Getting Started with Hiking in Washington State

memo link. Please leave us a voice memo with your question, and we will answer it in a future episode. Welcome Friends, this is the very first episode of The Washington State hiking podcast. This episode today will focus on some tips for getting started with hiking in Washington State. It's really important to me that you know what you need to know to get started, but also not so much that you get overwhelmed.

So episode two, which is also going live today, if you're listening in real time has Anna Roth from the Washington Trails Association. And in that we talk a lot about some of the resources that weta provides for Washington hikers and included in that they have tons of articles that are specifically about getting started with hiking. So I will put that resource in the show notes along with my article on my website. That's about how to get started with hiking, if you have never

done it before. I'm also my co host, Craig who is not on this episode, but is on a lot of episodes with me. He his guidebooks are also a great resource, as far as knowing the area knowing lots of information about the trail. So I'll make sure his link to his books is in the show notes as well. I also have a brand new Hike Planner, which is a digital Google sheets that you can get in my shop, I'll put that in the in the shownotes as well. And that will kind of help you keep your ideas

organized. So if that is an appealing idea to you, you might want to pick that up that is brand new. Also, there are a lot of different seasonal factors with hiking in Washington, both Craig and I really believe that all year is hiking season, both of us do just as much hiking in the winter, as in the summer. And in fact, for me, I might even do more in the winter. I'm probably not, but sometimes I feel like I do. So you can really get started any time of

year. But you might want to do something different depending on where you're starting. So high alpine Ridge, big view hikes, you just can't really get to them unless you have snow gear. And that's a whole nother topic that we'll talk about sometime in the future, but not today. So for today, we're really starting up, we're really talking about getting started with high gain, not on the snow in Washington

State. But specifically, I also just want to mention, one barrier that people often mentioned is not having anyone to go with. So I want to tell you, I do a lot of hiking by myself. And not everyone is comfortable with that. And that's totally okay. But if you are, don't be afraid to hike by yourself, there are some important safety considerations, especially if you're going to be away from self service. But we'll we'll talk more about that

in a few minutes. But just know that finding other people to hike with or going by yourself. Both of those are totally great. So there's kind of three things I want to talk about in this episode. The first one is some sort of basic basics, about safety, and figuring out where to go. The second one is kind of about making decisions. And then the third one is about gear and I want to just tell you right out of the right out of the gate, that you do not need a lot of specialized gear for hiking.

So those are the three things we're going to talk about in this episode. So number one, starting mellow and working up and basic safety. So I would say if you've never hiked before, start with a trail in your town that's close to home. Omaha has good cell service. For example, almost every city in Washington state and even fairly small towns have some sort of Waterfront Trail. So that might be along the river, it might be near a local lake. There are lots and lots of options. But

look for a spot like that. And just try going for whatever distance you feel like going just to kind of get used to your shoes, if they're new, or maybe you've had them a long time, you don't need to do that. This might not be how everyone wants to start. But I just want to let you know, if you're feeling anxious about it. And just getting started. Using a trail in town or close to home that has good cellphone service is a really good plan, I just want to really encourage you to do that.

You can also start with hikes that are not as long or not as steep, and work up to them. And that is a great way to get started with hiking, if you're ready to go for a hard hike. And you want to do that, you know, that's fine, too. Nobody should tell you just because you're a beginner, that you have to do a flat short hike. That's not necessarily true. It does help to kind of know, when you get tired, because especially if you're going out and back, keep in mind, you're going to have to

get back. So you don't want to go until you're exhausted and then have to get back. So getting to know your body and your energy level is super important when you get started with hiking. I also, I mentioned that I do a lot of hikes without cell phone service. And that is totally fine. I've done that for a long time, it might be a good idea. Again, it depends on your preference, to start with ones where you do have cell phone service. But it's not absolutely

critical. what is critical is to tell someone where you're going, and when you expect to be back and make sure that that person will take action. If you don't return when you say you will. This is really important. Jay, my husband is very involved in search and rescue in Washington State. And this is a huge, huge thing is if you don't come back when people expect to you and they let people know that they need to get out there and find you, you can do that by calling

