Introduction

Hi, my name is David, and I will be your host in this section.		 Basic Equipment
14 Essentials Checklist
What's New
    Let me begin by introducing one of my partners. Bill is responsible for the technical side of this site (he's the webmaster), as well as accompanying me on many of these hikes. If you run into any problems with the site, he's the one to give a holler to.
   Let's get my own saying about visiting points of interest. If I can drive there, I will; If I have to mountain bike there, I will; And if I can't get there by the first two means of transportation, then I'll walk. I will hike almost anywhere to take in either an 'awesome panorama' or admire the beauty and serenity of a high mountain lake.>

   For example, when driving around Lake Tahoe, one encounters many great views of this beautiful body of water, but to me none compare with the vista from the top of Mt. Tallac. The vastness of Lake Tahoe when viewed next to Fallen Leaf Lake, the beauty and seclusion of Emerald Bay, and the ruggedness of the Desolation Wilderness Area behind you make this an AP (awesome panorama) that is well worth hiking to. Everyone in the Reno-Tahoe area should experience this spectacle at least once.

   In the end though, hiking is an individual sport and each person has to find their own reason to do it. In my hiking segment, I will simply inform you of worthwhile places that I have hiked to, and give some personal tips to hopefully make your hike more comfortable and enjoyable.
Basic Equipment Top of page
So now you are going to start hiking and want to know what equipment you'll need. I believe that comfort leads to enjoyment so concentrate on three areas; boots, packs, and for overnight camping, sleeping equipment.
Boots
Since your feet take most of the abuse, they should be the number one priority. Buy good quality boots, and make sure that they fit perfectly. Vasque, Asolo, Danner, One Sport, and others all make good boots. Go shopping in the afternoon,when your feet are naturally swollen, and try several pair on. Have a qualified salesman help you, but don't settle for anything less than a perfect fit. I have a pair of Salomon Authentic 6's that I recommend. After buying your boots, pick up some socks. Thorlo, Smartwool, and Wigwam Ultimax are all good socks.
Packs
This choice really depends on what kind of hiking you are going to do. For day hikes I would recommend either a rucksack-type of pack with water bottle holders on the side, or a large fanny pack, like I use, with TWO water bottle holders. If I don't have to take much equipment, the fanny pack seems to be much more convenient and comfortable. For overnight camping one has to decide between external and internal frame packs. All of my friends use external frame packs, but this year I may try an internal type. People who use them seem to feel that they are more comfortable than external frames.
Sleeping Equipment
Lack of sleep can ruin a good hiking trip. For a mattress, use a self-inflating type such as Thermarest. Trust me, those cheap foam ridge-type mattresses are almost worthless. I sleep in a Northface down bag that has a rating of 10 degrees. I like down because it's not only lighter to carry, but seems to be more flexible if you are tossing and turning. Don't laugh but I also carry an inflatable pillow. I have tried rolling up jackets and stuffing clothes into a bag, but nothing comes close to this pillow. There is obviously a lot more equipment that you'll need, but if you are comfortable while walking and sleeping, and your body is not stressed out carrying an ill fitting pack, then I figure you will at least be able to enjoy this sport until the other equipment gaps are filled in.
14 Essentials Checklist Top of page
I have read many hiking articles where the author mentions the list of 10 essential items that everyone should include in their backpack. There is a lightweight gear home page though that lists 14 items that I found convenient to print out and keep with me. I will simply list these 14 essentials. For more details on each item click on this link. I don't take all this equipment on every hike, but it is nice to have a list to check and see if I have forgotten anything that I did want to pack.
  1. Map
  2. Compass
  3. Flashlight
  4. Food
  5. Extra Clothes
  6. Sunglasses
  7. First-aid kit
  1. Pocket knife
  2. Waterproof matches
  3. Firestarter
  4. Water/Filter
  5. Whistle
  6. Insect Repellent
  7. Sunscreen
What's New Top of page

Sice we started this site in the 90's, we've had many visitors, and we hope we've enlightened and helped at least some of you. Since we're not hiking much these days, we're not activeley adding to this site. This is where you come in. We've decided to open this site to others who would like to contribute their hiking experiences for others to enjoy and learn from. If you'd like to help in this endeavor, plaese go here.

As such we've changed the name of the site from hiking-world.com (Dave's Hiking World) to highsierrahiking.com.

We've kept some of the old features, and updated others (we've replaced the old bulletin board system with a forum).

We hope you enjoy the new site.

-Dave & Bill
Any questions, problems, or comments, please email webmaster@highsierrahiking.com
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