Tips to stay safe while out hiking

HIKING is a terrific way to explore the country, to see wildlife and plants, and to keep fit too. Take the kids on walks with paths to lead to known attractions or go wandering in a National Park with a guide for a true adventure. Before you go though, check out these tips so your trek is a safe one.

Don’t go alone

Getting away from it all is great but if you fall and twist an ankle, having a friend with you can make the difference between calling out emergency services and making it back under your own steam. Play it safe and take a buddy.

Stay in touch

If you twist your ankle just a kilometre away from the road, you may not be able to get back. and if you take a wrong turn, finding you in the wilderness takes a platoon of volunteers. so carry a fully charged phone and use a GPs for when you’re going off-road.

Baby steps

Hiking is quite intense so if you haven’t exercised since school, start with short twoor three-hour walks and gradually increase the effort needed to complete your jaunts.

Doing too much too quickly means you’ll be too tired to enjoy yourself – and it will mean aches and pains the next day which is even worse.

Use a map

all right: if you’re walking up a known hiking trail and back down again, you probably don’t need a map.

But for everything else, it’s safer to know what area you’re in, just in case you need to use a shortcut home, take shelter or call for help.

so get a map out before you go, and shove it in your pocket for the trip. Better safe than sorry, right?

Know where to find water

You can do without food for a few days if you have to but you can’t do without water.

For short hikes, carry drinking water. For longer hikes with overnights, plan for drinking water by stopping at a campsite or by investing in disinfectant tablets or a filtration device from a quality outdoors shop.