Walking and chawing ... and quenching that thirst

Wrote yesterday about the walk I did from Cape Spear and about what I brought along to eat. What did I take to drink?

Water. Plain and simple.

I don't generally bother with fancy beverages. Too many empty calories. Too many artificial colors. Too many pennies required to buy 'em.

Water is — Yippee! — free. And when your food is of high quality and nutrient-dense, water is all the body needs. Plus, it's an easy clean up. Flushing syrupy gunk out water bottles can be a chore.

In any case, it's not so much the what of my trail drinking that's interesting; it's the how.

If water is my drink of choice for day hiking, my container of choice is a stainless-steel flask. The kind most people would associate with whisky and so forth.

Such a flask is light weight, durable and free of nasty BPA, etc. Most importantly, it packs flat, fitting most pockets — so no need to bring a backpack on a shortish walk. (Another Yippee!) Plus, in temperatures below freezing, it's tailor-made to stash close to the body, preventing the contents from freezing.

I own a bunch of flasks, both 5-ounce and 8-ounce versions, so I can mix and match, depending on the length of my walk. One 5-ouncer of water will see me through anything under an hour or so. Two 8-ouncers will see me through half a day.

Sound like too little water? Especially when your putting your bod through its paces?

Well, if that were the whole story, yes, it would be too little water. But here's the thing that makes it possible: a little technique Fred calls "super-saturation".

Before setting out on a bout of hiking, you "super-saturate" via these three steps:

1) ensuring you're well hydrated beforehand. At the least, down 2 cups of water just prior to leaving home.

2) in addition to your water for the trail, pack an extra quart of water in the car, and down it — or as much of it as you're able — just before setting out on the trail

3) plan on arriving back at the car parched or even a tad uncomfortable. You can afford to arrive in this state precisely because you've had the foresight to stash an additional quart (or more) in the car. Glug glug.

In summary, "super-saturation" means setting out on your hike topped to the gills with water and returning back off the trail parched, raring to swig the refreshing liquid that awaits you the moment you arrive back at your car. This method takes but the slightest amount of fuss and lightens your on-the-trail load tremendously.

After all, you go walking to enjoy the scenery and the sensation of moving through space, not to be loaded down like a beast of burden.

Happy swigging.