Hiking for beginners...

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, Carol in Cal. said:

My suggestion, in addition to all the good ones so far, is to see whether there is a local nature preserve or state or national park with guided outdoor walks that are fairly short, and start with those.  That way you get familiarized with the major plants and animals in the area, and warned about any safety issues and how to spot/avoid them.  Then you can carry that knowledge into your own explorations.

Around here, for instance, there is poison oak, ticks, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions.  Those are the only live dangers.  So I don’t touch any plant material (avoids both poison oak and tick exposure), never step anywhere without looking first (ie, no stepping OVER rocks.  Rather, up ONTO the rock, look, and then step down—to avoid rattlesnakes), and never crouch or run or especially run screaming at dusk or night (mountain lions.  You want to look big, and not scared.). I literally don’t worry about these things; I’ve formed these habits and they are easy to stick with, and I feel safe pretty much.  I have seen rattlesnakes but never been bitten or even struck at, and I have seen poison oak but never caught it.  I’ve never seen a mountain lion, but I am sure that they have seen me!

The fact that I know of all the possible dangers and what to do to prevent them means that I have confidence that I’m going to be reasonably safe.  I stick to trails that are well travelled but uncrowded, particularly if I’m hiking alone, and when I do hike alone I tell someone where I am and how long I should be gone, and call them back when I return.

Excellent advice! If you come to Michigan, our state park rangers/DNR officers are REALLY knowledgeable.

[jen3kids]

44 minutes ago, marbel said:

A comment about bushwhacking...be sure you know where it's OK and where it's not. (I assume the people talking about it know and exercise park/trail etiquette - I'm not chastising anyone.) Our big urban park admin regularly posts on social media and via signs on the park reminding people to stay on the trail.🙂

 

Oh definitely.  I would never go bushwhacking in a park or along the AT or any trail;  I'm fully aware of the Leave No Trace principles and follow them to a T when I'm on the AT or any maintained trail.  Here (where I grew up), I'm in a rural area with lots of atv/snowmobile trails across various people's lands.  No one thinks twice about walking through the woods to get from point A to B.  

[Ottakee]

Officially, I have decided that for my recording purposes that a hike is any natural surface trail of 2 miles or more...or one with a lot of elevation change of a mile or more.

Just starting out and with a child, even 1/2 mile on a trail would be a hike.  The nice thing is that there are no real rules to this...well, other than the rules of the park/area where you are.

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 hours ago, marbel said:

A comment about bushwhacking...be sure you know where it's OK and where it's not. (I assume the people talking about it know and exercise park/trail etiquette - I'm not chastising anyone.) Our big urban park admin regularly posts on social media and via signs on the park reminding people to stay on the trail.🙂

Thank you for you saying this. Every single place with actual trails (not just wilderness) have posted signs telling people to stay on the trails. Going off trail leads to damage to the local environment. 

[regentrude]

26 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Thank you for you saying this. Every single place with actual trails (not just wilderness) have posted signs telling people to stay on the trails. Going off trail leads to damage to the local environment. 

sure - where there are trails, you stay on the trail. However, there are areas with thousands of acres and no trails, where all hiking has to be off-trail.
Even in National Parks. Most of the Grand Canyon NP has no trails - none of the wild use areas (for which you can get permits!) do.
Then you'll have to know how to travel in the most environmentally friendly manner (i.e walk on sand or slickrock, protect the cryptobiotic crust, avoid vegetation, etc)

Edited January 3, 2022 by regentrude

[Jean in Newcastle]

8 minutes ago, regentrude said:

sure - where there are trails, you stay on the trail. However, there are areas with thousands of acres and no trails, where all hiking has to be off-trail.
Even in National Parks. Most of the Grand Canyon NP has no trails - none of the wild use areas (for which you can get permits!) do.
Then you'll have to know how to travel in the most environmentally friendly manner (i.e walk on sand or slickrock, protect the cryptobiotic crust, avoid vegetation, etc)

Which is why I qualified what I wrote….

[wathe]

7 hours ago, DreamerGirl said:

I am definitely overthinking this..
I don't think I have encountered poison ivy or even know to identify it

That in a nutshell shows you where I am in my knowledge level. Lots to read and learn.

 So it is a bit overwhelming to read.

But I think I have made a plan.

1. Download the all trails app.

2. Look at the gear we have specifically shoes

3. Look for paved trails 

4. Start walking 

Learning skills 

1. Identify poisonous plants. 

2. Learn to read a map. 

3. Learn to Use a compass.

 

How to identify poison ivy, with a really good diagram

I live in what I think might be the poison ivy capital of the universe.  It's everywhere around here. I have a 10 year war going on with the poison ivy in my ditch.  

