Hiking Tips

These are some of the most important hints and tips I can offer to help you have a better time hiking. Have a great hike!

• Hike in a group. Always have at least one other person with you if you are going on low-traffic trails or be accepting of the risk you take in having no one able to aid you. Some of the benefits of hiking in a group:
  • Learn from more experienced hikers or pass on your knowledge.
  • Aid for injuries
  • Distributing loads for common group gear
  • Meet new people or deepen relationships
• Drink often to stay hydrated. Carry enough water for the day and your pack will get lighter as the day wears on.
• Small snacks often will keep your energy level up rather than waiting for a big lunch meal after you've emptied your body's reserves.
• Keep a small amount of surplus food ready, just in case.
• Using the open spaces is not a right, its a privilege we need to keep available to others years from now.
• Leave your hike plan with someone back home and call them when you get off the trail.
• Bring and use sunscreen and a hat to prevent sunburn, even on cloudy or cold days.
• Keep your pack organized and put items back where you expect to find them.
• Repackage to reduce weight.  Don't bring the whole plastic-wrapped box of 12 energy bars when you'll only eat 2 and need one more just in case.
• Leave all your cotton clothes at home.
• Water is critical for staying alive, but it is also deadly when mixed with cold on the trail. . Carry and use raingear.
• If your hands swell while hiking, raise them. Hold onto your pack shoulder strap for awhile and see how that helps.You can use trek poles to keep your hands elevated a bit and keep the muscles active.
• You may see rock cairns, piles of rocks, along the trail. Don't destroy them, but don't add to them either. Don't create cairns, tree blazes, or any other sign to mark the trail - people should be able to navigate their own route and scarring the landscape doesn't help anyone.