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Get Mentally Prepared for Your Next Hiking or Backpacking Trip

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Getting mentally prepared for your next adventure. Any time you consider participating in a long distance run, triathlon, strenuous hike or multiday backpacking trip, physical preparation is a given (at least I hope so anyway. I don’t know anyone that can run a marathon without training for it!)

But what about mental preparation? You may not have realized, but being physically ready is only half the battle. You must be mentally prepared as well. Here is a list of items to consider when training for your next adventure.

1. Your hike will be harder than you think. You will be hiking in a different terrain and climate than where you are training. If you are planning a Grand Canyon Rim to Rim backpacking trip, you must consider the potential for excessive heat and a dry climate. If you are planning to hike Yosemite’s high country, you have to hike elevation.

If you start your adventure with high expectations about your ability, you can become easily disappointed, thus breaking you down mentally. You will get frustrated, start believing that you will not make it and wear yourself out physically. I have seen tears on many occasions from people that are in great physical condition because of their preconceived notions. About 99% of people that have backpacked the Grand Canyon have said it is much harder than they thought. These same people will rate themselves as an 8 out of 10 on a fitness scale and finish their hike rating themselves as a 3.

2. Set realistic goals. Say you can hike 20 miles in a day on relatively flat terrain in 70 degree temperatures. Don’t assume you can do the same with a 30lb backpack, with elevation and 110 degree temperatures. Be sure you take all factors into consideration before setting your day to day distances. Have a backup plan for just in case you can’t reach your goal. This will help keep you mentally stable instead of in a state of panic.

3. It is not a competition. Don’t set up a deadline to reach a particular destination. There are so many factors out of your control (i.e. Mother Nature) that can effect your hiking or backpacking trip. And don’t try to compete with hiking companions. The assumption you are in better shape than your friend is mental sabotage if he or she is doing better than you.

Experience the area you are hiking - take in the views, the sights and the sounds. Take interest in what is around each corner instead of “when” you are going to get to the final destination. So live in the moment and don’t anticipate the ending - you will get there (as long as you had already set realistic goals). Which leads to the next point.

4. Envision finishing - eventually. While you want to take the time to “smell the roses,” you do still need to keep that ultimate goal in mind - finishing. If you have ever completed a marathon or any other endurance race, this is a key factor in your success since it can get very easy to just quit and get a ride home. When you are hiking and backpacking several miles from any civilization, this is not an option. You can’t just give up once you are miles into your hike. You have to keep going.

I have decided that this isolation makes it a bit easier to endure and mentally prepare. I cannot count how many times I have seen people suddenly decide they can’t “go on” the second they realize they can get a horse ride or helicopter out of the back country. Will and determination cannot compete against the quick fix.

5. Swallow your pride. You will be sore, sweaty and dirty. Who cares - so is everybody else (except me!) Pride will destroy you before anything Mother Nature can throw at you!

Just remember, you can go anything you set your mind to, as long as you keep it real!

Tags: Gand Canyon Hiking, Grand Canyon Backpacking, Grand Canyon National Park, Mental preparation for backpacking, mental preparation for wilderness trips, mental preparation fro hiking, Yosemite backpakcing, Yosemite Hiking, Yosemite National Park
Posted in Backpacking & Hiking, Health & Fitness | No Comments »

Creosote - the Oldest Plant In America

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

This month’s desert plant is one that everyone living in the Arizona desert should be very familiar with, especially during the rainy spring we have had so far this year. It is the Creosote bush, also known as Chaparral, Greasewood and with the Latin name Larrea tridentate.

The reason I say that all of us Arizona desert dwellers should be familiar with this plant this rainy spring is because it is the Creosote that you smell when it rains here in the Sonoran Desert.

Creosote is one of the first desert plants to bloom in the spring season and is starting to bloom right now. You can identify it by it’s small half inch in diameter yellow flowers and seeds that look like little white fuzzy balls. The leaves are dark green with a waxy texture about a quarter inch long. The bush can grow up to eight feet tall but is usually 3 to 4 ft tall.

This is such an amazing plant that I don’t feel like I am experienced enough in my “blogging” career to give it its due respect, but I am going to try my best. The creosote bush is a survivor. It is the longest living plant in the United States with a specimen found in California that has been dated to be over 13,000 years old.

Living this long as a desert plant should give you a hint that the medicinal benefits of this plant must be extraordinary. The native tribes of the southwest have used creosote to treat any illness. Putting a sprig of the herb in the drinking water was almost used the same way we use a multivitamin in our society today. It can be used for any flu or virus that may be going around. It is antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic and antiviral. It can be used as an excellent hair, nail and blood building tonic. It is also a liver stimulant which makes it an excellent companion with milk thistle for detox (in small doses. excess may be counterproductive). Creosote has a his(or her)story of native uses for colds, cough, parasites, arthritis, tumors, antiseptic and blood purifiers.

Now, using such an amazing medicinal plant sometimes comes with a price. Creosote’s price is it’s flavor. It has a very strong medicine taste. Herbalist Michael Moore calls the tea nearly undrinkable. He also says that if you like the taste you need professional counseling. I happen to like it, but I drink very week infusions of the tea so to me it just tastes like a desert rain. So, if you are taste sensitive I would suggest using a sweetener such as stevia or honey. This is an amazing plant to have in your medicine cabinet and I encourage anyone who is interested in botanical medicine to further research our friend the creosote bush.

