Three Smart Checkpoints

Boots...check!

Sunscreen...check!

Water...check!

People are getting better about understanding the common sense stuff required for going on a day hike or big trek. Experts are doing a great job educating novices on packing The 10 Essentials, adopting Leave No Trace principles, and generally being prepared. 

There is more stress on the great outdoors due to Covid, but if we are all smart and respectful, hopefully we won't do lasting damage and more people will take up the movement of enjoying while protecting the outdoors. Here are a few more "advanced" considerations to take into account. These will help you enjoy the experience, be safe, smart, and more aware of the natural world.

Choosing the Right Company

Those you trek with have a huge impact on enjoying a hike or any outdoor activity. Choose those who appreciate their surroundings and understand that challenging conditions can test the best of friendships. Team dynamics not only exist in the workplace, they reside on the trail. It is all about shared values and comparable or complementary ability. Here is my little checklist for hiking companions, people who:

- Push me a bit for fitness and take the same interval breaks

- Can chat but know when it is time to take-in the quiet

- Share the wonder of nature, not rush the activity

- Teach me a thing or two along the trail without being preachy or professorial

- Help and offer expertise of some sort when in a jam

- Know the etiquette and practice it naturally

Hikers who do thru-hikes with weeks or months of overnights, do test runs with potential companions. It is all about chemistry and you never know the concoction until it has truly been mixed. If things fall apart, try to part on the best of terms.

Get Up and Go

This is one I am always working on and will never totally perfect. It is smart to always be ready for a great day hike or awesome weekend getaway. We all have mood shifts. Sometimes, those are the kind that hit us to get up and get going. There are so many obstacles and mental obstructions to doing the right and smart thing, that we need to eliminate ways to back out or justify avoidance of outdoor exercise.

I recommend identifying five destinations within an hour of home for dayhikes and overnights. Make a little file on each that includes maps, driving directions, notes on amenities, etc. Make sure your gear is organized in one place like a bug-out bag. Organize, clean, and repair gear within a day of returning from one trip so its prepped for the next. To help with commitment and follow-through, set hiking dates with friends or family so you hold each other to it.

Two Big Comforts

When people complain or have a bad experience hiking, it is usually due to foot pain and their load. When it comes to feet, prioritize footwear. Break it in gradually before going long distances. Socks are important, so choose wisely and wash regularly (I have some old buddies that believe the stinkier, the better). Pack bandaids and Polysporin. You have to work the laces like gears on a bike. Before long uphills, lace boots snugly below the midfoot and looser around your ankles. For long descents, tighten laces back up around your ankles.

When it comes to the pack on your back; go smart, not big and heavy. Follow these tips for carrying the right amount of equipment:

- Bring gear and clothing for the forecast, not the worse possible weather

- Buy equipment for your typical trips, a lighter bag, for instance, if you primarily backpack in the summer

- If you consistently finish hikes with uneaten food, you’re carrying too much. Learn and adjust

- Lighten your load with upgrades: ultralight modern gear is often one-third the weight of traditional counterparts

- Spread the load evenly among those in your group. Take time with your straps and load distribution, get it right

Hiking, like most things in life, is art and science, a combination of safe experimentation and cool innovation. It is a sport of thousands of micro adjustments. In my youth, I played competitive tennis. How I held the racquet, my stance, anticipation, etc. was constantly adjusted and fine-tuned. The same goes for hiking. The planning and how it plays out in execution, is what makes it interesting and fun.