In the last couple of years, some hikers have been taking some non-essential gadgets hiking. Although I was not the first to have some of them, I do have three, and after a couple of recent hikes where people expressed interest, I decided to write of my experiences with them.
Footwear
My recommendation is hiking boots. In boots, you can step on sharp rocks and little stones without the stones digging into your feet. They also give more protection against twisted ankles. Good boots allow you to step briefly into shallow water without getting wet feet; this is very useful. Gortex may help for a while. See below for streams.
A common recommendation is to wear two pairs of socks, a pair of thin synthetic liner socks, and thich wool socks over that. Carrying extra socks is also a good idea. If you get water in your boots, or get wet feet from hot weather, wet socks can be uncomfortable, and may increase the chances of blisters.
For boots, I have found that boots that did not feel comfortable in the store
did not improve with use, so now I will only buy boots that feel comfortable
when new. Those that felt like they would rub my heel did, even after what was
supposedly sufficient break in time. Buying from a outdoor store that prides
itself on satisfaction, rather than low prices, meant I lost some time and skin,
but not money. The National Outdoor Leadership School (www.nols.edu)
has an equipment list for its expeditions. On those lists are approved boots,
and boots which are not allowed. They make these lists to avoid having someone
having problems walking because of bad boots on a long trip. After getting new
boots, carry other footwear until you are confident that the new boots will not
give trouble after hours of walking.
Other clothing
There are many places with the standard advice to dress in removable layers. Also avoid cotton in wet conditions, and winter. Because I have not scrupulously followed this advice, I will add no more. For gloves for cold weather, I normally wear water resistant gloves; expect to pay $30 or more. I have found that thick mittens with polypropylene liner gloves are the best system for keeping hands warm, but they are not compatible with trekking poles.In spring and fall, a handy piece of clothing are pants with zip off legs, sold under the name of convertible pants.
Cell phone
I bought one for limited use, away from home. My guess is that it has reception one third of the time on trails. Valleys are bad, and west of Staunton seems to have quite limited reception. However I believe a cell phone could be helpful when hiking, because some of the time there is reception. Some years ago, a person with a cell phone summoned assistance for someone who had heat exhaustion on a hike. On a couple of occasions, cell phones could have saved confusion about where people were while on the way to trailheads. I found a plan giving a year of service, with limited (75 to 150 minutes) talking time for about $100.
GPS
My GPS is for occasions where knowing map co-ordinates, or recording where I had been, might get out of a bad situation; fortunately the GPS has been more entertaining and reassuring than essential. The GPS gives accurate (to within about 50 feet) measurements of latitude and longitude, which are useful if you have a map with latitude and longitude, and can interpolate between the grid lines on the map. If you have no map, or cannot interpret it, or have not recorded known spots, you are lost. Some GPS can have maps loaded into them (an additional cost item), but the small display makes them difficult to use compared to a regular map. Another way the GPS can help is by recording a track of where you have been. A track would allow you to retrace your steps. However, reception for the GPS is interrupted by trees, and loses reception if put in a pocket, so a track can easily have gaps. A variation is to record points while travelling, which requires remembering to make recordings. I used a variation of this technique on the poorly marked Shenandoah Mountain Trail. I spent some time plotting the route on a map on a computer, then transferring the route to the GPS. While hiking, I could see that I was on the expected trail. On coming to a troublesome trail junction, I knew I was close, but found the junction by talking to other hikers who had seen it. Inaccuracies in the maps and the GPS reading merely told me I was close, so we still had to look for the next trail. However I did mark a semi-traditional lunch spot in the GPS and found the actual spot was within a hundred feet of my guess from looking at a map. However the GPS merely confirmed what I knew from experience and traditional maps. On one occasion, the GPS told me quickly that I had made a wrong turn driving to a place I had not been before. So I see a GPS as potentially useful, but it requires work before you get to a place where might need it to tell you where you are, or how to get to somewhere you know. Of course without batteries it is useless-a set will last a day's hiking. For the features I thought were needed to have something useful, prices start around $200; maps are about $90 extra. If you get one, get a pouch to protect the display, and to allow you to clip it onto a belt where reception may be better than in a pocket.
