HOW TO HIKE: 8 STEPS TO BECOME A BADASS DAY HIKER

This 8 step guide will show you how to Become a badass day hiker and make the most of your big days on the trail.

I’ve spent years learning how to hike.  Like many others, I started with short day hikes and a local guidebook.  But over time, I built up my endurance and a taste for something bigger.

Today, I plan my hikes with different goals than when I started.  My big day hikes are designed now 1) to take all day 2) to go deeper into the canyons and beyond the established trails 3) to cover more miles 4) and to demand more scrambling and climbing skills.

So I wanted to offer up some of the things I’ve learned over the years and the things that I am still trying to improve on to become a badass day hiker myself.

If you like to camp, or if camping is something that you want to try, check out How to camp: 89 camping tips to elevate any campsite.

Do you know how to hike like a badass? Or know what it takes to become a badass day hiker?

Most people would say they do. But to become a badass day hiker requires more than just putting one foot in front of the other.

Badass day hikers can log double-digit miles in a single day.  They carry light packs containing only what they need yet they’re prepared for the worst-case scenario.  They know exactly where they are going, and how to get there and back safely, and they will likely use a few special skills while they’re doing it.

Badass day hikers can test their limits in a single day, see more of the trail than the average hiker, and look good doing it.

Luckily, there is still time to master your hiking skills and make more of your days on the trail. This guide will show you how to hike and become a badass day hiker in 8 easy steps.

Step 1: Understand hiking mechanics

Shorten your stride on downhills to avoid a slip out

We’ve all started out too fast or slipped on a downhill section leaving us gassed and battered.  The best hikers understand the mechanics of movement and use that knowledge to their advantage.

Hiking efficiently on a long day hike can substantially increase your enjoyment and allow you to hike more miles.  If you understand basic hiking mechanics you can get the most out of your day hikes and minimize the impact on your feet, joints, and muscles.

Tips on hiking mechanics

• Shorten your stride on uphills to save your hip flexors
• Shorten your stride on downhills to keep your center of mass over your lead foot and avoid slips outs
• Lace your shoes properly to minimize blisters that are produced by foot movement in the shoe
• Use trekking poles to lighten the impact on your knees

Striding out on uphill or downhill sections of the trail can lead to slip-outs, muscle fatigue, and even injury.  Shortening your stride will maintain a center of mass more directly positioned over your leading and trailing foot positions and minimize those risks.

Hiking Wisdom: The more efficient you move on the trail, the longer you can hike.  Learn how to hike with trekking poles to save wear and tear on your knees.

Required Reading

Mechanical Work Performed by the Individual Legs during Uphill and Downhill Walking – If you like technical data, you’ll love this research from Jason Franz, Ph.D. at the Locomotion Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder.  His study focuses on the additional load that each leg experiences during uphill and downhill walking compared to the same on level ground.  This will show you why your legs get gassed on steep grades.

Step 2: Train for Day Hiking and how to train for a multi day hike.

If you want to push your limits as a day hiker you’ll need to train for it.  Proper training can protect your joints, legs, and feet from the damage that can result from a long day or big miles on the trail. Strengthen your quads and hips, increase your cardiovascular endurance, and improve your flexibility to minimize the impact on your body.

Day Hiker Training Tips

• Increase lower body strength to lessen fatigue, decrease the chance for injury, and prepare your body to tackle big inclines
• Build up cardio to spend more time in motion and decrease the number of breaks you need on the trail
• Practice yoga, or a stretching regimen, to prepare your body for motion, improve flexibility and strength, and aid in your post-hike recovery
• Cross-train by climbing, bouldering, or trail running to build your overall skill set and endurance

Training for day hiking doesn’t require a gym membership or a ton of hiking exercises at home.  Focus your efforts on the three core elements above and cross-train to develop complementary skills.  The more you push your limits the more comfortable long days and double-digit miles will feel to you.

Hiking Wisdom: Training for day hiking will have just as much of an impact on hikes as it will on your recovery the day after.

Required Reading

Dave Creech, our Sherpa behind WildernessDave.com, has written extensively about yoga for hikers and has a nice collection of posts on the topic on his blog.

Step 3: Develop Special Skills for Hiking

Basic climbing skills can help you avoid bushwacking in Fern Canyon

I always wanted superpowers. Who doesn’t?  But the reality is that most of us are just not destined to fly at the speed of sound, lift car-sized boulders, or scale canyon walls in a single bound.

