Types Of Hiking - Something For Everyone!

Types of hiking? You mean, hiking is more than just walking?

Yes, definitely yes.

Planning an overnight backpacking trips require more time and a greater commitment to safety and comfort.

Staying out longer than a few days requires more strength (bigger backpack to hold gear and food), more smarts (trail conditions, weather patterns, terrain navigation), and yields a bigger payoff: wildlife sightings, stargazing at night, and the serenity that comes with using your physical, rather than mental, muscles.

Base camping might be the way to go.

What about an extended stay - backpacking -complements of the gear on your back?

And then there's heli-hiking. Sounds too luxurious? Well, it is pricey, but it may be just the slice of heaven you need to create lifelong memories.

And here's an important question for hikers: why stop hiking when the snow flies? Snowshoeing is winter hiking, and it's twice as fun because you can spot animal tracks, get into areas that might be brush covered during the summer, and burn lots of calories breathing all of that crisp air.

If you're overwhelmed with these choices, let's back up a minute. Here's some basic hiking advice to consider, before you consider types of hiking.

OK, ready for another important consideration in types of hiking?

Who should you hike with?

You could.... go alone.

Or would you be more comfortable with a trail buddy or a group?

Another type of hiking is near and dear to my heart: teaching young people how to hike.

I spent many years as a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader while my son and daughter were growing up. I led groups of kids from ages 6 through 15 on camping and backpacking trips in the Pacific Northwest.

And I love to work with youth leaders on skill building for the next generation of hikers. If our young people don't appreciate and nurture the outdoors and everything in it, there goes the planet!

So if you're working with kids and hiking, let me know how I can help you.

I've reached that special age bracket where the phrase "elder hiking" is beginning to catch my attention.

I'd prefer not to put numbers on it. In my opinion, age is an attitude, not just your biological age.

But a basic fact of living in a human body is that accumulated wear and tear on joints and cartilage, plus improper conditioning, can leave an older hiker with aches and pains.

So if you're entering hiking as a juicy ripe tomato kind of woman (as opposed to a hard green tiny little tomato), or getting back into hiking after a surgery or injury, you might want to dip into these tips for folks over the age of ... oh, let's say 50 years or so.

I'll let you be the judge of when a hiker becomes a wise old sage on the trail!

I also want to point out that hiking is good medicine. Being in the outdoors for prolonged periods of time helps you deal with stress. Nature Therapy, it's called.

And speaking of Mother Nature, did you know that some hikers prefer to hike in their birthday suits? For more on naked hiking, try these tips.

And just in case it hasn't occurred to you, hikers need a break away from the grinding trail once in awhile, too.

I call those types of hiking breaks "mental hiking" - lying in the sun plotting my next adventure!

This may be the most important type of hiking, since it allows me to roam freely in a way my body can't.

While we're on the subject of mental hiking, it might be a good time to consider WHY you're on the trail.

This uncovers a different slant to the subject of types of hiking.

Are you a "peak bagger"? Someone who pushes through to gain a destination, whether it's a peak, a lake, waterfall, or some other spot on the map? Focused, prepared, conditioned, single minded hikers log lots of miles each season.

[Full disclosure: I have 4 maps of the Cascade Mountains, with - I kid you not!- little star stickers on the hiking destinations I've achieved over my 20 years of hiking in Washington State. The maps have lots of twinkly little stars on them!] So I know a few things about what I refer to as "laser lock" hiking: here's the target, here's the route, LET'S GO!

But I'm mellowing as I get older. I now entertain the possibility of other types of hiking. For instance, what about hiking exploration? If you're on an "out and back" trip, whether it's a day hike, overnight, or multi-day excursion, maybe you're focused on exploring your environment rather than counting miles. Maybe you're the type of hiker who delves into field guides, trail reports, regional books, and historical documents so you're prepared to catch every interesting area you pass through.

For example, sometimes I hike with my radar set on geologic formations. My husband downloads free geology maps, and we pause occasionally to check out what we're hiking over, around, and through. We fan out in little circles, pick up rocks, compare notes, and because he's got geology training, he tells me what I'm looking at. I call these hikes my geology field trips! And we take turns hauling back our "finds": lava bombs smelling of sulfur, gorgeous serpentine chunks, tiny garnets embedded in schist....

This approach to hiking is a wonderful way to connect with the ecosystem, if you extend your attention from what's under your boots (geology) to what's around you: flowers, grasses, shrubs, butterflies, birds (botany, wildlife biology) and to what's above you: towering Douglas firs in my neck of the woods, plus clouds, birds, and the occasional freak storm. Include this in your repertoire of types of hiking, and you will come to appreciate your "big backyard" on an entirely different level.

And lately, I allow myself the luxury of hiking for relaxation. I pick an easy trail and swing a light pack over my shoulders: yummy lunch, pen and paper, maybe a field guide, and some water. I let my mood and the trail conditions set my pace.

During the hike, I engage all of my senses: listening for bird calls or the sounds of water, feeling the breeze on my skin, smelling pines and forest soil, and tasting the wind for moisture content. This gives my dominant visual sense a rest, and I end the hike in a peaceful mental space.

And this list of types of hiking wouldn't be complete without mentioning seasonal hiking.

I have talked with hikers who "chase" seasons around the globe, always wanting to be in summer hiking conditions. Can't blame them, but can't join them, either (not having a trust fund and all that).

But I think waiting expectantly for each hiking season is a fine idea. For instance, here's a place to keep an eye on fall colors in the United States.

So whatever your goals for a hike, make the most of your outdoor time! Let this website give you the tools and techniques you need to enjoy being a hiker, regardless of the types of hiking you "specialize" in.

Oh, one more little thing: the hiking world has its own lingo, just like every other sport. Shared vocabulary brings together all types of hiking! Have a peek (peak??)....