HELP HIKING STEEP INCLINES

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HELP HIKING STEEP INCLINES
A number of years ago Jason, my 2nd of three older brothers, and I hiked Matanuska Peak.  It was my first real mountain climb; Jason, on the other hand, spent his childhood running up and down mountains, including attending a lengthy summer NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) trip at the age of 16. While we were trekking along, Jason gave me a piece of hiking advice which has served me very well, “Let your heels touch the ground.”  This advice helped me successfully completed the Matanuska Peak Challenge, just 2 years after that first trip.
OUR TENDENCY:
When hiking up steep inclines it is natural to want to walk on your toes.  It feels more comfortable (at first) because you are keeping your foot level and avoiding the initial protest of your calf muscle stretching.  However, this means that every single step you take you are putting all your weight on the ball of your foot and using your calf muscle and Achilles tendon to suspend yourself and the weight of your pack.  This means that you are doing calf-raises every step.  If your hike is 1.5 miles uphill (Lazy Mountain) then you would be doing over 2,000 calf-raises per leg (ouch!).  No wonder we get so sore on “Lazy” hikes.
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WRONG WAY.  NO TOES!
NEW STRATEGY:
Let your heel drop to the ground every step.  You will be making the bottom of your foot the same angle as the slope you are hiking up. You may have to start out slow if your calves are tight.  Give yourself about 5-15 minutes of hiking and your calf should stretch out comfortably.  You will be utilizing your joints and larger muscle groups to a much better advantage.  This will help prevent Achilles tendonitis as well as soreness and cramps in your calves.  
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THE RIGHT WAY TO TAKE AN INCLINE

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Annie making her way up to the boulder field in the 2013 Matanuska Peak Challenge.

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