Could Getting into Hiking Be Your New Passion in Life?

In this beginners guide, you will find some logistical thoughts to help you through the initial planning stages of getting into hiking

The Appeal for Hiking

A short story to begin…

Growing up in my youth, my family often went camping and hiking and i remember loving it. Then came adulthood and it all… stopped – until my late-twenties! I realised this one day and thought about ways i could get those old times back.

I started doing more overnight hiking trips in Australia and New Zealand and fell in love with it all again. After the short New Zealand trip and hiking two of the ‘NZ great walks’ – i needed longer hikes. I had day hiked many times before all this, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as these multi day trips.

I then found myself looking into places such as Patagonia (Chile and Argentina) to begin. Then, I looked into something as crazy as walking from Mexico to Canada in USA! I even moved country to be closer to a landscape full of great hikes – New Zealand!

Hiking is something that needs to be experienced to understand – there are many reasons people choose to hike:

• the feeling of being alone in the middle of nature,
• the ability to see new amazing landscapes and wildlife,
• being able to forget about societal norms and civilisation,
• personal accomplishment with challenging hikes,
• mental therapy (for people going through hard times), and
• being able to meet awesome new people along the way (hiking is a pretty social thing sometimes!)

Types of Hiking

Terminology

First up – there are a lot of terms used for ‘hiking‘ around the world. The term hiking is predominantly used in Canada and USA (and the UK for the most part), but is increasingly becoming more popular around the world.

Many people accept hiking as a universal term, including myself. Growing up in Australia, I’ve been used to hikes being called ‘bushwalking‘, and more recently, ‘tramping‘ in New Zealand. These terms are fine when spoken locally, but a universal language is more important to myself, not endemic words used in individual countries.

Day Hiking

It’s obvious that most people have day hiked at least a couple of times in their life. They know the feeling of seeing something new and mind-blowing at the end of a relatively short trail. Sometimes these only takes an hour, sometimes several. You would generally return to car or campsite and that’s the end of the experience. These types of hikes are popular and often touristy (usually – for a good reason… to see something spectacular!).

Overnight or Weekend Hiking

Overnight or weekend hiking is another type of hiking and is very different to day hiking. You receive more of that ‘remote’ feeling, as you escape from the indoor rituals from civilization. This can be done via car camping, where you base in one spot (most of us have done this). It can also be done via tent/huts where you usually complete a loop track that is too far to go in a single day.

Day or overnight hiking is generally done on well-travelled and popular trails. Due to the limited time on these trips, you can get away with not really having well thought out gear. Good for a short taste of the camping life! (note: some car campers take their entire home camping… I’m not talking about these people 😛 )

Multi-day or Long Distance Hiking

Then there’s multi-day to long distance hiking – which, by definition is different for most people. These longer hikes can be anything from 3-5 days to several months away from civilization (for the most part). I choose to lump these two terms together as they are done for similar reasons, including: the passion of being in nature, being self-sufficient, personal achievement, and seeing new things every day.

The longer hikes can often combine several trails and are not always (but can be) marked as graded and signposted trails. On these trails you really need to think more about conditions, navigation, food, water and gear.

There are also extremely long hikes called thru hikes (hiking the length of a country) or section hikes (shorter parts of a thru hike). These types of long distance hikes (often taking several months) are popular in countries such as USA and New Zealand. However, they are finding their way (far less officially) into other countries around the world.

Thru hikes are usually undertaken as a series of multi-day hikes strung together, as you would often visit towns etc to resupply food (and energy) every 3-8 days.

To read more detail about thru hiking via my personal experience, click here

Conditions and Risk

Conditions determine the overall risks taken in a hike, and whether you are prepared enough that the risks are manageable to your skill level. There is nothing wrong with taking risks in life, especially when hiking – sometimes it provides you with a greater sense of achievement! But are they justified? Ensure before you start every hike you are aware of the potential hazards such as river crossings, degenerated sections, or avalanche risk zones.

Is it the right season to hike?

This question should be asked in mountainous environments where snow, avalanche and river threats can be serious. If you are hiking in dangerous conditions, you may need extra gear – e.g. traction control, ice axe, rope, portable satellite communication device (for emergency help).

Are the weather conditions ok?

Planning a hike and having bad weather fall on the planned days is common. You can still hike in bad weather, but most would agree there’s generally no point, especially in mountainous terrain where views are essential. Being caught in storms is always a threat to safety in hiking, especially in winter.

You need to have safety destination points to arrive at or valid exit routes planned if things become out of your control. Sometimes, the worst case scenario is that you need to bunk down somewhere that is not exposed directly to the weather extremes.

Communication

Always let someone know your plan

This is important, even if it’s telling someone in the local community (e.g. park ranger). A satellite communication device (e.g. Garmin InReach) can be used to send texts to family or friends.

I’ve used them in the past when remotely hiking by sending a message to family every time I set up camp for the day for a set amount of days. If a message wasn’t received and concern was high – this designated member could contact the national park in the region to send a search and rescue party. Always communicate when beginning and ending a hike to avoid anxiety to family!

Communication is less important on shorter more established and popular hikes, but should be still considered for less experienced hikers. Generally just telling someone close where you’re going, and when you’ll return is usually sufficient.

