Teaching Materials

Route Planning

How do you make your own route? This is a very complicated process and even harder to answer as there is so many things that need to be considered when deciding where to go on the trail.

The best place to start is often to see what options there are that other people have already made and done. This is a great use for sites such as AllTrails, and google searches of the area. Both of these can give you a detailed idea of what is in the area that you want to go to. The next part is to study the map and just start adding sections together and see what comes out before you decide on what you want to do. This part may sound weird and unproductive however this is a good way to see what the terrain is like in the location you choose. These are not meant to be the final route at all, just ideas of the mountains, and terrain that you are planning to do.

Now that you have an idea of the area it is now time to review the planning basic questions. Does it seem like you can follow these questions and accomplish your goals in this location. If so great keep moving forward, however if not you need to find somewhere new.

Now that you have a valid location it is time for you to make a route. thigs to consider are

• Camping locations

• Length

• Type of trail (loop, out and back, hybrid)

• Group strengths

• water crossings

• Trailheads in and out

• Permit constraints and details to obtain

• rough itinerary

• elevation changes, and high/ low points

• Bailout options

• How many days

With these you can make a high level plan, this is just an idea of where you are going to go. At this point there is likly no real route just points that you want to hit that you can connect in the next step. These labels that you should have at this point are

• Trailhead in

• Trailhead out

• Main sites to visit (lakes, mountain passes, peaks)

• Any premade camps along the way

With these you can connect them together and make your route. Take time to see multiple routes to the same location, the shortest may not be the easiest way there if you need to take a huge climb. Longer often means that there may be less elevation in many cases when going around a mountain shoulder. Chose the route that is the desired option for the trip, may take a few options to decide. Hard choices are often needed, as we cant always do everything, some wanted sites to see may need cut as they are not possible for the trip.

Now that you have refined the trail to the one that you would like to do, make sure it is possible. Check trail conditions, river crossings, weather, permit regulations. All of these could be reasons that you need to check the route. If nothing needs changed you now have the route, otherwise repeat the necessary portions till it works.

Mapping tools:

There are an endless number of tools that you can use when creating a route. All of these have advantages and disadvantages. Some of these are online tools and some are paper tools but the same rules apply.

What are they:

1. GPS devices

- Stand-alone navigation tools

- Can upload routes to device

- Made for this use

2. CalTopo, Gaia gps, Alltrails

- Online mapping software

- Have some premade routes

- Allow to make any possible route for uploading

- Simple to use

- Some require paid subscriptions $$$$

3. Others

- SNOtell

Gives snow and water information

- Various wilderness agencies have park maps online

Advantages:

· Accuracy

o Provide location within 30 feet (exact)

o Can make navigation much easier

o Can track your movements

o Can tell coordinates

· Terrain legibility

o Zoom in on details

o Shows and elevation profile you will hike

o Can show topographical, road, and satellite maps

· Shows more information/ options

o Often label camps, and cities

o Clearly labels what is around you

o Special features

- Barometer

- Digital compass (not reliable)

- Touchscreen

- Data sharing

Disadvantages:

· Distractions

o Music

o Games

o Videos, movies, tv shows

o These pull you away from the nature and possibly the group

o (can be beneficial in some cases however group should be the priority)

· Availability of information

o Out of GPS range

o Did your device die

o Slow/ weak connections

· Needs a battery

o Adds weight and items to your bag (heavy)

o Needs to be treated carefully

o Can only be used for the one thing

Map and compass:

- This is still a very important skill that will still be used on the trail, in many situations. It is the only source of navigation that is always reliable when done properly.

- Highly recommended to take on trail even if you have a GPS

- Map knowledge is still needed to read the information on a location device

- Essential scouting skill

- Multiple requirements

Layering

Layering is a clothing system that allows for you to have lighter clothes, while staying warm and dry. This is a crucial skill to know how to do correctly as when done properly this can save lives. There are three base parts to layering a wicking layer, a thermal layer, and a protective layer. The name kind of gives away the use of each of them. This is because with more layers there are more gaps between clothes for them to capture and retain the warm air that your body is producing, keeping you warmer.

