SMART GUIDE TO HIKING & BACKPACKING - Softcover

The Smart Guide to Hiking and Backpacking shows you all the ins and outs of this wonderful activity. Designed for the afternoon hiker and the seasoned veteran alike, this guide will fully arm hikers and backpackers that want to savor the local trails, National Parks, mountains, prairies and tundra with all the information they need. This guide explains how to have fun, be safe, comfortable and enjoy the magnificent, natural country you find when you hike. This handy guide shows you step by step everything you need for all climates, terrains and more. It provides incredible insights about reading maps and elevations, estimating distances and using a compass, the sun and more to make your journey a snap. First aid wisdom to stay safe, save lives and treat burns, tetanus, blisters, bites and stings are included. This guide will make you a hiking and backpacking pro from A to Z: How to prepare for any trail - everything you need to know Buying the right gear from footwear to backpacks, sleeping bags, tents and cooking gear Tips that will help you prepare for everything from fun to crisis to emergency Finding your way with maps, guides, compass, the sun and stars and GPS The best food - menus, easy-prep foods, optimal serving sizes to fill you up without weighing you down With this handy guide, you’ll enjoy every square mile from the county park to the great National Parks from Alaska to Maine to Florida to California. The Smart Guide to Hiking and Backpacking will help you master how to trek the local, beaten paths and chart the uncharted - those special trails that take you where the road doesn’t.