4 Vital Tips for Those New To Hiking

                                                                                         

Hiking provides millions of people with tremendous pleasure and a sense of adventure each year and ninety-nine percent of the time it is anything but dangerous. However, people do have accidents and get lost every now and a again and it can then become a very dangerous activity very quickly if you are not prepared.

Here are just 4 basic safety tips to ensure that your hiking doesn't get you into trouble.

Safety Tip No1 - Consider taking a partner of friend along with you.

You don't need to worry about heading out 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 steep canyons and winding trails then the possibility of getting lost or suffering an injury becomes very real and you should think carefully about whether or not it is sensible to head out on your own.

Having a partner or friend along can have a lot of advantages, especially if that person is a seasoned hiker. After all, 'two heads are always better than one' and if you do get lost or get into difficulty you're far less likely to panic if you have someone with you to help to solve the problem.

Safety Tip No 2 - Make sure that someone knows where you are going.

If you are new to hiking then you should certainly stick to clearly marked and well traveled trails and should not stray from these trails to explore until you have some experience and have mastered the basics of map and compass work. But, it will not be too long before you are ready to try some more adventurous trails and the possibility of getting injured or lost will arise.

For this reason, you must always let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return so that a search party can be sent out if you do not return as expected.

Safety Tip No 3 - Take along some basic equipment.

It's essential that you have a basic survival kit with you and the local hiking club will be able to give you advice on the 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.

Additionally, it is a good idea to have a map and compass along together with 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 lot of water even over a short period of time on a hot day. You should note though that water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon, so take along enough but not too much. Do not forget though that you should not drink from local streams as natural water sources may appear to be inviting but they are often heavily loaded with bacteria and can make you very sick very quickly.

Also do not forget to take along enough food to last you. There's no pleasure in being hungry while you're out but remember that you can last a good deal longer without food than you can without water.

About the author:
Visit The-Hiking-Club.com for advice on everything from finding a great pair of Timberland hiking boots to the wonders of a Hawaii waterfall hiking adventure


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