Stay Safe

 The Great Outdoors: part seven

      At the conclusion of one of those 'trail encounters' we talked about earlier (see: The Great Outdoors part six: Hiking Etiquette) someone always seems to say ‘stay safe’ as the newly acquainted hikers part ways.  And yes, this is a nice ‘light’ way to end a friendly conversation, but we should never take safety lightly.  In general, hiking is a very safe activity, but accidents do happen all the time.  I always keep in the back of my mind the thought; ‘how long would it take to get help out here if someone were to get hurt?’

    By far the most injuries while hiking are caused by ‘falls’ and I would say probably 80% of those injuries could have been prevented simply by ‘not being stupid’.  If that little voice in your head is saying ‘this is crazy’ then you better listen, just ‘back up’ take a break to think about it a minute, after all there is always another way to go when something is too risky or just beyond your abilities.  Most situations when I hear that voice in my head will either involve fast currents at a stream crossing or an extremely steep hill, we have turned around many times when the going got too rough, better safe than sorry. 

    Of course, staying safe goes way beyond just being ‘trail smart’, your general health, age and weight and even how much experience you have hiking should all be considered when planning a hike, try not to bite off more than you can chew.  We always start the hiking season with a couple short hikes without much elevation change just to get in shape, we work our way up to the longer more challenging treks.  The most effective way to stay safe is to know your limits and never push those limits.

    It’s also helpful to be flexible when it comes to scheduling a hiking adventure; is this really the day to be out on a trail?  Will it be too hot or humid for hiking, heat exhaustion and dehydration go hand in hand and are serious, think twice before setting out on any hike when the temperature or humidity are high, instead stay cool in the shade at your favorite swimming hole.  If you do choose to go hiking in the heat, make sure to carry plenty of water, staying hydrated is essential to stave off heat exhaustion, and take lots of breaks in the shade.

on the trail to Sweeden Falls

     On the other end of the thermometer when the temps get freezing cold we sometimes get out for a little hiking, but care must be taken of course to stay warm.  Dress for the conditions, is a ‘no brainer’ or is it?  Guilty as charged, I’ve done it more than I’d care to admit; we’re at the trailhead getting ready to go hiking and it’s pretty cold out.  I think ‘oh I don’t need that jacket, once I get moving it will be too warm and I’ll just have to carry it all day’.  So, I leave the jacket in the car, a breeze picks up or the temp drops a little and I’m miserable wishing I had my jacket.

    Being ‘uncomfortable’ because I failed to bring the proper clothing for the conditions is an example of a mild or minor cold related consequence to not being prepared, it could easily become much more serious even deadly if you get cold enough to develop hypothermia.  Slip and fall into the creek when it’s freezing outside can bring on hypothermia symptoms really quick, better build a fire and fast.

    We went hiking to Sweden Falls in January once, we dressed for the conditions and stayed plenty warm, the problem I had was staying on my feet.  The blufflines were absolutely beautiful with giant icicles everywhere, but there was also lots of solid ice on the trail, I slipped and fell on my butt at least four times that day, luckily nothing more serious than some bruising.

    Some of the wildlife you will encounter is also hazardous to your health, no I’m not referring to bears which are rarely seen at all, but they are out there.  I suppose that if you somehow got between a mama bear and her cub you would be in an extremely dangerous situation, but the odds on that happening are probably one in a million.

    A long time ago while hiking in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico we crossed paths with a hiker carrying a side-arm.  We struck up a conversation like we often do, he must have noticed my frequent glances at his pistol as he suddenly said, ‘No I don’t carry a weapon because I’m worried about lions or bears, it’s to ward off all the crack addicts, meth heads and other lunatics that seem to be everywhere.’  Now that just sounds paranoid to me, and in Arkansas everyone is so nice and friendly there’s no need for a gun, right?

