Newbie looking for ways to get ready for hike

[jandha]

looking for ways to get ready for a hike and don't want to humilate myself or waste my time. any books or sites to recommend?

thanks

[Daryl]

Jump on a group hike, or tag along on some of the hikes mentioned here. There is a wealth of knowledge here and a lot of great people willing to share it.
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[jandha]

thanks. i looked around the arizona hikers site and found the r.e.i. clinics. i will be paying attention to those. i appreciate the tip.

[whereveriroam]

Get out and do some short hikes. If you live in PHX even though it's not real hiking start off at Squaw Peak, it's a great way to build endurance and to see if you like it. After that check out club sites such as this one, stick and boots, arizona outdoor travel club, wandeing soles, friends hiking, sierra singles and backcountry hiking. Stick with these clubs easier hikes at 1st, 5-8 miles R/T with under 1500' elevation gain. Once you find them to short or to easy, go on harder ones.

[jandha]

do the clubs you mentioned have websites. i tried to look up "sticks and boots" and ended up getting sticks and boots. the sierra club i know has a site, but what about the others?

[Shawn]

The best way to train to walk over the mountain is to walk over the mountain. Old saw that often holds very true.

I find any regular aerobic exercise is helpful, the best two machines in my mind are the step mills-kind of like walking up a down escalator, and the stair master type machines but do it back wards, that is, facing away from the machine.


Or you could try the sink or swim approach and arrange to be air dropped into a no-rescue wilderness with a jack knife, snickers bar, and 20 ft of parachute cord. Walk out or die.

Welcome!
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The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.

[desertgirl]

http://www.stickandboots.org/

Like others have said before -- nothing like getting out on the trails


If you have not hiked at all -- Make sure yo have water; hat & sunscreen handy and do not overestimate what you can do

YOu could also try Pass Mountain Loop or do Wind Cave
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Photos: http://www.pbase.com/desertgirl/galleries
Life is but a dream ...there is no end to what you can dream!

[mike]

Take a look on our Links page. http://www.arizonahikers.com/forum/links.php There are sites for several clubs listed there, including Sticks and Boots.
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[evenstar]

Another good conditioning hike that isn't technically demanding is Pinnacle Peak.
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John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902

[Davis2001R6]

The book that got me into hiking was "Best Easy Day Hikes Phoenix".(Assuming your from Phoenix) It's a Falcon Guide book and I got it at Barnes and Noble. I found the trail decriptions/locations pretty accurate and you really can't get lost on those trails either. Once I felt comfortable with my endurance level I started going on some group hikes. Also I think www.hikearizona.com has the best trail decriptions on the internet.
-TIM-

[Arizonaheat]

As stated above if you are looking for ways to get into shape for hiking, there is nothing like hiking, just get out there and start and work your way up, you will be amazed at what happens once your confidence begins to build. If you are uneasy hitting the trails on your own, feel free to join in on hikes or advertise on here for a partner, you are sure to get a response.

If you are looking for instruction as to what gear to take with you for survival etc, or gear in general, just ask and you will get tons of good info. You have indeed found an awesome set of people, in those that frequent this site, always more than happy to help.
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Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

[mike]

Another good book for the Phoenix area is "Day Hikes and Trail Rides in and Around Phoenix". There are similar books available for Tucson, Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff. A lot of us here, myself included, have a collection of hiking guide books. Most local bookstores, as well as Popular and REI, carry these books.
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[JW]

[Nighthiker]

Welcome to the Arizona Outdoors, I suggest Desert Hiking by Dave Ganci.

[Trishness]

Being consistent and hitting a trail every weekend is key. It will definitely raise your endurance and you'll notice improvement with each outting. Combine this with a good aerobic workout three times a week including working out on a stair-stepper or eliptical will build up your legs in no time. I recommend starting small and increasing miles/elevation gain at a level that you're comfortable with.

As everyone here has stated, there are always people looking for hikes and are happy to share the trail so post on here if you're ever looking for a partner.

BTW....there's no such thing as humiliation when it comes to hiking!
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~~~Trish~~~

"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." � J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings.