There are lots of mistakes beginner hikers make. I have made some of these mistakes as well. But luckily for me, I have seen a lot of people make these mistakes and I have learned from them. So hopefully, my experience and other people’s experience can help you not make the same mistakes that we did. Whatever mistakes other people did can definitely help us make informed decisions on the trail. Mistakes in the hiking trail can injure you and some may even kill you or kill one of your group members. It is important to learn from my mistakes and others mistakes.
1. Not Carrying Enough Water
The most common mistake people make that I have seen is that people do not carry enough water. I used to joke around that I am selling water for $10 for each bottled water. I was just kidding of course but there were people willing to pay. I often recommend that people bring 2 bottles of water during the summer time. Craving for water and feeling very thirsty or dehydrated while hiking is just not fun. I have experienced this a couple of times and it is not an experience I would like others to have. Try to bring 2 liters or more if you are hiking during the summer.
2. Not Having A Good Breakfast
I have done a couple of weekend trips in a few states. I often made this mistake that we should just get breakfast on a fast food place like Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks or some sort of breakfast place. We would order something to go and eat it at the trail head. What I realized was that people don’t order really good meals that will fill them up. The people I hiked with did not have enough energy to go all to the top or summit. They would be too tired and too hungry. We will not have food for lunch as well. I learned that I have to cook breakfast at the rental home so that everyone will have lots of energy and be able to enjoy the hike. Not having a good breakfast can definitely ruin your hiking trip or your day hike.
3. Not Carrying A Map, Relying Too Much On GPS
One of the main reasons hikers get lost is that they do not bring a map and relied too much on GPS. There will be a lot fewer need for rescues and search parties if people would bring a map. GPS require batteries to run or that they need a source of power. Most people just use a cell phone. The problem with this is that most people use their cell phone to take selfies and upload them to social media. People run out of batteries and they lose their GPS. One wrong turn without a map can lead you very deep into the wilderness and mountains. If you are lucky, you will see other hikers and be able to ask them for directions. If you are not that lucky, you will end up missing and there will be a search party looking for you in a couple of days.
4. Not Looking At The Weather Forecast
There are many people that do not look at the weather forecast especially around October. It is the same thing for me. I end up chasing the fall foliage from one state to another. You can see this behavior in a lot of hikers and photographers as well. We end up trying to chase the colors of the trees around October. The problem with this is that the moment you reach a viewpoint after a long hike, you end up freezing because it is too cold and too windy. You cannot even press the shutter button of the camera or phone because your hands would hurt from the cold. This happens even in June. People hike without checking how hot it is going to be. They end hiking very dehydrated. There have been reports that people have died because they did not check the weather forecast. They either frost to death due to freezing rain, got hit by lightning, and so on.
5. Overconfidence, Not Fit Enough
One of the most common mistakes is that people force themselves to hike trails that they are not prepared to do. There are a lot of people who are beginners that hike with experienced hikers. They are often tempted to hike trails that are too advanced for them. This is great if the experienced hikers that you hike with are actually responsible and know how to take care of beginners. Unfortunately, this is not the case always. Some often leave beginners behind. Some people just hike the way they want to hike without thinking about other people. Most of the people that I hike with that got lost were because the hikers they were following did not care about them. I always end up searching for lost people because of this. If you are a beginner, try to make sure that you can do the hiking trail, and if you feel you cannot, you should make sure that the people you hike with are responsible.
6. Not Researching The Trail
There are a lot of beginners that do not like to climb boulders or do bouldering. They do not have the proper footwear or strength to keep doing them. If you are new to hiking, you may end up surprised that you cannot do the trail. The trail is too advanced for you. Also, a lot of rookies often do not look at the total elevation ascent and descent. For example, the trail in Adirondacks to Iroquois peak requires the hiker to go up the mountain, go down again, then go up again plus to get back to the parking lot, they have to do the whole up and down again. Not a lot of beginners can do that kind of trail. To a beginner, that trail looks easy or just a straight line to the peak but in reality, it is very hard.
7. Spraying DEET Bug Spray On Clothing
Getting bug spray off the Internet is very easy and a lot of hikers do this. If you look at a lot of Internet websites for the outdoors, they will often recommend an insect spray with DEET. DEET is most likely the most powerful insect repellent chemical that man has ever invented. Unfortunately, DEET can melt polyester and nylon or create discoloration. Guess the material that most hiking clothes and gear are made out of? That is right, polyester and nylon. So spraying DEET on your clothes and gear is not the best idea. You want to put this bug spray on some sort of plastic bag as well in case it leaks out of your pack. If it leaks out, at least your gear will be protected.
8. Poor Fashion Sense
Not wearing the right type of clothing can ruin your enjoyment or ruin your hiking experience. Not wearing the right clothing may lead to injuries or even death.
Cotton Clothing – cotton clothing can kill you. Clothes have the power to insulate and keep the body warm. This is not possible with wet cotton. When you perspire or sweat, the cotton becomes wet. Cotton fabric is terrible at wicking away liquids. They trap the sweat and keep it for a long time. This causes the clothing to no longer provide warmth or insulation which have been know to cause hypothermia, disorientation and even death to a lot of hikers.
Footwear With No Traction – Climbing small boulders or bouldering often happens when you are hiking. Moving or ascending steep trails also often happen. Having footwear with traction is important. It can help you prevent slips and falls.
