First-Aid

A proper first-aid kit is absolutely essential. Because you are going to be away from immediate help and probablyoutside of the coverage area for your cell phone, you need to prepare for the unexpected.

There are a number of different types of first-aid kits which will fit your needs. You want something that is easy to carry in your pack (or you might not carry it) and you want it to possess all of the essential items. 

You will need gauze (both rolls and pads), tape, antibiotic ointment, wound cleanser (typically in a towlet format), fabric bandages, antacid, bismuth (Pepto Bismol pills), benadryl, scissors and tweezers. These are the bare essentials. 

I prefer to carry the Adventure Medical Kit brand of first-aid kit. They make a variety of kits, but for a typical day hike the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight & Watertight .9 (9.5oz) should be enough. Its what we carry on all of our day hikes and we’ve only had one day where we used most of the bandages (and that was when the dog injured three of his paws).

You can pick any first-aid kit that you want but keep these three things in mind.

1) Does it cover the essentials?

2) How Much Does it Weigh and How Easily is it Packed? 

And 

3) Is it in a Waterproof Container (because a wet first-aid kit is a ruined first-aid kit.

Food

This is a pretty basic topic. You need food, just like water, to survive. You should consider bringing a lunch that you will stop and eat at your turnaround point. However, you should also bring along small snacks, such as granola bars, fruit, etc. If you are hiking on a particularly hot and dry day you might want to consider packing apples or oranges. If you eat too much granola you can dehydrate yourself since it takes more water to process starches. 

The trick is to not wait until you are starving to eat. You are going to be burning a lot of calories, so you should make sure to keep your energy levels up.

Clothing, Boots, Hats, and Sunscreen

In order to make sure your hiking experience is most enjoyable you want to be properly outfitted for your excursion. You should wear loose fitting, light colored clothing. You should consider wearing light-weight hiking pants that zip off at the knee and become shorts. If you are going to be hiking in an area where there is poison oak, ivy, or sumac, you might want to consider wearing long sleeved shirts and pants.

Regardless of what you wear, you want to protect yourself from the sun. You should wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers your entire face and neck from the sun. Additionally, you should apply sunscreen before you hike and reapply no later than two hours. I’ve seen people get sun burns that were horrible from not bringing sunscreen. Please, don’t let it be you.

Finally, since you are going to be walking during this entire hike you need to have some decent footware.  Some hikes are across simple enough terrain that you could wear a pair of tennis shoes. However, it is always better to have a good pair of hiking boots.

Hiking boots are specially designed to assist you in gripping the trail. Hiking boots also have a shank which runs from the heel to the insole of the shoe. The purpose of the shank is to give the user a more firm and committed step during ascent and descent. This in turn helps he hiker avoid early onset foot fatigue.

If you are going to be hiking, do yourself a favor and get a good pair of hiking boots. I personally prefer Vasque Boots, however, there are many other great brands out there.

Continue to Part 3