How To Avoid The Most Common Hikers’ Mistakes

 

To prop­erly intro­duce some­one to the out­doors you must make their expe­ri­ence as pos­i­tive as pos­si­ble. And while pre­cau­tion is the best treat­ment for com­mon hik­ing injuries, some­times a blis­ter or twisted ankle is inevitable. And when you bust out that first aid kit to resolve any dis­com­forts, the most impor­tant thing you can pack with you is the knowl­edge of how to use your sup­plies and prop­erly alle­vi­ate any ail­ments you may encounter. So here’s what you need to know to be pre­pared for you next hik­ing expedition:

SUN BURN
When you spend 100% of your time out­side, a lit­tle sun expo­sure is bound to hap­pen. The best way to pre­vent uncom­fort­able sun burns that cause you to toss and turn all night is by wear­ing long sleeves and pants and apply­ing the appro­pri­ate sun­screen every few hours. But hey, some­times long sleeves and pants don’t fit your out­door lifestyle, and with the fun that you’re hav­ing, it can be hard to remem­ber to reap­ply your sun­screen when needed………..

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POI­SON IVY
Noth­ing can ruin a fun time like Poi­son Ivy, Poi­son Oak, or Poi­son Sumac, and the spread­ing rash these plants can bring. Being able to iden­tify and avoid (and espe­cially not use as toi­let paper) is by far the eas­i­est way to treat any poi­son rash con­cerns. After that, and as usual, long sleeves and pants that cover the most com­mon con­tact areas (arms and legs) will help avoid any trou­ble or late-night itch­ing. If you do stum­ble upon an unex­pected grove of these poi­so­nous plants, stor­ing some Calamine in your first aid kit should help with some of the irritation.

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MUS­CLE CRAMP­ING
Noth­ing is more fun than hav­ing your legs cramp with every step you take up the moun­tain, or that feel­ing of your toes curl­ing in on them­selves as you lay in your tent at night. Cramp­ing is another com­mon hik­ing injury that is com­monly pro­duced by dehy­dra­tion. Sounds sim­ple enough then, to avoid cramp­ing make sure you are drink­ing a lot of water. But some­times in the heat of the moment, espe­cially if the moment is par­tic­u­larly cold, it can be hard to remem­ber to drink the appro­pri­ate amount of H2O. Stretch­ing before your big hike can help, and if you find your­self suc­cumb­ing to a nasty cramp, stretch­ing fur­ther can alle­vi­ate some of the pain. Con­sider apply­ing hot and cold tem­per­a­tures to the cramp and refu­el­ing with an electrolyte-dense sports drink. These solu­tions can often get you the rest of the way home.

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Article source: The Clymb
Image source: Sport Talk