20 Years Ago in Chapter News

The Double Blaze

Chapter 6: Safety on the Trail

I know, I was supposed to talk about "The History of the AT." However, a reader asked me if I would mind a few paragraphs on hiker health and safety. History can wait until next time. Outdoor safety is a broad topic, filled with variations for day hikers, thru hikers, mountaineers, etc. Since I'm an AT guy, I thought I should speak about what I know. Let's look at a person hiking the AT in Massachusetts, maybe out for the day or perhaps for a long weekend. What should they be considering when they load up their pack? I'm sure most of you are familiar with The 10 Essentials needed for safe hiking. In a recent article in Backpacker Magazine, Michael Lanza reported that the new seventh edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills modified the essentials into ten categories, rather than a hard-and-fast equipment list. This makes sense to me – it encourages a hiker to think about what will best suit that particular trip given the anticipated weather, terrain, and duration. Here are the "new" 10 Essentials categories:

1. Navigation (map and compass)
2. Sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen)
3. Insulation (extra clothing – and I would include rain/wind gear in this category)
4. Illumination (headlamp or flashlight)
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire (firestarter, matches/lighter)
7. Repair kit and tools (knife or multi-tool)
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter (I carry a small tarp, with some rope and tent stakes)

So now you've got some gear to carry. You've made some choices regarding local and seasonal usefulness as well as weight, and you are ready to hike. The biggest risk of personal injury is – hands down – the drive to and from the trailhead. (Followed closely by being alive in a moderately large town or city.) The statistical odds of personal injury on the trail are extremely small – we're not climbing Everest here, or even Mt. Washington. What else should you keep in mind? Let's look at some categories of risk that you may have to manage on our local AT.

Personal Safety

Unfortunately, there are people in the world who prey on those they perceive to be weaker than themselves. Fortunately, there are very few of them in the backcountry. The best defense in this category is to be aware of what's going on around you. Trust your instincts about people and situations. If you are getting a negative vibe from someone, take measures to get away from that person or stay in the company of other hikers. If there is overt activity or threatening behavior, report it to the Mass. State Police as soon as possible, and be specific about the time and location. In our society, females are more likely than males to be the object of unwanted attention. I have met in my day many female solo hikers. Universally they say that an attitude of self-confidence and good social awareness carry them through most situations. Be vague about your schedule and overnight stops. Be prepared to change your itinerary to suit the situation. Spend overnights in a group or well away from road crossings and trailheads.

Natural Threats

In the past 10 years there seems to be an ever-increasing number of diseases you can contract in the backcountry. In the past, a mosquito or tick bite was at worst an annoyance. Today, it makes some sense to limit your exposure to these possible disease carriers. As of this writing, Lyme Disease, carried by deer ticks, is a universal threat in open fields of southern New England and eastern New York. If you will be hiking in this area, take some simple precautions: Wear long pants – lightweight nylon ones are comfortable, even in the summer. Put your socks up over your pant cuffs. Spray your clothes with Permethrin following the manufacturer's instructions, and wear a repellent containing DEET. At the end of the day, check yourself for ticks. It takes 24 to 36 hours for a tick to transfer enough bacteria to infect you. If you have been bitten, see your doctor for prompt treatment. The CDC web page has extensive info on Lyme Disease. The other hot-button disease is the insect-borne West Nile Virus (WNV). This disease is carried by certain species of mosquito, most of which are not regular denizens of backcountry environments. It is unlikely a virus-carrying one will bite you while in the woods, and the risk of debilitating injury from WNV in healthy people is extremely slight. Statistically, people over 50 have a slightly higher risk. DEET is the most effective repellent and adverse side effects are greatly exaggerated – especially for the occasional user. Read the manufacturer's instructions, particularly regarding use on small children. Again, the CDC has some excellent info. Enough about six- and eight-legged denizens of the woods. How about the vertebrates? In southwestern Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut a small population of rattlesnakes inhabit the vicinity of the AT. There have been a few reported encounters between hiker and snake, and both parties survived unhurt. If you plan to go off-trail in these areas, be careful when climbing rocky ledges and always look where you are placing your hands and feet. Everyone asks, "Are there any bears out there?" The answer is, "Yes, there are quite a few." The standing joke is that the bears are all in town looking in garbage cans, not in the woods looking for hikers. There is a certain lesson here. Bears go where there is food. They have excellent memories and will return to a place where they have foraged successfully before – be it a bird feeder in Stockbridge or a shelter site on the AT. The answer in both instances is the same. Put the food where the bear can't get to it. At several shelter sites we have placed cables that allow hikers to hang their food out of reach of bears and away from the shelter. Since bears will investigate anything that smells, I also put things like toothpaste, cook stove and utensils, and first aid supplies in my bear bag too. And remember, don't eat in your tent or sleeping bag. Most bears do not want to interact with humans and will stay clear of hikers. Injured or sick bears may behave abnormally, but the odds are incalculably small that you will have an aggressive encounter. (Remember that drive to the trail head when some #$%!@ in an SUV cut you off?). There are millions of hikers on the AT and the trail traverses some dense bear populations. Many hikers travel the entire length without seeing a single bear. No hikers on the AT have reported being attacked or injured. There are many resources that describe how to keep your food secure from bears and other critters. It is important to you – and hikers who come after you – not to do anything that habituates wildlife to acquiring food at camping sites. Finally, if you are out for more than a day, water treatment becomes a significant route for pathogens to enter your system. Even if I'm out for just the day, I pack a bottle of water treatment tablets just in case. If you are using a filter to purify water, be sure to understand how to use it and take scrupulous care to keep the intake and discharge hoses and attachments separate. Remember, even if the stream or spring looks pristine, there could be a deer carcass lying in it 100 yards upstream. Treat all water from backcountry sources. Wash your hands after visiting the privy, just like your mother used to tell you (a small bottle of hand sanitizer works well).

