A BRIEF GUIDE TO HILLWALKING & WILD CAMPING
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Wild country offers the opportunity for challenge & adventure, but the very word "adventure" implies risk. The element of risk has to be reduced to a level of acceptability by proper training & the observation of certain safety precautions. Provided a number of sensible precautions are taken & mountains & wild country are treated with the respect they deserve, the chances of coming to any serious harm during a trip are remote.
Safety is not really about rules, it is more a way of working; it is about planning, having the right equipment, and above all, training so that you know when & how to use the equipment.
Two aspects of training that require the most work are:-
a) Navigation skills - poor navigation makes for slow progress, wasted time, adds unnecessary distance to the route & above all can endanger the whole group.
b) Walking fitness; groups often overestimate their physical fitness. You use a different muscle group for every activity you do: - you may be a great swimmer but you will soon find you are not as able on the hills.
The other major consideration is you equipment.
WALKING BOOTS:-
"Boots are boots" is a very common miss-conception, there are many different types of walking boot available from very soft & flexible to totally stiff & rigid. The type of boot required for each activity varies vastly; therefore most people choose to buy one pair of "multi-purpose" boots. These should be semi-ridgid, to offer enough stability to the foot & ankle on rocky paths. Not fully stiffened to allow the foot to bend while walking on roads & more gentle terrain. Above all must be as waterproof as possible, either a pair of fabric boots with a "Gore-tex" lining, or "one piece" leather construction. The best advice would be don't buy a cheap pair of boots because you're saving for something else, cheap boots equal wet feet, wet feet equal blisters, blisters equal a lot of dis-comfort! Save up as much money as possible & visit a good outdoor shop. (E.g. Cotswold camping, B.C.H or Taunton leisure.) for advice and fitting service.
WATERPROOFS:-
Waterproof outerwear is vital in keeping warm as well as dry. Waterproof material is also windproof, thus reducing the "wind-chill" factor. Again, unfortunately good quality waterproof clothing is essential in all but the mildest climates, certainly in ours. As with boots the advice must be save as long as possible to buy the best you can afford, you cannot have too good a waterproof.
Most manufacturers now produce a highly "breathable" fabric that lets water vapour (sweat,) out but keeps rain out also; the best by far is a fabric used by all manufacturers on their higher range of waterproofs called is "Gore-tex".
Waterproof & breathable clothing is not only important in keeping you dry but warm also, if you get wet you are more likely to get cold, the colder you get the higher the risk from hypothermia.
Again visit a good outdoor retailer or speak to an experienced hillwalker to get the best advice before spending hard earned money.
"BASE"LAYER.
As the name suggests this is the name given to the layer of clothing nearest to the skin. Ideally this layer should remove moisture from the skin (wick) and let it evaporate quickly to atmosphere. By doing this you will stay warmer & feel more comfortable. Fortunately these do not have to be expensive or special items of kit, In-fact most people will have a reasonably effective base layer in their current wardrobe. Most football style shirts are similar in construction to “wicking” base layer tops. A normal cotton T-shirt, However should be avoided, cotton soaks up moisture rather than “wicking” it away, so if possible a base layer made by a well know manufacturer should be worn if at all possible. Base layers include you legs, so get a pair of “long johns” as well. If it is windy, or you do get a bit damp this will help keep you much more comfortable. Again these should be made of high tech “wicking” fabric.
MID-LAYER.
Mid-layer is the name given to, surprise, surprise, the layer of clothing that you wear in the middle of the layering system.
A thin fleece type top is ideal here, as these help to continue “wicking” moisture away from the body. But, again, luckily an adequate compromise would be your unit sweat shirt or similar. In very cold weather you may need two mid-layers, so a long sleeved shirt can be useful to put on under your main mid-layer. (Sweatshirt.)
OUTER-LAYER.
No prizes for guessing that this is the outer most layer of clothing that you will normally wear. Fortunately most people now own a fleece jacket of some type or another, this is your ideal outer layer. If it is very windy, however, you may need to put on your waterproof coat, because as stated earlier waterproofs are also windproof! The one downfall with fleece is that it is not particularly wind proof, unless you are lucky enough to own a very good quality one that incorporates a wind proof lining.
OUT ON THE HILLS.
Now that you have the correct clothing on we can finally get out into the hills. There are more things to consider when out than just enjoying the view. (Hopefully you will get a view!!)
• Always walk at the pace of the slowest group member. The more you moan at & push that member the slower they will normally get because they will get upset!
• Share map reading duties around between all members of the group. When who ever is carrying the map stops to look at it, you should all look and assist. What would happen if the only person that knows where you are has an accident or becomes ill? You all end up in deep s***!
• Do not ever drink water from steams or lakes without first purifying it. Purification tablets are available from chemists as well as out-door shops. Also available at the later are neutralising tablets to remove the rather unpleasant chlorine taste from the purified water, I strongly recommend getting some of these to encourage you to drink enough water when in the hills!! (one pack of each per tent should be sufficient) If you are allergic to purification tablets all drinking water must be boiled for at least 10 min then allowed to cool. I suggest that anyone who has not used purification tabs before tries putting one into tap water (of the right volume) before we go to Norway we do not want anyone to realise that they are allergic to them and have an emergency when we are there!!
• If you need to go to the loo, make sure you are at least 50m from any water source. (Streams, lakes Etc.) If you need to have a “number 2” dig a small hole and cover it over after, toilet tissue should be carried away with you. (In a plastic bag I would suggest!) Or burnt if safe to do so.
