The Hiker’s Top 25 Rules for Returning Home Safely

Many hikers will tell you that the twenty-five rules below are worthy of knowing, even if they don’t follow all of them all of the time. Nevertheless, the more time you experience outdoors, the more reasons you’ll find that you need to adhere to nearly all of them. Universally accepted by experienced hikers and backpackers the world over, these basic laws are designed to save hikers from a ton of unnecessary grief.

If you’re venturing outdoors, get to know these rules. If you are a novice hiker, it will pay to study and know them before you venture out into the wilderness, even if where you’re going is only a few miles from your front door.

An ounce of prevention

These Top 25 Rules, by their nature, are preventative, but they should not prevent you from enjoying your day in the wilderness. Instead, they are intended to help you be prepared for those instances when adventure can become disaster. After all, misadventures do happen every day out there. But you don’t want to wind up on the evening news, or worse: a statistic. To avoid such recognition, your regular objectives are to be prepared before you go out there, then go out there and hike with confidence.

Consider hiring a guide

Nevertheless, if you’re going out for a hike alone, are new to an area, or are uncomfortable about your level of expertise in the wilderness, consider joining a responsible hiking group, or hire a professional guide who is familiar with the trails and the weather. You’ll often be glad you did, since local groups and guides often know quite a bit about the local terrain, climate, flora, and fauna. Plus, you’ll actually learn a lot by listening to them, and that’s where you’ll get your money’s worth time and time again.

The Top 25 Rules

1. Avoid cotton clothing. Cotton keeps moisture close to your skin and can cause chafing, blisters, and fungus. Instead, wear wickable fabrics such as lycra, silk, nylon, wool, and polyester blends that channel moisture away and keep you dry, warm, and comfortable.
2. Before you go, know your equipment. Check it thoroughly, make sure you have what you need and that it works as you expect it to before you set out for your hike.
3. Before you go, know your map. Have a map of the area you’re venturing into, study it well before you set out, and then carry it with you on the trail. A map can show you not only where you are and how far you have to go, but it can also help you indicate terrain, find water, find a campsite, and find an emergency exit route in case of an accident.
4. Before you go, be aware of weather and trail conditions. Check the local weather conditions before you leave for your hike, and if need be, contact the local park or wilderness jurisdiction to determine if trails are closed due to weather, geological activity, or other events.
5. Before you go, tell someone. Let a trusted friend, family member, or ranger know where you are going, the trails you are hiking, and when you will return. What will you do in the event of an emergency? What if you don’t come home when you say you will? It won’t hurt to also share your emergency plans with that same someone.
6. Before you go, pack plenty of water and a way to purify it. Without enough water, your body’s muscles and organs simply can’t perform as well, and you’ll be susceptible to hypothermia and altitude sickness.
7. Before you go, pack extra food. Any number of things could keep you out longer than expected: a lengthy detour, getting lost, an injury, difficult terrain. A few ounces of extra food will help keep up energy and morale.
8. Before you go, pack rain gear and extra clothing. The weatherman is not always right. Therefore, bring along extra layers, especially above treeline.
9. Before you go, pack sunscreen. Apply it liberally before you begin your hike, especially above treeline, to protect against sunburn from direct sun and sun reflection from snow. Often you’ll need to reapply sunscreen while you’re out on the trail.
10. Before you go, pack sunglasses. You’ll protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and also prevent snowblindness.
11. Before you go, pack a hat. Wear it on the trail, because sunscreen and sunglasses are not enough. You’ll also keep your body warm if you can prevent the loss of heat from where it exits your body at the top of your head.
12. Before you go, pack matches. Know how to start a fire. The warmth of a fire and a hot drink can help to prevent hypothermia. Fires are also a great way to signal for help if you get lost.
13. Before you go, pack a knife. A Swiss Army knife or multi-purpose tool such as a Leatherman can enable you to cut strips of cloth into bandages, remove splinters, fix broken eyeglasses, and perform a whole host of repairs on malfunctioning gear – not to mention cut cheese and open cans.
14. Before you go, pack a flashlight. If you’re lost and it’s dark out, what will you do without one? To find your way in the dark or to signal for help, be sure to always have a working flashlight in your pack. For extra assurance, carry an extra bulb and batteries.
15. Before you go, pack a compass. A compass can help you find your way through unfamiliar terrain, especially in bad weather in which you can’t see the landmarks.
16. Before you go, pack a first aid kit and know how to use it. Take a basic first aid class with the American Red Cross or a Wilderness First Aid class, offered by many hiking organizations. Preassembled first aid kits for hikers are available at many outfitters.
17. When you’re out there, know your limitations. Don’t try to do more than you know you are capable of. Most especially, don’t try to show off to others; going for a laugh should not result in going for a stretcher.
18. When you’re out there, recognize when you should turn back. Weather can change quickly in the wilderness. Fatigue and unexpected conditions can also affect you or the members of your group. Know when to postpone a hike; that lovely hill you want to climb will still be there next time.
19. When you’re out there, stay together. When you start as a group, hike as a group, and end as a group. Set the expectations of the group before you step onto the trail. And because a group hike will never go faster than the slowest person in the group, pace your hike accordingly; stop to regroup at all trail junctions, even hilltops. Hike leaders who don’t follow this rule don’t remain hike leaders for long.
20. When you’re out there, don’t over-rely on the guidance of the group you’re with. Even if you are hiking with people you trust, can you rely on them to guide you to your destination and back? Would you leave all the navigating to somebody else? Are your trusted companions professional guides? Are they carrying a map?
21. When you’re out there, assume the worst. Even if you are headed out for just an hour, an injury, severe weather, or a wrong turn could become life-threatening. Don’t assume you will be rescued; know how to rescue yourself.
22. When you’re out there, need rescuing, and you’re under thick tree cover, try to move to open country where searchers can find you.
23. When you’re out there and you’re in trouble, stay mentally focused. Don’t waste emotional energy on what could go wrong. Focus on doing the right thing by yourself and your group.
24. When you’re anywhere on this planet, be responsible to yourself, and be responsible to others.
25. Share these Top 25 Rules with others.

~winehiker

Related posts:

• The Winehiker’s Trail Tips No. 1: Basic Gear
• For day hikers: “must haves” vs. “nice to haves” when hiking
• The Winehiker’s Trail Tips No. 2: Optional Hiking Gear

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 at 1:55 pm and is filed under gear, grape squeezins, winehiker's trails. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.