The Hiking Engine: A Hiker's Guide to the Care and Maintenance of Feet and Legs

By Stuart Plotkin

Until a hiker injures a foot or leg--a blister on the foot, a sprained ankle, an unattended scratch that gets infected--he or she might not pay a lot of attention to the care of legs and feet. The Hiking Engine increases awareness of all that can potentially go wrong on any kind of hike, so you can avoid the worst and enjoy the best.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0897324056
• ISBN13: 9780897324052
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good for beginners

I'm an experienced hiker and still found the book useful and entertaining. I didn't learn anything new, but I will guarantee you that novice hikers would benefit immensely from this. What is basic common sense to seasoned hikers may not come naturally to those just lacing up their boots for the first time. The book focuses primarily on how to keep your feet in shape during long treks and addresses such things as proper socks, shoes and lcimbing techniques. I wish the author would have addressed cardiovascular fitness more; he does mention the extreme importance of aerobic exercise as preparation, but doesn't stress that facet enough. Anyone who hikes long miles needs to be mentally and physically fit before attempting the undertaking, Plotkin tends to gloss over this and move on to other things.Essentially the book will have limited appeal to those who hike consistently throughout the year. But if you merely dabble in the sport, or have never hiked in your life, I would heartily recommend this book. It's well organzied, well written and will hold your interest.

trailman

I just finished reading this book and found it to be a valuable resource for my family and the boy scout troop I belong to. The information on hiking shoes and foot care while hiking was very appropriate to a seasonal hiker like myself. As an adult leader in a boy scout troop, I decided to maintain a copy of the book in the troop library for scouts to refer to prior to camping trips. Thanks for this well written guide.

Superb information not read in other sources

I have been looking for this information for years and found it in a book that was both entertaining and informative. Recommended to all.