What is hiking? Huh? Who invented hiking? Such are the mind wanderings while waiting in the woods for something to happen. Hiking is something you wouldn’t consider a sport, but some do. It’s considered an everyday happening, or is it? In this age of the internet I ventured to find out what hiking is. One foot in front of the other, ha, ha, ha. What is the theory of hiking? After checking many web sites and asking jives all sorts of questions the only answer I could find was that walking is using your feet to get from point A to point B. Hiking is traveling on foot to an adventure. Walking to the grocery store is a hike but it’s just walking. Walk from Georgia to Maine and that’s a hike all right, a hike along the entire Appalachian Trail. That’s another difference, walking is done on sidewalks and hiking is done on trails.
Trails are the heart of this sport. Hiking on trails can be easy or hard depending on the terrain and how well the trail is marked. Thru swamps, hills, hummocks, rivers and sand the going can be hard but if the trail is marked well you should have a pretty good idea of how long it will take to reach your next stop. So get a map from the National Park Service and start planning a 2178 mile 5 million step adventure. About 10,000 people have reported finishing the hike but many more have lost fortune and marriages trying to complete the hardest hike in America.
So how to get started? The first consideration is comfort and finding a place to hike near by to see if you enjoy this. Boots are naturally the best place to bet your money. You want comfort and performance, sometimes both aren’t achievable. You want a good cleated sole that’s not too heavy. The more that your boots weigh, the more your leg muscles are picking up over time adding to fatigue and more soreness the next day. There are many sites that boast the best hiking boot so you’ll have to make your own choice, my only suggestion is to get the high top boot. This boot will give more support to the ankle which is a big plus once you get off a groomed trail. With the high top you can start with a less expensive boot to get an idea of what would help your foot be more comfortable.
Where to hike? If you have new boots the local high school track is a good place to break them in. Eventually you’ll want to get out to see some sights. The Huron-Clinton Metro Parks have many trails. The Oakwood – Willow parks have 30 miles of connected trails. Lake Erie Metro Park has 6 miles of trail thru a very unique swamp/ grassland area of the park that utilizes a boardwalk over the wet part of the ecosystem. Lake Erie Park is a hotspot for the most popular activity while hiking and that is birding. Birding or bird watching is the identifying of birds, sometimes this is easy but sometimes not. You’ll definitely need a field guide to identify and to know what to look for. This area is so good because the birds have to come around the corner of the lake during migration. The birds can be of a higher concentration in the fall and that’s when they have Hawkfest. If you go, and usually the date is picked to coincide with the height of migration, you’ll see thousands of raptors in 1 day. Impossible you say? Let’s make a bet.
Another trail system is the Midland to Mackinaw trail. This is what remains of the old Sauk trail which connected Detroit to Mackinaw and on to the Keweenaw Peninsula where copper deposits were mined. The copper was traded in Detroit or thereabouts for shell from the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. This was long before the white man was here. The Midland to Mackinaw trail is 210 miles long and goes thru few places to gather supplies so support from the outside is needed. This would be a real adventure for those so inclined. The trail meanders somewhat and isn’t as the crow flies so it does cross roads and this would allow you to complete it in sections and over a period of time, say a summer. Start planning now for this summer. I got my map from a store that is next to the trail but you can get one from the Lake Huron Area Boy Scout Council (989)695-5593 or check with the DNR or the US Forest Service.
Some things to keep in mind when setting out are be comfortable and be safe. Comfort comes in good boots, appropriate clothing for the weather and good weather. Lightning and hail don’t mix well with hiking. Check the weather many times before going out and be prepared by taking a raincoat or a light tarp to protect you during a flash storm. Always carry a map of the area, a compass, flashlight, whistle, walking stick and insect repellant. If you hike alone make sure someone knows where you are and where you’re going and what time you’ll be there.
Get Outdoors Downriver
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