Hiking Essentials

I’ve talked a lot about hiking in my recent summer related blog posts.  Hiking is such a beautiful form of therapy.  You are outside in nature taking in everything it has to offer and you can be spending quality time with people you love!  However, depending on where you are hiking and what kind of terrain it is, there are things that you should be aware of.  So, I thought it would be good to have a post all about the things I bring with me when I hike.

1. Water.  Should this go without saying? Yes.  But do I see people hiking without it?  Yes.  People, bring water.  If you have nothing else this can save your life.  Also, bring more water than you think you need.  We were hiking recently and I saw a woman with a 16.9oz water bottle, empty, on a very difficult hike on a hot and humid day.  I also always carry a water filter so I can filter water from a stream if needed.  You can get these relatively inexpensively - I use Sawyer.
2. Electrolytes.  I didn’t always bring these with me but I tell you what, I spent way too long not using electrolytes and it was not a pretty sight!  Electrolytes are really important to our human body to give us energy.  If you eat a healthy diet, you likely are not getting enough salt, as I wasn’t, which really affected my performance.  I even saw it in Kyle.  On one particularly long hike, he was really starting to drag.  I gave him some of my electrolytes and he came back to life!  When you are sweating a lot and exerting yourself and eating well, you need to supplement.  Here is the key - don’t go for your typical sports drinks that are artificially colored and loaded with sugar.  I use LMNT and I swear by them.  Redmond’s is also another good option but I didn’t like their flavors as much.  
3. FOOD. If it’s a short hike, snacks are fine.  If you are going out for a longer hike or are in a newer area bring a lunch and some snacks.  I always love an apple on a hike.  Make sure you bring a bag for your trash too. Having more food is better than being hungry and hours away from anything.
4. A little safety kit.  You can find small hiking safety kits in a variety of outdoor stores or on amazon.  They will have most things you need in case of an emergency - flashlight, bandaids, matches, compass, emergency blanket (you know those tin foil looking things), and a whistle.  You can go crazy here but just the basics will be fine.
5. Flashlight - I listed this separate because even if your emergency kit has one, I always bring a head lamp.  If you get caught after the sun goes down you will be glad you have it!
6. Extra clothing. Depending on the length of your hike, and that days weather forecast, you will want to be prepared with layers.  It is also possible that its warmer at the base than at the summit so it’s always good to have long pants and a jacket. I recently heard that for every 1000 feet of elevation gain you can lose 3 degrees, but in my experience it can be more than that.  I ran up Mount Washington in June and at the base it was comfortable and in the lower 60's but at the top it was in the 40's and the wind chill made it feel like it was in the 30's.  We had hats, gloves and winter jackets by the time we got to the top and I started in a tank top!   
7. Bug Repellent!  My goodness, don’t forget this.  HAH.  We have made this mistake.  One time we were in Maine literally running down a trail because the bugs were SOOOO bad we were being attacked and running felt like the best option to avoid this.  One time, we had a woman and her son come running up to us asking for bug spray because they were being attacked and didn’t have any.  We saved her a lot of bug bites. Another time we were in VT and the bugs were so bad we aborted the hike altogether and that was with bug spray.  Generally spring and summer are the worst for bugs and more rain usually equals worse bugs.  P.S. we use an essential oil blend to repel the bugs and not the traditional chemical bug spray.
8. Go girl and a pee cloth.  A go girl is basically a funnel that you pee into and it diverts your pee in a certain direction.  It just makes it easier for us girls to go in the woods so we aren’t peeing down our leg.  YA KNOW.  And I also have an anti-microbial “pee cloth” for wiping.  Self-cleaning and you can hang it on your bag.  No TP needed.  Best ever.  I've used it about a thousand times this summer.  Its also great for camping when you don't want to walk to the bathroom. :)
9. Bird guide.  This one is just for fun but a lot of times when you are out on a hike you see some awesome birds and you want to know what it is.  I have a lightweight waterproof bird pamphlet that I bring with me on local hikes so we can refer to it while we are looking at the bird and we don’t have to try to remember to look it up later.
10. Dog essentials.  Last but not least, if you are hiking with dogs, make sure you have a water bowl for them and plenty of water.  If needed, treats and food too depending on the length of your hike.
11. Good footwear.  This one is really important.  The amount of people I see trying to hike in flip flops is concerning.  You should have a good pair of hiking shoes if you are doing a true climbing hike and at the very least a sturdy pair of sneakers. I actually just recently saw someone hiking in water shoes and she was hurting!  OYE.  

Please don't underestimate the woods.  Know your terrain and be prepared for anything.  I grew up hiking every summer in the White Mountains so I am familiar with the terrain and I know just how hard a two mile hike can be!  Kyle and I did a 2 ish (it was a little more) round trip hike in Maine recently and it was HARD.  People can easily underestimate a two mile hike, but hiking is not walking.  Going a mile up steep terrain, climbing over rocks and sometimes squeezing between rocks or having to scoot on your booty to get down, is hard work.  You will sweat, you will work hard, you will be out of breath.  All of this is part of hiking in the woods and all I want for you is to be prepared for all of that!  

That’s it my friends!  That is basically everything I bring with me on a hike and the best advice I can give when you decide to go.  I would rather be over prepared than underprepared when I am out and about in the wilderness.  Obviously, there are certain areas that require more planning and preparation than others.  A small hike that is surrounded by local roads and isn’t above tree line is going to be different than being in the middle of nowhere with no cell service on a serious climb.  

Kyle and I did get lost one time on a hiking trip.  Luckily he is very in tune with directions and after about a half mile of being off trail he said he didn’t feel like we were going in the right direction so we turned around and were able to find the turn that we missed.  If I was by myself though, I would have been grateful for water and snacks because who knows how long in the wrong direction I may have gone!

Hiking is such a fun and beautiful activity, just be prepared for all types of weather and to be out longer than you think you will be!  <3