Get in shape for your hike with an appropriate training schedule.
Let’s start from the beginning: before setting out, have a nutritious breakfast with the right number of calories to get you through the day.
For lunch, go for a balanced mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates with a moderate amount of protein. If you’re hiking at low altitude, a regular sandwich with some fresh fruit or nuts should be enough; if you’re at high altitude, try freeze-dried food which you just add water to or noodles.
Don’t forget to stay hydrated at all times: stop and drink every 30 minutes if you can.
Always take plenty of water with you, which you can add mineral salts to if you want. In winter, consider taking a thermos flask with hot sweetened tea. Avoid alcohol and fizzy drinks.
To avoid encountering health issues on your hike, let your body adapt gradually and acclimatize by ascending slowly.
You need to acclimatize even at relatively low altitudes (
The golden rule is to stop for a rest every hour and eat savoury snacks, dates, dried figs, dehydrated apricots, nuts or energy bars.
- Children are not little adults: your hike must be geared to their pace and their needs
- Don’t ascend or descend quickly with babies (under 12 months) at altitudes of over 1600 m
- Apply a generous amount of sunscreen to children (and reapply often)
- Always have an insect and tick repellent with you
- Take wet wipes with you
- If they’re taking medication, they should speak to their doctor to check it won’t interfere with the activity they’re planning
- Elderly people are more vulnerable, so must be honest with themselves about how they would cope with unforeseen incidents, fatigue or danger
To protect yourself from the sun in the mountains always:
- apply a 50+ sunscreen before you set off in the morning and reapply it during the day, especially if you sweat a lot
- always wear a hat or a bandana that covers your ears and neck too
- wear sunglasses. If you’re walking at high altitude, they should have category 4-5 protective lenses
Rule number one is to protect your head, because it’s your head that regulates your body temperature. Always:
- avoid long walks in the sun
- set out early in the morning
- stop and drink every 30-60 minutes
Before setting out, check with your health provider if:
- you are up-to-date with your routine vaccinations (tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough)
- you need targeted vaccinations, such as those against tick-borne encephalitis or rabies
Anyone living with a chronic illness should seek the advice of their doctor or a mountain medicine doctor at least one month before leaving for their holiday. Together you can assess the efficacy of your therapy, decide if you’ll need to be monitored at all during your stay and discuss whether the activities you have in mind are suitable, given your health.
Do the best you can to avoid tick bites, which initially only cause slight itchiness, because ticks are carriers of some very dangerous diseases.
Remember it’s rare to find ticks above 2000 metres because they tend to prefer long grass and are mainly found along trails used by sheep and wild animals.
Follow this advice to prevent being bitten by a tick:
- wear light-coloured protective clothing
- stay on the paths during your hike
- use specific repellents
- check your skin and clothes carefully at the end of your hike
- If you can, change your clothes before you set off for home and keep the clothes you wore on the hike separate
- If you are bitten, always use tweezers to remove the bite and disinfect the area carefully
- If you are bitten by a tick, make a note of the date: if you were to become unwell, it is important to know exactly when you were bitten
For more details about ticks, visit the website of the ULSS 1 Dolomiti hospital trust
It’s a good idea to disinfect the bite area before removing the tick.
If possible, extract the tick and any parts of it left under the skin.
If you don’t think you can remove it correctly, seek the assistance of a health professional.
Promptly removing a tick (within 12 hours of being bitten) reduces the risk of contracting Lyme disease, so it’s important to check yourself and the other members of your party during and after your hike.
The sun’s rays are more intense in the mountains.
That’s why you should always use a sunscreen with a high SPF and keep it handy so you can reapply it throughout the day. Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoid alcoholic drinks.
You should always be mindful of your physical condition and health before and during your hike. If you’re feeling tired, stop for a rest to recharge your batteries. If you have an accident and cannot continue, call the emergency services and explain exactly where you are so they can come and rescue you.
If you’re bitten by a viper, you should clean the bite with running water and disinfect it with hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate, if you have it. Then bandage or apply pressure to the bite area (but do not apply a tourniquet). Go to the nearest A&E or call mountain rescue.
If possible, clean the sting site and pat it with ice or cold water. Raise the limb, using the force of gravity, to reduce swelling and keep still to stop the poison spreading. In the event of anaphylactic shock, call mountain rescue immediately.
