Hiker 101 Series Archives - Nancy East

Navigation Tools and Techniques for Hikers

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 03:44:17 +0000

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time hiker, the importance of navigation skills for hikers is not lost on many (pun intended). What is sometimes lost though is understanding what that looks like in reality. From my own observations (and even my own experience pre-SAR days) most people want to understand more about navigation techniques,...

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How to Stay Safe and Found Before Leaving on a Hike

Sun, 18 Aug 2019 18:27:02 +0000

You’ve got your backpack loaded up with the 10 Essentials, which you’ve tweaked to fit the environment you’ll be exploring. You’ve picked out the most perfect trail in all the land, and you’re ready to put those feet on the ground and start tearing up the miles, right?! Almost! Before you walk out that door,...

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What You Need in Your Backpack Beyond the 10 Essentials

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 13:31:39 +0000

So you’re all set with the 10 Essentials and ready for a grand adventure in the woods. Well, almost! While the 10 Essentials are absolutely vital to every hike you go on, no matter what the environment or season, it’s important to individualize the rest of what you take in your pack, to suit your...

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Do I REALLY Need All That Gear for a Short Hike?

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 17:48:07 +0000

I could talk your ear off with stories from my SAR experiences that have made me more prepared hiker. If there is an overarching theme to our search operations, it’s the fact that most folks don’t think about what could go wrong beyond blisters. I used to be one of those people too. Sure, I...

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Where You’ll Hike and Why it Matters What You Bring

Sun, 11 Aug 2019 17:34:37 +0000

This lesson will help you with one of the first steps in dissecting the various components of a safe (and fun) hike. And you’ll have to excuse the anatomy references from time to time. I’m a small animal veterinarian in “real life” and I can’t resist. 🙂 But truly, I like to think of backcountry...

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