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Although hiking may simply seem like a walk in the woods, there are variables that come into play and trust me when I say, I've learned the hard way. In this episode, I'll go over ten of my biggest hiking lessons so you don't have to get caught in the same uncomfortable situations.
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
For next level fat loss strategies, hormone/gut health help, serious performance goals and unparalleled support, apply for Mountain Metabolic coaching. Learn more HERE.
For more free wellness resources, hiking/travel guides, and other blog posts, check out my website HERE.
What is Fit for Hiking?
Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a long time fitness professional and Midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. In combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discuss here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for hiking podcast. 1s Hello. Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the fit for hiking podcast. This is your host, Brady. And today we are going to be talking about top hiking mistakes that I've made over the years that are really common mistakes that can be made, especially if you're just a beginner. You're kind of starting out in your outdoorsy journey. Right now, we are kind of in the thick of like dreary season. It's, you know, just beginning of February as I'm recording this. And man, January was kind of a doozy. Like, our household had a virus for three weeks straight, like it was the respiratory virus that would not go away. It was brutal, you guys. And on top of that, you know, January is just kind of dreary anyways. Harder to get outside. We had some like zero degree days and man, thinking about hiking season honestly really helps me kind of get out of a slump. So that was partly why I wanted to record this, because it gives me hope to think about the fact that in a few months, we're going to be in a beautiful Colorado summer. It's going to be, you know, green trees again, blue skies, sun and beautiful hiking weather. And I cannot wait. So I wanted to talk through some of the top mistakes that I've made over the years. If you don't know a whole lot about my personal story, I actually really didn't get into hiking at all until I was an adult. I moved to Colorado from Indiana when I was 23, and I knew literally nothing about the outdoorsy culture. Outdoorsy life. Um, hiking just happened to be the first activity that I kind of dabbled in. It felt like kind of low barrier to entry, right? You can kind of dabble with some some shorter, easier trails and go from there. And that's kind of what I did. But along the way, I certainly have made just about every mistake in the books. Um, and I honestly find it helpful to learn from people who have been in your shoes. And when I first got into this whole thing. A big reason why I started my Instagram page ponytail on a trail was because I felt like there was nobody in that space at the time. And you know, this was a good like five years ago. But there was really nobody in that space who was speaking from a kind of like rookie perspective of sharing their lessons learned real time as they were making mistakes. It felt like everybody I was seeing on on blogs and Instagram and YouTube was like full on outdoorsy hiking experts. And to me that felt like really far removed. I didn't feel like I was on that level. It didn't feel relatable. So that was a big reason why I wanted to start putting out content of things I was learning. As someone who is not an expert, as a female in the space, and obviously this outdoorsy space has grown exponentially over the last five years, and there's so many awesome people sharing their experiences and perspectives. But all of this to say, I was such a rookie just a few years ago, and I still feel like I'm learning all the time. I don't feel like I'm an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I still make mistakes, so I wanted to share my top ten that I have made over the years, and hopefully they can be helpful for anyone who's maybe a more beginner hiker wanting to get into hiking and hasn't even really dabbled in that space yet. Or maybe you're kind of an intermediate hiker and just want to sharpen your skills before going into another hiking season. So these are pertaining to mostly day hikes. I do have a podcast episode all about backpacking mistakes and lessons, so if you are wanting to get into backpacking, I definitely recommend going back in the archives of the podcast checking out that episode. This is going to more pertain to beginner level, like just getting into some day hikes. All right, so let's jump into it. Number one is not being weather aware for the altitude that you're going to encounter on that hike. And that is one of the biggest things that I experienced in Colorado, particularly because there is such a big discrepancy between the altitude in Denver, where I was living at the time, and where I would go hiking, especially as I started to seek out a little bit more of advanced trails. So to put it in perspective, Denver is about about 5000ft elevation, which is already pretty high, but when you're used to it, it's fine. And then when you add another 3 to 4 plus thousand feet of