Gear

Weight

Carrying weight is a big factor in making a hike a chore or an enjoyable activity. Obviously when day hiking, it’s not as much of a concern, however; on longer hikes it’s an important consideration.

On these longer multi-day hikes, you should aim to buy lightweight and small gear, and ensure you keep luxury items to only the essentials. Thinking of taking an SLR camera, a kindle and a bluetooth speaker? Just take the most important one to you and leave the others!

Essentials

Equipped gear is going to be different for everyone, but here are things I recommend, and take with my generally on most overnight hikes:

• Pack – 65L capacity is ideal for most situations
• Sleeping Bag – 700+ fill down and aim for a rating below the lowest temperature you’d use the bag in
• Sleeping Pad – Inflatable or foam? Comfort vs expense vs weight, it’s up to you
• Tent – Aim for hiking branded lightweight tents no larger than 2 man capacity
• Shoes – Hiking shoes/boots or trailrunners
• Socks – At least 2 pairs of wool socks
• Hiking pants – thin and breezy
• Hiking shirt – thin and breezy, button up is good
• Brim hat
• Outer shell – for rain and wind
• Warm layer – thin puffy and/or fleece
• Thermal layers – wool
• Underwear – longer mid-thigh length good (wool or synthetic)
• Buff – warmth or sun protection on neck
• Ziplock bags – use these instead of dry bags (cheaper and see through)
• Stove and gas
• Spoon or spork
• Knife – (not a multitool)
• Lighter – small
• Phone + earphones (optional)
• Power bank + Charging Cable
• Light trowel / digging device
• Pack cover or inner garbage bag liner for waterproofing
• Water bottles – cheap plastic store-bought
• Trekking Poles – optional, but good for stability and the knees
• Camera – optional, but essential for some (i carry via a bag on my hipbelt)
• Food bag + enough food
• Water Filter – (optional)

Retailers

In Australia and New Zealand – variety in stores can be limiting, and you might want to research gear online that is more specific to your hike – a good online vendor who imports a range of gear in Australia is Wild Earth, and in New Zealand Bivouac.

In the USA, I found there to be much more variety in specific gear from private vendors online as opposed to the general outdoor store REI  – which is great, but similar to Kathmandu (Australia, NZ and UK) or Macpac (NZ) in their broad appeal to all outdoor activity and not overly specific gear. When considering brands, there are definitely better ones than others in terms of quality and being lightweight – at an expense!

If you’re a first time hiker, visiting the physical store outlets prior to purchasing online is recommended to get a taste of types of gear and how the feel. You don’t have to purchase there (they often have a limited variety), but they have more than enough to make general decisions. It’s very important before purchasing gear to try out fitted equipment first and ensure you have someone measure you back for the right size pack.

Navigation

Navigation requirements depends on the hike you’re undertaking. Day and overnight hikes are often extremely well-marked and impossible to stray from the trail, and you usually wont require a map. It is a good idea to have a general understanding of the area for situational awareness – never hike anywhere blind to landmarks around you. On longer hikes, a map is essential, despite a marked trail.

Map Types

Many people will tell you a paper map is a requirement, along with a compass. Whilst taking a compass is a definite consideration, a paper map is not the only navigation tool you have to use. There are many apps on phones these days which use Topo50 maps (often the exact same map you would buy on paper).

Apps such as Backcountry Navigator or Gaia are quite popular choices. I personally love and use Backcountry Navigator – prior to your hike you just need to highlight regions to download for offline use and you’re good to go! Just don’t forget to pack a power bank for the extra battery use!

The benefits of GPS app maps include: ability to zoom in and out with greater detail, continuous map with no edges (paper maps are grids, and hikes can fall over two maps), GPS location at all times, built-in compass (I still take a real one for emergency use), and is better to use in light rain or wind

The benefits of a paper map include: having a larger view of the area without scrolling, a lack of power requirement (needed in GPS app maps), more fun as a skill to master and ease to mark routes, and is generally better for groups to read together.

The choice is often personal, and there is not right answer to which you should use. Many people would take both options – I know I have before, but I tend to favour the app with informative printouts from a backcountry guide-book called ‘Moirs North: The Otago Southern Alps‘ which I use here in NZ.

Where to Find Trails?

All over the world there are amazing hikes people don’t know about. I remember thinking the USA had nothing to offer as a place to visit – but then i learned it’s a hikers paradise later on. I’m always adding new places to my bucket list to do from a variety of sources! For example, the guidebook (Moirs North – mentioned in the last section) i use to find lesser known backcountry trails.

A lot of research finding hikes comes from the internet. Find the organisation who deals with the parks and reserves in your country. See if they have a list of hikes in your region, or private websites/apps listing user submitted hikes.

New Zealand for example has a very detailed source of information about hikes from the Department of Conservation – it is not a comprehensive list as many backcountry unmarked trails are not included, but it’s got most hiking trails covered. Most hikes are located in National Parks or reserved land. Sometimes visiting the offices of these places in recreational areas will provide insight and free brochures.

Then, you’re ready to go! Happy Hiking! 🙂

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In order to support the travelling and hiking community, I spend many hours per week or month to adequately document all information and advice for prospective visitors, accompanied by a (hopefully) entertaining insight into my personal experiences. This service is, and will remain, free. However, running a non-profit website and spending time creating content comes with financial and personal costs.