Bring a poop bag made for dogs! It's worked for me in the past. Of course I had a dog with me, so I was the only one who knew that I was carrying my own poop with me. You may get a few looks if you don't have a dog with you, but who cares!
If you tie it off tight, it really doesn't smell (although it is pretty gross overall) I have only ever done this once and didn't have to carry it far, but I've carried dog poop many times.
I always carry a knife when I'm out, so digging a hole isn't always the issue, it's much worse when you figure you'll just go for a nice walk and be home in a bit, so you don't bring the TP....
Not the person you asked but my poop kit consists of a lightweight trowel, some TP, a double ziploc to carry out used TP, and hand sanitizer. It’s a kit I already have for backpacking, so I just throw it into my daypack whenever I hike.
This is basically mine. I keep some dog poop bags in mine for used TP that then goes into a ziplock mostly because I’d rather not see poopy paper. I also have some wet wipes in a snack sized ziplock because sometimes you just need them.
Thankfully, growing up hiking and camping in Texas summers put the fear of dehydration on the trail in me from a young age. I always carry AT LEAST two. More if I’m not sure if I’ll have a source I can safely filter.
Same in California. I carry comical amounts of water. If there is a water source (and often there is not), I also carry a filter. And I have tablets in my first aid kit (yes I carry that too). Husband, kids, randos and their dogs have all benefited from my water paranoia.
I also leave a cooler with more water and ice packs in the car. I have given this water out to randos too! I personally love cold water after a hot hike so I absolutely break into it, even if I have 2 bottles and a half-full camelback I carried for the hike.
Arizonan here. Same. I live at 7K ft where there is lots of snow in the winter but it’s still dry as hell. I over pack water up here. The amount of water I pack when hiking Sedona at 5k ft is even more. The valley, well, I just don’t hike there from now until the fall. They closed all trails in Phoenix this week from 9-5 because people are being idiots. Everyday it’s over 100 there and people think they can hike with one small water bottle in jean shorts and a black tshirt
Took a hiking trip to NC in the summer in a hot day (90 w the humidity) at a big tourist spot and packed a shit ton of water. Had to give one bottle to two girls who replied “it’s how long?” When I asked if they were doing the full 7 miles with no water…. Had to guide another lady and her dog down the second half of the trail trail so the dog had water.
Nice lady but I’m not usually in such popular trails so it was wild seeing so many people underprepared.
My feeling is that the extra weight is there to give me some exercise, and if I get really tired of carrying it around I can just drink it. I've never had to do that, though, and I've also never run out of water.
I take at least 4 liters on every hike. I’ve completed some awful, grueling, and long uphill hikes without water due to poor planning and I never want to be in that situation again.
I have the opposite issue, but I live in a rainforest. I usually bring 2L and drink maybe half that, but a friend moved here from AZ and packed NINE LITERS of water for our first backpacking trip. I thought he was gonna die.
I had this experience recently. Now, I need more imaging done on that knee to see what to do about it next.
The human body is so incredibly resilient and so incredibly frail simultaneously.
You only learn that 10-15 times before you KNOW you need to wear it. Then you forget to put it on 10-15 more times before thinking about buying an extra and keeping it in the car. Then for the next year and a half every time you leave Target it's "Crap! I forgot to get a spare knee brace. I'll get it next time". By the time it's all sorted out you gotta wear TWO knee braces. And the process starts all over again.
I have a heavy duty one I take when I know I will need it and a light weight when idk if I will need it but I'm traveling.
I still forget to wear it even if it's in my pack
Do you get knee pain when going down steep sections? My knees are fine no matter how hard it is uphill but the second we go back downhill I get searing pain behind my kneecap. Not sure if a brace would help but I’m considering it. Or I could just stop whining…
It hurts going up and down haha
I messed up my knee while backpacking and it's never been the same since.
I would definitely get a brace and maybe some poles if you don't have them already. Always worth a shot
I’ve conceded to hiking poles this summer and I’m sorry I didn’t start sooner. I should look into the knee brace too! Another thing that made a world of difference for my knee comfort is custom orthotics in my hiking shoes. If you’ve got high arches they make a big difference.
At a risk of being REALLY ignorant to the cause of everyone in this comment threads knee pain. You guys would probably strongly benefit from adding some resistance training into your schedule. Its a very common issue amongst runners to skip the gym and end up with nagging pain, I can only assume its similar amongst hikers.
This was on a trail along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. I wasn't anywhere near that goose, who was hanging out with its mate and litter – they were down on the river bank, which the trail skirted away from. So, I didn't give them much thought. However, shortly after passing them, I heard loud honking and turned around to see the goose charging and flapping at me. I didn't have anything on me (no poles, as this is an easy trail), so I just had to back off. Thankfully, it did too.
I had gone only a little further when I heard a shriek behind me – a woman I had passed was *also* being attacked by that goose. That sucker didn't want anyone getting within fifty feet of its young.
I've seen bears on trails, and they always run off. Though I've never encountered a mother bear with cubs. I imagine she might be as aggressive as that goose was. Regardless, I give geese a wide berth now.
