Confess your newbie-hiker blunders...

[David@whiteblaze]

Ok, since we're getting on the subject of old practices, I read (in a boy scout handbbok I beleive) about how in the "olden days" pioneers would chop down a tree just for a picnic table... tut tut tut, what a shame... but I can't see cutting down a tree and making a bench every mile ever-so unreasonable... but whatever... Oh yeah, half of my dad's trail name came from that blunder... see prev. post...

Happy trails and all that...

-Hikes with No-Sweat

[chiefiepoo]

Can't filter what you don't have in water.

There are springs, but few and far between, and almost nothing in central Florida or in the southern most portions, and you can't filter salt water.

Most water needs to be hiked in.

and many of the ponds are just plain icky with scary amoeba abounding. Then there is the life hazzard from our alligator population waiting at the waters edge for an opportunistic meal. Assume they are there. Now, sit there and pump while your buddy keeps and eye out at this new to you water source. I have a nice pump, but have rearely used it at home here in FL

[WalksInDark]

I wish I could say that this "Special Trip" happened when I was an absolute newbie....but, truth be told, if was little more than 2 years ago.

Having had my suppossed "Trail Buddy" bail yet again on a weekend backpacking trip, I decided to go solo and do the trip anyway.

By the time I repacked my pack (adding in all of the things that my Trail Buddy usually carried), the morning had gone and so had the first couple of hours of afternoon. Having recently read about some overnighter who decided to save money by not doing the dehydrated food idea, I packed cans of food instead. Temps at the trailhead were mid 90s and humidity was the same.

When I put my pack on, I really noticed the extra weight, but thought that maybe I was just anxious going solo backpacking.

Within 5-10 minutes, my heart was pounding & I was huffing and puffing something awful. Plus sweat was running down my body in streams. I also noticed that I was starting to get a hell of a headache.

Having completed a mile or so of the trail, I decided to sit down, take my pack off, and take a short break. Funny thing was, I noticed that I was shivering slightly. Now that was ODD!

A mile later, I was all in and could walk no furthur. For reasons then unknown to me, I became fixated on the rule that you are suppossed to camp at least 200 feet off of the trail. Seeing what looked like a nice trail to a small clearing, I proceeded down slope.

Long story short: there was no trail; the slope was 20+ degrees down; all of the pretty ---from the top of the trail---mountain laurels kept me from hiking back up; the "clearing" was a pile of leaves 3-5 feet deep. By the time I got to a real clearing I had descended 545', was bleeding all over from briars and bushes and was so dizzy and ready to throw up, the only thing I could do was put up my hammock and crawl inside.

12 or so hours later when I woke up in the valley I figured out that the day before I had: become dehydrated; had a very slow onset...but continuing asthma attack; and had gotten heat exhaustion. All of the foregoing had altered my thinking and perception to the point where going far off trail....downhill....with no path to follow seemed like a good idea.

After losing my hearing aid....and my breakfast, I then spent the next 2-3 hours hand pulling myself and my pack up the slope to the A.T.

Lessons learned: listen to your body, notice how well/poorly it is working; drink water early and often; when in doubt, crash near the trail.....do not go offtrail; never bring canned food.

[Nean]

This is but when I was much younger, lazy, stupid and green I would bury my tp instead of burning it or packing it out.

[JAK]

Winter. Too much nylon, as in pack, tent, jacket. Not enough food. Also, I had a map, but hadn't done the research in terms of what roads are driveable in winter, so I headed in the wrong direction for awhile and had to backtrack. Bunch of other stuff. Oh yeah, water freezes. Who knew?

[RedChick]

On my first trip (7 days/ 6 nights), I didn't bring TP, but I did (thankfully) bring paper towel. I was limited to 1 towel a day. At one site there was a roll in the outhouse, and that was a luxury!

Also, I wore trail shoes that were already worn out from the GEO class I had just taken through Idaho State. 6 wks. of day hiking 9-10 hours a day completely wrecked my Merrells. I lost 2 toenails in 7 days.

Oh, and not enough cold weather gear. I got to an alpine campsite 3 days in, and really, REALLY would have liked a hat and gloves. Just because it was 80-85 degrees in the valleys doesn't mean squat!

[GeneralLee10]

Mine was hiking the AT

[coyote13]

"Thats not a confession my son, that will be 7 hail mary's 3 are fathers and 1 novena in the newspaper!"

