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 🙂

Today, continuing on in our series on getting started with hiking, I wanted to do a short post on planning a hiking route. At the start of this series we looked at where you should go for your first inaugural hikes and how far you should go. When you have those things worked out, you then want to start thinking a bit more about your actual route that will fit the criteria you’ve laid out.

Now, as I mention throughout this series of getting started with hiking posts, it’s a good idea to keep your first hikes well within your comfort zone and to stay on very well marked paths and trails, so much so that you could probably get away with hiking on them and making your way back to base without a map.

Overall, the main priority is to stay safe so you have the freedom to enjoy your hike and get familiar with being out on the trail. The best way to do that is to do some good route planning in advance. For this I’ve listed some pointers below to help guide you through the best way to do this.

1. Plan Your Route in Advance

Stating the obvious here but, in short, no matter your level of hiking experience, you should always plan your route in advance!

Try and get an up to date map of the hiking area. An up to date map is important as things do change over time and trails once marked on the map may
no longer be in existence! Also, be sure to keep in mind that some basic land features like forests, even an up to date map, can change. For example, they are often cut down for maintenance purposes. When you go looking for it on your map, it may not be there which could lead to confusion.

Now this post is part of a series mainly targeted at beginners who broadly speaking, probably don’t have finely tuned navigation skills. However, it is very possible that you could have someone who is new to hiking but knows a lot about navigation. If you fall into that category and you do happen to have good navigation skills get a hold of a route planner and write out your route including coordinates, key points, distance between key points, timing (how long you estimate it will take you to get from one point to another), etc.

When you get more familiar with route planning, you can use certain tools and guides to help you work out more detailed information about your hike.  For example, you can calculate the length of time your hike should take. Many people use traditional tools like Naismith’s rule to help them in that process, which although not perfect, is popularly used to give an idea of how long in minutes you should factor in when you ascend by an increment of 10 meters.

These days, there are lots of really cool smartphone Apps which you can utilize too. For example, I’m a big fan of Viewranger. It’s very easy to plan out a route once you buy the relevant map. While apps like that can also be used as a guide on your route, I strongly recommend that you don’t rely on that method alone. I do use Viewranger but I always keep the traditional method of map and compass close at hand. Batteries in phones can die, typically at the most inopportune times 🙂

I won’t go into too much detail on navigation this post, I do plan to start a series on navigation at some point though which should give a bit more information on the basics of navigation. In short there are plenty of tools and methods you can use to help you plan your route as you get more experienced. At the start though, I recommend you ….

2. Stick to Marked and Open Trails

If you’re new to hiking or if you’ve only been hiking a short while but do not have reasonable navigation skills, using a map and compass etc., then you should stay on established trails and marked treks. I really don’t recommend that you go venturing out into the wilderness and stray away from established paths as it is very easy to get lost if you do not have the navigation skills to guide yourself safely across open terrain.

It is also very possible that you could encounter difficult terrain e.g. cliff edges. While this will be marked clearly on any map, if you can’t read a map correctly it will mean nothing to you. All you’ll see are a bunch of squiggly lines very close together 🙂

The weather is another key factor here as if fog or mist develops you could be in difficulty if you can’t establish your position on a map and don’t know how to take a bearing to guide yourself safely out. If you’re hiking in a new area for the first time, it is also advisable to ask some locals or people who have hiked there before for any information on your route. The internet is a wealth of information of course.

3. Hike in a Group

Generally it is a good idea to have a few people hiking together. If one or two people get into difficulty, the odds are that someone is still able to raise the alarm and get help.

It is also a really good idea to try and hook up with some experienced hikers when you’re just starting out, that way you shouldn’t risk getting lost as their experience will keep you on the right trails etc. a great way to do that is to join a hiking club or group. You’ll not only be safe as you get started but you’ll likely make some new friends too.

4. Tell People Where You’re Going

A simple but often neglected safety tip is to simply tell people where you are going hiking and give them the route you plan to take. A useful idea for this can be to photocopy the section of map you plan to hike and mark out the your hiking route clearly on it. That way, if you don’t show up for dinner, they have a pretty good idea where to send the search and rescue party!

Again, Apps like Viewranger make this really handy and easy to do. I plotted the route above using it.

