Dear New Hiker, welcome to our world of going for a walk in the woods. That's all it is. It ain't rocket science. As others have said, hold off on buying all the new gear for awhile. Wait until you see if you're really into hiking. Your sneakers and shorts and sweatshirt are fine for now. Just take $17 and go buy a good pair of wool/acrylic hiking socks. Then blow $10 on any kind of poly shirt that'll wick some sweat off your skin. Don't worry about those cool $40 headlamps, your flashlight is fine for now. You don't need a GPS....just get a map and compass and learn how to use them....again, not rocket science. If and when you get hooked, you're gonna get itchy for nicer newer gear and you'll find yourself gravitating to REI like Bill Clinton to an intern convention. At that point you'll start to gradually accumulate gear and you'll become an absolute expert at rationalizing why you need it....don't try to fight it. For your first hike or two, go with someone or at least hike a popular trail. Make your first hike Lonesome Lake, Mt Willard, Tuckerman Ravine half way...something like that. Leave yourself wanting more. Don't make your first time a total drag. Be sure to waste some time, take pictures, look at stuff. Hopefully you'll be hooked and start to go more often, and you'll go farther and higher. Eventually you'll get into it and you'll start using terms like "epic" to describe a 4.1 mile hike that turned into a 4.3 mile hike, and "info" or "scoop" will be replaced with "beta", even though (and this is just between you and me) nobody really talks like that. Once you're an expert hiker, you'll be qualified to enter the annual online snowshoe debate and possibly get a comment of yours run in the Union Leader.
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Elizabeth
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If you take the above advice, be sure you have a dog with you with a good sense of direction. Better yet, two dogs - a dark one who shows up against the snow in winter and a light-colored one for summer.
walker
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I'll add "The Welch - Dickey" loop to one of your first hikes. It's not that easy / not to hard, and there is a reason why it makes "Biggest Bang for your Buck" list time and time again.
It mostly faces south, do it's one of the first lops to clear out of snow in the spring.
Also, carry more water then you think you're going to need. It goes fast on the trail. And DON"T drink the water right out of the stream. Think "Contamination" for all water sources. Treat with some sort of chemical.
Hike Free and Live...Walker
DSettahr
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The following is in no particular order.
Start out at the bottom, with the easy hikes, and work your way up to the hard hikes. All too often, amateur hikers are eager to "climb the tallest peak" or "hike the longest hike" without any idea of what they are getting themselves in to. It's much better to start out with simple hikes, and slowly build experience and confidence, then it is to completely surpass your experience level on your very first hike and put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation.
Always turn your car around and park facing out at the trailhead before you being your hike. If you get stuck in mud or snow while turning around, you want it to happen in the morning before you start hiking, not in the afternoon/evening after a long hike.
Keep a spare key duct-taped somewhere to the exterior of your car. If you carry your car keys with you in the woods, it's only a matter of time before you'll lose them.
You don't always need the fanciest, most expensive gear. In fact, quite often, the fanciest, most expensive gear isn't the best gear. And don't worry, if you stick with the sport of hiking, eventually the day will come when you can finally walk into a gear store and walk out without buying anything... because you've already got it all.
Explore. Get off the beaten path. Select hikes not because they guidebook recommends them, but because they look interesting on the map. Realize that there is a lot more opportunities out there than just the "tallest peaks" or those peaks above 4,000 feet.
Take the time to educate yourself in leave-no-trace, minimum impact hiking and camping techniques, wilderness ethics, and recreation aesthetics. Understand that hikers, through over-use and loving the woods to death, are the greatest threat to the resources we cherish in the backcountry. Work towards building the education, experience, and skills necessary to minimize your impact and respect the resources. Understand that you'll still enjoy your trip even if you aren't camped out right on the shore of the lake. When hiking, do the rock hop. If no rocks are available, walk straight through the mud, not around it.
Keep your feet dry. Wear waterproof boots or hiking sneakers. Try on lots of shoes before you select a pair to ensure a good, comfortable fit. Wear wicking socks. Wear gaters to keep mud and water out of your boots. Bring dry, clean socks to wear at night while sleeping, and keep your feet bare in camp for at least 15 minutes each night to let them dry out. Your feet will thank you. Lieutenant Dan wasn't kidding when he said "There is one item of G.I. gear that can be the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt. Socks." Dry feet are happy feet.
Realize that you will get wet when it rains. If it's warm out, enjoy it. If it's cold out, be conscientious of the dangers of hypothermia. Pack covers are worthless, if you really want to keep your gear dry, use a waterproof pack liner or waterproof stuff sacks.
