Being out there on the trail is a sacrifice. You are faced with hiking injuries and illnesses and need to find a way to navigate. We are determined to help you arrive alive and have a good experience. Adventure is all about enjoying the expedition. Injuries and illnesses can reverse the whole experience and make you regret leaving home.
We aim to ensure you get the best out of your hiking adventure and return home in perfect health. Accidents do happen, and for that reason, you need to prepare by carrying a fully loaded first aid kit.
Must haves in your first aid kit
A first aid kit should contain items you need if you or any other person gets into an accident. In some cases, you can sort out the injuries and continue with the hiking, while some are severe, and first aid can only be administered as you await evacuation. You should be able to detect severe injuries and act fast to prevent fatalities.
Your first aid kit must contain the following:
- Bandages
- Blister plaster
- Pain relief medication
- Antibacterial ointments
- Moleskin
- Duct tape
- Gauze pads
- Sunscreen
- Antiseptic wipes
- Elastic strap
- Safety pins
- Tweezers
- Insect sting treatment
- Reflector jackets
- Hand sanitizer
- Eye drops
- Rehydration salts
- Antibiotics
- Thermometer
- Surgical gloves
- A notebook with basic first aid procedures, doctor’s contacts, and emergency evacuation personnel contacts.
How to prevent hiking injuries and illnesses
Prevention is always better than cure. We understand that sometimes things go wrong because they were meant to, but this is not an excuse not to take precautions. If you are a hiking beginner, bad experiences involving injuries can discourage you from going for more hikes. We would like you to continue hiking up to the expert level, and for this reason, we arm you with simple guidelines that you can follow to prevent or treat specific hiking injuries and illnesses.
#1. Blisters
Blisters primarily affect the legs because of friction with shoes. They may not sound like anything serious until you realize you cannot move; the pain is unbearable. To prevent blisters, wear the right size of shoes and suitable material socks, preferably wool. It would help to dry your feet well before wearing your socks and shoes.
In some cases, blisters are inevitable, and when they occur, you should place a moleskin or athletic tape on the blister to prevent it from busting. If it has already busted, dry the area thoroughly and apply antiseptic to prevent it from getting an infection. You then cover it with a band-aid. You can decide to continue with the journey based on the intensity of pain you feel after putting the shoes back on.
#2. Sprains
Rocks, uneven terrain, and other obstacles you will find along the trail will likely cause an ankle sprain. Most sprains happen by sheer accidents, but you can prevent some.
The first step to preventing sprains is wearing the right shoes, non-slippery shoes. Hiking boots offer extra protection from spraining. It would also help if you had a walking stick to prevent slipping and spraining on the slippery path.
If you take all the precautions and still get an ankle sprain, keep the acronym R.I.C.E. in mind, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Follow the steps, and if it still hurts too much, take pain relief medication and start your journey back.
#3. Cuts
Cuts are the least likely injuries to occur while hiking. They can be caused by either accidentally cutting yourself when using a knife or mishandling a broken glass. If you have the proper hiking boots, you will not get cuts from cans, and broken bottles left carelessly on the trail.
In case you get a cut, the first thing you do is clean the area and apply an antiseptic. You will then bandage it up and take pain relief medication if the pain intensity is high. More often, cuts will not prevent you from getting on with the hike.
#4. Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a severe hiking-related illness that can be fatal if not addressed promptly. It would help if you worked towards preventing an occurrence other than waiting to treat it.
The risk of hypothermia is higher when you are hiking in winter. Avoid resting in open spaces and instead put up a temporary shelter when taking a break. Alternatively, remain on the move for the better part of the day.
Ensure your clothes are dry all the time and change as soon as you feel any dampness resulting from sweat. Instead of ordinary water bottles, consider carrying a flask to have warm drinks in place of cold water.
If you feel like your body is freezing, call for emergency help.
#5. Hyperthermia
If you are hiking in high-heat weather, you can easily suffer from hyperthermia, characterized by an abnormal increase in body temperature. The surest way of preventing hyperthermia is by staying hydrated throughout the trek. It would help if you keep sipping water rather than wait until you feel thirsty.
The first sign that hyperthermia is striking is mild muscle cramping which you can easily ignore until they start becoming severe. If you do not take action, the condition will begin escalating to heat exhaustion, and at this point, it is becoming life-threatening. The last stage is heat stroke, and it is life-threatening.
You are better off arresting the situation at the first stage. Do not allow it to escalate since, by the time you are suffering from heat stroke, you have a 50-50 chance of survival.
#6. Dehydration
Dehydration is a hiking illness that causes other injuries, such as hyperthermia and chafing. Preventing dehydration will solve several other potential health issues that you would have encountered. Your body needs a lot of water daily, and this requirement increases when you are on the move.
Remember, you are sweating, and your body is losing its water content. Plan your hiking itinerary so you can rest during the hottest periods. You can build temporary shelter and relax while waiting for the heat to subside before continuing your journey.
You should not wait until you are feeling thirsty to sip water since your body is already suffering by the time extreme thirst kicks in.
Another way of staying safe from dehydration is to have rehydration salts in your first aid kit. If the heat becomes too extreme, you can mix the salts in your drinking water.
If you cannot treat the dehydration, do not wait any further. Call for an emergency evacuation since you might need to be placed on a drip to reverse the damage.
#7. Sunburn
Sunburn is an underrated injury that can cause permanent damage to the skin. Sunscreen is essential in your hiking backpack because you do not want to go back home with your skin looking sorry. For the sunscreen to be effective, you should apply it 15 minutes before going out into the sun and keep reapplying after every 2 hours.
The best sunscreen has a sun protection factor of 30 and above.
Remember that other body parts besides the face can also get sunburns. Put on long-sleeved tops to protect your hands, sunglasses to protect your eyes, and a cap to further protect the face.
It would help if you still had protection from the sun, even on cloudy days, since the filtered sun is still strong enough to burn your skin.
#8. Bug bites
Bug bites are inevitable when hiking in the forests, but you can reduce the probability of occurrence. You must bring insect repellent to your hikes and a mosquito net to protect you when sleeping at night.
Bug bites are not life-threatening and cannot stop you from continuing the hike, but they can be uncomfortable because of the itchiness. They can, however, be treated by applying a bug balm to ease the itchiness and reduce swelling.
#9. Chafing
Chafing is another injury that can cause discomfort if not handled promptly. The best thing about chafing is that it can be detected and handled before it becomes severe. It would be best if you took action as soon as you start feeling some friction in areas prone to chafing.
You can prevent chafing by wearing the right-fitting clothes and shoes, taking a bath as often as possible to keep your skin clean, and using generous amounts of oil and powder. It would help if you also carried a well-padded backpack to protect your shoulders and back from the friction that causes chafing.
Chafing is one of the hiking injuries and illnesses that can easily be ignored but can bring your journey to an end because of the pain.
Conclusion
For most of these hiking injuries and illnesses, the severity varies from mild to near-fatal, so you need to understand how to handle the situations when they occur.
When you feel like your health is at risk, it is okay to turn back and go home. You can always go hiking when the conditions are more favorable.
This tutorial will help you stay safe on the trail and know when to call for help. We look forward to reading your comments about this guide. Talk to us in the comment section.
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