The wicking layer is used to pull the moisture away from your body, so that it is not on your skin. This is a synthetic material that will dry quickly and release the moisture. This is so the sweat you give off will not stay on your skin to make you cold. A thermal layer of long underwear is also good for this in colder weather so that you keep warmer as well

The thermal layer is where you have your jackets and sweats basically. There are many parts to this as one huge jacket wont do as well as many smaller ones. For this reason we say to have one puffy jacket made of synthetic materials and one thinner fleece jacket of you are in colder weather. This will let you wear the fleece with another on top. Using them in this way will allow you to get the benefit of both while if it warms you can remove one so you don't begin to sweat in them and get cold, as water under them will not go away.

The protective layer is like your windbreaker and your rain gear. This allowed you to stay dry ad to keep the wind from blowing your warm air out from the spaces between your clothes. If you don't do this the wind will take all the warmth away leaving you to the cold, and making you start the process all over again. Witch takes way more work for your body thus is not recommended.

NO COTTON COTTON KILLS!!!!! cotton does not dry out, it keeps its moisture

Sleep Systems

Your sleep system is a major part of your pack, this is what is responsible for keeping you warm at night. There are two major components of this system, Your sleeping bag and your sleeping pad, as well as a pillow if you chose to take one. Each of these have a couple of choices you need to make when deciding what style to use.

Moving in the snow

Snow can be a really slippery surface to hike on as it is very unstable at times. To reduce the risk of slipping or falling into the snow make sure to have a good firm step before you continue. There are a few ways to do this while you hike, the first is to avoid snow that is hard and icy as this often has a water or slippery surface coating that can be extremely slippery, and takes extra caution when crossing.

Other then the slippery surfaces when going on a hill in the snow it takes some extra care to not slide down and get soaking wet and covered in snow. When done properly you cam limit the snow that you have on your body. These are side hilling, toe holes, and heel driving. these help to traverse tricky snow sections that otherwise need to be gone around. These all work the best in softer but still firm snow so you can make sure that you still have a place strong enough to stand on in your step.

Side hilling:

When you are needing to cross a hill along its face and not go above or bellow. To do this you take the side of your foot and dig it into the snow this will allow you to keep your foot flat. Once it is dug in add your weight slowly then repeat the process as much as you can making a shelf almost to step on as you hike. This allows you to travel along the side of a snow slope without sliding down the face.

Toe holes:

These serve the same purpose as side hilling just when you are hiking up a slope instead. this process is almost the same as you are digging you toes in to make the shelf to stand on instead, this will allow you to keep your feet flat and prevent you from sliding back down the hill you are in the process of climbing.

Heel drives:

These work the same as the others but driving your heel into the snow on a down hill. This will force your foot to be flat in the hole in the snow. This method will keep you from loosing control and sliding down the hill. It is recommended to keep your weight on your back foot until you are ready to commit to the step witch is the case in all snow hiking.

Tools:

There are some tools that are special to hiking in the snow if you choose to use them, or the conditions warrant them. These are some sort of traction device (cramp-ons, and micro spikes) along with an ice axe. These are most often used together in the harder icy snow sections to improve your traction on the snow. Or in more powdery conditions there are snow shoes that help to distribute your weight more evenly over the snow surface.

Safety

Safety on the trail is a major consideration. We don't want anyone to be hurt on the trail as well as many other things that go into the safety of a trip. I know that for many the idea that they are not in range of help quickly is a scary thing. Some parents worry the most while their scout is off for a week and they don't know where they are exactly. This is something that we try our best to plan for and mitigate. There are hundreds of points that go into being safe on the trail. We account for as many as we can by...

- Planning ahead

o Taking proper planning steps

o Don’t leave anything out

o Use multiple levels of planning (High altitude to low altitude)

o Follow planning sheets

o Write a formal plan

- Bailout options

o Plan for the worst case

o Know where you can cut the trip short when needed

o What constitutes a bail out?

