Advice needed - Beginner hiker...

“I want to go hiking for the first time, and I'm planning a day trip (driving there in the morning - hiking for a few hours - then driving home...)

I have so many questions!
1. what do I wear? (july 29th in Chicago)
2. do I wear special shoes?
3. what do I bring?
4. how long should I plan on going on my first time?

It will be a friend of mine and myself, and we were thinking of Starved Rock...

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!”

“Kimtim - if you don't have hiking boots, wear comfortable and sturdy shoes, and really watch your step so you don't sprain an ankle. Bring a backpack with plenty of water or gatorade, and also some snacks (Powerbars are great if it's a strenuous hike).

Since it's your first time, see if you can't get a hiking map of the area and stick on the trails, and just use common sense about how long you go based on your physical condition.

Have a great time, and hopefully your trip will inspire you to go more often, and you'll want to one-up yourself and start doing overnight backpacking trips. Best of luck! :-)”

“always pack a first aid kit”

“go ahead and wear your normal clothes. shorts and t shirt are fine in hot weather but will get rather sweaty.
for day hiking sturdy tennis shoes are fine if you watch your step. dont wear thongs or open toed shoes.
Bring water and a sense of adventure. for a first trip any bottle shoved in a small book bag will do but if you like it you might want to invest in a hydration bag. A good sense of adventure is hard to contain so just wear it with pride :)
for a first ever trip for a non walker dont go over 5 miles, trail walking is twice as difficult as street walking so you will be limited in how far you can go. If you do like day hiking then try to go at least once a week and you will progress to longer distances very quickly.

If you find you like hiking invest in a good pair of boots as soon as possible. There are many sources on the web for boot fitting and selection.
When you do decide, come on back and join us...”

“Thank you all very much - if anyone thinks of anything else - I'll be checking back often and reading other posts - to get some information.

We are both very active women - we walk and run daily - so we'll just play it by ear and see how long we want to go.

I'll check back and let you know how it went!

Kim”

“In addition to the above:
A good quality crosstraining athletic shoe with ankle support will probably suffice for trail hiking. Take extra socks and change periodically. No matter how hot the weather forecast throw a lightweight jacket or sweatshirt in your pack. Extra food and water -- more than you think you'll need. You may want to leave a clean change of clothes in your car at the trailhead, and change into clean clothes for the trip home. Many women prefer to hike in sport bras (or none) rather than a regular, that's a personal choice and I'll leave the pros and cons to the female contributors here.

Turn around and head back BEFORE you get tired. There is no need to hike so far you are exhausted the last couple of miles. That takes the fun out of the entire trip.

Most of all you have nothing to prove to anybody so just go have a nice time, even if you only hike a couple of miles and stop for rests frequently.”

“"We are both very active women -"

Ok you animals, have at it.”

“Wow, you've got them all figured out, don't ya Ldhiker? :)”

“welcome to TrailTalk”

“Check the weather report before you go to the region you are heading to and dress appropriately. If there is a chance of rain, bring a rainjacket even if you don't wear it, pack it. If you have any synthetic clothing, like polyester, wear that instead of cotton items such as jeans.”

“Don't forget the Bug Spray.

My daypack weighs as much as an ultraliter overnighter. It stays packed.

Flashlight
Extra Batteries
Saw
Knife
Rope
Compass
GPS
Phone
Gaiters
Lighter
First Aid (This weighs a pound by itself)
Whistle
Thermometer
Bug Spray
Cliff Bars
Gu
Water
Purification Tablets
Camera
Binoculars
Toilet Paper
Maps
Rain Jacket
Notebook
Pen
Emergency Blanket
Duct Tape
Bandana”

“...extra sox”

“DON'T GO. YOU'LL BECOME ADDICTED to hiking. You'll spend countless hours on TT and squander your money on wonderful gear.

Erase this website from your browser, or you will regret it in less than a month.

Run. RUn. RUN!”

“what stump said... run, there is no return to the previous life.

on a day trip, don't forget to pack a stereo and a travel tv, along with a gun to protect yourself from any bears or escaped convicts, and to keep yourself occupied bring a hand held game of some sort, and pay no attention to the natural world, play lots of loud music and talk loudly, u will for sure enjoy the hike :)”

“When I do the day hiken thing, which I do alot in the summer months, I use a waist pack by Ultimte Direction called the Gemini. Two water bottle holsters at 22 oz. plus if it over 15 miles I'll put another bottle in the pack. That was my biggest issue back when I started. How am I goin to pack water comfy like. I can't even tell this pack is on. Stay away from cotten. You get wet and stay wet. Go ahead and buy ya some poly clothes if ya ain't got them. Socks are a big issue as well. Smartwool is my fave. but there are others out there. Alot of stuff you"ll pick up over time. This is a good site to get ya started. Welcome aboard. Let us know how it goes. And have fun.”

“and sports bras. The least you could do is provide a show for the serious among us.

Im such a bad person...I think I'll go stand in the corner and take a time out.

Seriously...if your wondering what to bring, and you are 2 single women, then, you should bring me!!!...ok ok, I'm going to the corner. The most important thing to bring is a smile. the rest is irrevelant...have a great time.”

“and remember, you can't put too much paint on a chicken house...



think about it.”

“Just go and have fun. Don't wear new shoes.

If you don't feel that you can do a few hours w/o water, then take some with you. Have a good walk hike.

However, if you want to look professional, like 'real backpackers,' then: Send me your sizes along with checks for $500 each and I'll send you some personally recommended deluxe outfits.”

“Don't forget the condoms.





























Oh stop that...They make good impromptu water containers.”

“I agree with bacpac, you want to get in the habit of being prepared for possible problems. A lightweight tarp might be good too, when you get to doing lots of miles on a day trip. An injury can cause you to make an emergency overnight, and then a tarp can be very helpful.”

“have fun...be careful...don;t cross at the raging center of a water fall...and stand back from the edge.”

“thanks for that link...it took me back to something that I said that was intelligent...I must get back on the meds, cause it was really good and now, Im just a big dumb man, telling young girls to wear thongs...I must be gettting horny or just older.”

“My wife and I were at Starved Rock a few weeks ago. Many of the most popular trails are now paved and have boardwalks & lots of stairs because they are so heavily used. (Didn't used to be that way.)

Start early in the day if you want to avoid crowds. By noon it can seem like half of the City of Chicago is arriving.

If it has been raining a few days prior to your trip, trails can have some muddy spots that might suck up your shoes.”

“Just a few suggestions from the TT archives -

* Lime green jello
* A cell phone -talk loudly and disturb everyone else around you
* A gun - ya gotta pack to piss em off
* your dogs, and forget the leash, let them run wild

Hmm..that should about do it!

Tex”

“I've seen everything but the guns and the green jello at Starved Rock (Hungry Boulder). Actually saw a guy grab a cell phone out of the hand of a woman next to him and threaten to throw it into the river.”

“TXWoodswoman has a good point. Be sure to bring the Lime Green Jello. Also bring the following:

30 bungees
Me
4 Walking Sticks

What we'll do is build a ring with the bungees and walking sticks, we'll fill the ring with lime green jello, you guys put on your thongs, and then the three of us will have one hell of an adventure.

Screw hiking, lets Jello Wrestle Nekkid.”