| New England Poet Robert Frost wrote, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep” in one of his many classic poems, and indeed there’s something fascinating about the pristine New England wilderness that compels us to wander in the region’s wondrous forests simply because of how peaceful they are. To many adults looking for a break from the confines of the nine-to-five cubicle, the forest is as alluring as is an arcade to a kid who’s been in a classroom for too long.
With so much New England forestland begging exploration, hiking is one of the favored pastimes for those who visit here in the spring, summer and fall, whether it be on a recreation path, an established hiking trail of off trail.
Of those options, the last can be the most enjoyable and challenging, but also can get more people, including experienced hikers, into a serious jam than any other kind of hiking. That’s especially so, if the weather changes and you’re off trail in a sudden snowstorm, rain or a thick fog.
This article offers some safety tips culled from personal experience, as well as the hiking trials and tribulations of others, and offers some ways to avoid getting lost, injured or worse. It also includes what you should do if you encounter some unfriendly forest residents.
For many, following a marked trail is a bit tofu-like; bland, dull and lacking excitement. For the budding woodsman, an off-trail hike becomes the green grass on the other side of the fence, so to speak. But as pretty and as inviting as those woods may be, heading into them where no trail exists is really for the brave souls who know how to use a map, compass or GPS system, and who have the necessary skills to survive Mother Nature’s wrath should she decide to throw you a curve ball
It’s great to be confident in your own abilities, but if you’re new to hiking and decide to heed the call of the wild, consider ten potential problems that could challenge even the most seasoned hiker.
First. Make sure you know how to use some basic hiking tools. Read and learn before you head off into the thick, dark yonder. Learning the fundamentals will do two major things: 1. Teach you what to look for to enjoy, such as wild flowers, wildlife and the wonder of nature itself; and 2. Warn you about the dangers.
Second. The potential for getting lost
rises in direct proportion to yourlack of understanding of the
terrain ahead of and behind you. You need to have a fundamental
idea about what
you’ll
encounter, such as: rivers, streams, cliffs, etc. by looking at
a map (preferably a topographical map that shows elevations in
the terrain) before you start
out.
Third. Make sure you have the right hiking boots, good socks and clothing for your hike. Actually, you should have a good backpack in which you can store a change of clothes in case you fall into a river or get caught in the rain. Staying dry is critical if you get lost and have to rough it until you get found. Wearing shorts on a summer hike is fine, but make sure you use sprays to keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay.
 Fourth. If you’re new to an area, in addition to knowing something about the terrain, you’ll also need to know if you can reverse an unmarked trail if you encounter a situation that could leave you trapped otherwise. The great danger here is that because you’re off trail, people won’t know where to look for you. That leaves you exposed, and unless you’re experienced in the wild, you face dehydration, malnourishment and the elements, any one of which can be a very serious threat. If you’re going hiking off trail, let someone know, even if it’s your hotel’s concierge, and let him or her know approximately when you expect to return.
Fifth. Watch your step when you’re near
a stream or river. Many people, confident that they’re coordinated enough
to stoop down to fill their canteens, sometimes find a riverbank
a less-than-reliable foothold and themselves falling in. Wet clothing,
especially wet socks,
can turn into a very serious problem in the wild. Remember too
that, river boulders can be notoriously slippery, especially after rain,
so if you
jump from one rock to another, look for the driest spot on each
rock and aim for it.
Sixth. If you find yourself having to cross a river, remember that in water only one foot deep, a fast current can knock you off balance surprisingly fast, especially if you’re on mossy rocks at the bottom of the riverbed. Make sure you cross where the current is relatively slow. If you fall, grab onto a boulder, tree or anything solid to prevent being swept downstream where you may wind up in white water. Even though white water is loaded with air, you still can’t breath in it, and a hydraulic (the point at which water cascades downward like a water fall and churns the water at the bottom of the fall), can trap and pin you under water, unable to either escape or breathe.
Seventh. Hiking near a ravine, cliff or steep mountainside can be a major challenge to many less experienced hikers. Beware of slippery surfaces (moss, sandy soil, loose rocks, dead trees and wet leaves) when you’re walking near the edge.
Eighth. Wild life encounters with small critters don’t present much of a threat unless that cute, furry little beastie is a raccoon or skunk wandering around in the daytime and acting oddly. Animals with rabies tend to get very aggressive. Getting sprayed by a skunk is far less of a problem than is being bitten by a rabid one. Both raccoons and skunks are nocturnal, that’s
why seeing one in the daytime should make you immediately suspicious and
give you cause to give it a very wide berth.
Ninth. You played football, lacrosse, hockey or baseball and you think you’re in shape, so why worry about a walk through the woods? No big deal, right? Not necessarily. It can be very easy to start the journey convinced that all will go well…until you encounter something completely unexpected and haven’t a clue how to deal with it, or that climbing a hill that looked like a snap took much more out of you than you thought it would. You want to enjoy your hike, not get winded by it. When you expend a lot of energy and moisture, you need to replace it, especially water. But beware of brook and river water, which may appear crystal clear. It’s what the human eye can’t see that’s dangerous. It may contain various parasitic protozoa that can make you dreadfully ill. The only way to make brook or river water safe is with iodine (which comes in various forms and can be purchased at most sports stores) or by boiling it.
Tenth. To avoid an encounter with larger animals, it’s a good idea to make noise as you go along by whistling or occasionally shouting. This works particularly well with black bear and moose that inhabit the woods throughout most of New England. If you should see one, never approach a bear, moose or a deer.
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