• 3 leaves - everyone knows that, but lots of plants have three leaves
• Each stem will have three, and only three leaves
• edges of the leaves can be smooth, scalloped or jagged
• The leaves are shiny.  never hairy
• The tips of the leaves are pointy
• The stem of the middle leaf is longer than the stems of the other two leaves
• The crease in the middle of the leaf is deep.
• The stem has a curl to it, a bit like very slender stalk of celery.
• The roots are vine-like.  And it loves to creep underground and pop up in a new spot of my ditch every year.  Just to keep me on my toes
• The berries are white
• The stems are reddish, and young leaves are often reddish
• The leaves turn red in the fall
• the resin turns black when exposed to air

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by wathe

[GoodGrief3]

I hike almost daily in areas with plenty of natural hazards. These will vary, of course, depending on where you are. Someone gave advice to start with guided hikes at local nature centers, and I think that is a great idea. You could also attend talks on whatever hazards are prevalent in your area. Joining Facebook groups for hiking in your area and reading those discussions can be useful too as you are starting out.

I carry bear spray and an air horn, and those can be useful for a variety of creatures, including humans 🙂 Making noise while you walk will scare off many animals. Be cautious when walking with dogs, because they will sometimes provoke and bring wild animals to you.

[Laura Corin]

If I were nervous and starting out with young children, I would go to the website of my nearest country park or equivalent, and look up their family trails. They will not be long and may give simple advice about what to expect.  -

[Jenny in Florida]

11 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

If I were nervous and starting out with young children, I would go to the website of my nearest country park or equivalent, and look up their family trails. They will not be long and may give simple advice about what to expect.  -

I went "hiking" at a county park/nature preserve over the weekend. They have a few miles of trails, areas of which feel quite remote, but you're never very far from the staffed nature center (where there are also restrooms). Maps can be picked up at the center, and the trails are marked. 

Trails are not paved and are rugged and varied enough to feel interesting without being difficult. And, because it's Central Florida, there's no change in elevation to speak of. 

When I was out there the other day, there were many families with young kiddos enjoying the trails. 

This is one of several similar parks in our county that I frequent. I'll be there are similar options near you, @DreamerGirl.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[Jenny in Florida]

On 1/2/2022 at 12:25 PM, DreamerGirl said:

Gear ?

Safety ? Human and animals ?

Hydration ? (I wear a hydration belt  when we walk now)

Bugs ?

Bathroom ?

So, honestly, I wouldn't worry about gearing up and going in whole hog. I'd just pick some nice local parks or nature preserves and start walking the trails. 

Once you've been at it for a while, you'll get a good sense of what you'll need to feel comfortable if/when you range farther afield. 

• I do a lot of walking and some hiking (about 1,500 miles in 2021). I have good quality walking shoes that I wear when I'll be on mostly paved or smooth surfaces and a decent pair of hiking sneakers that I wear when the going will be more rugged. 
• In terms of "safety," I make sure my cell phone is on me and has a good charge. I use judgment about where I go, especially if I am (as I usually am) alone. I carry ID and a debit or credit card in my pocket in case of emergency. I keep to marked trails and read all warning signs so I know what critters or hazards I might encounter. Then I keep my eyes open. (The only time I have ever had a serious issue wasn't on a remote nature trail, but while walking on a sidewalk along a major street. I slipped on some slimy standing water, fell and broke my arm.)
  I have promised my husband that if I ever head out to a place where the cell coverage is questionable, I'll buy an emergency beacon, but I haven't needed one yet.
• If I know I'm going to be out for more than a couple of hours, I carry a water bottle in a mini-backpack. But I hate feeling encumbered by more than is absolutely required, so I usually leave my water bottle in the car and just hydrate when I'm done with the expedition. Again, neither the water bottle nor the backpack are anything fancy. The bottle is a plastic freebie I got for some walking event, and the backpack is your basic small daypack I got on sale from REI.
• If I'm going somewhere buggy, I wear as much as I can stand in terms of clothing (long sleeves and pants) and spray any exposed skin. I use cruelty-free, organic bug spray, because that's me. 
• Thus far, I haven't ventured out anywhere remote enough to have the bathroom thing be an issue. I have mostly stuck to state and county parks that have facilities available and have just planned my routes so I can make use of the facilities when necessary. (Again, I mostly walk and hike solo, and my husband is nervous enough having me out there by myself without having me venture any significant distance from civilization. I try to be respectful of his concerns.)