911. And saying you're reporting an overdue hiker. Great, great plan for getting started. With hiking. Even if you're going somewhere close to home with cell service, it's still really important to tell someone where you're going. And when you expect to be back and have a plan for if something goes doesn't go according to plan. A couple other things that I want to mention are super important. You really need to bring a rain

jacket. You know, even if it doesn't look like it's going to rain, the weather can change really fast in Washington State. And even if it doesn't rain, if you encounter a lot of wind, you might be really happy to have a rain jacket or bugs. Now if you are going if it is a sunny day, there is no rain in the forecast and you are going to a park that is close to home. It's probably no big deal if you don't have a

rain jacket. But if you are going to be any distance from your car any distance away, it's really important to have this I have a lightweight rain jacket that I keep in my pack all the time. So I don't even have to think about it. That's really important. You want to make sure that you have shoes with good tread, you do not need special shoes for hiking. Some people swear by certain types of shoes or boots. And the more difficult the hike, the more important

those things are. But certainly to get started any shoes with some tread. So you're you have some security, some secure footing that are comfortable to walk in are going to be absolutely great. You also want to make sure to bring snacks and water. So I mentioned search and rescue before and my husband Jay says that the most important things for your safety are to bring a water bottle and tell someone where you're going. So take it from the experts. That's

very important. You really need to have water and some snacks. And the amount of snacks the amount of food really depends on how long the hike is how hard it is. But you definitely want to have some extras. So that's my first thing around the major basics. Start mellow and work up whatever Melo or working up looks like for you. So you might be totally happy to do flatter heights shorter hikes forever and that's awesome. There's that

is absolutely fantastic. If you want to do really hard hikes and you haven't done it before. I think it's always a good idea to kind of work up to that but everybody's different. So that might be true for you. Alright, number two, I mentioned making good decisions. We got into this a little bit with point number one. But it is very important, especially if you are going to be going more than a mile from your car and not have, or however you got to the

trailhead. And especially if there is no cell phone service, it's really important that you make a decision about when you're going to turn around, either what time or under what weather conditions, really important. And you want to make sure to stick to that. Pay attention to what's happening with the weather. If it's changing, don't be afraid to take change your plan, and you want to make sure that you're paying attention to your body.

So if you're getting tired, do you need to slow down a bit or take a break? Or do you just need some water or maybe a snack, checking in with your body and being like, what's going on with me right now? Really important, and that gets easier, the more you practice. Same for anyone that you're hiking with. So if you're hiking with another person or a group, be checking in with the other people in the group, Hey, how's everybody doing? How are we

feeling about this? Um, do we feel like this is a good time to turn around? Are we going to keep going? What did we decide at the trailhead about what time we were turning around, communicating with the group and really paying attention, if someone is struggling, finding out what's going on, you don't want to be forcing someone to do more, or to do it faster than they want to or are comfortable

with. And if someone seems concerned, it's okay to stop, it's really important to you support everyone in the group. And that is especially true if you have a new hiker in your group. But it's really important for everybody. Once again, part of making good decisions is telling someone where you're going, someone who is not with you. So I usually use my husband as my person to communicate with but if he is with me, then I would choose somebody else, someone who's not going to be

with us. I will also say around communication, I do use a satellite communication device. It's a Garmin inReach Mini and you buy the device, and then you have a subscription, the one that I have is about $20 a month. And that allows you to communicate via text. When you don't have a cell phone signal. And it also has an SOS button, you can you can push if you're in trouble and communicate with rescuers. I hike a lot, I hike a lot by myself, I hike a lot in remote areas. It's important to

me to have that. But also, I did lots of hikes like that before I had it. So getting some type piece of gear like that, I don't want that to be a barrier to you to getting started. However, if you are going into a place where you won't be able to communicate, it's extra important to work with your person who's going to be at home, who is going to notice and take action if you don't come back extra when you say you well, extra important. And finally, speaking of the Garmin,

