Mountaineering, Hiking and Trekking

• The materials cover mountaineering, hiking, trekking, backpacking, bandaging, and knot tying. It outlines techniques, skills, and equipment needed for outdoor activities, first aid, and rope work.

Mountaineering, Hiking, and Trekking

• Hiking involves long walks on trails, is easy, and requires no climbing skills or equipment.
• Hiking is an accessible adventure pursuit, regardless of age, sex, or fitness level, often involving multiple days of walking referred to as backpacking.
• Trekking is similar to hiking, usually lasting two or more days, generally longer than hiking, and doesn't require technical skills or knowledge.
• Trekking, typically a multi-day activity, can be physically demanding due to tougher terrains.
• Trekking typically involves walking through well-built infrastructure like wide trails with lodges and snack stops across varying terrain.
• Mountaineering encompasses mountain climbing, necessitating high technical skills and fitness.
• Mountaineering involves climbing mountains to reach the summit.
• Mountaineering is suited for adventurers with high confidence and ability to survive in harsh conditions.
• Mountaineering requires rope techniques, the use of crampons and ice axes, and pinpoint navigation.

Training for Mountaineering

• Physical training for mountaineering requires aerobic conditioning for strenuous climbing.
• Carrying a weighted backpack can help the body adapt to carrying heavy loads uphill.
• Altitude sickness, with acute mountain sickness (AMS) as the mildest form, results from rapid exposure to low oxygen at high elevations.
• Rock-craft (for amateur climbers) involves routes with rocky slopes and avalanches.
• Snow-Craft (for expert climbers) involves routes with glaciers, requiring special gear and understanding of snow and ice conditions.
• Mixed Climbing combines rocky and icy routes.

Top 10 Highest Mountains in the Philippines

• Mt. Apo is the highest mountain.
• Mt. Dulang-Dulang is the second highest mountain.
• Mt. Pulag is the highest mountain in Luzon.
• Mt. Kitanglad has challenging trails with beautiful views and rich biodiversity.
• Mt. Kalatungan is a potentially active volcano and one of the most challenging mountains to hike.
• Mt. Tabayoc is the second highest mountain in Luzon.
• Mt. Piapayungan remains one of Mindanao's most elusive peaks.
• Mt. Ragang is the highest point in Lanao Del Sur.
• Mt. Maagnaw is the third highest peak in the Kitanglad range.
• Mt. Timbak features three crosses at its summit, dubbed "mini-Calvary".

Backpacking

• Backpacking is an outdoor activity where gear is carried in a backpack and can include food, water, bedding, shelter, clothing, stove, and a cooking kit.
• The total weight of gear is a primary concern for backpackers.
• Backpacking trips can range from one night to weeks or months, potentially planned around resupply points or drops.
• Backpacking camps tend to be more Spartan than campsites where gear is transported by car or boat.
• Hike-in campsites are often located in areas with heavy backpacker traffic.

Bandaging

• A bandage is for holding a dressing in place over a wound, applying pressure to control hemorrhage, securing a splint, or providing support to an injured body part.

Types of Bandages

• Triangular bandages can be used as an arm sling or a pad to control bleeding, supporting or immobilizing bone or joint injuries, or as padding over painful injuries.
• Gauze bandages are thin, woven, breathable fabric bandages that secure dressings or are placed directly over wounds.
• Adhesive bandages are a sterile compress of layers of gauze or other material with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
• Elastic bandages are stretchable bandages used to create localized pressure.
• Triangular bandages are for temporary or permanent bandaging of wounds, immobilizing fractures and dislocations, or providing support, with a standard size of 40x40x56 inches (102x102x142 cm).
• The long side of a triangular bandage is the "base", the point opposite the base is the "apex", and the points at each end of the base are the "end tails" or "extremities".

Knot Tying

• Knot tying is a simple mechanical skill that requires practice.

Basic Knot Tying

• The square knot is one of the most basic knots and is a type of end knot.
• The overhand knot is the simplest type of knot.
• The figure eight knot (Flemish Bend) is one of the strongest knots, forming a secure, non-slip loop at the end of a rope.
• The sheepshank is useful for temporarily shortening a rope.
• The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail.
• The bowline forms a loop that cannot slip and is frequently referred to as a rescue knot and is used in rescue harnesses.
• The clove hitch is used to temporarily fasten a rope to a spar, mast, tree trunk, and so on.
• The timber hitch attaches a single length of rope to a cylindrical object, secured while tension is maintained and easily untied even after heavy loading.