Eminently Eve
I was pleasantly surprised when I did a poll on my Instagram account, (on this post here), asking my community if they would rather go for a mountain hike or a nature walk in flat terrain. More than 90% of the participants chose mountain hiking, citing the views at the end of the hike as the main reason for their choice.
Interestingly though, when I then followed up with the question – whether or not they had been on a hike before, some answered that they had not yet, but are really looking forward to their first time experience. And that is what prompted me to create this blog post which is the first of a series of posts that will cover the topic of hiking in Zimbabwe.
Mountain hiking is an activity that involves the climbing of a mountain without using any tools like ropes. In most cases, one will be following footpaths or game trails. The activity can be long and quite vigorous hence some level of fitness is required. In this post we will discuss 10 things that I believe are essential when going on a hike in Zimbabwe, especially for first time hikers. These ten things are meant to ensure that you are comfortable, safe and equipped to deal with as many uncertainties as possible during your hike. Some hikes will require only some of these items while others will require all ten, so I will also give examples of situations where each item is required to help you determine whether or not it is needed for your future hikes.
1. Suitable clothing
When you are hiking for the first time you may think of the views and the cute pictures that you wish to have at the view point, probably inspired by some pictures that you may have seen on social media posted by your favourite content creators. Of course as content creators, they may have specific looks or a photo-shoot theme that they are following and therefore, may carry clothes with them for that. However, that does not mean they actually hiked in those clothes. So not all clothing you see someone wearing at the top of Nyangani mountain or Chimanimani mountains are suitable hiking clothes.
Three main factors to consider when choosing clothes to wear when going for a hike are the lightness, comfort and type of material. The material has to be as light as possible, so no denims. They have to be extremely comfortable and not too tight on the body, so no slim-fit dresses or anything similar. The material also has to be breathable e.g. cotton, so no leather. I normally prefer T shirts with some form of sleeves and long trousers as well, to reduce the amount of skin exposed to the sun, bugs, grasses and vegetation that my skin might be allergic to. This however is a personal choice as others prefer the opposite. You also need a sun hat to protect yourself from too much heat and a pair of sunglasses. Heat stroke is real so these two are a necessity whenever you hike when there is a bit of sun (even during winter).
ALWAYS ensure that you have catered for a possible rapid change in the weather. The weather can quickly change from hot and sunny to misty and bitterly cold in mountainous areas. This change in weather can also reduce visibility and create a real danger of hikers feeling lost as they may no longer see their way/path. They will then have to spend more time than they had anticipated, exposed to the cold weather, which may lead to hypothermia if they are not properly dressed.
For foot wear, hiking boots like the ones in the pictures above would be my first recommendation. Hiking boots protect your ankle which you may sprain when hiking mountains. This is because the surface is uneven with rocks that you may not have anticipated while walking. Therefore the risk of spraining your ankle during a mountain hike is pretty high. If you have normal sneakers, then you have to be extremely cautious of where your foot is landing
2. Backpack
A backpack is important for any type of hike because you want to avoid holding anything in your hands as much as possible. Holding stuff in your hands will tire you quite quickly. A backpack is especially recommended because it offers the much needed support as it distributes the weight evenly on your body, unlike duffel bags or other single strapped bags. If possible, go for the padded ones with hip belts which are also adjustable. Hip belts help to reduce strain on your shoulders and back.
3. Water bladder/water bottle(s)
A water bladder is a water carrying container, which is flexible and in this context, is built into a backpack (like the one shown in the image below). It is quite useful when hiking because it connects to a hose which comes out of the backpack, enabling you to drink hands-free. However, if you do not have this type of hydration pack you can still use water bottles. The most important thing is that you always have to carry water when going on any hike. The recommended amount of water to drink during a hike is at least 500ml per hour. The higher the temperature and the more strenuous the hike is, the more water you need to drink.
4. Water purification tablets/liquid
Anything that purifies water is always great to carry with. I can not emphasize enough the importance of water for our bodies. In case of emergency i.e. finding yourself in a survival situation, water is one of the most critical things that you need to increase your chances of survival. If you run out of water and know where a river, stream or any other water body is, it would be better to have something that purifies the water to reduce chances of you falling sick from drinking contaminated water. We will discuss more about the survival kits in the near future and cover the need and importance of carrying items such as machetes/knives and different kinds of fire starting kits when walking in the bush.