I started walking intentionally for exercise and pleasure close to a decade ago, and I reached the point at which I started feeling the need for special gear only in the last three-ish years. Prior to that, other than making sure I replaced my walking shoes when they showed significant wear and keeping a bottle of water in the car, I didn't invest any money in this. 

I bought the hiking shoes really only because my daughter was visiting and wanted to buy a pair while she was here. Then we thought it would be fun to go out on a hike together, so I bought myself a pair, too. I like them, but I don't feel like I "need" them. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Jenny in Florida

[DreamerGirl]

We did it !!

We went on actual hike at a nearby trail mentioned in the All Trails App. It was kid friendly, 2.5 miles in length, a little over a 100 feet in elevation and in the form of a loop.

We had to drive to the location so it was an adventure. It was cold too so not very weather friendly for someone like me who picked TX out of a map for primarily the weather.

We might have been dressed for the arctic and probably packed as much gear, It has a paved trail, but leads off to several unpaved ones too. We stuck to the paved one, yet we were able to see some wildlife. OK, lots of squirrels but these were technically wild. There was a creek too and we walked by it. First thing I looked for was for the location of the bathroom though we took care of that when we left. I might have even made my usually well mannered teen boy roll his eyes because I asked him to go potty before we left. 😊. I have issues, what can I say.

Anyways, we hiked. In cold weather. No snow but it was cold. And it was only the third day of the year.

Last year when I joined the board and I was more diligent, I spent a lot more time on the Well trained Fitness thread and I had @Laura Corin, @wintermom and @Soror talk about time spent hiking and in nature, @wintermom especially with. her forest baths which I would google because I did not know what exactly it was and marvel at how they were so familiar with nature and the outside and it was such a part of their every day life regardless of weather while I was mourning the loss of my gym. From them I learned, there is no bad weather only bad clothing.

That planted a little seed and then @regentrude with her talking about hiking or solo camping and @Ottakee with her camping adventures was something I marveled at. I would always lurk in those thread with nothing to contribute but read posts and see pictures. I grew up in a dense, urban jungle and that is what I know to navigate. I have found my way through various unfamiliar cities because I know how to do that and that never scared me.  But the forest, silence, trees, wildlife made me always uneasy.

One of the things the pandemic taught me is to be outside and to conquer my fears and push outside my comfort zone. Most of all, not pass them on to my kids or stifle them. We want to make this a part of our lifestyle even though I will run back to my gym especially the pool for I miss it so. 

I am rambling now, but I just want to say thank you especially to the 5 people mentioned in this thread and all of you who took the time to contribute to this thread.

 

 

[regentrude]

Awesome @DreamerGirl!!! So glad you had a good hike.

[wintermom]

@DreamerGirl Sounds like you had a wonderful family hike! Squirrels and birds are the most common critters I see on my hikes, too, and they are always fun to observe. 

[Ottakee]

2 hours ago, DreamerGirl said:

We did it !!

We went on actual hike at a nearby trail mentioned in the All Trails App. It was kid friendly, 2.5 miles in length, a little over a 100 feet in elevation and in the form of a loop.

I might have even made my usually well mannered teen boy roll his eyes because I asked him to go potty before we left. 😊. I have issues, what can I say.

Anyways, we hiked. In cold weather. No snow but it was cold. And it was only the third day of the year.

 

I am rambling now, but I just want to say thank you especially to the 5 people mentioned in this thread and all of you who took the time to contribute to this thread.

 

 

That is so awesome.  I am the potty police too.  EVERYONE, including my young adult children, and especially ME, use the bathroom at the trailhead...even if we just went before we left home 15 minutes ago.  Ok, maybe not that bad, but for sure ME.

[Rachel]

I’m so glad you had a good adventure! I’m chuckling at you dressing for the arctic and telling your teenage son to go potty. It sounds like you found the perfect location for your first experience with hiking  

[Laura Corin]

@DreamerGirlcongratulations! I'm glad it went well.

[marbel]

Yay @DreamerGirl!  So glad you had a good time!

[HS Mom in NC]

When mine were younger we hiked and included Geocaching (we followed the rules rigidly and were very selective for particularly eco-friendly caches and earth caches) and Charlotte Mason style drawing on watercolor paper notebooks using watercolor pencils that turn to paint when a wet paintbrush is used over them during rest periods on our hikes. It was a lovely memento of our hikes that was more interactive than photos, even though we took photos too.