Trekking poles
I bought trekking poles because a friend was having knee problems, and I hoped that trekking poles would help prevent further damage to hers, and prevent damage to mine. Several web sites refer to some study claiming that poles can take tons of weight off your knees; it sounds like a useless piece of information, but more convincing were people who bought poles and said they came back from trips without sore knees, and at times traveled faster than those without poles.
At present, I cannot say that poles have helped my knees, but they have been useful for stream crossings and walking on icy trails. In the 2002-2003 winter, using poles we crossed some streams with only a couple of wet feet in the group, where probably more people would have slipped off round, slippery rocks without the poles. They are also useful wading swiftly flowing streams, where the water pushes you off balance, and you can slip on the round slippery rocks in the stream bed. On one notorious steep descent, I found the poles helped me descend faster than I would have otherwise.
On the downside, there are already stories that in some places, the tips have
left white marks on rocks, and the sound of clicking pole tips spoils the
atmosphere of a wilderness experience. I also wonder if the holes in the ground
left by poles will become a problem. On a dry rocky trail, I thought poles
worked better with rubber tips, gripping better on rocks and without leaving
marks and so much noise. Trekking poles get in the way in the rock scramble at
the top of Old Rag.
The metal tips and the adjusting mechanism in the poles wear out but are
replaceable; if ordering poles, it may be worth ordering replacement adjusters
also. As mentioned above, on rocky trails, rubber tips may be better than bare
metal tips; get them when you get the poles. There is a cleaning kit for at
least one brand, which may help keep the adjusting mechanism working well. Some
features I noted when shopping are: adjustable wrist straps; adjustable spring
action; angled handles to better fit the natural position of the wrist; titanium
construction. I assume all have replaceable tips and adjusters. Prices range
from $50 to perhaps triple that.
New poles may be tricky to adjust.
Maps
For hiking along the Appalachian Trail between the James River and Maryland, and for hiking in Shenandoah National Park, PATC has maps and guide books which I use. For George Washington National Forest, I like a map produced by National Geographic, which may be the only one available now. There were, at least in the past, maps of different districts of the forest.
Pack
I recently heard of someone who regretted buying a cheap pack from a discount store. After a while, it cut into the wearer's shoulders. At least one company makes daypacks claimed to be designed for women.Transportation to the hike
Getting to and from the trailhead is may require some equipment more frequently than driving around town. Things I have found or seen that may prevent problems are:- Maps, just like on the trails. I believe more map is better, and I have a book of maps because it has more detail than the common one sheet map.
- Spare key. If you lock your key in the car, or someone else goes away with it (both events have happened), a long way from home, especially on a cold afternoon, life becomes more complicated. A spare key is convenient if you want to give someone else access to the car when you are not there.
- Shovel, for when there is snow. If you park, or want to park where there is snow, a shovel makes life easier. Also helpful if you drive into more snow than you realize.
- Traction devices. A couple of times I or someone else has put wheels on a small patch of slippery snow or ice and I used traction ramps to get the cars unstuck. Search the Internet for "traction ramps". Some I bought in 2004 were not as solid as those I bought years earlier, but I have not tested them.
Other
Jere Bidwell illustrates how to make a good start to a hike.
Crossing streams
After the drought of 2002 when the problem with streams was finding them, in 2003 crossing streams became a problem again. Trekking poles or a stick are helpful when rock hopping and walking across logs, if they are close to the water, because they give another support point, and can be positioned in secure spots. For the same reasons, poles can be useful wading swiftly flowing streams when the flow can push you off balance, and you still have round, slippery rocks to walk on. When you have to wade, sandals made for water are much more comfortable than bare feet. In cold water, stepping on rocks with bare feet seems to cause painful cramps, whereas with sandals, you may just have uncomfortably cold feet. If you decide to keep sandals on for a while rather than take boots on and off, the sandals may start rubbing uncomfortably; a pair of thin polypropylene liner socks might stop the problem.
And there is the old approach of having someone carry you across the water, an updated version of crossing water this water is below..
Pictures by Tom Johnson, President, PATC.
Using trekking poles when crossing on a log, Christi Gordon illustrates: 
Brian O'Rourke shows how to walk on round slippery rocks. 
John Shannon shows how to keep his feet dry while Valerie Lopez gets hers wet; note the pack just visible to the right, which fortunately for Valerie accounts for most of John's middle aged spread. George Washington crossed the Potomac, Pres. Shannon crosses a trickle.