Hiking 101: 5 Steps to Plan Out Your Adventure

1. Decide how long you have to hike. - This a novice guide to hiking, we aren’t looking to complete the Explorer’s Cup anytime soon. One should start with easier trails to familiarize themselves with the activity. We won’t be going into multiple day ventures that require a tent or an extra change of clothes. You should pick a hike that you feel is appropriate for what you can give – Do you have 3 hours on a Friday afternoon or are you dedicating the majority of your Sunday to the hike? It took Frodo and Sam over 6 months to walk to Mordor, and most of us just don’t have that time.

2. Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group. – I prefer hiking with my dog, it can serve many purposes but for me it’s a mobile meditation. However, it is also much more dangerous when you are taking on wilderness by yourself. Buddying up with another friend or your significant other is a bonding experience, I have grown much closer with the dogs I’ve owned that have been out hiking with me compared to those that haven’t.

3. Determine your skill level – If you are out of shape or a beginner you should start with smaller more manageable hikes around town that will offer more flexibility to you. The last thing one would want to do is strand themselves hours away from their car with little food or water to maintain their health. Don’t jump into the all-day hike and regret trying something new, instead work up to that hike over the next 6 weeks, and once you accomplish that all day venture your satisfaction will be that much more enriched.

4. Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple, you can use google to find local trails around you in addition to other hiking services. Finding trails to hike may not always be easy since many trails are tucked in where people would not think to look. The use of apps and websites like AllTrails offers hikers a new ability to plan their hikes digitally before they even set out on foot.

5. Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where you are going? – If you are hiking alone or in a small group of people you should always tell someone where you are going in the event of disaster. Be specific tell them, I am hiking “ “ trail and should be back no later then this time. There have been too many deaths due to people getting hurt, injured, or lost while hiking. Some people find themselves in these situations and go to unbearable lengths to survive. Famously there was a hiker that had his arm trapped between rocks in Arizona; no one knew where he was, after spending 127 hours trapped, thirsty, hungry, and hallucinating he decided he would live on. He used his pocket knife to cut through his own flesh, then used his body weight and leverage to break that arm and free himself, only to stubble towards society and be found by other hikers. People don’t need to know the brand of your gear but they need to know where you’re going and when you’ll be back.