5 Common Mistakes Beginner Hikers Make

Gabriel Patterson, Toronto Fitness Trainer and Experienced Outdoorsman, Discusses
Five Common Mistakes Beginner Hikers Make and Shares Tips for Success

Guest Post by Gabriel Patterson

Hiking is a great pastime that can be taken up at any age. Though hiking seems like a simple recreational activity, beginner hikers must be adequately prepared to stay safe and get the most enjoyment. Here, Gabriel Patterson, a fitness trainer and nutrition expert, details common mistakes made by beginner hikers and how to avoid them.

1. Not Drinking Enough Water

Beginner hikers often fail to drink enough water. As a general rule, it's recommended to bring 1 liter of water for every 2 hours of hiking. The goal should be to drink 6 to 12 ounces of water every 15 minutes. You can follow signs of thirst as an indicator of when to drink or use a timer or app to remind you. Be aware that individual water needs vary and can depend on body weight, weather conditions, and trail difficulty. If it's hot or you're at increased elevation, plan on drinking more water.

Water is heavy--over 2 pounds per liter--so what's the best way to carry enough? A CamelBak-type bladder holds 2 to 4 liters and has a convenient drinking tube that encourages the hiker to drink often.

Alternatively, Nalgene bottles can be packed on the side of most backpacks in easily accessible bottle holders. For longer hikes, you can also carry a water filter or drops to refill your water container from a fresh water source safely. Be sure to follow the instructions and research potential water sources ahead of time.

Get prepared for your hike by drinking 18 to 24 ounces of water an hour before you hit the trail. Know signs of dehydration (and overhydration) so you can stay safe, keep your energy levels up, and enjoy your hike.

2. Going Too Difficult or Long Too Soon

It may be tempting to jump right in and pick the most scenic trail. Instead, look at the guides and pick a path for beginners. Pick a distance that's shorter than what you could usually walk comfortably and then work up slowly from there. You know your fitness level best, so be honest with yourself when choosing a trail. In particular, be mindful of hills and climbs in elevation, which can be quite draining, and plan accordingly.

If you go too hard too soon, you won't enjoy yourself as much, or worse, you could risk getting injured. There will be plenty of days ahead to take on more challenging trails and distances after you've got more experience and stamina.

3. Not Dressing Appropriately

While beginner hiking generally doesn't require much special equipment, please don't be caught on the trail in jeans and a cotton t-shirt, which will chafe and trap moisture. Wear thin layers of moisture-wicking clothes meant for exercise. Dressing in compact layers will help you avoid being under or overdressed because you can shed or add layers as needed. Pack an extra layer of insulation in case the temperatures should drop or you get delayed past nightfall.

The feet are arguably the most essential consideration for beginner hikers. Ditch your everyday cotton socks and invest in some high-quality hiking socks. Some lightweight trail runners or sneakers can work on a beginner hiking trail without many obstacles. Otherwise, it can be useful to invest in a well-fitting pair of hiking boots. Whatever you do, never hit the trail with a pair of new shoes. Make sure any shoes are well broken in by wearing them at home, out shopping, or on walks around the neighborhood.

Don't forget to pack a rain jacket in case of an unexpected shower and consider sun protection, including a hat or bandana and sunglasses.

4. Forgetting to Plan for Emergencies

Even if you plan ahead, there is always a chance that something may not go as planned, even on day trips. Packing emergency supplies should be on any beginner hiker's checklist. Well-prepared hikers will have the following in their pack:

• First aid kit
• Headlamp
• Trail map, compass, and GPS device
• Knife
• Gear repair kit
• Firestarter
• Emergency shelter
• Sunscreen and insect repellent

Always bring a little more water and food than you expect you'll need in case you get delayed or stranded. Dense "superfoods" such as trail bars found at outdoor stores are great to have on hand should you need extra calories.

Be sure to tell someone not in your hiking group about your hiking plans, including your route, when you're leaving, and when you plan to return. You can also leave a note in your car with this information; be sure the details aren't in full view of potential burglars. Consider bringing an emergency locator beacon as you may not get cell service the entire length of your route.

5. Going Hiking Alone

The best way to gain more experience hiking is to join some more experienced hikers. Buddying up or joining a group can not only be more enjoyable, but it is also much safer. If anything happens, there will be others there to assist you or go for help. If you don't have any friends who hike, outdoor enthusiast Gabriel Patterson recommends checking online for a hiking group near you.

Enjoy Your Hike

Hiking can be an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable outdoor activity. Beginner hikers should not be intimidated by this list but instead feel more secure in being knowledgeable and prepared for their hikes. As you gain more experience, getting prepared will become like second nature.

Archery inside the Eatons Centre, Toronto 1976

The following two photos were sent to me in 2019 from Sheila Brown (seen upclose in the 2nd photo further below), and are from a collection of photographs and news clippings that she kept from her illustrious Olympic archery career.