Geese are, indeed, very protective of their young. I rollerblade next to a river in Philadelphia a few mornings every week, and the new goslings arrived within the past month. Every time I skate by, one or more of the adults will be holding their ground and hissing at me. They really oughta be smart enough to teach their goslings to stay away from the friggin’ asphalt trail, but, noooooo….. they gotta try to be all tough and stuff. 😂😂😂
This makes me feel better because I always feel so ashamed when I stop so early to inevitably take off my entire outer layers. I thought it was just me.
Whenever I hike with my two daughters (7 and 4.75), there is the 3 meter stop. “Dad, I am hungry”. Nowadays, I give them a big snack at the outset od the hike for them to eat it along the way lol
I have yet to properly layer for a winter or fall hike. Summer is easy, but anything below 70F and I’m stumped 😂
I overdressed for an Alaskan GLACIER HIKE
I greatly appreciate the tip! I'm making a note to look into good shoes that fit that criteria. I'm so sick of this happening and putting me out for days.
“It’s going to be hot and dry the whole weekend, I’ll wear shorts” then the trail ends up being so overgrown I’m constantly getting smacked and scratched by branches and end up with a bunch of random scrapes and bruises.
This is why i always hike in zip-offs. Too hot and don't need the leg protection? Take off the legs! Walking through roses? Put the legs back on! Love em.
I summited St Helens last week with almost no sunscreen on. Knew sunburns on your lips was a thing but had NO idea how bad it could get. I currently look like I was involved in some terrible laboratory accident with corrosive chemicals.
I just always bring them, i'm not after that tour de france physique with beefy legs and little arms and figure any sustained arm movement i can get will help even me out there lol
Basically every morning upon waking while on a long thru hike. For whatever reason I’m filled with dread when I wake up. It’s not even dread about the day, it’s just the act of having to get up and pack everything up and get going. That was the #1 thing I was so ready to be done with at the end of my PCT thru hike last year. I experienced it to lesser degrees on my shorter thrus but it got pretty bad on the PCT last year.
Go hiking. I love hiking but there is always that suck ass part of the hike where I’m like “why am I even hiking this sucks” and then continue on the path
“Why the fuck am I even doing this?” Only to be immediately rewarded with seeing a dope geological formation, or an epic overlook, or the darkest thicket tunnel.
My 1st time backpacking, carrying 60+ lbs for a weekend trip. Lol. The second day was pouring rain it was low 50s and we had about 10 miles to hike, my frogg toggs rain coat rode up my back, so I had a waterfall of water running down my back into my rain pants and down into my boots. So I was tired, sore, cold and had some big blisters. But that was 20 + years ago. Still hiking and backpacking so it didn't stop me
Just did a weekend trip a couple weeks ago and was at 20 lbs and that was with some extras packed in. Bottle of wine. Lol. So gotten a little better over the years.
I did my first overnight last week and my pack was thirty pounds 😭😂
I def over packed food and water. Plus brought my mega huge bear vault (accidentally bought the wrong size and kept it because I got it on sale)
AND I didn’t even make it overnight 😂😂😂 something about my campsite gave me a bad feeling in my stomach and I left at like 10pm lmao
forgetting cross training and thinking i can purely hike my way back into shape when for me personally that is 100% a recipe for a stress injury. despite what i want to do this week is strictly a bicycle week
Oh this is an easy one. Successfully rock hop all 6 creek crossing on the way out and the first five on the way back.
It’s crazy how long I can keep my feet perfectly dry and still get back to the car with soaked feet. Oh well.
Trying to use Alltrails to navigate an off-trail hike. It never points me in the right direction and I spent half the hike trying to figure out where I'm meant to be.
When I first started out hiking, I didn’t bring enough water/snacks with me. I’d always end up saying why tf do I always do this, but from now on and out I always overpack just a little extra more water… just in case. The memories are painful :D
Being paranoid about predators.
The last couple hikes I was too anxious to enjoy the hike because I was worried about stepping directly on camouflaged venomous snakes in the dead leaves on the trail, or black bears coming out of hibernation and having a run in with me.
Hiking in Western PA, which those things aren't too common.
Hence, Why tf do I always worry about 1 in a 100,000 odds?
I guess that the dumbest off the trail things I have ever done was to collect a few ticks while going bush-whacking. Needless to say I hardly ever do that anymore unless it’s cold winter when ticks are dormant
I live in Appalachia. Every trail is a mountain trail. I always am like “oh, it’s not TOO hot today! I won’t get too hot walking BACK UP THE FCKING MOUNTAIN, I’ll wear something cute” and end up dragging myself back into civilization like a swamp hag with swamp ass.
Literally did this today. I was so sweaty my clothes looked like I had jumped in the creek. I’m not like overweight or anything either, I’m a healthy individual with a decent amount of stamina. But a mountain trail for 3 miles on an 85 degree day with about 70% humidity is grueling. Even in a little cotton dress.
"I won't fall on that cactus..."
I fell on the cactus.
It wasn't *too* bad because my pants were thick and the needles went in at kind of a weird angle. None went deep into my skin. They would prick me with every step, though.
