Planning the Hike

Planning any hike needs to take various factors into consideration. Choosing the route is one. Making sure everyone knows the route is another. Lets add in some more variables, and see where that takes us:

What is your hiking speed?

Knowing how fast you personally hike is good, but it does nothing to help plan for a group. Unless everyone in the group hikes together often, you have to generalize. Two (2) miles per hour is a good base speed for hiking in a group. Remember that weather can slow you down, and so will elevation. Specifically, you will slow down as you get to higher altitudes. Ice and snow can make you crawl (literally) so make sure to factor in extra time for that. Finally, the weight of your pack will make a difference, so the more days out, the more weight.

One more thing about hiking speed: faster is not better. Just like in a car, moving faster is less efficient, so you will burn more energy by hiking faster. Especially true in winter hiking, with less energy, your body will get colder at night. Also, the faster you hike the more likely to will sweat. If you are sweating when you stop for the night, you are at much higher risk of hypothermia. As Les Stroud often states, “You sweat, you die.”

As in everything, balance is the key, so you do not want to go too slow, either.

Sde note: check out the Rest Step for uphill hiking. Takes discipline, but it works. This is survival, not a race (well, maybe the human race.)

When is Sunrise / Sunset?

Knowing the time for sunrise and sunset are the basis for determining when to do things, assuming you want to do them in the daylight. When determining when to make camp, how long to gather firewood, etc. sunset is what you need to pay close attention to. You can do a search on the Internet to find out the sunrise and sunset times for various days, or even check the Farmer’s Almanac, but here is the thing: sunset is not when gets dark. In fact, here are some definitions relating to sunset that you should be aware of:

• Sunset is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon as a result of the Earth’s rotation.
• Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise, and the time between sunset and dusk.
• Civil Twilight: Morning civil twilight begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6° below the horizon (the point of civil dawn), and ends at sunrise. Evening civil twilight begins at sunset and ends when the center of the sun reaches 6° below the horizon (the point of civil dusk).
• Nautical Twilight is the time when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon. In general, nautical twilight is the point where navigation via the horizon at sea is no longer possible.
• Astronomical Twilight is the time when the center of the sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon. In general, the end of astronomical twilight is the point where the sky no longer illuminated by the sun and is dark enough for all astronomical observations.

So you see, the questions “what time is sunset” and “when does it get dark” are not the same thing. That being said, if camp is setup and firewood is gathered before sunset, you are good to go.

When to rest?

Finally, factors like planned rest stops, rally points, and lunch need to be considered, especially if not everyone is hiking at the same speed. Again, we are assuming daylight hiking, and that you are using the buddy system if the group splits up.

Rest stops are more of a time based concept. Plan something to the effect of a 5 or 10 minute break every 30 to 60 minutes. What these are not good for is getting everyone “caught up.” This is due to the fact that what will happen is that the faster hikers will stop and wait for the slower hikers, and when the slower hikers finally catch up, the faster hikers will want to leave too soon for the slower hikers to rest. Instead of the “catch up” everyone can just rest where they are. For catching up we have rally points. Also, hikers should have enough time to do things like drop their pack, change socks, etc. You should not feel rushed, as this is relaxation time.

Rally points are just that, a place where you wait for everyone to reach (rally together.) You always have planned them, even if it is just when and where to meet to start the hike. On the trail, it is a good idea to have rally points at the more critical points, such as a fork on the map or a technical obstacle. this insures that no one get stuck or lost. Also, water sources are a good rally point, as it allows everyone to purify and refill.  The biggest thing here is to wait, wait, and keep waiting. You do not leave until everyone arrives. If you feel that it is taking too long for everyone to catch up, it is time to double-back and find them. If you have radios, even better. Then you just wait.

As for lunch, a scenic rally point is always a good idea. Personally, I like to snack while hiking, but again we are planning for a group, so it is a good idea to work this in, if needed.

Now, it is obvious that we are not discussing land navigation here, but rather the logistic of a group of hikers. Orienteering skills are essential to a successful hike, as are actually having a map and compass. Many times I have heard the tail of getting lost in the woods and having to spend an extra night. Many times without food or warmth. You will need to plan for these things, as well, but that is for a different post.