5. Easy Access Map

When you set out on your hike it is wise to have your map, with the hike route clearly marked out on it, fully open and with easy access to reference. Maps, as you know, can be big and unwieldy so you may need to bend them about a bit to get the relevant area clearly and fully visible.

Another good tip here is to invest in a map bag, pictured above, to keep your map in. A map bag will keep your map dry and protected from the weather as you reference it while you hike. If you’re tight on funds a good food zip lock bag can do the trick just nicely!

Conclusion

So there you have it. Whether you’re brand new to hiking or a very experienced hiker, these same tips always apply. There are many more things to consider but these are some fundamental tips, if you will, on how to plan your hiking route and of course stay as safe as possible in the process.

When you’re at the stage of planning your route, you’re probably very close to hitting the trail and have all the other bits sorted out. Next up we’ll take a look at something everyone should be aware of when they’re out on the trail and that is to Leave No Trace. If you would like to start from the start of this series of posts on getting started with hiking, please click here.

If you found this post useful, please share it or leave a comment 😉

In this post I wanted to take a look today at some hiking food ideas that you can take with you on your hikes.

I started to think about this last night while I was buying some of my usual hiking supplies in the store for the trail. Of course the more I thought about it the more options seemed to present themselves.

So rather than starting with an exhaustive list of the many food possibilities for day or multi day hiking, I figured I would just start with what I know best i.e. what I take with me on my hikes.

I am focusing on day hikes in this post and I will list out some of the general food ideas I regularly utilise.

Water

OK, so technically, not food but absolutely critical all the same. When you’re heading out on a hike water is of course of the utmost importance,  it is critical to have a good supply with you so I feel I should put it in here at the start. There are various ways to carry water on the trail but if nothing else a basic water bottle from the store will do the trick.

Always be sure you have an adequate supply with you, you don’t want to run out. You can get by for a long time without food with the only consequence being hungry and probably a bit grumpy 🙂 Not so with water as you can imagine.

Remember water can be heavy to carry so if you’re going out on a longer hike, you could look to utilize water spots along way like rivers and so on. Always be careful when you drink water from a river or in the mountains. I have drank water straight from source in many of the places I regularly hike in but as general rule, you should always purify water found on the trail before drinking it.

Fruit

Moving on, I then look to things that are convenient and easy to carry. I also try to only consume healthy stuff as much as possible. I think fruit is great for a day hike. Easy to carry and great for a short snack aka as a ‘banana stop’. 5 minute break, some water and banana, happy days!

Banana’s and apples are regular companions with me on my day hikes. Two of each is my usual stockpile. They are  great and they can also be easily munched on the move. They also provide some water and a some sugar with fiber to top up on energy needs. You can of course pick your favorite fruits if bananas and apples aren’t your thing.

Always remember that if you take fruits into the mountains, take your waste back out. Many people mistakenly throw the cores of apples and banana skins on the ground believing this is fine as they’re biodegradable. This just isn’t so and unless the fruit is native to that specific area i.e. it grows alongside the trail you’re on, you need to pack it out!

There are lot’s of sound reasons for that which I won’t delve into here. Check out this post on leave no trace to learn more.

Nuts or Trail Mix

For quick, convenient and healthy snacking I find nuts to be perfect. I usually have a nice mix of almonds, a few Brazil nuts, some cashews and walnuts. I am big fan of walnuts and they pack a healthy and filling energy punch for their size.

Trail mix is another good option which can be easily purchased in any large grocery store. While trail mix will have nuts too it will usually also have dried fruit, grains and sometimes even chocolate. I prefer to keep it down to my own selection of nuts, almonds 🙂 , but trail mix is a fine and popular choice too.

Note: Just a small note of caution with regard to nuts. Stick to the recommended daily portion sizes as taking more than that of some nuts can have adverse effects if done too regularly. Don’t let this minor note of caution dissuade you from nuts though, they’re healthy and awesome but like anything, it’s all about the balance! I love them 🙂

The Main Event

What I like to call the main event is your main meal while out on your day hike, generally speaking this is normally lunch. Up until about two months back I was a big fan of the good old fashioned sandwich or baguette!

I of course tried to keep it as healthy as possible with some lean meat like boiled or grilled organic chicken, salad mix and mayonnaise on whole grain bread or in a baguette. The options for a sandwich are of course endless and you can adapt it to whatever your tastes are.

