The past 2 Tuesdays, I tagged along to a hiking tour with my friend. It’s been amazing! First off, because I get bored of “regular” workouts. Once I memorize the DVD moves, it’s usually all over for me. 2nd, the next day, I feel it everywhere. Especially my abs.
When my friend first told me about her hiking trips, I must admit, I imagined :
- paved roads
- leisurely walking through the woods
then I saw …
- The tour leader, who is an 80+ yr old Korean man who has hiked every possible peak in the world.
- & the tour group which consists of 50+ yr old Korean housewives.
& it confirmed … we are trailing up a concrete road, aye?
GASP was I wrong. Their hiking gear should’ve warned me and thrown red flags everywhere. These women had their ski poles, hard core hiking back packs, hard core hiking boots and hard core hiking wear.
I was winded the first 15 minutes. I mean, it was HARD CORE hiking. Like climbing up rocks, crawling under fallen trees and jumping over creeks. I had nothing over the 50 yr old housewife who was snacking on blackberries while rock climbing.
Today, I am better prepared.
WHAT I DID WRONG LAST WEEK:
- brought a bottle of GATORADE. I was drinking like no tomorrow and ended up cramping.
I AM BETTER PREPARED TODAY:
- I froze a bottle of water. a) because nothing quenches thirst quite like water b) because it is frozen, I can regulate how much I am drinking.
WHAT I DID WRONG LAST WEEK:
- I thought I did my research about bugs before leaving. So I literally wore: leggings, knee length socks, and wind breaker pants. That’s 3 layers of PANTS. AND a tank top to tuck into my leggings, t-shirt and long sleeve hoody. I thought this would prevent bug bites….
I AM BETTER PREPARED TODAY:
- I am wearing shorts & knee socks. Long sleeve (white) under armor and t-shirt. I plan to DEET the heck outta myself. 
WHAT I DID WRONG LAST WEEK:
- I packed a buffet. I heard 4 hours of hiking, so automatically I thought…. I have to feed Yug every 2 hours, so I packed granola bars (10), fruit, kim bap (korean roll), & rice cakes.
I AM BETTER PREPARED TODAY:
- 1st, the stress of food isn’t there because Yug can’t make it today. So all I am packing is water & a granola bar (1). I plan to grab a bagel on the way out and just eat a hearty breakfast. I can always feast when I get back!
Have any of you gone hiking? And do you have any tips for this newby hiker?
Anyone wanna start hiking with me on tuesdays? My friend leaves for a short term mission trip to Nicaragua next week and I will be losing a hiking partner 
For only $20 & 1.5 hours, you can escape to this:
(HARRIMAN MOUNTAIN)
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That’s funny, we actually have those hiking groups here in Los Angeles. It consists of 40+ year old men & women from different church communities who charge to get a good hike in every weekend. I went for a really long time with my dad and it really is a good workout. I would suggest getting hiking shoes- they make a world of difference. My sister used to come along with her running shoes and halfway in she’d get tired and feel strains in her feet and back. You can get a really good but cheap pair @ REI’s sales. I also suggest to pack more snacks, the women often stop 3-5 times to snack on fresh fruit and I really enjoyed having those 5 minute stops to bite into a juicy fruit. It helped lighten my load because i didn’t have to carry several frozen water bottles and every time i ate something, my backpack was lighter. Oh & did i mention sunblock? Make sure to reapply every so often because the top of the mountains that face the sun can get blistering hot. Happy travels
This is awesome advice! This past tues was one of the toughest hiking tours and I twisted my ankles a few times. Luckily, I caught myself .. right before it sprained. I am definitely going to invest in hiking boots.
The great thing about this tour is that this halabuhgee brings us to a new trail every week~
Thanks for the tips!
Spent all summer hiking 2 or 3 times per week here in New Hampshire.I always wear hiking shorts , extra long, thick knee socks,and a good pair of hiking boots.Also use insect repellant as well.A good pair of boots will support your ankle and all but eliminate sprains.The knee socks will protect your lower legs from insect bites and the added length will give you a thick turn down cuff at the kneecap……Not one tick bite all summer!!
And you are right about water….the best thirst quencher around!