Looking to hit the trails? Backpacking and hiking expert Jason Stevenson shares his top tips in this informative and fun Q&A. His new book Backpacking and Hiking is the perfect introduction for any trailblazer. 

How did you become interested in hiking?

My family would go camping a few times a year while I was growing up in northeast Ohio. I was also a Boy Scout, where I learned how to tie knots and light campfires. But it wasn’t until I was living in Boston as a recent college graduate that I became an avid hiker and backpacker.

It really started when I joined the local chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, a network of hiking clubs stretching from New England to the Carolinas. The AMC provided me with both a new group of hiking companions and carpools to the network of trails two hours away in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I would go backpacking every month and year-round, enabling me to pick up new skills just by talking with more experienced hikers. I learned how to use snowshoes, how to scramble up scree slopes, and how to safely cross fast-moving rivers.

Those skills came in handy when I worked as an editor at Outside and Backpacker magazines and wrote articles about backpacking and camping. But my interest in hiking and backpacking started in the woods of northeast Ohio and later became a lifelong passion among the peaks of New Hampshire.

What is your favorite hiking experience? Any favorite locations (U.S. or globally)?

I love how camping exposes you to so many more sights and sounds simply because there aren’t walls and a roof blocking out the world of nature. I’m a morning person, so I love that time just after dawn when the tent glows with the pale sunlight, urging you to get up, get dressed, and start the day.

Mornings in the outdoors are always colder than you’re used to, but you can put on a jacket and hat and brave the chill. Whether I’m backpacking or camping, my first task is to heat up water for coffee, and then I sit down with my insulated mug and just watch the morning unfold. Usually there’s no one else up, so I have the scene entirely to myself. I can create that experience on any trip, and I always look forward to it.

What three tips would you share with beginner hikers?

I sometimes joke that the real subtitle of my book should be, “I’ve made all the mistakes so that you don’t have to.” Throughout the book I describe challenging situations that I’ve encountered, and then I give readers the advice they need to avoid them. So here are three tips for beginner hikers, all of which I’ve violated at one point or another in my hiking career. 

1 — Always bring a map.

A map or trail guidebook can’t help you if it’s sitting at home or sitting in the trunk of your car. Put it in your backpack. Your memory and directional sense are never as good as you think they are. Double-checking your route or location on a map can keep you from getting lost, or help you regain the trail.

2 — Break in new boots or shoes before you go hiking.

Even experienced hikers make the mistake of bringing brand-new footwear on a hike. But the friction that causes blisters doesn’t care about your experience level—it will still happen. Starting several weeks before a trip, you should wear new boots or shoes on practice hikes, while running errands, or even just around the house. You will want to cover five to ten miles in new footwear before you embark on an actual hike, and longer if you are breaking in stiff or rigid boots.

3 — Make your daily mileage goal realistic.

Most beginner hikers move at a pace of 1.5 to 2 mph, including breaks. This means it could take you all day to hike ten miles. Plus, fatigue, extreme temperatures, and elevation changes can slow down your pace. If you try to cover too many miles, you could end up hiking in the dark, which is both dangerous and a major factor in people becoming lost. When planning a hike, be conservative in calculating how much you can hike in a day. And remember that this rule applies to both day-hikes and overnight backpacking trips. 

What five items would you consider essential for a hiking trip?

In my book I devote an entire chapter to describing the “Ten Essentials”—the list of vital gear that everyone should bring on every hiking and backpacking trip. These essentials range from a fire-starter to a sunscreen to warm clothes. But within those ten essentials, I consider these five items to be the most critical—and why they are useful. Don’t leave home without them!

1 — Map, compass, or GPS-enabled device: Carry these navigation aids because pinpointing your location on a paper map or GPS device will help you make the right choice at trail junctions, open spaces, and other places where route-finding is crucial. 

2 — Headlamp: These hand-free light sources provide reliable illumination in camp or on the trail and can save you if an injury or wrong turn makes a day-hike into an accidental overnight trip.

3 — Warm and waterproof clothes: Packing a winter hat, insulated jacket, or long underwear can keep the core of your body warm and prevent the onset of deadly hypothermia.

4 — Fire-starter: The ability to start a fire anywhere is useful for cooking food, staying warm, and sending signals to rescuers. 

5 — Extra food and water: Because your body turns food into energy, packing high-calorie snacks like fruit, chocolate, or a trail bar can keep you moving and prevent hunger and panic. 

What has been your most unforgettable hiking experience (funny, surprising, scary, etc.?)

Picking my favorite experience is hard to do because each hike is memorable in its own way. I enjoyed the challenge of trekking to the summit of Mt. Meru, a 15,000-foot volcano in northern Tanzania, but I also really appreciated taking my two young sons on a short backpacking trip this summer in the mountains near our home.

My wife Jackie and I have also completed some exciting and demanding hikes, from a fourteen-mile day-hike to the summit of Santa Fe Baldy, to a multiday trip through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks that had us climb over mountain passes to soak our feet in alpine lakes. I don’t think I could choose one experience to be the best, as all of these trips are remarkable in their own way. And I hope I have many great hikes and adventures in my future, especially as my kids get older and we can tackle more miles and more challenging terrain. The prospect of the next, best hike is what keeps me heading outside. 

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