Drink lots of water. 4 liters a day minimum. It's better to take water breaks often, drinking a small amount each time, then it is to take few water breaks and gulp lots of water down during each break. Camelbacks can help you to drink more water more often, but they can also leak (I find that platypus is the best brand to go with).
Keep snacks handy to munch on all day. Hiking consumes a lot of calories, and your hikes will be much more enjoyable if you don't allow yourself to slip into a calorie deficit during the day. Combat the "post lunch fatigue" (the period of time after lunch where your body is expending more calories to digest your food than it is getting back from that food) by having a sizeable snack break half an hour before lunch.
Take the time off from work to do a midweek hike. You'll have the woods all to yourself and will love it.
Once you have the skills and are comfortable with the idea, take the time to do a serious overnight (3+ nights) by yourself in a remote area where the odds of running into other hikers is slim. It can do amazing things for your mental well being. You'll find an inner calm and peace that you didn't know your mind was capable of achieving. Even if you normally hike with a significant other, forbade them from coming. Even if you can't stand the alone time during the first night, don't let yourself leave the woods. If this makes you feel extremely vulnerable, exposed, and uncomfortable at first, realize that these are good feelings to have. You can only reach that inner peace if you confront these feelings head on by sticking it out, rather than avoid them by leaving the woods.
Join hiking clubs. Find other hikers with more experience than you who are willing to share that experience.
Understand that most backcountry campsites and shelters are first come first serve, and that it is never a guarantee that they will be free. Always have a backup plan in case the campsite or lean-to you planned on camping at is taken. Plan to arrive at camp early enough in the afternoon that you can put your backup plan into motion with plenty of daylight left if need be. Understand that camping primitively takes a lot more time and effort to do correctly than camping in an established campsite, and that sooner or later, you will be forced to do it. Remember that arriving at the campsite or shelter you wanted to stay out only to find it occupied is never an excuse to camp illegally or in a manner that generates an unacceptable amount of impact.
Don't expect to be able to carry a full pack over a big mountain on one of your first hikes.
Trekking poles might not seem like they do much for you if you only use them for five minutes, but after the end of a long day with them in hand, the difference will be noticeable (and amazing!).
Commercially-produced backpacking meals are sometimes over-priced, and often over-salty. You can do much better for yourself by shopping at your local grocery store. Fresh fruit in the woods is worth the extra weight. Bananas will last a day or two, apples will last up to a week. Cheese will last up to a week if you don't touch it with your skin. Don't forget veggies to mix in with dinner!
Even if you use a GPS, take the time to learn backcountry navigation with a map and compass. It could save your life. Also don't expect your GPS to help you get un-lost if you haven't taken the time to learn the ins and outs of how it works before bringing it on a hike.
Take the time to read about the history of areas before you visit them. Often times, in the northeast there are lots of relics and historical artifacts of a time long gone hidden in the woods that most hikers march right on by without ever realizing they were there. Take the time to poke around in old lumber camps, at former backcountry ranger stations, etc., and be respectful of what you find.
Realize that you may need different gear for different seasons. A summer sleeping bag won't keep you warm in winter (or spring or fall for that matter!).
Don't hurry yourself into winter mountaineering too quickly. Know how to properly use an ice axe and crampons before you carry them with you on a winter hike and attempt to use them. People have been hurt badly (and even killed) because they were using technical ice gear without the proper knowledge and experience to use them safely, in situations that they were completely untrained for.
Bring a camera. You'll be glad years later that you took to the time to take photos of your trips- even the short ones that were just short walks in the woods for an hour or two.
Start out at the bottom, with the easy hikes, and work your way up to the hard hikes. All too often, amateur hikers are eager to "climb the tallest peak" or "hike the longest hike" without any idea of what they are getting themselves in to. It's much better to start out with simple hikes, and slowly build experience and confidence, then it is to completely surpass your experience level on your very first hike and put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation.
Always turn your car around and park facing out at the trailhead before you being your hike. If you get stuck in mud or snow while turning around, you want it to happen in the morning before you start hiking, not in the afternoon/evening after a long hike.
Keep a spare key duct-taped somewhere to the exterior of your car. If you carry your car keys with you in the woods, it's only a matter of time before you'll lose them.
You don't always need the fanciest, most expensive gear. In fact, quite often, the fanciest, most expensive gear isn't the best gear. And don't worry, if you stick with the sport of hiking, eventually the day will come when you can finally walk into a gear store and walk out without buying anything... because you've already got it all.
Explore. Get off the beaten path. Select hikes not because they guidebook recommends them, but because they look interesting on the map. Realize that there is a lot more opportunities out there than just the "tallest peaks" or those peaks above 4,000 feet.
