If you are completely new to hiking, but have the will power, we would like to help you with some tips. Remember, these advices are for summer trips only, when the temperature is above 0 Degrees Celsius (30 Degrees Fahrenheit) and for altitudes of maximum 3000 meters (9842.51 Feet).
I took these pictures myself last summer, while in a spontaneous escapade in The Baiului Mountains, Romania. A few things you should know:
- 9 out of 10 Romanians don’t even know these mountains exist;
- preparing for the trip didn’t take more than half of hour;
- overall, the costs were around 20$ (food for two days included);
- a jacket
- an extra T-shirt (you are most likely to get really sweaty and to have to change them from time to time)
- a cap or something to put on your head in case it is windy
- good sneakers or boots that will not tear apart and that (and this is important) you have wore before and are comfortable with
- a backpack (and nothing else- the heavy things should stay on your back only, so waking would not be a problem)
- a poncho (you really never know when it’s going to rain)
- a map of the itineraries
1. Research. First thing you should do before going hiking is find out everything you can about the mountain you are going to conquer: if there are any marked itineraries (it’s usually best to stay on track), if there are any sources of water along the way or if there are any dangers (such as wild animals). You can find this sort of information on the Internet, or question friends that do this on a regular basis.
2. Equipment. Most crazy young people think of going to the mountains in terms of “finding a cool place to clubbing” and whatnot. So they really forget the fact that the mountain is not the store next door, or your friend’s place, but a foreign environment with a lot of unknown elements. You really never know what lies 10 meters ahead, so you always have to be careful and watch the road. Also, the weather is always “uncertain”, it can be sunny one minute and before you know it, you could find yourself in the middle of a storm. That is why a minor equipment is a must and you should definitely take along:
Being comfortable is a basic thing in taking a mountain trip and you shouldn’t learn that the hard way.You shouldn’t be too warm or too cold, have problems walking or feel hunger or thrust. Even though these may not seem a big deal now, their effect will grow considerably when having to deal with the effort of climbing.
3. Water. First time I went on the mountains and had to carry 4 litters of water, even though we were about ten people, I though “you guys must be joking”. However water on the mountain is the most important thing, so bring plenty along.
4. Food. On the mountain, food is more important than in your day to day life. This is because a lot of effort is being done and a lot of energy wasted while climbing. A little tip is to bring along chocolates, sugar cubes, meat cans-basically all the type of foods that have a lot of energy and are easy to carry.
5. Accommodation. A tent, a sleeping bag and a small, thin isolating material to place on the ground and not be cold. You can find this items in special sports stores. If you don’t want to sleep in the tent, although the feeling of waking up in the morning and seeing mountains all around is fantastic, you can gather information about the huts and lodges in the area and sleep there.
view from the tent
