Is Hiking Your New Passion? Here Are 5 Things To Know And Do Before Going On A Long Hike

Hiking is considered one of the best outdoor activities, which becomes extremely enjoyable when planned. If hiking has become your new passion and you plan to go on a day or a multi-day hiking trip, planning ahead of time can make it an unforgettable experience. Further, pre-planning helps you to avoid any sort of physical discomfort or overpacking, for that matter.

In persuasion, we have curated the essential things that you must know and do before going on a long hike to make it fun, safe, and a real success for you.

5 things to know and do before going on a long hike.

1. Choose the right trail.

The foremost important thing for first-time hikers is picking the right trail. It tells you several things about your upcoming hike, such as difficulty, distance, and trail length.

Consider the following factors when picking up a trail:

• Travel time: This allows you to select between an easy, hour-long to a more rigorous, long-distance trail.

• Trail distance: This helps you determine the difficulty level of the selected trail.

• Trail elevation: This tells you about the type of terrain you can successfully hike. Note: The higher the elevation, the more difficult the hike.

• Travel logistics: This will allow you to prepare for the logistics needed to get from the start to the end point of a trail.

• Time of year: This tells you whether or not a certain trail is suitable for a hike during the selected time of the year.

• Difficulty level: This will allow you to carefully select a trail based on your fitness level and physical health.

2. Get in shape

Secondly, you must train well in advance for a hiking adventure. Otherwise, imagine a hike with a sore, achy, or injured joint. So, follow these quick tips to get in shape:

• Go on walks and small hikes at least 3-4 times a week for a month.

• Start wearing your hiking boots in and around the house and gradually on walks.

• Start carrying a backpack on your short walks and small hikes.

• Muscle building is crucial to train for hiking. Do this by lifting lighter weights and gradually increasing to heavier weights.

• Swimming is a great low-impact exercise to build endurance and soothe sore muscles.

Start a hiking workout.

For difficult hikes, it is recommended to train oneself to improve physical health and fitness level physically. Different exercises such as crunches, lunges and squats, push-ups, cardio, dynamic stretches, and others are great for building core strength. In addition, inclined treadmills help you a lot to enhance your fitness level.

3. Pack hiking essentials

Another important thing is to pack the right backpack for your hiking adventure. Also, pack as light as possible as you will have to carry the load yourself through the trip.

Some of the packing essentials for a hike are:

• Water bottle
• Lunch
• Rain gear
• Sunglasses
• Extra layers of clothes
• Water shoes
• Sleeping bag and travel pillow
• Trekking poles
• Travel towel

4. Pack clothes from head to toe

It is of paramount importance to pack from head to toe for a hiking trip. So, to make things easier, we have categorized the clothing as:

• Head: Carry a wool/synthetic hat, light sun hat, good quality sunglasses, and sunscreen.

• Upper body: Carry the right quality under-shirts/sports bras, sweaters and down jackets, wind and rain jackets.

• Hands: Carry light gloves, wool/fleece gloves, and waterproof mittens.

• Lower body: Pack the quick dry quality underwear and hiking pants (wind and rain pants).

• Feet: Pack leather/synthetic boots (ideally waterproof, lightweight, and with medium stiffness) and socks.

5. Begin with preparing a packing list

Finally, you must invest quality time in preparing a packing list of essentials needed for your hiking trip. Some of the things you will need the most during your trip include:

• Day backpack- 25-40 L
• Main travel luggage- 70-80 L maximum
• Personal toiletries
• Health supplies/prescription medicine
• Personal medical kit

Endnote

Hiking is the best outdoor activity. However, you must pre-plan your trip to make it an unforgettable experience that you can cherish for a lifetime. Moreover, a planned trip minimizes the risks of injuries and overpacking.

So, invest time to research to know and do the above-mentioned things to have an extremely enjoyable and sorted hiking trip.