Helping the New Hiker

[walker]

The snow is melting, and soon the trails will fill with hikers discovering the mountain trails for the first time. Like many, years of experience have taught me many things. Some, I picked up in books written by the greats , Fletcher, Waterman, Allen, Smith, Dickerman and many others. Some I learned from seminars given by many different organizations located near and far. And some I learned from hikers I have met on the trails, parking lots and summits of New England.

So, now it’s time to give back. Lets help the new hikers out there, lacing up their boots for the first time. I’m asking you, the experienced hiker with many miles under your boots, to share those little tricks you have learned, not from books, or seminars, but from mistakes (both life threatening or stupid) that have happened to you.

The more we share with the newer hikers in our small community, the more they will enjoy the our-of-doors, and will be less likely to be involved in a trail side incident in the future. And isn’t that the reason for this BBS?

Thanks….Walker

 

[walker]

Car Doors, Keys, and Miles from anywhere

My piece of wisdom comes from an incident at the trail head many years ago.

Now, I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, LOCK MY CAR DOOR WITH MY CAR KEY, NOT BY PUSHING THE LOCK BUTTON, AND SLAMMING THE DOOR SHUT!!! Looking through the locked, car window and seeing your car keys sitting on the floor will really put you in a bad mood for the day.

I also carry an extra pair of boot laces with me. Ever walk many miles down hill with one boot barely tied onto your foot. Not a good thing. Plastic wire ties work well also.

Hike Free and Life…Walker

 

[Maddy]

Get a DOG! You will enrich not only h/her life but yours as well.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Put at most one thing in any 1 pocket. Otherwise, you will lose the other things in that pocket when you pull out what you want. Been there, done that.

Get a pack that is big enough to carry everything you want to bring, INSIDE the pack. The more that hangs off, the more you will lose! Been there, done that too!

Cell phones don't always work in the back country.

Bring a headlamp, even if you are doing a short hike starting at 9AM!

If hiking in a group, there should be a VERY GOOD REASON to separate. If you MUST separate, make sure everyone is safely out when you return to 'civilization'.

 

[Little Rickie]

If you're not sure don't go there or don't do that.

Hike a few times with an experienced person and talk while you walk, invaluable.

Never been there before, go with someone that has.

Always plan for rain.

It's OK to: go slow, stop to eat, drink, sit and look around.

Go buy the Boy Scout field book.

Turn around and come back when you're tired.

Keep it fun!

Buy beers for experienced hikers.

 

[sierra]

I think this thread is a outstanding idea and could be a great resource for new hikers on this board. Here's my tip for the day. The weather at the car is not the weather you will find up high on the ridgelines. When its 60 degrees in north conway in april or may, it will be alot colder almost or winterlike say up on the presi's. Use the observatorys site to get the "high summits" forecast so you know what the "real" conditions might be like when you reach and ascend above treeline. Ok I cant resist second tip, just because its nice out and you might do the whole hike in just a shirt, you MUST still pack for potential bad conditions. MY summer pack is something like this.
Hats- 1 balacava, 1 small beenie
shell pants and jacket ( for rain and wind).
Insulated jacket ( patagonia puff for me).
pants ( no cotten, I like schoeler material)
tshirt
lightweight shirt long sleeve.
xtra shirt
fingerless gloves
lightweight gloves
space blanket
first aid kit ( a good one)
compass and all maps that cover your terrain. (no how to use them).
knife ( I go big, lets leave it at that).
matches
headlamp (xtra batteries a must).
waterproof pack cover ( dry gear is better).

Might seem like alot but Im always warm, dry and I can summit in bad conditions with this gear, instaed of bailing because Im cold and miserable.

 

[Guthook]

One thing I never see people say is there's no need to go and spend a ton of money on what is generally regarded as "the essentials." For beginner hikers going on day hikes in the summer, you can get by just fine with stuff that's much simpler and cheaper than what most hikers carry:

-sneakers instead of high-end boots (in most cases).
-clothes you could get at a sports store (soccer shorts, wind pants, under armor type base layers), instead of convertible pants, patagonia shirts, and such.
-frog toggs or dri ducks for rainwear (cheap and light)
-a bookbag instead of a high-end backpack
-used soda bottles instead of nalgenes and platypuses
-a big, fat sandwich instead of power bars and energy shots

For day hikes in most weather I tend to go with the cheaper gear like the above. I hate to see people who look like they walked into REI and got suckered into buying all kinds of expensive stuff for their first dayhike. Spend your money on a good map of where you're going, and take your time to ask others about the area rather than going to the gear store and asking what you "need".

 

[dug]

Wear snowshoes.

 

[una_dogger]

Wear snowshoes.

Thanks, Dug. ;-)

 

[nartreb]

An important one in springtime: plan your route so that any potentially difficult stream crossings or hard-to-follow trails are on your way *in*, not on your way *out*, or be prepared for a much longer hike.

Most important: be flexible! Some of my best moments came when I changed my plan and was pleasantly surprised. Most of my biggest mistakes came from trying to meet a goal and a schedule without enough regard for conditions or conditioning.

 

[TCD]

Start with popular trips, where you will have lots of company on the trail and at the summit. This is not intended to suggest being unprepared, or planning on being rescued by fellow travelers. But when things go wrong, it can be good not to be alone.

If solo, tell someone where you are going and when to expect you, and stick to your plan (I know not everyone here does that, but wait until you have some experience before deciding that you don't want to do that.)

Plan a realistic trip. Trail miles are much longer and slower than road miles; bushwhack miles are amazingly long and slow.

Start early. Always makes any trip easier, and gives you more time to fix problems (and makes for a longer party and more drinking afterward).