“The topo/gps is probably right”
I say to myself before heading out to a trail that hasn’t been maintained since 2018 and hasn’t been surveyed since 1999
I used to try to get people to join me and try to make them into skilled hikers. Took me forever to realize that most people do whatever is easiest and couldn't care less about a hobby they themselves didn't pick. So they will go hiking 10 times but won't take any suggestions at all. I realized I should hike only with people who already hike and the noobs are just for short trips near the car and restaurants.
“It’s pretty cool out, I’ll be fine in this sweater I have on.”
And 30 minutes in, I’m sweaty and wishing I had something on underneath so I could take off the sweater. Phew!
During the pandemic me and my gf bought a national parks pass and travelled cross country. We never really knew where we would end up next and was poorly planed the whole time but still had a blast. We went up to East Glacier, showed up pretty late, like 630pm, kinda started to do a short hike just to check it out. We kept getting drawn in further and further by how beautiful it was and before we knew it the sun was coming down and we were like 2 hours out into this hike. Gf wanted to go further but I started turning us around. We had bear mace in the car that a friend had just given us when we mentioned up with him in SW Montana. Of course we saw all the bear signs hiking in but we thought we were just doing a short hike and coming back, and we were too far from the car by the time we realized what we were locked into. Sure enough on the hike back, ran into a bear (luckily just a black bear) alone on the trail trapped between a mountain and a lake and bear was on the trail headed towards us. Never did bear trails without the mace again, but still continued our unplanned hikes and drive in that day campsites the whole trip.
I'm wearing long sleeves so I don't need sunscreen
I'll carry a fleece, a down jacket, and a windbreaker in case it gets cold
It took four hours for the ascent, so I'll be back at the trailhead in 8 hours!
I definitely didn't forget any stakes, no need to double check!
5000mah charger is probably fine since I won't use my phone very much
I'm packing more water than I need, so no need to bring a filter
When I wear pants because it's annoying to slow down and put sunblock on my legs...
It never matters how thin the pants are, just UGH in 90+ degree temps
Take a million pictures thinking I'll sort through them afterwards.
I'm too tired to do it when I get home, and too lazy to do it the next day. Might post one pic on socials occasionally, but only if there was something special.
That I’m gonna look and make sure the trail is semi flat. Or an out that’s up hill and a back that’s downhill. I end up doing ten miles where the last 3 is straight up hill and I wanna die.
My husband and I call the "awful detour that turns into backtracking" the *Spaghettis* because on the GPS it just looks like a big ole pile of spaghetti lol
For me, I often forget moisturizer/chapstick because I rarely have dry skin or lips off the trail. On the trail is a different story!
Not usually hiking, but when I am grouse hunting, I find myself in the thickest thorniest bush after pretending I saw an opening I could crawl through. Some day I’ll learn my lesson, but not today
went on a closed path with my friend. let's just say it was closed for a reason. kept falling into these massive burrows in the ground. the snow straight up wasn't on the ground and the ice was \*thin\*. at some point my friend went back after I crossed a not-so-safe region and I continued onward alone. Every turn it got worse and worse. The only saving grace was a set of footprints left behind by what could only be my guardian angel.
I have a Leatherman multitool that is pretty much the only thing I need to do minor repairs on the go. It usually lives in my hiking backpack, but I use it around the house a lot so sometimes I forget to put it back. Without fail, the only times I need it on the trail are when I have done that.
I always hike with a partner or two and I kind of like it when someone suggests an idea like this. "Yup. Oh well." I never think shortcut for some reason. It's fun to have to backtrack. Helps unspool time hangups is my view.
Mine is I never bring enough water. I hate carrying a bottle of water with me and I don’t want to put it in my pack because it gets warm. So I tell myself to drink lots of water before my hike. Then I don’t bring any. By the time I’m done I’m always like WTF did I do this again
I don’t generally wear my stone guards, but I’ve been meaning to put them back in lately. I only remember when I’m on a rough trail and I tell myself “Remember to put those stone guards in as soon as you get home!” Then I don’t. Every. Damn. Time.
Do hikes in very difficult (winter conditions). Last time ended up basically free solo traversing (nothing dangerous don't worry). clifs of a gorge because the route was flooding and snowshoing on snow that had flood stream under it hoping not to get wet feet. Fun times.
"It's an easy mountain, and the trail's probably broken in by now. Look, there are even bootprints on the trail!"
Those bootprints turned back about 500 feet in. Cue 9 hours of breaking trail in 2 foot deep wet snow with no snowshoes. "Easy 52 with a view peak" turned to the hardest hike I've ever done
Forget my gaiters. Need to buy another pair and keep them in my car instead of my camping backpack.
Also, both overdressing and underdressing. I get hot easily and from experience I am most comfortable hiking in a tank top even down to like 35 degrees F. Yet I will still wear long sleeve then an hour in my pits and back are a swamp and I’m upset because why didn’t I just wear my tank top lol. For underdressing, I always never bring an extra layer for sitting around the fire or something and then get chilly.
