If you’ve decided to trade the treadmill and the gym for the great outdoors there are a few things you should know. As you’d expect, hiking trails aren’t as safe as the gym or our suburban footpaths, even though they might seem as though they are. Before you grab ahold of your rucksack and water bottle, you should take a look at our safety tips for first-time hikers below.
Let’s work together to put safety first and reduce your chance of injury so you can really enjoy yourself out on the trails.
Always Start Off Small
As you would with any new activity, start off small. Don’t head off alone on a 30km trail for your very first hike or you’ll likely be heading for disaster. Take a look online, on Google Maps or your local government’s national parks website and sift through a bunch of local hiking trails and choose one that’s for beginners. Try to stay away from sharp inclines, changes in terrain and long distances. This way you’ll feel comfortable and have a good time without trying to climb steep paths or pulling out splinters from your arms or legs. We recommend choosing a highly-maintained and popular trail for your first hike.
Use Your Smartwatch and Pace Yourself
When you set foot on the trail, don’t try to race everyone else or finish in record time. Work out the total distance of the hike, and be wary of how long it will take. Don’t try to rush or get back to the car as soon as possible or you’ll risk an injury. It’s a good idea to set your smartwatch to a walking workout so you can easily limit yourself to one kilometre every six to seven minutes. This way you’re able to take in the scenery, lower your heart rate and stay cool. No one gets anywhere on a hike by overexerting themselves. Walk at an optimal pace and stick to it throughout the entire hike.
Suitable Footwear is Essential
Of course, you’re not going to set out on your hike wearing Vans or flip flops, but many first time hikers still find themselves choosing the wrong footwear. Although trainers and sneakers from brands like Nike seem suitable, they’ll soon be rubbing and blistering your feet and their support is certainly not recommended for long distance walks with heavy packs. We suggest that beginners invest in a pair of true hiking boots that look something like Under Armours UA Infil Hike GORE-TEX Hiking Boots. These are designed to support heavy loads over a long period of time and their high tops prevent all rubbing on the ankles.
Pack Everything You Need
After you’re two-hours in on a long hike, you don’t want to discover that you left your extra water bottle in the car or at home. You absolutely want to prioritise packing everything you need – and more. There are so many stories of first-time hikers underestimating the amount of food and water they needed and becoming stranded. To make things easier and follow a comprehensive guide to packing a backpack. This way you’ll have a good idea of what’s needed. Always remember that you can’t carry too much water with you, so make space for at least 1 litre of water for every 90 minutes. Lastly, packing for the climate and the day’s weather is essential. If it’s a cold day, pack accordingly. If it’s forecast to rain, bring a raincoat and seal your shoes with a waterproof coating and so on.
Never Go Alone
Last but certainly not least in our list is choosing a hiking buddy. It’s best to pick a more experienced hiker, though another newbie friend isn’t too bad either. It’s important to have a companion on the hike to ensure you’re watching out for one anoth er and if there’s an emergency someone is there to help out. If you are going with a buddy though, it’s still important to tell friends and family where you’re going, this way if there’s an emergency they will be able to find you. Sometimes there’s no phone signal so giving a location and travel time beforehand is essential.
Emma Lewis is a loving mother, a devoted wife and a part of the team supporting Spacer – a company helping you find storage space whenever you need it. Emma is also a staunch supporter of the sharing economy and often mentions its benefits.