However, about two months back I cut bread out of my diet completely as part of a new strength and conditioning program I started. Part of that was also to only eat, what are defined as, ‘clean’ carbs. While I had taken cold pasta and white rice meals with me on my hikes before, and again the options for pasta and rice are many e.g. a nice tuna pasta salad works very well on the trail, these aren’t classed as clean carbs.

So I had a quick rethink and experimented with brown rice, a little finely chopped onion, chopped peppers, some boiled or grilled chicken, some herbs topped with some light seasoning. It was delicious and that, or a variation of it, has been my main staple on my recent hikes the last month or two. Again, I’m all for experimentation so mix whatever ingredients you like to see what you come up with.

Overall, any of the options reviewed above are good for your main event.

Note: If you’re taking a rice or pasta dish with you on your day hike, be sure to pack a fork or some other eating utensil, check out the Spork on this page, in your day pack! There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to eat rice or pasta with your fingers and yes, this has happened to me 🙂

Tea / Coffee

I did a post recently on taking a Thermos water bottle or flask for the trail. To me having a hot Thermos flask with hot tea or coffee in it is a wonderful luxury to have with me on my day hikes. This is even more important for me as we move further into the colder months.

A hot drink is a great thing to have with you, not only functional as it’s hot and so warms you up, but also a great morale booster if you’re cold and standing in pelting rain! You can of course take whatever hot beverage that tickles your fancy e.g. any variety of tea, soup, etc.

Chocolate Bar

Next up, something I always have with me in my day pack is a chocolate bar. This is more for emergencies and so therefore I don’t always eat it while out on a day hike but it is wise to have one or two tucked away in the kit for an energy boost if required. I normally have a  70% cocoa dark chocolate bar but you can of course have your chocolate nibble of choice. Try keep it as a chocolate bar though, I don’t recommend carrying a box of chocolates on the trail!

Cereal Bars

Personally, I think these are just bars of sugar. It confuses me when they’re marketed as being part of a healthy breakfast on a normal day. If you look at the nutritional label on the standard cereal bar, it’s usually loaded with sugar which I don’t think is a great idea for a normal breakfast.

However, if you’re out hiking on the trail and burning lot’s of energy, cereal bars can really work a treat for giving you a quick boost on the move. So, for hiking I think they’re a winner! I usually have one or two packed away, alongside my chocolate bars, in my pack.

Remember, some bars are much worse than others, in terms of sugar. Take a few minutes and read the nutritional labels on the packet boxes and try and find something that has a bit less on the sugar side with a reasonable amount of grains, seeds and / or nuts in them.

Chips and High Fat Snacks

Now, this is one I don’t normally use on the trail, especially for day hikes, but I wanted to mention it for any hiker who is thinking about longer hiking trips, more ultra hiking type of stuff. Some of the stuff that you normally are not supposed to be munching, like high fat potato or corn chips e.g. Doritos, can be useful on the trail for longer hikes.

Why is that? Well the high calorie count can come in useful. If you are ultra hiking, you’re hiking very fast and probably moving at 3 to 5 miles an hour. Now, that is serious speed on the trail and it means you will burn a lot of energy fast.

Some, not all I hasten to add, junk food can be a quick way to get a quick dose of calories. If you’re ultra hiking, you’re probably already skinny as a rake anyway so when you eat this stuff on a multi day trek, you just burn it right back off. The other advantage, it’s lightweight and relatively easy to pack away to carry.

I hasten to add that I do not know that this scientifically sound but, from the once or twice I have used it, it seems to have worked. The higher fat carbs gave me an energy store of sorts. Again, for most hikers this one doesn’t apply but I thought I’d mention it.

Conclusion

So that’s really it for this post. I think I will expand on this topic in future as there must be any amount of nice, as well as handy, food ideas you can take with you on a day hike. Just thinking about this now, while I have cooked and ate hot meals camping out many times while hiking, I have never ever brought hot food, aside from soup in a Thermos flask once or twice, with me on a day hike! There could be room there for experimentation, especially as we move into winter. Eating a hot meal on a peak would be a nice treat, definitely some food (excuse the pun) for thought!

