| Planning on doing some hiking in Lake Placid? Check these hiking safety tips before you go!
Before I start, I am not an expert hiker, but a lot of my friends are. The hiking safety tips you'll find here have been gleaned from their collective wisdom over the years, along with a healthy dose of reading in trail guides and common sense.
Some of what you'll read here has come, unfortunately, from news reports of folks who really shouldn't have been in the mountains and the experts who've analyzed what they should've done differently.
So please take this list of hiking safety tips as a starting point and then do some more reading in trail guides and reference books if you're really serious about doing some serious hiking.
What should you think about BEFORE you go?
- The time of year - take into account the season you're hiking and then the extremes at each end around the "typical" weather factors.
- Your route - how long, how difficult and how many nights (if any) you'll be out.
- Your condition - this point isn't only about "you" specifically. You have to take into account the condition of each person in your party. The least conditioned person in your group will set the pace for your whole group.
Basic Hiking Safety Tips
SHELTER
- If you're planning on being gone for at least one overnight, bring a good tent for shelter and one good sleeping bag per person.
- If you're just doing a day hike, you may think you don't need much in the way of supplies. But the weather can change in the blink of an eye so an emergency aluminum foil shelter is still a must. One of those things are so light you won't even know you're carrying it!
- There are the famous Adirondack lean-tos on many of the trails, but you can only reserve them on a State campground or private property. So you can't really depend on finding one unoccupied.
Here's a note though: if you don't have any shelter and are in need, you can demand that anyone in a lean-to make room for you. According to the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, lean-to occupants are absolutely obliged to make room when asked.
- Of course, a basic first aid kid is a must, along with a whistle, flashlights, a compass, matches, and a topographic map of your area.
CLOTHING
- Synthetic fabrics are good at wicking moisture AWAY from your body and will dry out quickly when wet. Try to find a synthetic with the softest feel you can, as they tend to be more comfortable and less itchy.
FOOD AND WATER
- At the very least, even if you're only on a day hike, you should carry a day pack with water. Water bottles are okay, but the problem here is that you tend to not drink as much as you should because you're only stopping occasionally and then gulping. You're better off using one of the various hydration units that serve you water through a hose. You drink more efficiently because you're taking frequent sips - better for your body!
- As far as food goes, bring some kind of energy snacks if you're on a day hike. If you're camping overnight, bring enough food for at least one more day than you plan on being gone. Again, energy foods, specifically carbs, will give you the boost you may need in an emergency.
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Legal Stuff What you've read on this page are the most basic hiking safety tips for anyone doing a hike of any duration in the Adirondacks. There really is a lot more to it than this.
But if you take these hiking safety tips seriously, as well as doing some more reading and research, the survival odds are in your favor if something unexpected happens.
Also, please understand that the hiking safety tips provided here are in no way intended to replace or contradict any of the information you might find in guidebooks. You hike the mountains at your own risk.
Go back to Lake Placid Hiking from Hiking Safety Tips.
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