7/17/2011 Posting

In the spirit of the Capitol One pirates asking, “What’s in your wallet?” I would ask you, “What’s in your first aid kit?” When was the last time you checked yours and made sure that you had needed items? This issue was suggested to me by a hiking friend who opened hers to find she didn’t have adequate adhesive tape to deal with a trail injury suffered by a fellow hiker. I must admit that I just opened mine recently and found I was missing a few important items such as adhesive bandages and sanitary hand wipes.

While you can’t possibly anticipate and deal with all possible trail injuries, you should carry adequate supplies to deal with common hiking maladies such as wounds, blisters, and sprained ankles. The American Red Cross, which sells first aid kits, includes the following items in their basic kit. While you may not need all of these items, you should certainly peruse their list and figure out what suggested items are missing from your kit. Then make sure you add those items to your kit before your next hike.

And while I’m at it, let me suggest that if you haven’t already, you should take a first aid course to learn some basic skills. You never know when you might need to help out a fellow hiker on the trail or even provide basic first aid while at work or home. Basic first aid classes are available through the American Red Cross. If you want to take something more intensive and wilderness-oriented, the Mountaineers offers an Alpine First Aid (formerly MOFA) course several times throughout the year. There is also the Wilderness First Responder course offered by the Wilderness Medical Institute.

And one thing that you might want to consider while hiking in order to prevent an injury is how you hold your hiking poles—if you use them—when you’re not using them. The correct orientation is to carry the poles with the tips facing forward and toward the ground. That way you won’t impale the person behind you if they stumble towards you or get too close. Many thanks to CHS participant, Tom Davis for this reminder.

Keep safe and I hope to see you on the trail soon!