Summer's coming, and for lots of people that means hiking! This video is meant as a fun overview of what I bring with me on a day hike, and a guide for anyone who hasn't done much - or any - day hiking.
I often see people on beginner and even moderate trails, especially in touristy areas, who are underprepared with inappropriate footwear, or no food or water. I've also been one of them myself, and fortunately I didn't become a newspaper headline. While you don't need to be prepared for an apocalypse, you do need to be prepared for inclement weather (including sudden and unexpected weather changes), for things to take a little longer on the trail, and for traffic backups getting to the trailhead. In some areas you also need to consider that you won't have cell service in case of an emergency.
Note: Gym + Kitchen is taking a break for the summer and will be back with updated content in September 2024. If you want to keep up with summer content, please subscribe to the newsletter here: https://www.gymandkitchen.biz/stay-in-touch
Disclaimer: This is not meant as any kind of survival training or advice! There are many excellent companies that offer training at that level. Please see the list of resources below.
Resources
➡️ For those interested in survival, orienteering, and general outdoor training, please check out the Boreal Wilderness Institute at http://boreal.net for online and in-person courses. You can also find the Boreal Wildnerness Institute on YouTube at: https://youtube.com/@BruceZawalsky
➡️ Bear safety information from Parks Canada: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/securite-safety/ours-humains-bears-people
➡️ Another good resource about bear safety: https://offtracktravel.ca/bear-safety-in-canada/