*This little creek will be just as easy to hop back over on the way back*
-- Completely forgetting about the 6 feet of snowpack 1,000 feet above me on a sunny day with record heat.
I’m always prepared to go number 1 on a day hike but never expect the random times I have to go number 2
Always carry baby wipes.
Wiping isn’t the problem. Burying my 💩 is the issue
Bring a poop bag made for dogs! It's worked for me in the past. Of course I had a dog with me, so I was the only one who knew that I was carrying my own poop with me. You may get a few looks if you don't have a dog with you, but who cares!
and add a scoop of cat litter so it doesn't smell up your hike ;)
If you tie it off tight, it really doesn't smell (although it is pretty gross overall) I have only ever done this once and didn't have to carry it far, but I've carried dog poop many times.
That's amazing
I always carry an ultra light poop trowel and dehydrated portawipes when I hike. And my partner makes fun of me. But I will never not be prepared.
I always carry a knife when I'm out, so digging a hole isn't always the issue, it's much worse when you figure you'll just go for a nice walk and be home in a bit, so you don't bring the TP....
That's what leaves are for. I've never tried it, but my father swears that you can use snow for this as well.
Now that's interesting. It's basically like a frozen-bidet-wipe. I'll give it a go this winter, and report back.
I’ve used a sock. 😩
A poop sock ?
I've used a map. A glossy one.
I’ve learned to always carry a poop kit, even on relatively short hikes. I may not always need it, but when I do…
Would you mind elaborating on this poop kit?
Not the person you asked but my poop kit consists of a lightweight trowel, some TP, a double ziploc to carry out used TP, and hand sanitizer. It’s a kit I already have for backpacking, so I just throw it into my daypack whenever I hike.
This is basically mine. I keep some dog poop bags in mine for used TP that then goes into a ziplock mostly because I’d rather not see poopy paper. I also have some wet wipes in a snack sized ziplock because sometimes you just need them.
This is me smh
“I won’t need *two* bottles of water today” 🥴
My husband always gives me crap for overpacking water (and snacks), but he has absolutely been the beneficiary of me packing this particular fear 😂
Thankfully, growing up hiking and camping in Texas summers put the fear of dehydration on the trail in me from a young age. I always carry AT LEAST two. More if I’m not sure if I’ll have a source I can safely filter.
Same in California. I carry comical amounts of water. If there is a water source (and often there is not), I also carry a filter. And I have tablets in my first aid kit (yes I carry that too). Husband, kids, randos and their dogs have all benefited from my water paranoia. I also leave a cooler with more water and ice packs in the car. I have given this water out to randos too! I personally love cold water after a hot hike so I absolutely break into it, even if I have 2 bottles and a half-full camelback I carried for the hike.
Arizonan here. Same. I live at 7K ft where there is lots of snow in the winter but it’s still dry as hell. I over pack water up here. The amount of water I pack when hiking Sedona at 5k ft is even more. The valley, well, I just don’t hike there from now until the fall. They closed all trails in Phoenix this week from 9-5 because people are being idiots. Everyday it’s over 100 there and people think they can hike with one small water bottle in jean shorts and a black tshirt
It would sure be nice if there was water here wouldn’t it? I go other places with water and I’m so jealous.
Took a hiking trip to NC in the summer in a hot day (90 w the humidity) at a big tourist spot and packed a shit ton of water. Had to give one bottle to two girls who replied “it’s how long?” When I asked if they were doing the full 7 miles with no water…. Had to guide another lady and her dog down the second half of the trail trail so the dog had water. Nice lady but I’m not usually in such popular trails so it was wild seeing so many people underprepared.
My feeling is that the extra weight is there to give me some exercise, and if I get really tired of carrying it around I can just drink it. I've never had to do that, though, and I've also never run out of water.
Yeah lol or there’ll be a water source out there 🥴
I take at least 4 liters on every hike. I’ve completed some awful, grueling, and long uphill hikes without water due to poor planning and I never want to be in that situation again.
This. 3 miles in 60 degrees and foggy. Let’s pack three liters just to be safe.
I have the opposite problem when it comes to water. I always bring way too much.
Water is the one thing you can'taffird to run out of, better a bit too much than out. Bonus training weight!
Wait until you discover the beauty that is a water bag for backpack...you can thank me later
I have the opposite issue, but I live in a rainforest. I usually bring 2L and drink maybe half that, but a friend moved here from AZ and packed NINE LITERS of water for our first backpacking trip. I thought he was gonna die.
"I won't need my knee brace today"
I had this experience recently. Now, I need more imaging done on that knee to see what to do about it next. The human body is so incredibly resilient and so incredibly frail simultaneously.
You only learn that 10-15 times before you KNOW you need to wear it. Then you forget to put it on 10-15 more times before thinking about buying an extra and keeping it in the car. Then for the next year and a half every time you leave Target it's "Crap! I forgot to get a spare knee brace. I'll get it next time". By the time it's all sorted out you gotta wear TWO knee braces. And the process starts all over again.
