In the Pacific Northwest we are blessed with a wonderful heritage of forests, lakes, rivers, beaches and mountains which are in the public domain. You own em! I own em! To live here and not make any use of these treasures is like being born a millionaire and spending your life cooped up in a tenement.

Often when I show pictures or tell about experiences in the high Cascades, the Olympics or the Olympic beaches, people get wistful looks on their faces and say, “Gee, I wish I could do that, but . . .” And they go on to say things that indicate they don’t think they have the physical strength or stamina or they are afraid. My experience with human nature tells me that a lot of them are too in love with creature comforts to make the effort. For them, I am sorry. A few really do have physical problems that make even easy walking difficult or impossible (arthritis is now starting to put me in that category), and for them I am truly sorry. That leaves a very large number of people in reasonably good health (including little old ladies and young children) who are perfectly capable of enjoying backpacking but shy away from the experience out of some mistaken ideas or total ignorance of what is required, risks, etc.

T he thing about walking is, you set the pace. There is no minimum speed limit on the trail. If you’re not as young as you used to be or are out of condition - so be it! Take it at a speed you find comfortable. Most likely you will see more flora and fauna while resting than while huffing down the trail anyway. The caution here is in your choice of companions. There are quite a few people to whom a hike is just a challenge to see how fast their legs will carry them from point A to point B. Heaven help you if you get hooked up with one of them first time out. Any hike done at a speed which is “forced”, i.e. faster then your normal, comfortable pace, is many times more tiring than the same trip taken at a comfortable speed. If you really can’t find a companion who’s capability and inclination is close to your own - then go alone!

M aintained forest service trails are highways in the wilderness. They are well marked and well traveled (in summer). They have signs which tell you where you are going and how far it is. People you meet on the trail are almost always friendly and helpful. There may be some bad guys out there, but in many years of hiking, I haven’t met any. I believe the bad apples almost always stick to motorized transport. Moreover, the Forest service and Park Service trails are patrolled by rangers. True, they are civil servants, but not the kind you meet at the IRS. Every one of them I have met was helpful, courteous and anxious that everyone enjoy the wilderness he/she was protecting. They take those jobs because they love what they are doing. Actually, they are mostly underpaid. Their motivation shows.

Please note: I am not recommending that anyone go alone off main, maintained trails - that’s another ball game. If you stay on main trails you can’t get lost. There are signs at every trailhead and intersection. If you can find your way on the road to the trailhead, you can certainly find your way down the trail.

T here are a number of good hike books put out by the mountaineers and others available in bookstores - or the library. The better ones give you a map outline, and approximate time requirement, a footage elevation gain, and some general information about relative difficulty, correct time of year, etc. For starters, it’s a good idea to acquire one of these books. Especially make a note of the elevation gain for any hike you undertake. This won’t mean much to you in the beginning but after a little experience, using these notes you will be able to fairly accurately assess the difficulty and time required for any hike you want to take.

It is, of course, important to select a hike that fits your time of year. In winter, Northwest mountains collect an enormous load of snow and should be avoided by all but real experts equipped with paid-up life insurance. On the other hand, there are some fascinating Olympic beach hikes that can be done any time of year.

I t is a very good idea to acquire and carry with you a topographic map for the area whenever you go on a hike. This not so much to keep you from getting lost as it is to help you learn to read topog maps and know what to expect when you go on a hike that is not in the book (as you will once it gets into your blood)

Topographic maps are produced by the Geological Survey Dept. Of the Department of Interior and you can order them from them

But, the practical place to obtain them is any outdoor equipment store. The cost is about the same and at the store, you can look at what they have and be sure of getting what you want, when you want it. Also, most outdoor stores carry the Green trails maps which are identical except that they are a little smaller and show the maintained trails as heavy green lines, easily followed. GT maps are normally 9/10th inches to one mile, while the government maps come in two scales, 1 1/8th in per mile or 1 1/16th inches to one mile.

Coastal Olympic Peninsula scene

These maps normally have contour lines at intervals of 40 or 80 feet. The more you look at topog maps and compare them to the actual terrain, the easier it gets to accurately picture an area just by looking at a map. The GT maps also show trail mileages. These numbers are useful, but should be taken with a grain of salt. I believe they are taken by someone using calipers on an aerial photograph. That method may miss a lot of the small zigs and zags that can account for half of the walking mileage.

