What is Hibiking and Why Should You Care?
By Ilan Stein
Hiking and biking, two individually challenging and extremely fun activities that almost anyone can partake in, almost anywhere. Taken separately, they are both very engaging and demanding activities that can give you physical exercise and adventure at the same time. Unbeknownst to many, you can actually take these activities and combine them, melding these activities into a rather epic and awe-inspiring fusion of outdoor activity: HiBiking.
Hike Biking, or HiBiking for short, is a particularly overlooked and often dismissed activity. Want to quickly speed through a particularly boring section of the trail? With your bike you can do just that. Trail too steep or impassable on the bike? Just walk on through. The process of hike biking does its job fabulously at combining the best elements from both activities in order to maximize the outdoors to the fullest.
Although, before heading out on your first hybrid outdoor adventure you should prepare diligently (as you should always). Making sure your gear is ready is an essential part of being able to go out there successfully without any problems. You can take steps such as dressing according to the weather, specifically wearing enough layers if it is especially cold that day, and gauging the difficulty of trails according to your skill level in biking/hiking. Now when it comes to the bike itself, make sure that everything is good to go before you step out of your door. As you bike and hike around you will constantly be relying on your bike, so it’s vital that there are no issues with your steed. Make sure to check the brakes, the settings of the gears, tire pressure, and wear/tear on the tires beforehand in order to make sure everything is running smoothly by the time you get to your preferred hiking/biking spot.
Finally, don’t forget that this activity can be extremely social and much better in a group! Invite your friends to join you, whether it be their first time or thousandth, enjoying the company of others while you explore and roam in the outdoors is an unparalleled experience. So go out there and have fun!