5. First Aid Kit
We have talked in detail about a first aid kit and the items that are important to include in a your first aid kit when going on nature themed trips. Some accidents that may happen during a hike include spraining one’s ankle, falling, hurting one’s arm, etc, resulting in the inability to continue with the hike or just too unbearable if not addressed properly. Therefore, a first aid kit need to be carried on any hiking activity. Check the First Aid Kit article here, Travel health essentials to always carry in a First Aid Kit during ‘nature-themed’ trips in Zimbabwe.
6. Sunscreen
When on a hike, the paths where you have to walk are hardly ever your choice. Some may require you to be exposed to the sun for hours and that may result in you getting sunburn, or worse, sunstroke. Sun hat and sunglasses alone are not enough, neither is a sunscreen alone. You therefore have to carry all three options and If possible, aim to start your hike early in the morning and finish before the peak of the heat. My favourite sunscreen right now is the liquid spray by Eucerin, SPF50. I talk about the reasons I love it and where to get it on this Instagram post.
7. Suitable food
If you are like me and do not normally eat breakfast, on the day that you are going for a hike, you definitely need to have something to eat approximately 2 hours before your hike. Your body needs that fuel to cope with the unusual exercise you are about to embark on. Avoid foods that take longer to digest as they may make you feel sluggish. During the hike you also need to continue eating between 50 to 100 calories of carbohydrates every 30 minutes. This ensures that your body continues getting the energy it needs throughout the hike. If you are on a specific diet for health reasons then do consult with a specialist to meet your specific needs.
The most important thing to understand is that, you cannot just eat what you normally eat on days when you are not exposing your body to such a strenuous activity. Some food options include the different kinds of highly nutritious energy bars out there – they are small, light and easy to carry and they are also really yummy! Alternatively a combination of dried fruit and nuts (which usually form the staple of most energy bars) is also very suitable because they are easy to carry and to nibble on as you hike. Be aware however that any foods high in salt content will require you to drink more water.
You also have to be very careful on how much social media posts inspire your hiking food choices (just like with suitable clothing). For some reason, wine and alcoholic beverages look cute on pictures, so you may have seen some content creators shouting a toast holding glasses of wine at the peak of some mountain. However, that does not mean they drank it. Alcohol causes dehydration and impairment of judgement and coordination. It may also make it difficult for one to adjust to different altitude. Therefore, you need to stick to healthier food options and only quench your alcoholic thirst after your hike.
8. Map, GPS and Compass
Even if you are going on a hike with a guide or other people who are experienced, it is important to always know your whereabouts and the surroundings well. Anything can happen to your guide or the experienced person you are with, at which point, you will have to take control of the situation. Nowadays you can download a map for any location off Google Earth. Look especially for distinct land marks such as rivers, mountains and hills. Check the approximate distances and just bear that in mind. In case of accidents or feeling like you are lost you can always refer back to your map. GPS is excellent on condition that the gadget is functioning well and has full battery power. It is important to not rely solely on electronic gadgets as they can just stop working at any given minute. A compass also can come in handy as it shows you where North is in relation to the direction you should be travelling or in case you feel like you are getting lost and need to refresh your memory.
9. Well charged mobile phone
Avoid leaving your front door with a mobile phone which is not fully charged. You have to always work with the assumption that unforeseeable events might happen and you will need to contact other people for help. The superstition is that if you do over prepare for something it almost always never happens. If it happens however then you know that you are covered. You want to avoid using your phone to play music, games or anything else that uses up your battery. In fact, it is better to switch off your phone and only switch it on when you need to use it so that you save as much battery power as possible.
10. Trash bag
Last but most definitely not least is a trash bag. This one is actually compulsory. We need to desist from just throwing our litter in the bush when we go on nature walk, hikes or game drives. The temptation might be there to just leave your litter in the bush either because you feel so tired and don’t want to carry anything anymore or because the litter will dirty your backpack. It is therefore important to carry a trash bag that will ensure that litter is separated from other stuff and it is not left in the bush. The beauty of hikes is being surrounded by nature, as far way as possible from city life resemblance. It is therefore important that we do not leave anything that shows that humans have been there other than just footprints.
I hope these 10 tips will give you some idea on what to carry with you when going on a hike and the factors to consider when planning your first or next hike. It is of course not exclusive, if you have been hiking for a while and have other items to add on to the list please do so, so that we all learn and have great experiences during our intimate moments with nature.
Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life and as always, I’m talking about intimacy with nature.