elevation, when you go on these hikes, the weather can be completely different. So if you're in Denver it could be 70 degrees and sunny blue skies, lovely weather. And then you show up at your trail and it's sleeting. And that's a very real scenario that I've encountered so many times where I start out on a hike and it's. Nice weather and then the weather completely changes because weather can change on a dime when you're at higher altitude. I experienced this with living at 9500ft, and almost every single day the weather would be beautiful. I'd go out for a walk and then it could start hailing and I would have like zero preparation for that. So this is definitely something to be aware of, especially if you are in an area where you're going to change altitudes quite a bit. When you go on a hike, you want to be aware that it could be a completely different weather system where you're going and you really want to look into the weather where you're going, instead of just assuming that it's going to be the same temperature as where you're starting out. When you leave for that hike, it seems like duh. But it really wasn't something that I was used to at all. Coming from Indiana, I never had to factor in altitude. I never thought, oh, the weather is going to be drastically different one hour from here. So that's definitely one of the biggest mistakes I made. And then not bringing the appropriate layers based on that information. So always, always packing some sort of rain jacket, even if you don't even feel like rain is a possibility at all. Having a rain jacket, having some layers in case the temperature does do a massive drop, especially in the spring and fall months. Man, this is a very real thing and I've experienced some crazy swings in temperature and weather while on a hike. Um, that really rocked me when I wasn't prepared. So that is number one. Number two is just not packing enough water. If you've ever been on a hike and run out of water and still had a long ways to go, especially on a hot day, you understand why this is not something you want to mess around with. So in general, always trying to have a nice full water bottle and Nalgene or a Camelbak is perfect. Having a full amount and always checking to because I've also made the mistake of thinking oh my Camelbak is still pretty full from the last hike I took a few days ago. I think I'm good. And then getting on on the trail and realizing it's only half full and I don't have nearly as much water as I anticipated. Another great way that you can just always stay on top of this is to have a water filtration system with you in your pack, especially if you're starting to dabble with longer hikes. Like if you're only doing 2 to 3 mile hikes, then you're probably going to be fine. If you bring a water bottle or Camelbak filled with water. Um, but the longer you go, especially if you drink a lot of water, typically, I do recommend having a water filter that you can take on hikes, and obviously you need to have some sort of source of moving water in order to use that. So looking into the trail beforehand, making sure that there are sources of water to even use that filter. Number three is not bringing sunscreen, man. I've made this one way too many times. It's almost embarrassing. But again, like, you never know how the weather might change. It could start out quite cloudy and then it can clear and it can be intense, especially the higher up you are. The sun is just going to scorch you. So instead of just opting to always apply beforehand. While that is a great strategy, also bringing it with you, especially on longer hikes, um, just keeping one in your pack. I definitely recommend because there are times when you might forget to apply before you leave the house, and if you don't have one with you in the car or in your pack, that's going to be a bad situation. Nothing feels worse than having shoulders that are sunburned, and you're carrying a pack, and you know you still have several miles and you're just getting scorched by the sun. Uh, bringing hats is also advised for sure if you know it's going to be super sunny, wearing sun shirts, wearing hats. Yes, it's nice to get a little tan now and then, but if it's a long hike and super sun exposed, you're definitely going to want to have some sun protection or would be not downloading a map beforehand. So this one's gotten me in trouble more than a few times. Um, not having a map. Even if you feel like it's a heavily trafficked trail and you should be fine. As far as markers, you just never know. Even in national parks, I've had situations where trails are not well marked and there's not really people around in desert terrain, and it can be really scary really quickly when you realize you have no idea how to get back to the trailhead. Um, so I definitely recommend downloading maps on either like a Garmin inReach or a, you know, a phone. As long as you have ample charge, you can download maps for the trail. You can bring paper maps, but always have something that is reliable where you know that that item is not going to die on you as far as charging, and that you have something that can be used off line. Um, because that is definitely a really big one as well. And it leads me into number five, which is assuming that there's going to be service