Take the time to educate yourself in leave-no-trace, minimum impact hiking and camping techniques, wilderness ethics, and recreation aesthetics. Understand that hikers, through over-use and loving the woods to death, are the greatest threat to the resources we cherish in the backcountry. Work towards building the education, experience, and skills necessary to minimize your impact and respect the resources. Understand that you'll still enjoy your trip even if you aren't camped out right on the shore of the lake. When hiking, do the rock hop. If no rocks are available, walk straight through the mud, not around it.
Keep your feet dry. Wear waterproof boots or hiking sneakers. Try on lots of shoes before you select a pair to ensure a good, comfortable fit. Wear wicking socks. Wear gaters to keep mud and water out of your boots. Bring dry, clean socks to wear at night while sleeping, and keep your feet bare in camp for at least 15 minutes each night to let them dry out. Your feet will thank you. Lieutenant Dan wasn't kidding when he said "There is one item of G.I. gear that can be the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt. Socks." Dry feet are happy feet.
Realize that you will get wet when it rains. If it's warm out, enjoy it. If it's cold out, be conscientious of the dangers of hypothermia. Pack covers are worthless, if you really want to keep your gear dry, use a waterproof pack liner or waterproof stuff sacks.
Drink lots of water. 4 liters a day minimum. It's better to take water breaks often, drinking a small amount each time, then it is to take few water breaks and gulp lots of water down during each break. Camelbacks can help you to drink more water more often, but they can also leak (I find that platypus is the best brand to go with).
Keep snacks handy to munch on all day. Hiking consumes a lot of calories, and your hikes will be much more enjoyable if you don't allow yourself to slip into a calorie deficit during the day. Combat the "post lunch fatigue" (the period of time after lunch where your body is expending more calories to digest your food than it is getting back from that food) by having a sizeable snack break half an hour before lunch.
Take the time off from work to do a midweek hike. You'll have the woods all to yourself and will love it.
Once you have the skills and are comfortable with the idea, take the time to do a serious overnight (3+ nights) by yourself in a remote area where the odds of running into other hikers is slim. It can do amazing things for your mental well being. You'll find an inner calm and peace that you didn't know your mind was capable of achieving. Even if you normally hike with a significant other, forbade them from coming. Even if you can't stand the alone time during the first night, don't let yourself leave the woods. If this makes you feel extremely vulnerable, exposed, and uncomfortable at first, realize that these are good feelings to have. You can only reach that inner peace if you confront these feelings head on by sticking it out, rather than avoid them by leaving the woods.
Join hiking clubs. Find other hikers with more experience than you who are willing to share that experience.
Understand that most backcountry campsites and shelters are first come first serve, and that it is never a guarantee that they will be free. Always have a backup plan in case the campsite or lean-to you planned on camping at is taken. Plan to arrive at camp early enough in the afternoon that you can put your backup plan into motion with plenty of daylight left if need be. Understand that camping primitively takes a lot more time and effort to do correctly than camping in an established campsite, and that sooner or later, you will be forced to do it. Remember that arriving at the campsite or shelter you wanted to stay out only to find it occupied is never an excuse to camp illegally or in a manner that generates an unacceptable amount of impact.
Don't expect to be able to carry a full pack over a big mountain on one of your first hikes.
Trekking poles might not seem like they do much for you if you only use them for five minutes, but after the end of a long day with them in hand, the difference will be noticeable (and amazing!).
Commercially-produced backpacking meals are sometimes over-priced, and often over-salty. You can do much better for yourself by shopping at your local grocery store. Fresh fruit in the woods is worth the extra weight. Bananas will last a day or two, apples will last up to a week. Cheese will last up to a week if you don't touch it with your skin. Don't forget veggies to mix in with dinner!
Even if you use a GPS, take the time to learn backcountry navigation with a map and compass. It could save your life. Also don't expect your GPS to help you get un-lost if you haven't taken the time to learn the ins and outs of how it works before bringing it on a hike.
Take the time to read about the history of areas before you visit them. Often times, in the northeast there are lots of relics and historical artifacts of a time long gone hidden in the woods that most hikers march right on by without ever realizing they were there. Take the time to poke around in old lumber camps, at former backcountry ranger stations, etc., and be respectful of what you find.
Realize that you may need different gear for different seasons. A summer sleeping bag won't keep you warm in winter (or spring or fall for that matter!).
Don't hurry yourself into winter mountaineering too quickly. Know how to properly use an ice axe and crampons before you carry them with you on a winter hike and attempt to use them. People have been hurt badly (and even killed) because they were using technical ice gear without the proper knowledge and experience to use them safely, in situations that they were completely untrained for.
Bring a camera. You'll be glad years later that you took to the time to take photos of your trips- even the short ones that were just short walks in the woods for an hour or two.
Kevin Judy and Emma
Well-known member
Advice
Beware of those with too much advice. Know yourself, teach yourself. Learn from your mistakes. If you're uncomfortable, turn around and try again another day. Don't believe everything you read on the internet, it may not apply to you. Hike your own hike. Even in a group, we all hike alone... If you seek knowledge or experience, hit the trail. You will find it there. Again: Know yourself.
KDT
Beware of those with too much advice. Know yourself, teach yourself. Learn from your mistakes. If you're uncomfortable, turn around and try again another day. Don't believe everything you read on the internet, it may not apply to you. Hike your own hike. Even in a group, we all hike alone... If you seek knowledge or experience, hit the trail. You will find it there. Again: Know yourself.
KDT
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DSettahr
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But... if they hike their own hike because someone on the internet told them to... are they really doing it for themselves?
Tom Rankin
Well-known member
Absolutely!
While DSettahr's post is long, it is filled with good advice. Would anyone who reads it remember all it of? No. Might they remember one good piece of advice? I hope so!If you mean, 'no one will haul your a$$ up the mountain', I agree.
But I enjoy group hiking, couple hiking and solo hiking, sometimes all on the same hike. Groups not only offer safety (I know, there is a long argument about this!), but companionship, knowledge, and bonding. I've worked with the same people for up to 30 years, but most of my friends are people I've done a few good hikes with.
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Kevin Rooney
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This is a good point, and unfortunately is not uncommon. I often ask the person something like "have you been up that trail/route recently, like in the last week or so" and if they say "no" then I ask them if anyone of the other rangers in the vicinity have, and if so, then I seek them out. If you're tactful, you can ask this question in a nonconfrontational way. And, be thorough in your questions. If it's a snow climb/hike, find out the snow level. If that person can't answer that question quickly and with confidence, then factor maybe the other info they give you is sketchy as well.
Afterall, it's your neck, and you have a right/obligation to get the best credible advice regarding conditions.
And for those with lengthy posts - keep in mind this thread is directed at newbies. People can assimilate only so much new info at a time, so focus on the 2 or 3 things that help a new hiker get started. The rest will follow if they're really interested. It starts as just a walk in the woods, ideally on a well-marked trail. Just getting to/from the trailhead is probably a lot more complicated than what they'll encounter on the hike.
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DSettahr
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Another bit of advice to the new hiker: Realize that the art of hiking is fairly subjective, and many sources and outlets of advice won't always agree with each other!
I stand by the length of my post, and what I chose to include in it, mainly because it's a post that I would have liked to have read myself 5 years ago when I was first getting into hiking and backpacking, but also for a variety of other reasons as well. Like others have said- "hike your own hike." I chose to "post my own post." For the sake of keeping the thread on track and beneficial to the new hiker, I'll leave it at that.
I stand by the length of my post, and what I chose to include in it, mainly because it's a post that I would have liked to have read myself 5 years ago when I was first getting into hiking and backpacking, but also for a variety of other reasons as well. Like others have said- "hike your own hike." I chose to "post my own post." For the sake of keeping the thread on track and beneficial to the new hiker, I'll leave it at that.
Tom Rankin
Well-known member
I have found that starting early in the morning at or around sunrise is usually the best time to start, I encounter a lot more wildlife and the trails are devoid of people. Most folks plan their hikes to summit between 11 and 1, if you can get there before 11 you frequently have the summit to yourself. Thunderstorms and haze usually appear in warm weather by 1PM so if you are heading down by then, you probably have hiked the best part of the day.
I realize early starts are logistically difficult for most but at least try them once or twice before rejecting them out of hand.
I realize early starts are logistically difficult for most but at least try them once or twice before rejecting them out of hand.
Kevin Judy and Emma
Well-known member
Post
I read through this entire thread late last night. When I posted my response, it came after DSettahr, that is all. It was not directed at his post, but at this thread. Apparently because of the placing of my post it appeared to be aimed at the previous post, but it was not. Misunderstandings like this are why I am loathe to enter most discussions on this board.
There is a lot of good advice here, but my point is: Filter through what you read on the internet. Yes, educate yourself before you hit the trail, but do it by reading a trail description. Here in the NE there are guidebooks to each range. There is enough information and advice in them for anybody to make a wise decision about where and when to hike. If you still must go to the internet for advice, go to a trail conditions page, (and be careful there, too!) and make your own decisions on what is right for you.
