#beginner hiking

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Hiking Guide for the Exhilarating Canyon Village Area, Yellowstone National Park

Welcome fellow adventurers to your comprehensive guide to hiking in the stunning Canyon Village Area of Yellowstone National Park! This enchanting region, rippling with scenic trails and breathtaking vistas, awaits your exploration. Whether you’re a seasoned trekker or a beginner embarking on your first hiking journey, this guide aims to equip you with essential knowledge — from trail maps to…

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[portraitoftheoddity]

Mountain Forecast dot com

Ok, so, one of the most valuable safety tools I can recommend for mountain hiking, ESPECIALLY in the White Mountains (New Hampshire subrange of the Appalachians) where weather conditions are -- and this is the technical meteorological term -- batshit fucking crazy, is MountainForecast.com

It's FREE to use, and they pull forecasts for mountains all over the world. You can search by the name of a mountain, or narrow it down by range and subrange really easily:

From there it will give you the summit conditions forecast for the next several days, including wind speed, wind direction, and real feel index:

This is important, because if you just look up the weather forecast on your phone for the local weather conditions, you'll be getting conditions at ground level and not at summit; it's going to be a lot warmer and less windy down at the parking lot of the trail than it's going to be once you start gaining elevation, even with smaller mountains. Knowing what weather you're going into can help you plan accordingly with your gear, your trail choices (ie, going up the lee side of the mountain on a breezy day), and whether it's a good idea to even hike at all (-31ºF? No thank you! I like being alive!)

Especially if you're hiking in an area like the Whites where conditions are highly changeable, it's a good idea to continue to check the forecast the morning of your planned hike. The weather might mess up your plans, but it's better to know before you hit the trail!

Stay safe!

[portraitoftheoddity]

I want to hike but I don't know anyone in my area. Is it okay to hike populated trails alone or do I need to find a group (and how)?

Plenty of people hike solo! It is admittedly a bit higher risk to hike alone than it is to hike with others, but if you balance out that risk with risk-lowering choices such as sticking to popular, highly-trafficked trails and making sure you're well-prepared and have done your trail and weather research, you can still be a safe and responsible hiker. I'm actually planning my first solo winter hike sometime in the next several weekends once I have a free day with optimal weather conditions.

My main advice if you are hiking alone is to let someone close to you know where you are going. Tell them (in writing if you can):

where you are going

what trail you're taking

your time of departure

how long you expect to be gone

and the point at which they should worry if they haven't heard from you or can't get in contact with you (and be sure to stick to the plan you communicated).

If you are in trouble and can't call for help, it's vital to have someone who knows to report you as a Missing Hiker and can tell people where to look.

That said, if you're looking for people to go with, you can see if there's a facebook group (I know, I know) dedicated to hiking in your area and ask around! If there's a big hiking gear retailer in your area, such as REI, they may host events or classes where you could meet people also interested in hiking. You can also ask around with people you do know, whether that's colleagues or friends from out of town; they may surprise you. And you may also set out solo and run into other hikers who don't mind you joining up with them on the trail -- last weekend I got chatting with three women at the trail head and it turned out they'd all just met and opted to climb the mountain as a group.

Good luck out there!

[portraitoftheoddity]

Beginner Hikers: Trail Etiquette

@somesuchnonsense added some EXCELLENT info in the tags on my beginner gear post about Hiking Etiquette, and frankly, it deserves its own post:

While you might be going out hiking to get away from other people, odds are good you're still going to encounter a few other folks doing the same, and some basic politeness and understanding of trail etiquette can keep you from being that guy.

So!

How to Not Be An Asshole Hiker:

Acknowledge Other Hikers. You don't have to have a whole conversation -- most people don't want you to -- but making eye contact with a brief nod or 'hello' as you cross paths is considered polite.

