Hiking is an activity that benefits from prior conditioning. On the other hand, hiking itself builds muscular strength and endurance while delivering impressive scenery.
Fall hiking is often preferred to summer. Some hikers find heat oppressive and like the cooler temperatures. Bug nuisances are on the decline and falling leaves are not only colorful, but open views that remain unseen in summer’s dense foliage.
Vermont and neighboring states offer well-marked hiking trails for adventurers of any age and fitness level. Necessary skills range from new to novice, intermediate and finally advanced.
Casual and dedicated hikers agree to a list of benefits: fitness, stress relief, shared time with family and friends and fresh air. Trails with steep pitch and exposure provide excitement and technical challenge. While some speed-hike for training purposes, others take time to enjoy natural beauty or delve more deeply into the concept of journey.
Aside from the obvious “relax, just do it,” perhaps the most important piece of advice for anyone planning a hike is to do just that. Plan. Choose a designated trail that is suitable for your fitness level. Returning home stiff, sore, blistered, soaked or exhausted is a deal-breaker for more trail adventures.
Furthermore, lack of proper planning combined with basic commonsense could result in injury or misadventure initiating expensive search and rescue.
A significant piece of the planning component is time. If you are accustomed to walking, riding, paddling or running for extended periods of time, even though hiking taxes the body in different ways, you have probably built a good aerobic base and are ready to begin with a multi-hour hike. If not, by all means begin with something short and manageable that leaves you wanting more.
Once an appropriate distance is chosen, the next aspect is time of day. Never forget that temperatures and wind conditions vary and change dramatically at the top. Failure to dress in layers and carry along extra gloves, dry socks and perhaps a windbreaker, rain jacket or fleece, could ruin an otherwise happy hike.
Town forests provide excellent opportunities to practice walking on trails. Practice always pays off. Moving from sidewalks and even dirt roads into the woods requires alert attention to where you put each foot. Roots, stones, sand, washouts, up, down, wide and narrow complicate the process and, without due awareness, could easily cause one to trip or slip.
Walking or hiking mindfully means avoiding low-hanging branches that poke and jab, but at the same time listening and watching for interesting sounds and sights. Human voices travel through the woods, but when they are silenced, so do birdsong and the sound of animals moving about. Hearing often rewards with sighting.
Practice also means breaking in new trail or hiking shoes and experimenting with combinations of clothing that might keep you comfortable all day on a longer trek. Beginning with a trail that keeps you within easy reach of your car can save unexpectedly uncomfortable equipment or unanticipated fatigue. And, of course, as always practice carrying water and a snack and try them out along the way.
When comfortable with the easier stuff, it’s time to head for a destination hike. Traveling to the top of anything clearly challenges the cardiovascular system and makes demands on muscles and joints. Again, proper footwear and attire is a must as is good hiking and walking form. The addition of a daypack is not to be underestimated in importance or as resistance of even a little added weight.
Going up is one thing; traveling down is another. Watch your step, rest occasionally and listen to your body. Sometimes you will be on dirt, sometimes crossing streams or scrambling up rocks. Take your time and get the job done safely.
Above all, plan to be safe. Use the internet, your favorite sporting goods store, the Green Mountain Club (or any of their excellent guides and publications), books, maps and experienced friends for help selecting and planning for your hike. Anyone who has been there before is usually happy to give you hints and let you know what to expect.
Safety basics apply to hiking whether you think you’ll be out for an hour or all day. Hike with another. Carry a cell phone as reception is improving. Wear identification that includes medical information, if any, and emergency contacts. Let those at home know where you will be as well as your estimated finish time. Check the weather forecast. In the event of weather warnings, for heavens sake stay home and go another day. Beware of shorter days and earlier sunsets. Stay on the trail.
Even bright people do stupid things. Have you ever passed a silly person on a trail wearing flip-flops? Do you read of search and rescue teams spending the night scouring the backwoods for someone who has wandered off the trail to find an imaginary shortcut down? Stories abound of hikers who call for help because they are tired or cold or got lost because they didn’t have a flashlight. Search and rescue experts are eager to help those in legitimate need.
Moving beyond day hikes to multi-day trips is a quantum move up the hiking ladder and requires research and extensive preparation. Once you begin putting one foot in front of another through the woods, once you feel the exhilaration of scaling some ledge and reaching the top to see miles and miles of the surrounding countryside, once you have listened to the speedy brook splashing downhill or the sound of partridge that you have surprised, you may be hooked and want more.
Each time you hike, you have the opportunity to see different things, to grow stronger, more skillful and more confident. It is a sport that bears repeating and certainly improves with repetition. Are you ready to hike this autumn? Plan and prepare well. Avoid hunting season. Have fun.
Mt. Abraham.
Hiking with family on a perfect day in Vermont, 9-28-2014. The views were well worth the vertical challenge.