9. Getting Separated
Getting separated is a real problem. What I found out is that people that get lost is not really at fault. At least in my group, they often follow hiking members who are too fast for them or don’t want to care or be responsible for them. Getting separated is definitely a problem, hikers can end up getting way too deep into the wilderness or mountain if they do not know which direction they are going. I kind of like looking for my lost hiking members, it gives me something to do hahahaha. However, not everyone is like me. There will be lots of people who will not look nor care about you. Compassion, kindness, caring and nurturing are not qualities that people train or practice these days. Especially caring, people think “not caring” or the whole “I don’t care” attitude is cool for some reason. So always hike with people that care about you or want to see you safe and sound since you are a beginner.
10. Not Using Sunscreen
Using sunscreen is beneficial for your skin. It will keep the age spots and aging at bay. You will age a lot slower and your skin will be a lot healthier if you use sunscreen. Even in the winter, lots of websites suggest using sunscreen. Sunscreen prevents sunburns also. The sunburn that most of the hikers I hike with suffer are often on the neck. So make sure that you have sunscreen on your car or backpack.
11. Taking Stupid Selfie Poses
Every year people die for taking selfies of themselves. Taking selfies for likes and validation have been the cause of a lot of deaths. I like taking selfies and photographs as well. What I recommend is to be careful. Don’t take unnecessary chances. When you get to a viewpoint, one thing you need to keep in mind is the word “relax”. You need to relax first before taking a selfie or pictures. People can get very excited. I know this because I get so excited as well. When you get to a viewpoint, relax and take a rest first. Get your energy up then take pictures.
12. Ignoring The Switchback Trails
When I first started hiking, I often see a lot of switchback trails in my hikes. Switchback trails are the snake like trails that go up or down. Their purpose is to make it easier for hikers to go up without having to deal with steepness of the trail. Do not bypass nor take a shortcut since you will most likely save more energy and time by going through the switchback trail. You may get bitten by snakes, spiders, and other poisonous insects if you go off trail. You will also kill valuable plants and plant life by going off trail. So stay on the trail.
13. Forgetting To Look At Your GPS, Map Or Trail
There are many times when I enjoy the conversation of my fellow group members that I forget to look at the trail and GPS. There was a time when we walked for 30 minutes on the wrong way because I missed the fork or intersection because I was enjoying the conversations. So always check the map, the trail and your GPS to make sure you are on the right direction.
14. Ignoring Trail Markers
Whenever you are hiking in the winter, people have a tendency to follow the footprints of other hikers instead of following the trail markers. I remember, someone was leading the hike that I joined, he kept following the footprints of other people. I got really annoyed because he got lost so many times.
15. Not Considering Time
There are many times when people start around noon or 12 PM. They end up hiking in the dark till 10 PM. The night brings in cold and a lot of problems for inexperienced hikers. There are times when people don’t budget the time also. They spend too much time on the lookout or viewpoint. This causes them to end up hiking in the dark as well.
16. Wearing New Boots
You have to break in your boots first. If you wear them for the first time in a hiking trail, you may end up hurting your toes or feet throughout the hike. You are going to feel a lot of pain and be very uncomfortable.
17. First Aid And Survival Tools
Always bring some sort of first aid. Even if you are just bringing some lightweight survival tool, pads or ointments with you, then that is better than not having any. Always make sure that you have a first aid kit in the car and survival gear for emergencies even if you are not planning on bringing them to the hike.
18. Overpacking And Underpacking
I often overpack since I bring a lot of devices, batteries and backup batteries. I even bring lots of batteries for my headlamps and I have a power bank just in case. The problem with this is that I often end up hurting my back because I pack too much. Underpacking is not good also. People do not pack a map, GPS, food or any gear sometimes. This is a bad idea if you are a beginner. You need to be able to rely on yourself and your gear while hiking by yourself.
19. Not Bringing Bear Spray In Bear Country
Bring a bear spray if you are hiking in a state or country with lots of bears. Bears are not really a big problem since they hardly kill any people. Still, I would suggest carrying bear spray in hiking trails with lots of bears.
20. No Water Filter
If you are going to hike in the summer on a very long trail then bring a water filter. Sometimes 1 liter or 2 liters of water are not enough to keep you hydrated in the summer. A water filter will allow you to be able to drink water in the outdoors or wilderness.
21. Don’t Litter
So most national parks have a leave no trace principle. I highly recommend reading them. It will minimize the amount damage or presence that you will do on a national park. One of the most damaging things you can do is littering. Throwing away garbage and plastic on a hiking trail. Don’t throw away plastic bottles and such on a hiking trail. Try to preserve the trail as much as possible.
22. Feeding Animals
Don’t try to feed animals. The more you try to feed animals, the more they get used to humans. There are a few humans beings that have been killed because bears have approached them hoping for food. There are bears that got killed because they keep approaching humans on the trail. So if you want to kill a bear, feed it. If you want to save a wild animal then do not feed it.
23. Playing With Animals
Do not play with wild animals even if they appear friendly. A lot of black bears are very docile. It is not a wise idea to play with them. Try to minimize the amount of damage and presence that you will do in the wilderness.
24. Going Downhill Too Fast
Going down hill on a trail can hurt your knees. I have seen a lot of people get injured as they go down steep downhill trails. The knees do not like getting a lot of pressure and working hard too much. Hurting your knees by going downhill too fast often happens when you skip the switchback trail and create your own shortcut.
25. Don’t Spray Paint Or Carve Your Name On Rocks
A lot of hikers tend to spray paint their name on rocks, boulders and viewpoints. Some will even carve their name on trees and lookouts. No one is going to remember who you are or remember your name. No one will even look at it. I went to this one mile hike in Virginia and the view point was covered in graffiti and all the stones had carvings. No one cares about your name. We all just want to see the viewpoint and what nature has to offer. Do not ruin the viewpoint for the rest of the people. Try to leave no trace and minimize your impact as much as possible. It costs money to remove your name or replace the rocks and not all states are willing to do that.