I went hiking again this past weekend.  It was a disaster.  Here are some things I learned: 

1.  Distance:  I did 26 miles in one day.  It was definitely overkill.  I would say that a maximum comfortable distance to do in one day is 15-18 miles. 

2.  Weather:  It rained for 18 of those 26 miles.  The rain itself wasn't too bad because I was carrying 40 lbs on my back and walking up and down mountains.  I couldn't tell the difference between my sweat and the rain.  But I got really cold as soon as I stopped for a break.  Solution:  Keep going.  But when I finally did stop for the night, rain got in my tent and got my sleeping bag and clothes soaking wet.  There's no way I could've slept another night in a cold, wet sleeping bag.  In the future, I'd be happy to call off the trip in the event of inclement weather.  It's just not worth it. 

3.  Time:  Even though the sun doesn't officially set until around 7:30pm, it starts getting dark in the middle of the woods about an hour before that.  And a headlamp and an air horn in the middle of the dark wilderness is hardly any consolation.  For future reference, stopping at around 6 or 6:30pm is probably a good idea. 

4.  Starting the trip off with a few miles at night wasn't as good of an idea as it sounded.  After walking 5 miles to my campsite on Friday night, I was tired, but nowhere near tired enough to get a good night's sleep on the hard ground. 

5.  Waterproof everything.  The next pair of shoes I buy will be waterproof.  I'll keep my eyes peeled for a waterproof sleeping bag.  A waterproof backpack cover might be a good idea.  And I'm not talking water resistant.  I'm talking waterproof.  [Update (2006-09-15 1:43pm):  They don't make waterproof sleeping bags, but they do make waterproof stuff sacks which come in a variety of sizes, able to fit a sleeping bag, clothes, etc.] 

6.  Quick-drying clothes are good, but they won't dry off if it's cold and/or wet outside.  However, if you have to put on wet clothes, it's better to put on some lightweight, quick-drying clothes as opposed to some sponge-like cotton monstrosities.  Plus, body heat quickly warms up the moisture in quick-drying clothes. #sports