How to Be a Good Hiking Companion

Video Transcript

JOHN FLAHERTY: Hi, my name is John and today we are going to talk about how to be a good hiking companion. Now that you might have listened to a few of our shorts on hiking, you are knowledgeable about hiking. You might want to bring a spouse or a loved one or a friend with you on a hiking trip. A number one rule, make sure you plan a trip that is appropriate for you and your companion together. A very common mistake for folks who are into hiking is to plan something that is too aggressive, something that they might want to do that might be too much for the person that they are going hiking with. So, find out from your companion what their interests are, how far do they want to hike, what is their hiking experience, do they have any special things they want to see or do. And I would usually tend to air on the side of caution in terms of planning a hike. If they say they only want to go two or three miles, keep it to two or three miles. Ask them what they are interested in. Do they want to go to a beautiful, natural area? Do they want to have a coastal hike? Do they want to see wildlife? And then use your guide books or the knowledge that you have of local areas to find the most appropriate hike. When you are on the trail or even before you are on the trail, if your friend or companion does not have a lot of a hiking experience, cover with them what they are going to need to bring. If it is a longer hike, they're going to want to bring snacks and water. Even a small water bottle for a shorter hike would be appropriate. A day pack to pack the essentials in is often a really great thing to carry with. And make sure that they are wearing appropriate hiking shoes. The longer and tougher the hike, the bigger and beefier you are going to want your hiking shoes to be. And if they do not have any of the gear, keep that hike short and simple, a hike that does not need a lot of gear. Most two to three mile hikes can be done without any hiking gear, whatsoever, except for appropriate footwear. When you are on the trail, be cognizant of your friend. Have you overextended? Did you go on too far? Should you turn back early? Think about how you can enjoy things together rather than you having your own agenda and then them having a different agenda. So, with good communication and with great planning, you should have a wonderful, carefree hike with any companion that you should go hiking with.