This will probably be trivial stuff for you hiking pros but I thought I’d share some lessons learned from a hike I took yesterday.

1. Make a checklist: I managed to leave behind my hiking staff, the dog’s tie out rope, his water dish and a few other little things. Since we were hiking in a forested state park finding a new staff wasn’t hard.

2. Study the topo maps more thoroughly before hand: The trail was only about 5 miles long but it seemed like 4 of them were up and down some pretty steep slopes. Might have picked a different trail had I done my homework a little better.

3. Pay attention: Several times I missed a blaze and had to re-trace my steps. Never really worried about getting “lost” as this is state park in a suburban county, a few miles in any direction would lead me to a McDonalds (Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County, PA)

4. Practice more with my GPS: Forgot to set the waypoint at the parking lot, but could have back walked the trail. What was very handy was a hardcopy map of the park trails in a ID badge holder hanging on a neck strap.

5. If something seems wrong with your equipment, stop and check it out: The pouch holding my Jetboil PCS came loose and could have fallen off. I felt something flopping around but didn’t check it, should have. (BTW, that’s a pretty nice bit of gear, had my water boiling in just a couple of minutes)

6. Remember in which direction the sun is: the south facing slopes tend to defrost sooner than those in the shade and thus can become slippery (whoa nelly!)

This is the first longish walk I’ve taken with the dog. We normally do a mile or two every day, mostly on streets or graveled park trails. This trail was through heavy woods and was not well groomed. The dog did fine, he didn’t need to stop and rest as much as I did. He did display an annoying habit of walking down the center of the trail and pushing me off to the side when it narrowed. I use a very short leash and he must walk at the heel position at al times. Might have to go to a slightly longer leash so we don’t have to squeeze thru the narrow spots at the same time.

Here's a map of the hike on EveryTrails.

I use a Magellan Triton 400 GPS. Carry that and my Kenwwod ham HT in a chest pouch from Civilian Lab . Nice setup.
Thanks for indulging...

It looks like you have learned a few good things. My biggest question is, did you have fun???

Must have been a nice place to spend a couple of hours on a winter Saturday. Looking at the map the terrain does look pretty hilly with a few steep slopes. Always a good idea to avoid those if you can, especially if the ground is frozen and icy.

One interesting thing about winter treks is how warm it can get in direct sunlight if the skies are clear. On the other hand, places like narrow valleys or anywhere else in the shade can remain very cold throughout the day. This is something worth paying attention to when looking for a nice spot to sit down for a break or even build a shelter.

Re: keeping an eye on your gear, it's good practice to regularly check your pack and touch your pockets in case anything is about to slip out.

Another thing I noticed on the map - when hiking in hilly terrain it's usually better to zig zag down a slope instead of descending straight down. This also applies to crossing small valleys. Going from one hill to another, most people take a direct route because it looks shorter but is more tiring in reality. As an alternative, you might be able to find a roundabout route around the valley, staying at more or less the same elevation. It might be faster in fact and won't take as much effort.

Temps were in the mid 30's, sunny and windy. As long as I stayed out of the wind it was very comfortable. There's a good reason they call it a wind chill factor. The trail was an existing one. Some of which was pretty much straight up and down. I would have preferred more switchbacks.

Thanks.

Yeah it was fun, a good workout. Just wish the darn dog would have acted more tired. He's a Jack Russel only about 10 inches at the shoulder, weighs 22 lbs, wore a backback, and still pulled me up the hills. I swear he could have done the trip twice!

Might have been cuz you were slowing him down all day! They're high energy dogs. Give it a longer leash, or just let him off (if he's well trained). Remember, most wild dogs are built for long distance cruising.

My dog is a freaking rocket. We'd do a 3 or 4 mile hike, and if she was off-leash, she be out chasing deer and everything else. Giving her about 15-20 ft of rope allowed her to run a bit, not get too tangled in brush, yet still explore the area.

Yes, always have the checklist. Then, to avoid having to think about the same things for each trip, pin it to the wall or refrigerator. If you forgot something, add it to the list as soon as you get home.

Sue

Also, practice with EVERYTHING you are going to use at home. Your stove, your tent, even purifying water and cooking your food. On the trail is no time to have an accident.

Listen to what the guy says. First camping trip with my friends (all ex-military), one of them picks up a boiling pot by the handle.

At least Waterjel has a convert.

Oh, I definitely slowed him down. Even in dog years he's a couple of decades younger.

Park rules call for all dogs on leash. But more to the point is that whenever he wears the back he's in working mode and he needs to follow his pack leader. When we're in sync I don't even feel him on the leash. High energy, agressive JRT's you don't want running loose. Believe me. Just ask my local PD...