The photographs were taken by journalist Tibor Kelly in 1976 during the construction of the Eaton's Centre in downtown Toronto.

The photographs were taken as part of a photo shoot in which the archers at least pretended to aim down the length of the Eaton's Centre. It is unclear whether they actually shot any arrows or if they just posed for the camera a few times.

It is an odd piece of Toronto archery history and I am thankful to Sheila for sending me the photographs and news clippings.

Gap Shooting at Moving Targets

One of my archery students shot these back in September and I took a few photos.

At the time in September I wrote a post about Gap Shooting, which is a style of aiming which is handy for shooting at moving targets. I typically teach it to my more intermediate students (you have to sign up for at least 4 lessons to get to learn how to do gap shooting).

The lesson order of the first 4 lessons typically goes like this:

1 - Field Archery, Close Range.

2 - Target Archery, 20 Yards.

3 - Field Archery, Long Range.

4 - Gap Shooting at Moving Targets.

There are sometimes exceptions however. Sometimes I have to cater the lessons to the student's needs, so if a student for example had no interest in learning how to do long range archery we might bump Gap Shooting up to lesson 3.

For archery lessons in Toronto please browse my archery lessons page for rates and discounts and then email cardiotrek@gmail.com to book your archery lessons.

Shorter Bows Vs Longer Bows

Q

Two Very Similar Questions

"I have a question. I'm 19 and started off when I was 2 years old shooting traditional. As I got older I started shooting compound. I have a bear kodiak super magnum and I am really wanting to be able to harvest my first deer with traditional equipment this year but my shooting is all over the place. Earlier I went in the garage and got out a bear grizzly the my dad doesn't use anymore. Now the grizzly is significantly longer than the kodiak magnum. I started shooting it and was shooting way better than with the magnum. Could the size difference of the bow be the reason I was shooting worse/better?

Dylan G."

"[A] question that I have is in regards to the length of bows in general. What would be the biggest difference I would feel if I used a 62" bow compared to the 66" bow that we have been using. Would it still work well with the 28" draw length or would I just be overdrawing the bow all the time?

Thanks again for all of your help,

Eric K."

A

The short answer:

Longer bows are more forgiving. You can make a mistake and often still hit the target.

Shorter bows are unforgiving. You make a mistake and miss completely.

The long answer... it is complicated. It comes down to the physics and the design of the bow, the canting of the bow, the angle of the bowstring to tip of the bow, lateral physics, whether the bow is more bottom heavy and other factors. But yes, generally speaking, longer bows are usually more forgiving than shorter bows.

This is also true of compound bows too, which are measured from axle to axle.

Axle-to-Axle, or more commonly called by the acronym ATA, is the distance measured between each axle of a compound bow. Each cam operates on an axle and taking the length between those two axles is going to be your ATA measurement. There are compound bows with a long ATA, short ATA and some with a middle of the road ATA.

The longer ATA compound bows are always more forgiving of mistakes. However many hunters favour shorter ATA compound bows because they want a bow that weighs less, allows them to maneuver easier around branches when shooting from a tree stand, etc.

With competitive compound shooters however they don't need to worry about weight and maneuvrability. They just want as much accuracy as they can get. Thus competitive compounds are often quite long from axle to axle.

The same goes with Olympic recurve archers.

When it comes to Olympic recurves they are usually 66, 68 or 70 inches long. The extra bit of length gives the bow a bit more accuracy and Olympic archers want all the accuracy they can get. Thus it would be rare to see an Olympic recurve which is 64 inches or less. Most manufacturers that make such bows don't even make limbs and riser combos that go that short.


WHAT MAKES A GREAT ARCHER?

Now you may have also heard previously that when it comes to feats of accuracy and skill the three best archers of the last century all shot longbows: Awa Kenzo, Howard Hill, Byron Ferguson - sometimes listed in that order.

And that is true. They all shot longbows.

Awa Kenzo shot a Japanese yumi longbow. Yumi longbows are typically 7 to 9 feet long.

Howard Hill shot a traditional English longbow which had a modified handle he designed himself.

Byron Ferguson is still alive and shoots a "radical reflex-deflex longbow". Rather a complicated longbow design, but there it is.

So why did they shoot a longer bow even though these archers were already great at what they do?

Because even great archers still make mistakes. And when you know mistakes still happen you want to get the extra consistency that a longer bow affords you.

So what made these three longbow men so great?

Well, Awa Kenzo was known for his trick shooting. He could shoot a bullseye in the dark and then repeat the shot with such accuracy that he Robin Hooded the first arrow.

Howard Hill was renown for his hunting skills. One of my favourite stories about him is shooting an eagle at 150 yards, roughly twice the distance that Olympic archers shoot at (70 meters).

