For The Best Experience In Hiking Puerto Vallarta Is Worth Visiting

By Sarah Green


Long walks in the countryside are preferably referred to by the name hiking in Canada and the United States. The walk is usually made along footpaths. Walking is different from this practice because it only involves short distances and commonly occurs in urban settings. In other places, different terms are used for this practice, including hillwalking, fell walking, backpacking, tramping, and rambling. When in need for hiking Puerto Vallarta should be the place to visit.

Hiking is a very old practice, with its roots going as far back as the eighteenth century. The idea is associated with the Romantic movement when people started to change the way they viewed nature and landscape. Prior to the 18th century, walking was an activity of the poor and was often linked to vagrancy. In 1819, Abel Crawford made an 8.5-mile trail leading to the summit of Mount Washington in the United States. This trail is currently the oldest walking trail in the country and it has a very huge annual traffic.

Today, there are several long distance trails that people prefer using in various countries. Some major examples of these trails are Grande Rota in Portugal, National Trail System in the US, National Trails in the UK, Gran Recorrido in Spain, and Grote Routepaden in Holland among others. There are long networks of trails in many countries including Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, Spain, France, the US, the UK, and Canada.

Different equipment and tools are carried by hikers. What equipment and tools are carried depend on the length of the hike. Day hikers only bring rain-proof gear, maps, water, and food. Backpacking and mountain walking call for hiking boots. The rough terrain in some places make protective gear essential. For support and balancing purposes, stability equipment is needed.

Different items are usually recommended by different professionals and clubs. According to the Mountaineers club, the list of items to carry should comprise of flashlight, fire starter, first aid kit, knife, sunscreen, sunglasses, trekking pole, and a compass. Other groups recommend adding an emergency blanket, insect repellent, a hat, and gloves to the list. For additional guidance, one may bring route cards and GPS navigation device.

In most cases, hikers prefer to venture out in large numbers, and this affects the environment negatively in several ways. For example, firewood collection is done for several years in a forested area, it is likely to become deforested. Similarly, hikers scare sensitive animals away from their natural habitats.

To help against damage that hikers are likely to cause to the environment, rules are usually imposed on how protected areas like parks can be used. Some of the rules include a ban on use of wood fires, restriction of camping to established camp sites, imposition of quotas on number of hikers, and disposal and packing of faecal matter.

The environment is impacted hugely by human waste because such waster causes sickness in other hikers and contaminates watersheds. As such, hikers are required to make catholes sixty meters from water sources. The hole should be dug deep and should be covered after being used.




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