needing, even for short hikes.
If you find yourself tempted to drink “found water,” proceed with extreme caution. Many ponds and lakes you’ll encounter are fairly stagnant, and the water tastes terrible. Drinking such water presents inherent risks for thirsty trekkers. Giardia parasites contaminate many water sources and cause the dreaded intestinal ailment giardiasis, which can last for weeks after onset. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: cdc.gov/parasites/giardia.
In any case, effective treatment is essential before you drink from any water source along the trail. Boiling water for 2–3 minutes is always a safe measure for camping, but day hikers can consider iodine tablets, approved chemical mixes, filtration units rated for giardia, and ultraviolet filtration. Some of these methods (for example, filtration with an added carbon filter) remove bad tastes typical in stagnant water, while others add their own taste. As a precaution, carry a means of water purification in case you’ve underestimated your consumption needs.
Clothing
Weather, unexpected trail conditions, fatigue, extended hiking duration, and wrong turns can individually or collectively turn a great outing into a very uncomfortable one at best—and a life-threatening one at worst. Thus, proper attire plays a key role in staying comfortable and, sometimes, in staying alive. Some helpful guidelines:
Choose silk, wool, or synthetics for maximum comfort in all of your hiking attire—from hats to socks and in between. Cotton is fine if the weather remains dry and stable, but you won’t be happy if that material gets wet.
Always wear a hat, or at least tuck one into your day pack or hitch it to your belt. Hats offer all-weather sun and wind protection as well as warmth if it turns cold.
Be ready to layer up or down as the day progresses and the mercury rises or falls. Today’s outdoor wear makes layering easy, with such designs as jackets that convert to vests and zip-off or button-up legs.
Mosquitoes, poison ivy, and thorny bushes found along many trails can generate short-term discomfort and long-term agony. A lightweight pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt can go a long way toward protecting you from these pests.
Wear hiking boots or sturdy hiking sandals with toe protection. Flip-flopping along a paved urban greenway is one thing, but you should never hike a trail in open sandals or casual sneakers. Your bones and arches need support, and your skin needs protection.
Pair that footwear with good socks! If you prefer not to sheathe your feet when wearing hiking sandals, tuck the socks into your day pack—you may need them if temperatures plummet or if you hit rocky turf and pebbles begin to irritate your feet. And if it’s cold and you’ve lost your gloves, you can adapt the socks into mittens.
Don’t leave rainwear behind, even if the day dawns clear and sunny. Tuck into your day pack, or tie around your waist, a jacket that’s breathable and either water-resistant or waterproof. Investigate different choices at your local outdoors retailer. If you are a frequent hiker, ideally you’ll have more than one rainwear weight, material, and style in your closet to protect you in all seasons in your regional climate and hiking microclimates.
Essential Gear
Today you can buy outdoor vests that have up to 20 pockets shaped and sized to carry everything from toothpicks to binoculars. Or, if you don’t aspire to feel like a burro, you can neatly stow all of these items in your day pack or backpack. The following list showcases never-hike-without-them items—in alphabetical order, as all are important:
Extra food: trail mix, granola bars, or other high-energy snacks.
Extra clothes: raingear, a change of socks, and depending on the season, a warm hat and gloves.
Flashlight or headlamp with extra bulb and batteries.
Insect repellent. For some areas and seasons, this is vital.
Maps and a high-quality compass. Even if you know the terrain from previous hikes, don’t leave home without these tools. And, as previously noted, bring maps in addition to those in this guidebook, and consult your maps prior to the hike. If you’re GPS-savvy, bring that device, too, but don’t rely on it as your sole navigational tool—battery life is limited, after all—and be sure to check its accuracy against that of your maps and compass.
Pocketknife and/or multitool.
Sunscreen. Check the expiration date on the tube or bottle.
Water. As we’ve emphasized more than once, bring more than you think you’ll drink. Depending on your destination, you may want to bring a container and iodine or a filter for purifying water in case you run out.
Whistle. It could become your best friend in an emergency.
Windproof matches and/or a lighter, as well as a fire starter.
Finally, don’t forget your sense of adventure!
First-Aid Kit
In addition to the preceding items, those that follow may seem daunting to carry along for a day hike. But any paramedic will tell you that the products listed here—again, in alphabetical order, because all are important—are just the basics. The reality of hiking is that you can be out for a week of backpacking and acquire only a mosquito bite. Or you can hike for an hour, slip, and suffer a bleeding abrasion or broken bone. Fortunately, the items listed pack into a very small space. You may also purchase convenient prepackaged kits at your local outdoor retailer or pharmacy, or online.
Ace bandages or Spenco joint wraps
Adhesive bandages
Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin or the generic equivalent)
Athletic tape
Benadryl or the generic equivalent, diphenhydramine (in case of allergic reactions)
Blister kit (such as Moleskin or Spenco 2nd Skin)
Butterfly-closure bandages
Epinephrine in a prefilled syringe (typically by prescription only, and for people known to have severe allergic reactions to hiking mishaps such as bee stings; check the expiration date)
Gauze (one roll and a half-dozen 4-by-4-inch pads)
Hydrogen peroxide or iodine
Note: Consider your intended terrain and the number of hikers in your party before you exclude any article listed above. A botanical-garden stroll may not inspire you to carry a complete kit, but anything beyond that warrants precaution. When hiking alone, you should always be prepared for a medical need. And if you’re a twosome or with a group, one or more people in your party should be equipped with first-aid material.
General Safety
The following tips may have the familiar ring of Mom’s voice as you take note of them.
Always let someone know where you’ll be hiking and how long you expect to be gone. It’s a good idea to give that person a copy of your route, particularly if you’re headed into
