My 5 Biggest Hiking Mistakes You Can Avoid
I've been hitting the trail consistently for over a decade now and I've had more than a couple close calls that I hate to admit. Like many, hiking is a form of therapy for me but while therapeutic, the trail also needs to be approached with a deep level of respect considering you're at the mercy of the elements. However, though I've made many mistakes, every mistake has taught me how to respect the trail and navigate it more safely.
Here are my 5 biggest hiking mistakes you can avoid:
1. Being Out of Shape
This one should be obvious but it's one of the biggest and most painful mistakes I've made throughout the years. Simply put, if you're not physically fit enough to walk up the mountain, then the mountain will walk all over you. The first big hike I ever did in my life was Half Dome in 2014 with some friends in college. And at that point in my life the most exercise I got was either walking to a party or lifting a beer can up to my lips to take a sip. It's safe to say that the mountain definitely walked all over me because though I completed the hike, I almost died in the process. The reality is that I put myself in a dangerous situation because feeding my ego was more important to me than respecting the trail.
2. Not Making Adjustments to My Training
It wasn't until after college that I began taking my health seriously and got into a consistent training routine. However, a lesson I learned in 2025 after I hiked Mt. Shasta is that not all training will transfer to the mountain. Leading up to my hike, I made no adjustments to my training, which consisted of resistance training 6 times a week and running 50+ miles a week. I was arguably in the best shape of my life but the mountain didn't seem to care. The never-ending climb up and then down the mountain was not something I could train for simply by running long distances. Did I complete the hike? Yes, but it was arguably the hardest physical feat I've done in my life.
3. Running Out of Food & Water
This is a mistake that I have unfortunately made multiple times and one that I'll never make again. The best practice that I've found is that however much food and water you think you need, always take more. It's better to have too much than too little. I've run out of water with my wife on Mt. Tallac and had to race to the bottom to rehydrate, and I've also run out of food and water on Mt. Shasta and had to be the guy who mooched off my friend in order to survive. In both situations, it could have been avoided by simply bringing more than what I thought I needed.
4. Hiking in Extreme Heat Without a Plan
There's hiking and then there's hiking in extreme heat. Both can be challenging but when you add extreme heat into the equation you must approach the trail differently. Heat exhaustion is a real thing, so taking extra water and electrolytes is critical to being physically able to safely navigate the trail. I made the mistake of hiking Folsom Lake in 2026 in 104 degree heat & only drank electrolytes before hitting the trail. Well, by the end I looked like an extra in The Walking Dead as I was suffering from lack of electrolytes and heat exhaustion.
5. Not Preparing Beforehand
Preparing before every hike is essential to not only safely navigating the trail but putting yourself in a position to successfully conquer it. You should know the length, elevation climb, if it requires a permit, amongst many other things. In 2023 my wife and I went to Zion National Park for our anniversary and decided to hike The Narrows. This hike is unique because for the majority of it you're hiking through water and though we were able to rent hiking water shoes, the rental store was out of waders which resulted in us being wet, cold, and ultimately not able to finish the hike. Our procrastination and lack of planning definitely did not pay off. Take it from me, the hikes I decided not to prepare for are also the ones I didn't end up completing as ignorance is not bliss when you're out on the trail.
Now Go #EarnYourView
Every one of these mistakes has helped me better navigate the trail but they are also mistakes I wish I would have never made. Learn from my mistakes so you can better navigate the trail and safely #EarnYourView.
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