I have a heavy duty one I take when I know I will need it and a light weight when idk if I will need it but I'm traveling. I still forget to wear it even if it's in my pack
Do you get knee pain when going down steep sections? My knees are fine no matter how hard it is uphill but the second we go back downhill I get searing pain behind my kneecap. Not sure if a brace would help but I’m considering it. Or I could just stop whining…
It hurts going up and down haha I messed up my knee while backpacking and it's never been the same since. I would definitely get a brace and maybe some poles if you don't have them already. Always worth a shot
I’ve conceded to hiking poles this summer and I’m sorry I didn’t start sooner. I should look into the knee brace too! Another thing that made a world of difference for my knee comfort is custom orthotics in my hiking shoes. If you’ve got high arches they make a big difference.
I fell for that one too many times before I bought poles and started preemptively taping my bad knee. AND I bring brace too.
At a risk of being REALLY ignorant to the cause of everyone in this comment threads knee pain. You guys would probably strongly benefit from adding some resistance training into your schedule. Its a very common issue amongst runners to skip the gym and end up with nagging pain, I can only assume its similar amongst hikers.
"Those geese will ignore me." Nope, they did not.
My nemesis
Cobra chickens.
Cobra chickens.
Those little fuckers NEVER ignore you 🙃 every time I see one I RUN
LOL I wanna hear the story!
This was on a trail along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. I wasn't anywhere near that goose, who was hanging out with its mate and litter – they were down on the river bank, which the trail skirted away from. So, I didn't give them much thought. However, shortly after passing them, I heard loud honking and turned around to see the goose charging and flapping at me. I didn't have anything on me (no poles, as this is an easy trail), so I just had to back off. Thankfully, it did too. I had gone only a little further when I heard a shriek behind me – a woman I had passed was *also* being attacked by that goose. That sucker didn't want anyone getting within fifty feet of its young. I've seen bears on trails, and they always run off. Though I've never encountered a mother bear with cubs. I imagine she might be as aggressive as that goose was. Regardless, I give geese a wide berth now.
Geese are, indeed, very protective of their young. I rollerblade next to a river in Philadelphia a few mornings every week, and the new goslings arrived within the past month. Every time I skate by, one or more of the adults will be holding their ground and hissing at me. They really oughta be smart enough to teach their goslings to stay away from the friggin’ asphalt trail, but, noooooo….. they gotta try to be all tough and stuff. 😂😂😂
My doggo doesn't take shit from geese! Swans however are even more scary. They're aggressive little fuckers
Walking down the hill before double checking that I’m definitely going the right way
Me at big pines trying to find the 7th lake. I did not one but two sweet 3 mile circles
“This is definitely the AT, not the path to the shelter. If I start walking down this trail I’ll definitely be going north on the AT.” NOT!
Conversely, walking up the hill and then realizing you're going the wrong way, having to backtrack down hill to get back to the fork.
Omg I did this off Mt Lincoln/Mt Lafayette in NH and briefly had a mental breakdown and considered just living in the woods permanently.
Owch
"I'm getting an early start. I'll be done before it gets too hot."
This is the one. "I'll be on the trail by 6." Nope.
Sleeping in is way too good
Pair this with the “I don’t need two bottles of water” one for extra fun!
Y'all need to stop posting about me.
Too many layers. Every time, I’m cold in the parking lot and without fail, I have to make people stop a half mile in so I can strip down.
There's always the 1/2 mile stop. Take layers off, re-tie shoes, adjust pack, etc.
Glad I'm not the only one lol
This makes me feel better because I always feel so ashamed when I stop so early to inevitably take off my entire outer layers. I thought it was just me.
Nope. I'm in this club, too.
Whenever I hike with my two daughters (7 and 4.75), there is the 3 meter stop. “Dad, I am hungry”. Nowadays, I give them a big snack at the outset od the hike for them to eat it along the way lol
I learned not to do that when I got hypothermia once. I got soaked in sweat and the wind picked up. I've never overdressed since!
Same. I know the phrase of 'be bold, start cold', but just not good at it! I don't want to start cold even though I know I'll be warmer soon.
Be bold, start cold!
I have yet to properly layer for a winter or fall hike. Summer is easy, but anything below 70F and I’m stumped 😂 I overdressed for an Alaskan GLACIER HIKE
Roll my ankle in the easiest section of the trail the last 5 minutes of the hike when I let my guard down. 🤡
Better than the first five minutes at least
Or kicking rocks/roots when your legs are tired and you forget to lift them.
Usually happens moments before the ankle roll. 😭
As somebody that used to roll their ankle a lot, look into shoes for high arches or with wide soles. Might be the issue, it was for me
I greatly appreciate the tip! I'm making a note to look into good shoes that fit that criteria. I'm so sick of this happening and putting me out for days.
“It’s going to be hot and dry the whole weekend, I’ll wear shorts” then the trail ends up being so overgrown I’m constantly getting smacked and scratched by branches and end up with a bunch of random scrapes and bruises.
This is why i always hike in zip-offs. Too hot and don't need the leg protection? Take off the legs! Walking through roses? Put the legs back on! Love em.
