Summer Hiking Safety Tips – Staying Safe When Hiking in the Hot, Dry, Beautiful Grand Canyon
By Rebecca Beltran
Photo via flickr member JamesWatkins
Review these hiking safety tips before you go to ensure this trip is an enjoyable one.
Hiking in the Grand Canyon can be an awesome experience. It could also be the most difficult hike of your life if you are not careful.
1. Bring (and drink) lots of water
The Park Service recommends that during warm months, each hiker should carry about 1 gallon (4 liters) of water with them per day. Yes, that is 1 gallon per person.
Dehydration is a big issue at the canyon and every day hiker’s are hospitalized because of it. Don’t be one of them.
2. Bring snacks
Your body needs more fuel than normal when it’s working this hard, so pack lots of snacks and eat often. Granola bars, trail mix and beef jerky are some of my favorites.
3. Go 1/3 of how far you think you can go
In a canyon, the unfortunate thing that most of us forget is that going down is the easy part.
It’s a common mistake to hike until you get tired and then turn around and head back, only to realize you still have 2/3rds of the journey still to go.
4. Pass other hikers on the correct side
To encourage hiking safety for all, downhill hikers move to the outside of the trail when passing and uphill hikers move to the inside.
5. Don’t underestimate the climate
The climate at the canyon is high elevation, dry air and very, very warm. Not only will you likely run out of breath much faster here since the air is thinner, you’ll sunburn quicker.
Also, because of the dry air, you won’t notice how much you are sweating and you have a higher chance of heat stroke and heat-related illnesses – all just because of the climate.
6. Hike in the shade
Stay in the shade as much as you can. The shade will help to keep you from overheating and help make your trip that much more pleasant.
7. Safety in numbers
Hiking safety means not being alone when something goes wrong.
It’s safer to hike with a group, but if that’s not possible, at least let someone on the rim know where you are going and when you will be back.
8. Be prepared for emergencies
Bring a first aid kit and know how to treat the most common hiking injuries.
Also, know some of the most common Grand Canyon hiking injuries and illnesses, such as dehydration and hyponatremia, and know how to properly identify and treat them.
Rebecca Beltran is a former long-time resident of the Grand Canyon National Park. To hear more about what life in a national park is like, and what to see and do when visiting the Grand Canyon, go to http://beckysbackyard-grandcanyon.com
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