Putting yourself "out there" on a hiking trail is an expression of your adventurous spirit. But along with relishing that exhilarating sense of adventure, you need to control the essential factors that make you a day hiker: footwear, backpack, hiking clothes, trail food, planning your destination and more.Having firm control over these variables puts you in a position of strength to deal with unpredictable events like nasty weather, animal encounters,...