Hiking is an enjoyable activity that positively affects your mental health; it enables you to relax, de-stress and clear your mind. However, when hiking in the wilderness, you can be prone to a few risks. Therefore, learning some basic survival skills can help you be prepared.
Here are some survival skills for hiking you should possess in case of any worst-case scenarios.
Table of Contents
1. Understand What To Do If Lost
If you are lost, you should search for a safe place and stay put. If there has been a long enough time and no sign of rescue, you should work to signal to get help. There are different approaches to signaling – you can try to cast light with a mirror or hang up bright and vibrant objects in highly visible areas. You can also try to retrace your steps; it might lead you to a safe place.
2. Find Your Water Source
If you scout for water keeping the law of gravity in mind, you will probably find it at the base of a mountain or a hill. Also, if you are observant enough, you may find a swarm of insects indicating a nearby river, lakes, and streams. A water filter may help purify your water, so carrying it with you may be more beneficial than you ever expected.
3. Learn How To Create A Shelter
Knowing how to make a quick shelter is vital in areas with extremely harsh weather conditions. If you have a tent or a tarp, you can practice setting it up until you become an expert.
If you are in a forest and stuck in a storm, you can find some solace in a sheltered place rather than an open area.
4. Learn To Make A Fire
Learning to create a fire is an essential technique that hikers, backpackers, and trekkers should know. If you cannot pave your way back home, you can light a fire so that it can be used to warm you up and cook your food; hence it is a critical skill to have. Whenever you are going hiking, make sure that you keep a fire starter or flint with you.
Getting lost in the wilderness is not anybody’s idea of fun; to avoid this from happening, you need to ensure that your navigation skills are up to the mark. In the modern era, the GPS can be quite a lifesaver, but it usually does not work in the depth of the woods.
To make sure you can find your way back, you can rely on a map and compass – they will never fail you. Learn to use them, so they might come in handy if you encounter a survival mode.
6. Learn Basic First Aid
Learning the basic first aid technique is necessary when going hiking. Imagine if you fall and sprain your leg, you can not walk a considerable distance with the pain gripping you from within – with first aid, you can stabilize yourself enough to return. Any minor cuts, snake bites, abrasions, rashes, etc., can be dealt with the help of first aid.
7. Always Pack Essential Gear
You should know what to pack. Do not overstuff your backpack with unnecessary things but do not leave essential gear behind as well. Keep adequate food, a tent, boots, a sleeping bag, water, and a stove.
8. Know Your Limits
Knowing your limits can be the easiest way to stay safe. It would help if you took all the precautions when going on steep terrain rather than running with your adrenaline boost.
When you begin to hike, you should not opt for rough terrain. While you may be eager to show off, knowing your limits may help you stay safe! As you get used to hiking, you can slowly exceed the difficulty level from easy to moderate and even strenuous!
9. Learn To Deal With Aggressive Wildlife
In case of an aggressive animal coming near you, use your trekking poles to scare them away and try to make as much noise as possible. Appear as giant as you can so it can be intimidated.
While you may not be encountering a bear, you should know about the wildlife in the area you are hiking in. If black bears are present, they would probably be skittish of human presence. Grizzlies also tend to avoid humans. However, if they feel threatened, that might lead to an attack.
10. Use The Hand Trick To Estimate Daylight
If you need to know the amount of daylight left, you can try a simple trick.
- Use four fingers and horizontally hold them infront of the horizon.
- Align the pinkie with the horizon.
- When the pinkie is at the horizon, and all the four fingers lay just below the sun – you have an hour of daylight left. If three fingers can fit between the horizon and the bottom of the sun, you have 45 minutes of daylight. Two fingers equal 30 minutes, and one finger equals fifteen minutes.
- This method is accurate and straightforward.
11. Know How to Escape Insects
To escape the biting insects, you should wear a long-sleeved shirt and fully covered pants; however, if there are some exposed parts, you can rub mud on them. You can also search for a windy area so that you can find your escape from those pesky critters. The mosquitoes get attracted by dark and wet clothing – so try to avoid it!
Final Thoughts
Use these eleven survival skills to stay safe and survive in case of any mishaps or worst-case scenarios. Make sure you keep calm so you can think clearly and act accordingly.