Hiking Q&A

I'm a bit of a hiker myself, but I live in Oregon, where it's cold and wet. General tips I can give any fellow hiker:

Wear 2 pairs of socks, it helps prevent blisters. They make really thin socks that are made just for hiking. Some of them are made from material that helps keep your feet from getting all sweaty.

Bring Extra socks.

Take some extra gear with you, just in case. I always bring a flashlight, even if the hike will be over before it gets dark, you never know what might happen. I also take matches, a GOOD pocket knife (not those cheap swiss army things) one of the $0.99 rain ponchos, compass, a glow-stick, extra snacks, extra water, etc... It sounds like alot of stuff, but trust me there are times when it comes in handy.

Carry a pistol. I don't/won't go camping/hiking without one. I've encountered both bear and cougar while hiking, not to mention some strange people that I didn't like the look of. If anything bad happens to you out there, you're a long way from the nearest cop. You need to be able to take care of yourself...

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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Also, a good way to filter water is just get your shirt wet and then wring it out

I do NOT recomend this... unless you want to get beaver feaver...

They make speacal filters for hiking and camping, or you can boil the water (to kill anything in it) if you have a stove. Those are the best ways to make sure your water is OK. Running water, like from a river or stream, is suposed to be safer than standing water (such as that from a pond or lake), but I'd still be careful are use the filter...

Edited to add:

For those of you who doen't know what Beaver Fever is:

http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile10.stm

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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THE HELL? She's going with a tourguide down to the Colorado, I am assuming. Believe me - I DOUBT she'll need a gun.

She probably won't need any emergancy gear, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea to have it...

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If you really insist on bringing a gun Alice, have your husband carry it? PLEASE? ;_;

Wow, thats the most sexist thing I've heard all week.

Again, it's been my experiance that going out in the middle of nowhere without a pistol is a BAD idea...

Now, I'm not saying that just ANYBODY should carry a pistol, you should have some experiance with guns if you're going to pack one around with you. However I do encourage campers/hikers to gain that experiance and to then carry a gun...

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Unless you're talking about warding off animals for protection? In which case, you'd have QUITE the issue on your hands if you shot a wild animal on national land.

True, but I'd rather have some legal issues to deal with than be injured or killed by a wild animal...

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Whoa, settle down people...

How the hell am I suposed to know what Alice's level of experiance is? For all I know she could be very knowlegdeable. Also, being in the millitary doesn't make you a gun expert. They don't train everyone how to use a pistol...

Also, who is to say that they both can't carry a gun?

Moving on, I assumed that your comment meant that you wouldn't trust a woman with a gun.

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You know, there are OTHER WAYS of warding off wild, hungry animals other than SHOOTING TO KILL.

True, however they don't always work, and there are also 2-legged animals (aka humans) to worry about...

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AND IMAGINE. I'M FEMALE!

Again, how was I suposed to know that?

I was speaking idiomatically.