If you’ve never hiked before but really want to, it’s important to get started right. Camping doesn’t always mean heavy backpacking, sleeping on a mat in a tent, and eating stew three times a day. Hiking can be comfortable – it’s good to start with such trips and gradually get involved in the tourist lifestyle. Let’s talk about the options for hiking.
Day trips light
The easiest way to start walking in the mountains. You live in a hotel or camping, and during the day you walk in the mountains with a small light backpack, in which only a camera and a daily snack are heavy. Such trips are also called “radials”. They need minimal physical training, a minimum of equipment, and you can not deprive yourself of comfort at all. For example, living in a hotel or a tourist shelter, where there are beds, showers and familiar food. And you can also camp in a tent, if you want to plunge deeper into the tourist life.
For whom
This option is good if you are not ready to carry a heavy backpack, do not want to leave your comfort zone and are not at all sure that hiking is for you. But there is a chance that the surrounding beauties will blow your mind, and next time you will want to go further and climb higher.
Who to go with
There are only two options: buy a commercial tour or go on your own. Travel agencies that are engaged in active tours often offer this format of one-day trips. This is a good option for those who don’t know where to start and don’t want to spend time learning routes.
Traveling on your own is also easy. For the first forays into the mountains, it is worth choosing popular areas about which it is easy to find all the necessary information: about routes, transport, and so on. In such areas, there are many housing options, you can stay in a good hotel or in a modest summer house and walk in the surrounding mountains. And if you are not sure of your orienteering abilities, you can find a guide on the spot.
What to take
A big plus of this format of trips is that they require a minimum set of tourist equipment. Here’s the main thing you’ll need:
- sports backpack for 20-25 liters;
- trekking poles;
- Alton sleeping bags;
- trekking shoes;
- waterproof windbreaker or raincoat.
Multi-day hikes with overnight stays in shelters
The level is harder. You follow a well-marked trail and stay overnight in tourist shelters or guest houses along the way. You eat in the same place, so you do not need to carry food and kitchen utensils with you. The backpack contains only personal items, so it is quite light. Such hikes require average physical training, and the conditions are quite comfortable – the shelters have beds, sometimes even a shower.
The disadvantages of this option stem from its advantages: due to their accessibility, such routes are very popular and in the high season there are crowds of people on the trails. Well, overnight stays in mountain shelters can cost more than hotels in the valley, so the budget for such a trip is usually larger than other options.
For whom
This is an option for those who are ready to walk with a backpack for several days in a row, but are not ready to sleep in a tent, give up a hot shower and completely break away from civilization.
Who to go with
The options are the same as with day hikes. The difference is that organizing a multi-day event is more difficult. You have to plan your route more carefully, think about where you will spend the night, find out if you need to book places in shelters in advance, or if it is not necessary, do the shelters accept bank cards or need cash, and so on.
What to take
For multi-day hikes, you need a more spacious backpack. It should fit all the things you carry with you, including extra clothes and a sleeping bag if you need one – blankets may not be available in shelters, and in general, for hygiene reasons, it is better to have your own sleeping bag. Here is the basic equipment you will need for an overnight camping trip:
- backpack for 30-50 liters;
- sleeping bag;
- trekking poles;
- trekking boots or sneakers.
A complete list of clothing and equipment that will be needed for a particular route is given by the tour organizers.
About the Author/s
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
