The Trek is a good way to travel. It allows you to discover countries and regions and to discover places otherwise inaccessible.
Nevertheless, precautions are necessary:
Plan your itinerary
It is a decisive step in the hike. Ideally, this should be planned in advance. If you plan to follow trails, you will need a precise map (the 1/25 000 IGN Top 25 type maps for France), a compass to orient yourself and possibly a GPS. It goes without saying that you have to learn how to use these tools.
Do not forget that during a mountain hike the distances do not have a great significance: the travel time also depends (and above all) on the altitude difference to be covered. Take these parameters into account depending on your ability and do not overestimate yourself because you must be able to reach your refuge or the bivouac before nightfall.
When planning your itinerary, take into account the accommodation and food requirements: it is for example forbidden to camp in certain areas such as national parks and you must also be able to supply yourself with food and drinking water.
Carry
Be careful not to encumber yourself with unnecessary things because it goes without saying that you will have your bag on your back at all times. Because with each step, you must make an effort to carry it. To get an idea of the essentials, see what to take for a week of hiking.
If you are going in a group, try to distribute the total mass according to the weight and physical condition of each. Likewise, think about sharing certain objects (toothpaste, soap, etc.). Also, it can be handy to take small vials and fill them with what you need so you don't have to burden yourself with a container that's too large.
Heavy objects will instead go to the bottom of the bag to finish light objects. The adjustment of the straps and straps of the bag are also very important. Care should be taken to properly adjust the height of the bag if possible, and adjust the tightness of the lap strap and shoulder straps so that more than half of the bag's weight is carried on the pelvis.
Respect
By hiking, you will be closer to nature. So that those who pass after you can admire it as beautiful as you will, some precautions must be taken:
- Take back your waste: nature will take tens or even hundreds of years to get rid of it, you a few days at most
- Avoid leaving the tracks and paths, you will disturb the fauna and degrade the flora
- Do not feed animals, what is good for you may not be good for them
- Do not pollute the water (rather take Marseille soap to wash yourself and the laundry), because it is a very important element for the balance of nature
To inform
- The cell phone can be useful for alerting the emergency services, but it does not work everywhere and it can be difficult to recharge the battery. Otherwise the whistle is a common means of signaling its position.
- It is safer to give your route to someone who is not leaving so that they can more easily know where you are in case of a problem.
- Learn about the weather to avoid being surprised. In the mountains, for example, the weather can change very quickly, and can be different from one slope to another.
- Going in a group allows us to help each other in the event of problems (first aid actions).