on a trail, especially if you're kind of new into this whole thing. It's it's a little bit, um, you know, it's unnerving when all of a sudden you lose service and you realize, oh, crap, like, I didn't download a trail or I haven't, I didn't tell anybody where I'm going. I have no way to, like, reach out to the outside world, and I don't know when I'm going to get service back. And oftentimes when you're in the mountains, in more remote places, that is going to be the case and you have no idea when you're going to lose service. So taking care of those things beforehand, reaching out to people, letting them know where you're going, having a trail downloaded or some sort of map system prepared before you lose service. These are things that you definitely want to think about before you leave your house. All right. Number six is not bringing enough calorie dense food on long hikes. Um, I can remember specifically hiking a 14 or a 14,000 foot trail in Colorado, and I was just so unprepared. This is kind of in my early days. And, man, I think I brought like a few granola bars, and I thought that that would be enough. And I ended up on the trail for like nine hours. I mean, it was a pretty brutal hike, very long in mileage, took me a very long time, and I did not have the sustenance that I needed. And then the closest town was like still an hour away after we finished the hike. And so definitely looking into like, what the trail reviews are saying is as far as like how long it's taking people and always having some sort of, you know, backup snacks like, yes, granola bars, protein bars are great, but you want to have something that's a bit more calorically dense that's going to get you through. So bringing sandwiches, bringing in nuts, bringing just like ample snacks as much as you can carry because it's better to have a little bit too much than to run out. And then you're just kind of like running on fumes. Number seven is not reading condition reviews, parking details, and overall hike information beforehand. So this kind of goes along with reading those reviews. This is something I do before every single hike, because I've definitely made this mistake before where I don't read anything about like the parking details, only to find out that there's a shuttle system and you can't park directly at the trailhead and you need cash or, you know, not reading about the fact that you're going to need. Snowshoes instead of spikes if it's a winter hike or not reading about like a certain closure, or maybe that the trail is closed altogether and then you show up at the trailhead, you just drove two hours, only to find out that it is in fact closed. All of these scenarios I have definitely experienced or even just reading about like, oh, it's it's a really hard road, like you need a 4x4 vehicle to get there. All of these different situations, you just want to know what you're getting yourself into. And if that trail actually makes sense for you that day, or if it's better to pick something different, you want to show up prepared. So reading trail reviews I have always loved all trails. Yes, sometimes the mileage can be off or you know things aren't going to be perfect every single time. But for the most part, I would say 95% of the time it steered me in the right direction. And I really love reading other people's reviews of that specific trail so I can see, okay, somebody did this a few days ago and they said that it was super muddy and and kind of gross and they wouldn't recommend it or. Okay, they said that this entrance is actually closed right now and this is how you access the trailhead. Um, all of these different things are going to be so helpful, especially when you're looking at like winter hiking, things like that. Um, it's not going to be as cut and dry as just going on a summer hike. You're going to want to see, like, is the snow deep enough that I need snowshoes, or are spikes going to do? Do I even need spikes? Wood poles be helpful. What's the terrain like? All of these different things are going to really help inform you of what the experience will be like and what how you need to dress and prepare for that hike. Um, okay. Number eight is assuming trails will be clear of ice and snow by the spring. This is definitely more of like a mountainous hiking type of experience, but at least here in Colorado. Um. 1s Trails are going to be really icy at higher altitudes all the way up until June, and that was something I had no clue about. I was just so naive, thinking, oh, once, you know, like April comes around, it will be fine. Like it's warm in Denver. So it should be fine in the foothills or in the mountains. And that's not always the case. And so especially if you're going to higher altitudes, you need to be prepared. That spring really doesn't come until like late May, early June. You might even still experience snow in the mountains into June. So especially the higher you're going, you want to kind of push those trails out until mid-summer, especially fourteeners. You know, sometimes I'll get DMs from people and they're like, I'm coming out in May and I really want to do fourteeners. Which one should I do? And my answer is always, I really don't recommend doing a 14 or in May, because it's still going to be so snowy and icy at 14,000ft. Like no