Reprinted Articles

Hiking provides hundreds of thousands of people with tremendous pleasure and a sense of adventure every year and 99% of the time it is far from dangerous. But, people do get lost and have accidents from time to time and it can then become a dangerous activity very quickly if you are not prepared.

Here we look at are just 4 basic safety tips to make sure that your hiking doesn’t get you into trouble.

Safety Tip No1 - Take a partner of friend along.

There’s really no need to worry about setting off by yourself if you are going for a short hike in a nearby area on easy terrain, but, if you are heading out into heavily forested wilderness areas with winding trails and steep canyons then the possibility of getting lost or suffering an injury becomes very real and you should think carefully about whether it is sensible to head out alone.

Taking a partner along has many advantages, especially if that individual is a seasoned hiker. Obviously, ‘two heads are better than one’ and if you do become lost or run into difficulty you’re far less likely to panic if you have somebody with you to help solve the problem.

Safety Tip No 2 - Let someone know where you’re going.

If you are a novice hiker then you should stick to clearly marked and well traveled trails and ought not to stray from these trails to explore until you have some experience and have mastered the basics of map and compass work. But, it won’t take you too long before you are ready to tackle some more adventurous hiking and the possibility of getting injured or lost will arise.

For this reason, you should always tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return so that a search party can be sent out if you don’t return as expected.

Safety Tip No 3 - Take along some basic equipment.

It’s essential to carry a basic survival kit with you and your local hiking club will give you advice on the sort of items that this should include. What we are talking about here are such things as a lighter and matches, a good knife, a first aid kit and a flashlight.

It is also a good idea to take a map and compass along and a fully charged cell phone.

Safety Tip No 4 - Take some basic provisions along.

Water or other fluids like sports drinks are clearly essential as you can lose a great deal of fluid even over a short period of time on a hot day. You should remember however that water is bulky, so take along enough but not too much. Do not forget though that you must not drink from local streams as natural water sources might appear to be inviting but they are often loaded with bacteria and might make you sick very quickly.

Also do not forget to take along enough food to last you. There’s no pleasure in being hungry out on the trail but don’t forget that you can last a good deal longer without food than you can without water.

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Tags: Sports