5 Hiking Etiquette Rules

There comes a time with every activity that you embrace, when you must also embrace the rules - spoken and unspoken. So after a few searches, I synthesized five rules that apply to my situation. I am only a local day hiker, don't own a dog, and don't backpack. However, if I want to be an example to other day hikers, I'd better follow my version of "Miss Manners 5 Hiking Etiquette Rules" for novices.

1. When taking a break, step to right the side of the trail to allow others to pass by unobstructed. (But don't go too far. You don't want to widen the trail.)
2. Hikers going downhill yield to those hiking uphill. ( I never knew that).
3. Stay on the trail and avoid widening. (I was a wanderer... so now I'm better.)
4. When hiking in a group, hike single file and allow others to pass. (This makes sense.)
5. When passing, pass on the left and announce yourself "Passing on your left." (For someone who is directionally challenged, I invariably move to the left and cause massive confusion. I think I'll get better with practice.)

Backyard Iris - Lovely!

My family added another rule for me:

6. Don't hike alone. (Good advice!)

Hike # 8: Urban Hike

Anger is a great motivator ... especially in the neighborhood! Harness the power! My best time yet...

Endomondo stats:
Distance: 4.27 miles
Duration 1 hr 9 min
Average speed: 3.7 mph
Average pace: 16 min/mile

Hike # 7: Boise Foothills

After living in Boise for 20 years, who knew there were so many hiking trails? Apparently everyone but me! I think I may be able to complete my 60 hikes between Boise and McCall. There seems to be enough trails. My Memorial Day hike started with my daughter, son-in-law, and grand-doggie. We headed toward Table Rock and decided to take the Castle Rock trail. It was less crowded and I was unaware that Boise even had a Castle Rock. So we decided to check it out!

Although this hike was short, it did get me huffing and puffing a little with it's elevation change. A daring 400 feet! (I know... but, I'm still an out-of-shape novice.) I have to admit that the sites were worth it. Beautiful blooming cacti....

And a gorgeous view at the top!

Apparently that area is sacred to the Native Americans who once inhabited it. I got my history lesson from a rock...

Just shy of 1 hour, we finished that trail and landed at a beautiful park. But I wanted more... so we headed off  across the parking lot and picked up the Old Pen trail. This trail takes hikers behind Boise's Old Penitentiary. It went straight up, another 400 feet.

Huffing and puffing and moving a little slower this time, we were rewarded with another beautiful view of the Treasure Valley.

We chose to leave the Table Rock trail for another day. So we headed back to the car and had lunch at the Lucky 13. Pizza and beer - what way to end a hike!

Today's Stats:
Distance: 3.20 miles
Duration: 1 hr 45 min
Average Pace: 33 minutes/mile (I told you I was slow..)

Hike # 6: Too Cool For Words!

What a great day! My best hike yet started here..

Boise Greenbelt
SE mile marker 2.3
at Park Center

My daughter and I chose to hike a part of the Greenbelt instead of the Boise Foothills, because of the winds. It was more protected there and to be honest - I had never really "hiked" the Greenbelt. I did take a stroll once with a friend (on a blistering hot August day), but other than that, this was unknown territory to me... especially the eastern part, close to Park Center.

Here, my daughter led me to the Bethine Church River Trail ...

no bikes allowed! Only runners and walkers (or in my case... hikers). Yes, that is the Boise River in the back ground. We followed it for 1.6 miles and it was lovely! When we came to the end of the trail (near Bowen Crossing), we turned around and headed back.

It is funny how when you back track on a trail, it looks completely different. In fact, sometimes you have such a different perspective, that you aren't sure you are on the same trail. Things look different in reverse. But from this reversed, backtracked perspective, I stumbled upon one of the greatest delights of my hiking career! And to think I completely missed this the with the first pass. Check this out...

Isn't she lovely? We watched her preen and clean herself, which definitely reduced my Endomondo Average Speed. But the reduction in time was soooo worth it! Am I right? Isn't this "too cool for words"? It was a great hike! I'll never forget Hike #6.

Today's Endomondo Stats:
Duration - 1:15.24
Distance - 4.1 miles
Avg Speed - 3.19 mph
Avg Pace - 18:48 min/mile

Loved every minute of it!

Hike # 5: Things Don't Always Go As Planned

I was really looking forward to my Mother's Day Weekend hike! It would be # 5 and if I was lucky, I would also complete Hike # 6. At this point in my pursuit of 60 Hikes at 60, I was challenged by the increased distances I achieved on previous hikes and the increased speed was also a motivator.  I was sure that Hike # 5 would be my best time yet, and I was sure that I would make it an even 5 miles - my longest distance yet! That is why I choose the Crown Point Trail in Cascade.

Finding this hike on the Cascade Chamber of Commerce website, it was described as  2.5 miles of easy, level hiking along the edge of Cascade Lake. Because it also said "handicapped accessible", my 89 year old mother-in-law wanted to join me. In fact, she insisted! (As a German-American, she knows how to insist. I think she was trained in effective/persistent insisting.) Not wanting to disappoint her (after all it was Mother's Day weekend), I said "Sure. We'll take it easy and slow." So off we went...

without water, without walking sticks, without hats, (and in her case) without proper walking shoes or clothing layers. Yes, off we went - totally unprepared for the 85 degree weather and nothing but sunshine. See the trees in this picture? They were the only ones we saw!  By the time we walked 5 minutes - they were gone and we were in direct sunlight for an entire half mile. Thirty-five minutes later, we sat down at the first bench we found.

