What to Watch Out for When Hiking

It is more than just wandering around aimlessly. It is more than just an excuse to get your steps in, or drawing a picture on the map of your exercise tracker. When you are out in nature, nothing around but the air and sounds of the woods and wildlife, it is peaceful and invigorating. You just have to be outside to be in nature, and be able to listen to yourself as it mingles with the world—the actual world. The world that matters. But, as beautiful as it is, nature can be subtly dangerous. Fatal even (not to sound like a horror movie trailer...). Be in tune with nature, but be careful. Know what to watch out for when hiking. To get all you can out of your hikes, know how to prepare. Aside from packing the right equipment for any given excursion, there are three things you should focus on if you wish to stay safe on, and return from, a hike.

Hydration and Energy

When you hit the trail, you are foot-driven, propelled across, up, and down the varying terrain. Plus, it gives you intermittent resistance training combined with unmatched cardio. Descending faster than your adrenaline pumps, mastering, and toying with gravity is your drug. There is no doubt that hiking is one of the best workouts you can give your body. But, just like with any workout, hiking can deplete your fluids and nutrients fairly quickly, especially when you do not expect it. Do not let inconvenience stand in the way of staying hydrated and energized. Whatever works for you, when traversing through nature, make keeping your body hydrated and energized a priority.

Plants and Wildlife

Beautiful, awe-inspiring, life-sustaining, and dangerous. The majestic beauty of plants and wildlife can distract one from their potential danger. Trudge through streams and brush, rocket down inclines, but be wary of the warning signs of local flora and fauna. Nothing can dampen the enjoyment of nature more than a bite from a protective animal mama, or a rash from a beautiful bush. Keep your eyes open, especially if you happen to bring along your four-legged companion.

Canine curiosity is notorious for getting man’s best friend into more than one scrape with wildlife or thorns causing them to literally sniff out trouble, getting their noses or mouths around places and things they should not. There might be plants that happen to smell good enough to eat. Whether they try to eat or roll in them, it would be helpful to know the 10 plants poisonous to dogs, for example, so they can enjoy the hike with you in relative safety.

Keep your bearings

Romping and rocketing through nature's beautiful, awe-inspiring, life-sustaining, and dangerously majestic beauty can distract you from, and make it difficult to make it out, and make it home. It is all too easy to get turned around on a hike, especially in an unfamiliar area. A simple thing you can do is establish your location/destination's relation to North (using something as simple as a compass), study, as well as pack a map of the trails, and be wary of the time of day. It is potentially easier to get lost at night than in the day time. Knowing the aforementioned information, and packing a GPS device for good measure will help you make it out of the woods, hills, or whichever terrain you choose to conquer that day.

It is important to stay safe when hiking, because the activity you enjoy can turn dangerous fairly quick. Fatal even. Along with its beauty, nature packs danger. This is the world in which you feel most alive and at peace. If you want to keep it simple while staying safe, there are three things you should focus on if you wish to return from a hike. Staying hydrated, knowing the local flora and fauna, and not getting lost are probably the three most important things to handle before and during a hike.