So tomorrow we are going to do some hiking

[nadinbrzezinski]

So I went through our basic survival list.

Matches (No I do not intend to start a fire, but...)
Some light rope. (Paracord is good enough for most emergency tasks, well except climbing)
First Aid Kit
Map
Compass
Water....
2 D Carabiners.
Trail mix (gluten free)
Munchies (gluten Free)
Signaling Mirror
Whistle

And since I am a diabetic... a glucometer.

Remember folks you CAN do this, just use common sense. And yes if you have NEVER done it, or have not done it in a while, please keep to marked trails and all that, even if you happen to have map and a compass, please do practice skills in a "safe place." Oh and mostly do enjoy yourselves. We are also taking my walking staff... my knees, and yes we are carrying food for 24 hours, in short rations. And we will take enough water... suffice it to say, we should bring back a few of those rations, as in this is a two hour hike, but we are ready just in case.

But remember, it don't matter, you can still enjoy yourselves, as long as you take into account what you need to carry for your special needs.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

1. I hope that your hike went well and that you didn't need any of the emergency gear.

I'm reminded of the movie "What About Bob?". Start out with baby steps and be prepared for setbacks. Also, be sure to be properly prepared for things that might go wrong.

In my case, I just broke that rule due to my own stubbornness. I didn't take my bottle of Nitroglycerine tablets with me today.

I just got back from a short ride. It was only 9 miles but it's a start.
This was my second short ride in three days and I'm still too concerned about my heart to go far from home or push myself.

These were the first rides since my second MI which was at X-mas time.
Even though I've done fine with my cardio-rehab and I just finished a bunch of tests two weeks ago, the fear factor is still strong.

However, as you said; I can still enjoy bicycling once I regain more strength and take my Nitro tablets along just in case MI number three decides to drop by.

Good luck with your hiking and try to enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors before it disappears forever.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. We had lots of fun

and yes we carried a little more water than we needed, no problem with me. Empty them later, and that's it.

And we used the rescue knife to share an orange... that was all the rescue gear we reached for. And shared some of the granola, and I had some more of it this morning for breakfast at the bed and breakfast... (Gluten allergy and my granola is gluten free)

And I will be putting all the survival gear in a box later on for the next hike... and putting back my daily load into my pack. I use the damn thing to carry notebook and laptop and notes otherwise. I also need to un-tight my paracord into a storage bundle... to not stress it so much.

Hubby got some good photos and we were chucking. We were carrying a similar load. He carried the camera gear, I carried the survival gear... including a topo map that though "new" it was way out of date. Yes will be contacting National Geographic to point this out.

I also need to put my honing stone back into the kitchen... and the matches as well, and wash my rescue knife. This is a left over from many years of rescue work... hey if it works... and it is a good tool.

Oh and when I started on this road to health I could not have done a good four point five hike over moderate terrain... now I can. So will you, just pace yourself... and we did yesterday.

Oh and topo map and compass it is nice that yes I can still read a map, and a compass, problem was we were in an area of a lot of naturally occurring magnetic (as in this is a mining area) so our compasses were doing all kinds of numbers when we were near the decrepit mine entrances. We also got a small basalt stone that is full of iron in it, to show to the nephews... with the compass, that should be fun. And they are too young for a hike like that. But especially the older one might find it funny and interesting.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

3. Glad to hear that you had a good time and everything went well.

It seems as though every time that I take the camera when I go hiking, I don't see anything worth taking a picture of. Of course....when I don't have a camera I see a fox or a coyote or a bear or something that would have made a great picture.

The moral: always be prepared for anything in the great outdoors.

My next big test will be the start of cold weather. I usually do most of my hiking from October through April but that will present another challenge to my psyche. The place where I usually go has a few steep sections and I'm sure that I'll be nervous about the heart.

However, the call of being outdoors is too strong to ignore so I'm sure that I will be hiking this Winter.