Safety

Most hikers come back from their treks happy and tired, ready for the comforts of civilization, but an unfortunate few end up on the evening news. How can you make sure your’e not in a tale of woe? Here are four ways:

1. Watch the weather
2. Heed the terrain
3. Respect the critters
4. Know your Abilities

1. Watch the Weather.

Cold, wet, windy or hot weather can be more than uncomfortable — it can be just plain dangerous. Keep an eye out for threatening weather and get somewhere safe if you see it coming.

• On high peaks and passes, in the summer, watch the afternoon clouds. Pretty, puffy cumulous clouds can turn gray and nasty, then start throwing out lightning bolts. When threatening weather rolls in, start a steady descent. Lower is safer. When you plan your hike, take high summits and passes into account. It’s best to plan to be lower in the later summer afternoon.
• In slot canyons, or in washes, be on the alert for flash floods. Check the weather forecast for the area before you go. If it looks like thunderstorms, find somewhere else to go that day. If you camp in a canyon, find high ground. Look for signs of flows in the canyon to gauge the high-water levels.
• Take along adequate protection from the elements, even on short hikes. Even in the summer, throw a fleece in your daypack, and a disposable rain poncho. It’s good to have a small fire-starting kit as well. The checklist for winter hiking is much longer.
• When it’s warm, take along plenty of water — about 1 liter for every 2 hours of hiking — and wear a hat.

2. Heed the Terrain

Mountains and canyons, with their steep slopes and cliffs, always present the danger of slides or falls. Even on popular routes, trails often wind along the edges of cliffs.

• Stay on the trail. Established trails were cut with care, and are often the only safe route around hazardous terrain. Shortcuts often lead to the edges of cliffs, or onto steep and loose slopes.
• If there is no trail, stay on the prescribed route. A slight deviation from a route can leave you on the edge of a cliff or on a perilous slope.
• If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, find a way to backtrack to the trail or route.
• On exposed sections of trails, ridges, or along a steep traverse, concentrate and place each step with care. Hiking poles increase stability, and allow the hiker to stay on 2 points at all times.
• Only go on snowfields if you have a climbing axe and have practiced using it for self-arrest.
• Stay off the talus and scree slopes when there’s a better way to go.

3. Respect the Critters

It’s a treat to see animals in the backcountry, whether large or small. Deer are easy to see, and sometimes there are elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bison and pronghorns. Herds of feral horses and burros roam the deserts. Foxes, coyotes, cougars and bear rove the mountains. Pikas and marmots peer out from the talus.

• Enjoy the animals, but keep your distance.
• Keep a clean camp. Don’t sleep with or near food, and where there are bears, keep your food in a bear canister. By some estimates, there are about 4,000 bears in Utah, and all of the United States has plenty of black bears.
• The Utah Division of Wildlife has these 10 rules for cougar safety.

4. Know Your Abilities

Gauge your health and conditioning. Watch of signs of hypothermia, heat exhaustion, heart attack, and other health problems. Even at 10,000 feet (3,048 m) it’s possible to suffer from High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE).