’s all about energy
Did you know a hiker burns up to 500 calories per hour while hiking? So for an 8 hour full day hike you could burn as much as 4000 calories. Just think, considering a pound of body fat contains 3500 calories, you could very well hike yourself to the bone if you don’t eat enough. Wow, it is amazing isn’t it? Now that you know how much energy you could be expanding don’t you think you will need some?
Here’s how to get it. Energy for hiking requires that you eat high calorie foods that deliver the most energy compared to its weight. Here is the breakdown of the three components of food that provide energy:
- Fat- 9 calories per gram
- Protein- 4 calories per gram
- Carbohydrates- 4 calories per gram
So based on this breakdown, you would think we should choose foods that have a high fat content, right? Right. However, you also need protein to repair muscles and carbohydrates for those quick energy bursts so we need to keep these factors in mind when choosing foods to eat.
Nutritionally speaking for multi-day and long distance hiking you should try to plan a balanced menu. Fat carries more calories per ounce but you should still try to get half of your calories from carbohydrates and a little bit of protein to balance it out. Also the above information is only a guide the calorie intake necessary will differ from hiker to hiker. This can be accomplished in various ways.
What’s on the menu?
The key to the successful trail food menu is to not carry more than you need but yet carry enough to deliver the energy you do. Also trail food should be durable so you don’t end up eating crumbs. Unless you want to break the bank you want to avoid the freeze dried backpacking meals that are typically expensive.
You want to create a menu that can be easily accessible from your local food market so you can find non-perishable foods that won’t cost you a fortune. There are plenty of foods good for hiking that can be picked up right from your grocer
These following suggestions may not meet every hiker’s expectations. Each hiker is different. You have to gear the menu to your personal taste.
- Good breakfast items would be like harvest oatmeal bars, cliff bars, blueberry or hazelnut quinoa, pop tarts or homemade energy bars that can be prepared at home.
- Snacks that can be devoured with ease are great when you need quick refreshment so things like dried fruit and almonds, fresh apples and cheddar, gorp or even a good old snickers bar.
- For lunch things like pita and dips make great meals. Items like packaged (not canned) tuna, you know the ones that have packets of mayonnaise, relish and crackers, are great as well.
- For dinner you can pick up sufficient amounts of pasta, ramen style noodles and even full meals in foil packages that can be easily prepared.
So that is about it. Always try to eat the heavier items on the menu first. Plan your menu correctly and you will carry the trail food that will deliver what your body needs for the journey.
Vasque Sundowner Classic GTX Hiking Boots
The Vasque Sundowner Classic GTX Hiking Boots is just that a classic. Vasque claims the Sundowner was “The Boot That Built the Brand” and there is obviously a good reason why. The Vasque Sundowner Classic was created over 25 years ago and the brand is still going strong. Known for its durability, many hikers have reported these boots have lasted for up to 10 years and quite a few are on their 2nd and 3rd pair.
The Vasque Sundowner Classic was one of the first hiking boots to use cement construction rather then welt construction which drastically reduces the weight of a hiking boot. The one piece leather upper has 0 seams to allow moisture to enter the boot. The full leather upper combined with a Gor-Tex liner will leave you high and dry even in the most inclement of weather. The Vasque Sundowner Classic weights 3lb 6oz so they are not for hikers that have gone light weight. But for men that prefer a solid almost damage proof boot it is right up their alley.
The Vasque Sundowner Classic hiking boot requires a break in period but once broken in they are just as comfortable if not more than a tennis shoe. The hiking boot is built for serious backpacking but is just as usable for a day hike on the trail. Vasque has updated the original hiking boot with their Ultimate fit Technology and is available in wide sizes. Because of the classic style and durability the Sundowner hiking boot is very versatile. If you want a boot for hiking, work boot, a night on the town or even all three the Vasque Sundowner Classic is the perfect hiking boot for you.
- Boot Weight: 3lb. 6 oz. each
- Outsole: Vasque Classic
- Last: Sundowner
- Midsole: Medium Density Rubber
- Liner: Gor-Tex
- Technology:
- Ultimate Fit
- Ultimate Fit Widths
Salomon Hiking Boots
Salomon is a leader in outdoor apparel including the makers of some of the best hiking boots. Started in 1947 as a maker of ski boots, Salomon has been constantly at the forefront of innovation. Salomon was instrumental in perfecting the first of the modern ski bindings and still places a high emphasis on research.
Salomon is constantly developing new concepts in ski boots and equipment. Salomon also produces Salomon hiking boots, trail running shoes, snowboarding apparel and equipment, and other outdoor clothing.
