Advice
Curious about how to start hiking? Maybe you want to know what you should wear for your hike? What about how to chose hiking boots, those gear stores always seem so intimidating. Adventures in the Outdoors How-To and Guide section help you through all these questions. We have information on the basics of hiking, how to choose hiking boots, dressing yourself for a hike and how to stay hydrated for starters. There's also information on getting started with hiking in specific areas and some top 10 lists when it comes to outdoor gear.
If you’re thinking about starting to regularly going hiking and you are wondering what kind of equipment and experience you are going to need, it is not actually all that much. With a few simple pieces of equipment and a couple of trips of increasing ability, you’ll soon be able to hike just about anything in your area. Maybe you won’t be mountaineering or climbing, but for the majority of the hikes that are available in most area, some basic things will cover all that you need for your new sport.
So you’re in the market for new hiking boots? For anyone walking up to the hiking boot display at an outdoor gear store, the experience can be pretty intimidating. Not only are there plenty of different boots to choose from, you are usually deluged with information and suggestions from the salesperson, who may or may not have your best interests at heart.
So you want to get yourself a collection of some basic clothing for your hiking adventures? Out of all the equipment you might need, this is probably the easiest part of getting ready to start your hiking experiences. There really is no specific special clothing that you need for short hikes with good weather. Where it becomes a little more complicated is that you do have to learn to dress for the conditions that you will be expecting along your hike. Hiking in a desert area? It’s going to be hot and sunny. Hiking somewhere it could rain? You want something that dries quickly and have some sort of raincoat or shell to protect you from the elements. Is it cold, then you will want to dress warmly, but not so warmly that you are sweating before you even start walking.
Take some time in considering your water bottle needs and choices and then head to your local outdoor gear store and stock up on what you need. You’re about to go hiking and you think that out of all the stuff you’re putting together, water bottles must rank down near the bottom of your packing priority? Well you’d be wrong, water bottles and the hydration they provide to you are probably the single most important aspect of hiking and backpacking.
One of the most important items for a good night’s sleep when you are backpacking in the woods or just camping at a campground with your car is a decent mattress or pad to sleep on. To see just how important it is, try sleeping without some sort of pad. I know I wake up with one heck of a sore back with the wrong mattress and that is why I think it is so important to find the right one for you.
Hikes, cross country skiing, and snowshoe trips can all be fun, adventuresome and beautiful, but they do require more advanced planning than a summer trip, as there significantly less room for mistakes and errors on a winter hike because of the colder temperatures, higher winds, snow, ice and limited daylight hours.
There are a lot of different gadgets, tools and other items that are designed to make your hiking and backpacking trips more comfortable, however there are some that make it into my backpack and come with me on almost every trip I take.
Want to hike in the Catskill Mountains of New York State? There are plenty of options and plenty of things to consider with all of the options that the Catskills have to offer. If you'd like, there are hikes that will only last a few hours. For the more adventurous, there are multi-day hikes that will take you across some really rugged, yet beautiful terrain throughout the Catskill State Park.
Kaaterskill Falls is one of those not quite on the beaten path destinations in New York State in the Catskills. The 260-foot, two-tiered waterfall is one of the highest in New York and is tucked away within one of the many cloves that form the eastern escarpment of the Catskill Mountains.
If you’re thinking about starting to regularly going hiking and you are wondering what kind of equipment and experience you are going to need, it is not actually all that much. With a few simple pieces of equipment and a couple of trips of increasing ability, you’ll soon be able to hike just about anything in your area. Maybe you won’t be mountaineering or climbing, but for the majority of the hikes that are available in most area, some basic things will cover all that you need for your new sport.
So you’re in the market for new hiking boots? For anyone walking up to the hiking boot display at an outdoor gear store, the experience can be pretty intimidating. Not only are there plenty of different boots to choose from, you are usually deluged with information and suggestions from the salesperson, who may or may not have your best interests at heart.
So you want to get yourself a collection of some basic clothing for your hiking adventures? Out of all the equipment you might need, this is probably the easiest part of getting ready to start your hiking experiences. There really is no specific special clothing that you need for short hikes with good weather. Where it becomes a little more complicated is that you do have to learn to dress for the conditions that you will be expecting along your hike. Hiking in a desert area? It’s going to be hot and sunny. Hiking somewhere it could rain? You want something that dries quickly and have some sort of raincoat or shell to protect you from the elements. Is it cold, then you will want to dress warmly, but not so warmly that you are sweating before you even start walking.
Take some time in considering your water bottle needs and choices and then head to your local outdoor gear store and stock up on what you need. You’re about to go hiking and you think that out of all the stuff you’re putting together, water bottles must rank down near the bottom of your packing priority? Well you’d be wrong, water bottles and the hydration they provide to you are probably the single most important aspect of hiking and backpacking.
One of the most important items for a good night’s sleep when you are backpacking in the woods or just camping at a campground with your car is a decent mattress or pad to sleep on. To see just how important it is, try sleeping without some sort of pad. I know I wake up with one heck of a sore back with the wrong mattress and that is why I think it is so important to find the right one for you.
Hikes, cross country skiing, and snowshoe trips can all be fun, adventuresome and beautiful, but they do require more advanced planning than a summer trip, as there significantly less room for mistakes and errors on a winter hike because of the colder temperatures, higher winds, snow, ice and limited daylight hours.
There are a lot of different gadgets, tools and other items that are designed to make your hiking and backpacking trips more comfortable, however there are some that make it into my backpack and come with me on almost every trip I take.
Want to hike in the Catskill Mountains of New York State? There are plenty of options and plenty of things to consider with all of the options that the Catskills have to offer. If you'd like, there are hikes that will only last a few hours. For the more adventurous, there are multi-day hikes that will take you across some really rugged, yet beautiful terrain throughout the Catskill State Park.
Kaaterskill Falls is one of those not quite on the beaten path destinations in New York State in the Catskills. The 260-foot, two-tiered waterfall is one of the highest in New York and is tucked away within one of the many cloves that form the eastern escarpment of the Catskill Mountains.
One of the home bases for those of us at Adventures in the Outdoors is the Catskill Mountains of New York State. This mountainous region is not quite as well known as many of the Northeast's other areas like the Adirondacks or the White Mountains, but the Catskill Mountains offers a variety of hiking and trekking opportunities for all different levels of abilities. Trails visit majestic overlooks, climb steep mountains and visit waterfalls tucked deep into the mountain cloves.
While almost everyone who visits northern New Hampshire drives through Franconia Notch State Park on Interstate 93, to really appreciate this area you have got to get out of your car and explore all of the outdoor opportunities that this area offers you.
