The blog



This is the official blog of GoHikeUtah.com. Here is where the staff of GoHikeUtah post about hiking, Utah, website updates and news, and other good stuff.



Who?



Tanner is in charge of design and development at GoHikeUtah. You can view Tanner's hiking profile here.



Jonathan is the resource–guy and veteran hiker on GoHikeUtah. You can visit Jonathan's hiking profile here.



A few things to keep in mind for this hiking season

Posted 2 months ago.

So now that a lot of the most difficult kinks have been worked out of GoHikeUtah.com and now that the weather is finally starting to warm up, we’re getting really excited about the hiking season this year. Here’s a few things you should keep in mind as you venture out on your first hike:


1. Break in your boots again. If you’ve invested in some nice hiking boots, you may think you’ll have no problem slapping them on and hitting the trail right away. For the most part, better boots means less pain and discomfort that first time out, but I recommend walking around in them around for several hours prior to your first hike. This will give your feet a chance to readjust and for you to make any insole or padding changes before you hit the trail.


2. Check your emergency essentials. How long has your emergency blanket, first aid kit and flashlight been sitting in your day pack without a second thought? (it’s been way to long for me). Now’s the time to go through them again to make sure everything is in good working order so you can be sure you’ll be safe should an emergency happen on the trail.


3. Don’t hike the toughest trail first. Sure, summiting King’s Peak or Mount Nebo is a great feeling and triumph, but for your first hike of the year, it’s probably not the best idea (not to mention those won’t be hikeable until August anyway). Instead, take a few short hikes, then a couple of moderate ones, then go for the most challenging.


4. Notice Stuff. Many hikers make the mistake of just trying to “get there”, so they miss a lot of cool stuff along the way. Just last year while hiking Peakaboo Gulch, I had the chance to see a blue heron, a Western rattle snake and several scorpions along the trail that I otherwise would have missed if I hadn’t been paying close attention. Enjoy every part of the trail! And once you’ve done a hike, come back here and share your experiences with everyone else.


4b. Capture stuff. The second part of noticing stuff is to capture it, ideally on film. Those images will cement in your mind all the great things you saw along the way that you’d otherwise probably forget. I know it can be a hassle to stop, pull out the camera, find an angle and snap a shot. Believe me, I’m the last person who wants to slow down and mess with all that, but I’ve never, ever regretted doing it, and often wish I’d done it more!


Okay, that’s it. Now get out there and hit the trail.


Posted by Jonathan.