Health & Hygiene

After many years of hiking and hiking with other people, I’ve concluded that the shoe industry is fundamentally broken and the cause of untold suffering in the hiking world. There are huge individual differences between people’s feet: people have hammer toes, bunions, calluses, corns, thickened nails,bone spurs, flat feet, one …

I vividly remember the first time I experienced cold weather induced asthma. It was the same day my camera froze. It was 20 degrees below zero and we were climbing two mountains in New Hampshire’s Pemigewasset Wilderness. I remember a tightness in my chest and shortness of breath. We got down ok, but I …

Lyme Disease is reaching epidemic proportions on the Appalachian Trail yet hikers still insist on hiking in short sleeve shirts and short pants. The easiest way to protect yourself from Lyme Disease is to wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and hat when hiking, preferably ones treated with Insect Shield …

Have you ever wondered why people say Cotton Kills? Do you understand exactly why? Here’s an in-depth explanation as well as a list of other fabrics that you should avoid when shopping for hiking clothes. Insulation Clothing keeps you warm by trapping warm air near your skin. When cotton gets …

A lot of us wish we could go hiking everyday, but we have other responsibilities that require us to stick around like family and work. I’m lucky that I get to go on 3-4 day hikes a month and a half dozen or so short backpacking trips a year. But …

Whenever, I go backpacking I always bring along earplugs. If I’m sleeping near someone in a tent or a shelter, who snores, it helps cut down or eliminate the noise level. They also let me block out the sounds of the forest if I’m alone and feeling creeped out or …

How do you protect yourself from the sun when you hike? Describe your complete sun protection system including clothing and creams. Where do you use this system when you hike?

It’s widely known that day hikers have the best sex lives in the hiking community, followed by section hikers, and lastly thru-hikers who smell so bad and are so exhausted after hiking 20-25 miles per day, week in and week out, that their idea of foreplay is an unlimited salad …