What you need for a day hike
Bringing the proper equipment will
add greatly to your enjoyment, your safety, and the enjoyment and safety of the
group. This stuff is essential if you are going out in the woods for more than
a couple of hours. Make sure that you are comfortable with your equipment and
you know where it all fits in. Do not carry anything in your hands; do not tie
a jacket around your waist. Everything should fit in your daypack. Carry your
wallet and keys in your daypack, at all times.
§
Two quarts of water in
plastic water bottles (not soda bottles)
§
Lunch and snacks
§
Rain jacket (no matter
what the forecast)
§
Long sleeve shirt (no
matter what the forecast)
§
Sunglasses
§
Sun hat
§
Insect repellent
§
Sunscreen
§
Tissues
§
Personal first aid kit
§
Small flashlight
§
Plastic bag for trash.
Nothing should be thrown out in the woods.
§
Map (and know how to
use it)
§
Compass (and know how
to use it)
If it is not the height of a warm summer, add:
§
Warm fleece hiking
sweater or jacket
§
Rain pants
§
Wool or fleece hat and
gloves
§
Shorts or pants and a
short-sleeve T-shirt as the bottom layer.
§
Hiking boots, well
broken-in and that go over the ankles
§
Good hiking socks (not
sports socks).
§
Sunhat with a wide
brim
§
Bandanna which you
need to keep handy
Dress in layers. Your first layer
should be a short-sleeve t-shirt (synthetic, not cotton) even if it seems cool
in the morning. You will warm up. Your second layer should be a long-sleeve
shirt (also synthetic). If you need extra layers, you will have your warm
hiking sweater and rainjacket. Shorts give you more
mobility and keep you cooler; pants give you more protection from insects and
brush.
Lunches and
snacks. Peanut butter, salami, bologna,
small cans of tuna fish or sardines, fruit, cookies, trail snacks
...
Adkins, L.M. Walking the
Goldsmith, C.F. III, Hamrick, S.E.G., Hamrick, H.J.
Jr. The Best Hikes of
Logue, V., Logue, F., Blouin,
N. Guide to the
Weber, W.
for the
Maps
Pisgah Ranger District,