Hiking Safety Tips

Hiking Safety Tips

It is very easy to let your ego and pride take over when trudging out on your next big hike. However, a smart tent camper would follow a few basic safety tips to ensure his/her safety. Here, is our list of suggestions:

1.  Always bring enough water.  You never know when you might get stranded somewhere. 

2.  Avoid going alone.  By hiking alone, you put yourself at risk if you happen to hurt yourself with a serious fall or injury.  By having a friend with you, he can go for help or help carry you back to the campsite. 

3.  Bring a map and compass and remember your landmarks.  It is a good idea to be overly prepared by knowing a little bit about the area you are camping.  The knowledge of a few basic landmarks can help you set your coordinates and know when you have gone of course. 

4.  Be conspicuous if hunters are around.  Make sure they know that you are out there and make extra noise when you believe they are nearby so they know where you are. 

5.  Have a prearranged safety plan with people back at camp.  For instance, if you are not back by nightfall, they should do x,y, and z. 

6.  Children under 7 should really be watched closely on hikes.  Their developing bodies are not quite ready for the rugged terrain of a lot of hiking areas.  Do yourself a favor and either have someone watch them at the campsite or keep them on a real short leash (metaphorically speaking). 

7.  Slowly back away from potentially dangerous wildlife.  If you happen to run into some threatening wildlife like a wild dog, bear, or cougar, slowly back away from it.  Odds are they will be just as surprised to see you as you are them and your slow retreat will not be taken as a threat.  Avoid running as this my cause some animals to attack based on their animal instincts chasing animals of prey. 

Equipped with this hiking safety tips, you should be able to go on the next hike with the comfort of knowing you are prepared for the worst but looking forward to the best.