Hiking Thursday on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake I suddenly realized I couldn’t see the trail. The colorful fall leaves that had lured me were now messing with me by covering the trail and obliterating the path ahead. Years ago, I might have panicked. But years of fall hiking have taught me a trick or two — or 10.

Below are 10 tricks I’ve discovered over the years that make fall hiking all the better. They’re based on common sense, they’re easy to remember, and they’re short. The latter being the most important: It’s fall, who want’s to sit around reading when they could be on the trail!

Leaves on the trail can make it hard to follow said trail, Part I. One way to tell if you’ve left the trail: you’ll sink into the softer, untrodden forest floor. If you suddenly notice you’re sinking more than you had, you’re likely off-trail. Stomp around a seek firm footing.

Leaves on the trail can make it hard to follow said trail, Part II. Be especially vigilant about checking for blazes. If you don’t see a blaze ahead, turn around and see if you can find one from the direction you came. If so, the direction it’s facing should tell you where the trail is coming from. If you don’t see a blaze, keep heading in the direction you came from until you do.

Be aware of sunset. As we’ve discussed recently, sunset is occurring earlier and earlier on an accelerated schedule. Example: Last Friday the sun went down at 6:51; today, it sets at 6:41. Especially for those late-day hikes it’s time to start planning accordingly.

Be aware of the temperature. Again this is especially important for those late-day hikes. It could be 67 when you set out on a hike at 4 p.m. but could drop 10 degrees by the time the sun sets. Add the chilling psychological impact of a darkening forest and you’ll be darn glad you packed a light fleece.

Check the forecast. You should always check the forecast before heading out, but with cooler temperatures it’s especially important. Encountering a mid-afternoon rain in summer when it’s 90 is one thing; it’s something else entirely when it’s 60 — or cooler. Hypothermia can occur at surprisingly high temperatures, under the right — or wrong — conditions.

Ease in. Odds are you haven’t done much serious hiking since the more temperature-friendly days of spring. And nothing sounds more inviting when the forecast high is 65 than to spend as much time as possible on the trail. But remember, it’s been months since you took a long hike; don’t expect to head out and do a 10-miler from the get-go. For one, you likely don’t have as much daylight as you think (see above). And even if you’re capable of doing that long hike, it will take you considerably longer than it did in the spring. Ease i

Hydrate. With cooler temperatures it’s easy to forget to take a hit off that hydration bladder now and then. You may not be losing as much liquid through sweat, but you are drying out. Drink!

Seek the trails less traveled. It’s fall, when everyone becomes a hiker. Need evidence? Check the website of your favorite state park and see if there isn’t an advisory that you may need to wait in line to simply enter the park. Fortunately, that’s only at the main entrances; check out the lesser-known entrances — the ones without a visitor center or restrooms, or even paved parking — on the park’s website and start your hike from one of those.

Sock up! Come fall, it occurs to us to get out the fleece, the long hiking pants, the hat the gloves. But it doesn’t always occur to us to get out our thicker, cool-weather hiking socks. You may not need them immediately, but as fall progresses and the weather cools, you’ll want a thicker, warmer sock. If you forget, worry not. Your feet will let you know.

Don’t forget the sunscreen. Though the days are getting shorter, our neck of the hemisphere is actually getting closer to the sun. That coupled with the thinning canopy means we’re getting more sunshine. Slather up!

* * *

Learn more

Interested in learning more? A few helpful sources we’ve found.

• Eat: 5 Food Tips for Hiking and Camping from EatRight.org cover the basics. Click here. WildBackpacker offers a more in-depth look into nutrition, here.
• Hydration: If you’re curious about why hydrating is so important, WebMD answers most of your questions in The Quest for Hydration
• Diminishing daylight: Find sunrise and sunset times near you, here.
• Avoid fall’s hot spots. To check on lesser-used access in North Carolina State Parks, go here, for Virginia State Parks, go here.
• Check the forecast. You probably have your favorite site for checking the forecast (we prefer WeatherUnderground.com). For mountain forecasts, we like mountain-forecast.com, which gives the forecast by elevation.