Live long and hike! Monterrey's hiking guru offers tips for beginners
-
Loading... - Nicola Collins
- 15 Dec 2021
- 691 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
When hiker Alejandro González recently published his guide to hiking in Mexico, Vive y Camina (Live and Hike), the founder of Bakpak Magazine’s goal wasn’t so much to organize excursions for already experienced hikers but rather to lure city folk out of the metropolis and into the woods.
He also wanted to leave them with such good feelings about their experience that they would happily come back for many more hikes thereafter.
“There are many things in life that we take for granted,” says González, who is also the founder of Bakpak Monterrery, one of the most active groups of senderistas (hikers and trekkers) in northeastern Mexico. “A sky of blue, a meadow, a tree. But the very fact that we can see these things at all is magic, the very fact that we can walk on two legs without falling flat on our faces, is magic.”
“If we demonstrate the value of nature,” he says, “if we teach it well, in such a way that people have fun and enjoy the experience, it generates a link between them and nature, and this link will be of inestimable value in absolutely everything they will ever do.”
This is truly a noble undertaking in a society where the younger generation would often happily keep their eyes glued to a smartphone 24 hours a day if they could get away with it.
The trick is that enticing city slickers of any age to follow a trail into the unknown could go terribly wrong. If, at the end of their first such experience, they come home utterly wiped out, chewed on by gnats, covered in poison ivy and walking on blisters, it’s a sure thing that they’ll never go on a second hike — and down the line, they will probably make sure their children won’t either. Hence this book.
“Be prepared!” is definitely the right motto for anyone about to walk into the woods, and here, González shares his hard-won experience and discoveries about proper hiking gear with those willing to follow him out of their comfortable homes and into the fascinating forests, mountains, deserts, canyons and jungles that Mexico is famed for:
Footwear
So far, no one has ever shown up for one of my hikes wearing high heels but, yes, a few people have arrived wearing flip-flops.
Now, I admit that I once met a campesino (farmer) who led us up to a cave atop a steep hill wearing flip-flops while all of us cavers had proper hiking boots. On top of that, Don Ginio was swinging a machete the entire time, clearing the way for the rest of us — and guess who had problems keeping up with whom!
Nevertheless, González lays forth solid arguments for going out and buying proper hiking boots if you want to get the most benefit from your exploration of the great outdoors.
“Boots give stability to every step and the best protection you can get for your ankles. They can keep your feet dry in rain and snow and allow you to move safely over rocks and thorns. A good boot is a prueba de todo — everything-proof.”
In addition to good hiking boots, says González, you should also think about getting socks specifically made for hiking. “Blisters can be the result not only of bad shoes but also the wrong kind of socks.”
In my opinion, those “right kind of hiking socks” are the ones made of merino wool. Wool has the amazing ability to keep you warm even when it’s wet. You can demonstrate its wonderful moisture-wicking power by putting your hand inside a damp woolen sock.
After five minutes you will notice that the moisture has moved to the outside of the sock and your hand is dry. Read More…
