In many parts of the world, it’s that time of year where the spring is drawing to a close and the call of a long hot summer beckons. Well, hopefully a hot one with plenty of nice sunshine to soak up and enjoy.

The longer days of summer and the nice weather of course provide the hiker with lots more opportunity to get out on the trail. I like hiking any time of year but it is hard to beat hiking on a beautiful summers day. Not only is the weather a lot more amiable but the views can often be much better as your chances of a clear blue summers day sky increase.

However, as with all good things in life, you can have too much of a good thing and you need to remember to respect the sun when you’re out on the trail.

Drink Plenty Of Water

The first thing to mention is that when you’re hiking in a hot sun, you’re going to dehydrate a lot faster than normal. As a rule you should drink water regularly on the trail anyway but on a hot summers day, you should have some extra water supplies with you.

If you’re really heading out into the wilderness, it’s a good idea to know where your next available water source will be just in case you run into any problems.

As a separate note, would you like to have ice cold water with you out on your day hike on a hot summers day? If so, check out this post for a neat tip!

Use Sun Screen

Whether you’re hiking on a trail or lying on a beach, this is a given. Bring lot’s of sun screen with you to protect your skin from burning. Be sure to cover all exposed areas. Many times prime areas that are just ripe for burning can be omitted by accident. Places like the tips of your ears, your nose, that type of thing. Be sure to top up regularly too.

Having after sun with you is also a very good idea!

Wear A Hat

There are lot’s of different hat options you can choose from to protect you from the sun. This is especially important if, like me, you have a bald head.It will burn fast if you don’t cover it up properly with a hat as well as using sun screen. Hat’s also serve other useful functions too like keeping the sun out of your eyes or protecting your whole neck, depending on the hat you choose of course.

Wear Sunglasses

No, this isn’t to make a fashion statement but that can be a side benefit 😉

In bright sun, you can easily get blinded for a few seconds and that can lead you to lose your footing or make a bad call on a piece of terrain or the like. Also, if you’re hiking high up enough, you will possibly have snow to contend with and the sun reflecting from it can be too much for your eyes to handle.

This is wear sunglasses really play their part. You need the right kind of pair though so it is worth investigating to get the right ones. I might do a piece on this in the coming weeks to provide some more information on what to look for as I will be purchasing a pair for my Mont Blanc trip in the next week.

Cover Up Where Appropriate

Yes indeed, this can sound a little bit odd as surely when the sun is out you want to bask as much of your body in it as possible! Well, yes and no. If you’re out on the trail all day in the sun, you may be better off to cover up by wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt or tee.

I am of course referring to ones purpose built for wearing in the sun. These are loose fitting, moisture wicking, light colored, very breathable, lightweight and have some level of UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) protection in the material. Convertible hiking pants are also great for hiking in the sun as they give you the option of wearing shorts for a time. as and when you need.

Getting purpose built gear for the sun is important as it takes lot’s of issues you normally take for granted into consideration. Chaffing is one example that springs to mind. When you’re sweating that bit more in the heat, chaffing can be a real problem if you’re not in the right kind of gear.

Somewhat ironically, the hotter the environment you’re hiking in, the more you may need to cover up as you really need to protect your skin as it’s just too hot. I am thinking here about deserts and some places where the sun is particularly strong ( New Zealand is one example of where you can be out in not excruciatingly hot sun but you burn quite easily and very quickly.

This is apparently due to the ozone layer being that bit thinner further south closer to Antarctica, therefore the same would apply in other southern regions on the same latitude e.g. places in South America ).

Finally, and this would really be for the more adventurous hiker, you may not always be in hot environments when you have to contend with the sun. As referred to above, if you’re high enough, you’ll likely be surrounded by snow and need to cover up appropriately. The power of the sun will still take it’s toll whether it’s cold or hot.

Heat Exhaustion

You need to watch out for this one among yourself and  fellow hikers. Often times people can just overdo it and not even realize before this starts to impact them, especially if they’ve been out in hot sun for several days. There are two things that can help cause this 1. water depletion and 2. salt depletion.

There are many symptoms to watch out for e.g. fatigue, excessive thirst, dizziness, nausea, headache, rapid heartbeat to name just some of them. To treat heat exhaustion, get out of the sun, drink plenty of fluids, remove any unnecessary clothing and try and cool down as much as possible.

If you don’t see signs of improvement within 30 minutes you should contact a doctor. If not treated it can lead to more dangerous problems like hyperthermia. I think this topic probably deserves a whole post of its own as there is a lot more to it.

In short, as mentioned above, drink water regularly and have some salty snacks to keep you ticking over to help avoid this.

Conclusion

Hiking in the sun especially in summer can be just stunning. You can enjoy some of the best views you’re likely to see all year round and it’s nice to be able to put the rain jacket into your pack for a while!

However, as with all good things, you can have too much! You need to respect the sun. It’s beautiful but very powerful, and it can cause you problems if you don’t prepare yourself properly. I hope these few simple tips will help you enjoy your hiking experiences in the sun all the more!

Remember, sometimes it can be just too hot and humid to hike in and it might just be better to leave your hiking trip for another day. As always, be sensible as while hiking in the sun can be beautiful, if it’s too hot, humid etc. you will get uncomfortable very quickly.

