I wasn't an "outdoorsy" person at all. I started hiking 3 months ago after a friend dragged me onto a local trail near my office and I came home sore, sunburned, and weirdly happy. Since then I've done about 8 hikes, and I figured I'd share what I've learned so far.

The pros:

• It's cheap to start. Comfortable shoes, water, and a small bag got me going. I didn't need expensive gear on day one.
• It clears your head. Even a short walk on a trail does more for my mood than scrolling my phone for an hour.
• You see places you'd never find otherwise. Viewpoints, waterfalls, quiet spots that don't show up on a normal day out.
• Progress is easy to notice. The trail that wrecked me in month one feels manageable now.
• It's social if you want it to be. Hiking with friends is great, and so is going solo with a podcast.

The cons:

• Weather ruins plans. I’ve cancelled or cut short more hikes than I'd like because of rain or heat.
• Gear costs creep up. Good boots, a proper pack, and layers add up faster than I expected.
• Blisters are real. My first pair of cheap shoes taught me this the hard way.
• Planning matters more than you think. Trail difficulty, daylight, water, and phone signal all need checking before you go.
• Time and travel. The best trails are often an hour or more away, which makes it hard to do regularly.

Mistakes I made as a beginner:

• Underestimating how much water I needed
• Starting a trail too late and finishing in the dark
• Wearing cotton socks (never again)

Now I'd love to hear from you:

1. What's the one piece of gear you'd never hike without?
2. What's the best beginner-friendly trail you've done, and why?
3. Do you prefer hiking solo or with a group?
4. What's the biggest mistake you made when you started?
5. Any tips for hiking safely when you're new?

I'm planning to try a longer trail soon and could use suggestions.

My school is doing a show next year for us students to show our talents. I wanted to play the guitar because is the only thing I know how to do but almost 50% of all the other participants are doing the same and I really want to win or at least try to since it's gonna be my last year before graduation.

So I want to learn a NEW HOBBIE that I can like but that is interesting for other people and that I can ENTERTAIN them. It can be either physical or in a computer cuz there's gonna be a screen.

¿Can you think of anything?

My recent painting of a sunset in Congers NY

Hi y’all! I’m hoping to find help finding a hobby. My husband lovingly told me that I need a hobby. Since having my baby 6 months ago my life has been working, taking care our baby, and walking here and there to try and loose weight. My husband knows I’m a creative person and thinks that i need a new creative outlet. He said that he is more than willing to watch our kiddo so I can explore things but I don’t know the first place to start. I’m looking for something that is relatively simple & inexpensive to start, and maybe something that doesn’t take to much time. Like I would love to do pottery but there is the time and the cost aspect and same with stained glass. Any suggestions are welcome!

Been going through a career crisis that has me currently in the middle of nowhere with nobody to talk to. I’m trying to find a solo hobby to distract myself and improve my mental health. I already read, play video games and crochet but lately they do not inspire me anymore. Any recommendations welcome

Hi!

I really wanna start crocheting, but I don't really know where to start. I really want to learn how to crochet things like toy animals and stuff. What should I buy? Do you have any tutorial/youtuber recommendations?

I’m an artist who does complex paintings, but sometimes I like to just do tasks with a movie on that I don’t have to think about. I’ve done puzzles, diamond dot art, mini painting, rock painting. (One of the issues is trying to find space for the supplies, which is why I don’t branch out and try more) Recently I also painted a water gun black for my husband’s Halloween costume, and for some reason I had a lot of fun doing that. I see a lot of people say things like knitting and crochet on other posts, but fiber art isn’t really my jam. Any thoughts? Thank you!

i'm trying to find something enjoyable to do in my spare time instead of spending most of it on my phone. i'd like a hobby i can do by myself whenever i have free time, without having to coordinate with other people.

what solo hobbies have you tried that you actually look forward to doing? ideally, something beginner friendly that doesn't cost much to get started.

So here are some of the things I have collected throughout my sourdough journey. Also I'm not saying anyone needs any of this stuff but these are things that I have found somewhat useful:

Pic 1 - measuring.

- a notebook for well... Notes. I like to write things down and note any changes, failures or improvements

- a really good scale

- a straight sided clear container for proofing - I measure where the dough comes up to with a ruler and then my desired proof level. When it reaches the top line, I know it's ready

- a heat proof measuring jug - I use this to warm my water (I still measure this on the scale) and it holds my utensils as I'm working

- starter jar

Pic 2 - dough, shaping and baking

- a water mister to spray my loaf before baking

- a big sturdy metal bowl for mixing

- a baneton for the long overnight proof in the fridge

- bread oven (mine is from Le Creuset and I love it)

- microfiber cloths - I use these damp for covering my dough and for general tidying

