It’s important to make sure that you adhere to hiking rules when you are thinking about hitting the trails. Wearing proper lightweight walking boots and staying hydrated are only two of the items on the list of the very important factors to follow when hiking. If you haven’t been hiking before or have only been a few times then you are going to want to study this following list very carefully and make sure that you follow the rules. This will not only keep you safe during your hike but it will make your time on the trails more enjoyable because you’ll have the peace of mind that you are doing everything right.

Drink Water and Electrolyte Filled Drinks
Hiking without drinking water is the single most fatal mistake that people make. It seems like such an obvious thing to bring but you would be surprised and how many people forget it. Water should be your main go to but bringing drinks that have electrolytes is also a good idea for replenishing your system along the way. Another bonus is that if you bring a bunch of drink sin the beginning, as you drink them your pack will get lighter as you start to get weaker.

Wear Lightweight Walking Boots
Wearing lightweight walking boots instead of some other type of heavy duty adventure shoes is important because they won’t weigh you down. You might feel great in the beginning of the hike but as the trail stretches on, you will begin to get tired, weary and weak. Having heavy feet plodding along is not going to make you feel in better. Not only will it not help you, it will hinder you. So make sure that you are wearing the appropriate shoes for the hike.

Eat Snacks Instead of Meals
Eating snacks instead of full meals is a better idea. If you eat smaller snacks more often then this will keep up your energy levels as well as your metabolism. If you wait until you are starving and then scarf down an entire meal, your body will go into a nutrition shock and want to go to sleep. That’s why people get tired after big meals like Christmas and Thanksgiving (apart from the tryptophane in the turkey.) Make sure that your snacks are very healthy and have a lot of protein to keep up your energy.

Don’t Wear Cotton Clothes
Wearing cotton is a bad idea. The reason for this is because cotton retains water or moisture. It takes a long time to dry out so if you sweat or it rains, you’ll end up staying wet which will be very uncomfortable and can actually be dangerous. It will make you more susceptible to hypothermia if temperatures drop low where you will be hiking. Instead, wear wool or polyester fabrics which react better to moisture.

Stick With Your Group
Don’t wander off from your group. Even if you are an experienced hiker, this is a bad idea. A lot of times there is no cell phone service up in the mountains or forests where you might be hiking so it’s very easy to get lost. If you can’t figure out where you are and no one can reach you, it could be a potentially very dangerous situation. Stay with the group that you arrived with and make sure that you do a head count every so often to make sure that no one has gone missing, especially if you are in a big group. If it’s just the two of you, a head count won’t be necessary.

If you can manage to follow these tips then you’ll be alright. Hiking can be difficult work depending on the type of trail you follow and you’ll need to make sure you have good lightweight walking boots as mentioned and all of the other tips. Do a little research about the trail that you are considering taking and make sure that is it suitable when compared to your experience and skill level. If you want a challenge but are unsure about it, take along an experienced hiker to help you. No doubt they will love to pass along their knowledge about everything from light hiking shoes to the history of the trails.