HIKING PREPAREDNESS

Hiking is a great activity for just about anyone, however like any activity it requires proper preparation and planning. There really is no way to over prepare, however when planning any hiking event, Murphy's Law applies "what can go wrong, usually will". To prevent Murphy's Law from spoiling your hike I like to follow the four (4) "W's" they are WHO, WHERE, WHEN and WHAT.

"WHO", are the members of your hiking group and what are their ages?. What is the Physical condition of your hiking group?, are there any members with medical conditions that could limit his or her physical activity?, furthermore do those members require medications and or observation. Finally, remember to consider if there are any members that have allergies or allergic reactions, for example; natural irritants, insect bites or food related allergies just to list a few. Never second guess yourself if you are organizing a hiking trip, and have the facts concerning the issues mentioned above. Failure to recognizing these concerns could result in serious problems. The hiking group should have atleast one or more First Aid/CPR certified members present during your trip, in case any medical conditions arises. It wouldn't be a bad ideas to have one of the groups First Aid Medical providers take charge of any medications needing to be taken during the trip, especially when many of the participants are youth. To make the hike planning easier appoint some of your members with group responsibilities; such as trail leader, rear trail leader, First aid providers, ETC., and to make it fair for everyone setup a duty rotation roster or a Duty roster. For some extra advise from experience, the trail hike Leader should your slowest member, it might take a little longer to get to your objective, however everyone will get there at the same time.

"WHERE", is the hiking group going, and how far is the hike?. There are many factors involved in where a hike is going to be held such as, how far is the trail head from where you live (Transportation)?, is there water available along the trail (Natural Resources)?, and what are the conditions of the trail (Natural Awareness)?. To obtain these facts you can consult your County, State or National Park and Recreations local area offices by phone and in some areas by the Internet for area updates. Other factors to look at are Elevation and seasonal Weather Conditions in your geographic location, since they could make a difference in clothing, gear needed and the physical condition of your group to make the hiking trip work.

"WHEN", is the Hiking trip going to take place Summer, Fall, Winter or Spring?. Seasons play a very important role in planning a hiking trip for example, clothing, equipment organization and food. During a summer's day at sea level you would expect to wear shorts and a t-shirt; however at 10,000ft where the air is colder, warmer clothing might be required to stay comfortable. Winter time requires a greater awareness of temperature preparedness, to prevent the human body against hypothermia, frostbite and or shock. Weather changes can become a serious factors on any outdoor activities. It is advisable to check local weather conditions prior to departing, however like any predictions they are not facts and may change without warning.

"WHAT" , should you bring on your hike?, This is the final and one of the most important steps of your Hike Preparedness checklist, which is divided into two categories personal and group equipment. Personal equipment should consist of the "Ten Essentials" and click here for an example of gear you will need for personal use. The group equipment needs to meet all the factor mentioned above such as Weather, elevation, season and the groups ability (i.e.. Physical condition, mental awareness and knowledge/experience). There are many lists of equipment available on the Internet, for a few examples click on the following links on the REI website, Day Hiking, Overnight Trail Gear, First Aid Kits, Kitchen Gear, Snow Camp Gear.

In conclusion as a reminder to "Be Prepared" and to plan carefully prior to beginning your activity, here is an example:

   On a trip in the Los Paderes National Forest in Central California one August day, a group of eleven Scouts participated in a eight mile hike, from Camp 3 Falls to Mount Pinõs. At sunrise the day started off on a clear brisk morning when we began our hike up the mountain. Everyone carried a light day pack which included one change of clothing, food, mess kit and one tarp since the local weather report stated it was going to be a clear day in the mid 80's with light northeasterly winds 5-10 miles per hour. At noon we reached the top of Mount Pinõs to have lunch after dropping off our packs 1.3 miles down the trail where we were going to camp that evening. During Lunch we met up with a Ham Radio operator in his converted one ton Bread Van into a mobile Radio station with a 20 foot linear antenna mounted to the roof. The Ham Radio operator notified our group that NOAA radio was advising that a front of unstable weather was coming from the north. It was only minutes after the report was broadcast a dark layer of clouds were building to our north and moving toward our location at 15 to 20 miles per hour. Our group immediately packed up our lunches and began to hike back toward our campsite however, a quarter mile into our return trip we were surrounded from all sides by Thunderstorm clouds. It wasn't long before the clouds opened up with pea sized hail, thunder and lightning with nowhere to run. The Daytime temperature dropped from the mid 80's to around 50 degrees in a matter of minutes, as we continued to make our scattered descent down the mountain. Our group was not prepared for the freak severe thunderstorms with only two trash bags, three water bottles and one poncho. A half a mile or so from our campsite we reached an area of dense pine trees where our inexperienced group attempted to take shelter from the pounding hail, Naturally this wasn't the most logical choice since the lightning and Thunder was less than a second apart, making it impossible to hear myself think. Nearly twenty minutes later the storm began to pass, and our group soaked to the skin crawled back to our soggy camp through rivers of mud. As night fell our group constructed a makeshift shelter of tarps where we slept through a night filled with thunder and rain well into the morning. That morning our group no quite dry from the day before made our way back to Camp 3 Falls, where we concluded the stormy hike.

(true story August/1987)

This story was an example of a hiking trip gone wrong due to lack planning and that things can change without warning if you are not prepared. Just as a friendly reminder remember good old "Murphy's Law...................

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