Five Tips for Safe Desert Hiking

Desert hiking? Yeah, you heard me. When most people think about hiking, they think about thickly-forrested hills with trails cutting gently up the slopes, or canyoneering through northern Arizona with some spectacular views. But some people don’t have access to a whole lot of country side except…desert. And if you’re a desert hiker, that’s just fine by you.

Of course, desert hiking does come with a few risks. If you want to hike safely in the questionable terrain, here are a few tips that should help you on your way.

1. Plan a hike in advance. Don’t just know where you’re leaving on your hike, know where you’re going, what you’re bringing, who’s coming with you, and how to get to your destination. Without a plan, you’ll be far more susceptible to the potential dangers that come with desert hiking. Is every desert hike very dangerous? No, but being prepared will minimize your chances of something bad happening.

2. Remember water and electrolytes. If you’re going on an extended desert hike, you have to remember that water is crucial. Even if you think you can handle a certain amount of exercise, remember that hot air and the sun can also contribute to dehydration – and you often don’t know it until it’s too late.

3. Protect your skin as much as you can. Remember to use light white fabrics that wick away sweat and protect your skin from the sun. White reflects more sunlight back to the sun, while black absorbs it. Dress in a lot of white and bring plenty of sunscreen so that the exposed parts of your skin still have some protection. You don’t only want to avoid sunburn, but you want to avoid your skin baking up and losing a lot of hydration.

4. Don’t go alone. It can be tempting to throw caution to the wind and go of adventuring by yourself, but if you bring a hiking partner, you’ll have a lot better chances of finding where you need to go, and making sure that you’ll stay safe.

5. Tell someone else about your plans. If you’re going to be gone a good while – or even going to be gone at all – make sure that someone relatively close to you knows where you headed and when you headed out.

Photo Credits: heatkernel

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This post involves:

canyoneering, caution to the wind, dehydration, desert hike, exercise, fabrics, hot air, hydration, northern arizona, slopes, spectacular views, sun, sunburn, sunlight, sunscreen, water and electrolytes, whole lot, wick

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hiking, hiking tips

Posted by Hike Camp Fish on December 1, 2009 in hiking, hiking tips. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.