Cancel if the weather really sucks. You'll have plenty of time to go in bad weather after you have some practice.

Carry important stuff in zippered pockets on clothing or packs. I cringe when I see important items (map, compass, GPS, flashlight) sticking out of a loose, unsecured pocket, or clipped on a belt.

Enjoy the people and animals that you meet. Take pictures / video. Have fun!

 

[--M.]

Great stuff!

Ditto on a lot, including the Boy Scout Handbook, although I haven't read one since the 70's.

Heard this from a certain someone at The Wanderer: If the weather doesn't match your itinerary on game day, you don't have to go home, just go somewhere safe enough for the weather (i.e. swap Franconia Ridge for Hale). Get trail conditions and advice from VftT, and check the weather before you go.

Bring the essentials gear and be comfortable summiting when everyone else is freezing & wet.

Good boots, broken in, make a huge difference.

Fitness counts.

Keep it fun.

Try one, but only one, stretch goal per trip. I.e. stealth camping having mastered lean-tos..., but not stealth camping with an untried new stove in winter.

There's always room for one more in the lean-to (especially if the weather's bad).

Pre-cook bacon, and eat often & well on the trail. Tobler, cheddar, pepperoni, water, Gatorade, bananas, snickers, gorp: these will get you to your next meal-stop. Drink sufficient water. The $15/pound ParmigianoReggiano and a little Poland Spring bottle of Bushmills will cover your good-food requirement at dinner time. Heat & eat, prepare beforehand, keep it simple (chili & rice, beef stew). An extra cigar for your friend after dinner will endear you even more than the cheese & whiskey before..., unless there are non-smokers nearby. The right food always blows them away!

Carry multiple methods for starting fire. I have several lighters in separate zip-locks, waterproof matches & a magnesium stick. Have used two fall-backs so far. White gas is the opposite of lighter fluid: flashes big and gone quickly. Handle with care!

A "space blanket" will suffice in temps above 50 degrees and low humidity. I was a little cold. If it had been 40* & raining, I'd have been at risk.

Hike with really great people and you will have a really great time. Be very selective here, but open-minded to newcomers & the trail-met.

Buy extra maps at The Mountain Wanderer and give them out as gifts. They age out quickly anyway and you'll want the latest. These and cheap poles are good introductory gifts for newbies.

A 35-quart cooler packed to the top with block ice will stay cold for three days.

Freshly-caught fish tastes better than anything you have ever had in your whole life, especially if you've been hiking.

Have fun!!

 

[Raven]

Great idea.

1. Focus on hydrating 1-2 days before a hike. Couple liters a day, spread out. Keep it up during and after hiking as well.

2. Take the time to stop when warm, 30 minutes into a hike and stretch. Even if it's just 2-3 basic leg stretches for a few minutes, it can help avoid injury and recovery will be faster. Doing this at breaks can be a good habit.

Hiking in in the NE is often a strenuous and athletic endeavor (not that it must be). Terrain is often rough and uneven, you're in the elements, muscles are constantly flexed and pressure is put on them at various angles and you weaken during the day.

Don't underestimate it.

3. Know what's it your pack, where it is, how to use it, and be able to get it quickly in the dark with cold hands.

 

[TrailwrightBratt]

My two cents or maybe 25.

1.Get a good basic book on hiking.I recommend a Dan Doan book 50 Hikes in the White Mtns.,or 50 hikes in N.H., both will give you the basic needs and includes trips for all levels.
2.Be sure to have the 10 essentials and learn to use them
3.Trailwrights has from the beggining, and Peg and I have always recommended, to "Go prepared to spend the Night" .I don't mean with everything but only to survive. In all these years teaching in Workshops we have met many people who have told us that they have thought of that statement when they did not heed that advice.
4.Always respect nature and the out of doors and turn back when in doubt.
5.Have fun and when it becomes no fun Go Home.

 

[Tom Rankin]

a big, fat sandwich instead of power bars and energy shots

I guess this is a quibble, but a big meal on a hike is a no-no to me. It really slows me down. I tend to eat short and often. Just my $0.02...

My eating strategy: Carbs before and during the hike, and protein after.

And did I mention HYDRATE!

 

[wardsgirl]

Don't overdo it. This is supposed to be fun.

 

[Guthook]

I guess this is a quibble, but a big meal on a hike is a no-no to me. It really slows me down. I tend to eat short and often. Just my $0.02...

My eating strategy: Carbs before and during the hike, and protein after.

Different strokes, different folks. For me, there's little in the world better than a good sandwich on top of a mountain. Then again, my eating strategy is also to eat almost continuously. I do love to eat

 

[Tim Seaver]

An important one in springtime: plan your route so that any potentially difficult stream crossings or hard-to-follow trails are on your way *in*, not on your way *out*, or be prepared for a much longer hike.

Or possibly, a $25,000 "rescue" because you got bad advice and followed it.

He was extremely prepared. He spoke with 2 AMC officers about his route and bailout plans the day before. The weather stayed as forecast. Unseasonably warm. He followed the itinerary he had left the AMC front desk and his parents. If he had been told that the shortcut, the pre-planned "bailout" route would lead him directly into impassable extremely dangerous flood conditions, he would have never gone into the Great Gulf and gotten trapped.

Newbies should keep in mind that even people behind desks wearing nice green polo shirts with official logos and sounding official may not really have a clue as to actual conditions, and may well just be operating by the seat of their pants. I have ran into this phenomenon so many times in National Forests, Parks and other areas it's past being funny.

People love sounding knowledgeable. Beware those in funny hats.

 

[cushetunk]

OMG. 99% of the time it's just walking in the woods.

 

[leaf]

If you're looking to save weight, leave your headlamp in the car.