Hiking Considerations
Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge in GA
Weather:
The Weather Channel - https://weather.com/
AccuWeather - https://www.accuweather.com/
Planning your hiking trips, you must pay attention to the weather for temperatures, sunlight, clouds, and rain
If hiking on mountains, the sunlight might be blocked by the mountain itself. Hiking while remaining in the shadows can affect the temperatures, greatly in the cold months of the year. Hiking in direct sunlight not only increases your risk for getting sunburned, but also heat exhaustion.
The hotter it is, the more you sweat, the more water/electrolytes you will need to bring, increasing the weight you must carry, leading to faster exhaustion. The colder it is the more layers you must wear for insulation, always wear a hat! I recommend finding that sweet spot of temperatures ranging from mid-60s to mid-70s.
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If rain or a chance of rain is in the forecast, remember to plan accordingly by bringing umbrella, clothing that is rain resistance, hoods, even a poncho works just fine. Never be outside during dangerous weather.
If lighting strikes, we don’t hike.
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Always have a backup plan in case of rainy weather. Some activity that can be done indoors to substitute for the hike. Examples: Science centers, museum, mall, etc.
Hiking trips should be planned for clear sunny days as much as possible.
The Oktas Scale: A scale from 0-8 that describes the amount of cloud cover at any given location
0/8 – Clear
1/8 – Mostly Clear
2/8 – Mostly Sunny
3/8 – Partly Cloudy
4/8 – Partly Sunny
5/8 – Mostly Cloudy
6/8 – Mostly Cloudy
7/8 – Considerably Cloudy
8/8 - Cloudy
Awareness:
There are some tricks you can keep track of to help you navigate.
Sun rises in the east and sets in the West.
Keeping track of natural landmarks on a hike can be very helpful in navigating. As an example, when hiking next to a river, observe the location. That river might be on your left side, which means it will be on your right side when you head back through that same path.
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If you have only enough time to be hiking a trail for two hours, you want to split that time in half for optimal time management. Meaning, you would hike out for an hour, then turn around to hike back, which will also take one hour to return, completing that 2-hour time frame.
If hiking with a group of people, the slowest person sets the walking speed for the entire group. Usually done for group cohesion, safety concerns, social interaction, and/or enjoying the scenery together.
When hiking mountains or canyons the elevation change can surprise a lot of people. Plan for uphill hikes to take double the time as hiking downhill, due to the extra body exertion of going up.
Pro Tip: Always yield to hikers going uphill. They have the right-of-way.
Research:
Many parks will have their own website or at least some type of social media information about them. Before you travel to a park, check their website for any park alerts that may be active. State/National parks are always updating/maintaining buildings and their trails so they will post if anything is closed.
Have a general idea on the park area, the route to get there and back, parking areas (parking fees), hours of operation, bathrooms, and the times of high volume of visitors. There have been plenty of times where parking lots get full, and we get turned away at the entrance.
Pro Tip: Your phone might not have service, don't rely on it to help you navigate.