Another kind of map that is important is put out by the US Forest service. Those maps are usually drawn to a much smaller scale and will normally show half of an entire national forest on one side. They don’t have topog lines, but do have a lot of information that is useful - especially when you get beyond the boundary of your topog map.They will show campsites, logging roads, etc.They can be obtained from the USFS at minimal charge.

With those who are totally ignorant of wilderness facts, usually the first fear is the most unfounded - - the wildlife. You should understand that even a rabbit can be dangerous when he is cornered and thinks he is fighting for his life. It’s just common sense to not touch a wild animal. However, aside from a situation where an animal thinks he is cornered, the Pacific Northwest is nearly devoid of dangerous wildlife. Bears get the most credit for being dangerous. Grizzly bears, I am told - never actually saw one in the wild - are one of the few creatures who will make an unprovoked attack on a human. Grizzlies are almost (but not quite) extinct in Washington State. Your chance of even seeing one when out hiking are way less than getting hit by lightning. Forget grizzlies.

You won't find one of these guys on the Olympic Peninsula yet.
But, when the virgin earthers get through, you will have to look out for them.

To many people, bears are bears and when they see a native black bear (who actually come in colors from light honey to jet black) they get scared. Believe me, no matter how scared you are, the bear is more scared. Black bears are a danger only in places where they can raid garbage cans and are used to seeing humans and smelling them. That is not out on a trail in the national park or national forest.

You should be aware, however that bears are very nearsighted. . Most of their sustenance is on very small items such as grubs and berries. For this reason, God gave them very good close eyesight at the expense of long range seeing - which they don’t need because the don’t have to run away from anything. If a bear cannot smell you (he has an excellent sense of smell) because of wind direction and he can’t hear you because you are quiet, it is possible for the two of you to get quite close before he become aware of your presence. Hence, berry pickers sometimes find a bear working the other side of their bush. Needless to say momma bear will take a dim view of you anywhere near her cub, so use common sense and stay away.

It is extremely unlikely that you will ever see a cougar when hiking. However, it is not so unlikely one will see you. Normally these critters are afraid of humans and since their senses are so much more accute than yours, he will get out of the way. However, cougars only fear humans and dogs. Cougars kill a lot of farm animals and pets. And, they occasionally kill small children or adults who are running. If you take a small child with you keep a close eye on him. Some years ago, a young boy was killed by a cougar in British Columbia, right on the school ground. A few years ago, an eight-year-old completely disappeared on the Makah reservation when hiking with his parents. His remains were never found which gives rise to the notion a cougar was responsible because their habit is to hide their kill. A few years ago, animal rights activists managed to ram an initiative through banning the use of dogs to hunt cougars. Since that time, their population has increased substantially (there is no other effective way to hunt them). Young cougars tend to be stupid and sometimes molest or threaten people.

You won’t find one in Western Washington - they like it dry. However, if you get into back country in Eastern WA, you should wear good boots and take care (they don’t always rattle before they strike). I personally have done a lot of hiking in Eastern WA and have only seen one live rattler and he was a long way from a maintained trail. (in Eastern Oregon) If you are going on an extended hike in such country, it’s a good idea to carry a snake-bite kit.

That is probably the second most touted danger. If you stay on maintained USFS or USNPS trails, you just can’t get lost. However, before you strike out cross country, be sure you have a compass and topog maps and a minimal supply of common sense. Do NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS off the trail. It is amazing how quickly you can get lost when you are surrounded by brush and trees and can’t see some reference point.Keep a close eye on the weather. When snow obscures the trail, you can be in great difficulty.

The only significant dangers I know in hiking involve what a person does to his/her own body. If you push yourself beyond what is comfortable and natural to you, in any athletic endeavor, your body may rebel. Use common sense and you won’t have a problem. Many people think hypothermia is something that only happens when you get too cold. But, it’s more complicated than that and can happen when the weather is actually quite warm.

At the end of a hot day when you are tired and have shed all the outer clothing, the sun ducks behind the hill, the temperature drops and you start shivering. That could be the beginning of hypothermia. Fatigue is an important element in it. Symptoms can include nausea, diarrhea and in extreme cases, disorientation or fainting. But, it will never happen all at once, without plenty of warning signs like muscle fatigue and general tiredness. The problem usually is more fatigue than cold. The body can’t cope well with both at the same time.

