1. Don’t wear new shoes. A long hike is not the time to break in new shoes, socks, underwear, new anything really. You don’t want to be 6 miles away from your car and realize you can feel the seam in your new socks and your undies are 100% wedgie-fiable.
2. Don’t carry too much weight! 20% of your body weight is plenty, especially if you haven’t been working on Preparing for Your First Hike.
3. Do research water sources! Read books, blogs, trail guides, call state parks etc.
4. Make sure someone knows your itinerary, when to expect you back, and who they need to call if you don’t make contact.
5. Carry warmer clothes than what you think you need.
6. Carry more calories than what you think you need.
7. Are you in bear country? Practice hanging your food bag before you go and know what to do if you see Smokey.
8. Speaking of Smokey…make sure it is safe to have a back country fire and IF it is practice fire building before you go…and in the rain.
9. Take a friend! Introduce someone to the outdoors or take an experienced hiker and learn even more!
10. Pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace. And be a rock star and pick up any trash you see!
The more prepared you are the more enjoyable experience you will have. Although, sometimes even the best laid plans fall short…but that’s for a different post.
“Fill your life with adventure, have stories to tell, not stuff to show”