Hiking Alone Is Not Cool
Posted by Ramsey Outdoor on Jan 18th 2017
Hiking is fun. Hiking is great exercise. Hiking is an awesome way to get outside and enjoy Mother Nature at her finest. Hiking can also be dangerous. In this week’s blog post, we beg you to never hike alone! Although we conceptually understand wanting to hike alone, we also understand the dangers that go with being alone in the wilderness and how literally one wrong step can lead you to a much different day than you had intended…or worse!
Here at Ramsey Outdoor we are lucky because we get to speak to so many people on a daily basis and hear their stories of triumph and tragedy in the great outdoors. Although we get to hear about people successfully summiting mountains and skiing steep bowls in the back country, we also hear stories of unfortunate situations where people have gotten hurt while hiking and it has taken them hours (and in some cases even days) to get back to their cars.
IF you MUST hike alone, we ask that you follow these simple instructions to ensure your safety:
- Make sure that someone knows exactly what trail you are on. Stick to the trail. Bring a whistle.
- Bring adequate water and some food and make sure that you have a stocked medical kit with you that addresses any medicine that you may personally need on a daily basis with dosing instructions.
- Always have a trekking pole or hiking stick with you. This could be lifesaving if you injure a foot or ankle and need help getting out.
Happy Trails!