I want to just mention gear. So this is something that can really get people a bit hung up because they're like, What if I don't have the right shoes or whatever, try not to worry about that too much. Um, again, a lot of what you need to bring

depends on the situation. So I I actually always bring kind of all of my gear with me so that it's a habit, but you certainly don't need you or you probably don't need for example, a headlamp if you are going on a hike in your local park that's near your home, you know, you have plenty of time to get home before it's dark. You can call for help if you break your

ankle, something like that. So it's so there are things that are good to have on longer hikes, more remote hikes, things so you're prepared in an emergency things like a first aid kit, I carry an emergency blanket, which is very, very lightweight. And it it's like foil basically and you can use that to help stay warm in an emergency. So I bring probably more things like that then some hikers do and you may have heard

about the 10 Essentials. And the point of the 10 Essentials is that you can respond to an emergency, not get lost. Take care of yourself while you wait for help. If you do get lost Beyond be able to survive overnight outside if you need to, or do basic repairs. But again, depending on the type of hiking you do, will determine how important those things are things like matches to start a fire, that's another thing you won't need to do in your local

park. Right. Again, I kind of bring everything for hikes all the time, just so I can leave most of it in my pack, and not have to worry about that, although I do have kind of a lightweight fanny pack for true

city hikes. Yeah, so, um, as far as things that are important, you know what you're wearing, over time, you'll figure out what kind of clothes are most comfortable, focus on comfort and having layers so that you can stay warm, if the weather changes, and so that you don't get too hot if the weather changes. Or, for example, if it's a cold morning, that becomes really warm in the afternoon, it's nice to have a light layer to wear later on in

the day. Um, I would also say having that extra layer is super important. Even if it's summer, even if it's hot, having fleece or a puffy, I always have that in my pack in the summer. Again, I know there are people who don't do that. But if you break your ankle or you come across someone who needs help, you can give that to them. And it's a really kind of small thing to bring that makes a big difference. And I talked before about the rain jacket and

choose. Any backpack you have or bag you have that's comfortable to carry will be just fine. I always bring my headlamp I keep it in my pack, except I take it out to charge it now. And again. I recommend that because then you never have to think about oh, do I need a headlamp today, you just always have it. And then a couple other things I'm going to mention that are really valuable to me personally, that are not a requirement. You don't

have to have them. But they make a huge difference for me with hiking, one of those is a skid pad. And it's basically like a very small camp pad. And it's awesome for sitting on cold or rocky ground, it's wonderful for winter, if there's snow, you could just sit in the snow on the pad. They're very inexpensive, they cost about $20. And I'm a really big fan of the set pad. But lots of people don't use that. The other thing

is hiking poles. So I have used hiking poles I don't know forever for probably like 20 years, and I'm short. I'm a plus size hiker, I'm big rocks up and down stepping on or stepping over or steep sections. That's hard for me. And the polls really make a difference. They help kind of distribute the work over my body a little bit more. For people who have knee pain, they often find polls super helpful. I don't particularly struggle with knee pain.

Sometimes, of course my knees get sore if I'm walking downhill. And it's super steep for a long time. But I don't have like true knee pain. But for people who do, Polls can be a real game changer. And they can also help with stability. If you're feeling a little off and your balance, or you're just, you know wanting to have something to kind of hold on to while you hike, they are a huge factor for me. So I really love using them. They're not required, but I love having

polls. Okay, so just to review, what I want you to do is to get out there, I want you to be safe and comfortable. But I also don't want you to be worrying about having lots of special gear to get started. Along the way. You'll find out what works for you, you'll figure out what pants or shorts, or leggings are most comfortable to wear for hikes in different weather in different places. You'll figure out what shirts feel comfortable and work well. You'll figure out rain jackets and shoes and that

kind of thing as you go. So just get something that will get you started. And then you can go from there. So thank you for joining me, I hope you're feeling like you can do this. If this is new for you. Or if you're listening and you're a seasoned hiker and you're going to take someone for the first time. I hope this helps you as well. Lots of resources down in the show notes. So check those out. And I'll see you in the

next episode. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The Washington State hiking podcast. Don't forget to check out the notes the show notes for our tip jar link to leave a voice memo question and details about hikes and resources discussed in this episode. See you next week.