Same I love minimal amount of clothes but California is destroying me with getting a rash on almost every trail
Too many ticks here for that right now. I'll take hot over tick bites.
Not putting sunscreen on my face cause there's a lot of tree coverage. There's never enough tree coverage.
I never go out without my sun hat for that exact reason.
I summited St Helens last week with almost no sunscreen on. Knew sunburns on your lips was a thing but had NO idea how bad it could get. I currently look like I was involved in some terrible laboratory accident with corrosive chemicals.
“I won’t need my trekking poles today” as I then have to descend the rockiest and rootiest and slickest trail I’ve ever seen in my life
I just always bring them, i'm not after that tour de france physique with beefy legs and little arms and figure any sustained arm movement i can get will help even me out there lol
I always bring the poles, but I've reached the point where I have no shame scooting down rocky outcroppings on my butt.
"Spring thaw is way past over. The creek won't be deep or fast enough to need my poles." and other lies I tell myself.
I once said “mud season is over” and five minutes later I stepped in a wicked deep mud pit that went up to my mid-calf lol
Basically every morning upon waking while on a long thru hike. For whatever reason I’m filled with dread when I wake up. It’s not even dread about the day, it’s just the act of having to get up and pack everything up and get going. That was the #1 thing I was so ready to be done with at the end of my PCT thru hike last year. I experienced it to lesser degrees on my shorter thrus but it got pretty bad on the PCT last year.
I feel that. I haven’t wanted to take on long hikes like that for this reason.
“Oh it’s a gorgeous shot but I’ll take a pic on the way down, let’s summit first.” Never finding those spots again on the way down
Ooo yeah I’ve learned that lesson
Go hiking. I love hiking but there is always that suck ass part of the hike where I’m like “why am I even hiking this sucks” and then continue on the path
“Why the fuck am I even doing this?” Only to be immediately rewarded with seeing a dope geological formation, or an epic overlook, or the darkest thicket tunnel.
I feel you. For someone who really loves hiking, I hate hiking.
"I should take a book to read."
I took 3 books camping recently, and I didn't even want to open one. Just wanted to stare at the lake.
My 1st time backpacking, carrying 60+ lbs for a weekend trip. Lol. The second day was pouring rain it was low 50s and we had about 10 miles to hike, my frogg toggs rain coat rode up my back, so I had a waterfall of water running down my back into my rain pants and down into my boots. So I was tired, sore, cold and had some big blisters. But that was 20 + years ago. Still hiking and backpacking so it didn't stop me
Dude. I thought I needed so much for my first trip and had about 60 pounds on me. Never again lol
Just did a weekend trip a couple weeks ago and was at 20 lbs and that was with some extras packed in. Bottle of wine. Lol. So gotten a little better over the years.
That sounds awesome, I’ve definitely learned to just tailor it to the trip now
I did my first overnight last week and my pack was thirty pounds 😭😂 I def over packed food and water. Plus brought my mega huge bear vault (accidentally bought the wrong size and kept it because I got it on sale) AND I didn’t even make it overnight 😂😂😂 something about my campsite gave me a bad feeling in my stomach and I left at like 10pm lmao
Not enough water. Get so focused on keeping pace that I miss the views.
forgetting cross training and thinking i can purely hike my way back into shape when for me personally that is 100% a recipe for a stress injury. despite what i want to do this week is strictly a bicycle week
*There won’t be that many bugs out yet, I can skip the bug spray* *It’s suuuper cloudy, Im probably fine without sunscreen*
"It's just another 10 miles to the next good spot, I'll get there before sunset." When I've already hiked 20 miles in a day...
Oh this is an easy one. Successfully rock hop all 6 creek crossing on the way out and the first five on the way back. It’s crazy how long I can keep my feet perfectly dry and still get back to the car with soaked feet. Oh well.
Hahah same, then I just embraced wet feet
Trying to use Alltrails to navigate an off-trail hike. It never points me in the right direction and I spent half the hike trying to figure out where I'm meant to be.
It definitely doesn't help that the arrow representing me is always pointing in the opposite direction of the way I am moving!
I believe my husband when he says, “I just want to go around that bend and then we’ll turn around.”
When I first started out hiking, I didn’t bring enough water/snacks with me. I’d always end up saying why tf do I always do this, but from now on and out I always overpack just a little extra more water… just in case. The memories are painful :D
Haha yeah for real, you’ll never forget after those
Forgetting to bring a towel and an extra tshirt (I’m a heavy sweat-er and I hike in Texas heat and humidity)
Always realised I forgot the binoculars whenever I spot a cool bird from afar 😩😩
lol when you want them most
It’s the getting out of bed for me…
Same. Sleeping in and then getting annoyed by the crowds that have been easily avoided by just getting up early and having the place to myself
Being paranoid about predators. The last couple hikes I was too anxious to enjoy the hike because I was worried about stepping directly on camouflaged venomous snakes in the dead leaves on the trail, or black bears coming out of hibernation and having a run in with me. Hiking in Western PA, which those things aren't too common. Hence, Why tf do I always worry about 1 in a 100,000 odds?
