Open Street Maps
Introduction, Web sites, Mobile apps, OSMAnd, Contours, Trail gradient, Hill shades, Outdoor features, Overlays, Scale, Trail planning, Navigation, Treasure Hunt assignment to learn map reading & navigation.
Topography
Elevation, Hill shades, Contours, Projection, Gradient, Steepness, Trail gradient, Terrain features, Mountain peaks, Ridgelines, Valleys, Saddles, Mountain passes, Topography of mountain range, Satellite maps, Hands on on identifying terrain features on contour and hill shade digital and paper topo-maps.
Hiking Gears
Mountain Sports, Benefits of lightweight hiking, how to go lightweight, Gear breakup, Detailed review of major gear categories, Shoe wear, Boots vs Shoes, Clothing, Backpacks, Navigation, Communication, Power management, Technical gears, Financial, Lightweight gear brands
Shelter & Camping
Purpose of shelters, Different types of shelters in the Himalayas, Altitude vs Shelter, Season vs Shelter, Settlements, Natural shelters, Nomadic shelters, Camping, Tents, Condensation, Classifications, Designs, Single vs Double layer, 3 vs 4 Seasons, Tarps, Pegs Guylines, Make your own tent, Sleeping bags vs Quilts. Pads vs Air mattress, Lightweight tent brands
Food planning & Hydration
Duration planning, Food ration, Traverse & food planning, Settlements, Hiking foods, Cooking & Stoves, Fend from nature, Hospitality, Water storage & Hydration, Seasons & Water, Crossing a pass. Identifying water sources, Springs Water filters, Melting snow
Himalayan Communities
Human life in Himalayas, Altitude & Settlements, Self sustaining, Seasonal settlements, Nomadic tribes, Alpine meadows, Trail network, Migration routes, Mountain passes, Villages, Hamlets, Isolated dwellings, Gujjars, Bhakerwals, Sadhus, Hospitality, Importance for independent hiker
Himalayan Terrains
Himalayan terrains & Altitude, Valleys, Rivers, Basins, Water flow, Himalayan river systems, Waterfalls, Springs, Forests, Meadows, Alpine flowers, Rock & Ice, Alpine desert, Scree, Alpine Lakes, Glaciers, Crevasses, Moraines, Identifying terrains on Survey maps, Terrains & Seasons, Land cover & Biomes, Managing wildlife
Himalayan Geography
Mountain ranges in Central & Southeast Asia, Himalayas, Major rivers & high ranges, Overview of the major Himalayan basins – Beas, Indus, Shyok, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Sutlej, Yamuna, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda and Sharda
Survey Maps
Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, Survey of India, Open Series Maps, Scale, Outdoor features, Online Survey Maps, Downloading map sheets, Geo-referencing maps, Offline maps for navigation, Digitising terrain features, Mapping the Western Himalayas, Exploring using the Survey maps
Navigation
Global positioning system, Topographic maps, Hill shades, Navigating using paper maps, Compass & direction, Navigating using terrain features, Altimeter & contours, Mas scale, Positioning using compass & altimeter, Ridges, Valleys, Compass bearing, Altitude
Weather & Seasons
Importance of Weather in Himalayas, Weather forecast, Temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Altitude & Weather. Frostline, Rain vs Snow, Historical weather, Reading clouds, Weather alerts, Traverse & Weather.
Seasons, Snowline, Summer, Monsoon, Winter, Snow, Seasonal traverse, Historical and real-time snow cover, Managing snow – Daily cycle, Seasons, Slope direction, Snow depth, Altitude & passes, Shepherds & migrations
Himalayan Resources
Digital maps, Satellite Maps, Survey Maps, Olizane Maps, Leomann Maps, Soviet Military Maps, Satellite Data, Valuable Himalayan blogs, Trail databases, Himalayan Institutes, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Hiking Networks
Hiking Networks in Open Street Maps, Local, Regional, National, International hiking routes, SAC (Swiss Alpine Club) Scale, Trail visibility, Himalayan Hiking Routes in 20 regions, Outdoor sports, Trans Asia routes, Hiking in Europe, US, South America, Australia, New Zealand
Key Learnings
- Main hiking challenges in Himalayas
- Benefits of lightweight hiking
- Safety measures while hiking
- Practical use cases of contours