How To Prepare For A Hike

There's nothing like mixing it up with ol' Mother Nature, so knowing how to prepare for a hike will go a long way toward helping you reach an oddly satisfying encounter with the Maternal Outdoors. Men have been telling people to "go take a hike" ever since fire was invented (and we learned we could crisp up the hide of that lizard we smashed with our club. Crispy campfire-cooked anything at that point was just too good to share).

Learn how to prepare for a hike, and you can enter the forest with confidence. Learn how to prepare for a hike, you can impress any unsuspecting (and willing to freely enter the woods with you) females with your  ability to navigate virgin terrain. Learn how to prepare for a hike, and you can traverse Mother Nature's airy bosoms without having that "this ain't right" feeling creep into your travels. Here's a few tips to help you prepare for a hike so you can make the most of your next outdoor encounter.

1. Get a backpack. Hiking isn't hiking without a "supply containment device" strapped over a shoulder or two. Without one of these, it's just walking. In order to properly prepare for a hike, you're going to need something to carry some of the yet-to-be-mentioned items. Sure, a plastic Wal-Mart bag may work. But if you want to find your inner caveman, get something with all kinds of pockets and a bunch of straps bouncing around from every conceivable spot. It's way more cool. You never know what lies beyond the next turn of the trail, so having something that can store untold amounts of survival gear will at least make you look like you've been down this path before.

2. Get a Swiss Army Knife. Or at the very least, some kind of multi-tool. You're going to be able to use it in some way or fashion at least once during your journey. The more gadgets, the more frequent opportunities to pull it out and show off its survivalist diversity. With the proper tool, you can cut away any annoying spider webs in your way, or cut a swath through a felled oak trunk. There's a variety of makes and models on the market. And seriously, when doesn't a Philips head screwdriver come in handy?

3. Put some stuff in various pockets of your pack. You don't need to make it bulge. Just have some stuff thoughtfully stashed in random places. An extra shirt or a waterproof pullover can go in the main space. You might want to stick a rudimentary first aid kit in one of the side pouches to ward off infection after face planting into a tree root if you haven't ventured off pavement for awhile. A baggie full of gorp is pretty much a prerequisite in the alternate side pouch. Mix some nuts, raisins, and M&Ms together and you can live for a long time without seeing a McDonalds. Don't worry about attaching anything to all of the dangly straps. Just the fact that they're there is enough. And don't worry about saving a pocket for your flask. That goes in your back pocket so you don't have to frantically unzip two hundred pockets every time you want to toss one back.

4. Find a decent trail. Now that you know how to prepare for a hike, don't just cruise around the painted lane jogging path at the park. Blaze your own. Pick a patch of people free terrain and walk your own path. Mom's waiting.