The culprit in hypothermia cases is usually not the weather, but human ego! A companion goads you into “going a little farther” when your body says, “enough”; or you set an impossible goal for yourself and refuse to backoff when it becomes apparent you have bitten off more than you can chew. A good hiking companion is one who, rather than trying to push you into over exerting, is observant of his companion and can spot hypothermiasymptoms even before the victim is aware.

First aid is to have a dry sleeping bag and get into it as quickly as possible (after first removing any wet clothing). Forget about building a fire. It takes too long and won’t give you full around heat and relaxation which is what you need. Once you get the body warm, the symptoms will normally disappear quickly. This is not the signal to resume the march. Disappearance of the symptoms simply means the body’s minimum levels have been restored. If at all possible the person who has exhibited hypothermia symptoms should stay in the bag for several hours and sleep. Getting out on the trail immediately is a sure invitation to even more serious problems.

Sporting goods/outdoor stores are loaded with expensive goodies they would love to convince you are essential for back-packing. If you buy most of what they try to sell you, you will beloaded - But that’s about all. The real trick to back packing is to learn what to do without because everything you take with you adds weight and weight is the enemy. Incidentally, if you have spent all your life nurtured in the arms of civilization, you may get a tremendous high realizing that you can spend a comfortable, fun week in the mountains furnished only with what you can carry on your back.

The most essential item is a sleeping bag. This is the one item that you should be prepared to spend some money on, if you are at all serious. A good sleeping bag is essential to your comfort - but more than that, if something goes wrong it can save your life. Sleeping bags are temperature rated. Be sure you get one rated for a lower temperature than you think you are going to encounter. Snow and sleet can occur in the Cascades or the Olympics in midsummer at much lower altitudes than you can imagine, and it doesn't take much snow to obscure the trail.

When you get into the mountains and you are camped, there is a temptation at times to take long day hikes away from your camp without the burden of a pack. Never stray too far from your sleeping bag! Northwest mountain weather is fickle. It can be hot one minute and cold and snowing in an hour or two. Chapter one, page one of any first aid book says, “keep the accident victim warm”. The only practical way you have of quickly getting someone warm when you are miles from a road is to put him in a bag. Building a fire takes too long and won’t warm someone all over anyway.

To make the sleeping bag effective, you need an insulator between you and the ground. Without an insulator, your warm body will draw moisture from the ground and even the best bag will become damp and cold. A half-inch roll of foam will do. An air mattress is ideal. But light plastic air mattresses usually will not hold air all night with the weight of an adult body on them. There are fairly inexpensive mattresses on the market which contain an air absorbing material that holds air even with weight on it. When you want to fold it up, you just squeeze the air out and when you camp you take off the cap and air will flow back in.

Then there is your Pack. The equipment manufacturers have gone all out in this department. There are so many styles of packs you can’t count them. In the old days, packs were simple. Most were just two aluminum posts welded together with crossbars, with a bag fastened over them. You could hang stuff like a water bag or camera over these posts or grab it off without even breaking stride. When the bag wore out, you could just replace it. They worked well and were cheap, but they didn’t look “cool” and now they don’t make them like that any more. The frames are mostly internal and the price is up proportionately. If at all possible try to borrow a pack to “test drive” before investing a lot of money. What fits one person does not necessarily work well for another.

Cooking/eating utensils: A good sharp knife, a plastic cup, a plastic fork/spoon, a plastic plate with sides and a small pot you can use to heat water or food in. That’s all you need. Anything more is just extra weight you don’t need.

Boots/shoes are important. Always wear boots or shoes that you have tried out thoroughly. A hike is not the time to break in new footgear. Make sure they fit the terrain where you are going. Again, if you stay on regular forest service or park trails, there should be few surprises as to the terrain.

Food: The sporting goods store will sell you freeze dried stuff. Be careful of that stuff. Since it has almost all the water removed, eating it will help to dehydrate you, unless it has been thoroughly hydrated first. Apples, boiled eggs, come in their own package and are very good. Raisins are excellent sources of sugar (for energy) and are easily carried in a light container. An excellent food is a potato wrapped in foil. You can put it in the coals of your campfire where it will cook and the foil presents little bulk to pack out. If you manage to catch a fish, put it on a stick and cook it over the camp fire. Carry a little salt and pepper.