Finally, when you’re thinking of food ideas for your day hike, keep it convenient, healthy and tasty! Lunch is a welcome break on the trail and as well as being a necessary thing to keep your energy levels up, similar to hot tea for me, it’s a nice morale booster to get some tasty food into you while chatting with your fellow hikers over lunch on the trail!

Do you have any tasty, healthy and convenient food ideas that you like to make and take on the trail with you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

I added another related post on the 10 best day hike foods which is also worth a look. Similar stuff to this but some more nutritional information is available there.

With the Fall in full swing and the winter months drawing ever closer, I thought it would be a good time to do a post on the simple but necessary process of hiking clothing layers. Layering will help ensure you stay warm, dry and comfortable on all your hikes.

It isn’t by any means a complex thing but it is worth reviewing, especially for people who are new to hiking. While I am specifically thinking of the colder months here, the same process applies all year round. For example, it only gets colder as you hike further up mountains and you get more exposed to high winds, etc.

What are Layers?

In a nutshell, all of your clothes are layers. When hiking, you want to be sure that you have enough layers with you to ensure you can stay warm and dry.

In the first instance there are base layers. These are the ones that are directly next to your skin. These need to be warm but they also need to have wicking ability to let moisture, like sweat, wick away from your skin. A handy example to use when thinking of base layers is to think of Long Johns but in two pieces so a bottom part for your legs and a top part for your torso.

That is where the illustration stops though as Long Johns are made of cotton which is a big no-no when hiking.

I should also add that I have never wore leggings on a hike, but in really cold temperatures, you may need them.

Hiking Base Layers can be made from synthetic materials like polypropylene, polyester, etc. They can also be made from natural fiber like Merino wool, a very popular material that not only has excellent wicking capability but will keep you warm.

Most of my base layers are made from Polypropylene but I do plan to venture into the wonderful world of Merino wool this Winter as I hear great things about it.

Once you have some good base layers on, you then move up to the next layer. Here you’ll be thinking of a good hiking tee or shirt. Again, wicking capabilities are preferable.

I tend to stick with polyester tees over my base layer top. It has worked well for me over the years so I am unlikely to change. Shirts can be good too though but I don’t really use them.

For hiking pants, you need to again be thinking of breathability and wicking as well as some element of water repellency and general protection. Again, man made fibers like nylon are good as they can offer flexibility which is a plus on the trail. I know I’m stating this again, but pants made from cotton are out.

In general, avoid cotton for hiking gear, it isn’t a good material for outdoor gear. Some features hiking pants should have is the ability to dry quickly and, if you can get them, ventilation zips on the sides at thigh level are excellent to have.

When opened, they allow air to easily circulate around your legs as required. You can check out some decent hiking pants options here.

The next layer up, you will want to have a warm hiking top of some kind to go over your base and second layers. I usually use a fleece jacket but a thermal jacket is also a really good option that works well for warmth.

Waterproofs, Boots and Accessories!

Finally, as you’re now up at the outer end of your layers you will need to have a waterproof hiking jacket and waterproof pants. These should ideally be breathable, water repellent, windproof, easy to put on and remove, as well as stow away in your pack.

I use the Berghaus Helvellyn Pants and they’re excellent. There is a whole range of things to consider when buying waterproof gear so check out the waterproof hiking jacket buying guide and the hiking pants (external waterproofs) buying guide. It covers everything you need to consider for this outer layer set.

On your feet you want to ensure you have comfortable hiking socks and appropriate hiking boots that have been adequately broken in (I can’t emphasize breaking your socks and boots in enough, see this post!)

Finally some clothing accessories are also crucial for hiking in the colder month’s. You will need a good pair of waterproof gloves that will keep your hands warm, dry and, ideally, also allow you good hand and finger movement. The last piece of the puzzle is of course a good hat.

While a good hiking jacket or fleece may have good hoods attached to them, I personally like to have a good beanie cap too to keep the noggin that bit warmer.

It’s worth pointing out that there are a whole range of hiking hats that are good to use at different times of the year, in different environments, etc. Check out the hiking hat buying guide to learn more on this subject.

So there you have it, a quick synopsis of all the main layers of clothing you should have for hiking in the colder months!

So what Exactly is the Importance of Having all these Layers Anyway?

