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HIKING TIPS
NOTES FOR EMERGENCIES:
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CALLING IN FOR HELP
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When you are in an emergency situation and contacting
Rescue Services, they will require the following information from you:
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FIRSTLY - the number
of the phone you are calling from.
(They might need to contact you
again, so don't leave the phone unattended and stay where the reception is
good. Let someone else attend to the injured)
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Secondly - where are
you? Hiking trail / climb, closest town / river / peak or river
crossings, kloof name. Access routes. GPS co-ordinates will help.
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Other information:
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What happened? - Is
someone lost? Did someone fall? Heart attack? Heat exhaustion? Snake bite?
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To whom? - Name, Age,
Gender
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Description of injuries -
Where on body, severity, fractures, suspected spinal injury
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Condition of person - Unconscious, Alert, Responds
to Voice, Responds to Pain
WHAT TO PACK:
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BASICS
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Foul weather clothing - keep
a rain jacket or warm top in your pack. Test your gear before the time, know
what it is capable of.
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First Aid kit - pack all the
basics and make sure you know how to use it! Antiseptic, band aids (lots!),
bandages, pills for snake bite, pain, diarrhoea ….
Always
wear latex gloves when administering first aid.
Don’t give pain pills if professional medical treatment will
be necessary.
Do not move the patient at all if spinal injury is
suspected, unless he / she is in immediate danger.
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Knife (swiss army/ leatherman), utensils, bottle & can opener, cup, plate,
gas stove, waterproof matches, zip-lock bags, cell phone, maps, field
guide, permit, identification, compass, torch/ headlamp & batteries,
binoculars...
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WATER
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Whether you are going hiking
for five hours or five days, ALWAYS carry a minimum of 1.5 litres water per
person. This might be your heaviest item when carrying a daypack, but it’s
definitely not the one to cut down on. You can survive without food, but
going into the wilderness without enough water, is practically suicide. A
2litre hydropack is a great investment, I never go without mine!
Take frequent sips, keep
hydrated. Headaches, blurred vision and dry lips are all signs of
dehydration.
If you find yourself somewhere, with lots of food and no
water, don’t eat a lot (especially not meat). Water is used to digest food
and this deprives your body from the water it needs for normal functioning.
You can go without food for much longer than you could without water.
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SANITATION
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A roll of toilet paper always
comes in handy. Take the middle section out for easier packaging.
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Waterless hand cleansers are
available – good for longer hikes where water is not readily available.
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Water treatment tablets, towel, toothbrush, sun block,
lip-ice, eye drops, soap (you get bio-degradable ones), wetwipes ...
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FOOD
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Depends on personal preference (and
weight!). I always take a couple of chocolate bars to nibble on along the
way. Wine gums, biltong, peppermints, nuts, fruit, raisins, rusks, dates,
smoked mussels, crackers, cheese wedges, fruit rolls, tuna, viennas,
noodles, soup, boiled eggs, leftovers of last night’s salad….
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CLOTHES
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Comfortable
clothing, sunhat, sunglasses, waterproof clothing, beanie, scarf, nighties,
costume, extra socks, extra shoelaces, gloves...
Gear & Other toys:
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SHOES
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Waterproof
boots if possible – there’s nothing as frustrating as walking with wet socks
and shoes! Squish squash squish…..
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If your shoes
do get wet inside, try not to dry them next to a fire, the heat is bad for
them and the shoes are never quite the same afterwards.
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Gaiters are
very helpful to keep water, sticks and stones out of your shoes, but try to
get ones with ventilation zips otherwise they tend to be the cause of wet
boots.
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BACKPACKS
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First of all, these must be
comfortable.
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The size is measured in litres
(volume). The more space you have, the more stuff goes along. So be careful,
the hairdryer might slip in somewhere!
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A safe measure you can use is
that the maximum weight to carry is 25% of you body weight.
5 to 35 litres - day packs (of
course depending on what you will be doing)
35 to 65 litres - weekend packs
60 to 90+ litres - long hikes
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Hip belt & chest belt – well,
it’s not really a backpack without them. Most of the weight should be
carried on your hips, but I tend to adjust the weight as I go along.
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Frames - I wouldn't attempt a
major hike with a frameless backpack. The frame really helps so much w.r.t.
weight distribution, comfort, ventilation ... Most backpacks have internal
frames nowadays, but it really depends on personal preference.
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Nice to haves: Built-in rain cover, hydropack
compatibility, adjustable size, removable pockets, daisy chain, compression
straps.
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WATERPROOFING
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Waterproof backpack covers are
usually readily available. Most of them are only good for a light drizzle,
so don't trust them with your valuables.
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One can get all kinds of
waterproof bags in all sizes, some for putting inside your pack and others
are made so that your backpack fits into it. Just be careful with the
latter, because they can be torn by sharp rocks and edges during river
crossings, etc.
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Pelican cases are great for those really fragile objects.
They are waterproof, dustproof and quite tough. The bigger cases come with
foam for extra protection.
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GPS
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If you are
looking for a GPS, check out the Garmin webpage. You will need to decide
what you want from the GPS and what you want to use it for.
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The basic GPS
will give you waypoints, routes, tracks, elevations, distances traveled,
speed, etc. The more specialized GPS will allow you to upload and view maps
of your route, contour maps and even city road maps.
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I bought a
Garmin Foretrex 101 and I love it! It is very small and lightweight and
straps to my arm so I can look at it every 5 minutes. I decided that I don't
need the map features (mostly because I can't afford it) and the more
complex units are also bigger and heavier to carry around. If you want to
use it on road trips as well, go for the more specialized ones. Either way,
just make sure you can connect the unit to your PC.
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CAMERAS
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Firstly,
digital is the way to go, so if you are still using film, MOVE ON!! You
won't look back. Ever.
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There are so
many options on the market today, so choose the size, zoom, mega pixels and
price that best suits you.
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Carry an extra
memory card or two and extra fully charged batteries.
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I have been
using a Canon 3.2MP camera with 4x optical zoom which works with
rechargeable AA batteries. It has aperture and shutter speed priority, but
could do with a few extra mega pixels. I carry it in a small bag with Velcro
straps at the back so that I can easily strap it onto my hip belt and take
it off again when necessary.
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I have found
that my new baby (my new Nikon D50 SLR) has suddenly replaced the compact
digital. I find it a bit bulky to carry around, with the extra lenses and
all, but I just can't get myself to leave it at home!
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If you want
to take your SLR along, a Pelican Case will keep it dry and safe, although
you might have to leave some stuff at home to make space for it.
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WALKING STICK
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No, these are
not just for the over sixty's!!!!
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This helps
sooo much to keep your balance and it really takes a lot of strain off your
legs (especially downhill)
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The
retractable fold-up ones are great. You can put them away when you need to
use both hands for a tricky scramble.
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OVERNIGHT
GEAR
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Tent or
bivouac bag
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Sleeping bag
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Mattress
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