Welcome to Orem! Around here, hiking is very popular, especially among college students. I’m sure you’re eager to get out of your off-campus housing by UVU for a little bit and explore the gorgeous Utah mountains. Before you go, you need to be prepared so that you can have the most enjoyable experience possible on your hike. Here are a few things you can’t forget.
Food is super important! Hiking, especially steep inclines, burns a lot of calories. You’ll want to be able to replenish your energy supply whenever you need it. Getting hungry and having low blood sugar while climbing a mountain can be problematic. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, make some pbj sandwiches in your college apartment by UVU to bring. You can also bring granola bars, or trail mix which is basically meant for hiking.
Bring people with you, and let someone else know where you are going. Grab friends living in the same off-campus housing by UVU, or friends nearby. Never go hiking alone, and make sure somebody knows where you are planning to go so that you can be located easily in an emergency.
Bring lots of water. You can never be sure if you’ll be able to fill up your water bottle at the trailhead, so make sure you fill up before leaving your college apartment in Orem. Water is 100% necessary for all of our bodily functions, and when you hike you sweat and lose a lot of hydration. Make sure you bring enough water for the length and difficulty of your hike. If it will only take you an hour, one bottle of water per person should be enough. If you are going to be hiking more than two or three miles, you need to bring more than one bottle of water per person.
Wear sunscreen! When in the mountains, because of the altitude, the air is thinner and you can get sunburned even easier than usual. Apply sunscreen to any exposed skin while you’re still inside your off-campus housing by UVU. Bring the sunscreen with you and reapply after an hour or two, especially if you’re sweating all of the sunscreen off your skin.
Food, friends, water, and sunscreen are the most basic things you have to bring when going hiking. Depending on the hike and your personal needs, there may be other important things to bring as well. Before leaving your college apartment in Orem, make a checklist of all the important things to bring. If you’re going to BYU or UVU and want to live in this beautiful area, consider living at Summerwood! Summerwood is located very close to UVU campus making student life a breeze.
