Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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Trail Safety & Courtesy

Although generally very safe, the sport of hiking does involve a certain level of risk. In the Portland/Vancouver area the risks are relatively minor, but they are real, and good preparation is important to help minimize the potential dangers.

Preparation & Equipment

The most important preparation for a hiking trip is being in good physical condition. The trips in this book range in difficulty from quite easy to extremely strenuous. Each trip is rated as easy, moderate, difficult, or strenuous. Trips rated as “easy” are the easiest and should be enjoyable to anyone, although a small degree of conditioning is always helpful. Trips rated as “strenuous,” on the other hand, are beyond the abilities of all but a handful of the best-conditioned hikers. Before selecting a hike, be honest about your physical condition. Don’t overextend yourself by taking a trip that is beyond your fitness level. After all, you go hiking to enjoy yourself, not exhaust yourself, and, most important, a wilderness trail miles from your car is not the place to suddenly realize that your body is not prepared for strenuous activity. On average, about one hiker a week has to be rescued on the backcountry trails of the Portland/Vancouver area—don’t let yourself become a statistic. There are plenty of hikes in this book at every ability level. Work your way up to the more difficult trips, so you can enjoy every outing comfortably and safely.