My family of origin does all kinds of hikes including challenging adult hikes. You can apply our principle if you're worried about too much too soon: we only increase one factor at a time-first distance, then incline. Increasing both distance and incline at the same time is too aggressive for us and it can be discouraging.  It's easier to identify limits when it's a more controlled experiment. We work on distance first, then we switch to a shorter distance when we increase the incline.  When we have that increased inclined mastered, we'll increase the distance at that same level of incline.  When that's mastered, we increase the incline again, while reducing distance. When mastered, we add distance to that level of incline.  
 
As to hiking vs. nature walks, I grew up in a house on a 1/4 mile long dirt road, so walking on unpaved or paved, flat trails isn't hiking in my book, it was walking to and from a bus stop very day K-12.  If there isn't an incline of any kind, it's a nature walk to me. If it's done at a pace that doesn't increase a heart rate, it's a nature walk.  Nature walks are lovely and worthwhile-I recommend them and hikes. In other words, it's a word with no agreed upon meaning and when people specify, they aren't being judgemental, just clear.

[DreamerGirl]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement !

I tend to overthink, over plan and get overwhelmed. Sensing a pattern here. 😊

DH and DS had the day off yesterday so we decided yesterday was good as any a day to see what it was. We made a pact that we could turn back at any time, even at the trailhead (new word !) if the weather was cold or anyone could not go on.

This trail was supposed to be an easy level, well used and dog friendly. But since Texans seem to be more fond of the heat than cold it was practically deserted except for a few brave souls like us. 

So we went and it was lovely.

DH and I were most apprehensive about DD, but we let it play out and not say anything except tell her like the rest of us, we could stop or go back any time anyone wanted. She is fearless and tends to throw herself into any new experience fully and joyfully. She skipped ahead and was chatty, pointing to this and that. I was so happy for her most of all.

@Ottakee Poor DS14 was shocked because I have not potty policed him in a long time but I was resolved we shall have au natural experiences some other day. 😂

Geocaching is a word I am repeatedly seeing here. It is like bush whacking, trailhead, all not words in my vocabulary or even familiarity. I shall google ! 

[Ottakee]

@DreamerGirl geocaching is like a mini treasure hunt using a gps or phone app.  People hide a container (anything from a larger metal box to a pill bottle) and then post clues and coordinates to help you fine it.

Larger and easier ones often have small trinkets in there for kids (or adults) to trade....like tiny bouncy balls, pencils, stickers, tony plastic toys, etc.  There is often a log book too where you write you "name" and date you located it.

My kids loved this as it got them into hiking going to treasure to treasure.  One even was called Ode to Tucker and had tiny dog treats in it in memory of their dog.

[Eos]

On 1/2/2022 at 7:37 PM, FuzzyCatz said:

  I have seen kids burn out and get bitter if they are pushed too hard on this stuff

I never made my kids carry their own stuff and always picked them up to carry them when they asked, which was very much against all advice I was given.  But my kids all love to hike as adults, so I don't think there's a wrong way to do it.

Echoing above for wool socks year round - warm when wet, dry when sweaty.

I have learned to go as light as possible, which includes my preference for light-weight hiking shoes.  I am a believer in the "ten essentials" but generally only bring water or a befree filter, headlamp, wool upper layer, a hat, and food.  I hike alone almost every day and always tell my family about where I'll be, since I don't have a phone.

https://americanhiking.org/resources/10essentials/

[Eos]

I hiked two and a half hours today and had a few more thoughts.

Eye Safety: when you start in on trails near trees and shrubs, always teach your kids to very carefully replace any branch you might accidentally let swing back and smack the next person in line.  It's very easy to get a scratched cornea from even tiny branches - also watch out for these if you are alone, it's easy to be watching your footing and miss the tiny branches reaching for your face.

Sitting Down Is Always Fine: If you go on steep and/or slippery hikes, you can always sit down and get safely down almost anything.  Last year I was helping a stuck hiker figure out how to get over the crux move - sort of an outward-leaning upwards step with a scary drop-off at the one edge.  I said OK, there is no shame while hiking, just put your stomach up on the ledge and heave yourself up, then I demonstrated.  Also, I only wear dresses or skirts while hiking so I make sure to have a strong legging layer on underneath in case I have to sit down.  Wool skirts from Goodwill are great for hiking.

Bingo!  Bingo refers to the moment when a pilot can turn back and have enough gas to make it back to base.  Hiking bingo is helpful when you need to get back before dark.  On flat ground it's generally the same amount of time back eg if you check your time when you start and you know you need to be back two hours later, obviously turn around at the one hour mark.  But if I do a steep and difficult hike, it takes me half the time to get down, so I can plan a longer hike accordingly.  You'll get to know your pace. It's weirdly satisfying to guesstimate a bingo and be right on time.