Packing your Backpack:

There is not one set order in which you should pack your backpack. However, there are some general principles that you should adhere to. In general, heavy items should be packet towards the top and close to your back. Putting heavy things towards the bottom of the pack causes an imbalance and puts too much strain on the hips.

The heaviest item you carry will be your food bag. In the beginning of a hiking excursion it is advisable to pack the food towards the top of the pack. This has two benefits: one, it disperses the weight efficiently, and two, it allows easy access to food. Several days into the hike you will notice that the pack becomes unbalanced due to the decreasing weight of food. When this begins to happen it may be a good idea to rearrange your pack so that food is placed more towards the bottom and heavier items (such as the tent, stove, water, etc) are then stored in the previous location of the food. As mentioned, the arrangement of items in your backpack will change as the weight of food, fuel, and water increase or decrease. The general arrangement is heavier items toward the top and close to the body. Experiment and see what works best for any given load.

Waterproof:

Keep in mind that it is very difficult to keep things dry in extended trips in wet weather. Your best friend is the plastic bag. As mentioned before, all food should be separately placed in zip-lock bags. Similarly, a plastic garbage bags should also be used as added protection for your sleeping bag. Nothing is more important than keeping your sleeping bag dry. A wet bag on a cold night is a sure method of inducing hypothermia. Therefore, the sleeping bad must be stored in a plastic bag which is used to line the stuff sack.

While many backpacks may claim to be waterproof little evidence by experienced hikers would confirm these claims. Always use a pack cover to guarantee the waterproofness of your pack and more importantly, the items in your pack.

Guide books:

Preparing for your hike is critical in ensuring you are not unexpectedly without food, water, or a flat place to set-up your tent. Food, water, and shelter are really the biggest concerns the hiker faces. The clutter of the modern world are not present in the outdoors. Basic survival instantaneously becomes of greatest concern. Without proper preparation of where you can locate food, water, or shelter, hikers may unexpectedly confront a potentially dangerous situation. Up-to-date guide books are the only reliable source to plan for a hike. Serious preparation is necessary for any hike of two days or more.

In planning a hike you must determine the amount of distance between water sources, and camping areas. If you are going on an extensive hike you will need to determine the distance between grocery stores. The most important aspect in determining when to find water is to first determine the number of mile you intend to hiker per day. An average hiking day will cover approximately 14 - 16 miles. In the beginning most novice hikers will attempt longer days and will generally succeed. However, because they are over-pacing themselves the novice will often develop blisters or other physical problems. Therefore, the number of miles you planed to hike 3 to 4 days into the hike may no longer be attainable. Knowing and planning for problems is an extremely important aspect of developing a hiking plan. Anything could happen while you are outdoors so plan for all possibilities. Know where your water is and the distance between camping locations. Always camp next to a stream or spring so that you will have enough water for the preparation of meals and to hydrate your body sufficiently.

Mail-drops:

In the event that a grocery store is not within a reasonable distance to your trail, mail-drops may be a useful alternative. A mail-drop consists of sending yourself supplies at points along any given trail where there is no access to a grocery store. Mail-drops are packages that are sent to a local post office with the instructions to "hold for hiker." The hiker would then obtain their food supplies by retrieving food that had been previously sent. There would, of course, have to be a post office within reasonable distance from the trail for this system to work.

There are benefits and problems associated to using mail-drops:

Problems:

-post offices are only open on weekdays and half a day on Saturday. If you happen to arrive at the post office Saturday afternoon or Sunday you will be forced to wait until the post office opens in order to retrieve your food.

-drops require much preparation.

-hikers often find that they no longer desire the food they sent, in other words, they become sick of the food that was prepared.

-quantities are often wrong. Usually too much or too little will be sent.

Benefits:

-access to food or supplies which are difficult to obtain (such as dehydrated milk, or medicine etc.)

-in some situations they may be located closer to the trail than grocery stores.

-if you dehydrate food in advance this will allow you to send food that is most likely healthier and certainly lighter than what you can obtain in a typical grocery store.

If you are planning to use a mail-drop it is recommended that you contact the appropriate post office and ask if they would be willing to hold your package for you. Generally, the post office will only store your package for a limited time so it is best to inquire before any package is sent.

Stretching:

In normal life most people often get by without doing any kind of stretching or warm-up exercises. Hiking however, is extremely brutal on your body and will quickly lead to aches and pains. Climbing up and down mountains with 25-35 lbs. on your back in not a natural thing and your body will scream at you for attempting feats it was obviously not designed to do. Stretching is one of the few things the hiker can do to help alleviate many of the problems that will inevitably arise. Twice a day is recommended, once in the morning and once in the evening. Surprisingly, your body will respond to stretching much more significantly than you would typically suspect.