While I consider myself a healthy, active adult and had been on several hikes(or treks as we Indians like to call them) in India, nothing really prepared me for the hikes that I have gone on in the US. The majority of my hikes have been in and around the national and state parks of the South-West, in Utah, California, Arizona, Wyoming. So, here are some tips and experiences which I hope will be helpful to first-time hikers out there.
Basic necessities - shoes, water, clothing and other sundries
While preparing to go on our first hike ever in the US, I wanted to buy a pair of hiking boots but they came in the ugliest colors. I finally bought something in brown and blue(blech!). Just before leaving, I changed my mind and replaced the boots with my lovely sneakers(grey and orange, cute!), plus they matched my grey and orange backpack! Feeling quite happy with myself, the first day we went on a long hike, about 10-12 miles, clambering upon rocks etc. Everything was fine until about halfway into the day, when we started climbing downhill. Ohh, the agony! I quickly learned why hiking boots were better. They have padding for your feet, better ankle support, and better soles for gripping rocks etc. My beautiful sneakers kept slipping on the icy rocks, so I had a hair-raising time and as if that wasnt enough, my toes and toe-nails kept getting stubbed painfully on the front of the sneakers and by the time we were done for the day I had superb HUGE blisters covering 6 toes. And, we had about 2 more days of strenous hikes left. That was the first ever lesson I learnt - don’t be such a girl while hiking. Invest in some good hiking boots, making sure that you get ones with adequate ankle support.
The second most important thing that you should carry is adequate water and food. If you hike a lot, invest in a Camelbak. It is a backpack with a water skin inside to enable you to carry water, and a tube that comes out from the backpack, over your shoulder to the front so that anytime you want a drink of water, you just suck on through the tube. It really beats, having to stop, removing the water from your backpack, taking a drink etc. And if you’ve tried carrying litre bottles of water in your backpack you know they can get really heavy. The camelbak comes in ergonomic, attractive designs and it even comes specially designed for women and kids. Some of the pricier ones have zippered pockets to keep your food, keys etc in.
Food while hiking should remain simple, loaded with nutrition to give you energy. You cant go wrong with granola, salty nuts, or even pieces of bread and cheese. Eat light during the hike and you can have a heavier dinner later.
Warm sleeping bags are a must. It’s very difficult sleeping on simple foam pad or even just sleeping on the ground since more often than not there will be that one piece of stone that lodges into your back. We’ve found these really nice air matresses that take about 2 mins to pump air into and make for a real comfortable night.
Clothes should also be light and allow you to sweat during the day, but always carry an extra sweatshirt, jacket for the night. If you are hiking in a forest you might need warm outer wear even during the day. The best thing we have found is to do research on the conditions of the place where you are heading to and be prepared for everything.
Some other must haves are - an adequate tent, knowing how to pitch the tent quickly in case you arrive somewhere after dark, a lantern and flashlights, matches and/or a lighter, a small knife, enough sunscreen lotion, hats/caps in the summer time, good topo maps and compasses and a good supply of toilet paper:)
Leave your imagination behind .
The one thing that scares me while camping is sleeping in the tent in pitch-darkness. My ever-active imagination goes into full-blown psycho mode and that’s all it takes for me to get no sleep. Of course, hubby dearest(HD) doesnt help. Once, in California we were at a campsite where there were warnings that there were rattlesnakes around. I think I had finally managed to drop off to sleep, when HD woke me up saying -’I hear a rattler outside’ . of course, there wasnt one but that was enough for me to imagine rattlesnake fangs piercing through the tent and sinking into me, and I lay awake the entire night jumping at the wind rustling through the trees, while HD after his calming words, simply turned around and started snoring!
. but not TOO far behind!
This happened while we were camping in the Grand Tetons. I was sharing my tent with a girlfriend while the guys were in a separate tent right alongside. Sometime in the morning, she woke me up saying’What’s that?’. I listened and could hear some noise outside near the campfire. Sleepily I said’Probably one of the guys moving around’. After about 10 mins we heard a woodpecker and we jumped out of the tent to get a look at it. None of the guys were up as yet, thinking it strange we headed out to the common area and noticed an older man standing there with huge, round eyes and staring towards the woods. Apparently a bear had come along, rummaged around our campsite, run right through his campsite and into the woods:)
The main reason why I mentioned that is to remind people that while most of the time sounds in the night are probably nothing, not to get too cocky and stupid(like me:), but be aware of your surroundings and take precautions. One thing, that really gives me some peace of mind in the dark are these chemical light sticks(I’ve even seen them at rock concerts). They provide a cold source of dull light for about 12 hrs and atleast now I can see that it’s the tent flapping about my head and not some animal nosing it’s way in:D
Close encounters of the animal kind!
Once I was hiking in a national park with a lot of bears, both black and grizzlies and as luck would have it, we stumbled across one foraging for food peacefully about 10 feet away from the trail. We panicked and dashed away really fast. And by fast I mean, trail-blazing! It had taken us the better part of an hour to climb the 100 ft summit and we were halfway down the other side when we spotted the bear. After that, we were over and above the summit and at the foot of the other side in about 5 mins flat(not kidding) and only then did we breathe easy. In retrospect, it was the worst thing we could have done(ie. run away), since I read somewhere that a bear can go from 0-40mph in minutes. The best thing to do when hiking in places with a lot of wildllife is to make a lot of noise to warn the animals of your presence. Check out the information about animals and how to safeguard against them at every hiking spot you intend to go. There are certain rules you have to keep in mind for each different type of animal and your best chance of personal safety is by following those rules. And remember, animals never attack unless provoked, so for god’s sake, the pictures can wait .
That’s all I can think of for now, if anyone does have anything to add, do RRC:) And remember, be aware, be safe, enjoy nature and NEVER leave any trash behind!