matter which one you're doing. And unless you are well versed in like ice climbing and dealing with really intense snow, uh, for miles and miles and miles, which most people who are visiting probably aren't, I definitely don't recommend it. You need to be very experienced to take that on. I hiked my first fourteeners in June, and even then I was literally sliding down the mountain in snow pretty much the entire hike. I was so unprepared. My socks and shoes were completely soaked. So trust me when I say if you're going to do a really high altitude hike, you want to push those out to more of like late June through early September. That's kind of your window of opportunity there. You don't want to push it much beyond that. Lower trails. You know, anything below about 9000ft. You're going to have better success in April May. But even still, you might want to check and make sure that you don't need spikes, because oftentimes when things are very shaded, you're still going to experience a lot of icy patches. All right. Number nine is not training properly in general for bikes. And I definitely have made a lot of mistakes in this. That kind of led me to creating the fit for hiking guides, which was the first fitness related product that I put onto the market when I started my business, and it's still something that I sell. And actually, I'll link those in the show notes if you want just a clear cut guide to getting in shape for hiking, it's a really nice way to take the guesswork out, but you really want to make sure that you're doing the proper, um, fusion of strength training, steady state cardio conditioning, and a little bit of interval, but not focusing too much on just like the hit side of things, which I feel like it's females is pretty standard, so it's nice to just have that kind of put together for you. My fit for Hiking guides I have a beginner, intermediate, advanced and summit crusher level, so really kind of spans across a lot of different fitness levels and they're all three months worth of workouts. So I will link that in the show notes. If you guys want to check those out. I definitely recommend starting that kind of in the spring heading into hiking season. Um, if you want to be in your best possible shape because nothing is worse than feeling like you're just sucking wind and lagging behind on a hike. Um, and you want to be able to just say yes to all the adventures. Like, I absolutely love being in shape enough that I can just say yes. And I don't have to hesitate when someone asks me if I want to go on a ten mile hike. Um, especially now that I'm carrying my daughter on trails. Like I really have to stay on top of it and be as strong as possible and stay in good cardiovascular shape as well. Otherwise, I'm going to be really suffering at higher altitudes on inclines. Um, and number ten, the final tip is not using poles for years, especially on big declines. I made this mistake for a very long time and kind of thought like, oh, I don't need poles. Like, who needs poles? That's silly. Um, and the answer is I do need poles. And I use them almost for every single hike now, especially that I'm carrying my daughter. It's so nice for that added stability. It takes a lot of pressure out of my knees on declines. So as you get older and as you start, you know, if you have kids and you're carrying them or backpacking, you definitely want to use poles. Even if I'm not carrying my daughter or massive packs like super, super steep incline hikes, I still like to have poles for the decline, specifically to make sure that I'm steady. Then I'm not just sliding out of control as I'm going down, especially if it's kind of muddy or slick. Um, so definitely don't hate on poles. Don't sleep on poles if you've never tried them before. They're definitely a game changer, and I do recommend getting poles eventually in your hiking career. Okay, you guys, we made it through all ten common hiking mistakes that I have made over the years, and I hope that this is helpful. So you can kind of learn from the mistakes that I've made and not make them yourself. If you are new to the hiking scene, send me a DM. Let me know. It's so exciting when you kind of like, open up this new side of yourself and start to explore. And I know it's easy to have imposter syndrome sometimes with these things. I still get that sometimes because I still don't feel like I'm a quote unquote expert. It's just something that I'm truly so passionate about and love. Um, so send me a DM. Let me know if you found this episode helpful, and you can also DM us at the Fit Underscore for Hiking Instagram page, and let us know what you would like to learn about on the podcast. If there's any specific topics that you would like covered. Um, if there's anything you've really loved or appreciated, we always love to hear that. And reviews are so helpful just to to kind of boost the podcast, let us know what you're liking. If you can leave us a review and a rating that is extremely helpful. It takes like five minutes. Totally make my day. I would really appreciate any sort of, uh, you know, help with the podcast department. So thank you guys for listening today and I will see you on the next one. 1s Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at ponytail on a trail.com. Happy and healthy trails.