• All washing you need to do, dishes, clothes, yourself in natural water sources must be done using biodegradable soap (such as Mountain suds) available from good outdoor shops. DO NOT EVER use normal soap or shower gel etc. This can be very damaging to both plants and wildlife, Remember we may well be drinking purified water from streams so the last thing you want is to drink soapy water!!
• Try to keep your pack as light as possible. It should not weigh more than a quarter of you body weight. Don’t leave out ANY items that are on your kit list or you know you must carry!!
• If you need to, an alternative or “escape” route is normally given on the reverse of the route card. This is only to be used if someone has an accident, or is taken ill, or if weather is too bad to follow original route safely. If this is the case you will normally be told by your supervisor.
• If you do feel cold or tired you MUST tell the group to stop and rest or put on more layers of clothing. Don’t, however stop unnecessarily; this can make you all colder!
• Try not to eat too much at one time, little and often is the best method. Personally I don’t plan to stop on the summit of mountains for lunch, the view may be great but it can also be very exposed and cold. Try to have a short stop below the summit in the late morning, and another stop early in the afternoon. If the sky is clear and a good view is to be had, you can always sit and enjoy it instead of stopping in the afternoon. It is better to stop twice than not stop for lunch until 3 o’clock in the afternoon, by then you will be feeling very hungry and this could lead to tiredness and worse still hypothermia!!
• ALWAYS keep together. Never let anyone gets left behind, but also don’t let one or two people storm off ahead. Always keep in visual contact will everyone in the group, clouds can roll in within a matter of minutes and reduce your vision to just a few meters. As a general rule don’t spread out by more than 15 - 20 meters.
• NEVER EVER cook or smoke inside the tent it only takes mere seconds for a tent to become an inferno! If totally necessary to cook in the porch area be sure that the doors are open and tied back so that they do not get blown onto the stove. Also this allows easy escape if anything does go wrong. By far the best idea wherever possible is to do all your cooking outside away from the tent!!
EMERGENCY PROCEDRES.
In the event of an accident or injury to a group member first aid should be given immediately. Following first aid procedures should be automatic.
Don’t panic no matter how serious thins look at first. After a little time has been spent sorting things out, the situation may look a lot better. After a rest, a casualty with a sprained ankle or an immobilised broken arm may be able to struggle on to somewhere that help can be found. This will entail the rest of the group carrying his / her equipment and helping them along.
The most difficult decision arises when the injury makes it impossible for the person to move. The group will now have to go for help. Before this drastic decision is taken, check the immediate area to see if there are any other walkers around to assist you. If not the group will have to split up because some members will have to go to get help.
Take note on paper the name/s of the injured party/s the nature of the injury, (E.g. suspected broken leg. Etc.) The time the accident happened, and most important an accurate description and 6 figure grid reference of your position. (The police/mountain rescue will need all of this.)
Usually at least two people should go to get help, the best navigator and the fittest member. The people fetching help must carry their own kit, except tents, sleeping bag Etc. This along with some food should be left with the injured person. The people fetching help should try to keep looking around to memorise their route if not following a well worn path. Take note of the time you left the injured party and head for a road, house or farm to raise the alarm. Dial 999 ask for the police (they oversee mountain rescue.)And pass on all information. Don’t forget to thank anyone that helps you!!
If a tent is carried put it up around the casualty to offer some protection from the weather. Get the casualty into a survival bag. Another person can also get into the survival as well to warm the injured person up. (You get cold quicker if you are in shock after being injured.) If possible change them into dry clothes.
The international distress signal can be used to attract attention of passing walkers, or rescuers. This is six long blasts on a whistle (this is why you should only use a whistle in an emergency!) Six flashes of a torch, if it is dark. Six shouts, waves Etc. The six signals should be in quick succession, followed by a pause of one minute.
The answering signal is three long blasts, flashes, shouts, waves Etc. Followed by a pause of one minute. A white flare is also a sign of recognition used by mountain rescue.
You must use your judgement, there is nothing to be gained by blowing your whistle or flashing you torch if there is no-one around.
Help is likely to take quite a long time depending on how far you are away from a road and the weather conditions can slow even mountain rescue teams.
When waiting for help put up a tent if carried, try to make yourselves more visible by using a bright garment or spare survival bag as a flag. Look out for other walkers who may be able to help in some way. Make a hot drink; don’t give to injured person if they may need anaesthetic. (It will slow treatment if patient has eaten or drank anything recently.) Care for and reassure the casualty until help arrives. Be careful not to waste you torch batteries, don’t sit with it on needlessly, you will need it to attract the attention of rescuers later.
Finally, DON’T THINK THAT THE GROUP THAT WENT TO FETCH HELP ARE LOST AND GO TO FIND THEM. YOU WILL GET LOST OR INJURED YOURSELF! SIT TIGHT UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.
SUMMARY.
With common sense and a little training there is no reason that all unit members cannot go into the hills in Norway, or anywhere else for that matter, this was not intended to scare anyone or discourage you in any way from joining us in the mountains, but as stated earlier, mountains deserve respect. If that respect is given, you will, in return have many extremely enjoyable days in the mountains with K.E.S.U.
Although every possible precaution is taken accidents do happen from time to time, therefore you will all be expected to take part in some training now and then, to allow us to GET OUT THERE!!