When is the best time for hiking? Autumn is still quite far away, so spring is probably the best time to go hiking for now before the hot, sticky summer hits. When you start to realize that you can overcome more and more each day, it’s a great feeling. We should never limit what our bodies can achieve when we are given a boundless nature as a gift. New to hiking? You’ll only need to follow 5 simple things that will prepare yourself to start your hiking journey.
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Water and high-energy food
Save as much space as possible inside your backpack for water and high-energy foods. They are the two essential items that you’ll need the most throughout your journey when you feel like you need a pick-me-up. Trust me, you will regret it if you don’t bring enough water and realize just how much a simple substance like water is something that your body will thank you for. Besides water, you’ll need high-energy foods such as nutritious protein bars and dried fruits like mangoes and nuts to replenish your body.
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The right footwear and clothes
Wearing proper footwear is a must especially when hiking those rocky trails. Not only they will keep you safe and comfortable, wearing the wrong shoes will result to your whole body to suffer the next day -mainly your legs and feet. You’ll feel it the next day when you wake up and you’ll probably need extra days to recover. Make sure you wear the correct footwear that is designed for hiking, as well as fast-drying clothing that absorbs sweat and keeps your body temperature regulated.
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Sunglasses and sunscreen
The worst thing after going on a lovely long hike and then hitting the showers at home is to then realize you’ve got sunburnt. Hikes can take up most of the day and sometimes last over 6+ hours depending which one you go for. Protect your skin being overexposed to the sun by applying lots of sunscreen and choose one with SPF over factor 50. It’s good to keep it in your bag as it might come in handy on your journey as the weather gets unpredictable. Sun spray is another alternative in case you don’t feel like smearing sunscreen by hand. Too much sun can be long term damaging and scarring to the eyes so remember to also bring a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes.
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Map and friends
An old school paper map can be crucial for hiking because there is not always going to be signal out in remote areas. Your GPS or google maps probably won’t be able to reach these places and your phone may become useless. Make sure you’ve got a solid map and a working compass and know how to read it. Sometimes it can be quite fun using a map as it strikes more adventure to your hiking trip. Every hiking journey is always better when you have friends to tag along with you. Invite them along as you’ll make great memories and can motivate each other to keep on going. Hiking by yourself can sometimes be dangerous as a beginner, although a great soul searching experience.
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Smartphone with clip-on camera lens
Bringing a chunky and heavy DSLR to take stunning pictures just isn’t very practical on a hike. A DSLR will be uncomfortable and too bulky to carry up a steep rocky mountain. Also, it’s not a great idea to bring expensive belongings that might get lost or damaged. You can still capture amazing pictures with your Smartphone equipped with a clip-on camera lens that will be good enough to take incredible pictures of beautiful large landscapes. Camera lenses are useful when you need to shoot in different angles. Macro, wide angle and fisheye can be used in the 3 in 1 clip-on lens which is universal, compact and user-friendly.
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Give yourself more support and go further
If you go hiking often, you’ll likely see hikers using trekking poles and you may wonder if you really need one. Despite the fact that trekking poles improve posture, balance and stability, the best thing of having a hiking pole is when you get really tired, you’ll have something that can help you keep going. But I understand asking you to carry one more thing might be a lot, but not to worry, this ultra lightweight Foldable Trekking Pole makes it super compact and easily stashes away inside your backpack.
Don’t waste your free time sitting in front of your laptop every day, go out there and explore nature! Sometimes you need to see the beauty of the world to see what life has to offer. Discovering secret places that are simply breathtaking will make you stop to think about what are the important things in life. These are a good time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far and to ask yourself what do you want to achieve in the future. Refresh your mind and set the right goals for yourself, and hopefully hiking will be on the top of that list.