How to Start Hiking - For Complete Beginners

November 2017

-----
If you would like to support me, I am raising money for surgery in Spain:
https://gofund.me/045d82ea
-----

I am unable to get out far at the moment... lots of over time at work and family commitments. So I thought I would do a vlog video on how to get started in hiking. This is part one of my guide into hiking for absolute beginners with little money and not a lot of fitness.

I see a lot of videos from outdoor shops saying that you need all this expensive gear... well of course they are going to say that... they exist to make money. However, to start, at the beginning (from point zero), you don't need any equipment at all.

If you decide that you like walking, then, you can start to buy some equipment to go on more challenging hikes.

To begin with you should just walk one mile near your home. If you can manage it then try and include a hill. If you can't manage one mile then start with just a walk to the bottom of the street. Do what you can comfortably manage but do it every day for 4 weeks. Then try doubling your distance for another 4 weeks and slowly build up your fitness over 3-4 months... increasing the mileage as you go.

To begin with, keep the walks local. Get a map of the area and explore where you live. Keep it simple and cheap. Then as your interest in walking blossoms, you can begin to expand your horizons, your distance, and your equipment.

If for some bizarre reason you find you don't like walking and don't see the health benefits, then you've wasted no money. But if you do like it, then building up your fitness before tackling the more challenging hikes will allow you to enjoy these walks much more than trying to dive in at the deep end. Just be patient and you will be climbing mountains in no time at all.

I hope this helps someone get started because it is a very rewarding pastime.

Good Luck and happy walking.