Herbalist Trent Siever 22672_283987682441_782927441_4387647_1482191_s1

Tags: Chaparral, Creosote Bush, Greasewood, medicial desert plants, Sonoran Desert plants
Posted in Arizona Stuff, Health & Fitness | 1 Comment »

Fitness Rating Scale - Where are You?

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

At least once in your life you have had to rate yourself - pick up a Cosmo or Men’s Health if you haven’t.

You are asked to rate yourself on scales of 1 to 10 how attractive you are, how you rate as a spouse, how you rate in your knowledge of American Idol (I would be a 1 by the way), and how you rate in bed (9.34).

Anyway, this blog is about how you might rate your fitness level on a scale of 1 to 10. You never know, you might just be asked (especially if you plan on going on a trip with Just Roughin’ It).

Quite honestly, as a fitness educator, I occasionally ask my students to rate themselves. It is very interesting to see how people perceive fitness and where they stand.

Take a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being a couch potato and 10 being an Olympic athlete. Now think about what activities you engage in a on weekly basis. Where would you rate yourself? Much will depend on the micro society around you. If the people around you consider walking the mall three times a week as intense physical activity and thus rate themselves a 6, then running 3 times a week may very well make you feel like a 10. On the other hand, people who really do a lot of intense physical activity; marathons, triathlons, college sports, may consider themselves merely a 6 since they know the difficulty in becoming a 10.

Anyway, here is a good way to figure this all out and the idea came from one of our guests - Troy L. I tweaked what he proposed a bit to apply to more than just hiking. Also, this is a guideline. If what you do is not listed below, figure out its equivalent.

1 - Couch Potato

2 - Overweight Scoutmaster or Golfer (who rides in a cart from hole to hole)

3 - Window Shopper/Mall Walker

4 - Golfer (who walks and carries clubs from hole to hole, insert Tiger Woods joke here)

5 - Weekend Warrior (you only partake in physical activities on weekends and nothing during the week)

6 - Gym Member (that actually uses the membership, and then uses it 5 days per week to work out an hour at a time, not to get a date)

7 - Participates(ed) in college/high school sports and continues the same intense regimen or runner/triathlete/cyclist (1/2 marathons or short distance triathlons)

8 - Marathon Runner, Triathlete, Cyclist (longer distances and participate in organized local races)

9 - Pro Athlete

10 - Olympic Athlete

Obviously this is arbitrary and has its gray areas (so please no comments that a pro athlete should also be a 10), but hopefully it gives a bit more guidance on where you stand if you were to compare yourself to a pro athlete.

The sad reality of this situation is the majority of Americans are between a 1 and 3. On the other side of the scale, only about 1 percent of the population (and I am being generous) is a 7, 8, 9 or 10. So the rest of you who stay physically active to improve or maintain health, feel good, stay lean, or whatever the reason, you are between a 4 and 6 and that will allow you to participate in many other activities and adventures, with the right training and preparation of course.

Tags: level of fitness rating scale, rate your athletic ability
Posted in Health & Fitness | 2 Comments »

United States “Acts” to Entice Foreign Visitors

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

There has been much scuttlebutt about the newly signed Travel Promotion Act of 2009 that was signed by President Obama March 4, 2010.

OK, so there hasn’t been huge debates about this except in the world of blogging where someone hears about yet another tax and has to use the web to voice opinions without doing some research. For this particular case, it took a few extra minutes of reading. While my opinion may appear biased by the fact that I am part of the travel industry, I am also a foreign policy historian who studies real international injustices, of which this is not.

When I first heard of the Act and that foreign travelers coming into the US would be charged a $10 fee (if they are not already paying $131 for a visa) I thought, “How is that going to encourage people to want to travel to the US?” And that is a valid concern, especially since the European Union is a tad upset by this fee and foreign travel is a huge part of the United States’ economy.

However, looking at the current statistics for foreign travel to the United States since before 9/11, the loss of money coming into the US from foreign travelers is astonishing. Considering the US is a service oriented country and one that makes billions on travel, this is an important concern, especially when we are not the fat cats we were just a few years ago.

In 2009 alone, the US saw 2.4 million fewer visitors than in 2000 and this is not due to 9/11. Every country that is at risk of a terrorist attack has heightened airport security (except Amsterdam as recent events have demonstrated), which means every airport is a pain in the a** to deal with. And in a time when it is ideal for foreign travelers to come to the US for cheaper travel, the numbers just are not there.

The Travel Promotion Act is supposed to do exactly as it says - to promote the United States as a travel destination. In 2005, the European Union spent $800 million in travel promotion while the US spent $0.

Everyone has heard of us, so why should we have to promote or “advertise.” Well, most people 21 and over (and younger) have heard of Budweiser and yet, they spend millions per year to advertise their product. The US needs to do the same (yes, I do understand that this will not include a bunch of TV commercials enticing people to come to the US). Not only will it create jobs, it will help save jobs and it does not cost US tax payers any money. Yes, it does cost foreign travelers money but before you scoff, take a look at the fees US travelers pay out when traveling abroad. This is called a “departure tax” and the amount varies for each country. Typically it is hidden in airline fees, so just because it is not itemized when you buy your ticket, it is there.

One last note before providing the link so you can look at the information for yourself…several naysayers forgot to consider, or maybe didn’t know, that the funding from this Act is not all from the $10 fee. Funding will be coming from the private sector as well.

Sources: www.ustravel.org; DPC; www.opencongress.org

Tags: departure tax, Travel Promotion Act 2009
Posted in Special Series | 2 Comments »