    Some hikers carry a weapon for protection, many more carry a weapon because they can. Fall, winter and spring are the best seasons for hiking and hunting, so anytime there is an open season, and you go out in the woods be sure to wear something hunter orange, it wouldn’t end well if while bushwhacking through some heavy underbrush you were mistaken for the elusive big buck.

    I understand feral hogs can be more dangerous than a bear, luckily we have never encountered any but have seen evidence of their ‘rooting’ around in the mud.  So beware, they are out there and there are many more wild pigs in the woods than bears.  But no, the dangerous ‘wildlife’ isn’t bears or lunatics or pigs, or even snakes which are pretty harmless.  Leave the snakes alone and they will leave you alone, is about all we need to say about snakes.

    No, the most hazardous wildlife you definitely will encounter is bugs, they’re everywhere and there’s no getting away from them.  Most are just annoying like the little kamikaze flies that seem to dive right into your eyes or the nearly invisible spider webs which reach out and grab you as your walking down a trail.  The worst has got to be the ticks, especially in the spring when the ticks will invade the trails.

    I’m told they’re out there year-round, but the woods are thick with them in the spring when they are just waiting in the trees, brush and grass for any passing source of blood that they can ‘tap’ into.  They aren’t particular about their victims any warm-blooded animal will do even hikers.  When hiking in the spring we stop often just to do a tick check and brush off any unwanted hitchhikers.  Then after returning home, it’s off to the shower almost immediately to ensure none of the little blood suckers are hiding, that usually gets rid of any lingering critters but is no guarantee. 

    Then there’s a whole host of other biting and stinging pests, including bees wasps and hornets, deer flies horse flies mosquitos and spiders, and the chigger which I despise above all others.  These little devils will swarm all over you and they are so tiny you probably won’t even realize they’re on you.

    Chiggers seem to prefer to get cozy before they start feeding, you’ll begin feeling the itch in about an hour after they have adopted you as their new best friend.  A chigger is a sloppy eater, he drools a lot while feeding on your blood and this saliva is what causes the itching that can ‘drive you mad’.  The accursed itch doesn’t go away in a couple days either it can easily last a month or more.

    Yes the bugs can be bad, but let’s not forget about dangerous vegetation, that is out there as well.  Poison ivy is probably the worst we will encounter here in the Ozarks, out in the woods it’s pretty much everywhere.  It doesn’t do well in direct sunlight; poison ivy likes a dark moist environment like you will find in just about every hollow you visit.  We all seem to have differing degrees of immunity to poison ivy, some break out just looking at the stuff while others can get down and roll around in it with no effect.

    Most of us are somewhere in between, me personally, I can walk through poison ivy and even brush against it occasionally without suffering but other times it ‘gets me’.  It has more to do with the ‘plant’ itself, when the oils are oozing especially in the summer the risk factor goes way up, after the first killer frost of fall the poison ivy will be gone (along with most of the bugs).

thick, overgrown field near Skull Bluff

    Poison ivy isn’t the only plant life out there waiting to make your life miserable, there are a bunch of thorns thistles briars and brambles just waiting to trip you up, rip your clothes and slice your skin.  The greenbrier will do all three, (trip, rip and slice) I’m sure this stuff has an actual name but if you’ve ever been hiking pretty much anywhere in the mid-southern region of the country, you’re probably familiar with the stuff.

    Greenbrier likes sun and climbs trees I assume to get more sunlight, it also grows in thick patches on old roads.  You must keep your eyes peeled when on a trail because it will trip you up as it scratches you to shreds.  Wild blackberry not as bad as greenbrier will cut you up, also encountered often in old fields or at the edge of woods are the thistles.

    Tall thistle is quite common here in the Ozarks, we were hiking to Skull Bluff, (see: 100 Skull Bluff and the Narrows) and had planned to cross an old field as a sort of short cut back to the bluffs on the river, but entering the field we found it to be covered with eight foot tall thistle so thick we couldn’t even see five feet through it.  Tall thistle is the stuff with the fluffy purple flowers at the top and sharp spines everywhere else, beware.