- Injury

- Members falling out

- Personal issues

- Trip is not possible

- severe weather

- Training

o Physical preparedness for strenuous hiking

o Knowledge skills (TTFC)

o Difference between forgetting and choosing to leave out

- Not taking too much on

o Knowing your/ group limits

o Don’t push for anything that is out of reach

o Some trips are just to hard for scouts

o Get out of risky situations

- Familiarization with trip

o Study the plan

o Know all aspect of trail

o Anticipate what could go wrong?

- Wrong turns

- Weather windows

- High elevation

- Sections that could split the group

- Animal prevention

o Bear Muda triangle

o Proper food storage

o Don’t provoke wildlife

- Environmental considerations

o What is the weather forecast?

o High water flows

o Stream crossings

o Extreme heat

o Dry sections

o Sun exposure

o Snow/ cold rain

- Mitigating first aid need

o Well-fitting shoes

o Plan steps well

o Planning for the conditions

o Making sure people follow proper trail

o Risk ID process

- T.I.M.E.

- Train

- Identify

- Mitigate

- Evaluate

Fitness

Fitness is a major part of your enjoyment while you are on the trail. It is just as important to condition your body for the trail as it is to prepare your skills and gear. The more you prepare for the physicality of the trip before the easier it will be when you get there, and you can enjoy the trip as you can traverse the trail with relative ease. There are major parts to the fitness that you do need to make sure that you incorporate into your training, these are, cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility. For all of these, you need both strength and endurance in the respective discipline, as you need to be able to use the training for the course of the trip, and not struggle after the first couple of days.

Cardiovascular:

Cardio is the part of your training that will help the most with the distances that we will be hiking. This can be gained in a number of ways however there are benefits and drawbacks to all of them. The best ways for the trail are to be able to go on a run for about 4 miles and to walk with your pack on. This will prepare you for the pressure of walking on your feet for hours a day when you are on the trail. After these there are biking and swimming, these are lower impact but will increase your cardio endurance for the trail. Remember for cardio to set in it takes regular exercise as well as for at least 20 continuous minutes at a time.

Strength:

On the trail we need strength as well, it is common to need to be able to lift yourself using only one leg, and to climb over logs boulders, and large steps. The stronger you can make your body overall the better and easier these motions will be for you. You will need strength in your legs and core mostly however it is not uncommon to need some in your arms as well to help with pulling you up and around objects. Some of the best ways to gain the strength needed for these are through workout circuits that do a little of all three areas. Motions could include, lunges, push-ups, leg lifts, crunches, burpies, planks, and many more. There are an endless number of these circuits online that you can do t prepare yourself for the trail.

Flexibility:

This is the most commonly forgotten part of preparing physically for the trail. All the work you put in for your cardio and strength you should also be putting into stretches to help with your flexibility. This is just as important as the others as well, as there are many times where a large step or other motion is needed that requires you to stretch your body over the obstacle. Good stretches for something like this is to reach for your toes, hurdler stretches, figure four, opening the gate, butterfly, calf stretches, and hip stretches as well. You need to get all of these both on trail and before. It is highly recommended that you do these before and after we hike each day and with any prep exercises that you do before the trip.

Map and Compass

Map and compass is a skill that in necessary when you enter the back country, as the only reliable source of navigation that will always be there. Using a map and compass can be one of the more tricky skills that a scout needs to use on the trail, however it is vital to staying on the correct route and trail while on trail, and the safety of the trip.

Topographic maps

The most common type of map we use on the trail is a topographic map, as this gives us the most information about the area that we are in. These maps are hard to read when you are not used to them as there is lots of information that needs to be interpreted from them to properly understand the map.