How many 2x4's does it take to BUILD a novena....old joke ,sorry

[Shiraz-mataz]

Though I didn't personally commit the "sins," I must bear some blame for the actions of another. My hiking buddy and I invited a trail-newbie from the office to tag along with us on a three-day section south of HF. This guy has NOT prepared, mentally, physically, or "trail ethically." He had a lot of gear, sporting a shiny new pack that topped out at close to 60 pounds. That in and of itself is not uncommon for a first timer but it is difficult when said hiker is chain smoking Marlboros like they're going outta style, tossing the butts to the ground along the way. We said something to him about the butts - all he did was toss them farther into the woods. This pales in comparison to his worst sin... At one rest stop - right next to a stream - my buddy and I spied him drop trow and commence squeazing out his own personal work of art. It was like a train wreck - it was too late to stop him. Oh the humanity! Needless to say, on our next hike we neglected to invite this guy to go with us.

[adventurousmtnlvr]

Wore steel toe boots once. After a few miles down hill, my big toes felt broken.

Had to call the toe truck.

LOL on the 'toe' truck ... so did someone bring a dolly then?

[adventurousmtnlvr]

This is embarrassing! I was a tomboy growing up and went camping/hiking 'normal'. But ... in the Army I was the ONLY female with 250 guys on a 2 week Biv wak. Hiked 25 miles a day back then 'playing' war games. In my canvas duffel bag backpak I had a bunsen burner and sterno (hated military food) and heavy cans to cook on them. Here's the kicker ... and a blow dryer!!!!!!!!! that I attempted to hook up to a generator when the heavy equipment arrived ... shorted it out of course and ended up with frozen wet hair which I washed in snow in Germany oh ... and had a book of stamps. Guys laughed at me of course but if they needed something .. they came to me lol. Oh the glory days lol.

[Bare Bear]

Hmmmmmmmm. worst newbie mistake? Please see all of the above.

[Franabelle]

You guys have shared some great stories!!!

My first 'worst' hiking experience was not really my fault, as I was just a kid. My uncle wanted a bunch of us to hike Rickett's Glen State Park in PA. The group consisted of my uncle, my aunt, my two cousins, and my cousin's friend. (I think I was 11 at the time) I had hiked Rickett's in the past with no major sagas, and I was always in awe of the waterfalls. On our drive to the park, it looked as though it might rain. My uncle was reassuring us, saying that it would just be a passing sprinkle.....

Needless to say, it began to storm with a vengeance! (And that ain't the park to be when its raining and you could plunge 90 feet to your death! There we were, 5 miles into the hike, soaked to the bone, under tall trees, and hoping the shiny lightning wouldn't get us. My uncle decided that we should just HIKE ON! since we only had about 2 miles to get to the campground. Once we got to the 'ghost town' of a campground, we waited for hours until we saw a woman who was kind enough to give my uncle a ride to the car so he could return and get the rest of us. GOOD TIMES!!!!

And yet, I still love to hike. That trip was both horrifying and comical, and I will never forget my 'not so outdoorsy aunt' telling my uncle that when they got home, she was going to pluck out every one of his chest hairs with a pair of tweezers. lol.

So this isn't a true newbie story, but after reading all of your tales, I just wanted to share this.

[TIDE-HSV]

I think your uncle deserved the "tweezers treatment." Lucky you that it was a developed campground with road access...

[le loupe]

I introduced a friend to the AT and he has become a faithful hiking partner. However- for his first 3-day hike he packed:

24, 16 oz bottles of water
2, 2-liter bottles of gatorade
a large glass jar of PB & J
a loaf of bread
4 cans of campbells soup
a sears sleeping bag
two blankets
& a pillow

I got him to leave 10 bottles of water in the car prior to starting but that was all I could convince him to abandon.

[Franabelle]

I think your uncle deserved the "tweezers treatment." Lucky you that it was a developed campground with road access...

How right you are! I don't like hiking down those falls when there's a drought let alone on muddy one foot cliffs. We lucked out that day for sure.

[Jack - Straw]

carried my car keys on a thru hike last year. Left my car at Springer, carried a key ring with no less than 12 keys on it thru Erwin TN. Couldn't figure out where to leave them in case I had to get off trail…. I am sure there was an answer. I had a bounce box too!!!

[couscous]

[wornoutboots]

First trip was to Red River Gorge in College. I had one hand on one of the cooler filled with about 3-5 cases of iced beer and another guy had the other end. I dont know how we hike the 3 or 4 miles but the beer sure tasted good ; )

[Luddite]

I used to hike with an old thermarest base camp sleeping pad.