The hiking vs walking difference is simpler than most beginner guides make it: hiking happens on natural, unpaved terrain. Walking happens on pavement or a sealed surface. That one distinction — what’s under your feet — is what drives every practical difference between the two. Most articles bury this and jump straight to gear lists. I want it in the first paragraph, because once you understand it, every other question answers itself. My first mistake was assuming the two were interchangeable. I’d done a few paved loops through local parks and figured I was comfortable enough to join a friend…
