Hey Friends, Let's Hike!
Hiking... it is both calming and energizing. It is when I often feel most free. It can be whatever you want it to be- thoughtful or meditative, relaxing or challenging. It is a way to connect with the natural world, with others, and with yourself. It makes you more appreciative and helps you understand your relative size. You discover beautiful things on every trail. It is one of the healthiest and most refreshing activities available.
Hiking is for you. If you are a beginner hiker looking to get out more, your best times on the trail are ahead. If you are a highly experienced outdoor adventurer, there are hikes you have not seen yet that will inspire, challenge, or give you an opportunity to take in the power of the natural world. If you have never pulled on a pair of hiking boots or packed the 10 essentials in a backpack, an entire world is out there waiting for you!
Where Does a New Hiker Begin?
Beginning to hike can feel daunting. Often, articles and guides about starting to hit the trail can feel discouraging, dangerous and expensive. On the other hand, beginning to hike safely does require a certain level of preparation, fitness, and knowledge. What you need to prepare for a hike seems very different from the sales floor of a gear shop than it does from watching hikers armed with cotton t-shirts and single water bottles around a trailhead. Where does a new hiker begin?
In the coming months, a series of articles will come out on the Cloudline blog to help you start hiking. From selecting the right gear to not spending a fortune, and from determining a route to being ready for the unexpected, tools for safe exploring will come out at the beginning of each month. The full “Hey Friends, Let’s Hike. A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking” series will include:
- The 10 Essentials for New Hikers: an article that will help you understand and collect the 10 essentials without spending a fortune.
- Finding Budget-Friendly Gear: a piece packed with practical tips and tricks to get gear and still make your rent.
- A Guide for Investing in Hiking Staples: covering the basics of finding the right hiking shoes, backpack, rain shell, and wool socks.
- How to Choose Your Trails: will tell new hikers the best ways to research local hikes and will provide considerations to keep safe and comfortable on the trail.
Hiking Will Have a Positive Impact on Your Life
Thinking back, some of my favorite moments have been on trails: some of them difficult, and some of them easy. The experiences gained from hiking often are not just practical for other hikes but have impacted me in every area of life. Hiking has taught me about overcoming fear, taking time for myself, and being open with others. It has fueled a fire in me for adventure and exploration. In the coming months, I hope the practical tips and guides for starting to hike will enable you to hit the trail!
To get you inspired, I will end with a poem I wrote on and about the trail:
Sunlight wraps
In full embrace
My eager skin
Drinking in
Stashing away
Golden brown
Each step I count
And breathe
With number
Attentive, I discover
Smells, sensations,
Sights, sounds
The spaces between
Sparrow song
Sand and sky
This mountain and me
Slowly shrink
Suddenly succumb
No spaces now
Unless I make them
The world unreal
Dissolves
Nature claims me
Again her own
Wild and free to explore and be
I pause and stare
To find inside
Vibrant blossoms
Yawning canyons
Winding paths of dirt and stone-
The best of myself
The best of us all
The beauty of life
On a hiking trail.
Hey friends, let’s hike. See you out there!
