Figuring out how to find the best hikes and completing them safely!
Whenever I do a new hike, I usually will have pre-planned it to make sure I understand the mileage, elevation gain, conditions, etc. I do this for several reasons:
I like knowing where I am going, what I will see, etc.
I want to know if the distance and gain is within my capabilities.
I want to anticipate and be prepared for weather and trail conditions.
AllTrails is a wonderful tool for helping with this. The image above is a screenshot of a recent hike I did. You can both plan your hike using their drawing tool and/or record your hike. They have a free version (which is great) and a Pro version - the main difference is that the Pro version allows you to download maps in case of losing signal. The more you use the tool, the more familiar you become with your own abilities, particularly as it pertains to pace and gain and pace during gain. In the example above you can see on mile 3 as the gain increased, my pace decreased. This information when aggregated, helps you understand the difficulty of future hikes, especially when you have past recordings and understand your level. So in this instance here I have planned a hike. The data AllTrails gives me lets me know that it is about 8 miles long, 1,400 feet of elevation gain and a particularly steep section of climb with starting at the 1.1 mile mark to the 2.8 mile mark of about 850 feet of gain, or an average gain of 500 feet per mile on that particular section.
Knowing my own averages, I would expect to complete this hike in about 2.5 hours. I also know that this will be quite hard but well within my range as far as climbing and distance are concerned
The next important piece of hike planning is to tell someone where you are going, and how long you expect to be. I hike daily, and I give my wife these 2 pieces of information daily - in case of emergency.
The next part of trip planning is anticipating your water needs and food needs. If I know I will be out there for 2.5 hours, I figure 2 liters of water and an apple and energy bar is sufficient.
I cover what I bring in my day pack here. I recommend everybody set up similarly to this.
Finally, make sure your clothing anticipates the weather or changes in weather. I always have a rain jacket and mid layer in my pack (they live there!) just in case.
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