Have you any good tips for hiking in the sun? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

It’s important to eat and drink regularly on the trail, even when you’re just out for shorter day hikes. As you move across different terrain you will be exerting your body to harder levels at varying times and so you will be consistently burning energy and dehydrating as you go.

Therefore you need to be sure you keep yourself well hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids and have regular energy top-ups from snacks to keep you going comfortably.

Hydration

This one really speaks for itself. We all know how important water is when you’re doing any activity, not just hiking. It is really important to take time to re-hydrate yourself at regular intervals out on the trail. As a general rule, you should aim to have a drink every time you stop for a break.

Keep a special eye on this rule in colder climes though as you may stop less as you want to keep moving to stay warm. You still need to make a point of drinking regularly though. That’s where the hydration pack really comes into its own as it enables you to drink while you keep moving.

What to Drink?

With regards to what to drink, I usually take a mixture of drinks. Water for hydration purposes and sometimes tea if it’s cold on the trail, a hot drink will be welcome when I stop for a bit, especially after lunch.  A good flask keeps my tea warm.

Other options to take are some of the sports drinks that replace electrolytes and salts. I’m not a fan of these personally.

I would definitely not take fizzy drinks, not my cup of tea in general and not as good as water when it comes to re-hydration. Coffee should probably be left out and, if I’m honest, tea should probably be on the leave out list too as, like coffee, it’s a diuretic. So technically they may dehydrate you somewhat.

There’s nothing quite like a hot cup of tea or coffee on a cold mountain side while looking out across a stunning vista though and the morale boost is quite something else I find! So, one or two small cups won’t hurt 😉

Food

I did another post on what types of foods to take on the trail, especially for a day hike so I won’t go into too much detail again here. The main thing to say here is it’s good to snack regularly on the trail in small amounts to help replace energy as you use it.

As some quick pointers, salty snacks are great to nibble on as they will replace any salt you lose from sweating. Also, cereal bars can be handy to have. Normally I would not eat cereal bars regularly as part of my diet as I think they’re just bars of sugar. One or two on a hard hike I think are fine though, great for an energy boost when you need it.

Chocolate is also a favorite of mine, another winner for that short little burst of energy. You can take a chunk as and when you need it. Like hot tea I find chocolate can be a nice little morale booster too, especially on a cold and wet day.

Of course, if you’re out on a day hike, you will need a lunch. There are multiple options for this e.g. sandwiches, pasta, whatever takes your fancy really as long as it’s handy enough to eat and packs some carb energy. Nuts and fruit should get a special mention too as I take almonds, apples and bananas out most weeks.

If you’re trekking for several days, you of course need to be a lot savvier with your food list as you need to cover multiple meals over several days. I think I’ll leave that for another post though 😉

Conclusion

This post was just a short one to highlight the importance of eating and drinking regularly on the trail. It’s also important that you eat and drink reasonably good stuff too, so leaving the Twinkies and soda pop behind is probably a good idea 😉

To have good snacks and so on with you can really add to your enjoyment on the trail! You want good food that will help keep your energy levels up and your spirit high! Remember to always take any rubbish, wrappers, fruit remains, etc. away with you.

Do you have a favorite food or drink you like to take with you out on the trail? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Today’s post is about hiking trail etiquette. While out hiking recently with a group, we came across a small river that we had to cross to enable us to continue on to the top of the mountain.

As we approached the river, we could see there was another group of hikers approaching from the other side who would reach it at about the same time as we did. There was only the one place to cross, a series of stepping stone rocks sticking out of the river, which we were both walking towards.As expected both groups reached the stepping stones at the same time and one of the other party went to start to cross but another man in their group told them to stop and let us pass first.

This is correct based on standard hiking etiquette as they were coming down the mountain and we were going up. It was interesting to witness while out on the trail and afterwards, when I queried some folks in my group on it, most didn’t seem to know that there were ‘rules’ as such. So, I thought a post on hiking etiquette might be useful!

Common Sense

First and foremost, common sense prevails. Even if the rules state that you should do one thing but the situation clearly indicates the opposite is a better course of action, then common sense wins every time.

However, there are some basic rules of etiquette out on the trail which provide general guidelines to follow to help ensure everyone can have as an enjoyable a time as possible.

Right of Way

As already mentioned, if two parties meet on a tight spot on a steep trail, as a general rule the group going uphill has the right of way. Also, when trying to pass someone out, follow the rules of the road in the country you are in. So if you’re in the US, pass on the left. If in the UK pass on the right. Again though, common sense applies, so if it isn’t wise to pass in a standard way, then use your best judgment to do it.

Another aspect to this I came across just now, which I honestly hadn’t considered before, is to do with other users of the trail. In places, it is possible that you could be sharing the trail with other non-hiking parties. For example, mountain runners, people on horseback and people on bikes.

For runners, they should follow the same etiquette as hikers but if they’re running at pace, it might be considerate to let them pass first even when you’re going uphill. Horses are one that I have not personally encountered on the trail but it is bound to be a regular enough occurrence in certain places. Horses have right of way over people so step back and if you can, step off the trail away from the direct line of the horse to avoid giving it a scare.

Finally, as mentioned above, another party who you might bump into on the trail are mountain bikers. When encountering bikers, bikers should give hikers the right of way. However, be careful with this.

