What To Bring Hiking

Your choice of clothing should be influenced by (1) our comments concerning weather, (2) personal comfort, (3) space limitations. Note that most of your clothing will be transported in your luggage in our support van. On certain nights, though, for some hiking programs, we will be without access to that support van, and therefore dependent on the carrying capacity of our daypacks for clothing and other personal articles.

Water carrying capacity is vital, and your daypack may be equipped to carry water containers. Other options are a fanny-pack water bottle carrier or a camelback style pack that has both a water bladder (at least 64-ounce capacity) and a separate compartment to carry needed personal belongings. A word about the most important part of your anatomy on a hiking program—your feet! We strongly recommend that you opt to hike in hiking boots or shoes, rather than sneakers or running shoes, which do not provide sufficient support and traction for trail conditions that we will experience. And please, do not show up with a brand new pair of boots that you will be wearing for the first time—be sure in advance that those boots have been “broken-in”, and are a comfortable fit (be aware that a comfortable, snug fit in the store can become agonizingly too tight as your feet swell in the course of an actual hike). Brand new boots can transform a magnificent trek into an excruciating nightmare in an amazingly short period of time. Bring an ample supply of moleskin along to apply to those traditional “hot spots” before they ever become “hot”. We will be equipped to introduce you to the miracle of duct tape.