You made a great decision if you decided to get out of your comfort zone and hike for the first time in your life. It can really change your life and make you feel such strong feelings that you have never experienced in your life. To make your first hiking experience unforgettable and awesome, you can avoid those common hiking mistakes that people make as beginners in this field. Here you can read about 10 common hiking mistakes many people do when they hike for the first time.
Choice of footwear
People very often think that ordinary sports shoes can work during hikes. But in this case, it is important that hiking shoes have thick sole. Climbing mountains is not an easy thing and to pass those bumpy and rocky trails in a safe way you will need the right footwear. Otherwise, you can get injuries on your feet.
Of course, it will be perfect if you can hike with special hiking boots, but if you are a beginner you may not have such boots. In this case, choose the most suitable pair of shoes available. You can read about how to choose the right hiking boots in this article.
Hiking boots
Lack of sunscreen and proper clothing
The rays of the sun in mountains are strong and can cause burns. Many people underestimate this circumstance and go hiking without proper clothing and sunscreen. To avoid further complications and burns, it is very important to wear a hat, clothes that cover your legs and arms, and apply sunscreen to your face and other exposed parts of the body.
Wrong choice of clothing
Never take part in hiking trips in clothes that can limit your movements and, as we mentioned above, in clothes that are not covering your skin. Very often we notice these hiking mistakes among beginners. Jeans and tight pants usually make walking difficult. Hiking clothing should be loose and comfortable. It is also important to note that the weather in the mountains can be cold, so it is essential to have appropriate warm clothing.
Hiking outfit
Eating too much before and during the hiking
Food plays an important role during hiking trips as it is one of the main sources of energy. However, it is important to know how much and what to eat. Since hiking is considered a sport, you should remember the principle of light and digestible meals before and after the hike. It is clear that if you ate too much before the hike, then it will be more difficult for you to walk, because you have overloaded your body. Before the hike, you can eat food that is easy to digest, and during the long rest you can eat your main meal.
Wrong choice and weight of backpack
If it’s your first hike, you may not have a special hiking backpack. Therefore, among your backpacks, you should choose the one that is more comfortable for your back. Never forget about the fact that you are going to walk several times more than usual. Therefore, your backpack should be comfortable and lightweight. There is no need to overload your backpack with unnecessary things. The backpack should contain only those items that will be needed during the hike. If the backpack is heavy and uncomfortable, walking becomes difficult and unpleasant. You can read about how to choose the right hiking backpack in this article.
Misjudging your physical abilities
Hiking trip is not a tourist excursion or outing. Therefore, you need to take into account that this type of sport requires some physical training. Even if you don’t do any sports, it is very important to be physically active during the day. It can be stressful to walk that much for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, if you want to participate in hikes, start leading a more active lifestyle. People who misjudge their physical abilities usually have some difficulties during hiking trips and get wrong impressions about this sport. You just need to prepare a little for it, and then everything will go fine.
Deviating from the hiking pace
As we already mentioned, hike is not just walking. It’s a sport, and in sport there is always a discipline. To reach from one point to another, we need special pace and dynamics. Non professional hikers do not know these peculiarities. Therefore, mountain guides should not only lead the group and show the trails, but also for determine and coordinate the pace of the group. When you get out of the line, you start walking at your own pace, which can create chaos in the group. Therefore, it is very important to walk in line and follow the pace of the whole group.
Not taking enough water
This is one of the main hiking mistakes people make on their first hike. It is very important to have enough water with you when you go hiking as you lose a lot of energy during long walks. If you don’t drink enough water during hiking trips, your body becomes dehydrated. In this case, you may not be able to continue walking. Therefore, even if you don’t drink enough water in your daily life, during hiking trips you should drink at least 1 liter of water.
Not knowing how long you are going to walk
Before the hiking trip, explore and understand how long you are going to walk in a given direction. For example, people may think that they are going to walk for 4 hours, but during the trip it turns out that they should walk for 6 hours. Therefore, it is important to know where you are going and why, so that your expectations are met.
Disobedience to the mountain guide
This is the biggest and the most unacceptable mistake that people can make during hiking trips. Mountain guides are not just guides who tell about the area, its history and legends. They are professionals who know the peculiarities and dangers of mountain trails, the types and rules of correct walking, as well as the best directions and trails to safely reach the destination. You may put yourself and others in danger if you disobey professional mountain guides. Therefore, following this rule is a must.
Having a big experience in organizing hiking trips, Armenian Geographic always warns beginners about what to expect from the upcoming trip. However, if you are going to hike for the first time, we recommend you to read the above examples one more time and avoid these hiking mistakes.
The copyright of this article is owned by armgeo.am. The content of the article may be cited or used on other websites only with an active link to the source.
Hiking trips in Armenia