Key information is given by:

• Contour lines

These are the lines that cover the entire map and on a first look are just random squiggly lines. However these have lots of extremely valuable information to be read from them. These lines tell you the elevation change of the terrain, each map has a contour interval or the vertical distance between two lines in the legend of the map. The most common interval for a trail map is 40 feet, meaning between two lines there is 40 feet of vertical travel. So the shorter the distance between two contour lines the steeper the terrain is, and the larger he distance the flatter the terrain is. This is important when you are looking at a trail on the map you can estimate how steep and long you will be climbing. The shape is also an important feature of these lines that is paired with the distance. The shape can tell you if you are traversing a ridge, or you are climbing a hill. A "V" Shape if often a gorge or canyon between two mountain sides, while a "n" or a fingernail shape is often a shoulder to the mountain that you need to climb. Circular shapes are either a raised or lowered section of the terrain, either a hill or a valley. Being able to read these shapes and patterns in the map is something that just needs practice, and time and in time you can read them quickly and easily. Speeding up the process of locating your position on the map.

• Streams

Streams on the map are indicated by a light blue line, along the route of the stream or river. These can be really good indicators of where you are along the route. Most of the streams indicated on the map by a solid line flow year round in good years, while one that is dotted may only flow seasonally or not at all.

• Lakes

lakes are shown with a blue path on the map and have a label contained within it. If the body of water shown does not have a name often times this is seasonal and may not contain water in the summer, or the water in it is not water that you would want to drink as it is stagnate in a small pond, these are called bogs. So when reading the map the larger the body of water is with a stream inlet and outlet the better.

• Trails

Trails are labeled on many maps so you can follow where you are going. These are where you should be hiking for most of the trip as they ensure you can find where you are much easier, As when off trail finding your exact location is a challenge. Most maps have trails labeled as main and secondary through colors or dashed and dotted lines. The biggest difference is that a secondary trail may not be maintained as mush as the primary trails, so choosing to use these may lead to a slightly rougher trail.

• Roads

Roads are labeled on the map and can be a good landmark to follow and use to orientate your map. Roads on the map follow the same rules as a trail however they are mapped as thicker solid lines on most maps unless they are a dirt road in witch case they are dotted double wide lines. This allows you to determine the difference between a road and a trail.

These are the most common things that you will see on a map however in many maps they label campsites, ranger stations, radio towers, water spigots, trail heads and other locations, so checking the legend of the map that you are using can tell you what all the symbols on that specific map mean as some differ by manufacturer.

Compass

Using a compass is the second part of being able to navigate in the back country, and is just as important as reading the map. A compass will allow you to orientate the map that you are using so that you can properly read it with the terrain that is around you.

The major parts of a compass are the needle that when held flat will always point to magnetic north, to help orientate your map, as well as the dial. The Dial on a compass should have the degrees along the perimeter for your declination and the doghouse to line up with north in the center.

Steps to orientate a map:

1. Hold your compass flat or place it on a flat surface

2. Line the needle up with the dog house on your compass dial

3. Locate the compass rose and declination on your map

4. Using the side of the doghouse, line the needle up with the declination off-set of the map

5. Double check the alignment and rotate the map as needed to ensure it is lined up with the north needle properly

Map Reading Lesson:

Topics:

- Contours

- Symbols

- Trails

- Navigation in surroundings

Contours

1. What do they show?

a. Shows the elevation change of an area

b. Has set intervals

c. Gives only a rough idea of elevation (is not exact as only shows set interval)

d. Can be confusing at first

2. Why are they important?

a. Help to understand the trail

b. Informs you on where you are going on the trail

3. What does the shape mean?

a. Shape tells you what the terrain is

i. Round is a mountain peak or valley

ii. Straight lines are a ridge side or hill side

iii. “V” shapes show a gorge/ canyon or a mountain shoulder

4. What does the distance between mean?

a. Tells you how steep the terrain is

b. Close together is steep, far apart is flatter

Symbols

1. What are they?

a. They are all the markings on the map that indicate what things are

b. Can be lines, or pictures

2. Why are they important?

a. Give is lots of information on what is coming up on the trail and what to look out for on the trail.

