The most common mistakes in hiking

1. WRONG SHOES

Come on guys, you can’t go scrambling wearing a pair of flip-flops! And there are no excuses: even if one of the greatest mountaineers ever ascended to Capanna Margherita wearing trail-running shoes you shouldn’t. I do agree on one thing, that the choice of which shoes to use for a particular path could be personal, but ‘till a certain point.

Would you like to do some winter mountaineering with no crampons, maybe wearing a pair of gym shoes? You’d get so wet and cold that you’d risk too much for a wrong choice.

Even taking only hiking and trekking into consideration, you will find a great choice among different types of shoes. I can go for a pair of trekking shoes with a softer outsole if I plan something easy, on a busy path which has no great difficulties; on the other hand, if I know there are some tough pitches, maybe including rocks, I’d use another type of shoe: the “approach” one. It has an outsole including a “climbing zone” feature that helps greatly on rocks. You wear this type of shoes during a Via Ferrata, for instance.

A trekking shoe, the climbing zone, a pair of approach shoes

Let’s suppose I’m worried about my ankles: what should I use? It’s easy-peasy: the outsoles I’ve mentioned above are available on mid- or high hiking boots.

A typical pair of trekking boots.

How about adventuring onto some higher peak? I’d try another type of boot, one suitable for mountaineering, featuring a really strong outsole. It might be crampon-compatible.

Mountaineering boot.

We should not forget about what type of membrane we would opt for. Here are the most common types:

• Gore-Tex: How the GORE-TEX Membrane Works: “Each square inch of a GORE-TEX membrane contains 9 billion pores. Each microscopic pore is 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet, but 700 times larger than a water vapour molecule, resulting in a membrane that prevents water precipitation like rain and snow from penetrating through into your layers, but still allowing sweat vapour to escape. When combined with wicking layers and insulation for proper moisture and warmth management, GORE-TEX can help to keep you drier and more comfortable” (read more here: https://www.evo.com/guides/how-gore-tex-works#black)

• Hdry:

“The HDry waterproof breathable membrane is directly laminated to the inner side of the upper sealing the material and all seams. Shoe lasting and outsole application complete shoe waterproofing. Thanks to these unique features, HDry enhances footwear comfort and

performance. Particularly when compared with the standard waterproof 'bootie' system where the membrane is combined with the lining and separated from the upper layer, leaving a cavity for water to penetrate and stagnate: shoes get soaked and breathability is reduced by the water layer” (more here: https://www.hdry.com/en/p/footwear).

Anyway, if you aren’t sure about what type of shoes are most suitable for a trek/ hike, my dearest piece of advice would be to ask someone more expert than you: they’ll be happy to help you (and you’ll boost their pride). Anyhow, I’d do some research before adventuring, collecting the latest news about the area I’m going to visit. I’ll never shut up on that!

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SPRINTING

Most people, especially during the first hikes, don’t know how to find and keep the right pace to reach the end of the tour, mainly uphill. They tend to accelerate the pace and stop for breaks, which increase in length and time. The ideal idea would be to begin with a medium pace: something that lets you breathe even in some really steep parts of the path. A break is always allowed, but many might lead to exhaustion.

Remember (“Rember the fifth of November (…)”, wrong timing!): you want to savour the hike and really enjoy being surrounded by nature, you don’t want to wish to never do it again!

I admit I’m the first one running both uphill and downhill, but I don’t do it always. Spending time on more and more difficult hikes, I have found out what pace suits each situation best. I usually analyse the route I’m going to follow and take into account:

• Terrain type;

• Ascent (uphill) and drop (downhill) & the total of the two;

• Total kilometres of the route.
  

According to this information, I can estimate how much I can push and when I need to go slower. Understanding what adventure is like will be still adventurous and even more enjoyable!

I repeat it: this is my own way of calculating my pace, my own experience is not a piece of advice for everyone. I’d rather say that one should gain experience on-site and find out for themselves what pace suits them better, and how to control it. Never forget that there is always a wide spectrum of criteria that can change the performance of a given day.

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"WARMWALKING"

No, it doesn’t mean warming up before starting a hike (which would only be great). It is a translation of the German term “Warmlaufen,” which stands for “beginning (or resuming) a hike wearing lots of layers, so many that you stop after 5 to 15 minutes later to take them all off.”

No need to panic! Sometimes, when we are waiting for our mates to get ready, it might be cold. I do it as well as any other human being. BUT there is a solution: let’s keep our warm clothes until we are ready to start our adventure! We can have a chat with people we haven’t seen for a long time or have a briefing about the tour without worrying about getting cold or freezing. Okay, the same 5 to 15 minutes might seem really cold this way, but our body – by moving – will warm itself up and keep the right temperature inside.

Let’s add the same piece of advice everybody has received at least once in their lifetime: if we have a long break, change the first layer (i.e., the one nearest to our skin) and add enough layers to keep warm and safe.

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PACKED LUNCH

Hey gals, here we are discussing something important: food! It’s a source of energy that allows us to keep following the path, and it's also a way to share time and thoughts (as much as the food itself)!

I usually cook a complete meal (carbs, proteins, and veggies), cold in summer and warm in winter. So, I eat as if I were at home. I don’t leave any other “snacks” or “supplements” at home; I spend time choosing them, keeping an eye on my digestion. Therefore, I do pack some more stuff, but I almost never use it. What am I talking about? Protein bars, gels with sugars and caffeine, and a type of hard candy studied for this use.

What if you wish to eat a sandwich or a slice of pizza? Be my guest, as long as you can digest it without the urge for water and your legs getting tired more easily.

It is not only about the quality of food but also about where you eat it. I’d rather have my meal at the end of the tour, or at least once I have finished the uphill part. But, as always, everyone has different digestion. So, I might be repeating this a bit too much, but it is really important to me: try and fail, try and adjust, win.

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ALPINE START OR BEAUTY SLEEPING? “Alpine start” - Noun: Beginning a climb or hike before sunrise to complete it in a single day.

When do I do it? I opt for an alpine start when I'm bivouacking or sleeping in a lodge and still have a significant ascent on the second day, especially to reach a point where the weather is unpredictable (e.g., high altitudes). Additionally, during winter, I begin walking at dawn to ensure a return before dusk. On the other hand, one can decide to start hiking later in the day. I have only one experience of a serious hike that I initiated in the afternoon. When I reflect on it, thinking about reaching the lodge and so on, I tend to perceive myself as less self-conscious. I could have gotten tired; I could have turned back; anything could have happened before dinnertime.

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The inspiration for this post came from a German video I highly recommend! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylL4mrxqa_4&list=WL&index=27