I was hiking up near my hometown not long ago and they have recently opened mountain bike trails there. Some of these are clearly marked for bikers only so keep an eye out when you’re in places that have marked trails specific for mountain biking.

In summary, when meeting other parties on the trail, right of way normally goes to horses, hikers and then bikers in that order.

Close That Gate!

First off, my thanks to Mark for mentioning this one to me in the comments below. I am not quite sure how I missed it as it’s one I regularly come across!

When you’re out hiking, sometimes you may cross farm land or other types of private property. Always respect the fact that you’re on someone else’s land and close all gates or follow any other rules the landowner may ask of you. If they’re good enough to let you cross their land you should always show your respect in return by following any rules they have while you’re on their property.

Leaving a farm gate open can have serious consequences. For example, if a herd of cows gets out onto a public road, it could cause a lot of problems and possibly accidents! Many times when I’ve came across open gates or that, I like to think that people do it because they just don’t realize rather than with any malicious intent. However, it’s still something that needs to be taken seriously.

As per the final key point below, leave no trace you were there! If a gate was closed when you found it, be sure to close it again when you go through it! If you find a gate lying wide open, it’s no harm to take the time to close it over if it looks like it should be closed. Common sense again comes into play here too 😉

Speed

Sometimes, it can be good manners to let the slowest hiker set the pace if you’re in a group. This will ensure that a gap does not develop between the slower and faster hikers.

I know from personal experience however, that this can drive a lot of faster hikers crazy though. That is why in hiking clubs and associations, hikes are normally graded putting people of similar ability together.

Safety

As well as having someone leading a group hiking, following the chosen route etc., it is normal an experienced hiker takes up the rear of a party or group. They can help keep an eye on everyone and ensure that no-one falls behind, gets into difficulty, etc.

This is not always required e.g. in smaller groups. Either way, safety is paramount when out on the mountains and whomever is leading the group should always act in a safe and conscientious manner taking the safety of all the group into consideration.

Noise

Generally, avoid making lots of loud noise while out hiking. This would mainly be described as needless and loud shouting. However, I have read that making loud noises can in fact be a good thing though when hiking in certain places e.g. if you’re hiking in bear country.

I have hiked in bear country, only a couple of times, but I’ve never encountered a bear, thankfully! Apparently some noise gives the bears some warning of your approach which I assume is overall a good thing, as if you surprise a bear they are probably going to be more aggressive and freaked out into the bargain. Probably depends on the bear though, I doubt a grizzly will have too much concern about a few humans coming their way 🙂

Also, while you should always have your phone with you as your most important emergency device, don’t abuse it on the trail by playing music or having loud conversations on it, etc. The trail is the place to get away from the technological joys of life, not to indulge in them!

Leave No Trace

I did a detailed post on Leave No Trace which is worth checking out but in brief, when out hiking, leave the land and space exactly as you found it. Their mantra, which is pretty succinct and cool, is:

“Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but photos. Kill nothing but time. Keep nothing but memories”.

Conclusion

I hope you find this post on some of the basic rules of hiking trail etiquette useful. When out on the trail, as in life in general, it is good to give some consideration to others.. Overall, as said at the start, common sense should prevail and it would seem odd to me that there would be any reason to have disagreements or problems. I’ve never seen an argument on the trail and most times hikers will be well spread out so bottlenecks are unlikely, even with big groups.

However, good manners is always a good thing and costs nothing to offer. With that in mind always be mindful of your responsibilities, in the guidelines listed above, to your fellow hikers and other trail users while out enjoying the mountains.

Happy hiking 😉

Have you ever encountered bad manners on the trail? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

If you’re planning to take on a hiking adventure to a far flung location in the future one thing you will need to take into account is the seasonal conditions in the location you plan to visit. Some of the most beautiful hiking destinations in the world are in areas that can have extreme weather so it can be best to avoid them when they’re at their toughest.

This should be one of the many things that should influence your decision on where to go. This may seem like stating the obvious but unless you’re a very seasoned and experienced hiker looking for a challenge, there are some simple guidelines you should use to help ensure that when choosing a hiking destination you pick the right one.

You don’t want to get yourself into trouble or to be disappointed when you realize a hiking trip you’ve started out on can’t go ahead due to the weather conditions. In short, there are places that are good to go in every season and there are places to avoid. Let’s take a closer look at these below.

Winter

In the winter time some of the best exotic hiking destinations can be deserts, places in the opposite hemisphere, the tropics and sub tropics. Deserts are hot all year round (except at night time of course) but coolest in winter so it is a good time to experience this unforgiving environment.

Opposing hemispheres normally have opposite climates. So, for example, when it’s winter time in the UK it will be cold but hot in Australia.

Finally, the Tropics and Sub-tropics are best experienced in winter. The Tropics and Sub-tropics are, roughly speaking, geographic locations close to the earths equator and between the tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. These regions are not necessarily tropical as such, for example deserts sit in this region. As a general rule, winter will be a drier season and summer would be the rainy season.

The places you want to avoid in winter are very high mountains and places with a very cold climate. The simple reason for this is that it will be significantly colder as you go higher up mountains. Therefore, if you think it’s cold down near sea level, it will be Baltic the further you go up the mountain.

Now, it is obviously colder at the top of mountains regardless of the time of year, but in winter time it can be a hell of a lot nastier! What’s tough and warrants caution in summer, can become potentially lethal and a no go in winter.

Spring

Similar to Winter, Springtime can be a time to visit a desert for hiking, more so earlier than later in the season when it’s closer to summer. I was in the Sahara in mid spring once and it was a sight to behold. I’ve never seen an environment like it that really emanates ‘no mercy’! Forests and lower mountains are also ideal for hiking in springtime.

Again, avoid high mountains and places with a cold climate. It can still  be very, very cold at high altitudes and not suitable for most hikers without special equipment, training, guidance, etc.

Summer

This is where the beauty of high mountains can be fully enjoyed. You can head out and enjoy all the beauty they have to offer but still be cautious and do your homework as high mountains can of course be very, very cold, even in Summer.

My trip to Mont Blanc was a good example of a very high mountain that should only be attempted to summit during summer. This is illustrated by the fact that there are normally only hiking trip holiday packages available over the summer months. I’m sure some extreme hardy folks may head up there in winter too, but it wouldn’t be the norm.

Forests in colder climate areas are great to hike in, in summer. They should be fresh, cool and pleasant. Finally if you ever want to visit Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, summer is the best time to do it, although it still won’t be anywhere near warm!

At the top of the list of places to avoid in summer are deserts. They are even more punishing and unforgiving and not for the fainthearted or inexperienced. The Tropics and Sub-tropics are also not pleasant in summertime. They will be very, very wet, humid and muggy. The possibility of getting things like malaria and other nastys also goes up in summer in tropical areas. Hot lowlands should also be avoided in summertime too as the heat can build up and be very tough to hike in.

Autumn

The best type of destination in autumn are temperate deciduous forests. Forests in Western Europe are a great example of this. They’ll be a reasonable temperature to hike in but you will still need to wrap up.

As with winter, it’s best to avoid high mountains in autumn with the winter creeping in day by day, the temperature can start to drop quite suddenly and winter like conditions can start to set in that bit earlier. However, some lower summits can of course still be enjoyed, just proceed with caution and always keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Conclusion

When planning a hiking trip away, checking the seasonal conditions in your chosen destination against your dates of travel is an absolute must It could save you a lot of time, pain, disappointment and money! Aside from that, it’s easy to do.

As with all hiking trips, you should always plan ahead sensibly and if you’re unsure ask around for advice. There’s oodles of stuff online or you could join a hiking forum to ask more experienced folks who’ve been where you want to go for advice. Whenever and wherever you decide to go hiking, always be sure to have the right hiking gear for the environment you’re hiking in, be that a good rain jacket or a sturdy pair of hiking boots.

Of course, there are places you should just have to avoid during certain times of the year as the weather is too tough! Happy hiking 🙂

The short answer is yes, hiking can help you with weight loss and form a key part of your overall weight loss program!

I think when people think of losing weight, many times the first port of call seems to be dieting. Dieting is used here, and throughout the rest of this post, in the context of radically changing your intake or content (or any mixture of the two) of the food that you eat. Dieting seems to me in many cases to be a somewhat dubious part of the process of losing weight.

Diet on the other hand, used here and throughout the rest of this post in terms of the actual, normal everyday content of your diet, is of course a critical, if not paramount, part of your overall health as well as your weight and shape.

Now, before continuing I must state that I am not a nutritionist nor am I a weight loss expert. However, I have read much material on the subject of general diet and health and would consider my lifestyle to be quite healthy. With all the above in mind, there are to me, two golden rules to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and balanced weight.

Golden Rule Number 1 – Eat Sensibly

The most important thing you can do in the area of your ‘diet’ is to eat sensibly and to eat well. For me, and this is probably restating the obvious for many, this means that there are certain specific things you do, do and eat, and there are very specific things you don’t do or eat (or eat minimally).

So with that in mind, what should you be eating?

OK, so we’ve looked at all the good stuff! What about the not so good stuff? Well, in the graphic below, I list out some of the stuff you should avoid eating or at least eat in much smaller quantities. There’s nothing wrong with a treat every now and then 😉

Now, you can go into each one of these areas in great detail but, for me, if I stick with these guidelines, I should be doing pretty good. You are of course allowed to have a big sugary dessert or greasy fries and pizza but only every so often and sparingly. As a guideline, once or twice a week as a treat is a good rule of thumb. This is commonly referred to as a cheat meal in many exercise regimens.

Dieting

Now, if we look at ‘Dieting’, where we radically change the intake, content and / or amounts of food for an extended period of time, to me it seems like shooting yourself in the foot in many cases. There are of course unique circumstances for each individual where dieting is completely appropriate. However, for people who are in general good health, dieting seems to, many times, have the opposite effect over the long term.

That is, when you start dieting you restrict your calorie intake either via content or quantity restriction. The human body is an incredibly efficient machine and so your body and metabolism, quite quickly I assume, adjust to this level of consumption. Inevitably, the restrictions of your dieting method of choice are broken and you return close to the level of food intake you previously had.

However, you now approach your old level of consumption with your new lower level of metabolism. Therefore, you have increased your calorie intake to your previous levels but you can’t process it at your previous level as your body has adjusted to the restrictions as part of your diet. The resulting effect, you not only put the weight you lost back on but likely add some more. To summarize, the dieting regimen you initially started to reduce weight, now actually ends up being the cause of you putting on more weight.