3. What do they tell us?

a. Blue lines: these are streams or rivers

b. Blue patches: can be lakes or ponds (size is important)

c. Dotted and solid lines: these are trails, roads, railroad tracks. Each map can mark these differently and with variations based on the conditions of that trail

d. Campsites: these are marked with a tent in many maps

e. Ranger stations: these can be a cabin, a ranger, or a combination based on the map that you are using

f. Trailheads: these are most often a dot on the side of a road where the trail begins

g. Distance marks: these are between trail junctions and tell you how far between them

h. Trail junctions: these are dots that meet more than one trail on the map in a point

i. Peaks: these are a triangle that has the name of the mountain with it

Trails

Trails can be marked on a map and tell you where a passable route are. Can you see any trends on where they follow?

- Contours (Yuba river)

- Passes (loch Leven, grouse ridge)

- Rivers (miners ravine)

- Ridges (TRT Tahoe Meadows to Spooner)

Can you see on the map other places that follow these same conditions? This is a possible cross-country route!

Navigation in surroundings

1. How to find yourself

a. Use the topography (mountains, valleys, canyons, switchbacks)

b. Orientate the map based on these

c. Make an accurate best guess of where you are on the map

2. Where to hike

a. Stay on rock

b. Snow

c. Dirt

d. Sand

e. Gravel

f. DO NOT HIKE ON PLANTS!!!!

3. How to choose the best route

a. What is the map saying?

b. Take a higher vantage point

c. Plan it out from point to point

d. Choose the safest and easiest way to get to the next point (may not be the shortest)

e. Try to avoid going through plants and off durable surfaces

4. What are special things to consider

a. What is your feeling

b. May need to try a route then send others around a new better one

c. May need to turn around

d. Takes time

e. Hiking off-trail is slower

Ultralight mentality

As part of the program that we run we talk about "ultralight backpacking" and going "ultralight" this is a entirely different mindset then most people are familiar with witch is the traditional method to backpacking. Ultra light backpacking by definition is having a base weight that is less then 10 pounds, witch is very hard for most people to do, without leaving out to many items, sacrificing comfort, and spending way more money then most want to. For this reason we talk mostly about making decisions on what to bring with an ultra light mentality. Our goal is to lighten everyone's pack as much as we can without costing to much money, sacrificing complete comfort, or safety.

Some of the benefits of following this path are that hiking is easier, less injury prone, and more enjoyable. Some people think that they need to take everything that they might need, however you only need what is necessary. Most of the weight in your pack can be lost by just removing items that are not needed and only cost you weight and space. Once you lighten the weight of your pack you the weight off of your feet is huge in making the trip easier for you. The less weight you have on your back the less you need to carry, meaning that there is less energy that is needed to take that next step. Doing this will make ankle pressure lower and even lower the likelihood of a sprain or at least lower the stress that they cause. Overall as the trip gets easier you will be enjoy the trip more and go farther with less. Hiking easier makes the trip possibilities much larger as well.

How to loose weight:

We want to loose weight but how do we do that without missing something that we need, there are a few good ways to do this.

1. Three pile method

This is a method to remove items from your pack that are not necessary on the trail. This can potentially remove the most weight from your pack of the three as you remove items and not replace or add them. This is entire based on taking the wast out of your back. It is also one of the easiest methods to lose weight.

The first step in this is to make three piles of gear when you get back from your trip, before you take anything out of it. In these three piles make one of items that you used everyday on the trail, one pile of items only used a few times, and one pile of items that you didn't use at all. Then take the items in the not used pile and see if they are ones that you really need, items like a small first aid kit need to be replaced, items like a phone charger you may want to consider not taking it anymore, or that extra pair of pants. If this is done correctly after a few trips in different conditions you should be able to remove all the unnecessary items from your pack, however do this after every trip even if you don't think you need to.

2. 2 uses for every item

This system is to reduce the number of items that are in your pack, it does exactly what the name says. Every item that you place in your pack or really take on trail with you should have two uses. This is so that there is no excess as well and all the items that you are carrying are the best and most useful that they can. Items in your pack such as your trekking poles are to hike with and take pressure off of your feet as well as to hold up your tent. Or your sit pad for the day becomes part of your sleep system at night. Doing things like this with the items that you bring on trail with you can lighten your load, as long as there is the knowledge to replace them.