Well, the main reason for having all these layers is to enable you to stay warm and dry. The inner layers stay close to your body all the time and are designed to keep heat in and let moisture out.

As you move further out, the next layers start to move to keeping heat in, with some breathability, to finally, at the external layers, letting moisture out but keeping the elements at bay too.

The beauty of layering is that it is quite easy to adjust your layers to the needs of your environment as it changes. For example, if it starts to get colder as you ascend up a peak you can take out your fleece and slip it on over your hiking tee and below your rain jacket for some extra warmth.

Or, if the rain starts pelting down you can quickly get your waterproof pants out of your pack to keep your legs dry. You get the general idea.

Two Tips to add here …

Firstly, it is a good idea to take a spare set of clothes with you on all your hikes regardless, just in case you get wet or have some kind of incident that renders your clothes problematic.

In particular, you need to be able to replace the lower layers that are closer to your skin as you need to get those off fast, if they get wet, in cold weather.

Now, I should say that I don’t always pack a full set of clothes with me on a hike but I will always have a few extra layers and a full change of clothes in my car.

It really depends on the hike I’m taking on as well as the conditions. Sometimes a full set of gear should be in your pack with you on the trail, you need to use good judgement. I review that further in this post.

Secondly, aside from the extra set of dry clothes, I think it’s always a good idea to have a second long sleeved base layer as an extra safety net.

The reason for this is just if it gets really cold very quickly or if you get injured and can’t walk, having another skin tight garment to put on will really help keep your core temperature good.

Also, you never know if someone in your hiking crew might need a spare so it’s good to have an extra just in case!

Conclusion

With the right gear both on and with you, you will have done all you can to ensure maximum comfort and enjoyment while hiking in the colder months.

Always be sensible and check the weather before-hand and remember, if the weather is looking really bad just leave it for another day. The last thing you want is to get into difficulty and have to call for help just because you were too Gung-ho!

If you’re totally new to hiking, I suggest you start here where I walk through all the key points you need to consider to get started hiking. There are plenty of links from there to, among many other relevant topics, posts about the different bits of gear you should have.

If you want to get straight to business with it, check out the complete day hiking checklist which covers everything you need to consider in terms of gear and a bunch of other stuff.

OK, that’s it for today 🙂 I really hope you found this useful. Any questions on any of this or of you’re unsure about anything, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you to try and help as soon as possible. Don;t forget to like and share this post 😉

To explain what leave no trace is, let me start with a story. Some time back, I was doing a mountain skills course and while we stopped for a banana break a conversation started up between a few of my fellow course attendees on whether it was OK to leave the banana peel, or any fruit waste for that matter, on the hill side.

The argument here is that fruit is of course biodegradable so therefore there’s no harm done i.e. the banana peel will simply naturally bio-degrade into the landscape and will most likely even provide nutrients for the soil.

Now I had heard this conversation and that particular argument many times before so I knew what was wrong with it and the course instructor was quick to pick up on it and set the guys straight at the time. I should add that it was really only about a year or so before this while I was attending an introductory survival skills course (yes, I know … I attend a lot of courses … the best way to learn how to be safe and enjoy your time on the trail I assure you) that I first came across the thinking behind this.

To explain …

Now, I always knew that you should take all your rubbish out with you, that was a given. However, I too used to think that leaving fruit or vegetable waste behind was OK as it is biodegradable. This is not so and here’s why.

In short, when you’re hiking in the hills and you leave a banana peel, apple core or any other type of fruit or vegetable waste behind, while it will bio-degrade, unless it is from that habitat and grows in the mountain or countryside area you’re hiking in, you are in effect leaving an alien species in that environment and ecology.

To illustrate this, banana’s don’t grow in the Rockies so leaving a banana skin there means you’re introducing a new variable to the local ecology. That can potentially have knock on effects. For example, local wildlife might eat said banana peel and if it’s not part of their normal diet it could make them ill. Even if the banana peel just bio-degrades, you are still introducing the chemical composition of a banana peel into ground, soil, etc. that is not normally exposed to that chemical make-up.

Where?

