How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be

“How hard will that hike be?” That’s a question all dayhikers and backpackers, from beginners to experts, think about all the time—and it’s not always easy to answer. But there are ways of evaluating any hike’s difficulty, using available information, that can help you understand what to expect before you leave home.

No matter how relatively easy or arduous the hike or where you fall on the spectrum of hiking experience or personal fitness, this e-book will tell you exactly how to answer that question—and what information to seek to reach that answer. It covers the many “hard,” or concrete metrics, including a five-level rating system, plus “soft” measures including indicators of difficulty, calculating hiking time, and decision-making—knowledge that can help ensure that you and your companions or your family don’t get in over your heads.

PLEASE NOTE: This e-book is intended for sale to non-subscribers to The Big Outside. If you already have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, DO NOT purchase this e-book; it simply duplicates my existing blog story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can access using your log-in (at no extra cost). Also, if you are applying a discount coupon worth more than the cost of this e-book—such as a coupon for buying a one-year membership (subscription)—only use that coupon code if you’re also purchasing another e-book, because that code works just once and you cannot get a partial credit for any unused portion of it. Thank you.

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