In the outdoors, everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Over the years of backpacking, I've made a lot of mistakes, and I've seen a lot of people, especially beginners, make mistakes.
Some of these mistakes may only make hiking a little more difficult, while others can be very dangerous.
Here are nine of the most common mistakes you can make while hiking, hopefully to help you avoid them on future trips.
1. Too much packing:
Lack of supplies and equipment is a big no-no for hiking, but overpacking is also a big problem.
Someone figuratively said, you pack up your fears.
For example, you may be afraid of not having enough food, or you may be afraid of being too cold at night, which may cause you to carry too much food and clothing on your journey, which can add a lot of unnecessary weight to your backpack.
For food, a good rule of thumb is to eat a kilogram of high-calorie food a day, and by that standard, you won't pack too much food.
For warm season clothing, it should be based on three layers: a basic layer (synthetic T-shirt and pants), a warm layer (down jacket) and a waterproof shell (raincoat), plus, for example, a hat, gloves and a spare pair of socks.
During the cold season, add clothes according to the specific environment characteristics and temperature.
2. Overestimate your hiking ability:
On a normal road, because the terrain is relatively flat, you can easily cover 20 kilometers or more in a day.
Challenging terrain can have a huge impact on your trip.
If you're trying to cross a mountain peak or hike some extremely rocky, steep terrain, you can pay a heavy price based on how far the terrain is flat.
Before setting out, you should take the time to carefully review topographic maps and route guides of the area and plan accordingly. Sometimes, due to difficult terrain, you will have to reduce the estimated distance traveled considerably.
3. Misestimate the terrain:
We all know to consider uphill and downhill when estimating travel speed, but other road conditions can also play a big role, such as:
Downhill slopes are usually faster, but steep and rocky slopes take more time.
Snowy roads can also slow you down, burning more energy with each step.
Even on flat ground, gravel, slippery, muddy or sandy terrain can significantly slow your pace.
At high altitude, things get harder, and you can cut your journey in half in the same amount of time.
The key here is to study your route in detail and learn as much as you can about specific road conditions.
Try to maintain a reasonable daily itinerary, especially on unfamiliar or challenging terrain.
Don't make ambitious, stressful plans. If you can't keep up, you're in big trouble. It also means packing an extra day's worth of food, carrying an extra day's worth of water, and researching other camping sites.
3, navigation error:
Getting lost is common, and every year you hear in the news about hikers who get lost in the wilderness.
In fact, a large proportion of mountain rescues are caused not by injured hikers, but by strays or lost.
An important reason for this is that people tend to be overconfident in their navigational abilities.
In fact, there are some practical ways to help you avoid getting lost.
For example, to avoid getting lost, it's important to learn how to use a compass.
Make sure you have a very detailed topographic map with elevations, path names, distances and landmark names.
Whenever you reach a fork in the road, pull out your map to make sure you're taking the right route.
4. Not being prepared for severe weather:
When it comes to hiking, the weather is the last thing to be careless about. It can mean the difference between life and death.
The weather in the wilderness is unpredictable and altitude can have a big impact on the weather you will face.
Checking the weather forecast in advance does not predict accurately that it may be relatively warm and rainy in the lower parts of the valley, while it may be cold and snowy high up in the mountains.
Predicting weather changes in the wilderness requires some outdoor survival experience.
One thing you can do, however, is pack extra clothing for inclement weather.
It's common to get cold at night in the woods or mountains, so it's important to keep warm.
In addition, especially in summer, there may be sudden rainstorms, so a raincoat will be essential.
5, tent water:
After a full day of hiking, you need a good night's sleep, and waking up in the middle of the night to find your tent flooded and all your gear soaked is the worst situation to be in.
To avoid this, make sure you don't set up your tent in a low place where rain and water are likely to accumulate. Set up your tent in a relatively flat area where the ground is well drained, such as on pine needles, leaves or uncompressed soil.
Use a tarp and tuck the outer edge under the tent to prevent rainwater from seeping in.
6. No water use plan:
Water is one of the most important supplies on a hike, and you need to know where it is at all times.
If there is no water plan or if it is not planned properly, serious mistakes can be made, which can be fatal.
To prevent this, it's important to check maps ahead of time and label water sources, such as streams, lakes or springs.
Then calculate the distance between them and ask yourself if it would take a few litres of water to get you to the next source, and if there is a steep section of the route to cross, if there is, it will consume more water than usual.
7. Bring untested gear:
Hikers often get excited about new gear, a new ultralight tent or a new stove.
But testing the gear for the first time shouldn't be while we're out in the wilderness, making sure we practice using the new gear in advance and get familiar with how it works.
If you don't know how to use them, or if they're of poor quality, it can be embarrassing, even dangerous.
8. Wear padded clothes:
You probably spend most of your day in cotton shirts, underwear, and jeans.
But backpacking in these types of clothes is a big mistake.
Cotton fabrics are highly absorbent, and like a sponge, any moisture on the skin will be absorbed by cotton clothing.
This can make you very uncomfortable in the warmer months, while in the winter it can cause your body to get cold faster and even hypothermia.
Try not to use cotton in favor of synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, polypropylene, or a combination of these fabrics to keep you dry and comfortable no matter what the season.
9. Disregard the principle of "Leave no trace" :
Nature gives us infinite beauty and allows us to experience so many amazing wonders.
But if we don't, these extraordinary landscapes and ecosystems could be permanently damaged by our actions.
While hiking, you may have encountered garbage in the wilderness, even unprocessed feces and toilet paper.
Protecting our wild places and keeping them pristine is something every outdoor enthusiast should pay attention to.
Here are some basic outdoor rules to follow:
Take all your trash
Dig a hole to bury your waste
Avoid using soap or toothpaste near water sources
Observe wildlife from a distance
Use existing campsites to protect ground cover
While we can't control much of what happens in the wilderness, we can learn to prepare for risk reduction.
Backpacking is a constant learning process, and you can learn from your mistakes as well as your successes.
Every backpacker has made mistakes at one time or another. By understanding and reflecting on your mistakes, you will know how to avoid them.