You don’t need badass hiking gear either!

With effort, however, it is possible to develop special hiking skills that will allow you to go farther, hike longer, be more comfortable, see more of the trail safely, and of course, become a badass day hiker!

Master these awesome skills to become a badass day hiker

• Master 5 ways to start a fire
• Understand the basics of Backcountry First Aid
• Practice basic climbing techniques
• Learn how to use a compass and topo maps
• Know how to identify and respect your limits

Learning how to hike is more than just walking on a trail for a long time.  It requires striking a balance between being safe and being daring.

Armed with these special skills, you will be more prepared to test your limits on big day hikes and well on your way to becoming a superhero – even if it’s only in your mind.  And that’s where it really counts anyway.

Hiking Wisdom: Repetition turns the challenging into the routine.  The more you practice your special skills, the easier they will be to use on the trail when you need them.

Step 4: Plan Your Hike

I often revisit trails more than once and hike a different route each time.  It changes the experience and I discover new details and features.  Being familiar with a trail makes planning a bit easier.

But if you want to hike a new trail for the first, planning is even more imperative.  Become familiar with the terrain by searching for trail reports and GPS tracks, referencing topo maps, and doing a thorough image search.   You can learn a lot from hikers that have gone before you.

A day hike may be shorter than many multi-day backcountry adventures but that doesn’t mean that you should overlook the planning stage. Planning is essential to getting the most out of your big days on the trail and doing it safely.

Long hours and big miles are only possible with planning and it pays to give an honest effort

• Select your route – that might sound obvious but there are always alternative routes to consider
• Identify challenge points & speed sections – look for sections that may require your special skills or areas where you can cover ground quickly
• Locate your water sources – you can carry less water to start if you add a filter to your gear list and know where you can fill up along the way
• Schedule your breaks – planning for breaks will give you benchmarks to aim for and will help to keep you on pace
• Stage your photos in advance – there’s nothing worse than getting to an overlook or natural feature only to discover that the light is horrible
• Estimate your time on the trail – it can be helpful to estimate your time in sections using your scheduled breaks and photo stops
• Expect the best but plan for the worst – plan your hike for both scenarios so that you can gear up accordingly and avoid surprises

Can you hike 13 miles in a day? Big day hikes leave much less time to account for errors in planning.  Bagging a summit might take 8-10 hours and cover 10-12 miles.  Learning to hike like a badass takes planning so your day unfolds as expected and you return with the images and stories you’ll enjoy sharing with everyone.

Hiking Wisdom: Epic day hikes are the result of solid planning and mindful execution.  If you plan for your day hikes to be exceptional, they will be.

Step 5: Gear Up to Hike All Day

There are times when we all fight the urge to take every tool and gadget we own.  It’s important to be prepared but try to avoid carrying unnecessary items.  To make a long day on the trail comfortable you have to be wise in your gear selections.

I’ve encountered hikers 2-3 miles from the trailhead at dusk with no pack or headlamp.  On the Charleston Peak hike, we met a couple wearing shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers and sharing their last remaining liter of water.  They had just summited, she was clearly distressed, and they had a 9-mile hike back to the trailhead with very little chance of finishing before sunset.

As you begin pulling gear for your day hike, consider just how much of each item you will realistically need and look for gear that can serve more than one need.  Badass day hikers know how to hike with just the gear that they need.

Learning how to become a badass day hiker is easier with the right gear

• Determine your gear needs – use mileage and time on the trail to define your gear selections
• Choose your essentials – shoes or boots, socks, layers, hat, pack, hydration system, stainless steel water bottle, trekking poles, sunscreen, space blanket
• Consider extras – gloves, bug spray, water shoes, sunglasses
• Add in your tools – knife or multitool, camera gear, fire starters, headlamp, stove, cooking pot, spork, duct tape
• Pack your first aid items – blister treatments, pain relief, antiseptic, bandages, petroleum jelly, lip balm
• Include navigational items – maps, compass, GPS, guidebooks
• Select your food and hydration items – bars, GORP, water enhancers, cold pizza, instant coffee, summit beer
• Pack with purpose – organize for easy access and consider items that serve a dual purpose

Lay your initial gear selections on the floor.  Consider each item individually.  Can it serve more than one need?  If it’s essential, can you scale down the amount you take?