It was a lovely site... sitting on the bench - after walking at an agonizingly slow pace for 35 minutes ... traveling a mere half mile. But I had to let it go. My poor mother-in-law was hot, sweaty, and hardly able to talk because her throat was so parched. I realized that I had just put her health at risk and we had to turn back.

So... we did an about face, and headed back to the car. By the time we reached the car, we had walked 1 mile in 75 minutes. Not bad for a 89 year old woman, who had 2 hip replacements last year!

Lesson's learned:
1) be prepared (for me that means to remember to take water, my walking stick, and a hat)
2) make sure your walking partner is prepared
3) don't hike with my mother-in-law (No matter how much she insists that her loafers are real walking shoes, or that her shirt is just fine, or that she doesn't need water because it is too heavy or that she can make it because she walks 20 minutes a day on the treadmill, or that her German heritage makes her a natural born hiker. Just don't take her! Walk around the block in the neighborhood and save the hikes for someone else.)

Hike # 4 North Valley Rail Trail - North

Sunday, May 5th was a new day... and a new hiking adventure. Instead of heading "South" on my newly discovered "back yard trail", I chose to head "North".

This time I saw 2 other fellow hikers - a boy on a mountain bike (who almost ran me over), and a lost woman with a German shepherd - gotta love Idaho!

The trail north, took me past the Activity Barn (a Valley County staple of winter activities, including tubing and cross country skiing). This time of year, the Activity Barn is better known for the Sandhill Cranes, Western Mountain Bluebirds, Meadow Larks, and other song birds that inhabit the meadows and creeks that flow through the property. During my hike, I was serenaded by the best song birds in the state!

The trail north paralleled Moonridge Street, which I found very comforting after yesterday's hike! Lovely scenery  non-the-less.

A fun surprise awaited me at the half way point in my hike. Just before I transitioned into the River Ridge Estates, I found this curious site. I decided to open the box and to my delight, I found a "Registry" of  hikers that walked the North Valley Rail Trail! I was so happy to add my name to the list... after all, I am now an official "hiker"!

1 hour and 34 minutes later, I was back at the cabin. Hike # 4 was 4.86 miles, can you believe it? I was stunned, pleased, and felt so refreshed. I think I have found my "thing".

Hike # 3 North Valley Rail Trail - South

It was May 4th. My husband and I made our way to our cabin in McCall, Id. After taking a "walk around the block", I discovered something called "Valley County Pathways". It was a trail that I had never previously discovered, and it was in our own back yard - so to speak. The trail cut across a meadow, past a "pond" and wound through a wooded area. So the next day, I looked for appropriate walking shoes. I had purchased some Cabella's Hiking Shoes a few years previously (and had never broken them in), and a walking stick (picked up from the Roseberry Craft Fair) a few year's earlier. I decided that Saturday was the day to venture off on my first hike... ALONE!

At 59 years old, 4'11" in stature, I was terrified! What if I met up with some bears? aggressive elk? cougar?   Or worse... what if I was... you know assaulted? The thoughts taunted me and tried to drive me into submission - "Don't go!", screamed my insecure self. But armed with my walking stick, my false sense of  courage, my 59 year old "Moxie", and my cell phone ( with GPS running) - I chose to face the challenge.

I started at section of the North Valley Rail Trail. Not knowing what that meant, I decided to look it up when I returned from the hike. There were no maps, and I had no idea where I was headed or how long I was to hike. But the trail beckoned me.. and off I went.

According to Endomondo, I walked 3.8 miles in 1:16 minutes. A record! It was a spectacular achievement, when you consider I got lost. Thank goodness for GPS navigation.  I hit a section of the trail where I crossed a gravel road. To go further, would lead me further south and God knows where! So I chose to turn left, stay on the gravel road, and let my GPS navigation direct me as though I was in a car.

It was scary, but exhilarating at the same time. I walked past farm houses I never knew existed, fields I had never seen, ponds that were an unexpected surprise to me, and pasture lands filled with prairie dogs who chased each other with complete joy on a warm spring day. It was awesome!

By the time I made it back to the cabin, my arches were killing me (no more Cabella's 2010 sale hiking boots), my cell phone photos were fuzzy (sure wish I could have posted the pond shots), and my taunting thoughts were glad I made it back alive (after having to hike past threatening signs "Private Property. No Trespassing", even though my GPS said it was the right way home.) But I have to say... at the end of the day, I was proud of myself and slept well that night knowing that I had hiked the longest to date - almost 4 miles.

A New Tool

So... I was working at a convention with my co-worker and we began talking about my 60 hikes. Due to the fact that I was trekking between the hotel and convention center daily, I considered counting my daily excursions as an "Urban Hike" in Charlotte, NC. Needless to say, it was more of a training exercise than a hike, so I decided that would be cheating.

The great thing that came out of that trip, was the discovery of Endomondo...my first tool to track my hikes. I'm sure there are others out there, but this app on my phone was really helpful on Hike #2. I found out how long the hike was, my speed, the elevation changes, other fun facts; but the best was a map of my hike! Maybe I'll figure out how to upload that info to this blog, but for the time being - I'm a fan! Can't wait to use it up in McCall , ID this weekend... stay tuned for Hike #3/60. (I do wonder if I am going to make it at this rate, but maybe things will pick up.)