In many cases, the situation continues until another reason comes up to change and, nine times out of ten, people look to another dieting method. Unfortunately, it seems to me, the cycle described above is just repeated and so it continues again and again. The ‘Dieting Industry’ is a multi-million, if not billion, dollar one so I think we can assume that the smart marketing folks in that industry know that people will be back time and again. A sound business model for them but not such a sound lifestyle model for the individual.

Now, I want to again stress again that I am not a dietitian or a nutritionist and as already mentioned, for some circumstances dieting is likely to be an appropriate course of action. However, the main thrust of what I am saying here, and it’s nothing we haven’t all heard many times before, is that first and foremost, we should eat a well-balanced diet of quality content and reasonable portion size.

That’s the first part of this equation to help with any weight loss plan. On to part two …

Golden Rule Number 2 – Exercise

Now we come to the second part of this simple equation to help with weight loss, and that is to exercise. While your ‘diet’ should always be balanced and made up of the appropriate mix and balance, exercise is a key part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In brief, the food you consume provides you with the energy to live and ideally you want to be burning any excess with some physical activity.

When trying to lose the pounds, there are any number of activities and exercise regimes that you can employ to get you started on the road to your ideal weight. I can’t say for certain but from what I have witnessed on this in friends and family who wish to lose weight, this can often start off quite gung-ho. For example, after a New Year’s blowout resolutions aplenty are quite often made.

Many times then, people put the cart before the horse and sign up for all sorts of intense exercise programs and they start, no pun intended, trying to climb a mountain from day one. Now, don’t get me wrong, many of these programs are good and they do work. However, I get the impression that many people take on too much too soon and eventually they move into overwhelm, get frustrated and pack it in.

They then console themselves with a trip to McDonald’s for a super-sized feast before deciding that exercise just isn’t for them and might not be the best approach after all, and they will approach the problem from a different angle and instead look to dieting!

And off back in the never ending circle they go. You can see how easy this can lead to the feeling of being stuck in a maze!

What I would like to suggest is that if you’ve tried multiple exercise regimes before but found that you couldn’t stick with them, what about going out for a hike? I know, it doesn’t sound too flashy!

• No super-fast weight loss promises
• No flashy gizmo’s to help you nail that perfect abs fat burning exercise
• No complex technical jargon to explain why this works while so many other approaches failed

Yes folks, I am indeed suggesting that, in combination with a balanced and healthy diet, the simple act of going out for a regular walk is the perfect place to get you started on the road to losing those extra pounds!

It’s Healthy For Your Body!

OK, our primary goal in the context of this post is to lose weight. Absolutely! We are talking about exercise that will help with weight lose. However, we need to keep general physical health in mind. Many physical health regimes can do more damage than good. What about hiking?

First off, hiking forms an excellent aerobic exercise. Aside from reducing body fat, it helps:

• Improve circulation and oxygenate your body
• Increases energy and stamina
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Build muscle

This leads to all sorts of other health benefits which we’ll explore more below.

I would also class hiking as an excellent anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise is where you have short but intense bursts of activity e.g. sprints or HIIT (High Impact Interval Training) are some example. Although hiking would maybe not normally be considered a prime anaerobic activity, I do think you do get anaerobic benefits.

To illustrate, as you hike in mountains, the terrain of course changes. From flat, to steep, to downhill, etc. This means that your levels of exertion fluctuate. For example, when you approach a very steep climb on a mountain and you push yourself to maintain a steady and fast hiking pace, I think it feasible for you to experience anaerobic benefits for those shorter blasts of exertion. Perhaps not as intense as sprints yes, but I believe there is benefit all the same as your muscles are put under strain and you have to take a break.

Increased Chances of Long Term Success

So, why do I think this overall approach has a much better chance of long term success? Well, there are numerous reasons why I think this and I go through each one in more detail below … are you ready?

Easy To Get Started

Hiking is easy to get started with. You don’t even need to go to the mountains at first, there are many opportunities to get out for a good stretch of your legs locally in your town or city. Then before you know it you are, literally, climbing mountains as you take to the treks and trails in the hills surrounded by nature.

Motivation

It can seem hard to get up early in the morning to go for a run or get in your car and drive to that gym, get changed and do the conditioning class. Putting on your boots and walking out your front door is not a difficult thing to get started on so it’s not hard to find some motivation to get you going.

Momentum

Remember that exercise program that looked like a mountain mentioned above? You know what, because getting started with hiking is easy to do and you can see progress quite quickly, you start to build momentum quite quickly too!

All of a sudden that mountain of an exercise program, doesn’t look so hard any more 😉 As you get fitter and challenge yourself more and more on the trail, it is much easier to look at taking on other exercise programs with much less fear of non-committal or failure. A positive reinforcing circle can be born and developed quite easily.

Minimal Start-up Costs

You never know, and I highly doubt this 😉 , but hiking simply may not be for you. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to find out. Simply get a good pair of hiking boots and a decent jacket, some additional items like gloves, hat and appropriate hiking pants (You can use your normal pants to get started with as long as the weather is favorable) and you are pretty much good to go!