Even if you plan to hike 20 miles in a full day on the trail, you don’t need a full roll of toilet paper, 25 blister treatments, or a 2 lb bag of trail mix.

Hiking Wisdom: Determine how to hike the trail before you get there and allow it to dictate the gear you carry. For example, if a trusted water source is readily available you can carry less water to start and add a filter to your pack.

Step 6: Navigate As It Matters

No one ever thinks they’ll get lost on a simple day hike. Then they do. But it’s too late to plan at that point.

One of the more exhilarating aspects of big day hikes is pushing beyond the well-worn trail.  But if you want to go deeper into the canyon, connect several trails together, or venture off into uncharted territory it pays to be prepared.

Realizing that you are lost 10 miles into a 20-mile day hike could be disastrous.  But there are ways to minimize the risk to ensure that you can safely find your way back.

Be proactive about spotting or creating navigational aids on the trail

• Prepare beforehand – study your maps and plot your route before you hit the trail
• Journal on the trail – a sketch with trail intersections can be useful and it’s great reference material for your next hike on the same trail
• Leave breadcrumbs – cairns have been used for centuries and their easy to build as you go
• Reference your maps frequently – make notes on the map and check your progress frequently
• Use GPS as a backup – there is no substitute for a map and compass in the hands of a hiker that knows how to use them but a GPS is a good backup

Navigation on day hikes may be more important in some ways than it is on backpacking trips.  You can’t make up time or distance the next day.  You planned to be on the trail just for the day and you are most likely ill-prepared to spend the night.  So be sure to navigate like you mean it on your day hikes.

Hiking Wisdom: Stop at trail intersections or prominent landmarks and look back to take a mental snapshot of where you’ve come from.  That is the view you see on the return.

Step 7: This is essential to become a badass day hiker: Establish Your Safety Protocol

Now you know!

Things can go wrong on the trail quickly. Get lost for an hour or two and you just might be spending the night in the woods, desert, or canyon. Suffer a lower-body injury or take a fall on the trail and you might be there until someone else comes along.

The possibility of something going wrong makes it imperative that you plan your day hike well and account for unforeseen issues on the trail.

You need to make sure that someone back home knows where you are going, the route you will follow, and when to expect you back.  They should also have a plan or protocol for mobilizing the forces should they fail to meet your established timeline for return.

Here are tips for establishing a safety protocol

• Leave a detailed hiking trip plan – trailhead, connectors, turn around, start/end times, check-in times
• Use a SPOT locator – not full proof but great as a safety net if you really get into trouble
• Register at the trailhead – not all trails have registration boxes but when they are available use them to leave a record of your hike
• Stick to your plan – deviating makes your plan worthless

No one plans to get lost or injured on a day hike.  It just happens, usually resulting from just one or two small mistakes or misjudgments.

Your chances of being found safely are increased greatly if you leave a detailed plan with someone and stick to it on the trail.  It’s easy to do and could make all the difference if something does go wrong.

Hiking Wisdom: Technology has made it harder for us to truly escape into nature. The upside is that you can carry your cell phone and check in during a long day hike when a signal is available.

Required Reading

Traci Lehman wrote a fantastic guide for creating a detailed hiking trip plan.  It’s easy enough for anyone to do and it makes your big days on the trail safer.

Step 8: Recover Properly

Check the label on your favorite sports drink

Learning to hike as a badass day hiker leads to sore muscles and aching joints.  Once you’re back home, recounting the hike in your mind and looking through the amazing photos you’ll start to feel the effects.

If you know how to recover properly you can string more days and miles together for an even more epic adventure.

Tips on how to hike and recover from a big day hike

• Rehydrate – cramps suck, especially in the middle of the night, so rehydrate your body with fluids and recovery-aiding foods
• Use a foam roller & stretch – work the lactic acid out of your muscles to speed up the recovery process and relieve the aches and pains
• Heat & ice – pamper your muscles with alternating heat and ice as needed
• Avoid the couch – build your endurance and aid recovery with a follow-up hike the next day

Recovering from a big day hike may seem like an endless cycle if you are continually pushing your limits.  But the more time you spend on the trail, the more quickly you will recover after each hike.

Hiking Wisdom: Experiment with your post-hike treatments and journal the results.  You may find that certain foods or stretches work better for you than others.  Don’t be afraid to experiment to find what works best for your body, and helps you become a badass day hiker!