Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Be Familiar With Your Hiking First Aid Kit

Regardless of what you bring in your hiking first aid kit, make sure you know how to use it. Take the time to learn basic wilderness first aid for the major maladies of the trail. This knowledge should include recognition of hypothermia and hyperthermia, dehydration, fever, infection and shock. Reading up on wilderness first aid or even taking a course about it can be very helpful. Medicine for the Backcountry by B. Tilton has a good reputation. If you are going into the backcountry, it’s a good idea to have a small first aid pocket guide along. There are quite a few available and most will educate you on how to stabilize a fractured limb, how to stop bleeding, and how to treat burns, insect bites and other injuries. Wilderness Medical Institute in Colorado offers classes around the country but there are other organizations too.

Before you go, learn about any possible hazards at your destination, such as poisonous plants, snakes and insects. With a life-threatening injury, nothing is more important than getting the victim out of the wilderness fast. This need alone may justify also carrying items like a cellular telephone or a signal flare in your backpack.