    And don’t even get me going about the sugar locust aka honey locust, this tree with its 1 to 4 inch spines will easily puncture through the thickest gloves and clothing then give the victim a nasty infection.  Give these trees a wide berth their spines (nails) grow everywhere on the tree including trunk, branches and even up through the ground from the roots, and they will easily go right through the soul of your hiking boots.

    So, with all that to look forward to, does anyone still want to go hiking?  I’m not exaggerating when I say, all these dangers and hazards are out there along the trail.  But with the knowledge of what is out there it is a lot easier to avoid the unwanted spoilers of a good time.  We don’t want to ‘live in a bubble’ (that’s no life at all) so by all means get out and go hiking, just be sure to always dress for the conditions and watch where you’re going and most important stay safe.

    Being dressed for the occasion seems to get ‘taken for granted’ a lot when getting ready to go on a hike.  We do have a few things however specifically for comfort and safety when hiking, first is hiking boots.  I used to wear my work boots ‘faithfully’ whenever we went hiking, on the positive side a good high-quality pair of leather work boots that are well broke in are comfortable and heavy duty, but your agility on a rough trail will suffer.  I seem to stumble or slip and fall a lot less now that I wear ‘real’ hiking boots.

    Kat on the other hand always wore hiking boots on the trail but she generally bought whatever was ‘cheap’.  Low quality cheap boots are no better than tennis shoes and fall apart in no time.  Now we both have high quality name brand hiking boots and believe me they are worth the money.

    Something else well worth the money, we recently shelled out the big bucks for the best hiking socks money can buy, and we just love them.  Another thing we like are our lightweight hiking sticks or ‘trekking poles’ these are the collapsible aluminum variety, they really help with balance on the trail especially when crossing creeks.  Also nice to have, are a pair of light nylon hiking pants, I like the ones with the removable legs for wet crossings. To help keep us safe on the trail we also carry quite the assortment of additional gear, most of it in a little backpack.

    Of course we want to keep the pack as light as possible, so the challenge is determining what is essential and what is more of a convenience.  Backpackers will buy the lightest gear they can afford then weight everything, if it’s too heavy they will eliminate something that can be considered ‘non-essential’ this is often rather difficult, and for the ‘day hiker’ it’s much the same routine just on a much smaller scale.

    All the ‘stuff’ we consider ‘essential’ is left in the pack so it’s always ready to go, this includes: 1 spare pair of socks for each person – 1 pair of leather gloves per person – a small first-aid kit – roll of toilet paper – a pack of ‘bug repellent wipes’ – a couple zip-lock bags – 2 plastic water-proof cellphone ‘bags’ – Leatherman type tool – quality compass – folding knife – electronic (plasma) lighter – small bottle of acetaminophen and Ibuprofen – small binoculars.  The total weight of the pack with all this inside is right at 4.4 pounds.

    To this ‘the basics’ pack we’ll add whatever we anticipate ‘needing’ on a particular hike, for example if planning wet creek crossings we’ll bring either slip-on creek waders or water sandals and a hand towel, if planning any cave exploration, the headlamps and flashlights go in, and if any steep climbing is anticipated a 50’ rope is included.

    We also always bring along some snacks for the trail no matter how short the planned hike is, and these go in the pack with everything else.  A lot of our ‘essential’ gear has never gotten any use and that’s good I hope it never will, but better safe than sorry.  Always be prepared for every situation you may encounter, now no one can be ‘100% prepared’ all the time but we try to at least be prepared for the most probable accident situations.

    You have probably noticed I haven’t listed ‘water’ in the essentials, hydration is crucial to life itself and should be at the top of everyone’s list of hiking necessities.  We used to carry bottled water on our hikes, but we seemed to run out quite often.  Now, while I usually carry the day-pack Kat carries our ‘hydration pack’ which holds 2 liters of water and weights about the same as the day pack.  Two liters seems to be just about right for the two of us on a typical hike, but naturally we do drink more water when the weather gets warmer.