/// Rules for Hiking ///

Like many I had the day before Thanksgiving off, but I was home and determined to be productive and thought spending today updating my Bēhance portfolio would be worthwhile.

My wife is so wise and encouraged me to actually enjoy a vacation day by doing nothing remotely related to working, so I thought I’ll go hiking.

For backstory I’m an Eagle Scout that spent years camping and hiking and being outside with my friends and troop mates. So hiking isn’t a stretch and I figured I’d take some pictures while I was out in nature! Maybe even spot some wildlife while I'm out.

Rule 1 of Hiking: Own a good pair of boots

• Without a solid pair you’re doomed.
• Your feet could get wet which could lead to blisters which absolutely are the death of you.
• You could twist an ankle with the wrong shoes and again the death of you.
• Boots = Life /// Dumb shoes = death…

Why are boots so important you ask? Well besides the obvious bullet points I just listed, I've literally seen a fellow Scout have the sole of his boot split apart because the quality of his boots couldn't withstand the stress of hiking up and down a mountain......luckily duct tape fixes all!

On this particular day I was rocking some trusted and worn in Nike sneaker boots - don't knock em until you try em! Otherwise I recommend Merrell boots 100%.

Rule 2 of Hiking: Let someone know where you're going

• This seems like a no brainer, but several people assume they'll be fine and then get lost or injured and no one knows where they went.
• Make sure your cell service works wherever you're hiking, 1 bar is risky stuff.
• Friends may decide they want to tag along - which will lead us to Rule 3.

I made sure to let the wifey know where I was going so if anything happened I had someone who knew where to send the search parties.

Rule 3 of Hiking: The Buddy System

• In Scouting this is a rule we learn very early on as young kids.
• 2 people are better than one, if you break a leg, I can splint it, and help you walk out of there, or worst case, I can go get help. By yourself and break a leg......well you're kinda stuck there hoping you followed Rule 2.
• We live in a weird world, true crime podcasts verify that for us. Don't get murdered by yourself, have a friend to die alongside with, sorry that went pretty dark haha, but seriously it's a case where MORE is better than LESS.

Rule 4 of Hiking: Don't poke around random holes

• Wild animals live outside in the [____] "wild" that right you guessed it!
• Holes tend to be homes, don't poke around holes and then be surprised when lo and behold something with teeth lives in that hole.
• Phones have stupidly good telephoto ranges these days, my hole above was shot on my iPhone 15 Pro at 9x digital zoom. No hands ma! (technically hands were used, but you get the idea) Same hole below 2x optical zoom.

Rule 4 of Hiking: Don't jump or step on logs

• Again seems obvious, but logs and fallen down trees all have one possible problem in common. They like to rot, and rotting weakens them.
• Stepping on a rotten log is a great way to break a leg, which is bad in case we forgot the bullet points of Rules 1, 2, & 3.
• Stepping on boulders - is ok /// unless they're wet like in a creek /// or overlooking a precarious rocky overlook say found in the Grand Canyon or similar type of terrain /// or if they're really turtles and not rocks...

Rule 5 of Hiking: Bring plenty of water

• I think it goes without saying but dysentery is a horrible way to die outside of the classic computer game: The Oregon Trail.
• Clean water is hard to find and without iodine/chlorine tablets or some sort of filter, you're just asking for trouble of the lower abdomen kind.
• Ice ice baby - tastes so much better - also buy a Hydro Flask #hydroflaskpro - trust me they're 100% better than a Stanley when it comes to picking a hiking water bottle and durable too, how about that!

Rule 6 of Hiking: Don't pet the animals

• I don't know why I need to include this but raccoons are not big kitties.

This feels like a great time to dive back into my hiking story. After bundling up and driving to my local park and source of my town's water supply, Spring Lake Park, I was ready to set out on the trails, but you know what I did first? I did Rule 7.

Rule 7 of Hiking: Learn to use maps - real ones - not just Google/Apple Maps

• We used to all enjoy the beauty of printed maps, and then GPS came along and we all said man I hate my TomTom so we all kept using maps for a few more years.
• Eventually though phone GPS service got so good and Waze too easy to not use that we all stopped using mappy maps.
• I'm not saying GPSs don't enhance the hiking exp. because they do and I do use them, the compass on my iPhone is dope, but a map is only useful when you know how to actually use it and figure out where you are and where you want to end up.
• If coverage is lost to a dead zone - actual map knowledge is essential to figuring our where you are vs becoming lost in the woods and not in a fun Swiftie kind of way.

Rule 8 of Hiking: Be present

• Technology is great for everything but being present in the moment...
• Literally as I was out hiking I got a work related email and I opened it and started to answer an email only to realize I was missing the point of being out in the woods...
• So I said nope that can wait until I get back to town, and only used my phone for pics after that point.

It's hard to set aside time for enjoying the moment, but we all deserve that and should set healthy boundaries to help achieve this rule more often!

Rule 9 of Hiking: Leave no trace

• Make the world a better place and don't leave crap behind that wasn't supposed to be left in nature in the first place.
• Also only leave footprints and take away memories - hard to always remember, but again the earth deserves to be taken care of and to leave it that way for the next hiker.

There is no Rule 10 because truthfully the rules are more like guidelines anyways, but they can help you to enjoy hiking, stay safe, and live a little!

I enjoyed my time outside so much, I hiked, I took pictures, I prayed, I did a devo, I looked at some river rocks, and just felt very at peace and thankful for the beauty of nature and how well it was created. It flourishes despite our human flaws and inability to take care of it like we should, man God is so good, I tell ya.

So go hike, pick somewhere beautiful, take some vacation and just do it already!

Catch last week's podcast recap below and be on the lookout for the same podcast followup format for this week's newsletter. Trying something new and seeing if it works well for my listeners & subscribers. You guys rock!