Like any other activity, Colorado hiking is a great way to enjoy yourself and just have fun. However, if you want to get the most out of it and have the best experience over it, safety comes first. Below are some tips to help you remain safe and secure even while Colorado hiking:

Be Prepared!

It’s a scout’s motto, but even for Colorado hikers, it’s a good motto to adopt. Wilderness activities like Colorado hiking involve many risks. But most of these risks can be easily avoided or at least mitigated if you keep in mind your basic knowledge about outdoors survival and preparation.

The first thing you need to do is to know what risks you’ll likely be facing. The thought of being in the Colorado mountain wild areas evokes all sorts of horror and adventure stories of potential calamities when in reality the most prevalent risk anyone faces is pretty mundane: getting wet and cold.

As with most hiking trips, Colorado hiking requires that you lighten your load as much as you can. That alone is not much trouble, if only you knew exactly what you’re going to encounter on a hike. Your lack knowledge is never more emphasized when it’s your first time being in that area. So chances are you are going to end up loading your backpack with all sorts of “emergency” essentials, when the only equipment you really need are things that can help you cope with rain storms, rapid drops in temperature, heavy winds, injuries, fatigue, getting lost, and animal encounters.

It gets easier if you follow the following sensible practices when you go Colorado hiking:
- Avoid hiking alone. Even a minor injury or mishap can turn into a potential major problem if there is no one nearby to assist you.
- Before you hike out from a trailhead, make sure that you leave some sort of information about what trail you are going to follow, what time you left, etc. That way, if you fail to return after an awfully long time, someone will know where to find you. However, be careful about leaving any specific information as not every person has good intentions.
- Let an acquaintance in town know where you are going and when you intend to be back. If you don’t make it back, they can notify the authorities.
- Take along a cellphone if you have one in case of an emergency that requires help. In many cases in the wilderness, you will not be able to get a cellphone connection due to mountainous terrain, being in a canyon, or distance. However, even if you cannot initially connect through, you or someone else can climb to a ridgeline or summit and have a better chance for a connection from there.

First and most important, be sure to leave a travel plan with someone at home. A travel plan lists the possible locations you expect to cover while on your hiking vacation. It does not have to be a detailed list. You can use a map and just mark the spots on it where you plan to be. If you leave a travel plan, then searchers will have an idea of where to look for you if you become lost.

Second, always carry a few basic items with you in case you have to spend the night on the trail. Take a garbage bag, a lighter, a whistle, a pocketknife, and a water bottle. This is the minimum number of essential items you should bring with you whether you are hiking for a day or for a week or longer. These items address the basic needs from shelter to water and heat. Depending on your outdoor activity, level of skill, and the climate you plan to hike in, you may need to carry more extensive equipment.

Third, be sure to pack something you can turn into a shelter quickly. A garbage bag is an example of such an item. It can be easily made into a shelter. Just cut a slit in the middle of the closed end and pull it over your head. This is a great solution to the problem, and a bag is easy to pack in a pocket. It only costs a few pennies, and it may save your life. Hypothermia can occur even in 50-degree weather, so it is critical that you have a way to make a quick shelter should the need arise.

Always carry a wool cap in your vehicle and your daypack. Eighty percent of your body heat leaves you if your head is exposed. You must always protect your head when you are hiking. If you don’t have a cap, use a sock or a bandanna. You can wear anything on your head as long as it keeps your head warm.

Finally, make a habit of carrying at least three fire-making resources with you. Having a lighter is always a good idea, but having only one source of fire making while hiking is inadequate. Lighters may get wet, and then they won’t light anymore. Also carry a spark rod and windproof matches in your pocket or pack. You are like to make a fire in rainy or otherwise bad weather. While this can be tricky, it can be done. Just collect dead twigs from evergreens like pines, firs, or spruces. These trees have a lot of resin so they will catch fire faster than other types of wood.

Or if you’re wearing the most expensive gear.

Nature just takes care of itself.

Its your responsibility to do the same.

Nature has no hours of operation…

you don’t have to rush, hurry or beat the crowds,

and there is no competition.

The options are endless,the choice is yours

Survival is about being smart in your mountain excursion and being prepared with survival gear whether it’s a hydration system while on the slopes to prevent altitude sickness ; warm outerwear, thermal underwear and face coverage to prevent frost bite; or avalanche certification and an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel while in the backcountry.

Survival gear will protect you from the elements such as sun, snow, wind and rain and keep you from harms way.

* Footwear will support your feet and legs as they carry you through varied terrain.

* Outer wear will protect you from the elements of rain and snow and sun yet allow your body to breathe.

* Gear will do a lot of the work for you (such as sleeping bags and tents) and the accessories will support and enhance your nature excursions.

Survival gear doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. There are many outdoor manufacturer’s that design great performance gear unleashing you to nature’s possibilities without the deep pockets.

When shopping for survival gear look for:

1. Reputable reviews on selected survival gear by experts from periodicals such as Outside Magazine, Outdoor Magazine and National Geographic.

2. Your children. Nurture them with Nature and prepare them with proper survival gear to protect them from the elements.

3. Sites that offer benefits and hot tips for keeping survival to a minimum and letting the gear do the rest.

Before venturing into the high country consider preparing your body for nature’s demands with at home exercise machines that mimic the motions of hiking and cross country skiing.

Explore nature, try a new mountain sport, or be better than you were last year and let the survival gear take care of the rest. It’s all here for you. It’s only you that’s holding the possibility back.