What is hiking? It is simply going for a walk in nature. Typically, we are looking at a fairly long walk, but not long enough you need camping gear. This can be done alone or with a group. It can be a short trip or an all-day trek. Flat ground or a strenuous hike through the mountains. It is the simplest way to get off our backside and into nature to enjoy our wild lands.
Hiking can also be the base for most other outdoor pursuits or can be easily added to them. Want to go fishing, hike to a secluded pond. Outdoor photography almost requires you to hike to a place for your photography. Rock climbing, you need to hike to the rock face. You can easily see how it can be incorporated other outdoor pursuits.
Why get into hiking. To start with, it is good exercise. Starting out, you can do easy trails over flat ground. As you begin to look for challenges, you can add difficulty or increase your pace. Want even more of a challenge, add a backpack and go for a ruck or overnight backpacking trip. You can push your speed to keep your heart rate up and turn your simple walk in the woods into a cardio workout or go all out and start trail running. In addition to the physical exercise, hiking has been shown to help with the mental side of things too. Just being outside lowers stress levels.
What are the road blocks to hiking? They are very few. Where to go, what to wear, and what to carry.
Finding a trail can be a simple matter. AllTrails.com has over 52,384 trails listed on their site. They are the biggest database of trails and reviews that I am aware of, and they don’t have them all. Almost every park has a trail of some type. The issue is not finding a trail, but choosing what trail to take and finding what trail is the challenge you want to overcome, and maybe what gear you have.
For all of the outdoor pursuits, hiking has the lowest barrier of entry. In the back of your mind, you may picture someone with a massive backpack and a ton of gear, but it does not have to be that way. You should already own everything you need to get started. Hiking can be an epic backpacking trips or something as simple as a short walk on a trail with friends after work. As you progress, you will probably buy more gear, but gear should not keep you from getting out side. All this being said, you should be able to start with no upfront cost, just put on your shoes and go for a hike.
We are going to have a series of detailed articles to get you on the trail. Including where to go, what to wear, and what to carry.