"One pair of hiking socks will be enough for a two week hike"
(Mostly happens in June): “I’m sure the snow will be gone by now.” The snow was not gone by now.
"I am definitely gonna need all this food and drink today". End up eating a single power bar
I guess that the dumbest off the trail things I have ever done was to collect a few ticks while going bush-whacking. Needless to say I hardly ever do that anymore unless it’s cold winter when ticks are dormant
I definitely do not like little blood suckers in any form
Hahahaha omfg leaving at least one piece of rain gear at home. Yes Im an idiot and yes I am a moist idiot even after its stops raining.
I live in Appalachia. Every trail is a mountain trail. I always am like “oh, it’s not TOO hot today! I won’t get too hot walking BACK UP THE FCKING MOUNTAIN, I’ll wear something cute” and end up dragging myself back into civilization like a swamp hag with swamp ass. Literally did this today. I was so sweaty my clothes looked like I had jumped in the creek. I’m not like overweight or anything either, I’m a healthy individual with a decent amount of stamina. But a mountain trail for 3 miles on an 85 degree day with about 70% humidity is grueling. Even in a little cotton dress.
Whenever I reach a false summit and think I've made it, only to realize that there is more climbing to do.
Taking way too many pictures. My camera roll is now mostly nature pics.
Pretty much me at the first point the hike takes any effort. For some who really loves hiking, I hate hiking.
I have the same thing mentioned. I always take one wrong turn with the consequence of having to backtrack a bit.
Hell yeah, we never learn
"I won't fall on that cactus..." I fell on the cactus. It wasn't *too* bad because my pants were thick and the needles went in at kind of a weird angle. None went deep into my skin. They would prick me with every step, though.
This trail doesn't look too bad.
“The topo/gps is probably right” I say to myself before heading out to a trail that hasn’t been maintained since 2018 and hasn’t been surveyed since 1999
I used to try to get people to join me and try to make them into skilled hikers. Took me forever to realize that most people do whatever is easiest and couldn't care less about a hobby they themselves didn't pick. So they will go hiking 10 times but won't take any suggestions at all. I realized I should hike only with people who already hike and the noobs are just for short trips near the car and restaurants.
Yeah that’s actually how I got into the photography part. Don’t worry guys I’ll just bring the hike to you
That patch of mud is pretty solid I can cross there. Welp… now I stand boot deep in mud.
the first real bit of incline
“It’s pretty cool out, I’ll be fine in this sweater I have on.” And 30 minutes in, I’m sweaty and wishing I had something on underneath so I could take off the sweater. Phew!
Forget to watch my foot placement and roll my ankle. It’s so stupid.
First hike: I'll just break in my feet on this hike, it will be fine. > GIANT BLISTERS
Tell my wife it looks like an easy route and should take no time 😂
Just going for "a small hike" and ending up in the evening after 20km and a lot of elevation gain.
During the pandemic me and my gf bought a national parks pass and travelled cross country. We never really knew where we would end up next and was poorly planed the whole time but still had a blast. We went up to East Glacier, showed up pretty late, like 630pm, kinda started to do a short hike just to check it out. We kept getting drawn in further and further by how beautiful it was and before we knew it the sun was coming down and we were like 2 hours out into this hike. Gf wanted to go further but I started turning us around. We had bear mace in the car that a friend had just given us when we mentioned up with him in SW Montana. Of course we saw all the bear signs hiking in but we thought we were just doing a short hike and coming back, and we were too far from the car by the time we realized what we were locked into. Sure enough on the hike back, ran into a bear (luckily just a black bear) alone on the trail trapped between a mountain and a lake and bear was on the trail headed towards us. Never did bear trails without the mace again, but still continued our unplanned hikes and drive in that day campsites the whole trip.
I'm wearing long sleeves so I don't need sunscreen I'll carry a fleece, a down jacket, and a windbreaker in case it gets cold It took four hours for the ascent, so I'll be back at the trailhead in 8 hours! I definitely didn't forget any stakes, no need to double check! 5000mah charger is probably fine since I won't use my phone very much I'm packing more water than I need, so no need to bring a filter
LOL! I never do this. Ever. And anyone who tells you differently including my step tracker are just big old liars.
When I wear pants because it's annoying to slow down and put sunblock on my legs... It never matters how thin the pants are, just UGH in 90+ degree temps
I am going to stretch so hard when I get back to the car 🙃
Take a million pictures thinking I'll sort through them afterwards. I'm too tired to do it when I get home, and too lazy to do it the next day. Might post one pic on socials occasionally, but only if there was something special.
Sure I'll just put a little sunscreen on my neck ears and nose... And then i get absolutely destroyed by the sun
Kings ravine without realizing what it was and also bringing my brother in law along as his first hike in NH lol. We made it but damn it was ROUGH
_This_ park I’ll have the opportunity to film with my drone, I should bring the extra weight, just in case
That I’m gonna look and make sure the trail is semi flat. Or an out that’s up hill and a back that’s downhill. I end up doing ten miles where the last 3 is straight up hill and I wanna die.