3. Pack from the list

While this is not the most weight saving systems from items you bring on trail, it can make the process easier and prevent the excess from getting in your pack in the first place. All you need to do is pack from a backpacking list, this will only have the items that you need and keep items you don't need at home. Items like your sleeping bag will be on the list while items like your chess board will not. Leaving these items that don't need to be on trail will allow you to loose weight. Making the packing process easier and limiting what you can take. As a not to make sure that you don't forget anything, don't mark it off until you are doing your final packing and it will not come out of your bag until you are on the trail.

Using these you can loose weight without buying much if anything and start to loose the most weight from your pack quickly over the course of a few trips. Using these you can refine the items in your pack that you take with you, even eliminating some over time that used to be necessary, replacing them with a better method, or knowledge entirely.

Backpacks

Your backpack is one of the biggest and most important pieces of gear that you have on the trail. It is one of your big three items, as a result of this, there are lots of things that go into the plan of choosing and using your pack. There are lots of parts to a pack that you will use on the trail, that all need to be considered while choosing what kind of pack to get.

The most common kind of pack is an internal frame pack, over the older external frame packs from the past. The frame type is exactly like it sounds, an internal frame is integrated into the back of the bag and you can not see it, while an external bag is attached to a large metal frame that is clearly visible from the outside. An internal frame pack is typically lighter and smaller contributing to many of the advantages that it has.

How to pack a Backpack

Packing a backpack is the first step to how it will ride while it is on your back. It is not the first thing you think of when you go to make your pack more comfortable however it is, packing correctly can also make hiking easier and more enjoyable. There are many ways to pack your bag for the trail, this means that it is slightly different for people on the trail. There are some general rules that should be followed then you are free to play them as they go.

1. Sleeping bag and other bulky items at the bottom of the bag

2. large items need to be placed first

3. stuff sacks are great at reducing space but are not the most space-efficient in all cases as they do not allow items like a puffy jacket to fill space as well

4. items needed while hiking should be in an easy to access place preferably without opening a pack

How to fit a Backpack

Once your pack is packed correctly now you need to adjust it to make sure that it is snugged down and rides on your back correctly. This means that you could spend all the time packing it correctly but if it is not fitted and the straps aren't tightened correctly it can still be very uncomfortable to use. This process is the same no matter what kind of pack you have as they all should have the same straps to adjust the fit and way that the pack rides. These steps are to

1. Loosen all straps that are tight on t he bag

2. Tighten all the compression straps to pull the pack together and decrease the size

3. Place the nag on your knee then swing it over your back leaning forward with your back parallel to the ground.

4. Take the hip belt of your pack place the center of it on your hip bones and pull this as tight as you can. (This will endure that the weight is on your hips and not your shoulders when we are done)

5. Stand up and take the shoulder straps and tighten them down snug so there is enough space under them to still slide a finger between them and your shoulder

6. Take the chest strap and clip this so that it is not tight and you are not restricting breathing at all. This strap is only to keep the shoulder straps from coming off of your shoulders

7. now take the load levelers from the top of your pack and sinch them down so that now you pull the whole load of your pack in. (Should feel the weight shift more to hips as well)

Trail Rules

There are lots of rules that we need to follow on the trail there are many that are known and all hikers should follow and others that we follow as a group to stay together and keep everyone informed. These rules are all pretty easy to follow and can ensure the safety of the trip so they are always a must on the trail.

1. Stop at all trail junctions

2. Stop at all stream crossings

3. Stop at the last water source before long dry sections

4. Follow right of way on the trail, uphill goes first (see image to left)

5. Discuss the days' route before leaving

6. Count-off before leaving camp and breaks

7. Keep the volume down on the trail to not disturb others

8. Follow Leave No Trace and Outdoor code, as well as all other scouting and outdoor rules

9. Always listen to what the rangers ask you to do

10. Keep within contact distance of the group

11. Do not disturb the environment and the wildlife more than is absolutely necessary

12. Respect the horses and step to the side the rider designates, normally uphill side