Attainable Goals

You can determine your own pace. You don’t need to try and reach unattainable goals or punish yourself when you can’t keep up with the demands of a tough workout regime in conjunction with your busy life. Simply, start off by doing what you can. Set your first goal as walking three miles in your local park, neighborhood or along your local canal or river.

Then, simply build it up from there. The benefits start from day one and as you get more advanced and take on steeper mountains and trails, you will be giving your body a harder and tougher workout, all the while increasing your stamina and strengthening muscles!

Other Health Benefits

Aside from the obvious physical benefits, there are many other benefits to hiking. On a psychological and even spiritual level, getting out close to nature is just good for the body, mind and soul. I am convinced hiking can be looked on as a meditative mindfulness practice. At times on the trail, absolute presence and focus is required to ensure you don’t trip up on a tricky climb or slip over a tricky rock on a rocky ridge. By default, at times you need to be very focused so monkey mind has to take a back seat.

On top of that, there’s nothing quite like a good hike to help you have a good nights sleep, I can vouch for that 🙂 A good nights rest with proper sleep does wonders for general health. Assuming you stick with hiking and see some pounds drop off, your risk of developing diseases like Diabetes and heart disease will go down.

All of this can lead to less stress, anxiety and overall tension in your day-to-day life. So by starting regular hiking, or any other suitable exercise regime, it really is a circular benefit that is self perpetuating once you get it going.

Social Aspects

As you get more into hiking you can discover wide social aspects to it. It is a perfect way to spend quality time with your nearest and dearest. You also have the option of joining a hiking club where you will meet lots of folks with whom you will most likely forge long term relationships and friendships. The folks you meet in hiking groups will also likely encourage you to push the boat out a bit more

From my experience of joining hiking groups, I have met people who I have ended up socializing outside of hiking in other social arenas and I have also arranged some amazing hiking trips with people I have met in hiking groups. My trip to Mont Blanc is a good example of this, I ended up going on that with a friend I made in a hiking group.

In short, the social possibilities are really endless, I see it all the time in the groups I hike with, I’ve even seen a few budding romances develop from people meeting in hiking groups, including one marriage!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post on how hiking can help you with weight loss, but before I leave this today, I again want to state that I am not a dietitian, nutritionist or physician. Everyone’s individual circumstances are unique and you should always consult with your physician or trusted health professional on any changes you are considering making to your diet or exercise plan to ensure they’re right for you!

However, as a general rule of thumb, the simple combination of eating right and getting suitable exercise, will steer most people on the right path to not only losing unwanted weight, but to also maintaining a decent general level of health and fitness. While this post was primarily about how hiking can help you lose weight, I think it important to point out the other benefits that can come from it on all the other levels that go to make up your health and state of being.

That is to say, it helps you stay healthy on all levels; body, mind and soul. I think when you feel good in your mind, and even spiritually, about the physical exercise or activity you are doing, you have a much better chance of long term success that is sustainable. That translates into a much better chance to lose weight and keep it off which is of course the main goal in this context. As you are still maintaining a reasonable diet with treats here and there, you won’t feel deprived on that front either.

If you’ve never went hiking before but something in all the above appeals to you, why not give it a go? It’s easy to get started! Check out some of the posts here on Cool Hiking Gear or go through the getting started with hiking guide, and you will be out on the trail in no time 😉

What do you think, is hiking a good way to help you lose weight and stay healthy? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

In this article I want to take a look at local hiking clubs, as they are a great resource that are available to many folks in their local areas.

When you are starting out hiking, it can all be a bit of a mystery. Where do you go to hike? What should you bring? Who should you go with? How do you stay safe? There can be a lot of things to consider for sure.

For people just getting started in hiking, joining an established club is a really good idea for many reasons. For more experienced hikers, joining a local hiking club can also be a great idea for multiple reasons. I review some of these reasons in the sections below.

Graded Hikes and Walks

Most hiking clubs will cater for all types of hiker and therefore all levels of fitness. To help them organize folks and to get an understanding of the fitness levels people have when they start, they will generally grade their hikes.

Grading simply means that each hike is awarded a grade based on it’s level of difficulty. So based on a scale of 10, an easier hike will have a lower grade of say 1 to 3 while a harder hike will have a higher grade of say 8 to 10 with medium hikes sitting between 4 and 7. The grading will be based on things like distance, altitude, terrain, and so on.

The general idea of this is that when you’re trying to organize many hikers into manageable groups, you want to be able put people of the same fitness levels on the same grade of hike, so they can all keep up with one another.

This grading system can also be very useful for someone completely new to hiking, as they can get a taste of how they handle a proper hike but at a suitably basic level before going further.

Regardless of your hiking experience, when joining a hiking or walking club, a lot of the time you may be asked to start off on a low or medium level hike. Please don’t be offended if you’re super fit, it’s just the easiest way for a club leader to get an idea of your fitness before allowing you on harder hikes.

Sometimes a club leader will vet you in advance though, and if you tell them you’re just back from hiking up Kilimanjaro last week, they’ll likely let you join a higher grade hike from the get go 😉

Note: hiking can be funny in that you could be quite fit in a particular sport, but your specific fitness skills may not apply to hiking and you will still need time to adapt to that type of activity.

Organised Transport

A lot of the time, when you head out hiking you are going to places that are outside of built up areas like cities and towns. Therefore you need transport to get there. 