Accident and Injury

OK, so here's where we get to the real threats for AT hikers. It's hot, it's cold, it's windy. Protect yourself from these extremes. Wear clothing suitable for the weather and terrain as well as your physical condition. I usually figure I should be a bit chilly at the trailhead, knowing I will warm up once underway. In the winter, being too warm can often lead quickly to being too cold. Sweat-soaked clothes will cool you rapidly once you stop moving, no matter what kind of fibers they are made from. In the warm months, allow some cool-down time. After that climb, stop and rest in the shade or breeze. Stay hydrated. Adjust your pace to the conditions (i.e., hike slower when it's hot out). The biggest downer on a summer's hike is chafing. Those of us who are a little on the plus size find that rubbing body parts, clothing and sweat can create a painful condition. As gross as it sounds, I find spreading a little Vaseline on the affected skin areas before the hike keeps things moving smoothly. A product called "Body Glide" is also used for the same purpose by cyclists and long distance runners. Once in camp, rinse the affected area to get rid of the sweat and provide an opportunity for air circulation to keep the parts dry. It never hurts to carry a little Immodium, Pepto Bismol, Benadryl, Ibuprofen and other similar OTC products with you. Sometimes an hour's relief can be a big help in getting back to the trailhead. Wear shoes and socks that fit and are well broken in. A twelve-mile hike is not the way to test your new hiking boots. Compeed and other similar wound-care products work well in keeping hot spots from becoming blisters. They are thin, porous, and stick well to sweaty feet. Take the time to stop and deal with the problem early. Next to a bad chafe, nothing ruins the hike like a blister. The most common trail injury is to lower leg joints, such as knees and ankles. Travel within your capabilities. Don't set so tight a schedule that you must hurry over rough terrain. Hiking poles will reduce the likelihood of a fall and lessen the load on the lower body. Please use the rubber tips whenever possible to limit trailside damage and unsightly scratches on rocks. Most of the time a sprained or twisted ankle can be patched up enough in the field to get to the nearest road crossing. You know where that is, of course, because you carry your map with you and know your approximate location on it. This brings up the discussion of hiking alone. The sensible person will not hike alone. Even two people hiking together can find themselves in a sticky situation if one of them is seriously injured. Should the uninjured person stay and care for the injured one or go for help? On the Mass AT, this issue is maybe not such a problem. Except mid-week in the worst weather, one is very unlikely not to see another hiker on the trail, especially in the warmer half of the year. Not that one should "depend on the kindness of strangers" to provide rescue. Every hiker should carry enough in their pack and in their head to survive a night in the outdoors. Chilly, uncomfortable, perhaps even a little hungry – but still around in the morning. Since you left info with another person about your route and schedule – you did, didn't you? – you will probably find people looking for you by then. Consider taking a Wilderness First Aid course. Two weekend days can make a world of difference to your personal confidence in the outdoors. The course focuses on ways you can use common hik- ing equipment to render first aid in a backcountry situation without carrying the medicine cabinet with you. So we're a little off-topic here this time, but hopefully there is information to make your next hike more enjoyable. A little forethought before leaving, and a slightly conservative approach regarding your own physical condition and skills will make for safe hiking. Get out there and enjoy it! If you are interested in finding out more about this subject, or want to volunteer on the Trail, contact the AT Management Committee directly at at@amc-wma.org.