Solo Hiking Tips and Safety Measures
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Solo hiking is not for everyone. You must have at least done a considerable amount of hiking with a partner before you go solo. If you decide to hike solo because you can’t find somebody to partner you, you are being irresponsible, particularly if you are inexperienced. This is basically an open invitation for trouble. However, if you have prior knowledge and experience, and you are confident enough to walk the trails alone, then here are some tips and safety measures to guide you.
Plan thouroughly. Do not venture out onto a trail without first knowing what the possible weather conditions will be at the time of your hike. There are always weather and trail advisories for the most popular places. If these are not available, check the local weather forecasts on TV or go online. Park and mountain trails usually give off predator warnings or any broadcast about trail conditions and closures. Even if you feel like you do not need it, bring a map of the trail where you plan to go. And a good compass! Read trail brochures if they are available. These little tidbits of information may prove to be life-saving in the end.
Bring everything you think you need. One of the most essential things to bring in solo hiking is a whole load of common sense. You need to keep your wits about you, especially if the trails you are walking on may inadvertently bring you close to wildlife that you are inexperienced in handling. Take only the essentials with you, and that means leaving your mp3 player at home. You need to be extra alert to the sights and sounds of your surroundings. The last thing you want to see while hiking on your own is a mother bear with a calf in tow, charging up to where you are.
Try to practice a bit of foresight too. A whistle is one way to seek help if you happen to have a terrible accident. For vision, a small battery powered and waterproof torch light is better than bringing matches or a lighter, especially when you get caught at night in the rain. Pepper sprays may come in handy, etc.
Take the established route. If it seems like a well beaten trail through the park or the mountain, then take it. Most of the popular trails have signs, guide posts and more importantly, a name that people associate them with. Solo hiking should not afford you the license to go exploring the less beaten tracks. If you find something of interest, make a mental note of the location and come back with someone to explore it (if you still desire to do so).
Never explore seemingly innocuous abandoned houses or mine shafts. And never deviate from the path simply because you think you can find an alternative route on your own. Besides, these established routes usually have one or two key points where hikers and back packers can call for aid if they need assistance.
Try very hard to take note of the wild life around you. Do not assume for one moment that since everything seems peaceful, it will remain that way. Solo hiking will and should make you more alert, with all of your senses in tip-top condition. Take notice of animal droppings in your path or unusual smells. A scarred tree with a ripped bark is an indication of a bear nearby. If you find a fresh kill nearby (say, a small deer or even traces of fresh blood and half consumed prey), it would be best to steer clear by a looooong way. If you feel as if something is watching over you, it would be best to turn back.
Other animals like birds and rodents can actually help you tell if a predator is close. If you listen hard enough, you can actually hear them moving all around you – little chirps on the tree tops or tiny movements in the grass blades. However, if all the noise suddenly ceases to a creepy degree, then that is an indication of a predator nearby.
You can actually counter animals from approaching you by making sure they know that you are solo hiking right there. Although it sounds foolish, clapping your hands or singing loudly is a great way of making your presence known. Do not whistle or use the whistle. If you whistle through your lips, a predator may still mistake you as a prey. It’s best that you reserve the use of the whistle only for extreme emergencies.
Maintain your goal. Inadvertently, you may meet another hiker or group of hikers. If you really want to continue solo hiking, then it would be best to refuse any kindly invitations to join them. Politeness is the key here, with the total conviction that you need to do this on your own.
Camping Tips for Newbies to Camping
It is always wise to pay attention to camping tips, especially if you are new to this great pastime. Do you remember the old days when you were at high school and went camping: perhaps you were a scout or a girl scout (‘girl guides’ they used to be called back then), but whatever the reason, camping was an adventure back then. Now, however, it is different.
In fact life is different now with so many precautions having to be taken whatever you do, although they are particularly appropriate with camping. The following camping tips are extremely important if you are to not only have a good time, but to do it safely, and return home having thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
First, safety. An in-depth knowledge of first aid might not be needed, but you must at least know the basics. Cuts are common at camp, especially those involving can openers or sardine or corned beef cans. Why are they so awkward, and why does the winding key always stick part of the way through? It’s not the first time that somebody will try to pull the rest off with their hands and end up with half the top stuck through their hand! Not quite life-threatening, but requiring immediate attention nevertheless. A cell phone will be useful: far better than trying to use semaphore from a hill-top to the nearest civilization! In any case nobody knows semaphore except scouts!
Another very useful camping tip if your camp involves a relatively large number of individuals is a duty roster. How would you feel if you are the one in charge of all the responsibilities like doing the chores, looking after the sanitation, cooking and a lot more? Unhappy I bet! You will so busy doing all that work that you won’t be able to enjoy the camp as you should. Because of this, it is important to have a distribution of work assignments which should be allocated as fairly as possible.
