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What tips would you give to first-time hikers? My SO & I may start doing some hiking here & there, so I started looking up trails in the area & reading comments about them. We'd only do it in the mornings, never evenings/nights for maybe 1-2 hrs. I'd never do it alone.
Of course we want an easy trail w/o any steep, slippery terrain. Fairly EASY is all we'll ever want because our point is not for a rigorous workout, but to stroll or walk while we talk, breathe fresh air, & see nice scenery.
I don't have actual hiking shoes, but I do have a few pairs of sneakers. Maybe if I enjoy hiking enough, I'll get some hiking shoes.
My main concern are wild animals, so I plan for us to carry a walking stick & even some bear spray. Not that there are necessarily bears around in our area, but I like that you can spray from many feet away w/o the animal having to be right up on you before you can spray them.
Any advice?
ALSO, if you have any, I want to hear (well, read) them...from the bad to the worst, most terrifying, odd, etc. hikes you've done. Also, say what you would have done to maybe prevent that experience from happening. TIA!
What wild animals are near you? Mountain Lions? If not I may carry pepper spray, but only for two legged predators.
Otherwise, sunscreen and a hat if you're sensitive to the sun or fair skinned, and water. You don't need any more advice than if you'd planned for a long walk through city parks.
Lock your car at the parking areas and make sure nothing of value is in it. Alternatively, leave NOTHING of value at all in the car and leave it unlocked so no one wants to break in, they simply open the door and rummage through for nothing.
Take a survival course. Invest in hiking boots.
Learn what to pack. First aide kit. ( Learn first aide !!! )
Any allergies, meds?
Altitude plays a part.
Have a flash light- fresh batteries.
Test your rope gear.
Outer gear.
Trust impeccably your hiking partner. Stay on marked trails.
Had some fun times in hiking.....we stumbled upon an old cabin in the Appalachian trail. Stopped there because an old water well was on the property.
Knocked on the rickety door and the elder fell'r answered . Said we could enjoy the well water. Then Told us he was still the acting mayor in that area. We said, who voted you in..he said, why i did! I won, no contest !
That man had no one for miles....and lived off the land .
Worse time was hiking thru a gully. Burst of rain ....water from both sides ....and what was once a dry bed turned into a stream. We got pretty bashed up slipping on the rocks. Our outergear was fine....our bruises were pretty colorful by nightfall.
I recall in our survival class the rule of thumb was...if the weather said sunny..bring your rain gear. Ohhh so true!!
That's great, if you're hiking the AT or Pacific Crest trail. Overkill for what OP is suggesting, basically a walk in the woods. Definitely agree, stay on marked trails.
Bring a USGS map of the area and a compass, and know how to use them.
Here in ME, just this past Tuesday a 75 year-old fellow and his 25 year-old nephew went hiking in Baxter State Park. Some how, they got off the trail and it got dark. They managed to get a cell signal and call for help, the Rangers told them to 'shelter in place' until daylight and they would get a chopper to them.
All good, right? Wrong. Instead of doing what they were told, the two bumbled around in the dark until the older fellow stepped off a ledge and fell 50 feet down. Come daylight, the Rangers got the chopper in and found them, but the old guy was badly hurt. He died this morning. The young guy is still in the hospital being treated for hypothermia.
Even if you don't think you are going to need them, bring:
Map
Compass
Day pack
Food
Water
First-aid kit
Warm clothing
'Space blanket'
Flashlight
Wear good boots. Once you get out of sight of the roads, anything can happen. I've been caught in freak storms, drastic temperature changes, lost faint trails, etc. Be prepared, don't become another news story.
Since you’re in SoCal, go down to San Diego Co. and hike on the trails at Palomar Mtn. and Mt. Laguna. The trails are moderate, yet in wooded, mountainous areas, not as crowded as Big Bear. Also, fall & winter are good times for hiking in Anza-Borrego SP.
Invest in good quality hiking boots & TAKE WATER. Car break-ins are common at trailheads, so don’t leave valuables in your vehicle.
Bring a USGS map of the area and a compass, and know how to use them.
Here in ME, just this past Tuesday a 75 year-old fellow and his 25 year-old nephew went hiking in Baxter State Park. Some how, they got off the trail and it got dark. They managed to get a cell signal and call for help, the Rangers told them to 'shelter in place' until daylight and they would get a chopper to them.
All good, right? Wrong. Instead of doing what they were told, the two bumbled around in the dark until the older fellow stepped off a ledge and fell 50 feet down. Come daylight, the Rangers got the chopper in and found them, but the old guy was badly hurt. He died this morning. The young guy is still in the hospital being treated for hypothermia.