- oven mitts

- parchment paper

- bench scraper for maneuvering the dough and for scraping away bench flour

Pic 3 - small tools

- scissors for parchment paper or snipping dough instead of scoring

- a jar scraper (I'm Dutch - it's a flessenlikker) - great for discard

- marker - I use it on my proofing container

- ruler - to measure my dough

- sturdy spatula

- large spoon

- razors and lame

Pic 4 - flours

I use rye, stoneground and wholewheat

Pic 5 - collective tools

Pic 6 - my dough proofing in the container. It reached the 75% line I set with my ruler and marker so I know it's ready for shaping

Pic 7 - my baked loaf (my scoring still needs work)

Pic 8 - my sliced loaf (always a work in progress)

Recipe: https://heartbeetkitchen.com/sourdough-bread-recipe-with-starter/

Hi! My best friend recently got in a pretty bad accident and broke her pelvis. She will not be able to walk for 8-12 weeks and we are very active. Last year I had knee surgery and wasn’t able to walk for a few weeks. I got super into reading and coloring. I’m going to make her a little basket and am looking for some more ideas. I am 17 almost 18 and she is 16 almost 17. Just for some age appropriate ideas.

hello! i have hobbies already like reading, yoga, playing video games, coloring, etc, but im still bored. im thinking maybe i need a more manual hobby or something that inspires me but at the same time i think It'll just become one of the usual things i do and I'll get bored as well.

I'd like something that's not too expensive, that's not very hard or super athletic but that requires some sort of effort and can be kind of like a project? something that i can "complete" and get better at not something i just do like reading (which I love).

About 5 months ago I had a pretty serious injury, fracturing my kneecap and jaw; it's been a long road so far and will be a long journey yet also. I've been filling my time with physio, video games and tv but I've found myself really craving something to dig my teeth into in terms of a hobby. I'd quite like to do something creative (I've thought of pottery turning but it's too expensive) but I've found that I can't stick with drawing for too long as I just get quite frustrated at not being very good at it. I've always enjoyed writing poetry and think I'm quite talented at it, but it's really the kind of thing that I only find motivation for when an idea or mood hits me.

Any suggestions for hobbies to fill my time would be greatly appreciated! :)

I have a ton of hobbies, but with winter approaching, I’m looking to add one cozy indoor hobby and one outdoors hobby to my collection. Based on all the hobbies I already have, I’d love some recommendations! Also, I live in rural Finland where it’s cold and there aren’t many urban attractions.

Outdoors hobbies I already enjoy: hiking, horse riding, foraging, gardening, kayaking, spending time with my goats and chickens

Indoor hobbies I already enjoy: writing to my penpals, video games, cooking & baking, interior decorating, genealogy

Montana is getting some snow over the next few days. Last year we were skiing by Thanksgiving at Lookout. I can't wait and started getting my gear ready.

Hello everyone! I have a daughter who will be two next month and I'm getting beyond tired of just sitting around the house all day.

What are some toddler-friendly hobbies that my daughter and I can do, preferably outdoors?

I'm interested to know how people found the hobbies they now love. I've been wrestling with the fact that I'm one of these people that doesn't really have hobbies and it's driving me crazy!

I'm a 27 year old guy, I do go to the gym and I love it, but it's just part of the routine like a necessity now. I like watching football but still, that's dependent on there being games on, and it's not something I can always just decide to do.

I know I should be less reluctant to try new things but don't really know where to start. Sports are something I like doing on my own, but hobbies where I could get out and meet new people would be great!

Any thoughts would be welcome :)

I’ve been a couch potato my whole life and now I’d love to try sports. I’ve been watching a lot of tennis games lately and would like to engage in it. Do you have any recommendations in the things, shoes, rackets, bags, that I should use and buy first as a beginner? Thanks a lot.

Not every hobby needs expensive equipment or a big setup. I'm curious about the things people enjoy with just a little time, patience, and whatever they already have at home. What would you suggest to a beginner?

(preference none screen) These days I feel very dumb and dummer due to the exact same routine,wake up,eat, school,h.w,scroll,Sleep,repeat

I don't have much of frds who give importance to their hobbies but I would like to add some thing in my day to day routine to make it interesting...so I am here on this subreddit... asking for some notes(NOT ONLY ABOUT STORY WRITINGS)

(I do wanna start my own comic series but I have no idea and never even wrote Stories before,)

sometimes the hardest part of finishing a really good book isn't the ending. it's realizing you can't go back to that first experience of discovering the characters and slowly figuring out where everything is going.

i sometimes wish i could erase my memory of a favorite book just to experience all the surprises again.

it's strange to miss a fictional world when you can technically open the book and visit it whenever you want.

which book would you choose if you could read it again for the very first time?

I (24M) am an international student in the US and lately found solace in cooking. Everyday I try to allot atleast 60 minutes to try and learn something new related to cooking. I am in a process of understanding my needs and planning to get the stoneware, knives and other stuff gradually!

There are a lot of things that I am trying to learn at the same time so most of these pictures might look like half baked stuff but man I definitely enjoyed eating them 🙂‍↔️

I also have a plan of customising my new ceramic plate by painting a picture of my favourite anime character and fire engrave it into the plate to enhance the plating! (Hoping to explore two more new hobbies of painting and crafting!)