Hiking Safety 101

Hiking safety, no matter which way you look at it, your safety (and mine) are always at the forefront during our session, especially when out in the wilderness. While it may seem like a silly little thing to consider for some. I always want my clients to know that it is important to be aware of our surroundings at all times.

So with that being said, here are my top tips I use when heading out to a session.

Share your location and who you are going to be with for your own safety

Yup, we’re starting with a simple hiking safety tip. There are many ways that you can share your location with a family member or friends prior to getting into your vehicle. No different than when you hop into an Uber and share your location as well. Hint, if you use Uber and do not do this, please start doing it asap. It’s super easy to add an emergency contact.

• Call or text them the location, time, date and any futher details on meeting spots or parking locations. Get specific as possible.
• Share your location with your phone. I know Apple users have this ability, not so sure about Android. All you gotta do is go into your settings and go into your privacy settings.
• Give someone the details of who you are going with, their contact information and if possible, a quick photo of what they look like. This may seem like you are overdoing it, but this is one thing you can do to ensure your own safety.

Your Hiking First Aid Kit + Essential Supplies

I will admit, I used to think my husband was crazy for always packing our first aid every time we went for a hike until we needed it. Now, I always recommend ensuring you have all the proper essential items that may be required, based on the trail/hike that you are doing. The more strenuous, the more supplies are typically required. Keep in mind, that these may not even need to be used on you or someone in our party. Perhaps we cross paths with someone on the trail in need. Always be prepared!

Our most popular hiking safety items include:

• Water
• Bandaids
• Splints
• Spare socks
• Hat
• Mitts
• Hot Pockets (not pizza lol) for winter hikes
• Dehydrated fruits / Meats
• Flint
• Space Blanket
• Rope
• Whistle
• Lifestraw or Lifestraw Waterbottle
• Antiseptic Wipes
• Dressing Guaze
• Tylonal/Advil
• Utility Tool

Be Bear Aware + any wildlife aware

While we may think our chances of seeing wildlife are slim, and likely are, it is important to again, be prepared. Having a knife or bear spray (2 or more cans) is recommended because you just never know. Many people will wear bear bells to help deter any animals from coming too close or play music on a portable speaker. Both of which, are things that we do as well. Keeping the conversation going will also be very helpful so animals do not get the sense of a sneak attack. Another way to stay alert is to watch each others back. While I am documenting you, it is very helpful for you to keep an eye out for any movement behind me, and vice versa. Try to keep food and snacks to a minimum as well during the session, or pack it smartly in air tight containers.

Choosing gear wisely for communications

If you know the Canadian Rockies, you know that cell signal comes and goes as easy as a chinook wind. So being prepared with either a satellite phone, GSP or printed direction maps is never a bad thing. Let me tell ya, being over-prepared will always work in your favour, scouts honour!

There you have it, our best-hiking safety tips! We will always update this as we discover more and more as we continue our adventure sessions. If you want to check out other awesome session tips, click here to get information on what to wear for your engagement session.