So where did this wise thinking come from in the first place? The example I have listed above fall’s under one,  number three to be precise, of the seven leave no trace principles of the leave no trace organization. This body teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. There are seven principles:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. 
Dispose of Waste Properly
4. Leave What You Find
5. 
Minimize Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

The member-driven Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. This copyrighted information has been reprinted with permission from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.LNT.org

If you are new to hiking or if you have been hiking for a long time and this information is new to you, please take the time to visit www.LNT.org and read over the detail of each of the above principles. There also expanded principles for some specific outdoor activities.

As with everything, education is really important and there are also a lot of resources available on the site. The more people that learn the better.

Continuing on the opening story above, after the course instructor corrected the guys who were saying it was OK to leave banana peels in the hills,  they proceeded to tell a story about a time they were working with a group in Ben Nevis in Scotland.

Ben Nevis is a very popular hiking destination with thousands and thousands of visitors every year. A group of volunteers went up the mountain to clean up waste left behind by the visitors. They put banana Peels into separate bin liner bags and they apparently filled a frightening four bags full with them! These must all have been dropped in the relatively recent past as otherwise they would have rotted away.

To try and hit the point home after this they got some folks to dress up in banana suits and engage hikers around Ben Nevis for the day to raise awareness! Walking around Ben Nevis in a banana suit … I don’t like the sound of that but fair dues to the folks who did it. Anything to help raise awareness with people on how to act ethically in the beautiful natural outdoor areas they get so much enjoyment from is a great thing.

In short, leave everything exactly as you found it!

Keeping our mountains and hills pristine and as they were before we hiked in them will help keep them for the enjoyment of others for generations to come.

Have you heard of leave no trace before? Where did you learn about how to act ethically in the outdoors? Let us know in the comments below.

Yesterday I went out for a hike with a great group of folks. It was a pretty unsettled day weather wise to say the least! I woke up early at 6:30am and it was pouring rain, looked like a full blown autumn day outside.

Photo Credit: dok1

I got up and started preparing for the hike ahead, packing some gear and stuff into my daypack.

A Truly Mixed Bag!

At about 7:30am, I looked out of the kitchen window and noticed the sun was poking its head out from behind the clouds. I started thinking that maybe it might even brighten up for the day ahead. The weather forecast wasn’t much use, it just said it would be unsettled with sunny spells and rain.

We weren’t all meeting at the meeting point till 10:45am so I didn’t have to hit the road till 9:45am. Therefore I had some spare time to do a few errands.

I needed some bread and a few other bits and pieces to make a sandwich to take on the hike so I went to the store around 8:30am. When I went outside I noticed that the rain had dried off and it was now very, very windy but still quite sunny with a mish mash of threatening clouds in the sky.

I returned from the store, got my sandwich ready, finished packing up and set out at 9:45am sharp. On the drive down it started to pelt rain again and by the time I got to the meeting point it was teeming but the wind had died down. It was like vertical water streams coming from the sky!

It was a truly mixed bag of weather indeed! So, on with the Rain jacket and we set off in the deluge on the hike.

On (and Off) with the Rain Gear

And so it continued throughout the day. Pouring rain for a half hour; then sunny warm and bright; then very windy again (lift you off your feet windy when we reached the summit and were exposed); then pouring rain again, etc.

The temperature was generally pretty warm but with either the sun shining down or the wind biting through you at the top of the mountain, it ranged considerably.

Throughout the day we must have added and removed gear nearly ten times! Rain jacket on, then off; hiking fleece on then off; rain pants on then off and hiking pant bottoms detached into shorts; gaiters on and off, etc., etc.

The hike was great and we did about 14 miles across a few peaks. We all had a wonderful day. It really hit home to me again the importance of always having the right hiking gear and clothing on, as well as with you when you set out on your hikes.

Conclusion

Weather in the hills and mountains is prone to rapid change. If we hadn’t had the right hiking gear with us on the hike, we would have been soaked like a wet teabag from the rain and our sweat.

For example, with the wrong hiking shirt or tee on it would have eventually been like wearing a cold wet towel, a sure-fire ticket to a miserable hiking experience!

The main point of this post is to simply reiterate how important it is for you to have the right and best hiking gear with you when you hit the trail. If you don’t, you could be pretty miserable pretty quickly and even get into difficulty very quickly should conditions turn against you.

Have you had any bad experiences while hiking with the wrong hiking gear? Let us know in the comments section below, we’d love to hear about it!