Hiking Over 50: 12 Things to Know Before Your First Trek Hiking Over 50: 12 Things To Know Before Your First TrekHiking Over 50: 12 Things to Know Before Your First Trek

Sufficient can’t be mentioned about the advantages of strolling. It will increase your coronary heart and lung health, decreases the chance of coronary heart assault and stroke, makes your bones stronger, and provides you higher stability. The listing goes on and on. 

Now, add a bit of surroundings to that stroll — mountain streams, breathtaking vistas, glowing waterfalls — and you’ve got the added bonus of stress aid, decreasing your danger of melancholy, and calming your anxieties. 

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? For these of us over 50, there are a number of issues it is advisable to think about earlier than lacing up these boots and hitting the path, every part from planning your journey, realizing what to hold, and most significantly, the best way to get your physique prepared for the path. 

Listed here are 12 suggestions that will help you get on the path and take your first hike. Keep in mind, these are suggestions for preparing to your first day hike, not an in a single day or prolonged backpacking journey. 

1. Test With Your Physician Beforehand

It doesn’t matter what your age is, you need to all the time examine together with your physician earlier than doing any strenuous exercise, particularly when you have lived a sedentary way of life which many people did throughout the pandemic. 

2. Plan, Plan, Plan 

Acquired the “all clear” from the physician? Don’t lace up the boots fairly but. A standard mistake made by first-time hikers is studying in a guidebook or on-line a couple of hike with unbelievable landscapes and simply go for it solely to seek out the terrain is an excessive amount of for them to deal with. 

Don’t fall into that entice. Getting in form for a hike is as simple as taking a stroll. Begin by taking a each day stroll round your neighborhood, regularly increase the size and velocity of the stroll. Ultimately, add a couple of hills. In case you dwell in a flat space, discover some stairs to climb. 

As you construct your stamina and energy, you could wish to think about loading your day pack and carrying it in your stroll to assist strengthen your again muscle tissues. There are additionally some wonderful exercises that you are able to do at house to get you prepared to your adventures.

3. Pack Properly 

Although we’re solely specializing in day mountaineering and never a protracted distance hike via a wilderness, you continue to must pack some necessities to make the hike extra pleasurable and hold you protected. 

In case you are doing a easy hike of solely an hour or two, a fanny pack with a couple of power snacks and bottles of water (extra on that in a second) will do. For a full-day hike, get your self a superb high quality day pack. Don’t skimp on this. Get a top quality pack that may be fitted to your physique. You and your again will thank me later. Your native clothing store might help you make the fitting selection. 

What do you pack? Here’s a listing of some necessities you need to have with you:

• Loads of power snacks and lunch plus additional parts in case of emergency
• Loads of water (see # 4)
• Navigation instruments like map and compass, GPS, cellular phone (with caveats. See # 7)
• Small first-aid package
• Climate acceptable clothes (suppose dressing in layers)
• Mountaineering boots or sneakers
• Sunscreen
• Flashlight

As soon as you’re taking that first hike, you’ll get a sense for what you want and what you don’t and may regulate your gear list accordingly. 

4. Keep Hydrated!

The only most necessary factor you are able to do when mountaineering any distance is to remain hydrated. Don’t wait till you’re thirsty earlier than you drink water as a result of by then, you might be already dehydrated. 

It is strongly recommended that you just drink one-half to 1 quart of water and electrolytes for each hour of mountaineering. To combine it up a bit, think about ingesting water throughout one break then a sports activities drink with electrolytes the following. 

And don’t cease ingesting once you go away the path! Docs say that the physique underestimates your fluid wants so hold ingesting water and electrolytes for a bit longer as you head house. 

5. Plan Your Route Fastidiously 

Don’t let your first hike be a loss of life march. There are many guidebooks, on-line sources, and apps that make discovering that good first hike a cinch. Learn them rigorously. A very good reference will inform you the approximate time it would take to hike a path and its problem. If it doesn’t, keep away from that path as your first hike. Learn the hike particulars rigorously for any signal that there could also be obstacles alongside the route that would spell hassle — climbing rocks, fording swift flowing streams, and so forth.

A very good place to start out is at your native state park the place the paths are normally properly blazed and there are paths for each stage of expertise and problem, plus there might be individuals close by who might help you in case of an emergency.

6. Stretch Earlier than You Hike 

As we grow old, our muscle tissues lose their elasticity, our joints weaken, and we begin to lose our vary of movement. Mountaineering places your physique via some strenuous strikes that may trigger critical harm for those who’re not ready. After hopping out of your automotive on the trailhead, take a while to do some fundamental stretches. It will loosen up these tight muscle tissues and joints and let you take pleasure in nature with out the ache of a pulled ligament or joint harm. 

7. Navigating The Path 

Even in a state park, trails could be complicated and you may simply get off the crushed path. Carry your cellular phone however keep in mind, indicators could be sketchy or non-existent within the woods. Except you’re planning a hike on a properly traveled path or with skilled hikers, think about bringing alongside a GPS with recent batteries (and know the best way to use it) to maintain observe of your location. 

Each hiker ought to find out about orienteering (utilizing a map and compass) to navigate and produce them with you as a backup.

8. Contemplate Utilizing Trekking Poles Or Strolling Sticks

Till I turned 50, I by no means used a trekking pole however as I grew older, my stability grew to become a bit shaky as I forded streams, climbed down steep inclines, and going again up them —  particularly with a day pack full of drugs. Now I by no means go away house with out them. You might suppose they’re a hindrance and might be a nuisance whereas navigating the path, however belief me, they supply that additional little bit of safety as you stroll.

9. Test the Climate Nicely In Advance

The one factor that may actually put a damper on a hike is the climate. Belief me, strolling even a mile in a chilly downpouring rain with out rain gear will make you doubt that mountaineering is the game for you. Test that climate forecast earlier than heading out and put together appropriately with the right gear. If extreme climate is within the forecast, reschedule your journey. In case you are caught in a thunderstorm, head to decrease floor rapidly. 

10. Hike At Your Personal Tempo

Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to take frequent breaks. I’ll admit it, I used to really feel that method. I’d attempt to sustain with a bunch of youthful hikers solely to seek out myself dragging farther and farther behind. Tempo your self. Once in a while, take off your pack, sit down, seize a snack and a few water and revel in nature. 

11. Watch The Clock 

When you’re on the path taking in all that nature has to supply, it’s simple to lose observe of time. Control the clock and just remember to have loads of time to be off the path earlier than sundown.

12. Don’t Hike Alone

Lastly, one of the best recommendation for any first-time hiker, particularly these over 50, is to by no means hike alone. Your finest wager is to discover a mountaineering or environmental group in your space that usually leads guided hikes to fascinating areas whereas displaying you the ins and outs of mountaineering.

Mountaineering is a well-liked type of train, however if you’re over age 50, there are some issues you need to know earlier than you go: