Hiking tips

When I first moved to Seattle and started hiking, I struggled to keep up with my friends on the trail and then I'd be sore for days afterwards too. These tips should help you if you're in a similar situation.

Your first hikes

Focus on the basics:

  • Go with a friend that's hiked before - they can take care of directions and permits
  • Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to sweat
  • Wear comfortable shoes that can get dirty
  • Bring layers like a jacket in case it's cold or rainy on the trail
  • Bring more water than you expect - 2 liters is a good starting point
  • Bring some food - I like to eat granola bars as I go
  • Bring sunscreen
  • Go to the bathroom before getting on the trail

If you lack confidence, try going for walks in hilly parks until it feels almost comfortable.

If your friends are faster than you

  • Train your legs - walk or run around town, use a treadmill at max incline, do squats and other exercises
  • Hiking poles or a walking stick will reduce the strain on your legs, give you stability, and give your arms a little workout. If you're just starting, try to find a sturdy stick along the trail. Store-bought poles aren't that much better. I made the mistake of thinking they were only for people with bad knees.
  • Get a water bladder / backpack - you can find them for like $30 and it allows you to drink water as you go. Early on, I noticed that the people in the group with bladders had much better endurance and it's because they're drinking more water without needing to stop.
  • Eat a hearty breakfast - make sure to get enough calories. Eat foods that digest slowly and release the energy as you go.
  • Eat a little as you go - this will help you keep your energy going the whole time
  • Caffeine - It greatly improves my ability to hike. On a hot day I like to bring cold brew as a special treat. It also helps prevent muscle soreness.
  • Don't worry about falling behind. Just focus on finishing safely.

You're going to have some good days and some bad days when you're developing strength and endurance. That's normal.

After the hike

  • Stretching afterwards can help reduce muscle soreness
  • Even if you drank a lot, you probably need even more water
  • You may experience delayed-onset muscle soreness after a hard hike - you might not feel sore at all for 24 hours or longer then experience sudden soreness when standing up at work

If you start hiking more

Safety from injury

The most common injuries I've had are soreness, ankle sprains, minor scrapes, and falls. Hiking boots can help prevent ankle sprains by giving you lateral support and preventing too much ankle movement. Poles or a walking stick can also help keep your body more stable.

The same things can help prevent falling down as well. Be extra careful around loose rocks, sand-like dirt, and wet rocks. Be extra careful on steep downhill sections - almost all of my falls have been there.

Minor scrapes can be prevented by wearing long pants or a long sleeved shirt. They also prevent sunburn! They're just a bit hot at times.

Safety from getting lost

Most hikes won't have cell service. For getting to the hike and back, I suggest downloading maps offline in Google Maps.

If the hike is popular, it's unlikely that you'll get lost on the trail. If it's less popular, you should bring some sort of map. These are all good options:

  • Find the trail on CalTopo and print out a map. I put them in ziploc bags to make sure they aren't destroyed by rain
  • Use AllTrails and download the map offline (paid)
  • Use an app like Backcountry Navigator and find a map to download

If you have a trail description, save that offline to your phone too.

What to bring - the extended list

The basics, in priority order

  1. Water - dehydration is one of the biggest risks.
  2. Navigation - app, map and compass, etc. Getting lost is the other big risk.
  3. Layered clothing - adjustments if it's hotter, colder, or wetter than you expect. Hat, gloves, jacket, etc.
  4. First-aid - bandaids, hand sanitizer or neosporin, maybe tylenol
  5. Food
  6. Sun protection

Situational needs

Ask yourself questions like: What if it takes longer than expected? What if we get lost in the woods overnight? What if there's ice? How likely are these situations on this day on this trail?

  • Flashlight or head lamp - If you expect to finish within 2 hours of sunset, bring one of these. Head lamps are cheap, light, and work well.
  • Water filter - If you're at all concerned about not having enough water or don't think you can handle the weight of all the water
  • Fire starter - I keep a lighter in a ziploc bag
  • Bug spray - Check trail reports to see if bugs might be bad.
  • External battery for your phone and cable - If it's a longer hike I like to bring this.
  • Microspikes / snow traction - If there's snow I often bring these for traction, but I don't often need them unless there's ice. I check trail reports to see if I need these, or just bring them for any early season hikes or high altitude hikes.
  • Sunglasses - Important if there's a lot of snow to prevent snow blindness
  • Knife - For longer treks it's a nice multipurpose tool. You can clean up walking sticks, make spoons, clean up frayed shoelaces, etc.

For a more luxurious experience

  • Comfy shoes/sandals to change into when you get back to the car
  • Bonus food for the summit or car - your favorite cheese, cold brew, hot cocoa, you name it!
  • A brush to clean off your shoes so you don't get the car dirty

Planning hikes

If you're in Washington, use WTA. The hike finder map is a great way to find something nearby. You'll want to make sure that the hike has recent trail reports so that you know that the road is safe, the trail is safe, etc. If you're lazy like me, just read the most recent trail reports to get ideas for hikes.

Read the trail reports to get an idea of how long the hike will take and what gear to bring. When you're considering the difficulty of the hike, look at the distance, elevation gain, and if possible the type of terrain. Elevation gain per mile is the best indicator I've found for difficulty - I usually check to see if it's over or under 1,000 feet of elevation gain per mile.

Be sure to check weather at the location. You might only be able to look up the weather at the trail head, not the top. If you're going to a summit, those are usually much colder and windier.

AllTrails has been my main source outside of Washington.