Hiking Challenges

As with all activities that hold the promise of great personal reward hiking has challenges that must be met. A little knowledge is your best asset for meeting most of these challenges. The following is a list of common challenges occasionally faced by hikers at one time or another and with some suggestions on how you can best meet these challenges.

Cold - Getting cold can be a life threatening situation even when temperatures are not extremely low.

Condensation - This often misunderstood phenomenon can produce wet and then cold conditions.

Fog - Can make it hard to find your way even when the area.

Heat - Too much of anything can cause dangerous bodily imbalances. Heat is no exception.

Rain - Rain keeps many would be hikers at home or tent bound, but it doesn't have to.

Snow - Avoiding snow related problems is easier for those properly prepared.

Lightning - Learn how to cope with lightning when caught in a storm.

Navigation - Getting lost in the wilderness can turn surviving in paradise into a harrowing ordeal. Learning a few basic skills to prevent getting lost is easy.

Bears - Probably the biggest large animal problem for hikers in the United States particularly in some of the National Parks.

Cougars - Rarely a problem for hikers they can become aggressive under some circumstances.

Insects - Sometimes it is the smallest animals that provide the greatest challenge to a hiker's comfort.

Ants - Though usually not a problem they can be when there are a lot of them.

Chiggers - Those little critters that you don't see, but that make you itch when they bite.

Mosquitoes - The blood suckers found worldwide.

Scorpions - Desert insects that can inflict a very painful sting.

Spiders - Though generally not a problem there are some spiders you want to avoid.

Ticks - Sometimes the most difficult insects to avoid.

Snakes - Most snakes are harmless, but some are quite poisonous.