Many clubs will organize transport for their members, for a small fee, that will pick up people from a particular point and bring them back when the hike is finished.

Also, even for things like car pooling clubs are really great. There’s no point four people from one area all driving their own cars to the hiking location if they can all pool together.

Not only does it save on fuel costs but it will of course be better for the environment. Often times, car parks at hiking locations can be quite small, so the less vehicles that are there, the better.

Note: I only put a picture of an old style bus to the right here as I thought it looked cool … you get the idea though 😉

Guided Hikes

Another great advantage of hiking with a club is that the hikes are all organised in advance by an experienced hiker. Usually there will be a Group Leader of some kind who will have other one or two helpers. Generally these are volunteers from the club who take turns organizing and leading or supporting the hikes.

For a newbie this is great as your hike will be all mapped out well in advance. These volunteers will also generally be experienced hikers who have good navigation and mountaineering skills.

It also should give you a selection of hikes to pick from, as many groups plan their hiking schedule well in advance.

Experience

When you join a club of any kind, you of course get the benefit of years of experience from all the other members. If you have any questions about hiking be it about what are good hiking boots to get or what food you should bring on a hike, you will get the best answers and guidance from your hiking club comrades.

It never ceases to amaze me actually. I have been hiking for years and I still regularly meet folks who teach me a thing or two. For example, hiking gear is always changing and, generally speaking, getting better and better in terms of function and so on.

I find many people can give me good recommendations from their experience with gear and so on. As well as that, I regularly pick up a new hiking tip or general recommendation from other hikers.

Socializing With Like Minded Folks

When you join a hiking club you will of course meet like minded people. If you are interested in hiking you are likely a big fan of the great outdoors in general and probably like to dip your toe’s in the water for some other outdoor activities be it rock climbing, fishing, etc.

When you join a hiking club you will be meeting and socializing with like minded people, who are likely interested in similar things, so the possibilities are endless with regards to where it might lead you.

Aside from the possibilities of other outdoor activities, most clubs will organize hiking trips away or social nights out for dinner or the like, so there are many, many, opportunities for fun to be had.

I am also aware of numerous couples who met through hiking clubs too, so if you’re looking for a bit more than a social encounter, forget match.com ha ha 🙂

In all seriousness though, it does of course happen a lot, people meet on a hike or two and end up dating each other. In fact, I know one couple who met through one of my regular hiking groups and they are now married. We don’t see them anymore though … not sure what that may indicate 🙂

Conclusion

In conclusion, whether you’re new to hiking or have done it before, but would like to expand on your experience, joining a hiking club is a fantastic way to go about it.

There are many benefits and I have only listed a few of the main ones above, there are no doubt many, many others which I have not touched on.

To find a hiking club, simply go online and type in ‘your area name’ and ‘hiking clubs’ into search. That should do the trick. Most towns and cities will have plenty of hiking groups and remember you’re not limited to joining only one, you can join as many as you like.

Also, meetup.com can be a great place to find a local hiking group too. Again, just use the same search criteria on their website. I know of several excellent ones from my city on it.

One final thing to mention is that some hiking clubs will have a fee to join. This is usually a minimal fee of twenty or thirty bucks for the year, to cover general admin costs for the club.

All perfectly reasonable and when you sign-up, the items that make-up any membership costs are usually explained in detail, so you know what you’re paying for.

If you’re keen to get out on the trail and started with hiking, and want to meet some like minded folks, joining a hiking club or group is an excellent way to get started. So, are you a member of a hiking club or hiking meetup group yet? 🙂

I hope you found this article useful and informative. Please like, comment and / or share.

In a post I did a couple of weeks back I looked at what to think about to help you try and decide whether you’d like hiking as a pastime before committing to it on an ongoing basis. To continue in that vein, I wanted to have a look at some creative ways you can put this trial into action!

What am I getting at?

Well, not everyone has easy access to mountains or even the countryside. As many people live in towns and cities, sometimes transport out to hiking locations is at best infrequent if not non-existent. However, this doesn’t spell the end of temporary possibilities to keep you going while you wait for those weekend days away in the mountains. As with anything you can get creative and many towns and cities offer different and alternative hiking possibilities.

Canals and Rivers

Many cities have canals and rivers running through them. These can, although not always, be a really nice place to go for a long trek. Generally  speaking, while not getting totally away from the city as such, you should be able to get yourself into an environment where you’re surrounded by the trees, a bit of wildlife and the soothing sound of running water. Not exactly open mountains but still pleasant all the same with its own set of unique and admirable qualities.

Parks

Most cities will of course have public parks which can be a welcome oasis in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day city life. You can take advantage of these to get your legs out for a good stretch.

For smaller parks, you’ll of course have to walk around them a few times to get a decent hike type walk in, but that’s cool. It’s enough to give you a flavor if you’re just trying walking and hiking out for the first time and it is also enough to dust the cobwebs off from a physical workout perspective. They do say that only thirty minutes of walking a day will be a great help to you to stay healthy.

Beaches

Many cities are on the coast and the beach offers a perfect place to get a good walk in. If you have one close by, you are laughing. Personally, if asked the question if I prefer mountains or the sea, I would say it’s a close tie for me. While I love hiking in mountains, walking along a beautiful beach is hard to beat. If I can hike along a mountain along a beach, then that’s just perfect!

