Don’t skip the registration box
In many National parks, state parks or forests, there are registration boxes at the trailhead, for hikers to enter their information. This register serves many purposes such as understanding traffic on the trail and activities that visitors are interested in.
This data is not only helpfull for the entity managing the land but it can save your life if you are in a bad situation.
Registering your name, your start time and date can help authorities or search and rescue find you, if you get lost or hurt on the trail.
Tell someone where you are going
whether it’s a friend, a roommate or a family member, make sure that one person at least knows where you are going and when you expect to be back home.
The Hiking application AllTrails has a feature called Lifeline where you can send trail information to a preferred contact on your phone (You have to have service in order to send the trail information before you start your hike) It is a pretty cool feature.
Check the weather
It is a simple thing to do, but checking the weather is very important especially in areas that you are not familiar with. In the mountains, the weather changes quickly even during summer.
Checking the weather will help you pack the necessary gear and avoid dangers of thunderstorms, flash floods or heat waves.
Be aware of wildlife
Familiarize yourself with wildlife in the area you are hiking in. If you are in a national park, grab a brochure at the visitors center, ask a ranger or read online about wildlife in the area.
Safety in Bear country
If you are hiking in Bear country, here are a few things you should pay attention to:
- What type of bears call this area home? Black bear, grizzly bear or both? Each have a different behavior and being able to identify
Safety in Cougar country
Safety in the Desert
Practice Leave No Trace
Trust your intuition
Invest in a good pair of Hiking shoes
How about Hiking gear?
As a new hiker, it will take some time for you to learn things that you like and things that you don’t about your hiking gear.
Try different things before you spend a lot of money on your long term gear. I suggest the following:
- If you have friends who are into hiking, don’t shy away from asking if you can try their gear
- Outfitters like REI offer rentals for all type of gear
- Consider used gear or garage sales at REI and regional outfitters in your area if you are on a budget
Gear can get expensive but you can build your hiking closet slowly. In the kit bellow, you will find some of our favorite Hiking gear. We highly recommend the items listed below if you are looking for a place to start.