I stumbled upon this list from Backpacker.com on mistakes that "noobs" fall prey to while hiking. Here is an abridged version of the list followed by my commentary in italics as a new hiker who stumbled on this list after considerable time having to figure things out on my own:
1. Wearing denim like Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street. I have definitely done this and to be fair, hiking in jeans is not as bad as everyone says (especially if its all you got). But they have a point about the whole not-drying-very-quickly part. Now I'm feeling self-conscious and wondering if everyone was judging me the times I wore jeans.
2. Buying your tent or sleeping bag at Wal-Mart Two comments about this one. First, as a new hiker it sure is tempting when you look at the intimidating prices of gear... but after experiencing the joy of good hiking boots, I understand this one and am no longer tempted to skimp on the important stuff. Secondly, I do think that some stuff is over priced in the hiking world. We are wired to automatically think that the more expensive something is, the better the quality it is and this isn't always the case. You don't have to break the bank to have a quality experience. (I like the Department of Goods motto... Full Price is Dead)
3. Hiking a trail with a road map I have never been tempted by this one... getting the trail map always made sense to me.
4. Packing a first aid kit as if you’re landing on Omaha Beach I feel like my day hike first aid kit is pretty light... but I can't say its complete either seeing as I just stuck a first aid kit from camp in my bag without much thought. Perhaps I fell prey to the opposite problem for this one.
5. Being overhead saying, “Lightning can’t strike me—I’m not carrying anything metallic.” I am pretty sure I wouldn't be this cocky... but I just made a mental note to research lightning more before my next hike to be savvy about the dangers.
6. Going ultra-light without ultra-experience Score one for me because I have never been tempted to go ultralight... yet. But simplicity does appeal to me so I'll make another mental note to not try this till I am experienced.
7. Wearing boots fresh from the box Luckily getting your boots in the middle of winter gives you plenty of time for breaking them in (**breaths sigh of relief for not breaking another rule**)
8. Starting too late in the day This is another one I haven't broken. Sometimes I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew in a flurry of over-zealous planning... but no catastrophic failures yet.
9. Ignoring the weather forecast I look at forecasts, but I will be the first to tell you that I don't put much stock in them. Also, so far the weather forecasts don't really deter me. In fact, most of my favorite hikes have been in poor weather. Never the less, I made another mental to note to find out what kind of weather is dangerous to hike in.
10. Skimping on Leave No Trace This is one I have definitely broken considering my knowledge of leave no trace consists of "take nothing but pictures leave nothing but footprints". I assume there is more to it. My list of mental notes is growing.
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