Hiking Tips

HIKING TIPS Worst case scenarios: TIPS FOR HIKING IN ARIZONA

DON’T FEED THE JAVELINAS!

Those furry pig-looking guys you see sniffing around the trails are not wild pigs at all. They’re javelinas. They love food, but you should never feed one. Javelinas, especially those with large tusks, can do serious harm to humans. If their ears are down and they’re growling, they may charge at you. If you encounter one, try to scare it off with loud noises. Don’t be afraid to get really loud. You’re more likely to encounter a javelina when hiking at dusk or in shaded areas.

IT BIT ME! Move away from the snake as quickly as possible to avoid a second attack.

Don’t panic. Don’t suck the wound. Don’t rip your shirt off to make a tourniquet. Don’t break out the snake bite kit. Just breathe. The buzzards won’t start circling you unless you’re hours or days away from civilization and antivenom, which we doubt is the case. So, if you have cell service, call 911. If not, try to find someone who can take you to the nearest hospital. Here’s what you do now: Keep breathing. SNAKE! If you panic, your heart is going to pump blood If it’s coiled, has seen you and, if applicable, faster. Let the bite bleed for about 30 seconds, is rattling its tail, move away as quickly as and then bandage the wound without cleaning possible. Do this with caution. You don’t want it (this can help medical professionals figure to trip during your getaway. Snakes don’t out what kind of venom is in your body, if always strike from a coiled position, but it’s any). Keep the affected area as immobile as usually a sign of aggravation. possible. Movement gets your blood flowing,

If the snake seems nonchalant to your existence and is just working its way across the trail, you can choose to wait for it to pass. TIPS • BRING (AND DRINK) WATER. You filled your Camelback? Awesome. Now pack a water bottle, too. Bring lots of water, even when you’re hiking on a chilly morning. It’s important to stay hydrated in Arizona. • APPLY SUNSCREEN. You can still wake up with a nice lobster-y hue after being outside on a cloudy day. UV rays aren’t disabled by fluffy clouds, unfortunately. Use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher (grab chapstick with SPF, too). Apply your sunscreen while indoors and onto dry skin. Then, reapply every two hours. If you’re sweating a lot, you may want to reapply hourly. • KNOW YOUR LIMITS. If you’re not usually an active person, heading out on a 14-mile roundtrip hike is probably going to result in some sore muscles the next day. Save yourself injury and regret by picking a slightly shorter hike. It’s important to research elevation changes and how rigorous a trail is. which spreads venom. However, you may need to move a little to get to a car or medical help. That’s a worthy use of blood flow. If you’re in pain, though, breathe through it. Don’t grab for the flask. That, too, will disperse the venom more quickly.

GETTING LOST What happened to the trail? Do I cross this stream?

The answer: Look for a cairn. Cairns are stacks of rocks used for directing hikers along paths that are difficult to navigate. Sometimes they’re made by other hikers, and are subtle stacks, but other times they’re larger and contained by park rangers in metal netting to reassure hikers that they’re on the right path. Cairns are most commonly seen when you need to cross a wash or stream.