What’s Your Hiking Rating? – Maverick Philosopher

Rate Yourself as a
Hiker

Know your capabilities before you sign up to go hiking. Leaders are
encouraged to screen prospective hikers to make sure that each participant can
finish the hike. Screening is important, because someone who can’t finish a hike
puts himself in danger and ruins the enjoyment for all.

In the screening a leader might ask “What is the most challenging hike you
have done in the past year?” Answer this question for yourself, using the
guideline below. Then sign up for hikes that you know you can
finish.

Neighborhood walk, mall walk, or park nature trail.	"D"
Trail hike of at least 3 miles, at least 500' of climbing.	"C"
Off trail hike of at least 3 miles, at least 500' of climbing.	"C"
Trail hike of at least 8 miles, at least 1500' of climbing.	"B"
Off trail hike that lasted over 6 hours, plenty of climbing.	"B"
None, but I’m on the varsity football team.	"B"
Trail hike of at least 16 miles, at least 3000' of climbing.	"A"
All day, off trail, in a rugged wilderness. God only knows how many miles we walked or how much climbing we did.	"A"

Arizona Trailblazer hikes are rated using the ABCD system.

If you aren’t sure of your abilities, start with an easy "C" hike. Then don’t
overdo it when you advance to the next level of difficulty. Avoid skipping
levels.


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updated April 9, 2010	© Copyright 2010 Arizona Trailblazers. All rights reserved.