Trail knowledge doesn't come from the internet, it comes from experience. Like anything else in life, we start out small and work our way up. When I say, "Even in a group, we hike alone." It means, "Yeah, be able to get your own butt off the mountain," but it also means that, "Nobody is pumping your legs, or breathing, or monitoring your heart rate or blood sugar, for you." Again, know yourself... your abilities, and your limitations...
I apologize my words were misconstrued. I am well aware there are people on this board with good advice and a lot more experience than I...
KDT
I read through this entire thread late last night. When I posted my response, it came after DSettahr, that is all. It was not directed at his post, but at this thread. Apparently because of the placing of my post it appeared to be aimed at the previous post, but it was not. Misunderstandings like this are why I am loathe to enter most discussions on this board.
There is a lot of good advice here, but my point is: Filter through what you read on the internet. Yes, educate yourself before you hit the trail, but do it by reading a trail description. Here in the NE there are guidebooks to each range. There is enough information and advice in them for anybody to make a wise decision about where and when to hike. If you still must go to the internet for advice, go to a trail conditions page, (and be careful there, too!) and make your own decisions on what is right for you.
Trail knowledge doesn't come from the internet, it comes from experience. Like anything else in life, we start out small and work our way up. When I say, "Even in a group, we hike alone." It means, "Yeah, be able to get your own butt off the mountain," but it also means that, "Nobody is pumping your legs, or breathing, or monitoring your heart rate or blood sugar, for you." Again, know yourself... your abilities, and your limitations...
I apologize my words were misconstrued. I am well aware there are people on this board with good advice and a lot more experience than I...
KDT
Kevin Rooney
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.
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."
Elizabeth
New member
Hey, that's my motto! Actually you can learn a lot from others' mistakes; but you usually have to make a few of your own before it sinks in.
My main recommendation is: Take the scenic detours.
Make time to visit "the Gorge" off the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, "Shining Rock Cliff" from Falling Waters Trail, Zeacliff off the Twinway, etc. In fact I'd say that just about any spur trail that doesn't take you too far off your intended track is worthwhile (otherwise they probably would not have bothered to make a trail there).
sierra
Well-known member
phones
Just thought Id ad this tidbit, IF you carry a phone and I would encourage you not to, dont dial 911 until death is on your doorstep. My point, self-reliance, if you get in over your head, get yourself out, to many new to hiking panic and call for help at the first sign of trouble.
p.s. flame away, Im wearing my fire retardent suit.
Just thought Id ad this tidbit, IF you carry a phone and I would encourage you not to, dont dial 911 until death is on your doorstep. My point, self-reliance, if you get in over your head, get yourself out, to many new to hiking panic and call for help at the first sign of trouble.
p.s. flame away, Im wearing my fire retardent suit.
DSettahr
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I would clarify this by saying that you should take a backcountry first aid course so that you know just what situations warrant a phone call and which situations do not.
Dana
Member
If you must bring a cellphone, leave it turned off and in a waterproof bag. Not only will your fellow hikers thank you, but phones really suck down the batteries when they're trying to pull in a weak signal.
GPS is a nice convenience. Don't rely on it.
Consider driving to the trailhead the night before (after work) if the weather's good. Have dinner on the road, arrive whenever, even at midnight. Hike in a half mile or so in the dark and make a dry camp. in the morning, you'll be ready for an early start, and the night you already spent out in the woods gives you that "break" from civilization.
Plan a short day for the last day of a multi day trip. Out by lunchtime makes for a much less tiring drive home.
If it's not bug season, a tarp and bivy sack is much nicer than zipping yourself into a closed nylon box. Even in the rain.
Ice in a Nalgene bottle in an insulated cover means Scotch on the rocks (or whatever you prefer) on the first night, if it's not too hot.
GPS is a nice convenience. Don't rely on it.
Consider driving to the trailhead the night before (after work) if the weather's good. Have dinner on the road, arrive whenever, even at midnight. Hike in a half mile or so in the dark and make a dry camp. in the morning, you'll be ready for an early start, and the night you already spent out in the woods gives you that "break" from civilization.
Plan a short day for the last day of a multi day trip. Out by lunchtime makes for a much less tiring drive home.
If it's not bug season, a tarp and bivy sack is much nicer than zipping yourself into a closed nylon box. Even in the rain.
Ice in a Nalgene bottle in an insulated cover means Scotch on the rocks (or whatever you prefer) on the first night, if it's not too hot.
DSettahr
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Realize that sooner or later, you will go on a hike where you are unable to reach your destination. It's ok to turn back, the mountain will always be there for you to return to later. It happens to everyone sooner or later, and it happens more than once. Even the best of us are forced to turn back before reaching the top from time to time.
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