Hiking in the wilderness is fun if you know how to survive. Exploring the great outdoors can be rough and difficult, but the experience is very rewarding for anyone who loves a challenge. To stay safe on the trails, many hikers learn basic survival skills for off-the-grid journeys. Here are a few of the survival skills every hiker should know.
For a safe trip, you will need to bring all hiking equipment and gear, such as tactical hiking boots or shoes and a sturdy backpack. Whatever gear you decide to bring, make sure you know how to use it properly. This will prevent damaging the gear and injuring yourself and possibly others.
If you decide to go exploring off the hiking trail, navigation skills will come in handy. Since your phone and other electronic devices might not have signal, you cannot rely on these devices. You can use a map and compass or use the sun and sky. If you do not have a compass and it’s the middle of the day, you can place a stick upwards towards the sun so that there is no shadow. After a few minutes, a shadow will appear pointing east or west, depending on the time of day.
Nothing is more important on the trail than finding and drinking clean water. The human body can survive for weeks without food but cannot survive more than three days without water. There are multiple ways to clean water, such as boiling, using iodine, a filtering device, and more.
Another one of the survival skills every hiker should know is how to use emergency signals. Even the most experienced hikers should always travel in a group, but it’s always helpful to know how to signal others in case of emergencies. You can use a whistle, smoke, flares, flashlights, and more to signal for help. The SOS is three dots, three dashes, then three dots again.