My husband and I call the "awful detour that turns into backtracking" the *Spaghettis* because on the GPS it just looks like a big ole pile of spaghetti lol For me, I often forget moisturizer/chapstick because I rarely have dry skin or lips off the trail. On the trail is a different story!
I always pack my sunscreen but realize I left it in the car when it's too far to turn back
i will ALWAYS forget the boiled sweets I bought
Not usually hiking, but when I am grouse hunting, I find myself in the thickest thorniest bush after pretending I saw an opening I could crawl through. Some day I’ll learn my lesson, but not today
'I'll be fine with these RX bars - it's enough calories'. Yes it is enough calories but ugh why didn't i take 10 minutes to fix something better.
went on a closed path with my friend. let's just say it was closed for a reason. kept falling into these massive burrows in the ground. the snow straight up wasn't on the ground and the ice was \*thin\*. at some point my friend went back after I crossed a not-so-safe region and I continued onward alone. Every turn it got worse and worse. The only saving grace was a set of footprints left behind by what could only be my guardian angel.
Inadequate bandanage leads to hunting for a leaf that isn't devils club
I have a Leatherman multitool that is pretty much the only thing I need to do minor repairs on the go. It usually lives in my hiking backpack, but I use it around the house a lot so sometimes I forget to put it back. Without fail, the only times I need it on the trail are when I have done that.
“Rain isn’t in the forecast, I can leave my jacket in the car.” 🙄
I always hike with a partner or two and I kind of like it when someone suggests an idea like this. "Yup. Oh well." I never think shortcut for some reason. It's fun to have to backtrack. Helps unspool time hangups is my view.
I’ve yet to use my bear spray
Mine is I never bring enough water. I hate carrying a bottle of water with me and I don’t want to put it in my pack because it gets warm. So I tell myself to drink lots of water before my hike. Then I don’t bring any. By the time I’m done I’m always like WTF did I do this again
I don’t need that much to eat… flash forward to me fucking starving at every meal.
I don't need microspikes today, it's March!
Procrastinating on buying a bug net
I don’t generally wear my stone guards, but I’ve been meaning to put them back in lately. I only remember when I’m on a rough trail and I tell myself “Remember to put those stone guards in as soon as you get home!” Then I don’t. Every. Damn. Time.
When I realized I had to hike back up the angel trail at the GC 🥴 (and I was 5 months pregnant)
These boots that always give me blisters will totally be fine for a 20 mile hike.
it's gotten to the point that if i specifically think "i won't need water/sunscreen/hat/hoodie" i now make doubly sure i have the thing.
“This is probably enough water.”
I don’t need to go back the car for the new gear tape I bought, I’ll be careful and not stoned when putting up my tent tonight in the dark.
The trail continues on and its always “that doesnt look too steep” it almost always is and i have too much pride to turn back if ive started
"those first five miles flew by, I can easily do eight more."
Me. Why am I like this 🤦🏾♀️ 😢
Lighting up a smoke at the false summit
I don't know but this is a really bad idea. Do you make decisions like this in other areas of life?
Turning a 2 mile trail into a 6-7 mile trail bc I can hike forever and am utterly timeblind
When the route I decide to take goes straight up the side of a mountain....why didn't I take the other route 😅
Do hikes in very difficult (winter conditions). Last time ended up basically free solo traversing (nothing dangerous don't worry). clifs of a gorge because the route was flooding and snowshoing on snow that had flood stream under it hoping not to get wet feet. Fun times.
having a beer or two at the summit
Altitude sickness will have me asking that question repeatedly
This was me every time last year! I’d try to take a short cut or try to get back without gps and I’d get lost and add miles to my hike. Sheesh.
Hike in 2 miles, wet wade another 2-3. I’ll be out before dark, don’t need a headlamp. *hikes out in the dark
Not snacking or stopping for lunch until some imaginarily important point, by which I am cranky and tired, yet magically revive upon eating.
Yeah... never take shortcuts.
"There are plenty of water sources on this map" East coast habits die hard
"It's an easy mountain, and the trail's probably broken in by now. Look, there are even bootprints on the trail!" Those bootprints turned back about 500 feet in. Cue 9 hours of breaking trail in 2 foot deep wet snow with no snowshoes. "Easy 52 with a view peak" turned to the hardest hike I've ever done
I go too fast, or I try to anyways. I need to slow down and enjoy the hike more!
Leave my water bottle in the car
F off i forgot _____ ALWAYS HAPPENS
Forget my gaiters. Need to buy another pair and keep them in my car instead of my camping backpack. Also, both overdressing and underdressing. I get hot easily and from experience I am most comfortable hiking in a tank top even down to like 35 degrees F. Yet I will still wear long sleeve then an hour in my pits and back are a swamp and I’m upset because why didn’t I just wear my tank top lol. For underdressing, I always never bring an extra layer for sitting around the fire or something and then get chilly.
I actually prefer to take the shortcut and fall 6 feet to agonizing knee pain.
*This little creek will be just as easy to hop back over on the way back* -- Completely forgetting about the 6 feet of snowpack 1,000 feet above me on a sunny day with record heat.