So you’re bored or are just looking to embark on a new adventure. So you decide to go hiking. First of all, congratulations! Hiking is a great sport with a lot of proven health benefits. 

However, you need to know right from the start that hiking isn’t for the weak-hearted.  You need to have a great mentality and determination to enjoy this sport. Anything short of that and you’ll only find it gruesome and hectic for the most part. 

Hiking can be done as a sport, whereby there is a time and distance to beat, or purely for enjoyment, in which case you don’t need any set deadlines.

Check out some of the benefits of hiking

1. Keeps your mind sharp

Going through hiking trails requires keenness and sharpness. You need to be aware of your surrounding, always knowing the quickest exit route in case of a problem

2. Keeps you calm and happier

 A good hike helps you connect with the natural environment, keeping you calmer and at ease. It also brings a sense of purpose into your life that keeps you happier always. 

3. Helps build relationships

Hiking with your significant other, your work partners or your team helps you bond and create good relationships. 

4. Increases creativity

During hikes, you experience problems and have to come up with instantaneous solutions. This boosts the creativity of the mind and helps and individuals tackle life problems much better.

Before you embark on that first hike, here are some tips you might want to follow. Remember it’s always wise to learn from other people’s mistakes, instead of waiting to learn from your own.

Our 10 beginners hiking tips

1. Mind over matter

Hiking is as much of a mental sport as it is a physical one. You have to go into every hike with a positive and open mindset. Don’t limit your expectations and make sure you leave room for disappointment.

Having a negative attitude means you will quit at the first obstacle. 

2. Compression

Hold on, let me explain. Hiking requires you to have certain skills, and one of them is packing up stuff. I have a saying that goes, “ 90% of hiking is compression.” I came up with this just by seeing the number of things I could fit into the bag just by neatly folding the stuff to their absolute smallest sizes such that they occupied the least surface area possible.

This may seem petty but having your stuff organized and well-packed improves your attitude towards the sport and also increases your ability to have a good time during the hike.

3. Cotton kills 

Not quite literally, but you might need to avoid cotton wear during hikes. Cotton material traps the moisture from your sweat and it doesn’t go away. So, if for some reason the wind picks up or the temperature drops, you’re gonna be stuck in a cold, wet t-shirt, and it will not dry any time soon. This is especially so bad since the climb up is hot and sweaty but once you reach the top, you become freezing-cold because your shirt’s wet, and the top of the mountain is cold.

4. Pace yourself

For a first-time hiker, you need to start things off slowly. It is advised that you hike with a group of people that understand your ability. If you go hiking with experienced hikers, you might find it as a really intense workout. With time, you learn to not take it as a hard-core workout, and it becomes much more enjoyable.

5. Proper footwear

I know you were expecting this on the list. The choice of shoes you go for is so, so important. It is important to get the right shoes, or you’re not going to like the whole experience. 

First and foremost, the shoes ought to be snuggly fitting. Tight-fitting shoes can be a pain in the you-know-what, especially on the way down the mountain. 

The shoes also need to be well-tied and have comfy inner soles. You don’t want your foot developing blisters because of rough inner soles, else you’ll have to be carried on the way down the mountain. A blister means game over for a hiker.

6. Hydrate the night before

You should drink at least one liter of water the night before the day of the hike. This is essential to delay any thirst or dehydration that may come on the day of the hike. This also helps you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go.

Drinking water in the morning on the day of the hike means you’ll need to pee on the trail, and nobody wants that.

7. Check for natural water sources

Aside from packing about two liters of water that’s standard for any hike, you need to identify sources of freshwater along your trail where you can fill up at. You should also bring along water purification tablets that you may use to purify the drinking water. 

8. Always pack for cold and hot weather

Mountain trails are full of surprises. One moment you’re in the scorching sun and the next, you’re going through a freezing-cold open clearing with no trees around to block the wind. It is only wise to bring along a jacket or an umbrella because you never know what you might need.

9. Always bring a headlamp

Sometimes, during the hike, you might reach the top a little later than you had planned or expected. The hike down the mountain can be a total mess if the sun sets before you make it down. It is therefore very important to bring along a headlamp so that you don’t lose your way in the dark. 

10. Poles

‘Poles save lives’

These lifesavers are so understated but they can literally change the whole hiking experience. They are really helpful with transferring the weight. They allow you to go way faster and way smoother than without. Even when you slip, you feel confident that there is always something to cushion you from a fall. 

Conclusion

That’s the end of my tips for beginner hikers. These are mistakes I have made in the past, and I hope some of these tips can help improve your hiking experience. You don’t have to go through it all to learn. I’ve taken one for the team already, you’re welcome. 

The tips are all individually important, and you shouldn’t look down on any particular one. Good luck, I hope you have pleasant experiences. 

Read more tips for planning a hiking trip right here in Gone Travelling.