Drink plenty of fluids before starting out, and spread out your water intake over the hike. Humans can’t process more than about a liter per hour; the excess just gets filtered out.
Thunderstorms
Practice helps in reading the weather and judging the likelihood of thunderstorms. Cumulus clouds that are spaced apart and fluffy white at the bottoms pose no danger; watch for the very dark ones with an anvil shape at the top. Five seconds between a lightning flash and thunder means the event is a mile away; anything less than 20 seconds signals danger, since lightning can travel ahead of storms. Cold rain and hail are also concerns.
Get off summits and ridges if a storm approaches. Also stay away from depressions, gully bottoms, the bases of rock overhangs, large solitary trees, and standing water. The best place to be is among a group of small, uniformly-sized trees, where you should sit on your pack with your elbows outside your knees to help ball yourself up small. Companions should space out about 50 feet apart.
During a lightning storm, try to stay calm and enjoy yourself. Storms are exceedingly common on summer afternoons, and great times to feel connected with nature’s beauty and power. The whole reason for the hazard is that humans are not separate from nature. Rather we are connected, a part of what is going on. Storms usually don’t last long, and the lighting effects are gorgeous when the storm passes and the sun reemerges.
Altitude
Altitude sickness is a biological disturbance brought on by inadequate oxygen intake. Susceptibility depends on the individual and can be unpredictable. The key is to pay attention to your body and know how it tends to react. Common symptoms include headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and lethargy. You might also experience swelling in your face and hands or feet.
If you are visiting the Front Range from sea level, it’s a good idea to spend at least two days at around 8,000 feet before going much higher. Then ascend slowly, stay hydrated, and don’t overexert yourself. Above 13,000 feet it is normal to walk in such a way that you can include a brief pause with each step.
A good attitude helps in dealing with altitude. Be relaxed and positive, and try to keep a sense of humor. If you or anyone in your party feels too crappy, just go back down and try again on a different day. The mountains aren’t going anywhere.
Sun
You can get sunburned, including on your eyeballs, on a cloudy day. This is especially true at higher altitudes and in snow, which intensify the sun’s effects. I speak not proudly from experience, having snow-blinded myself three times during my younger years; two of those times were on cloudy days. You can also get burned in places like the palms of your hands, the roof of your mouth, and beneath your chin. Solution? Bring good sunscreen and good sunglasses on every hike, and use them.
Heat
Heat exhaustion happens when the body absorbs and works up heat faster than it can dissipate it. Dehydration is the first symptom, followed by cool clammy skin, weakness, nausea, and perhaps fainting. In such cases, find shade and fluids, elevate the feet, and focus on cooling the face and head. Prevention is best: on hot days, hike the high country. It’s right there.
Cold
Hypothermia is evidenced by uncontrollable shivering, loss of coordination (especially in the hands), fuzzy thinking, drowsiness, and slurred speech. It doesn’t have to be terribly cold to occur; many cases occur between 30 and 50 degrees, especially in wet and windy weather. It is best to prevent this condition rather than let it develop, and the solution is to get dry and warm.
Someone going into hypothermia might not be aware it is happening, and even deny it. Reluctant to get up after a rest, they might want to stay back on the trail and wait for you. Don’t agree to this. Trust the symptoms and treat them then and there.
General Safety
If hiking alone, be sure to tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. It’s also best to maintain a conservative hiking practice when alone and not go for risky rock scrambles, never push time or weather limits, and so on.
No trail in this book requires crossing waist-deep streams, but there are hundreds of small crossings, many on ad hoc bridges of fallen logs or sequences of rocks. The biggest hazard is usually dunked feet; however, it is important to be mindful of how deep and fast-flowing water can be at different times of year. Don’t attempt a crossing if you feel it is “over your head.” Better to turn back and try a different route, or return later in the year.
Break in your boots, try to keep your feet dry, and cover trouble spots as soon as they develop with moleskin or tape. If a blister forms, don’t pop it as this can invite infection. Instead, cut a circle in the moleskin. If a blister becomes too uncomfortable to continue walking, you can drain it by making a small puncture with a clean needle.
There is no excuse for not having a first aid kit in your backpack. Drugstores sell great ones at very reasonable prices. If you never open it, that’s great, but make sure it has bandages (including butterflies), gauze, adhesive tape, antibiotic ointment, blister protection, tweezers, a clean needle, and disinfectant pads.
Wildlife Safety
Most animals don’t want to be near you. To be respectful, it is important to keep your distance. Mountain lions, bears, and bobcats almost always avoid people when they can. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats are more gregarious, but they also need their space. The most troublesome creatures you will likely encounter are mosquitoes, flies, and ticks.
During any potentially contentious wildlife encounter, it is important to stay calm, assume a dominant posture, and maintain a confident demeanor. In the unlikely case that you are attacked, report it to the trail-managing agency and to Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
The main mammals to pay attention to, safety-wise, are moose, which were reintroduced to Colorado in the late 20th century and now number in the thousands. A moose may tolerate your presence nearby, but it is dangerous to get near one. In fact, moose are up there with hippos and rhinos as the most hazardous mammals to humans, worldwide. Most of the time moose seem either oblivious to you or mildly curious. You might even see one grazing by the highway. Other times they can be surly and aggressive, especially in spring, when cows are protective of newborns, and during the fall mating season. At all times, it is critical to control your dog; moose consider dogs to be wolves, their natural predators, and go into fight-or-flight mode around them. At 800 to 1,100 pounds per charging adult moose, you don’t want the fight. If a moose approaches, back away slowly and don’t throw anything. Speak in a calm, solid voice, and try to hide behind something. Be particularly concerned if it lays its ears back, raises the hairs on its rump, and licks its snout. Leave the moose an escape route, and stay out of its way as it passes.
It’s also important to know what to do around a coyote. Coyotes can be fun to watch, and are usually elusive, but closer to urban areas they can lose their fear of people. If you see one, keep your distance and keep your pet under control. If a coyote does approach, maintain a dominant posture and speak in a loud, confident voice. It’s okay to throw rocks or sticks to frighten it away.
Mountain lions avoid humans. Seeing a mountain lion is a rare experience, and attacks are far rarer. It is important, however, to not let small children wander off and to keep pets leashed. If you encounter a mountain lion, stand tall and make yourself look as big as possible, maybe raise your jacket over your head, and back away slowly. Maintain indirect eye contact, speak in a loud voice, and don’t run, as this can trigger a predatory response. If you are attacked, fight back. Mountain lions aren’t used to anything fighting back, and usually make only one or two brief charges. Don’t play dead, as this would give the lion a chance to make a deadly bite.
Black bears, which can vary in color from black to light brown, are shy and nearly always run away from people in the wild. They are omnivores, and can become bold if they think they can get at food scraps or garbage. Rare attacks on humans are defensive in nature and usually regard