Responsible Hiking

I have considered the possibility of writing a book about properly preparing for outdoor family events for several years. This weekend while taking a hike up Sharp Top, one of Virginia’s Peaks of Otter, I was reminded once again how badly the book is needed and the folks that bring children along are actually the ones that inspired me to write this entry. I don’t really expect the novice hiker to go out and buy all the latest gear, but there is one thing needed when doing anything outdoors - Water. Plenty of water. I see some people on every hike that I do carrying just a single 20 oz. (a bit more than .5 l) bottle of water purchased on the way to the trailhead and many times I think they are planning to share that with the children in tow.

A body can sweat off ½ to (believe it or not) 2 quarts of fluids per hour, depending on heat and exertion, and this is more pronounced when walking uphill in the sun. Since a body can absorb up to a quart (about a liter) per hour, I encourage everyone that hikes to have a quart of water for every one to two hours that they will be out, especially when out during the high sun hours. Sure it’s heavy in the beginning, but the load lightens as it’s consumed.

Children burn off calories faster, can’t take calories in as fast, and need a far higher number of sips of water than adults. I learned this on a bicycle riding event that my family attended where my daughter was making it clear that she didn’t want to be there. There was a sandwich stand halfway through this bike ride and she got off the bike and ordered a sandwich without even asking. She was content for the rest of the trip and we all had a better day. Since then, I learned to quietly monitor them to insure they are refueling properly and I don’t think we’ve had a bad time since.