Читать книгу Washington Wildflower Hikes - Nathan Barnes - Страница 10

Hiking is perhaps the most approachable of outdoor activities. You do not need special equipment or training. The surroundings in which you undertake a walking journey from one destination to another distinguish a hike from merely a stroll. Your morning walk to your office, bus stop, or school and the daily trip down two flights of stairs to the office coffee machine are all walking journeys, but they are not hikes. Where the journey takes you and your reason for undertaking the journey are what make it a hike. Perhaps because hiking appears so easy, many hikers do not take the trail’s location and characteristics into consideration before they start barreling down it. Where you’re hiking matters—not all trails are the same.

The hikes described in this book vary from short jaunts relatively close to civilization to longer forays into the wilderness, and hikers need to prepare accordingly. This guide assumes that readers have some hiking experience and know they should approach trails with an abundance of caution. We cannot warn of every hazard that a hiker may encounter on any given trail, as trail conditions change frequently. If you are new to hiking, round up some more experienced friends to bring along. These broad guidelines—not intended as a primer on how to hike—offer some topics to consider as you plan.