Since you are far from markets or convenient stores, your menus must be planned beforehand. Apart from sourcing all the ingredients that you need, you will also be able to budget your food
properly. You don’t want fancy food at a camp, but meals that are easily and quickly prepared, and that will last if not all consumed at once. Doing this will save time, money, and energy. Wastage can be avoided by accurate calculation of portions and carrying and preparing no more than is needed.
Since you will likely be camping in an area that is quite foreign and unfamiliar to you, it is better to have company all the time through the implementation of “buddy-buddy” system. This keeps you from danger and provides you not only with the security that such a system is designed to give, but also a friend: very useful if you are the shy type.
It is advisable that you pack only the necessities. This is particularly true if you have much walking or hiking to do. Your essentials should include a first aid kit, flashlight, spare battery, cell phone, tent and groundsheet – the latter is more necessary than many new to camping would believe. A groundsheet not only keeps moisture from getting into your bedding, but also provides a barrier to many ground insects. If you don’t want to be this evening’s menu a groundsheet can help – and if you have a mosquito net tucked underneath it, you are as impregnable as the White House (perhaps more so!).
Dress appropriate to the area you are visiting. This will have a bearing on the weight of your backpack or rucksack since weatherproof and warm clothing is heavier than the lightweight stuff you can wear in Florida - except in the hurricane season when you can end up wearing nothing! Not even your tent!
So that is what you should do, but what shouldn’t you do? Here are a few camping tips on what to avoid. Never leave your belongings unattended. Obviously you can’t carry everything with you whenever you leave camp, but you should at least carry your valuables: your money, ID or passport, jewelry, watch and cell phone. Get a bum bag or a money belt to carry these about in because they are either valuable to you personally, or are a necessity (cell phone, passport, etc).
Never leave camp at night without your buddy, or somebody else with you. This is especially true in a foreign country where people have different habits and customs. Or you might be unfamiliar with the terrain, and unfamiliar countryside can be very dangerous in the dark. You could also be trespassing private property and in some civilizations that could cost you your life! Also make sure that you leave the camping site the way you found it, for example, if you have dug sanitation or fire pits then fill them in.
If you take these camping tips and apply them then you should not only enjoy yourself and have a great time, but also learn how to appreciate your environment and the other creatures that you share it with - and improve yourself as a person.
Camping Air Beds Actually Make Camping More Comfortable
If it’s the thought of a waking up with an ultra stiff back that puts you of camping, then don’t go, at least until you get some comfortable camping air beds! This way you can experience all that camping has to offer – the natural pleasure of being outside with nature. The quiet and calm that the unspoiled countryside offers is in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of towns and cities.
You have probably heard friends and family complaining about nightmare camping trips, where not an ounce of sleep was had. The reason why this was the case is the distinct lack of camping air beds, and the reliance of thin ground sheets to protect them from the sticks, stones and mound of earth that get so much more noticeable during the night. If they were lucky enough to do some planning ahead, they might have brought a camping coffee maker for a much needed morning boost of energy!
Now you know, you can plan ahead and get an air bed or mattress to make your own camping experience a pleasure, rather than a nightmare, with a soft, warm and cozy place to sleep, not just a thin layer between you and the ground. A good night’s sleep will mean better moods in the morning, and that always helps to make a camping trip more enjoyable, instead of sleepless misery!
Really the key to a great camping trip, where fun is had by all, is to prepare really well beforehand. You can think about what luxuries you can and can’t do without. You might need a place where there is a toilet nearby, if you don’t want to go outside or a if you can’t forego your morning cup of coffee.
One of the major necessities of a comfortable camping trip is a good quality tent. This is certainly a scenario where cheapest is not the best choice, as you might not be able to fit in your camping air beds, or at the worst it might not be that waterproof. And I know, that getting wet feet, or whatever part of the body that is touching the side of the tent is not a pleasant waking experience! At least I had a camping coffee maker to warm the cockles after the experience.
Maybe you didn’t know that a camping coffee maker actually existed, well in that case you’d be surprised at the huge variety of camping accessories that are actually available. There are things like candle lanterns that are designed to be both safe (don’t drip or produce smoke), and get rid of condensation in the ten, alleviating another common complaint.
Now, if you are interested to see just what camping products are on the market the Internet is the best place to look, as here you will find the best prices and the best choices, rather than what you would find in a physical shop. I would also recommend the internet as a good source of information to help prepare for a comfortable camping trip.
So to end, let me say again that to make a camping trip the best experience possible, preparation is key. You can take a few luxuries with you like a camping coffee maker, and make sure you all have a good night’s sleep camping air beds, and just enjoy the beautifulness of nature.
