Assess Your Hiking Abilities
Abilities needed for hiking are not just limited to physical abilities. While physical stamina, strength and endurance are needed in order to withstand the challenges of hiking, mental preparedness is also needed in dealing with unavoidable circumstances.
In other words, assessing and evaluating physical and mental abilities are essential in preparing for a beginner's first hiking trip.
Assessing one's physical abilities starts with identifying one's capacities and limitation. There are a number of factors that need to be considered - most of which are beyond the hiker's control. Factors such as altitude, weather and terrain conditions are just some of them.
Aside from assessing one's physical and mental abilities, Identifying technical experience related to hiking also helps in planning for the appropriate hiking trip. Compass navigation and knowledge about camping are just some of the technical abilities that help prepare a hiker more efficiently.
Being mentally stable is an important requirement in hiking. While the challenges involved in hiking are unpredictable, knowing how to deal with them without being fazed and rattled all the more increases the success of the hiking trip. A beginner in hiking then is advised to assess himself on how he deals with such uncertainties. Note that hiking obstacles involve a lot of unforeseen situations - from getting lost in the trail, to encountering accidents such as a twisted ankle - and so on.
Once you have identified your areas for improvement in hiking it is recommended that you start getting into shape and turn those weaknesses into strengths.
Now, you ask, how does a beginner in hiking get into shape?
Note that the key to getting in shape for hiking involves a slow and steady process. Having this in mind, it is best to set activities for training that are realistic and attainable. Every time a goal is reached, it is strongly encouraged to make the next goal a notch higher.
You can start off by setting short hikes on regular intervals. Ideal starting distance is 1-3 miles which can be done once or twice a week, provided that it's done under favorable weather conditions. The ideal place to start would be your home, of course. That way, you can make sure that you can come home before the sun sets.
From there, you can steadily increase your hiking distance every after a couple of weeks until you've reached 9 miles.
Once you've reached 9 miles, you can now consider carrying a small backpack, which you will need to carry some snacks and drinks.
By maintaining your hiking distance, you can now gradually increase the weight of your backpack until you've reached 22 lbs.
For a few more weeks, just maintain the 9 mile hiking distance while carrying a 22-lb load on your back.
Note that a flat terrain is very much different from a hiking terrain. Having this in mind, when you have established that you're able to steadily hike on the recommended distance and load, you can now start venturing on more challenging terrains slowly and gradually.
Muscle aches, skin irritation and blisters are common problems in hiking. So, just make sure you do it steadily, gradually and with presence of mind. It would be giving false hopes if one were to say that such mishaps can be avoided. Truth is, these accidents are inevitable in hiking. It is for such reasons that physical and mental preparation should be done prior to the hiking trip.
Kevin knows the outdoors and is a true expert at planning hiking trips and other adventures. He knows that in order to really have fun, you need to remember the most basic items, like an outdoor folding chair, coolers, tents, folding garden chairs, first aid kits, and other necessities.
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