And Byron Ferguson does a combination of both trick shooting and long distance shooting. He can shoot a tiny moving target, like an aspirin in the air at 30 feet.

So then you might wonder, wait, so if Olympic recurves are so great, why aren't there any really famous Olympic archers?

Because they come and go. The average length of a competitive archer's career is less than 10 years. Even the most successful Olympic archers only ever compete in 1 or 2 Olympic Games and spend most of their time competing in local competitions, and there is very little money in it.

Plus the Koreans keep winning 75% of all the big competitions.

This comes down to money. In Korea Olympic archers often get big sponsors like Hyundai and Samsung supporting their careers. There is far more money in the sport in South Korea.

In contrast guess how much a Canadian Olympic archer earns in a year from sponsors?

Usually zero.

So eventually as Olympic archers get older they need to stop competing in order to pay for bills. They get married, have a few kids, the usual deal.

Even great archers like Awa Kenzo, Howard Hill, and Byron Ferguson had/have their sources of income. Awa Kenzo taught archery and martial arts, opening his own dojo. Howard Hill was in a lot of films between the 1930s and 1960s, promoting archery via film. Byron Ferguson writes books about archery.

So what made them great wasn't just their skill, but also their ability to keep doing archery because they made it part of their livelihood. Teaching, promoting, writing.

Olympic archers after they retire from competitions rarely go into archery as a business. A tiny few will end up coaching, while most of them will get an university degree or a college diploma and pursue a different passion.

Can you name an Olympic archer who was active during the 1980s or 1990s who is still famous, still competing and shooting amazingly today?

Nope. Neither can I.

Below is two photos of three Olympic archers shooting inside the Eaton's Centre while it was being built in May 1976. The photographs were taken by reporter/photographer Tibor Kelly. The archers in the photo are Wayne Pullen, Ron Lippert and Sheila Brown.

I had never heard of any of those three archers until a few months ago. And oddly enough, despite all their medals and accolades, these photographs might be the most historically important thing they ever did as archers. No doubt they contributed personally to the sport, encouraging others, teaching a bit, being supportive. Tiny ripples of influence in the river of history.

The three of them collectively probably had boxes of medals and trophies. So many they didn't know what to do with. But once an archer's competitive archery career is over, then what?

 

Some might shoot recreationally.

 

A rare few might get into bowhunting.

 

A tiny few might get into coaching, if they have the necessary skills to teach it properly.

 

Extremely few will write a How To Book, as that implies they first got into coaching and also had the necessary skills required to write a book about it.

So what makes a great archer?

In my opinion it is more than merely competing for 10 years (or less) of your life. Great archers shoot for decades and they leave a lasting contribution to the sport.

Awa Kenzo didn't just found an archery school. He founded a whole branch of Japanese archery, breaking from the ritualized kyudo to focus more on zen and Buddhist principles, a branch of Japanese archery that is still practiced today as his disciples passed on his teachings.

Howard Hill performed some amazing feats of archery. But in North America he also caused an archery fad that lasted from the late 1930s to early 1970s. An archery fad that lasted decades and effected the sport on the global level. (In contrast The Hunger Games fad only lasted a few years.) If it wasn't for Howard Hill there wouldn't even by "Olympic archery". They brought the sport back to the Olympics in 1972 after a 52 year hiatus.

And Byron Ferguson continues to teach, write and amaze. His contributions to the sport are not yet tallied.

For example lets talk about E. T. Seton.

E. T. Seton was an author of children's books. Yes, he did archery, but he wasn't particularly great at it. But he did manage to leave a lasting impression on Toronto's Archery community by donating in his will the land that became E. T. Seton Park and now contains the Toronto Archery Range.

Thus his biggest contribution to archery was land. A place for archers to practice.

Was E. T. Seton a great archer? Probably not. But we could say that he was a good person and a good archer. Certainly a generous archer.

Prebook Weekend Archery Lessons for 2020 and Get 10% Off

Hello Would-Be Archers (and Returning Archery Students)!

Are you looking to prebook weekend archery lessons for 2020 ?

Well, good news. Book now and you can get 10% off the weekend rate for archery lessons*.

* Notes

• Offer only applies to weekend archery rates.
• Offer applies regardless of whether a person is signing up for 1 lesson or 10.
• Offer can also be used to purchase archery lessons as a gift for a friend or family member. Ask about my Archery Gift Vouchers.
• Offer is good until December 31st 2019. After which normal rates apply.
• Offer does not stack or combine with other discount offers for Seniors or Canadian Military Veterans.
• Offer only applies to archery lessons beginning in 2020, from January to December 2020.

So for example if you signed up for 10 weekend lessons (normally $780) the price would be $702 instead.

50 lb Horsebow balanced on three arrows. Just waiting to be shot.