Navigating & Planning Your Hikes: Tools and Tips for Success

In this episode, I focus on hiking basics—especially planning and preparation—by defining what counts as a hike, encouraging people to "hike your own hike," and sharing ways to find trails through apps like AllTrails, blogs, books, friends, groups, parks, and local chapters. I explain how to assess hike difficulty using mileage, elevation gain, terrain, and altitude, and I demonstrate map-reading fundamentals like contour lines, map scales, landmarks, and AllTrails elevation profiles to avoid route misunderstandings. I also cover parking, permits, road conditions, backup hikes, public transit options, tracking progress, and taking navigation classes.    Show notes:  AllTrails: https://alltrails.pxf.io/KjngNx REI:  https://rei.pxf.io/6yKVeN REI Topo Maps: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/topo-maps-how-to-use.html Hikingguy: https://hikingguy.com/ Dr. Rob Scanlon "Surviving the Trail" Book: https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Trail-Rob-Scanlon/dp/1493090127?crid=1C7EV2MFAEAF4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jsSgVyVwP9Vw2O0KfIjXHHr-7qVXpb1-AV-dQAzA8AzOZAZSW8LK38ZOWl84-rMFQq3GuTyiCbWAXebDFYIVtB41CN3q117-vHftoM7rucBYF10KnnluguBT505btE0bKVGWHaT55vYsEiedxkZV8Ac8DVOOYr2qQOn4vgSz9U_JImyRIaW4mHVgVYdprOTt.FGgbGDcPjhEtx0BngaCIRIVFGq0GWt3vwZtWl3_ds3w&dib_tag=se&keywords=rob+scanlon&qid=1774914160&sprefix=rob+scallo%2Caps%2C257&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll2&tag=52hikechallen-20&linkId=7e5c2c8ec5702cad82cfe4959b4385e2&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Sierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/get-local Latino Outdoors: https://latinooutdoors.org/ Just Trek Podcast Episode with Corbin: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5r3yvFlYBNRkseXjV1XLZr?si=5f6ab2429b9c49ea 52 Hikes Journal: https://www.52hikechallenge.com/products/52-hike-challenge-journey-journal