Respect the Right of Way. While you're going one way on the trail, someone else may be coming the other way. If the trail is narrow, one of you is going to have to step to the side. The general rule is that hikers going uphill have the right of way, and hikers going downhill should yield. That being said, if you have the right of way but notice that you have a better spot to step off to the side of the trail safely than the other person or party, it's polite to do so. Also, if you are hiking solo and there's a large group coming through the other way, it's polite to let them pass since it's easier for one person to move aside than a whole troupe. It's also polite to acknowledge people going the same way as you at a slower pace that you may be passing, and give them a chance to step aside before you pass them.

Stay On The Trail. Apart from stepping aside to the edge of the trail to let others pass, you should stick to the blazed trail and avoid bushwhacking. This is important for your safety so you don't get lost, and also for the ecosystem -- you could be damaging protected plant life or increasing erosion by trying to make your own shortcut. (Reasonable excuses to leave the trail are if you need to relieve yourself, or if there is a tree down or rock slide across the trail that you need to circumvent for safety)

Leave No Trace. On the topic of not damaging the ecosystem -- If you're gonna have a picnic, bring a bag for your garbage (or any toilet paper if you had to use some), and be sure to clean up after yourself, and erase any signs you were there. Everyone else wants to enjoy the scenic beauty of nature too, so leave it as pristine as you found it. [Side note: Leave the rocks alone, do not stack them into cairns, but also do not mess with existing cairns by adding or removing rocks if you see any -- these are often built by trail maintainers as trail markers in places above tree line where blazes may be obscured by snow and are important to keep folks from getting lost]

No One Wants to Hear Your Music. So you have a cool little Bluetooth speaker so you can blast your favorite tunes with your friends? Cool! Keep it at home! If you want to listen to music when you hike, wear headphones. Don't make your noise everyone else's problem. Enjoy the sounds of nature, and respect that other hikers may be out here for the serenity of the wild, and not your spotify playlist.

Look Out For Other Hikers. If you see another hiker in distress, see if they need help. If there's a problem on the trail up ahead or conditions they should be aware of for safety, give other hikers a heads up. Step up to be a good samaritan where one is needed if you are able. Some of the kindest strangers I've had the honor of meeting, I've encountered on a trail. It can be a really wonderful community!!!

[portraitoftheoddity]

Besides shoes you can wear, is there any other gear or supplies you'd recommend for beginner hikes? I usually just take a water bottle or 2, depending on how long I think the hike will take

So, the official answer is "always bring the 10 Essentials", but if you're a beginner doing a relatively short hike on a well-trafficked and well-marked trail and you aren't deep in the backwoods, you can get by with a simpler list to start, and then expand your gear as you start taking on longer hikes that take you further out.

Basically, you want to pack for the worst case scenario. If the worst case scenario if you get injured or lost on a particular trail is that you wait for an hour for someone an ATV to come get you or you walk a little further until you hit one of several nearby roads, you won't need to pack as much as if you could end up waiting several hours for a search & rescue team to reach you, or even spending the night alone in the wilderness waiting for a search party because you lost the trail.

I recommend, to start, for easier, well-trafficked trails:

Comfortable Backpack. No draw-string bags -- something with actual shoulder straps and preferably a waist-strap too so that most of the weight sits on your hips. Your back will thank you!

Water. I always bring at least 1 liter, usually more because I drink like a fish. Gatorade is a valid substitute, especially in summer when you're sweating.

Food. Bring some snacks, even if you anticipate being home by lunch -- granola bars, trail mix, and jerky are all good; you'll want something that won't spoil or melt in your pack, and these foods all give you a pretty dense boost of sugar, protein and salt. If you wind out being out longer than you expected, you'll have something to eat, and if you work up an appetite, you'll be less cranky because, hey-- snacks!

Extra clothing layer. I typically layer when I hike so I can strip down layers if I'm sweating or add them back if I cool off, and keep one more layer than I think I need in my pack so if it gets cold, or if there's A Situation™ and I have to wait around without movement to keep me warm, I have something to put on. If you're hiking a trail with elevation gain, it will almost inevitably be cooler at the top than it is at the trailhead. A light rain shell or a cheap plastic poncho if there's even the slightest chance of rain is also good call, and doesn't take up much space.

