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4 Important Safety Tips for The Novice Hiker

By: Donald Saunders Click author's name for more of his/her 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 anything but dangerous. This said, people do get lost and have accidents from time to time and it can become a dangerous activity very quickly if you are not prepared.

Here are just 4 basic safety tips to make sure that your hiking trips don't get you into difficulty.

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

You don't need to worry about setting off by yourself if you are taking a short hike in a local area on easy terrain, however, 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 you are wise to head out on your own.

Having a friend or partner along can have many advantages, particularly if that individual is an experienced hiker. Obviously, 'two heads are better than one' and if you do get lost or run into difficulty you're far less likely to panic if you have somebody with you to help sort out the problem.

Safety Tip No 2 - Ensure that somebody knows where you are going.

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

As a consequence, you should always tell somebody where you are going and when you plan to return so that a search party can be sent out if you don't return as expected.

Safety Tip No 3 - Ensure that you take some basic equipment along.

It's vital that you carry a basic survival kit with you and the local hiking club will give you advice on the items that this should include. What we're looking at here are such things as a lighter and matches, a first aid kit, a good knife and a flashlight with fresh batteries.

In addition, it is a good idea to have a map and compass with you as well as a fully charged cell phone.

Safety Tip No 4 – Ensure that you take some basic provisions with you.

Water or other fluids such as sports drinks are clearly essential because you can lose a lot of water even over an hour or two on a hot day. You should note though that water is bulky, so take enough but not too much. Remember though that you ought not to drink from local streams as natural water sources may look inviting but they are often high in bacteria and could make you sick very quickly.

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

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Visit The-Hiking-Club.com for advice on everything from finding a great pair of waterproof hiking boots to backpacking Grand Canyon