Well, hello, I am Dr. Hutch Hutchinson.
I'm a senior lecturer at
the Questrom School of Business.
But for the last 25 years, I
have also been an outdoor educator,
running trips all over the world
with folks from Cub Scouts all
the way up to retirees.
Today, what we're gonna do is talk
about how to get out and
enjoy hiking here in New England.
So we're gonna do
a hike up the trail.
We're gonna talk about what to
wear, what to pack.
The best thing about hiking is,
it's the kind of sport that you
can do on a college student budget.
So here we go.
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It's a beautiful fall day
in New England.
But the thing about New England,
it might get super hot,
it might rain, who knows what
the weather's gonna be.
So what I've done is, I've chosen
clothing that can get wet and
still keep me comfortable.
So I have a synthetic t-shirt,
I have a fleece vest,
I've got synthetic pants, and I've
got merino wool socks on as well.
And in addition to that, I'm also
wearing good trail hiking shoes.
You could use sneakers, you could
use hiking boots if you wanted to.
The key thing is,
you want shoes that are gonna hold
your foot tight and keep them dry.
[MUSIC]
What's great about hiking is,
you don't need a lot of gear, and
you don't need expensive gear, but
you do need to have stuff with you
if you're gonna be responsible and
safe while you're on the trail.
So let's take my pack and
open it up and see what's in here,
and what you need to have for
your hikes.
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Now what's important to realize is
that, I'm planning on only being
out here on the trail for
two to three hours, but
my plans may change.
Every time I talk to somebody who
says, I don't need all that stuff
because I'm not gonna have an
accident, that's really what people
say when they get into an accident.
So I wanna be prepared for
anything that can come along in
the time that I'm out here.
So the first thing in planning is
to make sure that I've got my map,
I've got a guide book
that has maps in it, and
I have my compass as well to help
me figure out which way is North.
Now, I'm hoping to be out of here
in two or three hours,
but if I'm not, I need to make sure
I've got a light source to get out.
So I've got not one but
two sources of light and
extra batteries.
Now in addition to that,
I've also got my first aid kit and
any other medicines that I might
need while I'm out.
And again, thinking about what am I
going to need over the course of 24
hours if I did get stuck out here
for one reason or another.
That's also why I don't just
have one bottle of water, but
really twice the water that I
think I'm gonna need for my two to
three hour hike that I'm on.
And yes, I've got four clif bars.
I'm not gonna eat four clif bars
over the course of an hour and
a half to two hours.
Really what this is,
is to think about, if I was stuck,
would I have enough food to kind of
make it through till morning?
I've got sunblock in case that I'm
in a more exposed space than I
realised and I wanna protect myself
from the sun.
Same reason I have a hat on.
I also have these trash bags,
right, which are not just to pick
up litter, but also really as
an emergency shelter.
If I really got stuck and
I couldn't get out of the trail or
I got lost,
I could get inside this bag,
fill it with leaves and
stay warm and
dry until the morning.
Just don't put it over your head.
Similarly, I don't plan on
starting a fire.
But if I needed to light a fire,
I've got a cigarette lighter and
I have a candle.
And these two together just
a lightweight,
really easy way to have a good base
of a fire if I needed to start it.
And of course I also have
a winter hat, I have gloves, I have
a neck gator to keep myself warm.
I have an extra fleece, and
I have a rain jacket even
though there is absolutely nothing
in the weather forecast for rain.
Now one thing you'll notice is that
what I don't have out here
is a cell phone.
Now, a cell phone is a great tool
and I do have one.
But a cell phone has one purpose,
and one purpose only.
And that's to call for
an emergency.
The really dangerous things that
can happen in the woods are when
people think that this can replace
all of this.
And then when the battery dies,
they can't even call for help.
Only one purpose for a cell phone,
and that's to call in case of
an emergency.
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Well, I hope this gives you
what you need to get out and
enjoy the natural beauty of
New England in the Boston area.
Hiking is such a great way to get
off campus, get out of your dorm
room, out of the classroom, and
really enjoy what New England is
all about.
And I hope to see you out and
about on the trail.
Go BU.
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