Even if you don't think you are going to need them, bring:
Map
Compass
Day pack
Food
Water
First-aid kit
Warm clothing
'Space blanket'
Flashlight
Wear good boots. Once you get out of sight of the roads, anything can happen. I've been caught in freak storms, drastic temperature changes, lost faint trails, etc. Be prepared, don't become another news story.
My husband also made me carry: additions to the basic first aid kit, a signal mirror, marine flare, three ways to start a fire, a good knife, paracord, and a few other things which I cant remember. Probably an extra pair of socks. He was retired Army. I had a tent, sleeping bag, food, and more water in the car. I could have lived in the wilderness for days.
If you're just going for a stroll in a state park for a couple of hours, you probably won't need most of that stuff.
Get a camelback water pack. Nothing worse than dying of thirst out there. Also, come armed with a gun in case there are prisoners out there. I hear there are a lot that have recently been released. Desperate people are more dangerous than bears imo.
What tips would you give to first-time hikers? My SO & I may start doing some hiking here & there, so I started looking up trails in the area & reading comments about them. We'd only do it in the mornings, never evenings/nights for maybe 1-2 hrs. I'd never do it alone.
Of course we want an easy trail w/o any steep, slippery terrain. Fairly EASY is all we'll ever want because our point is not for a rigorous workout, but to stroll or walk while we talk, breathe fresh air, & see nice scenery.
I don't have actual hiking shoes, but I do have a few pairs of sneakers. Maybe if I enjoy hiking enough, I'll get some hiking shoes.
My main concern are wild animals, so I plan for us to carry a walking stick & even some bear spray. Not that there are necessarily bears around in our area, but I like that you can spray from many feet away w/o the animal having to be right up on you before you can spray them.
Any advice?
ALSO, if you have any, I want to hear (well, read) them...from the bad to the worst, most terrifying, odd, etc. hikes you've done. Also, say what you would have done to maybe prevent that experience from happening. TIA!
Coyotes are generally harmless. They have been known to stalk small children when isolated from a group, but for full-grown adults they usually stay away. In California, the most intense (but awesome) experience I had hiking was in the mountain range north of LA. If you go on route 5 north of Magic Mountain and proceed for about half and hour or so you get into the outskirts with a fairly wooded set of hills and small mountains. I parked at the base of one of those and just hiked up indigenous style away from any marked trail. I grew up on an Indian Reservation and often just follow deer trails or work my way through the boulders, trees, and bushes off major trails. I did that for about an hour. Eventually, I got high up one of the mountains north of LA and had a great view of the area. I wanted to reach the summit. But I had an unexpected encounter.
After about 90 minutes of hiking off any trail on my own (indigenous style), I found myself deep on a hillside elevated a couple of thousand feet or so up in the range. The sun was starting to go down and the oak trees had a lot of shadows on the east/southeast face where I was. Then I'll never forget this. I saw what I initially thought was a housecat but noticed it had an unusually large head. But then I looked closer and saw it was a baby bobcat. And then I immediately heard the mother. It was startled but ready to jump and defend her baby. She was very fierce and protective. The big bobcat kept screeching loudly and stared at me intently while arching her back ready to jump. I spoke to the mother in my indigenous language to try and give a "calm" tone to the situation while gradually walking backwards. I said "You and your young are beautiful. I will leave you alone and respect your space." Then I walked away, but even from about 50 yards it was still staring at me and screeching while arching its back.
So, beware of bobcats and mountain lions. They do roam the wooded hills of Southern California in more isolated areas far off the trails - especially on the bigger, steeper hills that hikers tend to avoid. It was intense but awesome to see the mother protects her young like that. It saddens me when I learn many prime wildlife areas of CA like that and people's homes/livelihood were destroyed by fire recently.
It is important to wear good hiking shoes or boots and appropriate socks. I like smart wool socks and sock liners. No cotton.
I also take a small GPS that I can carry or clip to my belt or fanny pack if I am hiking in unknown area or plan to go off well marked trails. Even with marked trails it's handy to know how far you have walked so far and you may want to take a different route back to the starting point.
You'll need more water than you think. Do not get dehydrated.
Make a mental note of the distance & last places you see other people (could be a house, a ranger station, a campsite.) IF you have a medical emergency, or get lost, you need to be able to backtrack to where others are. In some parts of the States, cell phone coverage isn't reliable so knowing where people are, or where a landline phone is locatable is important.
& Yes definitely take some napkins or toilet paper- you might have a nosebleed, a minor scrape or have an unexpected "call of nature".....
& Brush up on your map reading and navigational skills. Many public lands and national parks have maps posted in common areas.
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