Hiking

Hiking is the perfect “hobby on a budget”. To get started, you can get by with absolutely no equipment and no financial expense. All you need is a pair of tennis shoes and the great outdoors.

Here are some tips from personal experience:

Follow a well-marked trail. We once made the mistake of following a trail marked only with faint paint spots when hiking with 3 small kids. We ended up walking in circles and spending several hours looking for the trail. Fortunately, we had a bottle of water and found some blackberries before it started to pour down rain. That’s one hike we’ll never forget.

Make sure someone knows where you are going to be hiking and when you plan to be back. This gives you a back up option in case you are out on a trail and get lost, delayed or injured.

Take a bottle of water and small snack. Sometimes you may find a blackberry bush for a great unexpected snack, but you should never plan on that. Take a drink and a granola bar and be ready for an energy boost when you need it.

Optional items
Walking stick
Camera

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Earlier this week, our family headed out to the Perryville Battlefield and hiked all over the hills looking for old Civil War canons. What a fun time of family bonding and exercise at the same time!

Hiking can go hand and hand with another fun hobby – Geocaching! Read here for some tips on getting started with geocaching.

What about you? Do you enjoy hiking? I’d love to hear your favorite trails or stories!