Speak The Language Of Hiking

Hot spot: That little tingle of friction you feel on your foot before you get a blister. Don’t ignore the feeling: Take off your boot and wrap your foot in moleskin before that tingling evolves into a full-fledged blister.

Loop trail: A trail that starts at point A and circles back to the same point without repeating any section of the trail.

Scree slope: A challenging slope of loose rock and shale.

Saddle: A trail stretched over the lowest point between two peaks, resembling a saddle.

Aiming off: Intentionally erring about 5 degrees off-course when using a compass bearing and heading toward your target destination. The benefit of aiming off is you’ll know exactly which way to turn to get to your destination when you reach the baseline.