Whenever you’re out in a wilderness environment, there are a few different situations that you may encounter that has the potential to become dangerous rather quickly. While covering each and every situation is simply impossible, we can say that they usually fall into these basic categories: getting disoriented, getting injured, or falling ill.
Getting disoriented, or lost can be a significant problem because it can easily acerbate the other two situations. Plus, being lost can quickly run you out of provisions and cause you to lose a sense of calmness. If you do become lost or disoriented, the best thing you can do is stop, look around, and stay put until you either figure out where you are in relationship to where you want to be, or someone finds you. If you know that someone is actively seeking you out, then do not move unless staying puts you in a more dangerous situation.
Getting injured or falling ill, while two very different situations, often have very similar solutions while hiking. If you’re injured, remain calm, and make use of the first aid kit as you can to alleviate the situation. If you fall ill, do your best to remain calm, and keep your temperature at a tolerable level. In both cases, it’s best to get professional medical help sooner than later.