I need some personal hiking tips and advice?

My bf and I wanna start hiking this summer. I've been reading articles online, but I would like some tips and advice from actual hikers. Our goal is to do a few overnight trips.





What are some essential we should bring? (Besides the obvious food and water)





What kind of clothes and shoes to wear?





What are the pros and cons of hiking with a dog?





Any other information that you could give me would be great. Also, if anyone knows of any great places around the Philly area that would be awesome. Thanks in advance.I need some personal hiking tips and advice?
Kay... For clothes and shoes, the answer is COMFY!!!!! Trust me, there's nothing worse than trying to hike in shoes or clothes that aren't meant for long trips.


Make sure you have a good set of footwear, meaning good sneakers with decent treads or a pari of proper hiking boots (Kodiaks are my preffrence).


Don't bother about style, no one cares what you look like in the bush =)


For clothes, carry at least two pairs of comfortable jeans -- preffreably a wider leg so you can move freely (wear one, cary the other in your pack). Have about two pairs of shirts (again, wear one, carry the other) a decent coat and a heavy sweater and a hat... a cotton bandanna or hankercheif to keep the sun off of your neck is also a good idea - - especially if you're planing on staying out for a few days.





And for the love of all that is good and sensible BRING AN EMERGENCY KIT!!! And when I say a emergency aid kit, I don't mean just bandaids and polysporin... bring a good knife, splints for broken body-bits, gauze, compression bandages, tylonol a first-aid manual if you haven't got the certificate, anti-snake venom if you have rattelsnakes in the area (and you can afford it), flares, rope, a cell-phone (with gps if you have it), a proper map of the area, battery or crank radio, etc.


In other words, prepare for the worst and be happliy surprised when nothing at all happens. ;)


If you're planning on building a fire, a small hatchet is also a good idea, some Red Bird matches in a water-tight container... I wouldn't recomend trying to transport kerosene for a lamp, so stick to crank or battery-operated lamps and flashlights.


When you're packing, make sure you put the heavy stuff on the bottom of the pack, and distribute the weight between the two of you as evenly as possible. Use the extra clothes you bring to pad between layers so things don't slide around and the more delecate stuff doesn't get crushed or absolutely trashed.


As far as hiking with a dog... (obviously) make sure the area you're hiking in allows you to bring in dogs, you don't want Ranger Bob to kick you out or give you a fine.


Otherwise, a dog can be fun, but if you're planing on staying out for a few days, make sure to have a tarp to set up a shelter for your dog if the weather gets bad. It might sound mean, but TRUST ME on this... you don't want a dog in your tent for hours on end during a rainstorm... the smell of dog-breath and wet fur won't go away for weeks and weeks. Xp


Another thing to consider is the weight of dog food and the extra water you'll have to carry for your dog.


Hiking is about traveling on foot, and you can't go very far if you have heavy supplies (like canned goods) to carry over long distances with only two of you (unless you happen to own a ';work dog'; like a husky who can pull a litter... my family and I did that with our dogs, but if you and your dogs aren't used to woking with a harness, I wouldn't recomend it).I need some personal hiking tips and advice?
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles鈥?/a>


http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.p鈥?/a>


http://www.trailspace.com/gear/tents/


Some people will say you should leave the dog at home, but I say bring it if you can control it.