Anyway, a beach is a great place to get out for a good long walk and with the added benefit of a fresh sea breeze. Good for the body and good for the mind so you’re on to a winner!

Forests

Often times, you can find a small forest area close by your town or city. These are perfect locations to nearly immerse yourself in nature and the outdoors and get a real feel for what hiking is like. You don’t need a huge area of forest to really feel like you’re in the wilderness, a couple of square miles will do the trick nicely.

Country roads

Finally, I wanted to give a nod to country roads. Often times, people may not be based in cities but rather smaller towns but not necessarily with any hills or mountains close by. Sometimes, just getting out on the local roads and walking alongside the fields and countryside can be really pleasant and again, will get the legs moving and give you a feel for what hiking in hills and mountains might be like for you.

Of course remember that if you’re planning on hiking on roads, always wear appropriate reflective hiking gear to ensure you can be seen by other road users.

Conclusion

Hiking is of course best experienced in the mountains, hills, etc. but many times, it isn’t easy for folks to get to those hiking locations to enjoy them. As shown above, all is not lost and there are other options that may be open to you, at least as a short term substitute. Have a look round your town or city for any of the suggestions above and get yourself out and about, you never know what hidden gems you might find.

It will not only serve as a reasonable introduction to help you gauge whether you want to take your hiking adventures further but either way, it will help you stay fit and healthy. A good walk is great for your general well being not only physically but also psychologically. After a hard day at work some fresh air in natural surroundings can really work wonders for your general mood and orientation.

I hope you found this short post useful.

If you’re completely new to hiking, you could be asking yourself some questions. for example, ‘how do I know if I’ll like it?’ ‘Is hiking a pastime I want to get into?’ It makes sense for this to be the first thing you consider. Like any hobby or sport, it’s always best to give yourself a trial period at it to see if you’ll actually take to it and want to continue with it on an ongoing basis.

Everyone has had the experience of starting some kind of new sport or activity with gusto and excitement only to see the initial enthusiasm dissipate and wane.

A classic example of this is the Gym membership. How many gyms make consistent money from folks who never actually use or even visit their gym? If you’re nodding your head in knowing acknowledgement 🙂 trust me I know, I have been guilty of that one in the past myself, and isn’t it strange how the months drift by and yet you still don’t cancel the membership!? Like there’s a sub-conscious fear that if you cancel you can never join up ever again!

This type of thing is very common and ultimately not necessary. Like anything some sports or activities you will try and you will love for life while others will come and go at different times of your life e.g. as you grow older or your tastes change etc.

Hiking is no different. For me, hopping about mountains in the elements is a pastime I truly love and enjoy but for other’s this may be as pleasurable as getting teeth pulled!

Going deeper into the initial question of whether you will like hiking in the great outdoors as a pastime, you need to ask yourself…

Do I like, or at least think I would like, walking about outside in nature and the elements?

If your answer to this question is yes, you’re off to a good start as far as hiking goes. Next, when you have an initial inkling that you might enjoy hiking, ideally you want to get a feel for it first before committing to it as a regular activity.

Why is it good to get a feel for it first?

The main reason is that good hiking gear can be a relatively significant investment, depending on how far you want to go into hiking of course. While not quite as wasteful as an unused gym membership, for example a hiking rain jacket can be used for normal day-to-day purposes, you may not want to be purchasing some of the more hiking specific kit at the start when you aren’t sure if you will commit to it on an ongoing basis.

The Good News

This is easily solved by introducing yourself slowly to hiking and building on it bit by bit to see if you’ll take to it. If you’ve never ever hiked before but think you might enjoy it, just start out walking in your local parks and see if you like that.

After doing that a few times till you’re comfortable, push the boat out a bit more and maybe head off to the countryside to a well-established but relatively easy trail.

From there, if you’re still feeling the love, you can move on to bigger well established trails on hills and mountains, eventually extending your shorter hiking excursions out to day hikes.

The beauty of all this is that you can go through all the above with most of your normal clothes and a good rain jacket, hiking pants and hiking boots. These items are things that you can use for multiple activities so even if you invest in them just to try hiking out and find you don’t take to it, they are still useful pieces of kit to have for your normal day-to-day activities. That is, rain gear will always come in handy somewhere along the line.

As well as that, aside from getting to good places to go hiking, hiking is completely free. No monthly hiking membership required! So you don’t need to fret about paying for something you’re not using.

Conclusion

Hiking is a great activity that has many benefits and if you’re looking to take up a new sport or activity, it could be a good one for you to try.

Keep in mind that no-one wants to pay for an unused gym membership so transferring that to hiking, there’s no need to buy the top of the range gear in a fit of newbie enthusiasm! Remember that you can test the water first and if you’re sensible about it, you can get started with stuff that, even if you don’t stick with hiking as an ongoing activity, is still useful on an ongoing basis.

Then, if you do stick with it and find you like it, you can expand your hiking gear list slowly over time as you need to based on the adventures you plan to undertake.

Personally, I think you’ll love hiking if you give it a go so no stalling and get yourself out there! I might be biased though 😉 If you’re completely new top hiking but want to get started, I recommend checking out the free beginners guide. That covers just about everything you need to think about to get you started on the trail.

I hope you found this useful … Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below 🙂