Salomon hiking boots have been worn by many athletes in the World Ski Championships, X Games and the Olympics. Notable winnings for athletes wearing Salomon gear include 17 Gold Medals in cross country skiing during the 1989 World championships and winning 76% of all medals in the 2006Torino Olympic Games. Some of the A-list athletes that trust Salomon gear include extreme skier Sylvain Sauda, Marc
Girardelli, Stefania Belmondo, snowboarder David Benedek and Olympic medalist Janica Kostelic.
Salomon incorporates trail running shoe technology into most of its Salomon hiking boots. This keeps the weight down and the comfort level up for long days on the trail. Salomon uses technologies such asGortex, Ortholite and Contagrip in its hiking boots and hiking shoes.
At Salomon you can find equipment and apparel for winter hiking, skiing, snowboarding or any other mountain sport you may want to participate in. Salomon belongs to parent company Amer Sports that include major manufacturers such as Wilson andSuunto. Salomon is a brand you can trust and Salomon hiking boots are some of the best there is.
Leather Hiking Boots
In the past full leather hiking boots were your only choice of hiking footwear. They were like tanks for your feet. They were tough and unbearably heavy. It took a long time to break them in and they were maintenance intensive. Hiking boots have come a long way since then. Leather is still used in many versions of hiking boots. However leather is now combined with lightweight man made materials to reduce weight and make them more comfortable.
A hiking boot made of primarily leather material still needs a break in period but don’t require as much time as they used to. Once leather hiking boots are broken in though they are very comfortable. Unlike their space aged cousins, most leather hiking boots still need to be waterproofed. Just make sure to follow the manufacturers instructions so they don’t lose their breathable properties or it will be like wearing a sauna on your feet.
Leather has a tendency to retain water when it gets wet. So you need to make sure you dry them properly. Out on the trail your options are limited. The best way I have found to dry them out is to take off your boots and drain the excess water out. Once the water is drained, change into dry socks, put he boots back on and walk them dry. I usually tie the wet socks on the outside of my pack and change back into them once they are dry.
If your leather hiking boots are still wet when you get home, one way to dry them properly is to remove the insoles and stuff them with wads of newspaper. Do not dry your boots in the hot sun or place them on the furnace like you may have heard. This is a sure way to ruin your leather boots. Leather that dries out quickly has a tendency shrink, pull away from the seams and soles, and can even crack. Drying them out quickly is a sure way to ruin a good pair of boots.
The stitching on leather hiking boots have a tendency to unravel from the seams. To repair a loose stitch, cut or better yet, carefully burn off the excess stitching. For added protection apply a small drop of rubbery adhesive like Shoe Goo to the stitch. A blunted toothpick is great for this.
Combined with modern technology, full leather hiking boots are great. Leather hiking boots look good, they are tough and will last many years with a little maintenance.
Womens Hiking Boots Are Made Specially For You
I know, a man really has no business writing about womens hiking boots. However, I am going to attempt anyways because the information I see out there, sorry no better way to say it, Sucks! When I began to research this article (obivisouly I don’t have first hand knowledge) all I could find was bits and pieces of information pertaining to womens hiking boots. So I dug a little deeper, consulted with the American Podiatry Association and skimmed through quite a few studies and this is what I came up with.
Ladies, your feet are different. Not just in appearance but structurally. All types of things have contributed to women’s feet evolving differently. Depending on what study you read, women’s feet evolved differently because of mate selection by prehistoric man or hormones and pregnancy. But anyways, women’s feet tend to be shorter, narrower and have a shorter instep than males. The balls of women’s feet are also wider and the heel tends to be narrower.
Because of the structure of a women’s pelvis their gait is different than males which causes a women’s foot to slightly pronate when walking. Also because of this difference in bio-mechanics, women tend to put more weight on the balls of their feet and toes while walking. Add this to uneven terrain, steep inclines and declines experienced by hiking and a women could experience an increased chance of discomfort and injury.
So what is a women to do? Not all boots are created equal. According to some female hikers I know there is not as many choices for females out there as males. Many of them have been tempted to just buy mens hiking boots a few sizes smaller then womens hiking boots. However this could be one mistake you don’t want to experience. Because of the difference in a woman’s foot compared to a male you should generally stay away from mens hiking boots. Also be very wary of purchasing womens hiking boots that have a male counterpart. Many of these boots have just been cut differently to give them a more feminine appearance then a mans.
I would also tend to stay away from the less known companies and go with a larger outdoor footwear manufacturer that has a better research and development budget. They will tend to develop womens hiking boots from the ground up rather then just base them on their male editions. One company I would check out would be Vasque. Vasque has many female athletes on their sponsored sport teams and employs their “Ultimate Fit: Women’s Specific” technology made just for women in their Vasque womens hiking boots and trail running shoes.
If you can find mens hiking boots that fit then by all means wear it. But based on the unique shape and anatomy of a woman’s foot you should really consider purchasing womens hiking boots made specially for you.