Ziploc baggie. Good for trash, but also invaluable if it rains or if you have a tricky water crossing to keep your phone dry. Phones love jumping in rivers. Don't ask me why.

Printed trail map. Don't rely on just your phone -- phones break, batteries run out, and signals drop. Having a paper copy of a trail map on you is safest, so if some of the trail blazes get confusing or you run into a fork in the trail, you know where to go. I also keep a small compass attached to my pack.

Simple first aid. Keep a baggie with some bandaids, an antiseptic wipe, a couple blister pads, and a dose of your preferred over the counter painkiller on hand. The most common issue you're likely to run into as a beginner are blisters on your feet, or some bumps and scrapes from tripping. For longer hikes, you may want to add more supplies, such as an ACE bandage.

Whistle. Easy to clip to your pack, and very light -- If you're hurt or lost, you can blow on a whistle a lot louder and longer than you can yell. Three short blasts is a signal for 'hiker in distress!'

Depending on the length of the trail and how much you expect to sweat, you may want to bring sunscreen with you, or just apply sunscreen and bug spray in the parking lot before you set out. I personally always carry a travel-size tube, but I am also the kind of white person who burns if I even think about sunshine.

So, that's what you're carrying. As far as what to wear:

AVOID COTTON. DO NOT WEAR JEANS.

Cotton is a nice, breathable, natural fabric that soaks up water like a fucking sponge. If you've ever done laundry and found your jeans were still damp at the end of the dryer cycle when the rest of your clothes were done, this is why. If your cotton clothes get wet on the trail from rain, sweat, or slipping in a water crossing -- they are gonna stay wet. And that can range from uncomfortable to downright dangerous if hypothermia becomes a factor (big issue up here in the White Mountains).

Athletic wear made of "moisture-wicking" or "quick-dry" material is gonna be ideal. You don't need to blow a huge amount of money on hiking-specific brands; your workout clothes may be just fine (I got one of my favorite hiking tops at Walmart for like, $8). Just check the tags to make sure they're not made of cotton. Lightweight, breathable clothes made of nylon, polyester, and merino wool are all decent options that will dry quickly, and you'll be more comfortable than you'd be in sweaty, chafing jeans. I also recommend a nice thick pair of wool socks.

Happy hiking!

[portraitoftheoddity]

Haha, okay, so, if you're walking on fairly flat, even terrain and just have a big old stick you found in the woods so you can enjoy the satisfying thunk it makes hitting the ground with each step while you're putting out big Gandalf vibes...

... then yeah, that would be an aesthetic thing.

BUT!

If you're on rough, steep terrain, a walking stick to help balance yourself can be actually quite helpful, as you've basically just turned yourself into a nice and stable tripod.

In fact, a lot of hikers, myself included, use trekking poles:

I started using a pair of these last summer and honestly, they were a game-changer for my shitty shitty fat-girl-knees.

Trekking poles are a lightweight, adjustable, modern alternative to the walking stick; they not only help with balance, but also help you take strain off your legs by letting you put some of your weight on your arms as you push off; sort of like using an elliptical at the gym instead of just the stair climber. You can steady yourself with them and push down on them as you ascend steep parts of the trail, and use them to keep from wiping out on your way down and reduce the impact on your joints when you have to hop down off a big rock. (And if you fall and hurt your ankle, I can say from personal experience, they help a LOT in steadying you as you limp back down to the parking lot, especially when getting through water crossings.)

For mountain hiking, I'm a big fan. I leave them at home though, if I'm gonna be on flatter terrain. They're a bit of an investment, so if you want to do a lot of hiking, they can be worth looking into, but they aren't essential gear. Some people prefer not to use them. But if your balance isn't great or your knees ache a lot, I recommend them.